𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐑━︎━︎H. Granger ︎✓︎

❝︎CHAPTER NINETEEN❞︎

▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 ━︎━︎  𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 Juniper wrote a quick letter to her mother before meeting Harry and Ron in the common room. They made their way to the hospital wing, not before Juniper stopped to get Hermione some fresh flowers because she was sure that the ones that were in there now would be dead. The trio entered the hospital wing, making their way over to Hermione. Ron sat in the chair beside of her bed whilst Harry sat on the edge of the bed. Juniper walked over to the side table, taking out the old decayed flowers and replacing them with the fresh new ones she'd gotten.

     "Wish you were here, Hermione." Harry said with a frown. "We need you. Now more than ever." Harry placed a hand over Hermione's, a sad sigh falling from his lips. His eyes furrowed when he noticed something in Hermione's hand. He quickly grabbed it, revealing a scrunched up piece of paper.

     Juniper looked at the paper with a frown, moving to stand beside of Harry. "What's that?" Ron asked. Juniper's eyes widened as she exchanged a look with Harry.

     "Ron, this is why Hermione was in the library the day she was attacked." Harry folded the piece of paper, stuffing it in his pocket. Juniper took a step back as he stood up quickly, he nodded for the two to follow him. "Come on!" They followed after Harry who was reading the paper. "Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land, none is more deadly than the basilisk. Capable of living for hundreds of years, instant death awaits any who meet the giant serpent's eye. Spiders flee before it. . . this is it." Harry looked away from the paper and looked between Ron and Juniper. "The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk. That's why I can hear it speak. It's a snake."

     Ron's shoulder's slumped. "But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why is it no one's dead?"

     Harry went silent as he thought about it. Juniper thought back to every crime scene before she looked at the two in realization. "Because no one has actually looked it in the eye." The two looked at her and they started walking. "Think about it. Collin saw it through his camera, not directly at it. Justin. . . you said Nearly Headless Nick was there, so therefore he probably saw the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick. And then of course Hermione had the mirror so she saw it through the reflection of the mirror."

     "And Mrs. Norris?" Ron questioned her. "I'm pretty sure she didn't have a camera or a mirror, Juniper."

     Harry thought about it for a moment before saying, "The water. There was water on the floor that night. She only saw the basilisk's reflection." Harry walked towards a flame, using the light to read more of the paper. "Spiders flee before it. It all fits."

     "But how's the basilisk been getting around?" Ron asked with a frown. "A dirty, great snake, someone would have seen it."

     "Hermione's answered that too." Harry said, showing Ron the parchment where the word 'pipes' was written.