Harry discreetly trekked to the second floor girl's lavatory. The beige halls of polished marble were loud with the echoing din of his footsteps. He was finally free of the crowding and baseless chatter that usually congested the hallway. A whimpering voice croaked from within one of the stalls, "Who's there?"
As Harry closed the door behind him, he was greeted by the infamous apparition of Moaning Myrtle. "Harry!" She cawed, "It's been so long. You said you would visit me!"
"I was kind of busy. . ."
"Oh, I know—defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. . ." she said in awe, "so heroic!"
Harry shrugged, unsure of how to respond.
"Why are you here now?" she asked.
"I wanted to see if anything's changed" Myrtle cocked her head confusedly as Harry said this, so he elaborated, "I wanted to see the Chamber."
"Ooh, well, no one's touched it as far as I know; no one has even stepped foot in my bathroom since you and that Weasley girl opened the Chamber. Oh . . . and that blond boy . . . though I forget his name. Even the first years avoid my restroom!" She whined, fishing for Harry's pity, "No one wants to talk to me..."
"Can't imagine why." Harry said flatly.
"Promise me you'll visit me more often? At least until you graduate?"
"Sure, Myrtle." Harry smiled, satiated by the prospect that at least one thing had not changed. Myrtle was still very much Myrtle.
Harry hissed "Open," and the bathroom floor revealed a hole plummeting into a dark abyss.
Once he felt he had fallen for a bit longer than probably safe, he spelled, "Arresto Momentum." He hit the stone floor with a small thud. Harry somehow still knew the way to the Chamber's main area. Like riding a bike or learning Lumos, it seemed like a skill he would never forget.
It was amazing, striking; it looked exactly as it always had. The emerald corridor was lined with stone statues of snake heads, hissing at anyone who dared to come close.
Marble flooring and puddles of stagnant water created a double reflection of the high vaulted ceilings dotted in stone stalactites. At the far end of the Chamber hall was a pool mixed with blood and dirt where the magically undecayed serpent lay dead.
Harry tittered at the idea of Salazar Slytherin, a grand wizard, building an entire underground Chamber with a Basilisk to guard it—a Basilisk Harry conquered at the age of twelve. Then it occurred to him.
Why would the Chamber of Secrets hold only one?
Everything was as he had last seen it, but he wondered if there was more. Standing audaciously in Salazar's grand wake, he hissed, "Revelio."
With a low rumble that shook the ground beneath him, one of the stone snake heads facing the Chamber walkway shifted into a cavern, dimly lit aside from the two branching tunnels leading into a void.
Despite his awe, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't alone.
Remembering his time on the run with Hermione and Ron, he cast Homenum Revelio as a force of habit. It's something he grew used to while spending sleepless nights in the forest—or wherever they needed to set up camp. He couldn't even count the number of times that spell alerted them to snatchers, werewolves, or incoming ambushes.
YOU ARE READING
Rivals Not Enemies (Drarry Slowburn)
FanfictionComedy/Drama/Fantasy/Romance/Wholesome Because of the academic interruption caused by the Second Wizarding War, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco return to Hogwarts to finish their final year. When Harry revisits the Chamber of Secrets, he starts to s...
