Lilliana Snape (Harry Potter Book 2)

Part 29

We entered the bathroom under Harry’s cloak so not to be seen by anyone. Myrtle was floating around...wailing as usual until she noticed that she was no longer alone.

“Who’s there?” She said suddenly. Harry pulled off the cloak and smiled kindly at her “oh, it’s you three. What do you want?”

“To ask you...” Harry faltered “how you died.”

Myrtle looked suddenly...Happy; as if the prospect of talking about her death pleased her “oh it was horrible” she breathed “but all I remember is a pair of great big yellow eyes...over there” she pointed to one of the sinks.

I walked over to it “this one?” I asked and twisted the handle. It rattled slightly but no water came out.

“It’s never worked; even when I was a student here.”

“Hmm” I frowned as I felt the faucet. I bent down when I felt something engraved into the metal. It was a snake. “Harry!”

I had found the opening to the chamber of secrets...I think.

“Let’s go and tell McGonagall” Harry said quickly as we hurried from the bathroom and toward the teacher’s lounge.

When we entered the room; it was empty. “We wait then” I whispered.

We agreed to wait but wasn’t sure whether to just stand awkwardly or to sit down. The decision was made for us, however, when we heard McGonagall’s voice, magically magnified, echoing off the walls. “Go back to your houses” she said “stay there until you are told otherwise. Can all professors please gather in the teachers’ lounge.”

“Oh no!” I looked around frantically, there was nowhere to hide.

“Quick, in here!” Ron whispered as he gestured toward the wardrobe. We all clambered in just in time.

The door to the classroom flew open and most of the teaching staff filed in looking confused. “What is it Minerva?” Asked Professor Sprout.

“A girl has been taken.”

“To the chamber?” McGonagall nodded.

“Who?”

 “Ginny Weasley.”

I felt Ron slide to the floor beside me. I placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. The door flew open and Professor Lockhart breezed in. “So sorry; I must have dozed off. What’s going on?”

“A student has been taken by the monster” Snape said “it looks like it’s your lucky day.”

“I’m s-sorry, w-what?”

“Wasn’t it just last night you were saying that you had known where the monster was all along?” McGonagall said “this is a chance to prove yourself Gilderoy.”

“Oh, right, yes...I’ll just er...go and get ready then” and he scuttled off.

“Right; now we’re rid of him. What are we going to do?” Madame Hooch asked

“We’re going to have to close the school” McGonagall answered “they’ll leave tomorrow morning. Go to your houses and tell your students to pack.” Everyone nodded and then filed out slowly.

Harry, Ron and I fell out of the wardrobe. “Ron?” But he didn’t speak.

“We can’t just sit here and do nothing” Harry hissed hours later as we were sitting in the common room.

“What else can we do?” I asked

“We know what the monster is, where the chamber is; we can tell Lockhart!” He got to his feet and ran up to his dormitory.