Hermione continued to flip the pages of the book as the group walked down the corridors, reading aloud for the others to hear. Y/N, however, remained somewhat confused by the information.
"Out of the many beasts that roam our land, none is more deadly than the Basilisk," Hermione read, her voice clear as they passed by trophies lining the walls. Y/N tried to peer over her friends' shoulders to catch a glimpse of the text as well.
"Capable of living for hundreds of years, instant death awaits any who meet this giant serpent's eye."
"Spiders flee before it...— wait, are you saying...?" Y/N started to say, her voice trailing off as she looked at Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who all nodded in unison.
"This is it. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk!" Harry declared with a sense of determination.
"That's why you can hear it speak," Hermione added. "You two can speak to snakes. And the Basilisk is a snake!" she concluded.
Ron's brow furrowed in thought. "But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why isn't anybody dead?"
Hermione paused, biting her lip, and glanced to the side as she pondered the question. "Because no one did look it in the eye," she concluded, turning to face the puzzled trio. "Not directly, at least," she added, motioning for them to continue walking.
"Colin saw it through his camera," Harry chimed in, his mind racing as he recounted the petrified students. "Justin— Justin..." he groaned, trying to recall the details. "Justin saw it through Nearly-Headless Nick!"
"You're right," Hermione confirmed. "Nick got the full blast of it, but you can't kill a ghost."
"What about Agil, then?" Y/N murmured, causing the group to halt in their tracks as they contemplated the situation. Agil didn't seem to have been near a reflective surface or anything that would indirectly expose her to the Basilisk's gaze.
After a brief moment of silence, Ron scratched his head, a pensive expression etching across his face. "Didn't Professor McGonagall mention that she was near the trophy room?" he inquired, prompting Y/N to reluctantly nod in agreement.
Harry chimed in with a hint of excitement, his hands coming together in emphasis. "Perhaps she caught a glimpse of it through a trophy's reflection."
Ron, his brow furrowing, interjected, "But what about Mrs. Norris? She certainly didn't have a camera, nor a ghost to see through, or the height to reach those trophies."
Harry paused, his lip between his teeth. "The water," he muttered. "There was water on the floor that night. Mrs. Norris might have only seen the Basilisk's reflection, much like Agil did."
Hermione, reopening the book, revisited the passage. "Spiders flee before it," she reiterated. "It all aligns with what Aragog told us – that spiders fear it the most."
Y/N, puzzled, questioned, "But how is it moving around unnoticed? A giant serpent would surely be seen by someone."
Hermione responded with a deadpan expression, "Pipes." This left Y/N and the two boys echoing the word in puzzlement, to which Hermione nodded in confirmation.
"Recall what Aragog mentioned about the girl who died fifty years ago," Hermione continued, receiving nods from the trio. "She died in a bathroom," she added.
Y/N sought clarification, asking, "Where are you going with this?"
Hermione replied matter-of-factly, "What if she never truly left?"
Y/N whispered, the realization dawning, "Moaning Myrtle."
Suddenly, the speakers blared, cutting through their deep discussion. Professor McGonagall's voice echoed through the castle, commanding everyone to return to their respective house dormitories. Simultaneously, the teachers were ordered to assemble on the second-floor corridor.
The quartet exchanged knowing glances and shared a silent agreement. They didn't head to their dormitories as instructed but instead sprinted toward the second-floor corridor. Hermione, however, appeared apprehensive about their rule-breaking.
"What's bothering you, Hermione?" Y/N asked as they hurried along.
Hermione's response was a sigh. "We really shouldn't be breaking the rules like this," she murmured with a hint of concern.
Y/N couldn't resist teasing her friend. "Always the voice of reason, aren't you, Granger?" she quipped, accompanied by a mischievous smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes at the jest.
As they reached their destination, the group huddled by a wall, straining to hear the voices emanating from the other side.
Professor McGonagall's voice carried the weight of distress. "As you can see," she began, "the heir of Slytherin has left another message. Our worst fear has been realized—a student has been taken by the monster, into the chamber itself!"
Y/N's eyes widened in alarm at this revelation, and she instinctively clutched the wall, her head popping out slightly to eavesdrop. The teachers remained oblivious to their presence, their backs turned to the hidden listeners.
McGonagall's words struck a somber chord. "The students must be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts," she said with a heavy heart. Hermione subconsciously held onto Y/N's robes for comfort, and Y/N responded by gently intertwining their hands, offering a reassuring squeeze.
Among the teachers, Lockhart, seemingly confident, approached them. "So sorry, dozed off. What have I missed?"
Snape's tone was laced with sarcasm as he responded, "A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last."
Lockhart's facade crumbled as he stammered in response to Snape's remark, his face a picture of confusion and bewilderment. Snape and McGonagall exchanged questioning glances, eyebrows raised.
Snape continued with condescension. "Weren't you claiming just last night that you knew the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets all along?"
Lockhart remained silent, his lips pursed.
McGonagall sighed, her patience waning. "That's settled then. We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills, after all, are legendary."
Lockhart struggled to maintain his composure, forcing a smug smile. "Very well!" he declared before hastily retreating. "I'll just be in my office, um—getting ready!" he added, quickly making his exit.
Under her breath, Y/N couldn't help but mutter her disdain for Lockhart's behavior, earning a gentle nudge from McGonagall, who reminded her to watch her language. Y/N rolled her eyes in response.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Harry urged them to remain quiet as the conversation continued among the teachers. Madam Pomfrey's voice quivered with concern as she asked, "Which student has been taken, Minerva?"
McGonagall's expression was one of sorrow and regret as she revealed, "Ginny Weasley."
Ron's voice hitched as he watched the Professors walk away, revealing the writing on the wall, seemingly written with blood.
"Her Skleteon will lie in the Chamber forever," Ron muttered under his breath, concern for his sister hitting him like a ton of bricks.
"Ginny," Ron cracked.
✴✴✴✴✴
The quartet burst into the Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom, their footsteps echoing through the empty space as they hurriedly made their way past rows of chairs and tables.
Y/N took the lead, her voice determined as she spoke, "Lockhart may be useless, but he's attempting to enter the chamber. The least we can do is share what we know with him!"
She ascended the stairs leading to his office, her hand trailing along the cool marble railings before reaching the top and pushing the door open. Her chest heaved as she scanned the room for Lockhart's presence.
Harry began to voice their purpose as he stepped forward, but his words caught in his throat when he saw the scene before them. The group stood in stunned silence as they took in the sight of Lockhart hurriedly shutting a trunk filled with clothes.
Hermione, her brow furrowing with suspicion, questioned Lockhart. "Are you going somewhere?"
Lockhart stammered, attempting to come up with a plausible excuse. "Urgent call, unavoidable," he feigned, his eyes darting around nervously.
Ron, his concern for his sister evident, scoffed, "What about my sister!?"
Lockhart hesitated, fumbling for words. "Well, uhm..."
"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Y/N interjected, her frustration palpable as she slammed her hands onto the table, making Lockhart flinch. "You can't leave now, not after everything that's happening!"
Lockhart attempted to explain himself, his voice trembling, "I must say, when I accepted the job, there was nothing in the job description about—"
Harry stepped forward, blocking Lockhart's path as he sought to leave, his expression stern.
"You're running away?" Harry accused, his voice laced with anger. "After everything you've done in your books!?"
Lockhart tried to maintain his composure, holding his head high. "Books can be misleading!"
"You wrote them!" Harry retorted, his frustration evident.
Lockhart groaned and slammed his belongings on the table before turning to face Harry. "My dear boy, use some common sense! My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things!"
Hermione, feeling utterly betrayed by the man she once admired, muttered under her breath as she walked up to him and pointed her finger at his chest. "You're just taking credit for what other wizards have done!"
Y/N observed the scene with a small smirk, standing slightly apart from the confrontation.
Ron chimed in with a taunt, "Is there anything you can do?"
Lockhart's jaw clenched, and he responded with a hint of arrogance, "Yes, now you mention it. I'm rather gifted with memory charms. Otherwise, all those wizards would have gone blabbing, and I'd never have sold another book. In fact..." He reached for his trunk where his wand was placed.
"I'm going to have to do the same to you—!" Lockhart exclaimed before his face fell, realizing that he was surrounded by three pointed wands and a small flame flickering dangerously close to his chin, singeing his peach fuzz.
"Don't even think about it," Y/N growled, keeping her palm beneath his chin as a warning. She then gestured with her eyes for Lockhart to drop his wand.
Reluctantly, Lockhart complied, and Y/N motioned for him to leave the room and follow their lead.
✴✴✴✴✴
The group walked Lockhart inside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, their wands trained on his back. The eerie sounds of Moaning Myrtle's sobs and moans filled the air as they entered. Myrtle's eyes fell upon them, and she let out a small "oh" at the sight.
"Who's there?" Myrtle asked, her eyes darting around the room. Her gaze settled on Y/N, and she wore a suggestive smile.
"Hello, Y/N," Myrtle greeted with a sultry tone, earning a wry smile from Y/N. Hermione shot Myrtle a disapproving glare, but the ghost only giggled at Y/N's presence.
"What do you want?" Myrtle asked.
"We want to ask you... how you died," Y/N murmured.
"Oh~" Myrtle purred, shaking her head, her face taking on a sorrowful expression. "It was dreadful," she sobbed softly, nodding toward the stall beneath her. "It happened right here in this very cubicle," she whispered.
"I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. I was crying, and then... I heard someone come in," Myrtle explained.
Y/N tilted her head curiously. "Who was it, Myrtle?" she inquired.
"I don't know!" Myrtle spat. "I was distraught!" she yelled, her ghostly emotions still raw. She then continued, "...but they said something funny, a kind of made-up language. And I realized it was a boy speaking, so I unlocked the door to tell him to go away, and..." She paused, her voice trembling.
"I died," she croaked.
"Just like that?" Harry asked, incredulous. "How?"
"I just remember seeing a great pair of yellow eyes," Myrtle murmured, pointing toward the sink.
"Over there."
Y/N glanced at the sink, Lockhart looking thoroughly puzzled. Harry took a step forward, positioning himself in front of it.
Harry rubbed the sink's designs and pillars, twisting the sink before he furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward, rubbing against the sink and seeing a snake symbol ingraved beside it's side.
"This is it," Harry whispered. "This is it, guys," he said more loudly, taking a step back as he looked up at the sink. "I think this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets," he murmured.
"Say something," Hermione whispered as she shook Y/N. "Harry, Y/N, say something in Parseltongue!"
Y/N and Harry exchanged glances before nodding and speaking to each other in a language their friends couldn't understand. "You ready?" she asked, but the words came out like hisses, except for Harry, who nodded.
"Open," they said at the same time, but it came as gibberish to their friends. A clicking sound followed, and the tap glowed white before starting to spin. Then, it began to move forward, much like the rest of the sinks that had been pressed together to form some sort of pillar.
They took a step back, watching as the pillar of sinks expanded. The sink with the snake symbol retracted and descended, and the group's gaze followed its descent.
Lockhart took a step forward to observe the large hole that had just opened up before letting out a deep sigh and stepping back, shaking his head. "Excellent, Harry, Y/N. Good work. Well then, there's no need for me to stay—"
"Jump," Y/N said flatly, preventing him from running away as she shot him a cold glare. Lockhart found himself cornered by the four children.
His back pressed against the sinks, the four of them drew their wands on him. "Y/N, did I forget to mention that you've always been my favorite student?"
"Jump. I won't say it again," Y/N snapped.
"Now, what good would it do?" Lockhart quivered.
"Better you than us," Harry retorted.
"Uhm..." Lockhart stammered before shaking his head reluctantly and turning to look at the hole, his impending doom. He glanced back at them. "You sure you don't want to test it first...?"
Hermione's impatience grew as she rolled her eyes and pressed her foot against his back, shoving him toward the hole. Lockhart yelled as he was sent down the hole, his figure disappearing before a thud was heard.
"Really quite filthy down here," Lockhart's voice echoed from below.
They exchanged glances. "Let's go," said Harry.
Just as Y/N was about to jump, Myrtle's words interrupted her. "Oh, Y/N. If you ever die down there, you're welcome to share my toilet."
"That's... very nice, Myrtle," Y/N said with a wry smile and a nod. Hermione looked unamused, feeling a bit protective of Y/N, even with a ghost.
Y/N jumped through the hole, and the three Gryffindors exchanged glances. "You're seriously jealous of a ghost?" Ron teased, noticing Hermione's clenched jaw.
"Not jealous," Hermione retorted before she, too, jumped in.
Harry shrugged before he followed the two girls. Ron glanced down, then up, reluctantly placing a foot forward and wincing as he closed his eyes shut and jumped in.