Sitting on his bed while petting Lynx that rested on his lap, Theodore stared at the empty bed of Roman Alston and could not help but scowl at his friend's idiocy of trying to find the beast. Lynx let out a sad while, missing her owner.
"I know..." Theodore whispered to the cat. "Me too."
If only he told Roman about what he found, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. He felt stupid! He was a fool for trying to save Roman and Carina by keeping them in the dark, but if he hadn't done it then they would have jumped into the Basilisk's way and got themselves killed because they didn't think it through. But even more, Theodore was mostly trying to keep them from the real threat, much more deadly than the Basilisk, but rather, the one who's been controlling it. The last and remaining Heir of Salazar Slytherin. A man he believed to be dead, but it seems, after overhearing his father's conversation with Lucius Malfoy during the Holidays, he knew that that wasn't the case.
"I heard Alston got himself petrified – if you ask me, it should've happened sooner. That idiot was a shame to Slytherins." Malfoy told Crabbe and Goyle.
Theodore's eyes went to Blaise, expecting the boy to say something, but he kept quiet. And he calls himself Roman's friend?! But he wasn't going to let Malfoy continue talking about Roman.
"And you think you're Slytherin's pride, Malfoy?" Theodore spoke.
Malfoy and his goon stopped their snickering and turned to Theodore who got out of his bed, and Lynx by his feet.
"What did you say, Nott?" Malfoy glared at him.
"Roman was the only thing that makes up for Slytherin's bad reputation – he's more deserving to be called Slytherin than you are." Theodore told them. "Roman has done more than any of you combined could – and he's not a bloody coward like you, Malfoy."
Crabbe and Goyle got up and were about to grab Theodore, but Theodore got out his wand and pointed it at them. Theodore's oddly shaped wand had the two boys back away as it looked like a knife in his hand.
"See, cowards." Theodore told them. "Talk about Roman again, and I swear, it won't only be me you'll be facing."
"You think I'm scared of that cat, Nott?" Malfoy nodded at Lynx's way. The cat hissed at Malfoy and had a pose ready to pounce.
"Yes... but I'm sure you're even more scared of your cousin." Theodore smirked. "Should I send a little message to Black?"
"I'm not scared of that Half-Blood." Malfoy sneered. His eyes went to Theodore's scarred hands. "And don't make me tell your father about this, Theodore."
"Like he scares me." Theodore scoffed.
~*~
Carina learned that Morgan Diggory was a hard person to find, especially when he doesn't want to be found. The boy's Metamorphagus abilities had him camouflaged like a chameleon in the crowd. Hopeless, Carina finally went with Harry and Ron to visit Hermione and Roman at the Hospital Wing, they were just about to enter the vicinity when Theodore and Adrian Pucey left, both walking away from Roman's bedside. The two Houses ignored each other, but Theodore brushed his shoulder by Carina, having her drop the books she carried with her.
"Watch it, Nott." Carina glared at him.
But Theodore ignored her and continued to walk out of the common room with Pucey. Still glaring at him, Carina reached down to collect her things, and to her confusion, there was a crumpled piece of parchment along with her things. reaching for it, Carina started to open the parchment to see its content. She froze when she saw what was written.
"Wish you were here, Hermione." Harry said in a whisper.
"Harry, Ron, you have to see this." Carina went to Ron's side and showed him the parchment – no, the torn page of a book.
"What is this?" Ron asked.
Harry came to their side. "What Hermione and Roman were looking into – the reason why they were in the library. Come on!"
Following Harry, the three Gryffindors walked out of the Hospital Wing to get back to the common room and try to figure out what it was written on the ripped page.
"From many fearsome beasts that roam our land, none is more deadly than the Basilisk. Capable of living for hundreds of years... Instant death comes to anyone who looks into its eyes. Spiders flee before it – this is it! The beast in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk! And that's why I could hear it speak, it's a snake!" Harry said.
"But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why is it no one's dead?" Ron asked.
"Look over here." Carina pointed at the note written in beautiful penmanship. "Hermione must've written it – kills by eye contact – petrifies by disturbed line of sight."
"What does that mean?" Ron asked.
"It means they must've seen it off of something – like a reflection..." Carina trailed off as she saw the words "mirror or glass" written at the corner of the paper. "Or a lens of something."
"Exactly! That's how Collin got petrified – he saw the Basilisk through his camera – and Justin through Nearly-Headless Nick and Nick was a ghost so he can't die, and Hermione and Roman at the mirror!" Harry explained. "And Mrs. Norris..."
"The water's reflection – it was flooding at that time." Carina said.
"But how is it going around?!" Ron asked.
"They've answered it too." Carina pointed to the note written in the same penmanship.
"Pipes?! It's been using the pipes?!" Ron exclaimed.
"Remember what Aragog said, about that girl fifty-years ago, who died in the bathroom?" Harry asked. "What if she never left?"
"Moaning Myrtle?" Carina said.
"All this time, it was Myrtle that we needed?! And she's been in the bathroom this whole time – and we could've asked her any time wanted!" Ron said.
"ALL STUDENTS SHOULD RETURN TO THEIR DORMITORIES AT ONCE, ALL TEACHERS TO THE SECOND FLOOR CORRIDOR IMMEDIATELY." McGonagall's voice echoed in the halls.
"The second-floor corridor?" Carina wondered out loud.
"Let's go!" Harry said.
The three Gryffindors ran through the halls to get to the second-floor corridor. They stopped behind the wall just before they could run into their Professors that have gathered before something on the wall.
"The Heir of Slytherin has left a message, our worst fears have been realized, a student has been taken by the monster into the Chamber!" McGonagall said. "Students must be sent home, I'm afraid that this is the end of Hogwarts."
"Sorry about that, what'd I miss?" Lockhart arrived late, walking casually as he did as if everything was alright.
"A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart, your moment has come at last." Snape spoke.
"M-My moment?" Lockhart stuttered.
"Won't you just saying last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"
"We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy, your skills are, after all, legend." McGonagall said, with a slightly mocking tone.
"Very well, I would just be in my office getting – getting ready." Lockhart said and walked away.
"Who has this monster taken, Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"Ginny Weasley."
Ron gasped but Carina immediately covered his mouth before he could make a sound. She and Harry turned to Ron and saw his pale face. So, she was wrong, she thought, it wasn't Ginny who opened the Chamber, she was the next victim. One by one, the teachers left to address the situation, giving the three friends a view of the message, Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever, it said.
"Ginny?" Ron fearfully said.
A sudden grab of the shoulder had Carina jump, turning, the three Gryffindors saw Morgan Diggory holding a broom in his hand, standing with his finger to his lips, asking them to keep quiet.
"Morgan!" Carina gasped.
"I know where the Chamber is... but I'm not sure how to open it." Morgan said.
"How did you know?" Harry asked.
"I've seen it – I've seen it opened countless times in my dreams... but I think you'll have to be the one to open it, Harry Potter." Morgan's gaze into Harry's eyes sent chills down his spine. It was as if the Hufflepuff knew what was to happen once they enter the Chamber.
"Then let's go!" Ron said.
"We need Lockhart." Harry said.
"No, we don't!" Carina argued. "That bloody fraud would just slow us down!"
"Even so, he said it himself, he knows where the Chamber is, they might also know how to go through and what to expect – we need him." Harry insisted.
"And if he doesn't?" Ron asked.
"And he doesn't." Morgan added.
"We could always feed him to the Basilisk." Carina shrugged.
Running through the halls, the four second-years went to their Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and up the stairs to their Professor's office. The moment they got in, they found Lockhart packing his things rather quickly, shoving everything in his trunks.
"Are you going somewhere?" Harry questioned him.
Having been caught, Lockhart tried his best to come up with an excuse. "I have an urgent call, unavoidable, gotta go!"
"What about my sister?!" Ron exclaimed.
"Most regrettable – unfortunate – I feel most regrettable –" Lockhart was about to grab his things but Carina stopped him by blocking his way and pointing her wand at him.
"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! You can't go now!" Ron continued.
"I must say, when I took the job, there was nothing in the job description that says saving little girls!"
"You're running away?! After what you did in those books?!" Harry exclaimed.
"Harry, isn't it obvious?! He's a bloody fraud!" Carina exclaimed. "He didn't do any of those things!"
"You've been taking credit from other witches and wizards." Morgan spoke for the first time.
"Is there anything you and your arse pants could do?" Carina asked.
"Yes, I'm actually quite gifted with doing memory charms, otherwise those other witches and wizards would've gone babbling and I wouldn't have sold another book." Lockhart smartly said. "And it seems I have to do the same thing to yo—"
"Expelliarmus!" Carina cast. And Lockhart's wand flew into the air for Morgan to catch. "I don't think so."
"Now, shall we, Professor?" Morgan sneered, gesturing the way.
The four students went to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with Lockhart on wand-point. The man was helpless, especially when threatened to use the enlarging jinx on him. They found the ghost floating around moaning to a tune she was singing.
"That's the way in." Morgan pointed at the sink. "I saw it in my dreams. That sink opens to the Chamber of Secrets."
"But how?" Harry asked.
"Oh, hello Harry, what do you want?" Myrtle spoke.
"To ask you how you died." Harry replied.
"Oh, it was dreadful, it happened right here, in this bathroom. I went here because I was hiding from my classmates who were teasing me about my glasses... I was crying and then I heard somebody come in."
"Who was it, Myrtle?"
"I don't know, I was distraught. I heard that it was a boy's voice, so I told him to go away... and then I died." Myrtle shrugged.
"How?"
"I just remember seeing a pair of big yellow eyes... over there." She pointed at the sink.
"Morgan, tell me, where is it?" Harry told Morgan.
"Only you can open it Harry." Morgan said. "You were speaking to it."
"What does that mean?" Lockhart asked.
"Try speaking in Parsletongue to it, Harry." Ron suggested.
Harry turned to Morgan and saw him nodding. Taking a deep breath, Harry began speaking in the snake. Slowly, the sink suddenly moved the top raising to the air, and the sinks opening from the middle, revealing the hole at the middle.
"I think now I know why she told me to bring my brother's broom." Morgan sighed.
"She?" Carina asked.
"The woman whispering in my dreams." Morgan replied, "Come on, you can ride with me."
"Very good, Harry, well, it seems my help is no longer needed – I'll just be on my way." Lockhart was about to leave. But they pushed him back to the hole.
"You first." Harry said.
"Come on, boys, what if something down there is going to kill us." Lockhart said.
"Better you than us." Ron said.
Lockhart was hesitant. He was taking too much of his time to get in, so Ron pushed him in with his wand. The man fell into the hole, he was screaming for quite a while until they heard the sound of him landing.
"It's really quite filthy here." Lockhart called out.
"Let's go." Harry told them.
"Oh, Harry, if you die, we could share cubicles." Myrtle said.
"Thanks, Myrtle." Harry awkwardly said.
Harry and Ron jumped in first, Morgan handed Carina the broom shyly.
"I'm not really much of a flyer." Morgan said.
"It's alright, you can hold on to me." Carina smiled.
Mounting the broom, Carina waited for Morgan to get on, he was hesitant on where he should hold on to Carina, and only did so when he was told to hold on to her waist. Once they were ready, Carina dove the broom into the hole, following down the slide that leads to a pit of bones. They dismounted the broom, and Morgan took it to hold. He slightly cringed at the sight of ends slightly out of place.
"Ced's going to kill me." Morgan muttered.
"I'm sure he'll understand when you tell him you did it to save a little girl from death." Carina shrugged.
"He'd kill me even more because of it – he told me to not run into danger." Morgan sighed.
"Where now, Morgan?" Harry asked.
Morgan nodded in his direction. "That way. Straight ahead."
Harry and Morgan led the group, behind them were Ron and Carina who had Lockhart on wand-point. They were deep into the tunnel when they saw a large skin laying on the ground.
"What is that?" Ron asked.
"It's a snake's skin." Harry told them.
"Whatever shed this must be fifty-feet long." Ron said.
"Sixty." Morgan corrected him. "I saw it in my dreams. And it will continue to grow unless Harry destroys it."
"Me?" Harry asked.
"I told you, Harry, I already saw it – you holding a sword – you're the only one who can stop it." Morgan smiled sadly.
"How do I do it, then?"
"I don't know. All I saw was you holding the sword, the snake dead on the ground."
"But what if you're wrong? What if I fail?"
"Then we're all dead." Morgan grimly said.
Lockhart fainted.
"Heart of a lion, this one." Ron said.
But all of a sudden, the man grabbed Ron's wand and jumped to his feet, pointing the crooked wand at them.
"It seems that our adventure ends here, boys and girls. But don't fret, the world will know our story, how I failed to save the girl, and how you four lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body... so, you first, Mister Potter, say goodbye to your memories – OBLIVIATE!" A bright light exploded at where Ron's wand was taped together and sent the man flying back and hitting the wall. The impact causes a violent shake in the cave. Rocks suddenly fell from the ceiling, Carina jumped back to avoid the rocks, while Morgan dove to Harry and pushed them both the side of the Chamber's gate.
"RON, CARINA!" Harry called out.
"We're alive, Harry!" Carina called out. "Where's Morgan?"
"Here, I'm alive – bleeding, but alive." Morgan winced as he tried to tie a torn part of his robes to his bleeding leg.
Lockhart woke beside them. "Hello, who are you?"
"Ron Weasley."
"Carina Black."
"Oh, and who am I?"
Turning to each other, Ron and Carina were in a mix of panic and amused.
"Lockhart's spell backfired; he has no clue who he is!" Ron called out.
"Do you both live here?" Lockhart asked, like a child asking questions.
"No." Ron said, and then hit Lockhart at the head with a rock.
"You do know that that wasn't needed right?" Carina winced. "Go find Ginny, we'll try to get these rocks out of the way so you can get back through!"
"Alright." Harry turned to Morgan. "Are you ready?"
Morgan nodded. They walked towards the door locked by snakes, Harry turned to Morgan to ask what it was he needed to do, but Morgan only nodded at his way, urging him to do the exact thing he did at the opening of the Chamber. He spoke in Parsletongue.
One by one, an iron snake appeared from the side and slithered through the locks, pushing the other snakes to open. Once it was complete, the door opened. And through the small opening, the first thing they saw was the large statue of Salazar Slytherin's head.