Revised: May 14, 2022

Finally fixing this chapter and the next because they've been bothering me for quite a while. Well, I say "fixed," but that doesn't guarantee I've patched up all potential plot holes. It's mostly sentence flow and structure. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy them!

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Four months passed, but there were no more attacks. Harry was slowly accepted again, much to his relief. But then Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger became petrified. Dumbledore was voted out, leaving the school to panic once again.

In the midst of the chaos, Professor Flitwick announced to the dismayed Ravenclaws that exams were still to be taken.

"They must be mad!" exclaimed Terry as the second-years trudged to their class. "Exams! At a time like this!"

But then, three days before the first exam, Professor McGonagall announced to everyone in the Great Hall that the petrified students would be revived by the end of the day.

The Hall exploded in cheers.

"I still think taking our exams is a dumb idea," said Terry.

Michael snorted in agreement. Harry chuckled and let his gaze wander. Only the Slytherins hadn't joined in on the excitement, but he hadn't expected much else. He caught sight of Ron and Ginny talking. Then Percy appeared, startling her, and she fled from the Hall.

What had that been all about? Harry wondered. And why did Ginny look so frightened?

The next day, as Harry was heading to class, he heard his name being called and turned to see Ron, his face flushed from running.

"Can I talk to you?"

His urgency made Harry's shoulders go rigid. "Um, yeah, come on." They ducked into an empty classroom.

"I just came back from visiting Hermione, to reassure her, you know, that she'll be back in no time. And then I saw this in her hand."

He held out a crumpled piece of paper. Harry opened it and scanned it. "A basilisk?" he croaked, eyes widening.

"Yeah. And look at this." Ron pointed underneath the text to a single, handwritten word: pipes.

"Wait," said Harry, his mind whirling. "A basilisk... it's a type of snake... I could understand it... but no one else could... It kills people by looking at them. But no one's died — because no one looked it straight in the eye." He shuddered. "They'd all been lucky."

"Colin's camera, Nearly Headless Nick, a mirror," Ron listed off. "That's how they've only been petrified, right? What about Mrs. Norris?"

Harry thought back to that night on Halloween. "The water... from the bathroom. I bet you Mrs. Norris only saw the reflection..." Harry pointed to the word pipes. "It must've traveled through the pipes. That's the only way it could've moved without being seen."

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" Ron suddenly said. "What if it's a bathroom? What if it's in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom? Come on, we've got to tell the teachers!"

They went straight into the staff room to wait. But then Professor McGonagall was announcing the students to return to their dormitories.

Harry and Ron hid in the wardrobe and listened with growing horror as they learned of Ginny Weasley being taken down to the Chamber.

"D'you know what?" said Ron. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."

Harry looked at him skeptically. "Lockhart? He can't even hold his wand correctly."

"Well, who do you think we should get?"

"Anyone else, really," Harry said. "Flitwick, McGonagall, Snape —"

"Snape?" Ron wrinkled his nose.

"He's better than Lockhart."

"I guess," Ron conceded. "But if Lockhart's going to the Chamber, we should at least warn him."

"All right. You go get Lockhart, I'll find someone else."

They went their separate ways; Harry didn't know who to look for, just that it could not be Lockhart.

The first professor he stumbled upon was Snape, who reared back in surprise. "Potter! What are you doing here? Didn't you hear Minerva's order?"

"I did, but Ron and I found out what had been petrifying the students," Harry told him. He quickly explained, and Snape's face went paler than normal.

"A basilisk? And where is Mr. Weasley?"

"He went to warn Lockhart."

A sneer replaced the shocked look on Snape's face. "That insipid ponce?"

"The one and only," Harry said dryly.

Snape swore. "Get back to your common room."

"But the Chamber of Secrets can only be opened by a Parselmouth," Harry argued. Well, he didn't know for certain, but it made sense.

"Fine, but stay close."

They made their way to Lockhart's office.

"Awfully sorry, Ron," Lockhart was saying, "but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book —"

Harry reached for his wand just in time. "Expelliarmus!"

Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it and flung it out of the open window.

"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," said Harry. "And why was he about to do a Memory Charm?"

"Those books he wrote," Ron explained, eyes wide, "they're all about other people's adventures. He altered their memories and took the credit."

Snape sneered. "Well, it seems like you can do something, Gilderoy."

Harry looked at the trunks on the floor, then at the boxes and the nearly empty room. "Were you trying to leave?" He couldn't really say he was surprised, but something about seeing it with his own eyes made his voice rise up in agitation.

"What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."

"Well, we do," Harry said. He turned to Snape. "What should we do with him?"

Snape looked down at Lockhart's trembling form and sneered. "He's not coming." He raised his wand. "Stupefy!"

Lockhart fell to the floor unconscious.

"Stupefy," Harry muttered. "I'll have to remember that one."

Ron nudged Lockhart aside with his foot and stepped around him. "What do we do now?"

"You, Weasley, are to go back to your common room," said Snape before Harry could speak.

"But it's my sister that's down there!" Ron protested.

Harry saw Snape's expression soften the slightest amount. "I know. But she would not want you to be in danger, too."

Ron slumped his shoulders. "Okay." He turned to Harry. "Good luck."

"We'll need it," said Harry.

Together, he and Snape headed for Myrtle's bathroom to rescue Ginny.

So Snape will be going down the Chamber instead of Lockhart because — let's face it — if Harry and Ron had gone for a more competent professor (literally anyone else), it would've made for a more interesting confrontation.

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