Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

64

The next evening they proceeded down the corridors where Ron proceeded to ask questions about the Basilisk and other things. 

"Why is it no one has been killed? I mean if people get kill by it's glance, surely people should be dead... but they aren't." 

"That's because no one saw it directly, Ron. Colin saw it through his camera, Justin saw it through Nearly Headless Nick, Nick did get the full blast but he can't die again and the Ravenclaw Prefect saw it through my mirror I was clinging to." Hermione explained to them. 

"And Mrs. Norris? She didn't have a mirror?" Ron asked. 

"But there was water on the floor. Mrs. Norris saw its reflection... and the blood is rooster blood. Because the crowing of a rooster is fatal to it so whoever it is knew this and didn't want one to be near it." Hermione explained to them. 

"There's still some things I want to know about.... like how did you wake Mrs. Norris up? Or why you couldn't be effected by the Basilisk. You looked it both from a mirror and directly at it. You're not dead nor are you Petrified." Ron pointed out. Hermione shrugged her shoulders. 

"I'm not sure... but I was thinking... since it gets around through the plumbing, that means the entrance would have to be a bathroom--" Hermione started when Harry cut in. 

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom!" Harry pointed out, "That's why she got murdered! She was there in the bathroom when the person was opening it." 

Hermione opened her mouth to agree with Harry when suddenly echoing throughout the corridors was McGonagall's voice saying: 

"All students need to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please." 

They quickly glanced at each other as they hurried their ways not towards the dormitories but to the staff room. They had just reached the room when they heard voices echoing from the inside. 

"A student has been take by the monster! Right into the Chamber itself!" McGonagall cried out. 

"How can you be sure?" Snape asked. 

"The Heir of Slytherin left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'" McGonagall stated. 

"Who is it? Which student?" Madam Hooch asked her. 

"Ginny Weasley," 

Ron stiffened as he slid down the wall and onto the floor. 

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow. This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said..." 

there was a short pause as another door opened and shut, drawing the teachers' attention towards something. 

"So sorry-- dozed off-- what have I missed?" Lockhart spoke up. Hermione peeked in to see everyone looking at him with a pure look of hatred. Snape stepped forward. 

"A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last." Snape shot at him. Lockhart seemed to freeze up at this mention.

"That's right-- weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" Professor Sprout chipped in. Lockhart didn't say a word as he seemed like he wanted to escape the room at that moment. 

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" Professor Flitwick piped up. 

"D-did I?" 

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," Snape spoke again, "Didn't you say the whole affair had been bungled and you should have been given a free rein from the first?" 

"I-- I really never-- you may have--" 

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy." McGonagall stated. Lockhart nervously nodded his head before mention heading to his office to get ready and left the room. 

"Right," McGonagall flared, "that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories." 

Hermione motioned for Harry and Ron to move because the teachers were heading their way. They quickly rounded the corridors before reaching a safe area for them to take a few deep breaths. 

"They've got Ginny! They've got Ginny!" Ron mumbled to himself, whimpering and on the verge of tears. 

"There's no time to waste. We got to inform Lockhart and tell him all we know. He may be a dummy but he's the best we've got." Hermione told them. They proceeded down the corridor and headed towards Lockhart's office. They scurried through the classroom and up to his office barging right through the door. 

"Professor, we've got some information---" Hermione started when her eyes wandered around the room. It was almost stripped to be completely empty with two trunks full of robes and books with photos that once been hung up now crammed into boxes. 

"Are you going somewhere?" Harry asked him. 

"Er-- why, yes, urgent call-- unavoidable-- got to go--" Lockhart told them. 

"What about my sister?" Ron shouted at him. 

"Most unfortunate-- no one regrets more than I-- " 

"You can't go now! Now with all the Dark stuff going on here!" Harry shot at Lockhart. 

"Well-- I must say when I took the job-- nothing in the job description about this!" Lockhart shot at them as he went tossing random things into the trunks. 

"You mean you're running away!" Hermione shot at him, "You coward!" 

"What about all those stuff you did in your books?" Harry asked them. 

"Books can be misleading," Lockhart stated. 

"You wrote them!" Ron shot at him. 

"My dear boys and girl, do use your common sense! My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things! No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip. I mean, come on--" 

"You've been taking credit for what a load of other people have done? My Grandma Elka is right! You're a fraud! You should be ashamed of yourself! I rather read books with an old Armenian warlock or a witch with a harelip over a dreadful monster like you!" Hermione growled at him. 

"Hermione, Hermione," Lockhart shook his head, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. It's a lot of work. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog." 

"Now, awfully sorry about this, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you three. Can't have you--" Lockhart started to pull his wand out when Hermione shot her wand up against his neck, so close that it could have cut it. 

"No, Lockhart. You're going down there with the three of us and deal with what's inside it. Let's go," Hermione demanded as she grab hold of his wand and forced him out of the room.