Loving Lily: A Snily Story

Chapter 68 - Secret of the Chamber

Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Harriet blinked at the open, bronze door before she cautiously stepped forward and climbed through it.

She carefully slipped down and found herself standing on a large, stone walkway, lined with serpent heads on either side.

Harriet glanced at the statues before she looked straight ahead to marvel at the cavernous room's high ceiling.

The eerie, stone statue of a man with his mouth open in an "o" shape would have been unnerving if she hadn't noticed a boy standing at its base.

His Hogwarts robes were clearly visible, though Harriet could not quite make out his house crest from the distance.

"Harriet Snape.........we meet at last." The boy called in a smooth voice.

Harriet squinted and asked, "Are you Tom?......Tom Riddle?"

"I am indeed." The boy's velvet voice answered, "Come forward, Harriet....and let us have a better look at each other."

Harriet stared at Tom as she drew a deep breath.

Her heart raced in her chest while she gathered the punch-soaked folds of her soiled dress in her hands and walked forward.

The soaked soles of her shoes slapped against the walkway's wet stone as she approached her friend.

Harriet's heart lifted with every step she took.

Draco was nothing more than a villain.

Tom had been there for her, supported her, helped her, comforted her since the first night she had written to him in the diary........

Tom Riddle was a real gentleman.

Tom Riddle was the boy she could trust.

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The Great Hall was thrown into an uproar after the Yule Ball came to an abrupt, chaotic conclusion.

Each student present partook in either nosy gossip, hateful laughter, or sympathetic statements.

While the other staff members apprehended Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco, Dumbledore stood at the front of the room and silenced the crowd's chattering to restore order.

Outside of the Great Hall, Severus and Lily rushed to find Harriet.

"This way!" Severus cried to Lily.

His black robes billowed behind him as they followed the trail of punch droplets down one corridor and then another.

Lily frowned as she trailed after her husband through the halls, up the stairs, and eventually straight to the girls' lavatory on the second floor.

Severus came to an abrupt halt outside the entrance with a frustrated scowl on his pale face.

"I'll go! I'll go in and get her, wait here, Sev!" Lily cried as she brushed past her husband and entered the girls' bathroom.

Severus shifted on his feet nervously while he stood in the hallway and waited for Lily to return.

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Inside the lavatory, Lily scanned the room for any sign of her daughter as she called out, "Sweetheart?........Harriet, are you in here, darling? It's mum, I've come to check on you."

The sound of a choked, mournful sob from the last stall at the end of the room caught Lily's attention.

".........Sweetheart?" She frowned.