Hogwarts is My Home (A Harry Potter Fanfiction), Part 2/7

Chapter 11

Madam Pomfrey isn't letting us have any more visitors at all.  I found this out when Seamus was trying to visit me.  She's scared that the monster will come back and finish us off.  We're not in much danger here, Madam Pomfrey will barely let the teachers in.  It's very reassuring with her in here.

Today, though, she let Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in.  They said they wanted to talk to Hermione.  Of course she lets famous Potter and his best friend in, but not my friends.  Thanks a lot.

"There's just no point talking to a Petrified person," Madam Pomfrey said.  Well, how many people do you know that have been healed from Petrification?  Exactly my point.  WE NEED COMPANY WE NEED PEOPLE.

"Wonder if she did see the attacker, though?" Ron said, looking sadly at Hermione's rigid face.  "Because if he sneaked up on them at all, no one'll ever know."  I didn't see my attacker.  Just movement in a window.  "Try and get it out," Ron whispered.  Get what out?  I heard the rustling of paper.  After several minutes, Harry spoke.

"Ron," he breathed.  "This is it.  This is the answer.  The monster in the Chamber's a basilisk— a giant serpent!  That's why I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it.  It's because I understand Parseltongue. . . ." Harry's been hearing voices?  Weird.  "The basilisk kills people by looking at them.  But no one's died— because no one looked it straight in the eye.  Colin saw it through his camera.  The basilisk burned up all the film inside it, but Colin just got Petrified.  Justin . . . Justin must've seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick!  Nick got the full blast of it, but he couldn't die again. . . and Hermione, the Hufflepuff girl, and that Ravenclaw prefect were found with a mirror next to them.  Hermione had just realized the monster was a basilisk.  I bet you anything she warned the first people she met to look around corners with a mirror first!  And that girl pulled out her mirror — and—"

"And Mrs. Norris?" Ron whispered eagerly.

"The water. . ." Harry said slowly.  "The flood from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.  I bet you Mrs. Norris only saw the reflection. . . ."

"What about the Slytherin girl?" Ron asked.

"I don't know about her. . ." Harry said.  THE WINDOW HARRY!  IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!  Oh no bad snakes.  I don't like snakes.

"She was found near a window, Percy told me!" Ron exclaimed.  There we go.  "She must've seen it in the window."

"'The Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it'!" Harry said.  "Hagrid's roosters were killed!  The Heir of Slytherin didn't want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened! 'Spiders flee before the Basilisk'!  It all fits!"

"But how's the basilisk been getting around the place?" said Ron.  "A giant snake . . . Someone would've seen . . ."

"Pipes," Harry said.  "Pipes . . . Ron, it's been using the plumbing.  I've been hearing that voice inside the walls. . . ." I shudder inwardly at the thought.  Imagine if you were using the bathroom and. . . never mind.  Ugh.

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" Ron said hoarsely.  "What if it's in a bathroom?  What if it's in —"

"—Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," said Harry.  "This means I can't be the only Parselmouth in the school.  The Heir of Slytherin's one, too.  That's how he's been controlling the basilisk."

"What're we going to do?" said Ron.  "Should we go straight to McGonagall?"

"Let's go to the staffroom," said Harry.  "She'll be there in ten minutes.  It's nearly break."  They left.  Have fun guys.

Later, McGonagall comes in, probably to tell Madam Pomfrey about the basilisk.  I'm surprised she didn't hear Harry and Ron.  They're talking in hushed tones.  I catch a couple of words: "student— taken into Chamber— another message— send students home—" oh no!