Granger My Love

X - missing

The next day, Harry and Ron are visiting Hermione in the Hospital Wing again; Harry takes the old dried up flowers out of the vase next to Hermione's bed, puts in some new white flowers (most likely roses), then sits on the bed. "Wish you were here, Hermione. We need you. Now more than ever." Hermione just lays there with her glossy facial expression as Ron sighs sadly. Harry rubs Hermione's left hand; feeling something in it, he looks down and removes his hand to discover a crumpled up piece of paper, a library book page, which he carefully removes and straightens out.

Ron, glancing at the page "What's that?" he asked, Harry examining the page "Ron, this is why Hermione was in the library the day she was attacked." glances at the page and then back at Ron as he gets up "Come on! we need to ask Astrix, shes the biggest bookworm i've met" Harry and Ron walk through the corridor as Harry reads from the page "Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land, none is more deadly than the Basilisk. Capable of living for hundreds of years, instant death awaits any who meet this giant serpent's eye. Spiders flee before it..." looking up at Ron

they burst into the libary where Astrix is reading. "uhm, astrix?" Harry asked, "the fuck you want?" she responded, "know anything about this?" Ron asked, handed her the peice of paper, she read it out loud twice and stopped,

"... The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk. That's why we can hear it speak. It's a snake." Astrix said, Ron, processing the information they just heard "But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why is it no one's dead?" Ron asked, Harry thinking for a few seconds then looking at the window "Because no one did look it in the eye. Not directly, at least." they walk along as they go over how each of the victims were petrified "Colin saw it through his camera. Justin... Justin must've seen the Basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick. Nick got the full blast of it, but he's a ghost. He couldn't die again. And Hermione... had the mirror. I bet you anything she was using it to look around corners in case it came along." Harry said, "And Mrs. Norris? I'm pretty sure she didn't have a camera or a mirror, Harry." Ron asked,

"The water... There was water on the floor that night. She only saw the Basilisk's reflection." Ron nods; Astrix takes out a a book and looked at the page. Harry looked at it, running his finger along it as he reads "Spiders flee before it." It all fits." "But how's the Basilisk been getting around? A dirty great snake, someone would've seen it." Ron asked, Astrix glances at the bottom of the page where the word "Pipes" is written "Hermione's answered that, too." Astrix said, "Pipes? It's using the plumbing!" Ron said, "Remember what Aragog said about that girl fifty years ago, she died in a bathroom? What if she never left?" Harry asked, "Moaning Myrtle." Harry nods

Professor McGonagall, on the speakers "All students are to return to their house dormitories at once." Ron glances at Harry in surprise, wondering what could be going on now "All teachers to the second floor corridor immediately." Harry, Astrix and Ron hurry to the second floor corridor. In the section where the bloody message is. Professors: McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Madam Pomfrey, and Filch run up to the wall, where Professor McGonagall directs their attention to a newly written message.

"As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message." Harry, Astrix and Ron walk into the corridor behind them "Our worst fear has been realized, a student has been taken by the monster, into the Chamber itself." she sadly looks at the others "The students must be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts." Lockhart, happily walking up to the group "So sorry. Dozed off. What have I missed?" grins at Snape and McGonagall "A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last." Lockhart, slightly stunned "My... moment?" he asked, "Weren't you saying just last night you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" Lockhart looks bewildered "That's settled. We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills, after all, are legend."