New Beginnings

Chapter 17

Harry watched as Hermione searched exhaustingly for a way out. Harry got tired just observing her.

She had quickly figured out that she couldn't leave through the pipes and had continued through the chamber. Her look of awe matched that of her first sight of the great hall - the twisted stories ron had told everyone had given her an image of a rotting, disgusting place filled with horror. His stories had become so fanatical to make himself more of hero than he had been until eventually the chamber of secrets became a torture dungeon and ron the one to save the all. Harry hadn't disputed any of the stories, something he regretted now.

Instead she was treated to lavish green tiled floors, impeccable statues and not a glimpse of mold in sight. There was a gentle background noise of trickling water from a minor waterfall.

The chamber was more beautiful than she could've ever dreamed of and for a split second she forgot that she was trapped in the bowels of the castle.

Then the moment passed and Hermione was running down side passages.

Now Harry had explored most of the chamber before bringing Ron and Cassidy down, so he knew most of the pipes connected together and the ones branching out the chamber were too small to fit through. Nevertheless, the show Hermione provided was riveting. Especially when she almost got herself stuck in a pipe Harry knew was connected to the Gryffindor boys bathroom.

Eventually though he had to reveal himself. So he pulled a Tom Riddle and stood - twirling his wand - in the centre of the chamber, which he was now going to refer to as the atrium because he couldn't keep calling it the chamber.

He dispelled all the careful glamours to reveal his true self, none of them would die seeing Potter - except Dumbledore for ironic purposes.

"Hey do you know how to get out?!" Hermione called out, standing in the same place he'd been in second year. Her voice was honeyed, the sugary sweet tone used to entice and manipulate people into believing her innocent facade.

"Maybe." Harry answered, facing her but not getting the satisfaction of watching her realise who he was. She was slower than he'd hoped. "But first you have to answer my questions?"

Her eyes lip up, thinking he would ask riddles or something to the like.

"Why are you allied with Albus Dumbledore?" 

"Wha-" the question threw her off. "Because he's a great man "

"Liar, tell the truth or face the consequences." 

"What consequences?"

Harry slashed his wand through the air, loving the screams as her wrist shattered. Broken shards of bone protruded from her hand and arm.

"Answer honestly and ill let you leave."

"He promised me power okay! Knowledge beyond my wildest dreams!" Hermione shrieked, clutching her wrist to her chest. "Now let me go!"

"We're not done here."

Harry dragged Hermione through the statue by her hair, the tangles helping him keep a firm grip. She thrashed weakly, leg broken from not telling him who the order members were and one rib ripped out of her body for lying about Dumbledore's plan.