Harry Potter's Pen Pal

Chapter Twenty-Two

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

Draco, Neville, Fred, and George exchanged worried glances. Obviously, something bad had happened.

"Harry?" Neville asked quietly. Harry had barely reacted to the announcement, his expression dull.

Harry grunted.

"Do you want to know what's happened?" Draco said nervously.

"We could send Peeves," Fred began.

There was a sudden, loud commotion in the hallway, and several Hufflepuffs came rushing in. Macmillan was white.

"You took a student into the Chamber!" he squawked, pointing a finger at Harry. "We know it's you this time, you hate Ginny Weasley!"

Neville gasped; the twins looked a mixture of pleased and alarmed; Draco had gone as white as Macmillan.

Fire exploded in Harry's eyes, and he turned to glare at Macmillan. "What do you mean, Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber?"

Macmillan opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment, Professor Snape came striding into the library. "What is this noise!" he snapped.

"Macmillan accused Harry of taking Weasley to the Chamber," Draco replied. Snape blanched.

"A student has been taken to the Chamber?" Snape sputtered.

"Professor," Harry said stiffly, standing, "please take Draco, Fred, George, and the Hufflepuffs to their common rooms. I have an annoying girl to rescue." And my Tom.

"You-" Macmillan began angrily.

"Fifty points from Hufflepuff!" Snape snarled. "How dare you accuse a twelve-year-old child of opening the Chamber and Petrifying students!" He turned to Harry. "Good luck, Harry."

"Don't you dare die," Neville said fiercely, "or I swear-"

"I'll be fine, Neville," Harry soothed. "My Demons, protect Draco."

"Yes, Harry," the twins chorused, as Draco looked indignant.

"I can take care of-" Draco broke off as the twins each took one of his arms and began dragging him out of the library. Snape shook his head and followed, and the Hufflepuffs scampered after him. Neville gave Harry a look of worry before following.

Marvolo, Harry thought, I need the entrance to the chamber ⎯ now.

Whatever for? Voldemort thought crossly.

Ginny Weasley has been taken to the Chamber. Whoever took her has the diary.

Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, Voldemort said at once. One of the sinks is broken. That's the entrance. The password is 'open' in Parseltongue.

Thank you. Harry cut off the connection.

Ten minutes later, Harry was standing in Myrtle's bathroom. He studied the sinks until he found one with a snake scratched on the side of the pipe.

"Open," he hissed.

With a grating noise, the sink sank down into the ground, revealing a huge slimy pipe. Harry wrinkled his nose.

You can ask for stairs, brat, Voldemort told him irritably.

"Stairs," Harry said sharply. The pipe shimmered and was replaced with what looked like a hundred stone steps, all different sizes and depths. It almost looked more dangerous than the pipe.