Chapter 17 - The Hunting of the Snark…er…Basilisk
(A/N - Apologies to Lewis Carroll, but…oh, never mind.)
"Happy Christmas, sir! I didn't expect to see you in this part of the castle today. I thought you'd be out with the students or something. What brings you to the staff quarters? Although, I've been meaning to ask you something…" Harmony said as she joined Albus walking down the hall.
"Oh, I've been notifying Gilderoy of my Christmas gift for him…or, should I say, gift return? As you agreed when I discussed this with you, he's been behaving quite well for the entire term. I thought it would be in keeping with the season to rescind his 'punishment'. He is aware, of course, that he is on a very short leash when it comes to re-offending, and I reminded him that you still are permitted to act as you feel appropriate if something like this happens again. Now, what is it you would like to ask me…I assume it has to do with our young Mr. Potter?"
Harmony checked to make sure that no one (or no portrait) was listening to their conversation as they stopped in the hall. "Yes, there's just one thing. I think I know your reasoning on this, but why don't we just tell him somehow WHERE the entrance is and get this over with? I assure you, my memory of what Harry told me about how he found the entrance is accurate."
"Miss Puckle, you of all people should be able to understand my reasoning. As you are most aware, by this time in your timeline, Harry and you had already worked together on a number of tasks and adventures over your time here. That doesn't even include the amount of revising and class work you did with both him and Mr. Weasley. I think that Harry needs that friendship, probably even more now that he is being more and more isolated in his own house. I am also hoping that your younger self will be a good influence on him, which he also needs; and that he will be an influence to her to be a little less…bookish, besides. Developing the kind of bond that you need to have with Harry, in this future and your past, requires more than just thinking each other is cute across the hall. Crushes like that, while not doomed to failure by themselves, have to progress beyond that point before a lasting relationship will ever form. Isn't that what you want?"
"Of course, sir. That is exactly what your future self said would need to happen," Harmony said as she remembered her last instructions about Harry before she traveled back in time.
"There is, of course, another reason," he continued as they resumed their walk. "I have found that there is great value in researching a task before you undertake it. Sometimes the facts you find out during your research may be useful in ways you'll never guess, and now that Harry and Hermione are working together to discover them, it will give them added strength. I seem to remember things I learn easier if I am around friends when I do it. By the way, have you seen Harry today? I hope he's not planning on spending this glorious day in his room, all alone. Hmm, maybe I should invent an excuse to send Severus to check on him..."
"That's true, in my time; he had the entire Weasley clan and me to relax with the whole break. This time, Hermione went home for Christmas, since there wasn't the same reason to stay since Harry already knows who the Heir of Slytherin is. At least this time I won't miss the next few weeks of class stuck in the Hospital Wing covered in fur," Harmony remembered painfully. "But, all the Weasleys except Percy are here - too bad Harry's not that close to any of them this time." she said with a sigh.
"Yes, with them being in different houses, especially THOSE houses, it does seem to put a damper on friendly banter over a game of Exploding Snap in the Gryffindor Tower." Dumbledore winked at her. "Yes, I remember that scene from your Pensieve last year - you were actually holding your own against the twins during that last match! Oh, here we are at the hall to my office. Unless there is something else, I will take my leave of you until dinner tonight. I have to check on Fawkes, you know. He's almost fully recovered from his burning day last week."
Harmony waved as he turned down another passage. "I may just check to see if Harry has come out of his room yet. Don't worry; I won't go in after him! Good day, sir! See you at dinner."
*****
But, Harry had not left his room yet. In fact, he was not even out of bed, and had actually slept in for once. As he woke up to the sound of Hedwig hooting softly from the bedpost at the head of his bed, he was once again glad that Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle especially had gone home. He did sort of miss Blaise, but the Zabini family had been planning a trip back to visit relatives in Italy all term (which fact Harry was continually reminded of by his roommate), so for the second year running he was alone on Christmas morning. Having grown up with the Dursley's, however, he preferred the peace and quiet instead of the tantrum extravaganza that was Dudley when he didn't get exactly what he wanted for Christmas.
As he put on his glasses and looked around, though, he was quite surprised to see… <Presents...for me?> sitting by his bed. Hedwig had nibbled his ear affectionately, but looked slightly apologetic for the small package from the Dursley's she had brought. <Figures… a toothpick and a note trying to get me to stay here longer. Wasn't it a 50-pence piece last year? I shouldn't complain, that was the only thing I got then.> But, the other presents, he noticed, were much bigger than a toothpick box. There was a long, flat, and wide box, next to a neatly wrapped parcel. He opened the first, and there was a luxury eagle-feather quill and a note, which read:
Harry,
From what I understand, you will be working extra-hard this coming year and I thought this might be useful.
A friend
He then opened the second parcel, which was very light, and something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material. He had no idea what it was, but he thought it might be a cloak, so he threw it around his shoulders. When he looked down, he let out a yell when he saw his body had disappeared wherever the cloak covered him. He ran over to the mirror, and saw that he could make his reflection vanish completely if he pulled the cloak over his head. Then, he noticed a note that had fallen on the floor. Written in narrow, loopy writing that seemed vaguely familiar, were written the following words:
Your father left this in my possession before he died. I originally intended to give this to you last Christmas, but now it is past time it was returned to you. Use it well.
A Very Merry Christmas to you.
There was, again, no signature. Harry felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really belonged to his father? Ever since he had found Nearly-Headless Nick floating through the castle on a Sunday morning right after Halloween and listened all day to stories of his parents, he had hungered to know more about them, to see pictures of them, anything to give his life a foundation. And now, here was a note from someone whom his father trusted enough to leave a magical cloak with, someone who was most likely a close friend of his parents, and he didn't even know who it was! That made two Christmas presents from people who cared enough to give him something, but apparently didn't care enough to reveal who they were to him. Harry thought to himself, "As nice as this cloak and that quill are, it would have been nicer to have friends or family to share Christmas with, I suppose, even without the gifts. Ah, well, I guess I'd better get up and see what's happening outside. Nothing much to do until the Christmas dinner this evening - hope it was as good as last year!"
*****
After the Christmas holidays finished and the students came back to school for the beginning of second term, Harry and Hermione met together to discuss their research plans in private. Harry was shocked to see that Hermione had, over the break, developed schedules for the two of them, including free time, their regular class work, and their research on the Chamber, Harry's Quidditch practices, and end-of-term revisions into a color-coded masterpiece. She had included both joint research and individual assignments in such a way that it wouldn't draw too much attention to the fact that the top second-year students in Slytherin and Gryffindor were now studying together regularly. Harry was amazed. "Wow, Hermione! This is really something! How long did it take you to figure this out? Did you spend your whole holiday working on these plans?"
She sounded a little embarrassed as she said "No, of course not! …Not ALL of the holiday! My parents and I had a great Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day together, and I got some nice presents from my Muggle relatives and some Chocolate Frog cards from Ginny Weasley, too. How about you, Harry? How was your Christmas? Did you enjoy your stay at the castle?"
"I suppose…I got a toothpick and a note from the Dursley's asking if I could stay here basically year-round, and a couple of anonymous gifts." Harry felt bad for some reason, because he realized he hadn't even thought of getting Hermione even so much as a toothpick, and he resolved to do better in the future.
"Oooh…anonymous gifts?" she said, obviously curious. "Maybe you have a secret admirer or something! Sounds mysterious."
"No, one of them was a personal item of my father's from someone who knew him. The other one was this quill I saw you admiring, and the note with it said it was from a friend who thought I might need it this year."
"That is a beautiful quill, you know! It looks just like something I might have picked out for a friend. And, before you ask, no, it wasn't me!" Hermione said, quickly. "But, who would know you need it this term, especially? You know, Harry, I bet that Miss Puckle sent that to you! I must say, I'm a bit jealous if I'm right about that!"
"If you like it all that much, you can have it, I suppose. Why would Miss Puckle buy me something like that? She can't be going around buying a student expensive presents - it might get her in trouble or something."
"Harry, that's probably why she sent it anonymously, just so no one would think the wrong thing. And, no, of course I can't take it - although I'd love to use it once in a while, if you don't mind? For special assignments and things, when you're not using it?"
"Hermione, that's a deal! I'm not much into writing flowery love poems, you know! I don't write many letters or anything besides homework, either, so I'm sure you'll end up using it more than I will."
"You could always start…er…writing letters, that is! Might be good for you! But, we'd better get going on this research plan or else we'll never find that Chamber!"
*****
So, with a detailed plan in place, things quickly settled into a comfortable routine. The two researchers gathered all the materials they could on the legends of the Chamber, including the more outlandish ones, and started trying to make any sense out of them. Anything interesting they passed on to Miss Puckle, who ended up acting as a liaison with the Headmaster. She gave them some solid training on research methods when she could, and helped steer them away from dead-end theories without giving them too much help. A result of all this was that their scores in all their other classes also benefited immensely, and they never even flinched when either McGonagall or Snape assigned some of their more nasty essays during second year. Harry had even learned to enjoy working with the Mandrakes in Professor Sprout's class, and, although he would never be as talented with plants as Neville Longbottom, at least he was comfortable with the subject.
Sometimes, when Harry would come into the library, he would see Ginny Weasley and her brother Ron being tutored by Hermione, and he saw how much she enjoyed helping other students. "She'd make a great teacher some day, just like Miss Puckle, if she wants to…but then, I think she'll do well at anything she chooses."
Harry had also noticed that Professor Lockhart seemed to be enjoying life a lot more this term than he had before. Some of the "old Lockhart" from his books started to surface, and Harry's DADA training suffered as a result. Things started looking very bad when Lockhart had the nerve to recruit dwarfs to dress up as Cupids to pass out Valentine's cards. ("Glad I didn't get one…I think I would have died of embarrassment!" Harry thought) and went downhill from there. "Wonder what's got into him?" he wondered after a particularly dreadful re-enactment of the Defeat of the Wagga-Wagga Werewolf in early March. "I'd bet he hasn't even BEEN to Australia!"
On a Saturday in early May, however, after returning from watching a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, Harry was surprised to receive a note from the Headmaster, asking him to meet with him in private right after he finished with his lunch.
"What is it, sir?" he asked as he greeted Dumbledore at the head table. "Is something wrong?"
"Let's go to my office first, Harry. I need to tell you something for your ears alone." Dumbledore said, with a concerned look on his face. They walked in silence until they were in Dumbledore's study. "Harry, some associates of mine with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement have, only this morning, heard rumors of an attack this evening of some kind aimed directly at you. I cannot tell you who these associates are, but rest assured the information has now been verified. Unfortunately, we do not know the form this attack will take, but between you and me, I feel it has something to do with your research into the Chamber, and the attempt being made to remove me from my position at Hogwarts."
"So, getting to the point, you think tonight's the night that Mr. Malfoy is going to try to force me to open the chamber somehow, use the Basilisk to get someone killed, and then blame it on you?"
"Very good, Harry. That about sums it up. Now, the question is, what do we do about it? Did Hermione come up with any options on how to deal with this situation?"
"No, sir, but I have thought about it on my own for quite a while, and I think I've got a plan. You may think it's silly, but…"
******
After he heard the plan, Dumbledore's eyes were quite merry. "Oh, Harry…If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were related to the Weasley twins! Come to think of it, this is a plan worthy of your father and his …associates on their best day. Yes, although it does have its risks, I think that we should proceed. I assume you will take advantage of properties of my Christmas present to you, then?"
"You…you sent the cloak to me?" Harry said, quite surprised.
"Yes, your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it. Useful things…your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here, as I recall. I didn't give it to you last year because I wanted to get to know your character a little more before I entrusted you with this tool, which you may have used inappropriately. And, in case you were wondering, I didn't tell you who it was from because it is a VERY expensive gift, and some of your schoolmates may think I was showing favoritism if they saw my name on the card. But, since it truly belonged to you already, I felt it was appropriate for me to return it to you."
"Yeah, I can see how some of my fellow students would want to put it to use, based on their claims in the common room. The cloak would make it quite a bit easier to get away with certain nocturnal activities." Harry blushed a little as he thought of just what activities they were referring to. "But, I've only used it to go to the library after hours a few times, and to get away from Draco when he's being annoying, or to just go for a walk when I can't sleep some nights." Harry then noticed the time. "Headmaster, sir, if both your clock and your information are correct, I'd better get to Professor Snape's office right away to make the necessary preparations."
"By the time you get there, I will have notified him to expect you. Be careful, Harry, and don't get too cocky. Just because I am confident that this will work doesn't mean you can be careless." Dumbledore admonished, gently. "Do you want some assistance from anyone…Miss Puckle or Hermione, perhaps? They can confirm you are doing the necessary charms properly. It wouldn't do to have this plan fail based on an improper wand movement or mis-spoken word!"
"No, sir, I am quite sure I know what to do. When I first found out about these charms, I made it a point to ask Miss Puckle about them early last term, and I got very good with them during our extra classes. I'd better get going… and, sir, thanks for the cloak!" Harry said with a wave.
*******
Later that evening, it was a very embarrassed Lucius Malfoy who stood before a bemused Dumbledore and an unhappy head of Slytherin house in his study. "I'm curious, Lucius. First, what business did you have in the castle tonight? Even though you are on the Board of Governors, I would expect you to have the common courtesy to notify me when you are coming to visit so I could have welcomed you properly. But, more importantly, I still do not understand WHY Severus caught you in the act of repeatedly performing an Imperius Curse on a lifelike representation of one of our students? I find your explanation a bit lacking in detail, and I'd like to make sure I'm hearing all the facts. Fortunately, since there was no harm done to a fellow human being, we won't be conducting a trial for you at this time."
After arriving at Professor Snape's office, Harry had immediately headed towards the "contraband" storage closet where his head of house had stored the components of the "Potter dummy" that Draco had animated at the beginning of the year. He had quickly re-animated it, updated its appearance to match his current look, and taught it to speak in his voice again. Then, he hid under the Invisibility Cloak and followed along behind it, using his wand to control its movements, just like a fisherman trolling for his catch with live bait. When they were walking along a secluded hall, Harry's prey struck. Fortunately, Severus had just happened to be out for his nightly rounds and heard the commotion. The decoy, instead of speaking Parseltongue, was heard yelling rude comments concerning the Malfoy family at the top of its magically amplified voice. Lucius was so intent on recasting the spell that he failed to notice Snape until he was fully wrapped up with magical ropes. Harry, safely hidden under the cloak, was barely able to keep from laughing out loud at the sight of Snape floating Mr. Malfoy towards the Headmaster's office, especially when he saw Severus "accidentally" drop him on the stone floor a few times. "Quit struggling, Mr. Malfoy!" Severus said with a wry grin. "You are making it very difficult for me to control your direction."
The end result was that Lucius, nursing a sore head, was escorted quickly from the grounds by a group of powerful-looking Aurors who had been visiting Hogwarts that evening at Albus's invitation. As they started through the front door, Harry, looking very innocent, was coincidentally walking through the Entrance Hall at that moment. "Mark my words, Potter! I know you had something to do with all of this. I'm not done with you yet!" Malfoy snarled. "Who do you think gave my idiot son the idea to create that dummy in the first place?"
Harry looked at Lucius with a suitably puzzled expression. "What are you talking about, sir? I've been in the library since lunch. End-of-term exams are coming next month, you know!"
*********
During the next few weeks, though, exams were not the most important thing on Harry and Hermione's mind. Their research had narrowed the possibilities for the chamber entrance to a specific hallway on the first floor, in the general vicinity of a girl's lavatory. They had figured this out by plotting all the known attacks on students each time the chamber had been opened, and, combining that information with the assumed speed of a basilisk on the hunt, were able to identify a possible entry point into the castle. One day, as they were reviewing their map of the attacks, Hermione was first to notice an interesting fact about that lavatory. "Wait…I know that place. That's…Moaning Myrtle's lavatory - no one ever goes down there more than once, that's why I didn't see the connection before. Oh, that makes sense! She must have been in there right when the basilisk came out! Harry, I think we've found it! The entrance has to be somewhere in there. Let's go tell Dumbledore right away!"
But, as they were running to his office, they almost bowled over Miss Puckle as they came around a corner. "Slow down, you two! Where are you headed in such a hurry?"
They quickly explained what they had discovered, and Harmony couldn't help smiling widely. "Very good! You know, I think you may just be right about that. But, I'm sorry to say, both the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall were called to the Ministry today for some school business. It's something to do with finalizing the upcoming O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. examination questions and schedules, I think. They will be gone until sometime tomorrow evening, in fact. But, I'm curious about this discovery of yours, I think it would be a good idea to go there and investigate your theory about the Chamber."
"Theory, Miss Puckle? What theory is that? May I be of assistance?" the voice of the person they would want least to assist them, that of Gilderoy Lockhart, spoke from behind them. "Chamber, you say? Surely you don't mean that old chestnut about the Chamber of Secrets! Codswallop, I say! If there was such a place, I'm sure I'd have been able to find it by now! I was asked to participate in the last expedition to find the Chamber, you know! Never found a thing."
"Oh, really, Gilderoy?" Miss Puckle said with a smirk. "Then, you wouldn't be interested in any publicity that may come if and when we do find the Chamber entrance, and verify once and for all what terrors may lie within? I mean, since you are the DADA professor at Hogwarts, I'm sure it would be a rather impressive story for your next book, not to mention it would probably keep you employed here for the rest of your life - you know, a reward for services to a grateful school, and all that!" She really would have preferred anyone else to accompany them, but she figured he would have to do under the circumstances.
"Hmmm, yes, you're right" He muttered mostly to himself as he was in deep thought. "I'm sure I could milk that story for …yes, that would be a good tale for future generations. But, what were you saying about 'terrors that lie within'? Do you think that the tales of the Basilisk may be true?"
"I guess we'll just have to go find out. First, we have to see if the entrance even exists, and then we can go hunting the Basilisk if it comes to that." Miss Puckle saw that he was wavering between the temptation of the possible glory and the fear of the possible risk, so she decided to help him make up his mind. "Of course, if you're too scared to go somewhere with two second-year students and a lowly assistant professor, I'm sure your fans will understand."
"Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin 3rd class and Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, scared? Rubbish, my dear! Lead on, then! I'll be right behind the three of you - protecting your back, you know."
However, the size and makeup of the group of explorers heading towards the first floor girl's lavatory didn't go unnoticed. <Wonder what that lot's up to?> Ginny Weasley said to herself as they passed. <Miss Puckle and Gilderoy Lockhart, with Harry and Hermione, too? Not a group you'd normally expect to be going anywhere together. Hmm, I'd better see what's up!> she thought as she followed quietly behind them.
Of course, Gilderoy, who might have noticed they were being followed had he been paying attention, by this time was reminiscing on the last time he went hunting a basilisk. "Oh, yes, I have lots of experience with these foul creatures. I considered going into the basilisk hunting business full-time when I was younger, you know, but I felt my many talents were too precious to focus on so narrow a specialty. Why, I remember, right after I left Hogwarts, I was called to investigate a reported basilisk in a castle in Germany, it was…" and he went on to describe, in great detail, how he had defeated the largest basilisk known to man by the skillful use of a mirror and a blindfold.
By this time, they had reached the doorway to Moaning Myrtle's lavatory. "Come on, you two, don't be shy - there are no girls in there. It's okay for you to come in." Hermione said as she and Miss Puckle opened the door and walked in, ignoring the large OUT OF ORDER sign. Harry was pleased to see that Lockhart was shaking.
It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom Harry had ever set foot in. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden door to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges.
Hermione put her fingers to her lips and set off toward the end stall. When she reached it she said, "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?"
Harry and Lockhart went to look. Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin.
"This is a girl's bathroom," she said, eyeing Lockhart and Harry suspiciously. "They're not girls."
"No," Hermione agreed. "I just wanted you to meet them. We'd like to ask you a question, Myrtle."
"I don't believe you. No one ever wants to ask me anything. They just want to throw things through me, or tease me, or talk about me behind my back."
"No, that's not why we're here, Myrtle! We need to know something…about you!' Miss Puckle said quickly.
"About me? No one cares about me!" she looked at them suspiciously. "What…what is it you want to know?"
"We'd like to ask you how you died," said Harry.
Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question. She told them the whole story about Olive Hornby and the big, yellow eyes that she saw.
"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry.
"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.
Harry and Hermione hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face, while Miss Puckle watched him with increasing disdain.
It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.
"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.
"Harry," said Hermione. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."
"But -" Harry thought hard. The only times he'd ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he'd been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real.
"Open up," he said.
He looked at Hermione, who shook her head.
"English," she said.
Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive. If he moved his head, the candlelight made it look as though it were moving.
"Open up," he said.
Except that the words weren't what he heard; a strange hissing had escaped him, and at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.
Harry heard Lockhart gasp and looked up again. He had made up his mind what he was going to do.
"I'm going down there," he said.
"Me too," said Hermione.
There was a pause.
"Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. I'll just-"
He put his hand on the door knob, but Miss Puckle pointed her wand at him. "You can go first," she said firmly. "I'd like to keep you in front of me right now."
White-faced, Lockhart approached the opening. "Miss Puckle, my dear, what good will it do?"
Harry jabbed him in the back with his wand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe.
"I really don't think -" he started to say, but Hermione gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go.
It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons. <Hmm, those pipes must be how the basilisk gets around the castle.> Behind him he could hear Hermione and Miss Puckle, thudding slightly at the curves.
As they reached the end of the entranceway, the four explorers lit their wands and had begun to explore their surroundings. "Harry - there's something up there -", said Hermione, grabbing Harry's shoulder. "Remember," Miss Puckle said, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away…"
The light from Harry's wand slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least. "Well, at least we know there's something down here!" Hermione observed. "And, from the looks of this skin, it is a basilisk. Guess the story wasn't a chestnut, after all!"
There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way. "Get up," said Harmony sharply, pointing her wand at Lockhart. "And, don't even think about trying to take this wand. You really don't want a repeat of what happened last September if Albus hears you were misbehaving, now, do you?" Gilderoy immediately froze, certain painful memories coming back full-force. He sat down heavily on the bone-strewn floor, looking rather dejected.
"Go on, Harry," Miss Puckle said. "Let's see where this tunnel goes. I'll keep an eye on this git, but you lead out, and the rest of us will follow as far as we can. Now that we're here, we might as well make the most of it."
After walking quite a way down the tunnel, he finally saw something interesting ahead. There was a solid wall on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.
"This must be the entrance," he said to the other three. "I really don't want to have to drag him around if there's a basilisk in there. Why don't the two of you keep an eye on him, while I go check out what's in there. If I need any help, I'll yell for you to come in." Gilderoy seemed quite relieved that he wouldn't have to travel any further, but Hermione and Harmony both protested.
"Harry, you shouldn't face this by yourself!" "Let at least one of us come with you!" they pleaded.
Harry held up his hand, indicating he wasn't negotiating this one. "No, since I'm the only one who can speak Parseltongue, I am the one that is most useful against a Basilisk. Apparently Mr. Malfoy was confident enough in my abilities to control it that he was willing to try to force me to come down here and try. I promise, I'll get out of there quickly if I see anything that even looks like a basilisk!"
They finally agreed that his reasoning made sense, so Harry approached the wall, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real; there eyes looked strangely alive.
He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker.
"Open," said Harry, in a low, faint hiss.
The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.
*******
After a few minutes of waiting in the lavatory for someone to come back, Ginny finally got up her courage and walked over to the opening. She had hidden at the door, watching the whole time as the others had slid through the entrance to the chamber. <That looks interesting, wonder where it leads to? Guess there's only one way to find out.>, and she also entered the pipe.
(A/N - Sorry for the longer direct quotes and "slightly modified" quotes from COS, but I think that JKR's descriptions are better than anything I can come up with. I am using the Scholastic US Hardbound Edition, © 1998.)