Chapter Seven
The Chamber of Secrets
Danielle MacNeal hated being cold, let alone wet, and that is exactly what she was experiencing. In order to gain entrance into the Chamber of Secrets, they had to first fall down into a pit of decaying chicken carcass, then thru a crumbled tunnel, and finally she had to use her gift as a parseltounge to open the door to the chamber. Once inside, she slipped on the ladder and fell into the stale, freezing water.
"Yes, Salazar Slytherin knew how to design a room." Danielle joked to herself as she shivered. Draco was the one who knew where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was located. Thanks given to his father, of course, whom was a long time follower of Lord Voldermort; one the Dark Lord's chosen few. They were in the hole of a room to destroy the only possible item in which could destroy both the Onyx Spell Book and their own spell book. Only the Basilisk's dagger remained of the very powerful creature and the only place in which the venom could still be removed. She knew once Harry, Heather, and the rest of their geek squadron picked up the scent of what they were doing, they would come after them and try to stop them. She had promised Heather her death and she was going to see it her sword tasted her blood.
"Come on, Danielle. We have to get the tooth out before Dumbledore gets whiff of us."
"Draco, this castle is huge. There is no way that old bat can know everything happening in the walls."
"Remember rule one."
"What?"
"The first real rule of being a Death Eater," Draco grew irritated. "I know you know it."
"Besides all those who are not pure in blood are inferior?"
"No. The most important thing they'll teach you is never to underestimate your opponent or their abilities." Draco pulled on the incisor in question, trying to manually pry it out from its base. "Dumbledore especially is someone you don't want to tango with. He has eyes and ears all over this place. It wouldn't surprise me if that statue over there of Slytherin was one of his informants."
"You're paranoid, Draco. The next thing you'll tell me is those snake statues over there are in on it too." Danielle giggled at him, but soon she realized he wasn't laughing with her. "You can't be serious."
"Very," Draco yanked hard, pulling the tooth successfully from the skull with a loud resounding crack ringing through out the chamber. "Let's get going just in case the scar heads heard that."
Before he was even able to get off the floor, Draco heard the thunderous sounds of racing feet headed toward the chamber door. Realizing the pounding of at least four feet was heading toward the chamber; Draco wordlessly took her by the shirt and ran behind the large statues of the mascot of the Slytherin house. In doing so, they trudged though the stale icy cold water.
"Damn! Twice in one day!" Danielle's attention went to her shoes, "and those are of course my 100 galleon Italian leather QwickSew boots! Great! Just Great! Those damn bitches are going to pay!"
"Would you just shut the bloody hell up? You're going to give us away." Draco spat and she quickly said nothing more.
All she could do was grip her breath as the group entered the room. Draco wanted to sneak past them as if they had something to hide, but she had other plans.
*****
Once they arrived at Hogwart's castle, Harry and Hermione broke from the rest to head for Professor Dumbledore's office to retrieve Gryffindor's sword. "I guess now would be a bad time to admit I think the last time we took was defective, right?" Hermione asked as they climbed the stairway toward the Headmaster's office.
"You're still getting sick I take it."
"Every morning like clock work," Hermione confirmed.
"Once we get the tooth, I think we should go see Madame Pomfrey. She would be able to give you a more definitive answer. I've always been told, by someone who shall remain nameless by the way, its always less definitive to cast any healing charm on your own." Harry grinned evilly at her once they reached the statue guarding Dumbledore's office, "Lemon drop."
The statue moved out of the way and they climbed the final staircase to reach the Headmaster's office. Hermione knocked on the door and they were allowed entrance. They didn't see the elderly man at first, but once they reached his desk they realized he was looking out his telescope. His attention didn't sway from his stargazing when they entered the room. "Ah, Professor Potter, you have returned."
"How come you didn't tell us about the attack on the Grangers, the Snapes, and the Weasleys? Ron's brother died." Harry hit the principal's desk with a lightly closed fist.
"I did indeed send word. I take it our communications was intercepted, I'm afraid." Dumbledore continued to look out thru his telescope.
"The Minister of Magic told me Snape was also injured and he was sent to Saint Mungo's hospital." Harry admitted, still slightly peeved at the communication issue. "Is he still there?"
"He was sent back here yesterday. Petunia says she's having a difficult time keeping away from his potion laboratory."
"We might need his assistance with a potion if he's up to it." Hermione admitted and the admittance shocked the Headmaster. His attention went away from the stars to her. Once he faced her, he raised an eyebrow.
"No, we don't need his help." Harry threw at her. "You can do the potion. I know you can."
"It's nice you have a vote of confidence in me, Harry, but there is no way I can do that kind of magic. At least since not until I actually know something about it. I haven't read anything about it. Professor Snape knows all there is to know about potions and potion making. If anyone can find a way, it will be him." Hermione took his hand. "Come on, Harry. He's your uncle."
"I'm still sure you could do it."
"What is this about?" Dumbledore asked, trying to make them realize he was still in the room.
"We may have found a way to rid ourselves of the Onyx Spell Book, not to mention the book Malfoy and MacNeal made." Hermione admitted to the Headmaster.
"We need Gryffindor's sword in order for it to work, though." Harry interjected.
Albus Dumbledore nodded as he descended down the staircase to the lower level of his office. He stopped at the bookcase which housed the sword and the sorting hat. He brought the gilded silver and gold sword over to them. The ruby in the handle glistened in the candlelight and Hermione allowed a small gasp escape her mouth. Dumbledore picked up the sword off the shelf and gave it to Harry. "I'm afraid to say if this is the last time we see each other, I pray you will have no unfinished business to keep you here."
"Don't worry; it won't be the last time." Harry grinned. "I have no intention in becoming the next Professor Binns."
*****
Sarah Campbell hated public restrooms. No matter how clean they seemed to be to the average person, they were always a germ factory in disguise. She shivered to even think how many butts sat on the toilet seat prior to her and even more so when she learned she was to stand guard in front of one of the girl's bathrooms at Hogwarts. The team received an urgent text from Ron asking for them to stand guard to this girl's bathroom. He didn't give them a reason. Of which meant three things: it was an emergency because he came back early from funeral leave, he was in range of the castle, and he was on his way to the castle because whatever threat he felt compelled enough to leave America for was going to happen very soon and very dangerous.
She stretched then yawned. Ron hadn't left a very complex order. Just "Don't let anyone in the second floor girl's bathroom with Moaning Myrtle under any circumstances. I'll explain when I get there". Each member of the remaining Red squadron took a one to two hour rotation guarding the bathroom. Sarah was lucky enough to draw the highest number out of the hat, which meant she would guard the room last. It also meant while everyone else as asleep, she had an easy time guarding the room.
Occasionally the sounds of the moaning spirit in the bathroom would cause Sarah to get up and check on her. Nearly Headless Nick, one of the many school's house ghosts, had explained to Sarah that Myrtle was there because the female student had died in the very same bathroom fifty years ago. Being murdered by the very snake they were after, was reason enough the girl spirit wasn't too sociable.
Sarah took a drink of her pumpkin juice. Surprisingly, the drink appealed to her even though her taste buds preferred something sweeter. When she put the drink down, she felt herself grow tired and pass out. Her last coherent thought before she fell dead to the world was the acknowledgement she had been drugged.
Once she was completely out, Danielle MacNeal and Draco Malfoy came out of hiding. It had been Draco's idea to put a 'knock out' potion into the guard's drink. When she left to check the inside of the bathroom, thanks to Moaning Myrtle for the distraction, he sprung into action and poured the whole vile they stole from the hospital wing into her drink. The odorless, tasteless potion took effect almost immediately as she collapsed onto the floor.
"You're just going to leave her there?" Danielle asked as she crossed her arms in mild protest.
"No, dead weight is just too heavy for me to lift on my own. Come over here and help me lift her back up into the chair."
Danielle sighed and went over to help him with the team lift. Once she was back into the chair, her head drifted to one side as it propped against the high back of the purple butterfly chair she had just transfigured when she had arrived earlier for her shift. "Lovely color, really it is. Next time, though, perhaps you should consider lime green. It's a better color for you."
Draco chuckled. "Come on, we need to get inside before the scar heads return."
*****
Ron knew Draco and Danielle were at Hogwarts the moment he stepped inside the halls of his former school. Why wouldn't they be? The only thing in which could possibly stop what they were doing was inside the halls. After Ron and Heather retrieved Kamal, Anthony, and Heather's katana, they waited for Harry and Hermione in the corridor outside of the Great hall where India and Mika were waiting for them.
"Where is Sarah?" Harry asked as he and Hermione found the group at their meeting point.
"She's guarding the bathroom." Kamal admitted as he adjusted his wand holster.
"We drew straws." Anthony clarified as they began making their way to the second floor.
Once they reached the hallway where the girls' toilet was located, as Anthony and Kamal said Sarah sat in a butterfly chair at the entrance. "Sarah fell asleep by the looks of it." Ron admitted as the group came closer.
Heather hesitated at the first then ran toward her, calling over her shoulder as she ran. "I don't think she's asleep, Ronald."
After she said this, the group sprinted after her. When they reached their teammate, Hermione grabbed her medical bag and pulled out her wand. "She's not dead, thankfully. She's just unconscious."
Harry picked up her cup of pumpkin juice from where it had been knocked over, making a puddle on the hard stone floor. "She was slipped something by the looks of it."
"I'll bet they're down there already." Ron whipped out his wand. "They probably know about the tooth."
"What should we do? Should we go down there and go after them or wait for them to come back up?" India asked as she peeked through the open door. "I don't think they came back up. I don't think they would have had enough time."
"Mika, why don't you go and get Madame Pomfrey and India, you stay here with Sarah." Harry commanded as he pushed open the door. "Kamal, stand guard at this end of the entrance and Anthony, you'll stand guard at the other. We're going down there."
The group nodded and Mika left to fetch the healer. Kamal followed Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Heather into the bathroom with Anthony close behind. Heather was the first one inside and also the first one to voice her thoughts when they went inside. "How do you get inside?"
"Like this," Harry then hissed like a snake, "open up."
The sinks parted from each other and the group stared down the large hole. "It's not as impressive as I thought it would be." Kamal admitted out loud as he stared transfixed down the hole. He took a moment to transfigure a piece of toilet paper into a rock and threw it down the pit. He waited a moment and listened for the rock to hit the bottom. "How do we get down there? Is there a ladder we don't know about?"
"Unfortunately the answer is no. Last time we just had to fall down." Ron admitted as he turned to Hermione. "So how are we going to get down this time? Let alone get back up."
"Why don't you try to come up with something, Ron? You graduated from Auror training. You don't need my help." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You're just so good at it, though." Ron protested much like he did when they attended Hogwarts. "You're bloody brilliant too."
Heather huffed and then proceeded to push Ron down into the entrance. The rest of the group stared at her as if she lost her mind. "What?" She exclaimed. "He was getting too deep in the pile of shit he was making."
"Ron, are you okay?" Anthony yelled down the pit.
"Yea, I'm fine. It smells awful down here, though. You might want to use the bubble head charm."
"Well, I guess there is no time like the present." Harry offered as he jumped down into the entrance followed by Anthony, Hermione, and then Heather.
"Oh, gods," Heather gagged as she cast the bubble head charm on herself. "I think I'm going to be sick."
"It gets better." Harry admitted as he turned to Hermione, he noticed her flushed face. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Does this cavern open up farther along?"
"Yes."
"Good. Let's get there quickly." Hermione commanded and Harry began leading the group the way down the tunnel, except for Anthony. They passed the cave-in where Ron had cleared a hole for them to climb through ten years ago. As Heather was taking off the bubble head charm to be able to get through, a loud echoing crack rang through out the cavern. Heather quickly passed through the clearing quickly just in case the tunnel wanted to collapse again.
When it didn't, the group exchanged glances at one another. Heather voiced, "Draco and Danielle?"
"It has to be. No one else knows about this place." Harry offered as he began running the rest of the way to the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione, Heather, and Ron followed until they came to a large circular doorway. The door was decorated by two twisting serpents. Harry commanded to door to open and they descended down the ladder and into the belly of the Chamber.
*****
End of chapter
Author's notes: I apologize for the delay of posting these latest chapters. I really could go into why they were delayed as much as they were, if you really would like to know they consist of my evil computer crashing and not having a computer until recently, my grandfather being deathly ill, and several of the people I love not doing too hot either. I hope no one will be too upset with me for these reasons. For those of you who are wondering, really one of those reasons have been rectified. Grandpa is still in not so great shape (he's been battling prostate cancer for a while now and the doctors informed him not too long ago there was nothing more they can do for him and now it is just a matter of when rather than if.) and the love ones I'm referring to are still not feeling too hot. Got to love my life, right?
I am praying the next chapters or so will not take quite as long as these past three. In fact, Sable's Human is keeping me focused. We're guessing about 2-3 more chapters and then finite incantatum! There has been talk about possibly doing another small short with Petunia and Snape, but we'll have to wait and see how it goes. The outline is done for this so we know where we are headed.
Until we have another update,
S'Eleene Paris