It was as though somebody had just flicked a light on in Harry's brain.
"Neville," he breathed. "This is it. This is the answer. The monster in the Chamber is a basilisk; a giant serpent! That's why I've been hearing that voice all over the place, and nobody else has heard it. It's because I understand Parseltongue..." "The crowing of the rooster - is fatal to it!" Hannah read aloud. "Hagrid's roosters were killed! I remember the older students talking about it in our common room. The Heir of Slytherin didn't want one anywhere near the castle once the Chamber was opened!"
"But how has the basilisk been getting around the place?" asked Neville. "A giant snake - Someone would've seen..."
Susan, however, pointed at the word Hermione had scribbled at the foot of the page.
"Pipes," she said. "Pipes, Neville. It's been using the plumbing. And Harry's been hearing that voice inside the walls..."
"But this still doesn't tell us where the entrance could be found," said Harry. "And I, for one, want a piece of this thing." "I, for one, am amazed Hermione actually ripped a page out of a book!" said Hannah.
"Focus; Hannah!" said Susan, before looking at Harry. "Harry, it's a bloody basilisk! We need to tell the staff!"
"That'll go down well, don't you think?" said Neville. "Excuse me, Professor? We know you're like seventy years old, and all; but, us four twelve year olds have solved the crime you and the rest of the staff have been scratching your heads about all year. It's a basilisk."
"And, no; we don't know where it is," continued Harry. "Nor, how to get into the Chamber, if that's where it's been hiding; why it's now woken up; how it managed to write words on the wall; if there is someone who's controlling it, who they are; or anything else, really."
"We won't be believed," said Susan, sadly. "No," replied Harry with a sigh. "We're going to have to figure the rest of it by ourselves."
Now that they new the truth about what and - mostly - how it was happening, they still needed to know who was behind it, and find the Chamber, or wherever the basilisk was being kept.
When they mapped out where all the attacks were taking place, it was easy to see they were all centred on the second floor, and near the passage where Mrs Norris was attacked. So, that was where they focussed their search. Each of them, from that moment on, carried a small hand-held mirror, and used it religiously to look around corners before moving from one corridor to the next.
They searched behind tapestries and suits of armour; they jiggled and wrenched upon wall sconces and torch brackets; they checked behind the various paintings; and they researched for, and used, various detection spells.
After almost two weeks, they were getting to the stage of searching individual bricks looking for whatever they could find. When others happened upon them in their search, they would stop and help for a while. However, with exams rapidly approaching, most students wanted to get stuck into revision work.
Harry had also ducked over to Hogsmeade the previous Wednesday - now that the day was completely free for him - and purchased two new roosters. Because he didn't feel confident in doing it, he found a witch who was willing to transfigure them into simple blocks of wood. She also did it in such a way that a simple Cancellation Charm, Finite Incantatem, would revert them back to roosters. When she asked what he wanted them for - apparently worried he might be 'into' dark magic rituals - he told her that someone, or something, had killed all of Hagrid's roosters. She thought him a good boy for buying Hagrid two new ones. He simply did not tell her that was not why he bought them.
From then on, Harry had taken to carrying one block around in his book bag; and having Neville carry the other.
During the final week before the Mandrakes were ready for harvesting the next Saturday - with the Mandrake Draught being ready the next day - Harry was finding himself getting quite anxious for his betrothed to be woken.
At lunch on the Saturday, Susan and Hannah came running in to the Great Hall to find Harry and Neville sitting opposite each other at the Ravenclaw table discussing quietly between themselves what they would tell 'their' three girls when they woke the next day.
Both girls quickly sat next to the boys, Susan next to Harry and Hannah next to Neville. Susan excitedly said, "Harry, you need to come and talk to Myrtle."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because, of all the places we searched around there, we never searched the girl's bathroom," she said.
"Well, Neville and I wouldn't go in there, even if it's out of order. It's a girl's bathroom," said Harry. "Wait - you think the entrance is in there?"
"Yes," she said. "It occurred to me that Mrs Norris wasn't the first to be attacked - and she was attacked outside the girl's bathroom - it was Myrtle; even if it was fifty years ago. "So, I went in there to talk to her. It took a while, but she told me the last thing she saw before she died was two big yellow eyes surrounded by green skin!"
Harry and Neville looked at each other, gathered up their things, and trotted out with the girls following.
They headed straight for the bathroom before Neville said, "Wait! I need to go and get my block! Just in case, mind."
So, they detoured towards the Gryffindor tower.
As they were returning, a very worried Ron Weasley came running the other way. When he saw them he asked, "Neville! You haven't seen Ginny, have you?"
"Errr - No. Why?" asked Neville back.
"She's disappeared!" Weasley cried. "She tried to tell me and Seamus something she claimed was important earlier. And Prat Perfect Percy chased her off. I haven't seen her since!"
"And she's not down in the Great Hall?" asked Harry.
"No; no one's seen her. Her dorm mates say she's been acting weird for ages; and and I've not noticed," he suddenly shifted from very worried to frightened out of his wits. "Wh... what if the monster's got her!"
"Calm down, Ron," scolded Neville. "You won't be any help to her, or even have half a chance of finding her, if you flat out panic!"
"If we see her, we'll send her to the Gryffindor common room, alright?" said Hannah.
The redheaded boy nodded and said, "Yeah, thanks." And trotted off, continuing on his way. Still using their mirrors they made their way down to the second floor corridor. Between one corner and the next, Harry stopped and, with a look of understanding on his face, said, "It's young Weasley."
"What?" asked Neville.
"Young Weasley, Ginevra - sorry - Ginny Weasley; she's doing it," he said.
"Why her?" asked Hannah.
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