Kai Lily Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 1)

Chapter 18: The Chamber of Secrets

"Lumos!" Harry and Kai muttered, illuminating the darkness ahead. 

"C'mon." Harry beckoned Ron and Lockhart after the Potters. 

The four set off, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor. 

The tunnel  was so dark that they could only see a little distance ahead. Their shadows on the wet walls looked monstrous in the wandlight.

"Remember," Kai said quietly as they walked cautiously forward, "any sign of movement, close your eyes right away..." 

 But the tunnel was quiet as the grave, and the first unexpected sound they heard was aloud crunch as Ron stepped on what turned out to be a rat's skull. 

The Potters lowered their wands to look at the floor and saw that it was littered with small animal bones.

Trying very hard not to imagine what Ginny might look like if they found her, Harry led the way forward, around a dark bend in the tunnel, Kai right beside him. 

"Harry, Kai — there's something up there —" said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Harry's shoulder. 

 They froze, watching. 

Kai could just see the outline of something huge and curved,lying right across the tunnel.

It wasn't moving. 

"Maybe it's asleep," Harry breathed, glancing back at the Ron and Kai. 

Lockhart's hands were pressed over his eyes. 

Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast ithurt. 

 Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edgedforward, his and Kai's wands held high. 

"Or it's just the Basalisk's skin." Kai pointed out, poking the skin with her finger. 

Harry approached her, wand held high. 

The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled andempty across the tunnel floor. 

The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least. 

"Blimey," said Ron weakly. 

 There was a sudden movement behind them.

 Gilderoy Lockhart's knees had given way. 

"Get up," said Ron sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart. 

Lockhart got to his feet — then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground. 

Harry jumped forward, but too late — Lockhart was straightening up, panting, Ron'swand in his hand and a gleaming smile back on his face. 

"The adventure ends here, kids!" he said. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you three tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body — say good-bye to your memories!" 

He raised Ron's Spellotaped wand high over his head and yelled, "Obliviate!" 

The wand exploded with the force of a small bomb.

Harry grabbed Kai with one hand, the other flung over his head, and ran, slipping over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor. 

Next moment, they were standing, alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock. 

"Ron!" Harry shouted. "Are you okay? Ron!" 

"I'm here!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the rockfall. "I'm okay — this git's not,though — he got blasted by the wand —" 

There was a dull thud and a loud "ow!" 

It sounded as though Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins. 

"What now?" Ron's voice said, sounding desperate. "We can't get through — it'll take ages..."

Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. 

Huge cracks had appeared in it. 

He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic, and now didn't seem ag ood moment to try — what if the whole tunnel caved in? 

"Kai can you-" he began, she probably had a better chance, she had done a lot more practice than Harry. 

Kai shook her head. 

There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks.

They were wasting time. 

Ginny had already been in the Chamber of Secrets for hours...Ginny was hurt and potentally dying...Kai knew there was only one thing to do. 

"Wait there," she called to Ron. "Wait with Lockhart. Harry and I'll go on... If we're not back in an hour..." 

There was a very long pause, "I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady. "So you can — can get back through. And,Harry, Kai —" 

"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his shaking voice. 

And together, the Potters set off, past the giant snake skin. 

Soon the distant noise of Ron straining to shift the rocks was gone. 

The tunnel turned and turned again. 

Every nerve in Kai's body was tingling unpleasantly. 

She wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what she'd find when it did. 

And then, at last, as they crept around yet another bend, they saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds. 

Harry and Kai approached, their throats very dry. 

There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive. 

The Potters could guess what they had to do. 

Harry cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker. 

"Open," Harry and Kai spoke in low, faint hisses. 

 The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and together, shaking from head to foot, they walked inside.