Watching the Future

The Chamber of Secrets: Part 19

"Is no one gonna talk about how Hazel just was extremely smart in what she did, as dangerous as it was, still smart," Regulus states with wide eyes. A lot of people freeze before nodding their heads in agreement.
"I'm just amazing like that," Hazel responds with a shrug

[The next day, Hazel and Ron are visiting Hermione in the Hospital Wing again; Hazel takes the old dried up flowers out of the vase next to Hermione's bed, puts in some new white flowers, then sits on the bed.]
Hazel: Wish you were here, Hermione. We need you. Now more than ever.

Almost everyone gets tears in their eyes at this, not ever wanting to experience what Ron and Hazel were having to go through with having their best friend frozen like stone.

[Hermione just lays there with her glossy facial expression as Ron sighs sadly. Hazel rubs Hermione's left hand; feeling something in it, she looks down and removes her hand to discover a crumpled up piece of paper, a library book page, which she carefully removes and straightens out.]

"Hermione ripped a page out of the book??" James asks, shocked.
"Maybe it was Draco... We did see him rip a page out of a book at the beginning, maybe he does know what's happening and he wants to help stop it?" Remus mutters to himself to make sure no one was able to hear him.

Ron: [glancing at the page] What's that?
Hazel: [examining the page] Ron, this is why Hermione was in the library the day she was attacked. [glances at the page and then back at Ron as she gets up] Come on!

"Hazel got a connection, now it will get interesting," Fred says with a smirk.
"I was thinking the same thing," George says, smirking as well.

[Hazel and Ron walk through the corridor as Hazel reads from the page]
Hazel: "Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land, none is more deadly than the Basilisk. Capable of living for hundreds of years, instant death awaits any who meet this giant serpent's eye. Spiders flee before it..." [looking up at Ron] Ron, this is it. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk. That's why I can hear it speak. It's a snake.

"Hazel figured it out!" James yells out
"No, Hermione figured it out and Hazel found it and out the missing pieces together," Remus says, which makes James pout

Ron: [processing the information they just read] But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why is it no one's dead?

"That's a very good question," McGonagall says to Ron.

Hazel: [thinking for a few seconds then looking at the window] Because no one did look it in the eye. Not directly, at least. [they walk along as they go over how each of the victims were petrified] Colin saw it through his camera. Justin... Justin must've seen the Basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick. Nick got the full blast of it, but he's a ghost. He couldn't die again. And Hermione... had the mirror. I bet you anything she was using it to look around corners in case it came along.

"What about the cat?" A random student asks

Ron: And Mrs. Norris? I'm pretty sure she didn't have a camera or a mirror, Hazel.
Hazel: [thinking about how Mrs. Norris got petrified, then remembering] The water... There was water on the floor that night. She only saw the Basilisk's reflection.

"You two would make excellent Auror's," Alastor says suddenly.
"Thanks, all three of us are going to become Auror's once the war is over," Hazel says back.

[Ron nods; Hazel takes another look at the page, then walks to a nearby torch to more easily read the page, running her finger along it as she reads]
Hazel: "Spiders flee before it." It all fits.
Ron: But how's the Basilisk been getting around? A dirty great snake, someone would've seen it
Hazel: [as she and Ron glance at the bottom of the page where the word "Pipes" is written] Hermione's answered that, too.
Ron: Pipes? It's using the plumbing!

A lot of students look disgusted as they look at the floor scared a giant snake will be coming out of them.
"Don't worry, it's asleep," Hazel says, which makes everyone kind of freak out more.

Hazel: Remember what Aragog said about that girl fifty years ago, she died in a bathroom? What if she never left?
Ron: Moaning Myrtle. [Hazel nods]

"Maybe I need to be missing in action a lot more, because then your smartness comes out," Hermione says.
"Hey I can be smart when I am with you, it's just I usually just let you do all the work," Hazel says which gets her a slap on the shoulder from Hermione.

Professor McGonagall: [on the speakers] All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. [Ron glances at Hazel in surprise, wondering what could be going on now] All teachers go to the second floor corridor immediately.

"Please listen and don't go to the danger this time, actually go to the dormitories," Lily mutters.
"Sorry Mom, you know I can't do that," Hazel sheepishly smiles.

[Hazel and Ron hurry to the second floor corridor. In the section where the bloody message is, Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Madam Pomfrey, and Filch run up to the wall, where Professor McGonagall directs their attention to a newly written message.]
Professor McGonagall: As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message. [Hazel and Ron walk into the corridor behind them] Our worst fear has been realized, a student has been taken by the monster into the Chamber itself. [sadly looks at the others] The students must be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts.

"END OF HOGWARTS?!"
"WHAT ABOUT THE STUDENT WHO WAS TAKEN?!"
"YOU BETTER GO GET THE STUDENT!"
"YOU NEEDED TO TAKE THIS MORE SERIOUSLY OR A STUDENT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN TAKEN!"

Lockhart: [happily walking up to the group] So sorry. Dozed off. What have I missed? [grins at Snape and McGonagall]

"Not this idiot," Snape groans from his table.

Snape: A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last.
Lockhart: [slightly stunned] My... moment?
Snape: Weren't you saying just last night you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is? [Lockhart looks bewildered]

"Get him, Snape!" Barty shouts.

Professor McGonagall: That's settled. We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills, after all, are legendary.

"YESSSS MCGONAGALL AND SNAPE TEAM UP AGAINST LOCKHART!!" James and Sirius shout out

Lockhart: Very well. I'll just be in my office, getting, uh... getting ready. [turns and walks away; Filch watches him, then glances at Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall]

"How much do you wanna bet Hazel and Ron are going to have to force him?" Regulus asks Barty.
"Umm 3 Galleon," Barty responds, and Regulus smirks, nodding his head.

Madam Pomfrey: Who is it that the monster's taken, Minerva?
Professor McGonagall: [glances at her] Ginny Weasley. [Hazel and Ron straighten up in shock; Ron quavers slightly]

Just the thought of having to relieve the pain he felt of his sister going missing has made Ron go pale and shake in his seat. Hazel rubs his shoulder to help try and calm him down. Fred and George tear up at the thought, while Molly is outright crying with Arthur trying to calm her down. Hazel is not looking forward to them seeing what Ginny actually looked like in the chamber as she realizes what happened would be broadcasted when she never told anyone what happened down there.

[Professor McGonagall sadly walks away, along with the other staff; a second later, Snape follows them, revealing the newly written message, which reads "Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever".]
Ron: [reads the message with dread in his voice] "Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever." [Hazel looks at Ron as he's becoming all the more devastated by his sister's abduction] Ginny...

Everyone is silent as most have tears in their eyes from the news and seeing Ron's reaction to it, no one wanted to be in his place, they were just hoping that Ginny would get out alive, forgetting that she was sitting right there with them.