The Spider-Man of Hogwarts - Year 2: The Chamber of Secrets

Year Two: The Monster Identified/Finding The Chamber

*The next day, the three visited Hermione in the hospital wing. Peter replaced the vase with her favorite flowers and sat down beside her.*

Harry: Wish you were here, Hermione. We need you. Now more than ever.

*Harry held one of her hands and felt something inside it. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, catching Ron and Peter's attention.*

Ron: What's that?

Harry: Peter. What do you make of this?

*Harry hands Peter the crumpled paper. Peter uncrumples it and looks at it carefully. His eyes then widen.*

Peter: Guys...This is why Hermione was in the library the day she was attacked. Come on.

*Peter got up and Harry and Ron followed. Along the hallway, Peter read the paper.*

Peter: "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." Guys, this is it. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk. That's why Harry can hear it speak. It's a snake.

Ron: But if it kills by looking people in the eye, why is it no one's dead?

*Harry took a minute to give it some thought until he saw the answer before him.*

Harry: Because no one did look it in the eye. Not directly, at least.

*They walked down to hall and Harry and Peter began listing off the victims.*

Harry: Colin saw it through his camera. Justin... Justin must have seen the basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick. Nick got the full blast of it. But he's a ghost, he couldn't die again.

Peter: And Hermione had the mirror. Knowing her, she must've been using it to look around corners in case it came along.

Ron: And Mrs. Norris? I'm pretty sure she didn't have a camera or a mirror, guys.

Harry: The water. There was water on the floor that night.

Peter: Right. She only saw the basilisk's reflection.

*Harry took the page and walked over to a torch.*

Harry: "Spiders flee before it." It all fits.

Peter: That explains why the spider crawled up to me saying "Beware the Eyes." It was trying to warn us about the Basilisk.

Ron: How's a basilisk been getting around? A dirty, great snake. Someone would have seen it.

Harry: Hermione's answered that too.

*Harry turned the paper over.*

Ron: Pipes? It's using the plumbing.

Peter: Guys...Aragog said that the girl died in a bathroom 50 years ago. It just came to me...What if she never left that bathroom?

Harry: You mean...

Ron: Moaning Myrtle.

*Peter nodded and then McGonagall's voice came on through the intercom.*

McGonagall: All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second-floor corridor immediately.

*The three ran to the corridor. They stayed out of sight to listen to the teachers.* 

McGonagall: As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message. Our worst fear has been realized. A student has been taken by the monster into the Chamber itself. The students must be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts.

*Soon, Lockhart had arrived.*

Lockhart: So sorry. Dozed off. What have I missed?

Snape: A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last.

Lockhart: My moment?

Snape: Weren't you saying just last night...that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?

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

Lockhart: Very well. I'll just be in my office getting...Getting ready.

*Lockhart walks off and heads back to his office.*

Pomfrey: Who is it that the monster's taken, Minerva?

McGonagall: ...Ginny Weasley.

*The three stood in shock with audible gasps. The teachers walked away and the boys could now see the message.* 

Ron: "Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever." Ginny.

*Thinking fast, Peter snuck back to the common room to get his Spider-Suit on. He would met up back with them after finding Lockhart. Harry and Ron ran into the DADA classroom.*

Harry: Lockhart may be useless, but he's going to try and get into the Chamber. At least we can tell him what we know.

*They enter inside the office.*

Harry: Professor, we have some information for you.

*Lockhart turns around suddenly to see Harry and Ron there.* 

Harry: Are you going somewhere?

Lockhart: Well, yes. Urgent call. Unavoidable. Got to go.

Ron: What about my sister?

Lockhart: Well...As to that, most unfortunate. No one regrets more than I.

Ron: You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. You can't go now.

Lockhart: I must say, when I took the job, there was nothing in the description...

*Lockhart was about to leave but Harry stopped him.*

Harry: You're running away? After all you did in your books?

Lockhart: Books can be misleading.

Harry: You wrote them.

Lockhart: My dear boy, use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold as well if people didn't think I'd done those things.

*Harry then realized that Lockhart wasn't who he said he was. But what he really is.* 

Harry: You're a fraud. You've been taking credit for what other wizards have done.

Ron: Is there anything you can do?

Lockhart: Yes, now you mention it. I'm rather gifted with Memory Charms. Otherwise, all those wizards would have gone blabbing. I'd never have sold another book.

*Lockhart turns around, giving Harry and Ron time to get their wands at the ready.*

Lockhart: In fact, I'm going to have to do the same to you.

*Lockhart turns around to see their wands aimed at him. He lowers it.*

Harry: Don't even think about it.

*A while later, Peter had snuck into the girls lavatory, just out of Myrtle's sight as she was moaning in sadness. Just then, she spotted Harry, Ron, and Lockhart entering in.*

Myrtle: Who's there? Hello, Harry. What do you want?

Harry: To ask you how you died.

Myrtle: It was dreadful. It happened right here in this very cubicle. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in.

Harry: Who was it, Myrtle?

Myrtle: I don't know. I was distraught! But they said something funny, a kind of made-up language. And I realized it was a boy, so I unlocked the door to tell him to go away and...I died.

Harry: Just like that? How?

Myrtle: I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes...over there by that sink.

*She points to the sink and flies away. Harry walks over and turns the sink faucet. Nothing comes out. He sees the snake embedded into the spout.*

Harry: This is it. This is it, Ron. I think this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

Ron: Say something. Harry, say something in Parseltongue.

*Harry looks at the sink, speaks in Parseltongue to open the chamber, and the sinks on the outside start to push away from each other as the overhead rises. The sink in the middle drops down and the floor closes it. Harry, Lockhart, and Ron look down. The entrance to the chamber has been revealed.*  

Lockhart: Excellent, Harry. Good work. Well, then, I'll just be...There's no need for me to stay.

Human-Spider: Yes, there is.

*Lockhart stumbles backwards out of shock seeing The Human-Spider behind him and catching himself from falling down the hole. Peter drops down from the web he was hanging on upside-down. Harry and Ron get their wands out and aim at Lockhart.*

Harry: You first.

Lockhart: Now, boys, what good will it do?

Ron: Better you than us.

Lockhart: But... Obviously, yes.

*Lockhart turned around and looked down the hole. He then looked back at them.*

Lockhart: Sure you don't want to test it first?

*Ron had enough and pushed him forward with his wand, sending Lockhart down the hole. He then spoke up.*

Lockhart: It's really quite filthy down here.

Human-Spider: Hey, why don't we let him go ahead of us so the Basilisk can eat him? That way when he's tired, we can kill it real easily.

Harry: As tempting as that sounds, it's best if we keep him alive.

*Ron chuckled and Peter nodded.*

Harry: All right. Let's go.

Myrtle: Oh, Harry? If you die down there, you're welcome to share my toilet.

*Peter and Ron shared a look that said "Uh...what?"* 

Harry: Thanks, Myrtle.

*Then one by one, the three jumped down.*