When All is Lost One is Found

Chapter 115: Into the Chamber

When All is Lost, One is Found

Author: Rinoaebastel

Chapter 115: Into the Chamber

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than writing practice. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.

AN: This story may contain scenes taken from the Harry Potter movies and books, but it's not exact dialogue, just rewording of dialogue or omission. It is not marked.

He landed on a pile of bones, the pieces crunching and cracking under his weight. He straightened, removed his wand, and enlarged the light at the tip of it.

The occasional drip of water pierced the silence every few seconds. A familiar smell of rot came to him. He moved his wand and saw a basilisk skin. Such a precious thing for a potion master to have and Dumbledore just let it rot down here.

"Typical," he muttered.

"Come down, Hermione. The fall is safe." He moved away a bit so she could land without knocking him over. He bit back a laugh when he heard a high squeal as if she were having fun. He turned just as she landed, her curls bouncing with the force of the landing. She stumbled slightly as the bones moved under her, and he grabbed her to steady her.

She pulled away. "Thank you."

He nodded, offered his hand to her, and she immediately took it. He raised his wand with the opposite hand.

"Where are we heading?" he asked.

"We need to follow the main pipe to find the chamber. Harry said he killed the basilisk there."

"If we didn't have that information we could always follow the smell."

She made a face. "It smells half as bad as Ron's laundry." He raised an eyebrow and she said, "I lost a chess game with him once and had to do his laundry. Even with a charm it—"

"I was shocked at the 'half as bad' fact."

She giggled. "Oh."

They continued walking, following the narrow path and navigating puddles of different types of sludge and liquids. Despite the dank environment and the surprising lack of conversation, he enjoyed the time spent with her, hand in hand, just walking.

Soon, the path widened, and a massive circular door came into view. It was adorned with four serpents, their dimensions about the size of an actual basilisk.

"We need to use Parseltongue again to open it," Hermione said as she walked ahead and guided him to the door.

"Will you do the honors, or will you interrupt me again, my know-it-all?" His mocking was easily recognizable as a tease and an indication he was proud of her knowledge.

She tilted her head with a smile.

"I didn't know you had the same idea as me."

"I, in fact, didn't. I just learnt some words from the Dark Lord when he spoke to Nagini."

She spoke the words, the hissing continuing as the serpent locks opened, retracing from the edge.

The door creaked open, and the stench grew in potency. Hermione gagged once before casting an anti-odor charm.

"So, it's worse than Weasley's clothing now?"

She stared into the room and shook her head. "I had to cast a charm over his clothes too." She took a deep breath. "Well, let's get this over with."