Splash
Harry got out through the pocket in the pipe that led to the chamber. There, lay the giant snake; Harry swiftly dried himself up by a flick of his wand. "Why...?" Harry begin questioning it.
...
...
...
Why would Ginny order it to leave? But if it was her, that explains why it let go of Slytherin's order since she has his blood.
But how did she know about this most hidden passage to the chamber? The chamber originally had 3 entrances. The first one and the easiest to enter being the girls' bathroom, the second doorway is entered through the scriptorium, while the last, most difficult entrance exists deep within the lake. It is the securest pathway since it is guarded by the merpeople.
"So how did Ginny get through?"
-
A day after the ministry banquet:
"The successor of Slytherin!?" Dumbledore was visibly enraged. With just one heir of Slytherin, the world had almost gone to shambles.
What would be the case if an even greater power is endowed to someone whose personality has not even been developed yet?
If it were up to Dumbledore, he would have first established carefully intricate patterns of tests that would determine his worthiness, thus shaping his character.
Maybe Slytherin just lacked the required effort or maybe Dumbledore just had to think things through a lot.
What made him the angriest was that such a room existed under his nose in Hogwarts.
Rooms that contain Merlin knows what more dangerous variables. Albus Dumbledore resolved to find the chambers and destroy them.
-
The group of professors decided to follow Harry and the creature into the lake but even after looking for a full hour, they could not find them; so they decided to first go back and report.
As the professors dried themselves up, McGonagall didn't. Something was troubling her:
"How... did you know about this beforehand?" She thought out loud.
-
"If what I think is right... then you should be here." Harry thought as he stood before the Phoenix statue.
"Sherbet Lemon." He uttered the password but nothing happened. Evidently, Dumbledore had changed it. Thinking hard, Harry decided to force his way through as he got his wand out.
...
...
Huff, Huff
Harry sat down against the wall before the statue. The entrance was indestructible: "To hell with this Albus-Potter rivalry." Harry muttered a curse under his breath while the statue turned around and revealed a staircase.
"Don't tell me..." Harry was amazed: "...that the passcode was 'Albus-Potter rivalry'?"
As Harry entered he saw the young girl sitting mechanically on a beautiful conjured chair.
"How can you stoop this low?" He sighed as he looked towards the Phoenix sitting cheerfully.
-
"So, you are awake." Harry asked her without opening his eyes.
Ginny froze up as she saw Harry slowly land and open his eyes. As he got to his feet, Harry picked up a towel and wiped away his sweat. Obviously there was more to his meditation than what it looked like.
"Please, give me a moment." He excused himself as he put a silk robe on and tied his wand(?) to his waist.
He then turned towards her: "Please, take a seat." He motioned towards the pair of chairs and the coffee table: "We need to talk." Ginny's heart skipped a beat.
-
She reluctantly took a sip from her cup of tea and asked him: "How d-did I get here?"
Amused, Harry took a sip from his mug too and inquired: "So, you really don't remember?"
...
...
It felt like Ginny had a small glimpse of jumping into the lake in her memory for the whole incident. But apart from that, she was all blank.
"And do you or do you not remember me breaking your imperius curse in the headmaster's office?" Harry urgently investigated.
"Oh, now that you mention it-" She started as Harry thanked God, maybe she did remember: "I do remember being called to Dumbledore's office but... that is all. I can't remember anything else."
This was better, Harry thought. 'Dumbledore... you're gone. Now, the last step...'
Harry jumped up the ladder to grab a book from the sixth shelf of the mini library.
It's title read: "Perpetuus Fabricatio" and got back to the coffee table.
Ginny curiously peeked at the book but it was in Latin. Unknowingly, her eyes went to his mug: "That's not tea. What are you drinking? Why is it green?"
As Harry inspected the book, he answered with a small: "You're right. It's venom."
Ginny was flustered out of her wits. She couldn't know for sure if he was joking or not.
"You should go back to sleep. Tomorrow is an important day."
-
"No, Firenze. I am not asking about Aragog. He's not the one who makes me worry. What I mean to ask is; have you seen any sign in the woods that might refer to a snake?" Dumbledore asked the centaur who shrugged to say: "No, Dumbledore. We haven't. All the snakes ran away 1000 years ago when the unicorns settled here, don't you remember?"
Dumbledore clicked his tongue in disappointment.
It was after the time the professor left when Firenze understood his mistake: "He's not really that old, is he?"
-
The old man calmly trudged along the dusty path until eventually, he reached a cave. Dumbledore made for it uninvited.
Moving inside, it is to be noticed that there was little to no light in the cave that kept streching inward.
Dumbledore kept moving carelessly when a middle aged man in very old and patched robes came out of what looked like a simple wooden door that separated two sections of the cave.
His eyes showed open hostility yet the headmaster wasn't bothered by it even by a bit.
"What makes you come here now, headmaster?" He bared his teeth as if he were a dog... or rather, a wolf: "I have been keeping my oath of not harming the centaurs and students. Then why-"
"Calm down, Skol. I'm just here for a quick talk." The headmaster interrupted him: "Now, have you seen any new secret entrances that may lead to anywhere in the school?"
Skol, the werewolf, also disappointed him as he made his way to his last choice; the girl who had been killed the last time the monster was released. He'd already listened to all of her accounts before and that is why, he wasn't going to her until now. But now there was no other choice.
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...
And, yet again the same description of the large slitted eyes. Dumbledore had made out that it would be a basilisk but he wanted to know where it was. Moaning Myrtle wasn't really good for anything, Dumbledore complained.
And just as he was about to leave, she said: "Goodbye! Tell Harry to visit me again when he's free! Hehe!"
This made him raise his eyebrows.
"Does he come here often?" He asked her, referring to the bathroom.
She nodded maniacally as she blurted out: "Just once, and even then he wasn't alone."
"Who was he with?" The old man said in one breath.
Giggle
"6... No, 7. Yes, they were 7 students who looked much older. There was also that handsome Miles Bletchley."
Dumbledore grimaced at her.
-
Thud
The waiter placed the 7 drinks onto the table as one hooded boy said nervously: "I'm really worried about him."
Both the girls and another boy chimed in unison: "Me too."
One of the girls added: "I still can't understand how the creature got out through the lake."
One of the boys was eager to answer her: "Oh I know. Do you remember the pipe it had come through to appear infront of us?"
Everyone nodded as he continued: "According to my calculations, it must; through one turn or the other, open into the lake."
The guy seemed proud of himself but his moment was cut short when the first, sulking boy continued: "May his court hearing go well today."
The girl also said: "I'm sure he will get out of it. Don't forget, Marcus. He's our lord."
The second boy also nodded nervously as he looked at both of them.
-
"Harry James Potter-Slytherin. You have been accused of opening the chamber of secrets in order to harm fellow students. Do you agree? No, Good! Because based on these answers while you have drunk veritaserum, your future will be determined. Failure to comply may also force us to order your expulsion." Fudge announced from his high seat. Dumbledore sat at another one which was placed at just the same level as the Minister: "You attorney will be provided by the ministry as an honor given to the hero of the wizarding world."
Just at that moment, a slightly plump woman with pink cheeks wearing all pink made her way over to the chair Harry was sitting in.
Fudge gave her introduction: "The defense procession will be handled by Dolores Umbridge, Undersecretary to the Minister."
She smiled wide at Harry as Dumbledore's eyes flashed with anger.
"Let the hearing begin." Fudge ordered.