Chapter Text
Ch. 6 The Secrets of the Chamber
Harry collapsed on his bed after coming from the feast. The feast was very good, not because of the food or anything but because he got his friend back. After the feast had started, the students who had been petrified along with the Gryffindor house ghost had entered the hall. It had been an heart touching reunion as friends met again after several weeks. Hermione had given him a rib crushing hug, and shook Ron's hand, much to Harry's amusem*nt. She had then proceeded to pester them relentlessly for information. Harry gave her a summary of what had happened in the chamber, leaving parts about his mother and the hat.
Ron informed him that Ginny had been taken home and would return on the following Monday before classes, 'that was five days from now' Harry ideally thought. Hagrid had come mid-way through the feast amid cheers. Dumbledore had informed the students that a student had been controlled by an artifact of unknown origin which led to the opening of the chamber. Ginny Weasley had been kidnapped by the person and informed them that Harry and Ron had managed to destroy the artifact, freeing the person from its control and saving Ginny. This had effectively vanished all doubts that harry was the heir, for those who still had thought he was the one after Hermione had been petrified.
Professor McGonagall also informed the students that those who were petrified were offered a crash course starting next week to make up for the missed weeks. Which in Harry's opinion was actually a very good decision.
He had not even bothered to change his clothes after coming back. He was bone tired today. After the confrontation with Mr. Malfoy, which still brought a smirk to his face, was over he went back to his dorm to shower and change. He was on the receiving end of several odd looks from the people in the common room but had ignored them.
'Tomorrow I will go and explore the chamber.' Harry thought before drifting off to slumber-land.
He woke up after 9 the next morning. This was the most he had slept in ever. At the Dursley's he had to wake up at five thirty in the morning to make breakfast since he was six years old. Vernon had to leave for his office at seven and thus had breakfast at six thirty. Even at Hogwarts he had maintained this habit. from five thirty to seven thirty, the time when most of his dormmates woke, he used the time to do homework or study in secret. He could have easily come in the top five last year easily but had held himself back and came on the 24th position in the year out of 57 people. Why? Because the Dursley's didn't like the fact he did better than their precious Dudley. So he had always dumbed himself down. When in the first test he had taken in muggle school and came first foolishly hoping that Dursleys would start to approve him, Petunia had yelled at him for cheating as there was no way a freak like him could do better that Dudley. He was put into his cupboard without food for the rest of the day. Since then he forced himself not to do better than his cousin. At Hogwarts, he didn't want Ron to get jealous of him, as he was his first friend. 'No more' he told himself. He would only be number one, no less.
It helped that Hermione had gone on a heavy revision schedule as she had missed three weeks of schooling. "We only have three weeks to prepare, I don't want to fail!" she told them. Harry snorted at it. He was sure that even if Hermione had given the exams there and then, she would have passed. They were given the day off and Hermione had dragged him and Ron to the library after breakfast much to Ron's horror. Ron had slipped away after an hour and half stating that he had enough for the day and asked Harry to join him. Harry had declined citing that he wanted to study and revise with Hermione, Earning him a betrayed look from Ron and a beaming smile from Hermione.
Hermione and Harry had continued studying for another three hours, before Harry had forcibly dragged Hermione for lunch. They had already completed revision for charms and Astronomy. After lunch Hermione had made Harry return to the library. She tried to get Ron but the coward had ran away. 'Some Gryffindor he is' Harry thought sarcastically.
After two and a half hours of more studying, he said, "Hermione, I am going for a short walk. You coming? " She shook her head and said "Be back soon. Don't run away like Ron."
"I won't. Keep an eye on my books." He told her and walked out. He had his invisibility cloak with him and planned to visit the chamber of secrets.
"$Open$" Harry hissed at the sinks in the second floor girls bathroom. Currently Moaning Myrtle wasn't in the bathroom, most likely loitering in some sinks or pipes. The sink slid open. Harry prepared to jump in but paused. He couldn't imagine Salazar Slytherin jumping into a pipe and sliding down it. "$Steps$"
A spiraling staircase grew out magically from it. It certainly was impressive magic as he could see the width of the pipe expand, but the size of the main hole remained the same.Lumos.He descended down the steps holding his wand tip alight.
He passed the cave in where Flophart's (as Harry and Ron had started calling him) spell had stuck and then entered the main chamber.
The Chamber was still the same as yesterday. But now he noticed snake motifs around the pillars, the torches that burned permanently along the walls and the cold beauty of the chamber. But the main thing he noticed was a gigantic snake that he had killed not even 24 hours. Around Sixty meters in length, as thick as an oak tree with poisonous green scales and Fangs as long as his forearm he had to admit that it was a majestic creature now that it wasn't trying to kill him. On the floor near the Basilisk mouth had dried blood and ink.
Scourgify. He spelled it clean and walked ahead, to the place from where the Snake had come out.
"$Speak to me Salazar Slytherin greatest of the Hogwarts four.$" He spoke the words Riddle had spoken to call the Basilisk.
The mouth of the statue opened and Harry climbed up in it. There was nothing much except a door to his right a bit further down the corridor. Also the corridor continued further down. Harry first decided to go ahead instead of opening the door. The corridor ended in a steep drop after a hundred meters. Down there he could see Snake skins and bones of animals. 'The Basilisk nest.' He realized. Coming to the conclusion that there was nothing here, He went back towards the door he had seen.
"$Open$" Nothing happened.
"$Open in the name of Slytherin$" Still nothing
"Alohom*ora" The door opened. He raise an eyebrow at the door. A normal unlocking charm? Seriously! 'But then again nobody except Salazar Slytherin would have been able to come here.' He thought. He entered.
It was a plain study which was surprisingly clean. There was an polished ebony desk, a bookshelf with few books(no more than 50-60), a couple of armchairs, a fireplace, and a single bed in the corner of the room. On one wall there was a painting. The painting had several people. There were even two children. 'Perhaps the founders and their families.' He thought. This was priceless. There existed no painting of the founders and no one knew how they even looked. The paintings in books and all were based on speculation and tales by the ghosts in Hogwarts. This was perhaps the only actual painting with the founders and their families.
On the wall directly in front of the door was the Hogwarts crest. Suddenly he felt the ring on his finger heat up. He felt an urge to press the ring to the crest. 'It is the ring. This is the fabled secret the sorting hat spoke about.' Harry came to the conclusion. He felt the sense of excitement grip him. He was perhaps going to become the only person alive to uncover the actual secret of the fabled chamber! He pressed the ring on the crest. What would he find? A big treasure? Long lost magical knowledge? An artifact perhaps?
The wall rumbled and harry stepped back. The wall slid open to reveal another study, this one was much larger with Several hundreds of books and several doors. But the thing that surprised him the most were the two portraits hanging on the wall. They contained two people. A man and a women. The woman was beautiful, with an hour-glass figure, Blonde hair and black eyes.
The man on the other hand was athletic, his black hair ties in a ponytail with a few streaks of grey. His eyes were an familiar shade ofavada kedavragreen. His mother's... and thus his. Harry realized.
"Greetings. Welcome to my humble abode. My name is Salazar Slytherin. The beautiful woman on my left is Helga Hufflepuff. It is an honor to meet you Harry Potter."
