Summary: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 16-18

[Genevieve Pratt]

No: HPFGUIDX 26249

Chapter 16: Chamber of Secrets
	
Professor McGonagall announces in their first lesson, Transfiguration,
that exams will start a week from that day, the first of June. When
Seamus protests, she reminds them that Dumbledore wanted business as
usual while he was gone and that includes exams. Ron, of course, is not
looking forward to taking the tests with his wand spewing sparks while
Harry wonders exactly what did he learn of interest that year.

A few days later, Professor McGonagall makes another announcement, this
time at breakfast to the entire school. The Mandrakes were finally ready
for cutting and the Petrified students would be revived that evening.
Just about everyone cheers, although Harry does notice that Draco Malfoy
doesn't join in. Ron is happy that they never needed to ask Moaning
Myrtle about how she died since Hermione will be back. 

Ginny Weasley interrupts the two boys when she sits next to them, acting
very similar to Dobby. Harry and Ron try to get what is the matter out
of her, except when she was about to tell, Percy joins them and Ginny
leaves in a rush. Percy tells his brother and Harry that she was just
going to spill a secret that he had asked her not to tell. 

Harry still wanted to talk to Moaning Myrtle even though everyone might
come to back to life that night. So, on the way to their first lesson,
Harry and Ron convince Professor Lockhart to not bother escorting the
Gryffindors so they could escape and talk to Moaning Myrtle. On their
way to the girls' bathroom, Professor McGonagall spies them and demands
to know what they were doing wandering the hallways. Harry quickly comes
up with the explanation that they were on their way to see Hermione to
let her know the Mandrakes were about ready. This rather moves
McGonagall and she gives her permission to the pair to go visit their
friend.

Since they were now supposed to go up to the hospital wing, they make
their way towards that area. Madame Pompey isn't very happy to see them
but allows them to visit their friend. As they look over Hermione, Harry
notices that she has something tightly clutched in her hand. They pry it
out and discover it is a page from a book describing basilisks and it
has the word "pipes" written on it. Harry quickly pieces together that
the creature in the chamber was a basilisk and it was using the pipes to
get around the school. Everything starts to fall into place, including
why everyone was Petrified instead of dead and why all the roosters were
killed.

Excited that they've figured out everything, the two boys head down to
the staff room to tell Professor McGonagall. While they are waiting for
her to show up for break, they hear her voice directing the students to
their halls and the professors to the break room. Not wanting to leave,
they hide in a cloak closet. All the professors arrive, except Lockhart,
and McGonagall announces that Ginny Weasley had been taken into the
Chamber.  While she is explaining things, Lockhart shows up late and the
rest of the teachers appoint him the task of retrieving Ginny Weasley.
He leaves and McGonagall tells the Heads to explain to the students that
school will be closing the next day and they would be going home.

Ron and Harry go back to Gryffindor Tower where they sit with the twins
in a corner until the twins finally went up to their room. Ron spoke for
the first time since he found out, as he wondered what Ginny was going
to really tell them. Desperate to find his little sister, he convinces
Harry to go with him to tell Lockhart what they figured out earlier.
When they arrive, they find that Lockhart's stuff was just about packed
and he was about to leave, claiming an "urgent call." Understandably,
Harry and Ron are rather upset and when Lockhart starts talking about
casting Memory Charms on them, Harry disarms him and Ron throws the wand
out the window. They then march him down to the girls' bathroom.

Moaning Myrtle explains to them how she died and it just strengthens
Harry's hypothesis and also gives them the probably entrance to the
Chamber, a tap that's never worked. Harry commands it to open in
Parseltongue and the sink moves out of the way, exposing a large pipe.
Ron pushes Lockhart down the pipe and they quickly follow him. It takes
them deep underground and Ron figures they must be under the lake. They
follow the tunnel for a while; animal bones and a giant snake skin
decorating the walkway. 
Along the way, Lockhart tackles Ron and grabs Ron's Spell-o-Tape wand
away from him. However, when he attempts to do a Memory Charm, it
backfires on him and causes him to lose all memory and one small
explosion. When all the debris and dust finally settles, Ron and Harry
find themselves on opposite sides. Ron stays with Lockhart while Harry
continues on to see if he can find Ginny.

When he gets to the end of the tunnel, he finds a pair of entwined
snakes carved on a wall. He opens up the doorway by speaking in
Parseltongue and enters, shaking with fear.

Chapter 17: Heir to Slytherin

Looking around, he finds himself at one end of a dimly lit chamber.
Pulling out his wand, he walks forward carefully and starts looking for
both Ginny and the basilisk. He finds her collapse underneath a giant
statue of a wizard and rushes to her side, tossing his wand away. Trying
to get her to wake up, he's interrupted by Tom Riddle. Tom explains that
Ginny is alive, but just barely, and that he is just a memory preserved
in the diary. Harry tries to convince Tom to help him rescue Ginny, but
Tom ignores the request, instead twirling Harry's wand casually.

Frantic, Harry pleads with Tom to leave, warning him about the basilisk.
Tom finally speaks again, saying that it won't come unless it's called.
Harry doesn't understand and Tom comments how he's been looking forward
to talking to Harry for a long time. When Harry finally figures out that
Tom isn't going to go anywhere and that he seems rather self-possessed
for being in the middle of the Chamber of Secrets, he ask about Ginny.

Tom explains to Harry how Ginny started writing to him and how he used
to her to help open the Chamber of Secrets. He tells Harry about when
Ginny tried to rid herself of the diary when she started to figure
things out, which was when Harry found it. Tom tells Harry about how he
opened the Chamber up in his times and framed Hagrid for it and how he
wasn't trying to kill Muggle borns this time, but Harry. He was the one
who made Ginny write her farewell on the wall and come down to the
Chambers to lure Harry down.

When Harry asks why Tom cares so much about him, he finds out that Tom
Riddle is Voldemort. Harry tells Tom that Dumbledore is the greatest
wizard, not him, and how he was always scared of the professor. As Harry
defends Dumbledore; Fawkes, the phoenix, flies down, dropping the
Sorting Hat and landing on Harry's shoulders. Tom laughs at the pitiful
sight, taunting Harry about how that was all Dumbledore sent to save
him. 

Tom then demands to know why Harry survived while Voldemort lost his
powers. Knowing that time was running out for Ginny and seeing that the
ghostly image of Tom was starting to become more solid; Harry gives a
short explanation to satisfy Tom. Tom then calls forth the basilisk from
the statue, which is apparently of Salazar Slytherin. Harry backs up,
closing his eyes tight, and Fawkes flies off Harry's shoulders. Hearing
the basilisk heading his way, Harry starts to blinding run around the
chamber trying to escape it but he trips. Just as he thinks the basilisk
is about to get him, he hears a loud explosion above him and something
hits him. Unable to help himself, he cautiously opens his eyes and sees
that Fawkes had pierced the eyes of the basilisk.

The erratic motions of the giant serpent had dropped the Sorting Hat
into Harry's arms and he instinctively jammed in on his head, mentally
pleading for help. A giant sword appeared inside the hat, almost
knocking Harry unconscious. Tom is crying for the basilisk to attack
Harry instead of the bird. Harry manages to dodge the first attack, but
as he stabs into the roof of the mouth on second attack, the basilisk
pierces his arm with his poisoned fang. 

Harry falls to the ground, feeling the poison start to work through his
body. Tom comes over to mock Harry, remarking about how even
Dumbledore's bird knew since it was sitting there crying over the wound.
They both realize though at the same time that the phoenix's tears were
healing Harry and Tom scares away the bird. Just as Tom is about to
blast Harry, Fawkes drops the diary into Harry's lap and Harry quickly
pierces the diary on the basilisk fang next to him, causing Tom to
disappear.

Ginny finally starts to stir and Harry goes over to her. When she sees
him standing there covered in blood, she starts to cry, apologizing and
trying to explain. Harry comforts her and tells her Tom was dead. He
leads her back to where Ron had managed to make a decent size hole in
the rubble. After a short reunion, they moved back towards where they
arrived at. Grabbing a hold of Fawkes's tail feathers, they all are
flown to the top.

Moaning Myrtle is a bit surprised and sadden to see them. She had
thought that Harry would have made a nice companion to share the
bathroom with. Fawkes then led them to McGonagall's office.

Chapter 18: Dobby's Reward

The office contains Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who quickly start to reassure
themselves that Ginny was alive, Professor McGonagall and Professor
Dumbledore. The Weasleys turn then to Harry, asking him how he had
managed to rescue her. He lays the sword, hat, and what was left of the
diary upon the desk and tells them the entire story. His only worry was
about Ginny, scared that they might expel her, but Dumbledore gives him
the opening by remarking how he was curious how Voldemort managed to
charm Ginny. Once he is done, they find out that the victims were about
to be waken and the Weasleys take Ginny away.

Professor McGonagall leaves the two boys to Dumbledore and he confers
upon them points and a special award for their actions. Dumbledore sends
Lockhart with Ron to the infirmary to see if anything could be done for
the backfired spell. Harry ask Dumbledore if he really was a lot like
Voldemort, especially the Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin at first
and he could speak Parseltongue. Dumbledore reminded Harry that he was
placed in Gryffindor and shows him that the sword was labeled with the
name of Godric Gryffindor, telling that only a true Gryffindor could
have pulled that from the hat.

Just as Harry was about to leave, Lucius Malfoy enters the room followed
by Dobby. Malfoy is rather upset that Dumbledore decided to come back
after being suspended, but Dumbledore explained that the other eleven
governors ask him to return when they heard about Ginny. Dumbledore
explains that the diary helped Voldemort open the chamber and Dobby
motions from the diary to Malfoy behind his master's back to Harry.
Harry steps up and accuses Malfoy of giving it to her back at Flourish
and Botts before the year began. Dumbledore recommends to Malfoy that he
not give away any more of Voldemort's old school stuff and Lucius Malfoy
storms out of the office.

Harry takes the diary and stuffs it into a sock he pulled off his foot.
Racing after them, he gives it to Malfoy. Malfoy pulls out the diary,
throwing the sock aside. Dobby catches the sock, enabling him to be
considered a free elf. When Malfoy starts to turn on Harry for costing
him his servant, Dobby magically tosses him down the stairs. Dobby then
thanks Harry and disappears.

Harry goes to the feast where everyone shows up in their pajamas. Exams
are canceled, Hagrid is released, and Hermione is back to normal, even
being dismayed over their called off tests. The rest of the term passed
by rather quickly and they soon found themselves heading back to London
on the Hogwarts Express. Ginny tells them that she saw Percy kissing the
Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater. Harry gives his telephone number
to both Ron and Hermione, asking them to call and then heads off the
platform.


1)	While it turns out to be a godsend, why would anyone put a sword
in the Sorting Hat in the first place?

2)	At one point, Tom makes the comment that Harry was a lot like
him. Do you agree or is he entirely commenting on them both being
half-blood orphans?

3)	Tom seems rather disappointed that all it that protected Harry
was his mother's sacrifice, almost as if he thought it would be
something else. What could he be thinking, especially since he was
talking about their similarities at the same time?

4)	Do you think it ever becomes public knowledge exactly what
happened that year?

5)	A rather reoccurring idea is that from the statement Dumbledore
makes about Harry being a "true Gryffindor," Harry is somehow related to
Godric Gryffindor. What are your thoughts on this?

6)	We learn a lot about Voldemort in these few chapters. Did you
find anything that could possibly make him out to be a little more human
or does he still seem as pure evil as in book one?

Genevieve