Dead Basilisk; and ancient construction

[ftah3]

No: HPFGUIDX 40096

Alexander wrote:
>   I wonder, was it discussed, or noticed, that there is
> still a dead basilisk lying in the Chamber of Secrets, with
> lots of poisonous teeth in his jaws (can be removed quite
> easily, considering that the teeth in Harry arm had broken).
> 
>   Actually, a whole damn supply of super-weapons for anybody
> who knows how to get there...

True, but could anyone get there who is not a parselmouth?  Myrtle 
said that the tap which is the entrance to the Chamber had never 
worked - so it hadn't worked for at *least* 50 years.  One might think 
that the school would have tried to fix a broken tap, but if so, never 
managed to get it working.  Perhaps they were unable to open it up to 
check for clogs or replace pipes, maybe because the *only* way to open 
it is to use parseltongue; impervious to magic and physical assault 
otherwise, possibly.

On the other hand, I've been wondering about that tap in Myrtle's 
bathroom, wondering how a modern sink tap managed to be the entrance 
of a Chamber created and sealed and never opened prior to Tom Riddle 
since Salazar Slytherin's day a thousand years ago (did I get the time 
frame right?  No books at hand).  I didn't think they had indoor 
plumbing back then....

Mahoney