Chapter 23
Harry, Ron, and Cassidy huddled against the cold stone wall, just beyond where the teachers stood. Their breaths were shallow, ears straining to catch every word.
"As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message," Professor McGonagall said, gesturing to the wall. Cassidy couldn't see it from where they were, but the tone of her voice made her stomach twist. "Our worst fear has been realized—a student has been taken by the monster into the Chamber itself."
Cassidy's breath hitched. A flicker of memory flashed through her mind—Ginny avoiding her gaze the day Hermione was Petrified, her nervous fidgeting, the way Cassidy had heard the voice when Ginny was near.
"It's Ginny," she whispered, face blank.
Ron stiffened beside her. "What?" His voice cracked, laced with horror.
"Just listen," Cassidy murmured, turning back toward the teachers.
"The students must be sent home. I'm afraid... this is the end of Hogwarts." McGonagall's voice wavered, and Cassidy inhaled softly, fighting the urge to gasp.
She turned her gaze to Harry, who was staring straight ahead, frozen. She knew what Hogwarts meant to him—what it had given him. It wasn't just a school; it was his real home, the only place he had ever belonged. The idea of losing it, of being sent back to that awful house with the Dursleys... Cassidy couldn't imagine how hopeless he must have felt.
Without thinking, she reached out and squeezed his shoulder. He blinked, glancing at her, and when he saw her quiet reassurance, he gave her a small, grateful smile.
Ron shifted uncomfortably, a strange knot tightening in his stomach, but he said nothing.
Before Cassidy could whisper any words of comfort, the sound of brisk, almost theatrical footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Gilderoy Lockhart had arrived.
"So sorry! Dozed off. What did I miss?"
Cassidy fought the urge to lunge at him, and instead started to count down from ten in her head like Angelina Johnson had taught her not too long ago.
Ten.
"A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart, your moment has come at last." Snape drawled.
Nine.
"M-my m-moment?" Gilderoy stammered, eyes wide.
Eight.
"Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"
Seven.
Silence from Lockhart.
Six.
"It's settled." McGonagall said, a smug smirk on her face as she looked at Professor Lockhart.
Five.
"We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy."
Four.
Silence from Lockhart.
Three.
"Your skills, after all, are legend."
Two. A nervous cough from Lockhart as he cleared his throat.
"Very well." Lockhart squeaked.
One.
"I'll just be in my office, erm...getting uh...getting ready." He turned on his heel and all but fled, his footsteps echoing down the corridor. Cassidy smirked. Angelina was right. Counting down from ten did make everything better.
"Who is it the monster's taken, Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey asked, her voice trembling.
"Ginny Weasley," Professor McGonagall said.
Cassidy's stomach dropped. Her worst suspicions had been confirmed, and her heart ached for the little girl she'd comforted on the train ride to Hogwarts just months ago. But whatever she was feeling couldn't compare to Ron. That was his little sister.
"Ron..." Cassidy started, but the words caught in her throat. His eyes were wide, full of fear, and she had no idea what to say.
The teachers turned and left, their footsteps fading down the corridor. Only then did the message on the wall come into view. Cassidy's necklace thrummed with warmth as her eyes traced the chilling words:
"Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever."
Cassidy swallowed hard. No.
She glanced at Ron, who hadn't moved, hadn't even blinked. His hand was cold in hers, his gaze locked on the message, his lips barely moving as he whispered:
"Ginny..."
Cassidy turned to Harry, a new fire in her eyes.
"This can't be her first and final year," she said firmly. She wouldn't let it be.
She took a steadying breath and set her jaw.
"Come on, both of you," she said. "Lockhart'll know what to do."
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"Lockhart may be useless, but he's going to try and get into the Chamber!" Harry said as they sprinted through the dark and empty Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "At least we can tell him what we know!"
A new determination ran through him—it had been there ever since Cassidy made the suggestion to come.
Cassidy herself nearly kicked down Lockhart's office door as they burst in.
"Professor! We have some information for you—" Harry started, but all three of them stopped dead.
Lockhart wasn't preparing for battle. He wasn't gathering supplies.
He was packing.
Cassidy's nostrils flared as she watched him toss a set of robes into an already overstuffed trunk. He looked up, startled.
"Are you going somewhere?" Harry asked coldly.
"Uh, w-well, yes, urgent call, unavoidable, uh—" Gilderoy stammered, for once unsure of himself.
"What about my sister?!" Ron exclaimed, his face pale.
"W-well, um...." Lockhart moved to latch another suitcase shut before turning back to them. "As for that, most unfortunate. No one regrets it more than I."
Cassidy scoffed. "You're leaving?" Her voice was rising, burning with fury. "A little girl could be dying as we speak, and you're LEAVING?!"
"W-well, I wouldn't say dying, Miss Sweet, that's a bit harsh, but—"
"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Ron snapped. "You can't go now!"
"Well, I must say," Lockhart muttered, shoving a pair of boxers—patterned with his own face—into another trunk, "there was nothing in the job description about—"
"You're running away?" Harry stepped closer, and Cassidy and Ron moved with him, backing Lockhart against the desk.
The man blinked at them, bewildered. "After all that stuff you did in your books—"
"Books can be misleading!" Lockhart said quickly.
"You wrote them!" Harry shot back.
"My dear boy, do use your common sense!" Lockhart snapped, his voice sharp. The three children flinched. "My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things!"
A beat of silence.
Cassidy's hand curled into a fist.
"Oh." Her voice was low, dangerous. "Oh, you slimy, lying [REDACTED]!" She screamed right in Lockhart's face, and right then and there, she knew—all blondes were evil.
"Miss Sweet, I had to," he said simply, without an ounce of shame.
"You're a fraud!" Harry accused. "You've been taking credit for what real wizards have done!"
"Is there anything you can actually do?" Ron asked, incredulous.
Cassidy scoffed. "Doubt it." Her hand twitched toward her wand.
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Miss Sweet," Lockhart said smoothly. "Now that you mention it, I am quite gifted with memory charms. Otherwise, you see, all those other wizards would've gone blabbing, and I'd never have sold another book."
Silence.
Cassidy, Ron, and Harry didn't move. Didn't blink.
Lockhart swallowed. "In fact, uh... I'm, uh... gonna have to do the same to you!"
He whirled around—
But froze when he saw three wands pointed directly at his face.
"Don't even think about it." Harry said.
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Moaning Myrtle floated around her bathroom miserably, sobbing absentmindedly before she perked up at the sound of footsteps.
"Oh? Who's there?" She asked timidly, before her eyes landed on Gilderoy Lockhart, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Cassidy Sweet.
"Oh." Myrtle giggled. "Hello, Harry. What do you want?"
"I think Myrtle has a thing for you." Cassidy whispered, giggling.
"Shut up." Harry whispered back, before turning to the ghost. "We wanted to ask you how you died."
A momentary quiet filled the restroom, and Cassidy felt the familiar tug of sympathy she usually felt when it came to Myrtle, no matter how much they bickered.
"Oh. It was dreadful. It happened right here, in this very cubicle." Myrtle pointed towards the cubicle she was floating over. "I'd hidden because Olive Hornsby was teasing me about my glasses." The irony of Myrtle dying because of someone else's teasing and proceeding to tease Cassidy was not lost on the latter.
"I was crying, and then... I heard somebody come in."
"Who was it, Myrtle?" Harry asked. Myrtle squeaked miserably.
"I don't know!" She exclaimed indignantly, and Cassidy rolled her eyes. "I was distraught!"
"Yeah, yeah, we can tell." Cassidy muttered, and Ron smacked her on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"
"But they said something funny....a kind of made up language and I realized it was a boy speaking so I unlocked the door to tell him to GO AWAY and... I died." Myrtle finished her story.
"Just like that?" Harry said, confused. "How?"
"I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes, over there, by that sink." Myrtle looked to her left, and the group's eyes followed her line of view to the very sink they'd taken their Polyjuice potion a while ago. Then finally, she floated away, sobbing.
Gilderoy looked at all of them, and Ron and Cassidy pointed their wands closer to his face.
Harry then stepped towards one of the sinks, determined. He started to inspect it, and while he did, Cassidy made as if she was going to attack Gilderoy with her wand. He flinched, and she giggled.
"Wait till 'Mione hears about this." She sneered in a sing-song voice, making Gilderoy tremble and Ron chuckle.
"This is it." Harry said suddenly, catching the group's attention. "This is it, Ron and Cass. I think this is the entrance to The Chamber of Secrets."
Cassidy's necklace started to glow green, and Gilderoy looked at it, bewildered.
"You're right, Harry. It definitely is. How're you gonna open it, though?" Cassidy asked.
"Say something!" Ron said to Harry. "Harry, say something in Parseltongue!"
Harry hesitated for a moment. Cassidy gave him a reassuring nod, and he spoke.
The hisses sent shivers down her spine, and her necklace heated up even more, a searing warmth pressing against her chest. Cassidy swallowed hard, fighting back a wave of unease. She didn't want to make Harry feel bad, so she forced herself to keep her expression steady.
A low rumble could be heard, and the sinks moved to reveal an opening.
"Oh, Merlin." Cassidy breathed in awe. Gilderoy stepped back uncertainly, Cassidy and Ron's wands still trained on him. Slowly, he looked down into the Chamber's opening, and saw it was a deep, dark, black hole. He let out a low whistle.
"Excellent, Harry. Ha, good work. Well then, I'll just be, uh... there's no reason for me to sta-" Gilderoy made an attempt to run, and if she'd been trained for it her whole life, Cassidy swiftly punched him in the stomach. He let out a low groan as the two boys caught him.
"Oh, yes...there...is!" Harry said, pushing Gilderoy towards the opening. The three of them pointed their wands towards the terrified Professor.
"Oh, I'm enjoying this, aren't you?" Cassidy said, grinning. The other two nodded.
"You first." Harry said.
"Now, you three, what good would it do?" Gilderoy said, trying to appeal to the children.
"Better you than us." Ron seethed.
"But...um..."
"Get down the chute, Lockhart." Cassidy demanded through gritted teeth. He immediately obliged, still feeling the effects of her punch. But before he went, he turned back to Ron.
"Y-you sure you don't wanna test it first-"
Cassidy and Ron both pushed him down, his yells echoing as he fell further and further down the entrance. A loud crash was heard.
"Is he dead?" Cassidy asked hopefully, as the three looked down at the hole.
"Really quite silky down here!" Gilderoy called upwards. Cassidy groaned.
"Alright," Harry said. "Let's go."
"Thats your favorite catchphrase, you know." Cassidy said. "Let's go."
"Shut up, Cass." Harry said while Ron giggled.
"Oh, Harry," Myrtle crooned from her corner of the bathroom. "If you die down there, you're welcome to share my toilet." Cassidy burst into laughter, while Harry stared at Myrtle uncomfortably. Ron cringed.
"Uh...thanks Myrtle." Harry said, while Cassidy laughed in the background.
"Oh...oh Merlin, she wants to share toilets with you! Ginny's got competition!" Cassidy said in between bouts of laughter, holding her sides. Harry glared at her, before jumping down the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.
"Don't worry, Myrtle, we all find love! Maybe
"Lockhart may be useless, but he's going to try and get into the Chamber!" Harry said as they sprinted through the dark and empty Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "At least we can tell him what we know!"
A new determination ran through him—it had been there ever since Cassidy made the suggestion to come.
Cassidy herself nearly kicked down Lockhart's office door as they burst in.
"Professor! We have some information for you—" Harry started, but all three of them stopped dead.
Lockhart wasn't preparing for battle. He wasn't gathering supplies.
He was packing.
Cassidy's nostrils flared as she watched him toss a set of robes into an already overstuffed trunk. He looked up, startled.
"Are you going somewhere?" Harry asked coldly.
"Uh, w-well, yes, urgent call, unavoidable, uh—" Gilderoy stammered, for once unsure of himself.
"What about my sister?!" Ron exclaimed, his face pale.
"W-well, um...." Lockhart moved to latch another suitcase shut before turning back to them. "As for that, most unfortunate. No one regrets it more than I."
Cassidy scoffed. "You're leaving?" Her voice was rising, burning with fury. "A little girl could be dying as we speak, and you're LEAVING?!"
"W-well, I wouldn't say dying, Miss Sweet, that's a bit harsh, but—"
"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Ron snapped. "You can't go now!"
"Well, I must say," Lockhart muttered, shoving a pair of boxers—patterned with his own face—into another trunk, "there was nothing in the job description about—"
"You're running away?" Harry stepped closer, and Cassidy and Ron moved with him, backing Lockhart against the desk.
The man blinked at them, bewildered. "After all that stuff you did in your books—"
"Books can be misleading!" Lockhart said quickly.
"You wrote them!" Harry shot back.
"My dear boy, do use your common sense!" Lockhart snapped, his voice sharp. The three children flinched. "My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things!"
A beat of silence.
Cassidy's hand curled into a fist.
"Oh." Her voice was low, dangerous. "Oh, you slimy, lying [REDACTED]!" She screamed right in Lockhart's face, and right then and there, she knew—all blondes were evil.
"Miss Sweet, I had to," he said simply, without an ounce of shame.
"You're a fraud!" Harry accused. "You've been taking credit for what real wizards have done!"
"Is there anything you can actually do?" Ron asked, incredulous.
Cassidy scoffed. "Doubt it." Her hand twitched toward her wand.
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Miss Sweet," Lockhart said smoothly. "Now that you mention it, I am quite gifted with memory charms. Otherwise, you see, all those other wizards would've gone blabbing, and I'd never have sold another book."
Silence.
Cassidy, Ron, and Harry didn't move. Didn't blink.
Lockhart swallowed. "In fact, uh... I'm, uh... gonna have to do the same to you!"
He whirled around—
But froze when he saw three wands pointed directly at his face.
"Don't even think about it." Harry said.
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Moaning Myrtle floated around her bathroom miserably, sobbing absentmindedly before she perked up at the sound of footsteps.
"Oh? Who's there?" She asked timidly, before her eyes landed on Gilderoy Lockhart, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Cassidy Sweet.
"Oh." Myrtle giggled. "Hello, Harry. What do you want?"
"I think Myrtle has a thing for you." Cassidy whispered, giggling.
"Shut up." Harry whispered back, before turning to the ghost. "We wanted to ask you how you died."
A momentary quiet filled the restroom, and Cassidy felt the familiar tug of sympathy she usually felt when it came to Myrtle, no matter how much they bickered.
"Oh. It was dreadful. It happened right here, in this very cubicle." Myrtle pointed towards the cubicle she was floating over. "I'd hidden because Olive Hornsby was teasing me about my glasses." The irony of Myrtle dying because of someone else's teasing and proceeding to tease Cassidy was not lost on the latter.
"I was crying, and then... I heard somebody come in."
"Who was it, Myrtle?" Harry asked. Myrtle squeaked miserably.
"I don't know!" She exclaimed indignantly, and Cassidy rolled her eyes. "I was distraught!"
"Yeah, yeah, we can tell." Cassidy muttered, and Ron smacked her on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"
"But they said something funny....a kind of made up language and I realized it was a boy speaking so I unlocked the door to tell him to GO AWAY and... I died." Myrtle finished her story.
"Just like that?" Harry said, confused. "How?"
"I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes, over there, by that sink." Myrtle looked to her left, and the group's eyes followed her line of view to the very sink they'd taken their Polyjuice potion a while ago. Then finally, she floated away, sobbing.
Gilderoy looked at all of them, and Ron and Cassidy pointed their wands closer to his face.
Harry then stepped towards one of the sinks, determined. He started to inspect it, and while he did, Cassidy made as if she was going to attack Gilderoy with her wand. He flinched, and she giggled.
"Wait till 'Mione hears about this." She sneered in a sing-song voice, making Gilderoy tremble and Ron chuckle.
"This is it." Harry said suddenly, catching the group's attention. "This is it, Ron and Cass. I think this is the entrance to The Chamber of Secrets."
Cassidy's necklace started to glow green, and Gilderoy looked at it, bewildered.
"You're right, Harry. It definitely is. How're you gonna open it, though?" Cassidy asked.
"Say something!" Ron said to Harry. "Harry, say something in Parseltongue!"
Harry hesitated for a moment. Cassidy gave him a reassuring nod, and he spoke.
The hisses sent shivers down her spine, and her necklace heated up even more, a searing warmth pressing against her chest. Cassidy swallowed hard, fighting back a wave of unease. She didn't want to make Harry feel bad, so she forced herself to keep her expression steady.
A low rumble could be heard, and the sinks moved to reveal an opening.
"Oh, Merlin." Cassidy breathed in awe. Gilderoy stepped back uncertainly, Cassidy and Ron's wands still trained on him. Slowly, he looked down into the Chamber's opening, and saw it was a deep, dark, black hole. He let out a low whistle.
"Excellent, Harry. Ha, good work. Well then, I'll just be, uh... there's no reason for me to sta-" Gilderoy made an attempt to run, and if she'd been trained for it her whole life, Cassidy swiftly punched him in the stomach. He let out a low groan as the two boys caught him.
"Oh, yes...there...is!" Harry said, pushing Gilderoy towards the opening. The three of them pointed their wands towards the terrified Professor.
"Oh, I'm enjoying this, aren't you?" Cassidy said, grinning. The other two nodded.
"You first." Harry said.
"Now, you three, what good would it do?" Gilderoy said, trying to appeal to the children.
"Better you than us." Ron seethed.
"But...um..."
"Get down the chute, Lockhart." Cassidy demanded through gritted teeth. He immediately obliged, still feeling the effects of her punch. But before he went, he turned back to Ron.
"Y-you sure you don't wanna test it first-"
Cassidy and Ron both pushed him down, his yells echoing as he fell further and further down the entrance. A loud crash was heard.
"Is he dead?" Cassidy asked hopefully, as the three looked down at the hole.
"Really quite silky down here!" Gilderoy called upwards. Cassidy groaned.
"Alright," Harry said. "Let's go."
"Thats your favorite catchphrase, you know." Cassidy said. "Let's go."
"Shut up, Cass." Harry said while Ron giggled.
"Oh, Harry," Myrtle crooned from her corner of the bathroom. "If you die down there, you're welcome to share my toilet." Cassidy burst into laughter, while Harry stared at Myrtle uncomfortably. Ron cringed.
"Uh...thanks, Myrtle." Harry said, while Cassidy laughed in the background.
"Oh...oh Merlin, she wants to share toilets with you! Ginny's got competition!" Cassidy said in between bouts of laughter, holding her sides. Harry glared at her, before jumping down the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.
"Don't worry, Myrtle, we all find love! Maybe my very husband's in this very bathroom as well!" Cassidy called back to the ghost, before grabbing Ron's hand and jumping down with him to the darkness below, she laughing and him screaming.