Chapter 2: The End of Our World
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A girl phoned me the other day and said .... Come on over, there's nobody home. I went over. Nobody was home."
--Rodney Dangerfield
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Harry thought fast and like a true Gryffindor, recklessly. Doing the only thing he could think of he tackled Malfoy into the tunnel hissing, "~
Close~" behind him.
The Gryffindor and Slytherin slid down the tunnel slide in a tangle of limbs screaming. It was truly a good thing that Hermione had mastered cushioning charms that term because as they shot out of the hole both were praying that they'd land softly.
"Oof," both gasped in shock as they landed and skidded across the stone floor. It was a sharp landing, but neither was injured. Ron rushed over and helped Harry up.
Dusting off his robes Harry held a hand out to Malfoy who took it and was helped up. "Who knows how to change a password?"
"Why?" Ron asked.
"I don't want Voldemort coming down here. I've pretty much cleaned it up down here and explored, but I never got a chance to change the password."
Hermione explained quickly and Harry flew back up the tunnel coming back a few minutes later. "Done, we should be safe for an undetermined amount of time."
"I want my mommy," a little Slytherin first year cried.
Harry walked over and wrapped his arms around her kneeling to her level, "It's okay, dear, I'm sure she'll be fine and when we get the message that it's safe to come out I'll take you myself."
He smiled out her and she and the other crying first and second years sniffled up their tears. "Now buddy up with an older student."
The students watched as his demeanor changed in a split second. "~
Incendio~" he said pointy his wand at a strip of protruding stone. Flames shot up around the corridor illuminating the path.
"You really thought this through, mate," Ron said.
"Even
He didn't know how to do that," Ginny said with bitterness dripping off her voice.
"Who?" Draco asked.
"Tell you later," Harry said, as he began to stride down the corridor with the little Slytherin holding his hand.
They followed until they came to a spot where the ruins of a cave-in. "Uh..." Hannah said.
"A lot of spell work, but safe. It fell in second year."
"You've known about this escape route...?" Terry asked.
"Not escape route," Harry said coming to the door with the snakes, "~Open~" The doors open and they were led into a large chamber that looked as if it could fit the entire lake in. "Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets," he said, his hand sweeping out.
Eyes widened and Draco shouted, "You are the Heir of Slytherin?!"
It was really a question but a statement, but Harry shook his head, "No," he said, "but I know the person who is."
Malfoy looked sceptical. "I'll explain everything once we have the first to fifth years settled." He pulled his shrunk trunk from his pocket again and unshrunk it. Looking up he counted heads and pulled rolls of parchement out spreadinging them at equal intervals.
"We'll probably be in here for awhile," Harry said, "so I want you all to get some sleep." He waved his wand and muttered a spell transfiguring beds out of the parchment complete with covers and pillows. "I want first years closest to the statue and fifth years at the end." The little first year ran off with a Gryffindor first year to their beds and soon they were all snoring lightly.
Harry sagged in a chair Hermione had transfigured from a quill and looked tired.
"What's our chances?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Not good," Harry admitted. "This was totally unplanned for, we didn't know anything like this would happen. We had plans set up for Death Eaters, but the muggle military?"
Terry looked at Harry and asked the million dollar question, "Care to explain what's going on?"
Harry nodded, took a deep breath and launched into the tell of how the Chamber of Secrets came to be and how he came to know of it. "...I was in an Order meeting last month when McGonagall brought up the fact that the Dark Lord Grindiwald was in school the same time as Riddle was in school. She wanted to find new plans to protect the students because the the others were known to Riddle. In passing I mentioned, 'We could use the Chamber of Secrets.' We didn't talk about it after that, I assumed that none of the Order were that desperate, but I guess they were."
"So what are we waiting for, anyways?" Draco asked.
As if to answer that very question Fawks appeared, crying. "Oh, no," Harry whispered, covering his mouth, "the Headmaster's dead, the school has fallen."
End Chapter
A/N: I know this story is completely sucky, but I did promise to release a chapter.