Harry Potter and the Silent Dead: Book 1

Chapter 14: The Chamber of Secrets

Harry stumbled slightly as he reached the bottom of the stairs, grimacing at the crunching sound the echoed. "We must be miles under the school!" Shesha slid out from the cover of his sleeve, stretching out raising her head to look around the dark, dank chamber they'd landed in. He could see a dim light at the end of the long dark corridor, and several pipes seemed to branch off on the way. Could the creature that lived here, just wander around the school? Surely not. "I can smell another snake here."  Harry nodded, it only confirmed his previous theory. "So there is a basilisk down here. Cool!" Shesha hissed in alarm and sped back towards him, curling around his leg. "A basilisk? Master is crazy!" He laughed, picking her up and draping her over his shoulders. "Probably, but we're still gonna take a look." In all honesty, Harry wasn't too worried about the Basilisk. As long as he was respectful, she had no reason to harm a parselmouth. Hopefully. Slowly Harry walked forwards through the long tunnel, casting a Lumos to cut through the darkness. It illuminated  rounded stone walls, and he realised he wasn't walking through a corridor, but through a large pipe.
He turned a bend and was met with a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great glistening emeralds. Harry rested his hand against the door, saying "Open" with a low, faint hiss. The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves sliding smoothly out of sight.

He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carving serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long black shadows through the odd, greenish glow that filled the place. He threw the Lumos high into the air, illuminating the rest of the chamber in all its glory, and revealing the huge statue looming over him.  He had to crane his neck to look at the giant face above; it was ancient with a long thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizards sweeping stone robes. It was stunning, and even Shesha unwrapped herself from his neck for a better look. "Wow!" The second the words left his lips, there was a slight rumble, and Harry raised his wand, alert for a threat or trap. When nothing happened, he frowned, and cautiously looked around. To the left he could see a small faint line in a rectangle shape in the wall, a hidden door. It was blocked by deep trenches of water, but Harry simply levitated across, dropping himself onto to slight ledge that ran the length of the chamber's walls. He stared at the door curiously, wondering how it would open. He tried every spell he knew, in both Latin and parseltongue, but neither worked. Eventually he gave up, deciding to explore the rest of the room. It wasn't until he saw the tunnel in the statue's mouth that he realised exactly why it was called the Chamber of Secrets. Salazar hadn't made it easy. The tunnel split off into three separate rooms. One appeared to be a large bedroom and connected bathroom, it's bath more of a pool, with silver veined marble and silver snake head taps. Of what he'd heard from the perfects, it seemed similar to the perfects bathroom. The next room was a potions lab and ritual room, and Harry would have stayed their for the rest of the day if it hadn't been for Shesha. "Master, master help!" Immediately he ran out of the room to find the head of a basilisk coming out of the third doorway. Immediately he dropped to the floor, holding Shesha close to him and closing his eyes. "Great snake Mother, we wish you no harm, and did not mean to disturb you." He'd read in the sixth year care of magical creatures book that there was a specific way to address magical creatures, when one could communicate with them. He waited, desperately hoping he'd said it right. "You are a speaker, Childe. There has not been one in this castle for many years." Harry nodded, releasing  Shesha and stroking her head when she remained in his lap. "Yes, great lady, it is an honour to meet you." The large serpent gave a long pleased his, and he could hear her retreat backwards. "You may look upon me snakeling." Harry cautiously opened his eyes, walking forwards into the third room. He stumbled back at the sheer drop that fell into a large grey-stoned den. It was littered with snake skin and animal bones, and there was a musky smell hanging in the air. "Why are you here?" Shesha dropped down to wrap around the larger snake, apparently over her fear of the Basilisk. "My lady, the world above has changed, and my kind are not accepted. I was looking for a place to practice my magic in peace." The snake was silent for a while and Harry sat down cross-legged, waiting. "It has been many years since I have spoken to another. You may stay, but I have a request." Harry nodded, watching her. "I have slept for so long. I need to hunt. Open the pipe to the lake. I wish to feed." He frowned, unsure if that was a good idea. From the sounds of it, the last time she'd been around, a student had died.  A quiet hiss interrupted his thought. "I will not attack the students. My master left me here to protect his legacy. I wish only to eat." Harry sighed and stood walking back out into the main chamber. It had been very simple opening the water pipe. It was under the pool on the left side of the walkway, and a hissed alohamora had opened it. He stepped back to allow the large reptile room to move. "Thank you Childe. What is your name?" He didn't understand why she was asking but bowed his head slightly and smiled. "My name is Harrison." The Basilisk seemed to almost nod her head at that, and used her tail to gesture to the door he couldn't open. "To open the library, you must simply say 'I, Harrison, speaker of serpents do wish access.' If you are worthy, the door will open." With that last piece of advice, the snake disappeared into the water, off to the lake to hunt. Harry grinned, and raced over to the door. A library! He stopped just in front of the entrance and placed his palm where a handle should be. "I, Harrison, speaker of serpents do wish access." There was a pause, before a strong magical aura surrounded him, almost suffocating. It's pushed and pulled at his core, as if testing him, before drawing back and settling again. The door swung open, revealing to Harry every Ravenclaws dream. The large room had ceiling high shelves full of ancient books on all topics and languages. There was a small area in the center, hidden away by curved bookshelves, that had a small desk and chair, illuminated by a dwindling candle. A book was left lying on the desk, as if the last person to enter here had intended to return and finish it. Harry pulled out three books on necromancy and sat down at the desk, excited to see what secrets Salazar Slytherin had hidden.