The curse breakers arrived on Tuesday, just before dinner. Sirius welcomed them gladly and escorted them to the staff table. Dumbledore didn't seem as pleased, but still welcomed them officially. After some discussion, he stood up to make an announcement. "As you can all see, this team of curse breakers is here to scan the castle and the grounds. In order to cause as little disturbance to your studies as possible, they're going to check the classes and the corridors during the night, while your common rooms and dorms are going to be checked while you're in class. They're not going to open any of your trunks without permission, but if they suspect something, you're requested to fully cooperate. After all, they're here to assure your safety."
One of the curse breakers seemed somewhat familiar. He was a tall young man with red hair and handsome features. Harry glanced at the Weasley twins and was immediately sure this man was a relative of them. It was affirmed a moment later when Ron bragged, "The redhead is my brother Bill. He works for Gringotts and doing very well there."
This was even better confirmed when Bill came to say hello to his siblings. Ginny hugged him tightly, not letting go even while he gave short manly hugs to his brothers. He didn't seem to mind. He just patted her red mane and directed them out of the Great Hall, probably for some private conversation.
The curse breakers seemed to find quite a bit of work. Generations of student pranks, quarrels and even fights didn't pass without leaving some residues at the castle. Most were harmless, but still they were not things that should be in a school full of children. As their work advanced, Harry could feel like the corridors and the classes became more luminous and more cheerful although he couldn't actually see any difference. It may have not caused a major change, but affecting so many people, both students and staff, it was still a welcome change.
It was almost a week later when Ginny approached Harry. "I think I'm ready to show you where the diary took me," she told him, "although it's a girls' bathroom, where you're not supposed to go."
He waved her concerns off. "I'm sure it's not more frightening than a boys' bathroom." He didn't want to mention the troll incident, when he'd actually visited a girls' toilet. "Besides, I'd like Hermione to join us, so nobody could say we were doing something illegitimate."
Ginny smiled approvingly. "Of course. I actually expected her to come along."
A few minutes later, the three were looking at the sink where Ginny had found herself when controlled by the diary. There was a large sign over it – "Out of order." It seemed to have been there for quite a long time.
"Most girls don't come here unless it's really urgent," Hermione told Harry. "Not only is this sink out of order, but the plumbing seems to clog most of the time, causing flooding. They say it's because of a ghost that resides in here, but I've never seen her."
At first glance, the sink looked ordinary, like all the other sinks scattered about the castle. It took a closer look to notice a squiggly mark on the wall above it. "Do you know what he wanted you to do?" Harry asked.
"I'm not quite sure. I can barely remember anything about the diary, as if it's hidden in dense fog," Ginny answered. She still had some problems speaking to Harry and her face turned as red as her hair when doing so, but she was really trying to overcome this. Harry could only admire her strength of will.
"If you like, I can try to help you find those memories, or just read them without changing the way you remember them," Harry offered hesitantly. He didn't really want to reveal his abilities to her, if only due to Ron's behaviour, although she seemed much more trustworthy.
Ginny gave it some consideration. "I'm not sure I want to remember it. I feel like I'd like to erase those weeks from my life. Still, if these can help in any way, take them. How do you intend to do this?"
Harry smiled reassuringly at her. "Just relax and try not to think of anything. I'll try to find what I want as quickly as possible and not look at what's not related."
Ginny blushed some more but still nodded her approval. She leaned on the wall and waited. Harry concentrated. Ginny had no mental shields at all, but her memories were not neatly arranged. It took him a short while to find some kind of pattern in how they were organized, making him see some private memories that he didn't really want to see, but once he found the right ones, it went like a breeze. He didn't even try to understand everything; he just copied it all into his own memory, to be studied later. The only memory of immediate interest was about the sink.
"It looks like he wanted you to open it using Parseltongue. I wonder how he intended to teach you, or maybe he intended to take control himself."
"You've already done it? I didn't feel a thing!" Ginny sounded quite surprised.
"When done right, you shouldn't feel it. Besides, I'd really like you to not tell anybody about this ability I have. Not to any of your brothers, nor any teacher and certainly not the headmaster."
She frowned in surprise. "Don't you trust Dumbledore? Everybody says he's a great man."
"Well, he used to be my magical guardian. Did he ever check on me? Did he make sure I was well treated? Did he manage my assets honestly? He did nothing of that. Why should I trust him at all?"
Ginny sighed. "I'll keep it secret as much as I can."
Harry smiled. "If you really want to keep secrets, you should also protect your mind, so that what we did now can only be done with your full approval. I suggest you learn Occlumency. If your parents can't teach you, maybe Bill can. He seems to be very knowledgeable."
Ginny beamed at that. She seemed to really adore her big brother. "Bill is really fantastic. I'll ask him first. Can you teach me, in case he can't?"
Harry didn't want to commit himself yet. "We'll see..."
They left the bathroom a short while later. Ginny joined her classmates while Harry and Hermione sat together in a secluded corner of the common room. Harry was concentrating on his newly acquired memories, trying to make some sense of them and see if there was anything he should do, or ask others to do. Hermione was just leaning on his shoulder and holding his hand. She didn't need to say anything to make him feel her unconditional support.
They stayed that way about an hour, before Harry finally spoke. "You know, it's amazing to see how much resistance Ginny put against Voldemort. She really is a very strong-minded girl."
Hermione chuckled. "She's the only girls in a family of boys, and the youngest child. How else could she achieve anything on her own?"
She then turned serious. "Do you know what he wanted her to do, ultimately?"
Harry shook his head. "She fought it as much as she could, so he only managed to bring her to that sink, where she was supposed to open it by Parseltongue and then go down to open the Chamber of Secrets and let loose some kind of monster."
Hermione looked startled. "So, you know where the Chamber of Secrets is?"
He looked apologetic. "Not exactly, but I now know how to reach it."
"And why could nobody else find it?" she insisted.
"Only a Parselmouth can open it. The only one known at this time is Voldemort. Well, I'm also one, but I'd rather keep it secret."
"Shouldn't we tell somebody?" Hermione had never been an information hoarder. She liked sharing her knowledge.
Harry gave it some serious consideration. "I think the curse breakers, at least should know of this. Maybe what they're looking for is hidden down there. I don't really like anybody to know about my ability, though."
Hermione considered their options. "Maybe we should ask Ginny to tell Bill about her experience and the little she can remember. It will point them in the right direction, at least. I'm sure that once they know it's there, they can find a way around the problems."
Ginny was a bit reluctant to tell Bill about "her stupidity," as she saw it. Harry and Hermione needed to talk to her at length until she finally agreed to tell Bill after breakfast.
Harry and Hermione met Sirius that afternoon, and he had some interesting news. "Gringotts has a few Parselmouth Goblins, and one of them came here soon after Bill heard Ginny's story. It turns out that this 'chamber' is huge! I've been allowed to take a glimpse and it's probably larger than the Great Hall and has many alcoves and pillars. It may take them more than a week just to find out all there is there, but they're confident that if there is a curse, it resides there."
"That's really good news. Has anybody told Dumbledore?" Harry didn't really want the old man to know.
"He only knows we found some forgotten passages. He didn't really want to be bothered with the whole affair, so we don't bother him with it." Sirius sounded like this was a marvellous prank. He then turned serious. "Since I pay for the search, I can claim whatever valuables are found. Besides, that place is so full of dark magic that it may take quite a bit longer to clear it than the rest of the castle. I'll make sure to take you both down there once it's deemed safe enough."
\/\/\/
Sirius seemed troubled a few days later. "They're sure there's more behind the statue of Slytherin, but it resisted their efforts. We could blast it away, if everything else fails, but I'd rather try some less drastic ways, since that statue is extremely valuable by itself."
"What did they try?" Harry asked.
"Various commands and passwords in English, Latin and Parsel. Nothing seems to work."
Harry tried to search his acquired memories. It didn't take long to find the right one. "Wasn't Slytherin a bit of an arrogant show-off? Maybe you should try flattering his statue for password?"
"What would you try?" Sirius asked.
Harry concentrated again. "Something like, 'Speak to me, mighty Slytherin, the greatest of the four founders.' You may try some variations on this. I also believe he only used Parseltongue for protection, thus making sure that very few would be able to even try."
Sirius nodded understandingly. "I'll tell them. Maybe this will work."
It did, to a certain degree, but not at all as expected. Sirius told them two days later. "They managed to get a response using that phrase you gave me, but it wasn't what anybody expected. When the statue's mouth opened, the Parselmouth heard a large snake approaching. He warned the others and then tried to close the statue, but that didn't work. He managed to talk to the snake before it came out, and that probably saved a few lives. Turns out it was a Basilisk – the worst serpent imaginable. It kills just by looking at his prey. Luckily, the Parselmouth was able to command the snake to keep its eyes lidded, so its gaze won't kill. Then, as soon as it started emerging from the opening, several conjured swords and spears hit it. They first removed its eyes, to make it less dangerous, although a single drop of its venom is enough to kill any living creature. They then used the same method to kill it, when it opened its mouth. You see, while its outer skin is extremely hard and resistant to magic, the ceiling of its mouth, like all internal organs, isn't. A spear penetrated it, going straight into its brain, killing it instantly."
"That's good, isn't it? That snake was probably what Voldemort wanted to set free in the castle," Harry commented.
Sirius smiled at him. "That's very good. Besides, the Basilisk itself is worth a fortune. Almost every part of it can be used for Potions, and the Goblins consider its meat a delicacy. A few pounds of that will cover all the expenses of this curse-braking expedition, along with a nice bonus."
"What's the problem, then?"
Sirius sighed. "As soon as the Basilisk's body was dragged out, the statue closed. When they tried to open it again, using the same phrase, a small depression appeared on the pedestal, along with a dagger. It clearly wanted to test one's blood before opening. Each member of the team tried, but their blood just vanished in a blue flame. Then the Goblin said they needed to ask the heir of Slytherin to do it. 'Isn't that Voldemort?' I asked. 'No, it's young Lord Peverell – Harry Potter,' he answered."
Sirius didn't need to say any more. "So they need me there? I'm ready to go," Harry said.
"And I'm coming along," Hermione declared. It was evidently non-negotiable.
Sirius sighed. "I'd rather not take you there. The place may still be dangerous, but there's nobody else who can do this."
Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, making sure he'd go nowhere without her. A few minutes later, they were standing in the Chamber of Secrets. They could not ignore the large carcass of a snake that seemed to cover about half the floor space. Hermione gasped loudly when she saw it. Harry managed to do that silently. He wondered how many students would have died if this snake had been let loose in the castle. He shuddered at that possibility. No wonder Dobby had warned him. He made a mental note to thank Dobby for the warning.
They couldn't stay and watch the snake, though. Sirius brought them in front of the large statue of Slytherin, that seemed to span the whole height of the chamber. The Goblin Parselmouth came at their side. "Put a few drops in that depression as I try to open the way," he told Harry.
Harry wasn't quite glad to make a small cut in his finger and let a few drops of his blood fall into that depression. He could hear the Goblin saying in Parseltongue the phrase that he had taken from Ginny's memory. As soon as the phrase was finished, the statue seemed to split in two, revealing a staircase that led to an opening, probably the one that had been used by the snake.