The Chamber of Secrets (chapter)

The chapter, The Chamber of Secrets...

Summary
The next morning at breakfast, Harry tells Ron his suspicion that the victim killed back when the Chamber was first opened is Moaning Myrtle. Harry receives letters from his Dad, Sirius, and Remus while Ron receives a Howler from his mom. After reading his dad's letter, Harry has a new appreciation for what his parents experienced when they went into hiding. Late in the week, McGonagall announces the mandrakes are almost ready and the petrified students will be treated. Harry and Ron notice Ginny is looking a bit odd and said she had to tell them something about the Chamber of Secrets, but before she could tell them, Percy interrupts and she runs off.

Harry's drive to discover the Chamber of Secrets is restored, and when he and Ron visit Hermione at the Hospital Wing, Harry sees a piece of paper in Hermione's hand and pull it out. The paper is a page from a book which describes a basilisk, a giant snake, whcih they discover is the monster in the Chamber of Secrets. They read the basilisk's stare can kill, but since all the latest victims looked into its eyes through other objects (mirror, water, camera, ghost), they weren't killed but just petrified. Spiders fear it, which it why they've been fleeing the castle, and a rooster's crow could kill it, which would explain why the perpetrator who opened the Chamber would be killing them. They figure out the basilisk must be traveling through the pipes of the school, which is why Harry (a Parselmouth) has been hearing it and that the entrance to the Chamber must be in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. When they go to tell someone, they hide in the staffroom when the teachers gather only to discover that Ginny has been taken by the monster into the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry is filled with resentment when he realizes the teachers, including Lily, knew about the monster and said nothing to him. Harry and Ron find Lockhart preparing to flee Hogwarts after he was encouraged to find the Chamber and defeat the basilisk. They also discover he is a total fraud, with all his books based off of achievements of other wizards and witches, whose memories he erased so he could claim the credit. They take Lockhart hostage, to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and Harry opens the passage to the Chamber using Parseltongue. The three wizards enter the passage and Lockhart gets a hold of Ron's wand, but when he casts Obliviate, the damaged wand backfires on Lockhart and collapses part of the tunnel, separating Harry from Ron and Lockhart and Harry continues down the tunnel, alone.

Deviation from Canon

 * The staff know the Chamber's monster was a basilisk.
 * In canon, Ron receives a Howler much earlier from Mrs. Weasley after he and Harry took the flying car and crashed it into the Whomping Willow.
 * None of the students know about Harry and Ron's adventure in the Forbidden Forest.