"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?"
piped up Professor Flitwick.
"D-did I? I don't recall -"
"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a
crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't
you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should
have been given a free rein from the first?"
Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.
"I - I really never - you may have misunderstood -"
"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall.
"Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's
out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by youself. A
free rein at last."
Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the
rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was
trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked
weak-chinned and feeble.
"V very well," he said. "I'll - I'll be in my office, getting getting ready."
And he left the room.
251
"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared,
"that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should
go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the
Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the
rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their
dormitories."
The teachers rose and left, one by one.
It was probably the worst day of Harry's entire life. He, Ron, Fred,
and George sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room,
unable to say anything to each other. Percy wasn't there. He had gone
to send an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then shut himself up in his
dormitory.
No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor
Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and
George went up to bed, unable to sit there any longer.
"She knew something, Harry," said Ron, speaking for the first time
since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "That's why
she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all., She'd
found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why
she was -" Ron rubbed his eyes frantically. "I mean, she was a pureblood. There can't be any other reason."
Harry could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline. This was
the worst he had ever felt. If only there was something they could do.
Anything.
"Harry" said Ron. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not - you
know ="
Harry didn't know what to say. He couldn't see how Ginny could still
be alive.
"D'you know what?" said Ron. "I think we should go and see
*295*
252
Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the
Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a
basilisk in there."
Because Harry couldn't think of anything else to do, and because he
wanted to be doing something, he agreed. The Gryffindors around