He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by
magic, and now didn't seem a good moment to try - what if the whole
tunnel caved in?
There was another thud and another "ow!" from behind the rocks.
They were wasting time. Ginny had already been in the Chamber of
Secrets for hours .... Harry knew there was only one thing to do.
"Wait there," he called to Ron. "Wait with Lockhart. I'll go on.... If I'm
not back in an hour. . .
260
There was a very pregnant pause,
"I'll try and shift some of this rock," said Ron, who seemed to be trying
to keep his voice steady. "So you can - can get back through. And,
Harry -"
"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to inject some confidence into his
shaking voice.
And he set off alone past the giant snake skin.
Soon the distant noise of Ron straining to shift the rocks was gone.
The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry's body was
tingling unpleasantly. He wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what
he'd find when it did. And then, at last, as he crept around yet another
bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were
carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.
*304*
Harry approached, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend
these stone snakes were real; their eyes looked strangely alive.
He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the
emerald eyes seemed to flicker.
"Open, "said Harry, in a low, faint hiss.
The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly
out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.
e was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering
stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a
ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd,
greenish gloom that filled the place.
His heart beating very fast, Harry stood listening to the chill silence.
Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And
where was Ginny?
He pulled out his wand and moved forward between the serpentine
columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls.
261
He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest
sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes
seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the
stomach, he thought he saw one stir.
Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the
Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall.
*306*
Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It
was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to
the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two
enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And between
the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red
hair.
"tinny!" Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees.
"tinny - don't be dead - please don't be dead -" He flung his wand