The tip of his wand illuminated only a few steps ahead, as if the entire world had been compressed into this small circle of light.
His shadow stretched across the damp stone walls, looking like a waiting Dementor ready to strike.
The corridor wound and twisted endlessly, turning corner after corner. After more than ten minutes, Snape finally turned one last bend, and froze.
A solid wall stood before him.
On it were carved two intertwined serpents, their eyes set with eerie, glimmering emeralds.
"This is it," Snape murmured. Those green gemstone eyes flickered under the glow, watching him as though alive.
Clearing his throat, he hissed in a low, raspy voice, "Open."
The stone serpents stirred from their slumber, slowly separating; the wall split apart and slid aside.
A gust of air, staler than that in the tunnel, rushed toward him.
Holding his breath, Snape raised his wand before his chest and stepped into one of Hogwarts' oldest secrets, the Chamber of Secrets.
The chamber was even more magnificent than he had imagined.
Towering stone columns supported a dome that vanished into darkness above. Each pillar was coiled with lifelike serpents whose carved bodies cast long, twisted shadows across the green-lit mist that filled the hall.
"Hello..." Snape hissed softly. His voice echoed through the vast chamber, multiplying like countless whispers of himself.
He advanced cautiously between the serpentine pillars, each footstep ringing hollow and loud against the ghostly walls.
The snakes' eyes seemed to follow his every move, watching the intruder.
He kept his eyes narrowed, every nerve taut, ready to snap his eyelids shut the instant he sensed movement.
Those hollow stone eyes seemed alive, wherever he went, he felt their gaze upon him. More than once, he thought he heard something move, but when he turned, all was still.
When he reached the last pair of pillars, a massive statue rose before him, towering as high as the chamber itself.
Snape had to crane his neck to see the face, an aged, almost simian visage with a sparse, trailing beard that reached the hem of its stone robes. Two gray, enormous feet rested on the polished floor.
Looking up at the stone likeness of Salazar Slytherin hidden in the shadows above, Snape opened his mouth and hissed:
"Speak to me, Slytherin, uh, the greatest of the four founders of Hogwarts."
Silence.
Then, a harsh grinding of stone shattered the stillness.
Slytherin's enormous stone face began to move. Its mouth opened, wider, and wider still, until it became a vast black maw capable of swallowing several people whole.
Instinctively, Snape stepped back, his back hitting the cold stone of a pillar.
His wand aimed directly at the darkness within, ready to fire a defensive spell.
He waited for a long time. Nothing happened.
Snape began to wonder if the Basilisk had actually awakened.
Just as he was debating whether to fly closer on his broom to check, a faint rustling sound came from deep within the statue. Narrowing his eyes, he saw something sliding upward out of Slytherin's mouth, uncoiling its massive body.
He quickly backed away, giving it space.
A colossal shape crashed to the floor, shaking the entire chamber.
The creature's scales gleamed with a venomous, emerald brilliance. It was at least fifty feet long, its body thick as an oak trunk.
The Basilisk coiled its enormous body, raising its head so high it nearly brushed the stone ceiling.
Just as Snape was about to summon Dobby, the serpent spoke.
"Hello, young wizard," it rasped, its voice like sandpaper. Its forked tongue flicked in the air, tasting his scent. "Who are you? How did you find this place?"
Seeing that it didn't immediately attack, Snape decided to stall.
"Severus Snape," he answered, forcing his voice to stay calm. "I came here by following an ancient legend."
"How strange..." The Basilisk tilted its massive head, as though in thought. "You are not the Heir of Slytherin. You are not the one I was told to await. But..." It began to slither forward, its huge body scraping across the dusty floor with a chilling hiss. "You carry a scent I know..."
"A familiar scent?" Snape asked carefully, moving slowly toward a pillar for cover. Perhaps the creature sensed the residual aura from his contact with Riddle's diary.
"Yes," the Basilisk hissed, a sound almost like laughter. "Your scent... I remember it. But after such long slumber, my memory fades."
"Never mind. Is it time, then?" It suddenly straightened, excitement filling its gravelly tone. "Since you have opened the Chamber, let us feed. Let us cleanse Hogwarts, purge the unworthy..."
"Uh..." Snape's stomach sank. He needed to buy time. "Must we be in such a hurry?"
He backed away and shouted loudly, "Dobby!"
The echo bounced around the chamber, then silence.
No pop. No elf.
Snape's heart sank. Dobby hadn't come.
"What does that mean?" hissed the Basilisk suspiciously, its tone sharp. "Did you call me a fool, Dobbie?"
Cold sweat slid down Snape's temple. Where was Dobby? The elf who could appear even in Dumbledore's office, why wasn't he here? Could the Chamber's anti-Apparition enchantment affect him too?
"N–no..." Snape stammered. "I meant, oh, what a fool I am! I forgot to bring you food."
He fumbled in his robes and drew out a small cloth bag. Inside were several field mice, intended as bait.
But they were all dead, stiff as boards, clearly frightened to death.
"Oh, give them to me," said the Basilisk. Its tongue flicked across Snape's palm. The cold, wet touch made him shudder, nearly breaking his control.
The mice disappeared into its gaping maw. "Adequate," it murmured, though disappointment laced its voice. "But too small." Turning toward the entrance, it began to move. "I'm hungry. Let us go up. There are better meals above..."
"Wait," Snape called after it. "It's not safe above. The Ministry is investigating. Perhaps we should make a plan first."
Would Fawkes come? Snape's mind raced as sweat trickled down his neck. Professor Dumbledore, I am your most loyal student, come quickly...
But the Basilisk ignored him, sliding toward the entrance. "Will you come?" it asked. "You may hold onto me when I climb."
Snape hesitated. He had planned to deal with the Basilisk here, quietly.
If it escaped, the consequences would be catastrophic, not only for innocents but because Voldemort would immediately realize his diary had been tampered with.
That would endanger the Malfoys and, worse, might prompt Riddle to move or alter his remaining Horcruxes, ruining Snape's chance to destroy them.
At that moment, faint footsteps and a strange rustling echoed from the entrance.
"Behave, just a bit farther now."
It was Dobby's voice.
The little elf stumbled in, wearing a protective hood. In one hand, he dragged a string of seven roosters; in the other, Hagrid's old sack.
The moment the roosters entered the Chamber and saw the Basilisk, they flapped wildly, crowing at the top of their lungs.
"No! What is this-" The Basilisk recoiled, clearly startled, its massive body twisting away.
"Ah! Mr. Snape! Dobby didn't hear your call, but Dobby brought, what is THAT!" the elf gasped.
"Don't look at it!" Snape shouted, sprinting toward him. "Hide, Dobby!"
But before he reached him, the Basilisk reacted in fury.
It reared high, its enormous yellow eyes opening in the darkness. "You tricked me, boy!" it roared, voice thick with betrayal.
Snape turned and dove behind a pillar.
The roosters' cries grew louder, mingled with the Basilisk's agonized screams and the sound of stone cracking under its thrashing body.
The whole Chamber shook, debris raining from the ceiling.
The crowing is killing it, Snape thought, listening to the chaos. Just hold on a bit longer,
A fetid gust swept past him. He rolled instinctively, feeling the creature's tail smash the ground where he'd stood. Stone shattered, shards flying.
Opening his eyes, he saw the Basilisk writhing in agony.
The lead rooster, feathers flared, flung itself toward the serpent, but the rope binding it to the others held it back.
"Sectumsempra!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Crucio!"
Multicolored spells burst from Snape's wand, slamming into the Basilisk's body.
But none of them worked, not even the Killing Curse. They only enraged it further, leaving faint scars across its armored scales.
Dodging another lunge, Snape shouted toward the birds, "Relashio!"
The ropes snapped.
The seven roosters broke free, flapping madly, crowing in chaotic harmony.
In the confusion, a burst of Amplifying Charm struck them, and their bodies swelled rapidly, growing to the size of hunting dogs.
"C–caw–a–a–a–!"
The speckled rooster let out a deafening cry, its gleaming feathers rippling as it lunged straight at the Basilisk's head.
The others circled, some clawing at its softer belly scales, two jumping onto its back and pecking furiously.
Their unending cries made the serpent's scales begin to flake.
It went berserk, hissing furiously as it lunged at Snape.
"Damn you, human! You deceived me!" it shrieked, smashing the pillar he'd been hiding behind.
Snape rolled and dodged again and again, but soon, there was nowhere left to run.
A thunderous crack echoed overhead; the Basilisk's tail struck him, hurling him into the wall. Pain seared his back, and his wand nearly slipped from his hand.
No time to think. He raised his goblin-made dagger, ready for a final stand.
The Basilisk lunged, fangs like blades flashing.
At that instant, Dobby charged forward.
"Come for Dobby, you monster!" the elf bellowed, his small voice fierce. He swung Hagrid's sack and smacked the serpent's head with a loud thud.
The Basilisk turned its attention toward him, shaking its head in fury. Its glowing eyes locked on Dobby.
"You will not harm Mister-"
Dobby's voice broke off. His body went rigid, eyes wide and glassy, and he fell like a statue.
The elf had looked directly into the Basilisk's eyes, even through his hood.
"Dobby!" Snape roared. A fury unlike any he had ever felt burned through him.
He stopped dodging and faced the monstrous creature head-on.
The roosters' relentless crows filled the Chamber. The Basilisk's movements grew sluggish, but it still lunged at him desperately.
The speckled rooster seized its chance, leaping up and stabbing its beak into the serpent's eye.
The Basilisk shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly and smashing several pillars before being pinned beneath the falling debris.
Snape raised his wand. "Confringo!"
The spell struck a loose boulder above. Dust rained down, and the massive stone crashed onto the Basilisk's body.
The roosters swarmed, pecking at its bleeding wounds.
After a long struggle, the serpent lay still.
Silence returned to the Chamber, broken only by the roosters' proud crows and Snape's ragged breathing.
Dragging his aching body, Snape moved toward where Dobby had fallen and knelt beside him.
The elf's eyes were still open, large, round, glassy.
Snape held the small, rigid body, resting a hand beneath its neck.
"Why do you always have to protect others, Dobby?" he murmured, gazing down at him. "Even being petrified must hurt... and this year's Mandrakes are still so young..."
"I won't say that unlucky line to you..."