Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Chapter 16 Summary.
The Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 16 of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, titled “The Chamber of Secrets,” deals with Myrtle’s story, discovery of the monster’s identity and a visit to the Chamber of Secrets.
Exam announcement
During Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall announces that their exams will begin from June first, which is week from now. The students are surprised and upset by this announcement, but Professor McGonagall insists that the only reason the school is still running despite the attacks, is for them to receive their education properly.
Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall brings some good news during breakfast. She announces that the Mandrake Restorative Draught is almost ready, and the petrified students will soon be revived. This news is crucial because the revived students might reveal the identity of their attacker. The hall erupts with cheers, but Draco Malfoy does not join in.
A few minutes later, Ginny Weasley, looking particularly anxious, attempts to talk to Harry and Ron. Her extreme nervousness reminds Harry of Dobby. She seems on the verge of revealing something important, but is interrupted by her brother Percy and leaves. Percy dismisses her behavior, declaring that she does not have anything important to say, and hints that she might have seen him doing something which he does not wish to come out.
After their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Lockhart escorts Gryffindor to History of Magic. He says that since Hagrid has been caught, there is no need for such precautions.
Harry and Ron, taking advantage of Lockhart’s lax supervision, sneak off to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. They are intercepted by Professor McGonagall, however, who asks them where they think they are going. Harry intelligently lies that they were going to the hospital wing to meet Hermione. Moved by their concern for a friend, she allows them to go, showing a softer side to her otherwise strict demeanor.
Discovering the Basilisk
In the hospital wing, Harry and Ron find Hermione still petrified but notice a crumpled piece of paper lodged in her fist.
The paper details information about a Basilisk, a creature known as the King of Serpents. It can live for hundreds of years, its fangs are venomous, and anyone who looks directly into its eyes is killed instantly. It is a mortal enemy for spiders, but the crow of a rooster is deadly to it.
From the note, they deduce that the monster of the Chamber of Secrets is actually a Basilisk,z and that Hermione had realized this just before she was attacked. The details also explain why none of the petrified victims were killed—they had only seen the Basilisk indirectly, through reflections or other mediums. At the bottom of the note, Hermione had written a single word; Pipes.
With this information, Harry and Ron piece together that the Basilisk has been using the plumbing to move around Hogwarts, which is why Harry has been hearing it through the walls. As a Parselmouth, Harry could understand the snake, making him the only one able to hear it. They also deduce that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be located in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, the site of the first attack fifty years ago.
Realizing the urgency of the situation, they decide to inform Professor McGonagall immediately. They rush to the deserted staff room, waiting for the recess-bell to ring. However, it never came.
Instead, there is a magical announcement from Professor McGonagall instructing all students to return to their dormitories and all teachers to assemble in the staffroom. Harry and Ron decide to hide in a staffroom closet to eavesdrop on the meeting.
Myrtle’s Death
In the staffroom, the teachers discuss the alarming news that a student, Ginny Weasley, has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets. The Heir of Slytherin has left a chilling message, stating that her skeleton will remain in the Chamber forever.
This revelation shocks the staff, prompting a discussion about the imminent closure of Hogwarts. Amid the tense atmosphere, Gilderoy Lockhart arrives late and is put on the spot by the other teachers. They remind him of his past boasts about knowing the location of the Chamber and suggest he now take action to rescue Ginny. Hearing all this, Lockhart gets flustered and quickly leaves.
With Lockhart out of the way, Professor McGonagall tells the Heads of the Houses to inform their students that the Hogwarts Express would take them all home the next day, and with it all the teachers leave.
The next day, Harry and Ron decide to confront Lockhart and force him to help them, on the off chance that Ginny is still alive. They visit him in his office, but find him busy packing his things, intending to flee the school.
When they force Lockhart to come with them, he confesses that he never performed any of the heroic deeds he claimed in his books; instead, he took credit for others’ accomplishments after erasing their memories. He tries to perform the Obliviate charm on Ron and Harry too, but Harry quickly disarms Lockhart and forces him to come along on wand-point.
In Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, Harry questions Myrtle about the circumstances of her death.
With a rather positive mood, she reveals that she had been crying in a stall when it had happened. She heard a boy whisper something outside the stall, and she opened her door to check. However, all she saw was a pair of large yellow eyes, after which she died. This confirms that the entrance to the Chamber is indeed in her bathroom.
Harry asks her where she saw the eyes, and Myrtle points towards the sink. They rush towards it and inspect it for anything out of the ordinary, but are unsuccessful.
Ron suggests that Harry use Parseltongue. After a couple of tries, Harry gets it right, and the sink sinks out of sight to reveal a large pipe that could easily fit a person.
The Chamber of Secrets
Ron and Harry force Lockhart to go through the pipe first, and then follow behind him. The pipe lets them out on the damp floor of a dark tunnel, deeper underground than the dungeons and perhaps even the laker.
Harry casts a Lumos spell to light up the tunnel. Up ahead, Ron notices something large and curved, lying across the tunnel. It turns out to be a gigantic snake skin, more than twenty feet in length.
They barely have the time to express their surprise, when Lockhart manages to steal Ron’s wand. He tells them that he would take the snake skin back and declare that both Ron and Harry lost their minds upon seeing the mangled body of Ginny, and that he was too late to save her.
With this, he casts an Obliviate spell with Ron’s Spell-o-taped wand.
The wand explodes, and Lockhart is blasted back. The explosion is too much for the old ceiling, which gives out, showering them with large rocks. Harry and Ron manage to dodge all the rocks, and realize that they are perhaps stuck now. Harry decides to go look for Ginny, and asks Ron to look after Lockhart.
The chapter ends with Harry going further inside the tunnel to discover a large stone wall with the heads of two serpents looking at him. He uses Parseltongue to open the doors, and goes inside.
