Ted reasoned with dear Professor Lockhart and finally managed to convince him.
"Let's go, Professor, please—after you," Ted said, making a polite gesture with his hand.
Bro Cock on the desk lowered its head and glared down at Lockhart.
The sight of its sharp golden beak, longer than Lockhart's own fingers, made his heart race with terror.
He forced a strained smile, stood up, and shuffled forward like he was marching to his own execution, dread settling deep in his gut.
Before he knew it, Ted had led him right to that infamous corridor—the one where the first blood-red message appeared, warning that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened.
'Merlin's beard… the entrance is right near my office?' Lockhart nearly fainted on the spot.
"Come on, Professor." Ted strode through the doorway into the abandoned girls' bathroom.
Lockhart paused, gawking. 'The Chamber of Secrets is in a girls' bathroom? Who on earth designed this madness?!'
He wanted to cry—if only he'd known, it was right under his nose all along.
Inside the bathroom was a surprisingly spacious area Lockhart had never bothered to explore before.
He peered around, slightly curious despite his fear. There were sinks lined up neatly, stalls toward the back, and—predictably—no urinals.
Neville, Hermione, Harley, Anzu, and Jerry were already waiting. Lockhart realized too late that Ted's entire little group was assembled.
They all exchanged glances, their eyes clearly saying: 'Wow, Ted actually brought him. He's really going to take the curse for us.'
"So? Any luck?" Ted asked.
Jerry perked up and dashed over to one of the sinks. "Look at this faucet! It doesn't work, and there's a tiny snake carved right here."
Ted turned to Neville. "Neville, your turn. Tell it to open—use Parseltongue."
"Parseltongue!" Lockhart's eyes went wide with realization. 'Of course—Slytherin was a Parselmouth. That's how his heir would open it. But Neville Longbottom? The heir of Slytherin? Impossible. He was sorted into Gryffindor. Still… he does speak to snakes.'
Neville stepped forward hesitantly. "Open," he said firmly.
Nothing happened.
Jerry gave him a look. "Neville, that's English. Use Parseltongue!"
Neville grimaced.
He despised Parseltongue and never practiced it. Now it was coming back to haunt him.
Ted laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "Look at the faucet. Imagine it's an actual snake—cold, slick, waiting for your command. Tell it to open."
Neville stared.
Slowly, the metal seemed to writhe in his mind, scales glinting dully.
"ssSSSssSSss" He hissed out a string of sharp, twisting sounds.
At once the sink began to shift. Like the wall to Diagon Alley, it rearranged itself, stones sliding aside until a wide, dark hole gaped open on the floor, almost two meters across.
A rank, stale stench rushed out, like air from an old, sealed crypt.
Ted gave Lockhart a little poke with his wand. "Professor, you first. Set a brave example."
Lockhart nearly burst into tears. 'Ted—how did you become this way? You used to adore me…'
But with the tip of Ted's wand crackling with magic behind him, Lockhart had no choice. He screwed his eyes shut, muttered a prayer to Merlin, and jumped.
The tunnel was a slick chute that sent him hurtling downward at breakneck speed. Within seconds, his backside felt like it was on fire. He let out a wail that echoed all the way back up the pipe.
Ted looked at the others and shrugged. "Alright, I'm next. I suggest you cast a cushioning charm on your bum—Professor Lockhart's scream wasn't very reassuring."
With a few spells on himself, Ted slipped into the pipe and vanished. The rest followed one by one every few seconds.
They slid for what felt like forever—five or six minutes—before finally tumbling out onto cold, damp stone.
It was pitch-black and musty, the air heavy with decay. Scattered all around were cracked, ancient bones, some brittle and old, others disturbingly fresh.
Ted looked around carefully and felt certain they were deep beneath the castle—maybe even under the Black Lake itself.
Professor Lockhart crouched miserably in a corner, hands over his backside, groaning in pain, but too scared to speak up.
His robes were torn, and judging by the way he whimpered, his well-pampered bottom had taken quite the beating.
The rest of them couldn't help but feel grateful for Ted's idea to give Lockhart a sharp kick before they came down. It seemed to have kept the professor quiet, at least for now.
"What is this place?" Hermione whispered. The faint crunch of brittle bones under her shoes made her shiver.
Ted glanced around. "Definitely underground. The Chamber of Secrets must be close. Everyone, goggles on."
Lockhart watched, thoroughly baffled, as all six of Ted's group put on odd-looking enchanted goggles. He couldn't understand why anyone would wear dark glasses in a place this pitch-black.
Nervously, he started to edge away. Maybe they could just go back, get Dumbledore, let the headmaster sort this out?
Ted snapped his fingers.
The sharp sound echoed in the stillness. Suddenly, Anzu appeared, circling silently overhead before gliding forward into the dark to scout ahead.
Meanwhile, Ted's psicrystal Parker nestled in his pocket, working hard to sense any nearby thoughts or mental disturbances. Ted stayed sharp—anything could happen down here.
Using Anzu to guide them, they moved carefully through the twisting tunnels. About seven or eight minutes later, Ted felt a message come through. Anzu had found something.
Through Anzu's eyes, Ted spotted it—a massive snake. But it wasn't moving, and its coloring looked strangely pale.
It was only shed skin.
Reptiles like snakes kept growing their entire lives, but their skins didn't stretch with them. So when they grew too large, they shed.
This snake skin was coiled thickly on itself, each loop as wide as a man's torso. The length couldn't be guessed at, coiled as it was, but it had to be at least twenty meters.
A monster.
"Come on, we've found something," Ted said, leading them forward.
When they reached it, everyone froze.
The huge pile of snake skin was stacked higher than two or three people. No one spoke.
They just stared, horrified.
Lockhart looked like he might faint. Only moments ago Ron had told him the Chamber monster was a basilisk.
This skin proved it. Such a giant basilisk—one glance could kill!
Lockhart's mind raced. If he followed these children any farther, he'd be dead for sure.
His panic was so intense Ted felt it through Parker. It was like someone waving a torch in the dark.
Ted didn't let on. He stood with his back to Lockhart, pretending to study the snake skin.
Meanwhile Lockhart made up his mind. Going on meant certain death. Better to gamble now.
If he could stun these kids, erase their memories with his powerful Obliviate, he could drag some of this snake skin back to the surface, spin a tale, and still be hailed as a hero.
His eyes locked on Ron. That was his chance.
He lunged, snatched Ron's wand, and before Ron could even yell, he pointed it straight at Ted's back. Lockhart poured everything he had into the spell, screaming, "Obliviate~~~"
The echo of his voice bounced around the cavern.
The others spun around in shock just in time to see Ron's wand glow a weird green and then fire backward, blasting Lockhart square in the chest.
Lockhart shot straight up into the air, slammed into the rocky ceiling more than three meters above, then crashed to the ground in a cloud of dirt. He lay there, twitching.
Ron looked terrified. "H-he's not dead, is he? Did my wand just kill him?"
"Professor Lockhart?" Hermione called cautiously. "Professor?" It was like that moment at the Dueling Club all over again.
Finally, Lockhart's eyelids fluttered. He broke into a wide, empty grin. "Hehehehehe" His eyes looked clear and innocent as a baby's.
Ted checked with his psionics. Lockhart's mind was practically scrubbed clean.
Reset to factory settings.
Lockhart's expertise in memory charms was unmatched—he'd poured everything into that Obliviate, a masterwork of the spell.
But it backfired spectacularly, washing his own memories right out.
Now he had the pure, clueless heart of a child.