Chamber of Secrets

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware."

- The first message written on a wall in Hogwarts in 1992

The Chamber of Secrets was allegedly created under the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle during Medieval times by Salazar Slytherin, who disagreed with the other Hogwarts Founders on the merits of blood purity. The Chamber of Secrets was home to an ancient Basilisk, and was intended to be used to purge the school of Muggle-born students. The Chamber is lined with statues of snakes, and a large statue of Salazar Slytherin is at the centre.

Entrance
The entrance to the Chamber is at a snake-engraved sink tap in the second floor girls' bathroom, where a ghost of a girl named Myrtle, more commonly known as Moaning Myrtle can often be found. The Chamber may be entered by giving the password of "Open up", which must be said in Parseltongue. A passage will open that leads to the Chamber.

Creation
Salazar Slytherin disagreed with the other Hogwarts Founders about the importance of blood purity and the acceptance of Muggle-borns at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As the other Founders were against him in this matter, he left the school. But before leaving he created a secret chamber in Hogwarts Castle's deep underground - known as the Chamber of Secrets. This Chamber was home to a beast - a Basilisk - who was supposed to purge the school of all Muggle-born students. Over the centuries after Salazar Slytherin's death, several searches took place in the school to find the Chamber. None, however, was sucessful.

1942-1943 Openings
The Chamber was opened in the 1940s by a young Tom Marvolo Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin through his mother who desired to see the Muggle-born driven from Hogwarts. In his fifth year, Riddle located the secret entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and was able to control the Basilisk because he was a Parselmouth. Riddle turned the beast loose on the school, injuring many. The last victim was a student named Myrtle, who was killed in the girls' bathroom. Hogwarts was slated to be closed, which upset Riddle, who did not want to return to the Muggle orphanage in which he was raised. He framed fellow student Rubeus Hagrid, who conveniently had concealed a pet Acromantula named Aragog. Riddle convinced the Headmaster at the time, Armando Dippet, that Aragog was the monster that had terrorized the school. Hagrid was expelled, and Riddle received an engraved trophy for Special Services to the School.

Albus Dumbledore, then-Deputy Headmaster, distrusted Riddle and kept a close watch on him after that. Because it was no longer safe to open the Chamber of Secrets, Riddle created a diary to preserve a part of his soul, hoping it would one day lead someone to finish Salazar Slytherin's "noble work." This diary was one of his seven Horcruxes.

1992-1993 Openings
The Chamber was re-opened in 1992 when the bewitched diary of Tom Riddle manipulated and controlled Ginny Weasley, a first-year student who had been slipped the diary by Lucius Malfoy and fell under its influence. Ginny was compelled to vandalise the school by painting terrifying messages on the corridor walls in blood. She was made to open the Chamber, releasing the Basilisk. It petrified many students, including Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Penelope Clearwater, and Hermione Granger, as well as the ghost of Nearly Headless Nick and the guardian cat, Mrs. Norris. They were later restored to their proper states through the use of Mandrake Restorative Draught. Fortunately, during this time, no one was killed.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and then-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Gilderoy Lockhart went to the Chamber during that same year to rescue Ginny, as a message had been left that she was being held prisoner there. With the help of Fawkes and the use of Godric Gryffindor's sword, Harry defeated the Basilisk and destroyed the diary with one of its fangs. This action also effectively destroyed the Horcrux within it.

1998 Opening
On May 2, 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger went back to the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve more fangs, since they needed Basilisk venom to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. Ron was able to open the Chamber by mimicking the Parseltongue he heard previously Harry use to open Salazar Slytherin's Locket. Once inside, Hermione stabbed Helga Hufflepuff's Cup with a Basilisk fang, destroying the Horcrux.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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