THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
2nd Year - Option Two
"The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."
This is the legend of the Chamber of Secrets: a hidden room beneath the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle, created by one of the founders, Salazar Slytherin. As you have heard above, Slytherin intended for the Chamber to be a means of purging those he believed unworthy of studying magic from the school. A blood purist, Slytherin was highly disapproving of the admittance of Muggle-Born students to Hogwarts -- so much so that not only did he leave the school, but he left behind the Chamber of Secrets to continue to carry out his blood-purist legacy. The Chamber contained a Basilisk which could only be controlled through the use of Parseltongue, as nearly all wizards with the ability to use Parseltongue were descendants of Salazar Slytherin.
Image of Salazar Slytherin
The Chamber of Secrets could be entered through a snake-engraved sink located in the second-floor girls' lavatory. One must speak "Open" or "Open up" in Parseltongue, and the engraved snake would twist around the tap of the sink, which then opened up into a passage. The hidden passage in the washroom was the work of Corvinus Gaunt; the Chamber could previously be accessed through a concealed trapdoor and a series of magical tunnels.
Image of the Chamber of Secrets
After its creation, there were three main openings of the Chamber: in the 1942-1943 school year, in the 1992-1993 school year, and in 1998. The first opening was performed by Tom Riddle, who at the time was a student at Hogwarts. After Riddle discovered the Chamber and took control of the Basilisk due to his ability to speak Parseltongue, he set the Basilisk upon the students, resulting in the petrifying of a number of students and the death of one, Myrtle Warren. The Chamber was opened again in the 1992-1993 school year, and again due to the actions of Tom Riddle. This time, Riddle acted through a bewitched diary and influenced Ginny Weasley into opening the Chamber, thus setting off another series of petrified students. Lastly, the Chamber was opened once more in 1998 by Ron Weasley in order to retrieve a Basilisk fang.
HOMEWORK:
1) Why do you think it took so long -- from its creation in Medieval times to 1942 -- for the Chamber to be opened? If you were a Parselmouth living sometime before 1942, would you have sought it out, despite it being only a legend?
2) What do you think should become of the Chamber today? Should it be locked away, destroyed, preserved as a historical monument, or something else? Write a persuasive argument but be sure to include the potential downsides of your proposed course of action.