On the Black Lake, Oren and the twins sat in a small boat used to ferry first-year kids.
"Is this the right spot, Oren? We're already at the center of the Black Lake, aren't we?" George looked around as he spoke.
"The Chamber of Secrets where the Basilisk has been lying still should be here. The location is right, but the depth might not be." Oren frowned at the depth markings on the parchment map.
"Did you find anything, Fred?" Oren patted the butt Fred had sticking up over the bow.
Splash. Fred pulled his head out of the water, removed his goggles, and said, "No Basilisk, no buildings. How about you and George come look too?"
"I refuse," Oren said. "I'm afraid some huge thing will end up staring me in the eye. I'd definitely develop a fear of the deep sea."
Fred...
George said, "So where exactly is that Basilisk hiding?"
"The depth issue is easy to solve. We just dig our way in," Oren said with a shrug.
Fred said, "What do you mean, dig in? We can't exactly dive to the bottom of the lake and dig into the Chamber of Secrets, can we?"
"It doesn't matter. I'll handle it. George, Fred, row to the shore."
Oren paced along the lakeshore with a compass in hand, muttering, "Seek dragons, divide gold, observe the winding mountains; every winding ridge is another pass..."
Fred said, "Is Oren really reliable?"
George said, "Trust him. If we dug ourselves, we'd only hit groundwater."
"George, Fred! First, we'll dig a slanted... thief's tunnel—ptui, ptui, I mean a tunnel—along the Black Lake, just a little deeper than the Chamber of Secrets."
"Then we'll dig sideways beneath the burial chamber—ptui, ptui, the Chamber of Secrets—and break through its floor. Easy."
"Oren, are you