Disclaimer – I own nothing of the HP books or whatever associated, blada blada blada, you know the drill…

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Author's Note:

Creatress: Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry!!...Gods, I really should be doing my essay right now.

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Chapter 11 – Battles Rage

For a long moment, Tom and Voldemort eyed one another, almost sizing each other up.

Seeing the boy leaning dependently against his mother, the Dark Lord wondered how long it would take to break him. Even if he could persuade him to join the Dark Side, could he make a loyal follower out of him? Or even a good Death Eater? Watching Ginny hold the boy, he almost scowled outwardly. The boy was so full of love... It was such a weakness, and an embarrassment in his own child. It was then, as he witnessed his own wife and child, that he was thankful that his mother had died.

Tom found that he was actually quite calm despite the situation. Most likely because it was all a dream... It was all so surreal.

"He won't hurt you, Tom," Ginny whispered to the seventeen-year-old, all though she was looking at Voldemort. The Dark Lord only gave her a twisted, daring smirk and she felt an iciness flow though her. "He won't," she repeated, but with a little less conviction.

"What's happening?" Tom asked, looking from one parent to another. "Where are we?"

"The Chamber of Secrets," Voldemort replied, lightly. "A very special place. It's seen many..." He trailed off. "Endings and beginnings, you could say."

"Stop it," Ginny spat quietly.

"What?" Tom asked, quietly. "What does he mean, Mum?"

"Nothing, baby," Ginny muttered, though she didn't shift her eyes away from the man before them. "He meant nothing by it."

"You shouldn't lie to your son, Ginevra," the Dark Lord put in. "You never know what he'll grow up to do."

Tom, by now, was growing quite frustrated. "What is going on?!" he demanded, startling his mother, who finally turned back to him. He turned to glare at his father. "How is he my father?!"

"Well, well," Voldemort murmured. The corner of his mouth turned up in a sinister smile. "The boy has a backbone. You see, my dear son, about twenty-three years ago, we did something special here. And here you are as a result." He swirled his wand in his fingers as he suddenly scrutinized Tom for half a second. "But that's all in the past. We now have a decision to make," he said, quietly.

Tom didn't seem to be listening. "It makes no sense..." He glanced at Ginny before turning back to Voldemort. "You're evil - she would never have done anything with you."

"You'd be surprised," Voldemort muttered with a smirk. "What she would do with me."

"Liar!" Tom retorted.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "You must really learn not to talk back to me, boy," he hissed. "But since this is a first, I'll let it pass, but if you dare raise your voice against me again, I'll make sure you'll regret it."

Tom scowled, but said nothing, feeling Ginny hug him tighter.

"As I've said, we have a decision to make." Voldemort fixed his eyes on both mother and child. "Why don't you tell him, Ginevra?"

Tom turned to his mother, who was now looking at him with a kind of fear and pleading in her eyes. "Listen..." She started. "This is very important, Tom - "

"Don't call me that, Mum," Tom suddenly said. Ginny's eyes widened and Voldemort looked like he wanted to laugh out loud. Tom glanced at the older man with ferocious scowl. "That was his name, wasn't it? I don't want anything to do with him."

Voldemort was now looking at his son with an even expression. "That was my father's name. Never again mention it as my own."

"Look..." Ginny said, quietly and Tom turned back to her. "If you don't willingly join him, he'll kill you." Quickly shushing her son's attempt at interrupting to protest, she continued. "I'm sorry, baby, I really am." Her eyes were watering. "This was one of the last things I wanted, but I'd rather have you alive, no matter what side you fight for."

Tom gulped, his blood seemingly have gone cold. "What about you?"

"He'll let me stay with you."

Tom was silent for a second before asking, "What will he make me do?"

There was a whole list that she could've answered with and she shut her eyes against the horror of it, finally releasing the tears that had been building in her eyes. "I don't know," she whispered, her voice almost shaking. She opened her eyes again and met her son's gaze. "But, please, just do it."

Tom suddenly caught her arm in a tight grip. "And you'll stay with me? How long?"

"Until the day I die," she promised in a whisper, the ghost of a smile appearing through her tears.

Tom was searching her face, as if looking for something. Finally, he used his free hand to reach up and wipe away her tears on the right side of her face. "Please stop crying," he asked, quietly. It was one of the most absurd requests he could have made, but it seemed the only thing that mattered at the moment. His mother quickly wiped away the tears of her left eye before pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. Tom wished she would never let him go, but a second later, she did.

"Fine. I'll join you," Tom said, his quiet voice hoarse.

Voldemort's black eyes shifted from him to Ginny and back. Then, he smirked, nastily. "Good choice. Now, pass my test and I'll accept you into my ranks with open arms."

Tom looked to Ginny with confusion, but she only squeezed his arm and gave him a pleading look. He turned back to his father. "What if I fail?" he asked, quietly.

Voldemort only shrugged. "Then something terribly painful will happen." He eyed the boy with a calculating look. "You know how to cast the Cruciatus?"

Tom nodded, stiffly. "I've never done it before, though," he added.

"There's a first time for everything, son," Voldemort smirked. He let his eyes pass lazily over Ginny, who paled a little. "Cast it on her."

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Charlotte was torn between running ahead of the Death Eaters to warn everybody and closely following the man who had Tom... She quickly lost them, however. Whoever had taken him was obviously physically fit, and she'd fallen back quickly because she couldn't keep up with his long strides.

It was utter chaos in the castle by the time Charlotte managed to get up to it. None of the students seemed to be around, however - there were only Aurors and Order members battling it out with the enemy. Still disillusioned, she managed to dodge and weave through them, remaining unnoticed as she followed the man who still had Tom. Many people tried to stop him, but he was powerful enough (and had enough back-up support) to simply wave a few curses their ways before letting his comrades take over to continue on his way. This served as a huge warning to her, but, telling herself that she had the element of surprise on her side if she found herself in a situation where she'd have to face him alone, she continued. Though she hoped desperately that she'd meet Dumbledore or someone before that might happen.

On the second floor, it was much calmer... There was no one in sight. Even the portraits were empty. She was a little confused when he disappeared into the broken girls' washroom. Swallowing, she was about to follow when something stopped her.

"Charlotte!"

Torn between being thankful for being found and being frightened that she'd been given away, she whipped around. "Mum!"

Hermione rushed forward, looking rather relieved. "Professor Flitwick's been looking every - " Suddenly, she stopped, her eyes growing wide in fear. "Charlotte!" she shrieked just as Charlotte felt something streak past her shoulder. The jet of red light shot passed her and almost hit Hermione, who ducked out of the way just in time, letting the light hit the stone wall, frying the gray to a dark black. "Get down, Charlotte!" she shrieked, running in front of her daughter, her own wand out in front of her. A wave of it and the second streak of red that the Death Eater cast stopped in mid air.

Charlotte scrambled for her own wand and pulled it out soon enough to see the Death Eater shoot green sparks out of his wand… To the other end of the hallway. "Why?" Charlotte asked, quietly. She quickly got her answer when two other Death Eaters appeared – the sparks served as a call for help. She stepped back as Hermione pushed her behind her. "Mum," she said, quietly, feeling her heart thudding loudly. Her mother only squeezed her hand, as a means of comfort.

If the three weren't bad enough, the girls' washroom door slammed open and the one Charlotte had been following stepped out and stood beside the one who attacked her. The other two ran up and stood on either side of them.

One started laughing, sinisterly. "Oh, this is rich," he chuckled. "We hardly need four to handle a healer and a teenager. One - " He looked contemptuously at the wizard who'd summoned them. "Should have been enough."

"It was an accident!" the first Death Eater snapped. "I shall handle them. You three stand and watch." He took a step toward the two women.

For a long moment, nobody moved and a pin dropping could be heard. Hermione squeezed Charlotte's hand tighter and softly whispered, "Run. Don't look back." Charlotte had barely turned to her mother in shock before Hermione fired an "expelliarmus" at him.

Charlotte froze and braced herself against Hermione for a triple attack from the other three, who'd whipped their wands up –

One suddenly waved his arm at the other two, sending them reeling back.

Charlotte's eyes widened and she turned to Hermione to find her staring in shock.

The Death Eater Hermione had attacked had picked up his wand and he and the one who'd just saved them started dueling. Their saviour stunned him long enough to turn around to face them. "Run!" he snapped before turning back to the battle.

Hermione finally gathered her wits and shoved Charlotte in the direction of the end of the hallway. "You heard him – go." Charlotte started to protest. "Go, Charlotte!" When Charlotte took a step away from her, Hermione turned back to the battle and entered it.

Charlotte took two steps before another beam of red shot at her. She ducked it, only to be hit in the shoulder with another shot of red. The girl let out an anguished scream and a sensation of being scalded overtook her small body. Her mother's terrified scream was the last thing she heard before her mind went blank and she went rigid, falling to the floor.

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"What?!" Tom asked, horrified. He glanced at Ginny, who was staring at Voldemort in disbelief. "No!"

"I don't take kindly to outright disobedience," Voldemort stated, a warning in his voice.

"Do it."

Tom turned to make sure he'd heard right. Tears were streaming down her face. "No," he said.

"Do it, Tom," Ginny said. She shook her head. "You can't have loyalty to anyone but him." Tom started to say something, but she hushed him. "Get up," she whispered, standing, pulling her son up with her. She then gently pushed him away and stepped away from him. "It's okay. Finish it quickly."

Tom stared at her for a few seconds. Billions of thoughts were running through his head, none of them making an ounce of sense. His throat was closing up – he couldn't have cast it even if he'd wanted to. He tried holding up his wand, which was shaking in his trembling hand… His arm was like lead. He finally shook his head. "No," he whispered. He could barely be heard. "I can't."

"Of course, you can," Voldemort suddenly said. "It's quite simple. Crucio."

Ginny's screams echoed throughout the Chamber, joined quickly by Tom's shouts of horror, as she was thrown back several feet by the force of the curse. Her body bounced of the stone floor twice, the sickening sound of bones breaking adding to her screams.

"Don't move!" Voldemort snapped at Tom, who'd taken a step toward her. "Or I will kill her."

"You sadistic - " Tom caught himself and gulped. He turned away when Voldemort smirked, nastily. He looked at Gin, who lay panting, and saw that her red hair was streaked with another shade of red, so dark it was almost black. "She's bleeding!" he exclaimed, gut wrenching inside him.

"How unfortunate. You have yet crucio her," the dark wizard pointed out.

Tom whipped back to Voldemort, eyes darkening and flashing red for a millisecond. "Why are you doing this?!" he demanded.

"Do not question me," Voldemort hissed. He pointed his wand at Ginny again. "Crucio."

"Stop!" Tom yelled over Ginny's screams.

Voldemort lifted the curse, but didn't even glance at his wife, who'd grown silent, eyes shut tight. "Until you do it, I'll just have to keep doing it for you. Crucio."

"No!" Tom shouted.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at him before lifting the curse.

Neither father nor son had noticed that she hadn't screamed this time around.

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All Ginny could see was darkness. She could hear Tom yell something and Voldemort replied, but their voices were too muddled to make out the words. Suddenly, another wave of pain washed over her. She was more excruciating than the last shot.

She could still feel her hair growing wetter and wetter from the blood that had seeped through her head. Her limbs were jerking violently under the curse and her screams thundered throughout her own head as they vibrated around the Chamber. She could feel more of her life essence in her mouth.

Then, her limbs stopped moving and her body lay still, shuddering softly. Tom was yelling again, but he was so far away. She could barely hear him…

All of a sudden, the pain was gone. Tom's voice was gone.

All she could hear or feel was the irregular pounding of her heart. Wondering what had happened, she tried opening her eyes and found that she couldn't. She struggled with her eyelids, frantically wondering what was going on – what had happened to her son. After a long moment of struggling, she finally stopped, trying to gasp for breath… But found that she couldn't.

Then there was nothing. She could see nothing. She could hear nothing.

She could feel nothing. There was no blood rushing anywhere – neither through her head or through her veins. There was no cold stone floor beneath her. There was no cold air around her. There was no pounding in her chest.

As this thought sunk in, a gigantic tide of relief washed over her. Pressure lifted, sorrow gone.

If she could have, she would have smiled as she willingly embraced the sweet darkness, the comforting nothingness, around her.

She was free.

Her heart had stopped.

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Creatress-

Sorry for the long wait. I promise the next chapter will be out sooner – I already have half of it down. Please review.