I could only assume the hole to be the entrance to the chamber, but that hole was quite steep, and it looked anything but safe. I was pretty witless when it came to making decisions sometimes, so I stepped closer to the hole. Severus snapped and grabbed my arm pulling me back. "Go back to your room," he ordered.
"No," I protested, daring him to come at me, I could at least hold out for a good 10 seconds before he got me in a headlock, and I was willing to take my chances.
"Why are you always so intent on jumping in front of danger?"
"And why are you always so grouchy? You never fussed over me like this, and now whatever I do, good or bad, you're always on my case. I am, believe it or not, an adult, whether you like it or not, so I can make my own decisions, Professor Snape." He narrowed his eyes, his scowl growing murderous, but he never did take a step forward.
"My, my, my a lover's quarrel?" Lockhart interrupted, And my attention snapped to him, my brows raising slightly. "I must say I did not expect you two boneheads to find the chamber for me."
"Gilderoy..." Sev sneered.
"Excuse me? At least we boneheads can resort to proper sorcery, thank you very little. And weren't you supposed to be on your way, Mr. Suitcase?" At that, Lockhart blushed, and he whipped out his wand, Severus reciprocating the motion.
"Resorting to violence so soon?" Lockhart asked, and I wondered what the man had been smoking, he had been the first to draw his wand, and Severus raised an eyebrow completely unfazed. There was some—well a lot of—pent up anger in that black heart of his and I half prayed that Lockhart didn't cross the line because Severus would lash out...consequences be damned.
But no, Lockhart decided to strike the touchiest subject in our relationship. "I can't begin to fathom what she bloody sees in you, Severus. Merely a coward who only manages to break her heart, on countless occasions. I may not be the brightest wizard, but I'm observant." Severus glanced to me, and I blushed clutching the hem of my dress, my eyes conveniently trailing to the ground. Touché.
"Silence!" Severus spat, and I could practically feel the anger radiating off of him, yeah perhaps I should go back to my room before I get caught up in the aftershock of the explosion. Gilderoy walked around us, and I took a step away from Severus, using the momentary distraction to put some space between everyone. Lockhart wasn't wrong, but hearing it out loud was hurtful, and now I was very much pouty. Severus could easily take him out, but I could already picture the awkward chat with Albus afterward. And I wanted no part of it.
Gilderoy was quick on his feet, and he grabbed my arm pulling me against his chest, effectively making me his meat shield, I stared at Severus, Lockhart's hand pinning my wrist to my side, my wand pointed at the ground, and he was surprisingly strong for such a squeamish man. His wand, however, was pressed to my throat, and I didn't see much harm in the action, best case scenario, he takes himself out, which would be ironic. "I happen to be quite gifted with memory charms," he trailed off tapping the tip of his wand against my neck.
"Wow, that explains so much," I mumbled. Severus let out an annoyed sigh and lowered his wand, giving me the look, and I shrugged.
"Let her go," he said calmly.
"Always treating me like a fool," Lockhart growled. "Well, how does it feel now?" Severus only scoffed not even deeming the man's outburst worthy of a response. "I-I'll harm her!" Lockhart spat angrily, and I glanced up at the blonde, he didn't mean that right?
"Go right ahead. No one is stopping you," Severus spoke, and with those words, he sheathed his wand. I shot him a withering glare, and he reciprocated the motion, and my confidence slipped, was he messing around, or did he firmly believe that Lockhart could do no harm? My stare turned to a hateful glare, and as usual, Severus looked indifferent. Lockhart, however much of an idiot he was, he didn't get here by sheer luck, well I'm sure that played into the equation, but I would rather chop off a finger than let him charm me. I stepped on his foot, throwing my head back against his face earning a satisfactory shriek, and he retaliated with haste, shoving me aside. I gasped, losing my balance as I stepped into the hole, my body following suit.
Severus' mask of indifference finally cracked as he rushed towards me, but he didn't make it in time, our fingers grazed and down I dropped. I hit the concrete slabs hard and screamed as I went down the hole. After the most terrifying 10 seconds of my life, I reached the bottom, spewed out like garbage, and hit the ground, air sprinting from my lungs. That was not a very gentle drop, and hitting my head wasn't exactly fortunate either.
I stared at both Lockhart and Severus who flew out of the hole after me, landing not too far from where I was, and as soon as they landed, the two got into a physical brawl, which was unfairly one-sided. Severus was practically beating up a toddler. Watching the two move was physically hurting my head, and I closed my eyes but instead lost temporary consciousness.
When I awoke, I was met with the most beautiful noise in existence; "Rynne." My eyes fluttered open, and it took me a moment to register that Severus had called me by my first name. His thumb rubbed circles on my cheek, and seeing that I was now awake, he retracted his hand and stared at me. The back of his hand brushed the bruise on my forehead, and I groaned a few insults under my breath.
"Is it bad?" I mumbled gently pushing against it, and I winced, my hand quickly falling to my side. Once I sat up, however, I punched Severus hard, and then again, hoping to bruise up his chest. "You are such an ass!" He nodded and rose to his feet waiting for me to follow, but I shook my head.
"Rynne..." he trailed off annoyed.
"No, I'm tired of being used as human bait, I have limited pain tolerance and flesh! I've always trusted you, but lately, I'm not sure I even want to. You tell me I'm reckless and foolish, but what about you? At least when I put myself in harm's way, it isn't always on purpose, and you could have at least disarmed him before he blew my head off by accident!"
"Sorry." It sounded genuine, but I was pissed off.
"Yeah you'll be sorry, Severus Snape," I muttered, staring down at the pile of bones beneath me regretting not having any shoes. "Very sorry." He extended his hand, and I ignored it helping myself up. I was feeling petty, and he would have to deal with that. I had lost my wand during the fall, and rummaging through the endless pile of bones, I couldn't find it. I glanced to Severus who was holding it aloft, the ghost of a smirk on his lips and I growled patting down my nightgown as I reached for my wand. He rose it high enough so I couldn't reach it, but I was not playing this game with him. I walked past him, and in one large stride, he stood before me, his scowl back in its rightful place. "If you don't move-" He took a slight step back, preserving his manhood from harm, and held my wand out to me. I was quick to grab it, but he didn't let go.
"No heroics, understood?"
"No promises," I huffed grabbing my wand and the journal, but Severus wasn't having it, he grabbed my wrists, and this time he was not gentle, his eyes boring into mine, and then I realized he was not messing around.
"I won't." He nodded and let go of my wrists, and turning around to flourish his robes he led the way. An awkward and tense silence settled between us, but I was not about to break it. N-O-P-E. My prayers were finally answered as we emerged from a tunnel, greeted by a vaulted door, snakes sprawled out over the vault—how very Slytherin. Severus touched the door but to no avail.
"Amateur," I scoffed pressing my hand to the door, the instinct to speak parseltongue coming forth as I whispered to the door. I half expected the vault to remain sealed as I proceeded to look like a fool, but luckily the snakes budged. I pulled away cautiously watching the snakes reel back, the vault door opening to reveal a vast room. I admired the detail and structure put into place, giants snakes lining the stone pathway leading to none other than the statue of Salazar himself. How very Slytherin, indeed. Even I found myself slightly disturbed by the sight, talk about a big ego.
As promised, Severus took the lead, his eyes scanning the room with wariness as he descended the ladder. All this and my ancestor couldn't bother with a few stairs; half-assed is the word that comes to mind. Severus turned to face me, holding his arms out and I frowned raising a brow at him. "I'm not jumping..." Ignoring his obvious ploy of getting back in my good graces I descended the ladder watching as Severus rolled his eyes, clearly discontent, but I was adamant on giving him a hard time. A taste of his own medicine, per se.
The design on the snakes was rather impressive, at least Salazar had an eye for detail that was for sure, but he really put the slither in Slytherin. "I see you have found me at last," a velvety voice spoke, one all too familiar. I looked up to the statue of Salazar, Tom standing before it, the Tom I used to know. Back when power hadn't gone to his head, and I also didn't know he was so old, he looked like a normal boy. How was I supposed to know the man was basically in his 60s. Thinking about it now, I shuddered clasping my hands together, man my childhood was weird.
Tom's hair was neatly combed, and it was a nice change of scenery, I took a good look at him, the proper Tom, the one that was still in his rightful youth, before corruption completely consumed him. "You've grown considerably," Tom smiled stepping towards me. I took a step back and jumped as Severus rested a hand on my shoulder, looking like he wanted to do anything but strike a conversation. "I see you've brought Severus as well."
"My lord," Severus droned out, his hold on my shoulder tightening. Oh great, here we go again.
"No need to be so formal, I am but a memory, a mere figment of Lord Voldemort," Tom sighed taking another step towards me. "But I see you have found me at last," he chuckled. "Who better than the heir of Slytherin herself to open the chamber. Don't be so scared, Rynne." I flinched as his knuckles brushed my cheek and Severus took a step back pulling me with him. "I won't hurt you," he smiled half-heartedly, and then ripped the journal from my hands, stepping back with haste. "Not as long as you hold what belongs to me."
Tom's voice boomed through the chamber, parseltongue dripping from his lips like a prayer. The mouth of Salazar's statue opened, and to my horror a basilisk emerged from the cavern, ready to kill. I gulped and took a step back finding that being a witch with a wand didn't always mean you were in control. Fucking Salazar, of course, he would have a basilisk guarding his chamber, no, it couldn't be like a bunny or something.
My confidence slipped as Tom let loose the order for the basilisk to kill me, but I stood my ground and countered his parseltongue with mine, unsure if it had any effect at all. Tom only chuckled at my feeble attempt, and the reptile slid to his side, his shadow menacingly looming over our figures. "The basilisk is mine; don't be foolish, my dear lamb." Ew. No, he did not just call me that.
Kill.
This brought me back to the first time Tom had ordered Nagini to kill as if the act were merely an errand to run, he was cold and uncaring, eating his breakfast as if a man were not pleading for his life on the table as a ruthless killer bit away at his flesh. And I sat, and watched, until the man stopped twitching, his body falling limp on the table, blood trickling from the edges of the dining table, my dining table. The basilisk's eyes focused solely on me, and I glared at the ground defiantly, I would not end up like that man on my dining table, I would not die today, I would not beg, and I would never kneel before him. Never.
The basilisk took its time slithering slowly across the stone slabs, and suddenly it dipped its head hard, colliding against the stones and parting them, effectively denting the floor. Fortunately, Severus had pushed me out of the way, and now glancing over to the hole in the ground, I knew that any form of contact was deadly. If I looked at it, it would kill me, its poison would also kill me, or maybe I would be lucky and crushed to death. Magic was rather pointless, and I guess that's what made Salazar clever. No student could ever hope to battle a full-grown basilisk and expect to survive, not with their skill level. This was a death trap for any who dared to venture. The basilisk rose to its full height, and Severus pushed me towards the exit. "Run!" he ordered.
Easy for him to say, not like he had a 30-foot basilisk with a murderous intent after him. I didn't stay around to argue though; my legs were bustling to get the tiniest edge I could. I ran into the mouth of a snake finding the small sewer tunnel to be spacious enough to run in, but also spacious enough to hold a basilisk, Salazar really thought this through, huh? I hurried along, hearing the basilisk at my heels, it wouldn't go in unless it was certain it could get the kill, but I was fairly unpredictable because I was scared shitless and didn't really have a plan so how could it read me when I couldn't read myself. I'm not sure that was too much of an advantage though.
I weaved in and out of the passages, mumbling incoherently about what I would want to be engraved on my tombstone, something along the lines of "fuck you tom, you sadistic sack of shit," that was only the introduction though. Stumbling back on the main pathway, Severus and Tom stood toe to toe, presumably in a heated argument. The basilisk caught up, crashing against the stones beside me, I screamed, my heart leaping from my chest as the impact threw me off my feet and I hit the ground hard, knowing I had no time to recover. I rolled over dodging the next blow, the basilisk's fangs lodging firmly into the stone. I was out of breath and getting up would take too much time, that wasn't even an option anymore as the basilisk rose, parting his jaws and revealing its large fangs, about the length of my forearm, then and there I doubted my chances of survival.
I closed my eyes, covering my face, not wanting to come to terms with how I would die, mangled up by a snake, my remains never to be found. The basilisk hissed in pain, a loud screech thundering through the chamber and I looked up at Fawkes, hard at work on the basilisk's eyes. I scurried to my feet making a mad run for one of the passages, Fawkes only able to hold the basilisk at bay for so long. The basilisk had its orders, it losing its sight would not hinder the predator. Not when the prey was so close. Fawkes gave a warning screech, and I knew the basilisk was now after me. Well, at least that eliminated one of the many possible deaths that awaited me.
My breath hitched as I reached a dead end in the passage, my hands gripping the bars tightly, you've got to be kidding me. I turned around and pressed my back to the bars as the basilisk grew closer I bit my lower lip, both hands gripping the bars as I hoped they might swallow me in. It could not see me, so I had that advantage, but sooner or later, it would realize that I was there, I needed a distraction and fast. I reached inside my robes slowly, and pulled out my wand, without another thought I chucked it past the basilisk and upon hearing the noise, its head darted in its general direction and slithered away. I remained there until I was certain the basilisk had gone and steadying my breaths I tiptoed out of the passage somewhat thankful I didn't have shoes, because being barefoot was reasonably quiet. Still, though, it was too close for comfort. My dress had been reduced to tattered, dirty fabric and I wondered if life was out to destroy my closet.
Severus was still talking with Tom, and I sighed, a little irritated that a phoenix was more help than Severus, but at best, the Basilisk might have glanced back at Severus with mild annoyance before turning back to me. Parseltongue orders were very potent. As I walked towards the two, I rubbed my elbows. I had scratches for days, and the scrapping didn't help. I heard my name thrown around a few times, and my ears perked up with interest. It seemed as though the verdict had been decided though as Tom took a step back into the water, and I had a terrible feeling. "So this is where your loyalties lie? You traitorous half-blood," he hissed. His face contorting in anger, and although this was the young version of Tom, a part of the dark wizard remained within the memory, one directly linked to him. And he would not forget what happened tonight. Severus was calm though, that arrogant smirk of his strangely attractive despite the circumstances.
He grabbed my hand pulling me into him, and I frowned watching as Tom's lips curled in a spiteful scowl. "I will not allow anyone to have her," he replied coolly, and my heart stuttered at those words, even if the context was off point. Hearing those words still made me happy. The feeling was short lived as the basilisk slithered out from another passage, and I let out a deep and shaky breath. I was not ready for round three. Tom stepped back with the journal in hand and barked out orders in parseltongue, and I grabbed Severus' side, anxiety, fear, and a mix of emotions coursing through my body.
Fawkes entered the fray once more with a thundering screech, the basilisk standing on guard preparing for another attack, but Fawkes was not after the reptile. He merely dropped a sword, and I tried not to scoff at the irony. Severus caught the sword of Gryffindor with ease, and I'm sure he felt the same as me, but he definitely wasn't complaining, Severus and I weren't about flashy and overwhelming spells, we were duelers, true to the logic that man was more dangerous than a beast. Severus stepped in front of me, his sword stance a little awkward, but I'm sure he'd figure it out, he was practical like that. I glanced back to Tom, who swayed back and forth on his heels as he admired the basilisk prepping for the kill, an idea popped into my head, and I glanced at Severus.
"You got this?" I asked as the basilisk charged towards Severus, he moved fluidly avoiding the snake's fangs, and with a quick blow attacked its scales, the basilisk hardly seemed fazed. However, Severus gave a brief nod, and I stepped away watching as Severus took on the basilisk holding his ground with merely a sword.
"He will not win this," Tom commented, lips twitching into a sadistic smirk. "And once the poison takes hold of him, he will watch in slow agony as the basilisk rips you limb from limb." I scoffed feeling a surge of confidence and looked at him.
"You don't know Severus the way I do, Tom. He is a man that will overcome anything and everything." He turned to me, his face sincere and contemplative. And as he took a step closer to me, he cupped my right cheek, his eyes boring into mine.
"Tell me something, dear Rynne. Did I not overcome what I feared the most? Did I not do justice to our legacy. I became powerful; I took what was rightfully mine, and crushed all opposition along the way. Why him?"
"You confuse power for strength. You may be powerful, but you're a coward, you didn't overcome anything, you succumbed to it. Your biggest fear was to love, and your definition of love is not love. Severus isn't a righteous hero, but at least, he's straightforward. All you ever did was manipulate others, you manipulated me, you lied to me, and my tail wagged for you like an obedient puppy, but I'm not that same girl anymore, Tom. You used to be so kind and gentle, and I loved you like a brother. Now, however, your Death Eaters follow you because they fear you, they don't want to end up as Nagini's snack. Severus is screwed up in a lot of ways, and even though he was very much like you, he didn't become you. He didn't become a monster."
Tom nodded, his thumb rubbing the smudge of dirt on my cheek and nodded. "We'll see about that. We've always had very different opinions, but perhaps there is still hope for you—for us." I scoffed at that and shook my head taking hold of his wrist, lowering his hand.
"There is no us, just you," I whispered. The basilisk came down on Severus, and he jumped in front of the snake going on the offensive, his arm was fully in the snake's mouth, but the edge of the sword pierced through the mouth of the basilisk and up through its head, piercing its brain. The reptile sent Severus flying as it flailed, the sword hitting the ground and skittering until it stopped at my feet. The basilisk screamed, and Tom looked on, biting his bottom lip screaming at the beast to finish Severus. However, as the basilisk remained unresponsive and Tom was distracted, I wrapped my hand around the hilt of the sword, it was heavier than expected, but it would do just fine.
"Besides, Severus isn't alone, and you are just a memory, a figment of yourself contained inside that book." Tom's eyes narrowed at me, and sensing what I was about to do, he took a step back. I shrugged and swung the sword with all my might. Tom was still a human and out of instinct, he thrust the book in front of him protectively, the sword easing through the material with gracious ease, cutting the journal in half.
"What have you done?" He shouted staring at the two pieces of the journal.
"Honestly, what I should have done years ago. Goodbye, Tom," I smiled faintly, taking hold of the two halves of the journal watching as the memory of the dark lord faded into ashes, screaming curses my way. Severus hovered over my shoulder, looking very annoyed and I smiled going for a fist bump, but instead, he fell to his knees clutching his arm, and my smile dropped, worry hitting me like a truck.
"The poison is spreading," he grunted, lying back on the stone slabs of the chamber, his eyes unfocused and hazy as he stared at the ceiling. I kneeled beside him, examining his arm, and sure enough, the gash in his arm revealed where the basilisk's fang had sunk. Basilisk poison was incredibly potent and could kill a fully grown male within minutes. My heart began to pump, and I scurried to rip up my dress, uncaring how unladylike it was.
"I-I can fix this, don't worry. You trust me right? Right?" I whispered quickly, tying the ribbon of fabric around his arms hoping to cut off his blood circulation, but it was already too late, he was getting paler and paler by the second. On top of the poison spreading, he was also losing blood, and a feeling of dread washed over me. Maybe it was a dumb plan using Tom's sadistic nature against him. He gave those closest to him, an agonizingly slow death, and I doubt we would be any different. I didn't have my wand with me, and I hardly knew where to begin searching, and there was no telling how long it would take to find, and even if I did find it, what would I do?
"Sev..." my voice broke, and I couldn't speak or breathe properly, I didn't want it to end like this. "No," I cried out clutching onto his robes. Despair hit me like never before, and before I knew it, tears streamed down my cheeks. "You said you wouldn't leave me, you promised me. You probably forgot that silly promise, but I didn't. So you can't. You can't...leave." My voice broke as I watched the wizard close his eyes. Fawkes settled on Severus' chest, and like me he wept, shedding tears on the dying man. I stared in anticipation as the basilisk's bite closed of its own accord, the blood seeping back into his arm, but his eyes remained closed. My eyes darted back and forth from the wound to his face, but Severus' pale complexion remained unresponsive, and Fawkes lowered his head, and I let out a cry of anguish because part of me was in denial. I rested my head against his chest, his heartbeat not entirely present, and although it was faint, it was only a matter of time.
"Please don't leave me. I love you, so don't go," I begged clutching the silky fabric of his robes. A large hand fell on top of my head, and I gasped, glancing at his face.
"Quit being so dramatic, a little poison won't kill me," he groaned, taking his time to sit up, he looked completely fine, and it was then that I realized, he had been acting—well some of it.
"Oh my god, you colossal ass!" I cried out having no regrets whatsoever about punching his chest. "What is wrong with you! That's not something you joke about, I was so wor-" he cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing my tears away. Never had Severus been this tender, he had been gentle, but this was different. Heat rushed to my cheeks, my mind unable to process what was happening, even though his actions were deliberately slow. He sighed and pulled me into him, our chests making contacts, his lips a mere centimeter above mine, and I held my breath, my heart lurching. His arms wrapped around my waist, and in a split second his lips were on mine. He moved delicately, the kiss was slow and lazy, his lips savoring mine in the process. My mind felt fuzzy as I tried to piece the puzzle together. I gave up altogether, resting my hands on his chest, I melted into the kiss my lips mimicking his rhythm.
I gasped as he brought me closer, our bodies flush against each other, and I couldn't help the small bubbling laughter that escaped me. However, it was also overlapped by a sob and Severus chuckled. He actually chuckled as he pulled away. I felt silly for crying but I was overwhelmed by emotions, and I didn't know what was happening, one second Severus was dying and the other he was kissing me, it didn't make sense.
I was out of breath, but I didn't care, I didn't want our kiss to end, I wanted more. And reading my thoughts, Severus captured my lips again, he pulled away and smirked, softly kissing me again. His lips hovered over mine, his eyes boring into mine, teasing me with the anticipation of yet another kiss, but it didn't come as we both froze hearing footsteps echo across the walls of the chamber. "Am I interrupting?" Albus asked, a twinkle in those mirthful eyes of his. God damn him, why did he always have to interrupt, now I was certain it was on purpose. In all the confusion, I hadn't noticed that I was straddling Severus and I blushed as I rose to my feet, patting down my tattered nightgown, my eyes looking at anywhere but the two men.
"N-No, not at all," I stuttered pulling strands of hair behind my ear, my hair undoubtedly a messy tangles of curls. Severus remained silent and rising to face me, our eyes met, and he thinned his lips licking them seductively. I squealed internally looking away as my stomach tightened. I was mortified and embarrassed all in one; I could feel my cheeks burning and as happy as I was, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
"I hope you realize the gravity of your actions," Albus said, his eyes trained solely on Severus.
"Yes, being a double agent is no longer viable," Sev nodded glancing back at the split journal, this had been a declaration of war. One of Tom's Horcruxes had just been destroyed. His first ever Horcrux, and I stared at the journal, Tom had not shared all of his Horcruxes with me, and my knowledge was limited, but that would not stop me. "Does that upset you?" My eyes snapped back to Severus and then to Albus, who seemed thoughtful. "Because if I'm honest, I don't think I would care," he said coldly, and I clasped my hands together, thankful Albus didn't look offended. This was the first time I had ever heard Severus speak to Albus in such a way, but I guess the man finally reached his breaking point.
"On the contrary," the old man smiled. "You're free to make your own choices now, Severus. Besides I trust Rynne to keep you in line," he chuckled throwing a shady wink my way, and I shuddered, I didn't even want to know. Fawkes settled on the headmaster's shoulder, and Albus clapped his hands making his way out of the chamber.
"Sorry, I never meant to endanger your position," I whispered. I looked up just in time to receive a headbutt and groaned rubbing my forehead. At least he didn't hit my bruise.
"I'm done serving others," he said. "If anyone wants to get their hands dirty, they can do it themselves. And you, didn't I tell you to stop blaming yourself for every little thing that happens?" He scolded bumping his head against mine again.
"Ow! Stop that!" I whined preparing to fend off his next headbutt. His arms wrapped around me in a warm embrace and we stood there, rocking from side to side for what felt like an eternity.