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Having dealt with Lockhart, Harry began searching the tunnel.
A large ornate doorway was easily opened with a hissed command.
On the other side was a large chamber and Luna standing in the middle hissing to a massive snake.
"Ah Lord Potter... welcome."
The voice was not Luna's but another, more masculine but still eerily familiar.
"You're not Voldemort are you? Look if you're going to do this stuff on a yearly basis can we please just duke it out mano-a-mano…"
Luna chuckled "In a sense I am the one you speak of."
Drawing a wand Luna wrote the words
'TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE'
Then with a flick of the wand the words rearrange into.
'I AM LORD VOLDEMORT'
"I am a section of myself's past, one that was locked away in this diary that this dear one found or was perhaps given, I know not. But her life force feeds me. I grow stronger and will soon be real once again." Luna walked over to the basilisk and hissed. "Now let me finish the work I apparently already started and failed to complete."
Harry glared at the basilisk.
Luna laughed as Tom Riddles spirit began to appear behind her.
"It's a good thing those who are a natural parseltongue are immune to the basilisk's stare. You'd be dead five times over by now."
Harry rounded on the girl but the basilisk moved quickly coiling protectively around its master.
Riddle smirked his form growing firm and visibly stronger.
"I had great aspirations of myself but to find out that I was killed twice by you really doesn't sit too well with me."
Luna sagged to the floor.
"Release her Riddle." Harry demanded.
"I think not, in a few minutes I will be whole again, and then I will just walk out of here."
Harry had one chance. He apparated directly to Luna, the cavern was low enough the Hogwarts wards had no effect.
He dived grabbing the diary from Luna's limp grip.
Riddle swung at him, reaching for him but all Harry could feel as his intangible hand touched his, was a wave of cold damp air passing across his skin.
Harry tossed a reductor curse at Riddles semi-tangible body with no effect.
"Get him!" Riddle shouted at the basilisk in the snake's language.
Harry back flipped, dodging the snakes tail as it lashed out like a whip.
Focusing Harry levitated himself into the air. Trying to get as much distance away from Luna as possible.
Without the diary as a conduit Riddles form was fading.
Rising faster and faster into the sir he saw riddle reach for Luna only to see his arms pass through the girl's body.
It would only be a few more moments before it was all over.
Alas, it appeared it was not meant to be.
Harry watched the basilisk curl itself into a tight spring and launch itself directly at him. Unable to move out of the way in time, Harry shielded with both vambraces but the shield shattered as the giant serpent's maw wrapped around his leg, its long corrosively poisonous fangs piecing his thigh.
Harry was pulled down and slammed directly into the ground beside Luna.
The pain burnt at him from his leg up. The basilisk released him letting the blood flow from the yapping wound.
Riddle smiled down at him. "I wonder if the poison or blood loss will kill you first."
Harry giggled as the world faded around him.
"What's so funny, watching your pathetic life flash before your eyes."
"Nope,"
"Then spit it out before you forever hold your peace."
"Gotcha" Harry wheezed, holding up the diary.
Clean through the centre was a gaping hole where the basilisks other fang had punctured.
Harry watched in glee as the ink began to pour out of the diary. As more in drained the faster Riddle's form faded.
"NO! This cannot be!" the spirit screamed as his form finally ceased to be.
"Piss off you wanker." Harry hissed lying down on the craven floor.
To his side he already saw the colour in Luna's skin begin to return.
Harry smiled.
Darkness is what Harry woke to.
He felt no pain and so rolled off his side and sat up on the edge of the bed.
His robes and underclothes were gone, replaced with a simple hospital gown.
He was at the bastion, the familiar smell of Nym clearly evident even in the pitch-like darkness of the room. He stood and collapsed as his left leg came out from under him.
"Oh my god. Veta! Harry is awake."
It was Nym shouting, bright searing light came on blinding him."
Veta's soothing voice directed others to help him back onto the bed.
Hands from all directions instantly reached out to pick him up and place him among the sheets of the bed he had just fallen from.
"What happened?" he cracked, his voice hard and sore.
"Much has my lord" Vegas soft words were accompanied by a pat on the shoulder.
"How long have I been out."
The glare reseeded and Harry could see Veta's face looking down at him.
"Close to five weeks. They found you on the main entrance hall steps."
"Is that why I feel so rested and pain free?"
"Your wounds are healed." Veta looked up at Nym who simply nodded sadly."Lord there is no easy way to put this, the basilisk poison severed your leg from the thigh down. We… we had… we were required to amputate the remainder. You're only alive thanks to an infusion of phoenix tears and freely given unicorn blood."
Harry paused and let the information sink in.
He had been attached to his leg...
Harry though about the last statement and laughed.
Nym smiled and kissed his forehead. Her tears falling against his skin.
Harry pulled himself up and looked down. His left leg from just above the knee was gone. A sock had been pulled over the stump but he was not quite that ready to look underneath.
"What's my options?" He enquired pulling the sheet over him. "Do I get a choice of timber, and can I get flames painted on the side. Flames make things go faster you know."
Nym giggled and sobbed at the same time ruffling his hair.
"Well we could do that I guess" Veta remarked quite perplexed at how well he was taking the whole thing "or we could perform a silvered limb transfiguration."
"What's that?"
"We transfigure a limb onto your remaining thigh. It will function like your own leg maybe even better. You would need to re-transfigure it as you got older but the need of a prostheses would be gone. The spell is fuelled from residual magic so once cast its nigh permanent."
"It's also silver." Nym said lifting her arm, having morphed it to resemble what Veta was talking about.
Harry gazed with wonder as from her shoulder down was a metallic silver looking appendage that moved and functioned naturally. "Wicked, when can we get it done."
"Next week, you still have basilisk venom in your blood so until we sort that out no potions or spells will work as well as normal but as you are now alert we can begin the process of flushing the venom from your system."
Harry nodded and laid back.
Everyone who had come, left the room. Aside from Nym who had curled into his right side.
Harry clicked his fingers turning off the lights.
"You know what Nym." Harry mused.
"What love?"
"A little higher and to the right and our physical relationship would have come to an end."
He sniggered as she pushed him in the arm gently.
"Prat!" She admonished.
"Love you too Nym."
Authors Note: Thanks for your reviews, have updated the arm conversation to take on board what 'T51b Moridin' suggested. Enjoy!
- Death7270