Chapter 25 – A Promise

Office of the Headmaster

"I demand you let me out of my office," Albus Dumbledore raged. He was utterly furious with the fact that he could not seem to get his door to open. On top of that, the Floo refused to work and certain portraits kept mocking him. "I know you have something to do with this Vindictus. You and Phineas are far to smug to not have a been the ones to circumvent my authority."

Vindictus Veridian casually examined his nails, forcing his inner triumph to remain hidden. "I have no body, Albie, how could I possibly lock you in your office?"

"We are just portraits," Phineas Black did smirk but only because he was nearly always smirking. "We have no magic and can only travel between our own portraits. Need I remind you that my other portrait is currently in a construction zone? My many times great grandson is renovating the family home so I am stuck here if I want to hear anything other than construction magic. Do you honestly think I would force myself to spend more time with you?"

"Perhaps Miss Kitty has put you in a time out," Vindictus said mildly. The ghosts had stopped by while Dumbles was sleeping to impart that brilliant line.

"I am in control of Hogwarts because I am the headmaster. She cannot take that control from me."

"My boy," Armando Dippet sighed tiredly, "If you are so keen to leave, why don't you ask that lovely bird of yours to assist you?"

"Oh, Armando, we agreed not to bring up Fawkes again," Elizabeth Burke attempted to sound sympathetic. "You know as well as I do that Fawkes hasn't been back since last year after the Higgs boy died. I think the subject still hurts poor Albie."

"How many times must I tell you not to call me Albie? And Fawkes is on a mission," he lied. He had no idea where his phoenix had gone. Stupid bird suddenly decided to disappear despite knowing who his master was. He would need punishing when he came crawling (flying) back.

"It's like Bumbles thinks we don't know what a broken phoenix bond looks like," Phineas said conspiratorially.

Vindictus shook his head. "Albus, if you would take a moment to think I am sure you could come up with a reason why you are not allowed to leave this office. The ghosts have been warning you about your poor standing within Hogwarts all term."

"I am the Headmaster!" he boomed. "The board of Governors are the only ones who can terminate my contract."

"Actually," Minerva McGonagall said, stepping through the door to the office, the five others behind her. "The bylaws clearly state that Hogwarts can expel any teacher or headmaster if they are found in gross negligence."

"You have hired incompetent Defense Professors for years, meaning you are not providing a proper education for the students. That is strike one," Remus spoke quietly but clearly from his position to Minerva's left.

Albus smiled with his signature twinkle, "I do hope you are not adding yourself to that list of poor teachers, my boy. I thought you were doing quite well and I hired you."

"Actually," Elizabeth interjected, sounding mildly apologetic. "Madam McGonagall hired master Lupin without discussing it with you."

"And don't deny it, Bumbles." Vindictus looked down at him gleefully, "You threw quite the temper tantrum about it."

"You perpetuated the discrimination in this school." Severus Snape would pull no punches here. It was Albus Dumbledore's inaction that drove him into the arms of the death eaters all those years ago. The fact that he stood next to one of his former tormentors was in direct opposition to Albus Dumbledore and his teachings.

"There is no discrimination in Hogwarts," Dumbledore looked out the window, hoping that if he could not see them, they would disappear.

"You also ignored signs of abuse and ordered us not to investigate further." Pomona Sprout was all but seething, a sight rarely seen.

"Let us not forget all of the laws you broke when it came to Harry Potter," Filius Flitwick placed a hand on the shoulder of the young man in question. It pained him to bring that up with the boy present but it was necessary. "Goblins have long memories; I will never forget."

"Albus Dumbledore," Harry stepped forward so that he was standing next to the seething transfiguration teacher. "Hogwarts would like to officially terminate your contract as headmaster. She demands that you be escorted off the property immediately. It is the decision of the heads of house and your interim replacement that you be delivered to the hands of the department of magical law enforcement. They are waiting at the gates as we speak."

Dumbledore scoffed. "Might I ask why, Mr. Potter, you are the one delivering this message? Did the castle talk to you?" The old man spoke in a tone most unlike the one he usually used for students. He was patronizing and more than a little sarcastic.

"Be careful how you speak to the Heir," the Bloody Baron growled. He and the ghosts joined the living to ensure the disgraced man left the school.

A barking laugh left Albus Dumbledore. "Are you trying to tell me that Harry Potter is the Heir of Slytherin? Harry Potter is related to Tom Riddle?"

"He did not say the heir of Slytherin, Dumbles," Phineas was enjoying this.

"No," Helena agreed, "what he said was the Heir. Had you been a competent headmaster you would have read the lore." Around the room, the headmasters of old nodded their heads. "Written in the earliest records was a prophecy that one day, when Hogwarts was at great need, someone would come that had the heart and magic to free Hogwarts from destruction."

"It was thought," Sir Nicholas sighed sadly, "that at one time you might be that savior. You were a bright boy with great dreams but your heart turned out to be too full of greed to serve anyone but yourself."

"Though you have done great things in the past," Armando Dippet said sadly, "you did them for the glory of Albus, not because they would help people or save lives."

"Hogwarts knows, as do we all," the Friar was solemn, "that you do not hold the values of the founders."

"You are not hardworking or fair," Pomona Sprout said clearly.

"Though you have the potential to be intelligent, you do not learn from experience," Filius added, "your only thought is how to make things fit your interpretation of facts."

"You may be ambitious, but the use of ambition to rule the world is self-serving and of no use to Hogwarts." Severus Snape knew what that lead to, a dark lord killing anyone who stood in his way, even his followers.

"It is not brave or honorable to manipulate others to fight your battles for you," Minerva glared at her former hero.

"Hogwarts has spoken," Harry said finally. "You are no longer welcome within these walls."

That seemed to click something in the man's mind. "Harry, my boy. There are things you need to know. Things only I can tell you. Voldemort will come back one day and only I can help you defeat him. He has done things that no one knows about besides me. Without me, he will win. Do you want that, Harry? Don't you want my help?"

Harry shook his head, "I think I have all the help I need, thank you. Professor Flitwick has been extremely helpful to me already. Professor Snape has helped me a lot too. I know I can trust Remus to protect me and it is clear to me that if I asked that Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall would help me fight any evil. In fact, the only adult in this castle I think would be less help than you is Mr. Filch and that is only because he doesn't have any magic. I am sure he would help if he could though," that was sort of a lie but it worked to prove his point. "It is time for you to go now."

There was a flash of light and when the occupants of the office could see again, Albus Dumbledore was unconscious in the chair behind the desk.

"HA," Vindictus Veridian shouted, "That is for being a pompous arse!"

Minerva, and the rest of the living individuals looked at the man in the portrait. The acting head slowly allowed her gaze to find Helena Ravenclaw, "Did the castle do that or did headmaster Veridian?"

Helena's ghostly form gulped, "It was Vindictus, and Hogwarts is not entirely sure how he did it, but she found it amusing so doesn't particularly care."

"Note to self," Harry said quietly, "Don't irritate the portraits too much, especially him." There wasn't an individual in the room, alive, dead or painted, that could argue with that statement.

Chamber of Secrets

The end of your time on this earth draws near, parasite.

I regret to inform you that there is nothing that can remove me from this world. I have done more than any before and any after me to prevent my death. Lord Voldemort will live forever in one way or another.

Your ignorance and arrogance are astounding. Creating horcruxes was the stupidest decision you could have made. They are forbidden magics not because of what they do to the soul and what they require to make them but because they oppose natural order. Death is inevitable. All things must die or the world falls into chaos.

I find it hilarious that you fear silly superstitions. Though I wonder how you know what I did, it does not matter. I made Horcruxes. I prevented my death. No one will ever stop me because I went father that any to ensure my eternal victory.

I see I was successful in blocking you out of my immediate thoughts while I spoke with the heir.

What are you talking about?

I destroyed the last of your horcruxes in the chamber floor not an hour ago.

You did no such thing. And even if you did manage to destroy one, I made many more than that.

You really are stupid. I can feel the broken tethers of your soul anchors. I destroyed the anchor you placed in Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. I felt the destruction of the others, one by one, starting only months from when you tried to gain possession of my mind. Didn't you feel the severing when each of the six was destroyed?

I only made five. I was unable to complete the ritual of the sixth the night Potter tore my soul from my body.

Splitting the soul damages the soul. The more you split your soul, the more unstable it becomes. You intended to use the death of Harry Potter to create your sixth horcrux but instead your unfinished ritual you used the destruction of your body to make Harry Potter a horcrux.

Then the boy is dead? If all of my anchors are destroyed then the boy must be dead.

Wizards really should remember that the other races are intelligent. Goblins found a way to remove a soul anchor from objects without destroying them long ago. They are experts at altering rituals. The goblins removed the anchor from Harry Potter's scar during the summer holiday. I watched it due to my connection to you and my advanced understanding of magic. I watch each and every time the goblins removed a soul anchor from an object. I watched as they removed the soul from the black stone ring bearing the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. I saw Helga Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket cleansed. I saw a diary burned with Fiend Fire and I spilled my own poison on the diadem. There is nothing keeping you from crossing over into death save me and I will not allow you to live for much longer.

And how are you going to kill me when I am a part of you?

She did not answer him. He didn't need to know, not yet at least. Her plans would come to pass in due time. The ancient basilisk moved down the tunnels, shoving the shade of Tom Riddle to the back of her mind so he did not know what she was doing. Harry was returning and he was the only one who was worthy to know her plans.

"Welcome back, Harry Potter," she peaked her head into the main entrance of the chamber. The young man stood in front of the pool staring at her with trust and awe. He still smelled of the remnants of fear but that was to be expected. She was mighty in both size and power, all who looked at her should fear her at least a little.

"How are you, Hebe?"

"I am as well as can be expected, young Harry." She turned her head, "come, there is much for me to show you and much for us to discuss."

Harry looked at the water and then at the entrance to her tunnel. He was about to ask how he could cross the water when he remembered what she said about stairs in the other chamber; he need only to ask. With only a word in Parseltongue a bridge formed over the water, giving Harry access to the tunnels beyond.

There were many offshoots from the tunnel but they did not turn down any. Hebe did not speak or even look at him until she reached a point where the tunnel widened, giving her the opportunity to coil around herself and look at him. "My time on this earth is coming to an end and there is much I must do before I take my final breath."

"Are you sick or something? What can I do to help you?"

The snake chuckled, "There is nothing that can be done for me now. There are many reasons that this is my time to die. The most important one is that you and the magical world will never be free so long as I live for Tom Riddle, or I suppose I should say Voldemort, resides within me." She paused, watching him closely. His shock was apparent.

"Forced possession by a shade always results in death," Harry muttered. "Professor Flitwick said something about it when he saved me last year from Quirrell-mort."

"That is true, but the quickness of death depends entirely on the host body. There are some who can live months in this possession, like your Quirrell. While others will parish the day they are possessed, much like the animals he used to get back to England. The magic within sustains the body while the possessing spirit drains the magic slowly. The more magic within the host the longer they will live. The more magic the host uses; the quicker death comes."

"He is draining you?"

"No." She shook her giant head slightly. "Were it not for other circumstances, I would live with the shade for another two centuries. There are three reasons that my time is coming and only one of them is truly tied to the false heir."

"How much time do we have? We have only just met and I don't want to lose you so soon. There is so much I could learn from you, so much I could do with your guidance."

Her eyes softened, "Do not fear, my young friend, I will not leave you without access to the knowledge you will need and guidance. I believe it is important for you to know all three of the reasons that my time has come. The first lies with natural order. Magic and life will be thrown out of alignment if the shade of Tom Riddle continues to reside in the world of the living. While he cannot cause direct harm while trapped in my mind, other evils will intensify because his twisted soul leaks evil into the school and the world beyond. Tom Riddle is the reason for the madness consuming the mind of the current headmaster. He was a direct enemy to the shade so his mind warped when the shade did not die the night he tried to kill you."

"Will the headmaster get better? I mean if Voldemort goes wherever it is souls are meant to be at death, shouldn't the madness leave the headmaster too?"

"No. The damage is done. Removing the tainted soul only stops further damage of this world, it will not cure what has already happened. The madness, while unfortunate is also of the headmaster's making. Had he acted differently; the change would not be so great. His decision to immerse himself in the darkness that consumed Tom Riddle's soul left his own open to the taint as well. Being a direct enemy already left him vulnerable to the darkness but there are counters to that. Innocence, good deeds, healing, even laughter and joy can push the darkness back."

Harry nodded slowly, absorbing what she had said. "I think I understand. Because Albus Dumbledore focused so much on ending Voldemort, even after death, the darkness leaked into him. Had he focused on the light, on the children, he would not be as damaged as he is. What are the other reasons you have to die?"

"The second reason lies further in the tunnels. I will take you there in a moment but first I will explain about my kind." She took a deep breath, her large scales expanding and contracting. "There are two types of basilisks, no matter what wizards claim. The first is the false basilisk. A false basilisk is one who is made by wizards. They are so similar to a true basilisk that only a serpent would know the difference. Most of that difference is in power and longevity. The largest difference is that they are always males. A true basilisk is one born of a queen. Wizards claim we lay unfertilized eggs but this is not entirely true. The eggs laid by a queen can only hatch when the queen is ready.

"There can only be two live basilisks of any line alive at a time. A queen births a queen and they can only coexist for a short time or the balance of power would shift once more. When a queen is ready, she wills her child to hatch and she then spends the first year or so of her offspring's life training her to control her sight. Once the child can turn the death glance off at will, the child must use her killing glance on her mother."

"Your child has to kill you?" he could hear the devastation and disbelief in his own hisses.

"I hear your outrage but allowing myself to die by my child's eyes stops the pain. A queen shares her magic with her offspring. The magic of a basilisk is passed from mother to daughter and can only be shared for so long before both start to die due to the power struggle. If I delay my death too long, my child will die and I will fall even farther into the madness than I already am. I will become a mindless beast, hell bent on death and destruction. I would bring the school down in my rage and hunger. It must be done, young Harry, but there is a benefit. My magic and memories live on in my child. The instant our eyes connect, my daughter will gain all she needs to live for as long or longer than I did. She will be here with you, carrying a piece of me that will guide you both."

Harry closed his eyes. Somehow, he knew that what she said was true. Yes, she could lie to him but he felt in his heart that what she said was the absolute truth. "What did you mean when you said you would go farther into madness?"

"I made an oath to my human and to the magic maintaining this school. That oath was to protect the students to my death against those who would bring them harm. Tom Riddle damaged my mind when he took control of me because he did not want to protect anyone but himself. He saw some of the students as vermin and would have seen them dead. I could not completely refuse him due to his blood connection to my human. While I did not kill for him, I still attacked the children of this school. Breaking my oath in any way attacks the very essence of me. My mind, body and magic suffer the consequences."

"But I thought a girl died?"

"That was not me. Tom killed the girl because she saw the entrance to this camber."

"But she told Remus that she saw big yellow eyes and then died. Wouldn't she have seen Tom or the spell if that was what killed her? Don't deadly spells always produce some colored light?"

"They do when they are cast in their original form. When a spell of death or destruction is cast in Parseltongue, it has no color, no warning. Tom cast the killing curse for the first time at this school and did so using Parseltongue. Hogwarts would not have recognized it for what it was because of how different it feels cast in the language of the serpent."

"If that is true, why did he cast the original version when he killed my mother? I see the intense green of the curse in my dreams. I hear the words." Harry could not stop the shudder that racked through his body at the mention of that particular memory.

"Casting in Parseltongue drains more magic if not done properly. There are certain things that come easier than others. Ultimately, Parselmagic is meant to heal, to protect. To cast a curse designed to remove the soul from the body in Parseltongue would have devastating consequences. Tom very nearly drained his magic when he did that to Myrtle. He damaged his magic and would have killed himself if her weren't as powerful as he was. There is a reason he needed dark rituals to improve himself."

"I suppose it is a good thing that I found that book on Parseltongue when I did. Not that I want to cause anyone harm but it could have been bad if I did something in the heat of the moment." Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was fairly certain he saw where this was going. "Your daughter is either able to control her sight or she is almost there, isn't she?"

"Yes, Harry Potter she is. I willed her to hatch only days after the shade invaded my mind. His mind found mine only minutes after killing Terrance Higgs. My daughter hatched three days later. We have been training every day since. She has been practicing on mice and other such pests and has done as instructed correctly the last dozen times we have practiced. If I remain living for more than a week after determining her skill, the magic we share will start to rip us apart."

"What is the third reason?" Harry looked at his feet.

"This will be hard to hear but please allow me to explain fully." Hebe lowered her head so that it was resting on her coiled body. "The true reason I can no longer remain is tied to my daughter. I would not have chosen to allow her to hatch had things not happened the way they did. If circumstance has changed even slightly, I would have had to wait until the next option appeared."

The twelve-year-old gulped and shook his head. "I am the reason, aren't I?"

"Yes, Harry, you are. I made an oath to my human centuries ago. I promised to protect the school until the true heir made himself known. You are the true heir. Despite his insistence, Tom Riddle could never be the true heir because he is not the heir of Salazar Slytherin's heart, intent or magic; all he shared with my human was blood. There are many who could be the heir but circumstances change them so that they no longer fit what was foretold. You will find no record of a prophecy but we still knew that one day you would come."

"If there were many possibilities but chance and choice made a difference, then I might not have been where I am today," Harry surmised. "Are you saying that if I had grown up differently or made different friends, I might not have been the true heir?"

"I am. It was your insistence that house should not dictate friendships or path in life that made you the heir of Salazar's intent. It was your defense of the differences in others that connected you to his heart. Had the anchor remained in your scar, it would have altered your magic so that you were not fit to one day take up your role."

"The soul anchor was not removed until this summer, how did you know that I would be the heir if it was still within me when you woke your daughter?"

"I am tied to the wards. There are things I can do that no other can. I listened to any mention of you by the staff. I could feel your potential already and knew if the darkness tied to your pure soul was removed that you would be the heir. Hogwarts has been searching for you so it was easy to keep tabs. The goblin had theories he spoke of only to his empty rooms but that was enough for me to know that he would cleanse you of the impurity."

"What if they failed?"

"Then I would have died knowing that I took the shade with me. My daughter would have my knowledge and she would be the one waiting for the next heir. I can only hope that I would have managed to keep my sanity long enough to die by my terms."

Harry wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. It was humbling to know that this ancient, wise creature had put so much faith in him. It terrified him to think about what might have happened if things had been different. What if he was still a Horcrux? What if he was friends with Ron instead of Neville? What if Lockhart was still their professor? What if he was enemies with Draco? What if he hadn't thought to speak to her but instead attacked? The possibilities were endless and terrifying. He could just imagine a brash Gryffindor trying to attack this mighty basilisk with nothing but a sword.

Ultimately, that did not matter now. All that was left of Voldemort was the shade. Hogwarts and Hebe saw him as the heir. His heart told him that this was the path he had been looking for when considering his future. This felt right even if it was scary to have all of that pressure in his shoulders.

"If I am the heir, what does that mean?"

Hebe tilted her head slightly, "It means that you could do great things. What Hogwarts and I hope is that one day you will return to Hogwarts to be her Headmaster. We need you to bring about change and to protect the students from a world that does not understand them. You have the heart of a protector and the magic to succeed if you so choose."

Harry's lips twitched into a crooked smile. Ever sense he stepped into the castle he had felt a connection. He loved his aunt and cousin but for some reason, Hogwarts had always felt more like home than his bedroom next door to Dudley's. It was like the castle personally welcomed him every time he walked through the front doors. While he had never really thought about his future beyond doing something to make his parents and family proud, he could honestly see himself being a teacher at Hogwarts.

No teaching would not be curing the world of disease but it would be protecting the future by making sure the next generation had the tools to go out and make those choices themselves. Being Headmaster meant he could stop the house discrimination. He could make it so that rivalry stayed on the pitch and out of the classroom. He could use his upbringing to help the pureblood students understand the world around them so they weren't so obvious when they walked around muggle London.

He could shape minds and allow them to flourish without fear of reprisal.

"I had never really thought about being a teacher but I think I would enjoy it. I wanted to do something good with my life, something my mother would be proud of, and what better way than to make sure the young are given the freedom to grow and learn in peace."

"It lifts my heart to hear that. There are two things I would ask of you. The first is to always remember Hogwarts and Salazar's dream."

"From what you have described, it is a dream worth remembering and protecting. I will do what I can to fix his reputation and will always fight for Hogwarts. What more would you ask of me?"

"The second is to look after my daughter. I hope that one day the two of you might have even half the relationship that I had with Salazar."

Harry nodded, hoping his sincerity was clear in his eyes. He didn't think that would be hard at all. He was already half in love with Hebe and if her daughter was anything like her, and considering she would gain her mother's memories that seemed likely, he would love her too. "Can I meet her?"

"She has been asking for you." Hebe turned her head to look down one of the tunnels. "Head that way, I will be directly behind you. Fear not, my daughter knows not to kill without permission so you will be safe, but even without the order she would know you for what you are."

"How?"

"While most speakers need to converse with us for a serpent to realize they have the gift, you are different. My daughter and I would know you by sight alone. The power of my partner radiates around you. I can see that his legacy has accepted the man you are becoming and as long as you continue on this path, you will always be connected to the line of the serpent queen."

"So, if I become a dark lord, she will no longer follow me?"

"You are correct, young Harry, but if that were a possibility, we would not be having this conversation. If that were in your heart, the magic would never have accepted you, blood or not."

Harry came to the tunnel's exit and came face to face with a much smaller basilisk. While she was small, she was still bigger than Harry. She was probably ten feet long and bigger around that he was. Harry wasn't sure it was possible but he thought the little basilisk smiled.

"You came," she hissed gleefully, pushing her snout against Harry's chest. "I thought you never would."

"Child, you are far too impatient for one who can live millennia," Hebe sighed.

"What is her name," Harry asked, placing his hand on the top of the snake's head as she nuzzled his chest.

"She does not yet have a name. Salazar named me, binding us in ways that I cannot describe. You will name my daughter and then you will have to go. But first, at the end of the other tunnel in the last break is a room. That room was Salazar's private office. You will find many things in that room that will be useful, including a list and map off all the passageways that only one like you can use. When you return to the school as Headmaster, that will be particularly useful as there is a passage directly from Salazar's office to the office used by the headmaster." Hebe moved so that she was laying around the room, coiling so that the entrance remained clear but she was stretched across every inch of wall space. "I am tired, Harry Potter and my time is near. Name your partner so that she can take over the mantel of queen."

Harry moved to sit in the middle of the room on what looked like a bunch of hay and old, worn out blankets while the young basilisk wrapped herself around him, placing her head on his knee.

"We will protect this school, Harry Potter," the little basilisk hissed quietly.

"Yes, we will, little queen." Harry ran a hand down her head until he couldn't reach any more. For Harry, he didn't need to speak to connect with his basilisk companion. "Queen," he mused, this time in English and it felt strange after speaking Parseltongue for so long. He was starting to recognize the difference. "This is for you mom," he looked up and smiled at the room's ceiling. "I think I have the perfect name for you. Rhiannon. It means great queen, something I believe you will be. It is also the title of a song by one of my mom's favorite bands."

"I like it," she hissed in pleasure before lifting her head to look at her mother. "My name is Rhiannon, mother."

"Very good, Rhiannon," she lifted her head. "It is time for Harry to leave us for now, but he will come back to see you soon." Hebe sounded tired. "I will lead Harry to one of the more convenient passages to the main castle and return. Stay her, my child."

The pair left the room and the small basilisk behind, making their way back to the maze of tunnels beneath the school. "I must apologize again for not being able to refuse to petrify your classmates. Tom was a speaker and he is a blood heir so I really did have to follow most of his instructions."

"I understand, and I will make sure that the professors at least understand."

"I thank you, Harry." She led him to a blank wall and stopped. "This wall will open into a passageway that leads to the Great Hall. The passage will open up to the side of where they have placed the head table. The passages throughout these chambers will open for you with a word simply because you are the true heir."

"Thank you, Hebe. I will miss you."

"I will be with you because my daughter is here, Harry, so do not mourn me. Before you go," she stopped him before he could go down the passage he had just opened. "Remember that Hogwarts is always with you. She will aid you and protect those who seek to protect the students of this school. I know you cannot take leadership of the school when you are so young but I suggest you place your hand against the crest at the back of the Great Hall. It will show your acceptance of the honor of Hogwarts Heir and will allow her to share knowledge with you when needed. She will not connect with you unless the situation calls for it."

Harry nodded, choosing not to speak because he did not think he could refrain from crying if he tried. Placing his hand on her large head one last time, he turned and left the chamber, knowing that when he returned, Hebe would be gone.

…

Hebe sighed internally as the passage closed behind the heir. For one who had lived so long she was both relieved and worried about her impending death. A part of her knew there was nothing more she could do. She had done what was expected, save when Tom controlled her actions, and had waited until Salazar's heir had arrived. The only problem was, a small part of her wasn't ready to die.

She had been alone for so long; centuries without her human. Year after year, decades turning into centuries, all of it with nothing but her own thoughts to sustain her. When young Tom had first arrived, she had hoped he would be a little like Salazar. She was sorely disappointed.

Tom Riddle was an angry, petty, power hungry sociopath.

It was because of her loneliness and Tom that she was prepared to fall into the endless sleep of death. It was the promise of Harry Potter that birthed her reluctance to leave.

Harry Potter was everything Salazar had hoped to be, or at least he would be. She could not see the future but she could see the person he was and what he could become. The young boy's future would be glorious and she wished she could see it.

She looked to her daughter, Rhiannon, her little queen. The name was perfect. The little basilisk was a bundle of energy, coiled and ready to explode with enthusiasm. Hebe was reluctant to cast a shadow on the hatchling's joy but there was little time and her resolve would only waver the longer she procrastinated.

Well, aren't you depressing?

And he was still there, she was forced to admit upon hearing Voldemort's response to her melancholy musings. The most compelling reason for her death was the maniac shade residing within her. Hebe allowed the walls within her mind to drop, allowing the dark lord to see the full extent of his failure. She allowed him to feel the destruction of each of his anchors. She forced him to see the light and acceptance that radiated from the young boy he loathed so much.

It is time for you to finally follow the natural order of things and leave the land of the living.

And how do you propose to do that? In order for me to die, you would have to die too and I don't think you have the strength of will to end your own life.

It seems I was better at hiding my thoughts from you than I thought. Hebe allowed forced him to listen to the lessons her own mother had given her as a hatchling during her training. She replayed the final lesson, the one that said in order for a basilisk queen's mind to survive, she would have to kill her own mother when the magic ran out. Finally, she allowed him to feel the bond she shared with her daughter, allowed him to feel how weak the magic was between them.

The magic had all but run out.

You and I will die before the sun reaches its highest point. This is the last day of my life and the last day or your flight from death.

I will stop you.

No, you won't. There is nothing that can stop this now.

"Rhiannon," she hissed allowed, looking to her daughter "It is time."

…

Tom Marvolo Riddle felt fear for the first time that he cared to remember. He had not allowed himself to fear as a child; it was the fastest way to allow others to make you feel insignificant. There was no fear at Hogwarts because it was his home, his place. Fear wasn't even a thought when he was gaining allies, nor was it a possibility when those allies fell into their rightful place as followers. He didn't even feel fear when he faced the Potter bitch and his spell backfired. There hadn't been time for fear.

Even if he'd had time to feel fear, he doubted he would have. There was no reason to fear because he could not die. Not truly. His soul was tied to the world of the living. If his body died, he could, and would rise again. Lord Voldemort would rule all. There was no question about it.

Now, seeing the beast's thoughts and memories, he felt something he had never felt before. Fear. Somehow, those less powerful, less intelligent, less than him, had managed to find them all. Each and every Horcrux he had created, his diary, the locket, Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's diadem, his idiot grandfather's ring, and even the stupid boy that he didn't even mean to make a horcrux, all of them destroyed or cleansed.

How could they have succeeded? How could they have outsmarted him?

It was Quirrell's fault. If it hadn't been for his fool attempt to kill the boy with so few in attendance, this would not have happened. If it had been at an actual game, and not the Ravenclaw only game, there would have been too many people present for the goblin and Snape to realize it was him. Vector would never have gotten close to the boy, for it had to be the arithmancy teacher that discovered it, and she would not have given those results to the goblin. Yes, it was all Quirrell's fault.

He probably would have still failed to gain the Philosopher's Stone, Dumbledore was an almost worthy opponent, but he would have been free. He would not have been stuck in this stupid snake. If he were in any other host he would not be stuck in the body. Of course, at this point his only option to keep living was to in habit a body. With no other anchors, the moment the body he inhabited died, he would be dragged to whatever hell awaited him. If he was in a different host, he could take it over and start again.

And Snape. It was Severus Snape's fault too. What kind of follower attacks his master? A dead one. At least he could take the traitor with him.

Through the giant beast's eyes, Voldemort saw the infant snake look at her mother. He felt the great beast heave a sigh before the little one's eyes flashed. A shock ran through the giant body he was stuck in from snout to tail. Inch by inch, cell by cell, the beasts body shut down. It was painful and yet not. It took eons, but happened in a second. Her last act of life was to chuckle in her own head and then she collapsed, dead after living longer than any other.

Voldemort's soul began to drift. He reached out through the brands. His magic tied each and every one of his followers, his minions, his cannon fodder to him. What was left of his magic pulled at the bonds and began to suck them dry. One by one the lights he knew were the magical cores of his Death Eaters dimmed and extinguished.

Though he tried, this was the final death of Tom Marvolo Riddle. His minions' magic could not make a body for him. It could not revive the dead basilisk below him. Their magic could not give his broken soul the strength to take over another body.

The last thing his soul saw was death. Even knowing his fate was sealed, he did not welcome death as a friend, he tried to run, kicking and screaming as he was dragged to his final rest.

Sorry for the delay everyone. I hadn't quite figured out how I wanted to handle one thing; additionally, the state I live in is on fire (with zero containment of said fire) so I have been focusing on the fact that I may need to evacuate - so far, I'm good but being in a Level 1 evacuation zone (be ready) is stressful and the smoke is making life slightly miserable.

I should rap this up in one chapter (unless it becomes too long).