I have returned!
Can I just say, I am loving the reactions I got from you all last chapter. You're all like "No! Not those two!" It's quite humorous really. No faith in our boys, I see.
As usual, thanks for all the awesome reviews.
It's touching how many of you are concerned for Peter; glad to see my writing of him has cast him in enough of a redeemable light for you to care about him.
If Someone Cared Enough
Chapter Eighty-Five: One Mess of a Calvary
The basilisk let out a hiss of a shriek as the stag's antlers stabbed it in the stomach. True, the beast's scaly hide was considered near impenetrable, the weak underside of its stomach was rumored to be lacking in protection. That must be why the stag's antlers managed to sink in about two or three inches into the creatures flesh. Not fatal; but painful.
A massive black dog darted back and forth, snarling like a creature half possessed as it leaped and lunged at the basilisk.
Severus stared in stunned awe at the bizarre scene of foolhardy bravery the two animals displayed.
"Okay," Lily said, voicing the confusion Severus felt, "Someone enlightened me. Who in Merlin's name is that?"
Mary nervously fiddled her fingers as her two friends scrambled to their feet, "Ummm….you know how you said Potter and his friends were animaguses? Well…that's James and Sirius."
"Them?" Severus bawked, glaring at Mary, "Of all the people you could have chosen to save us, those two are to pair you picked?"
Mary shrugged sheepishly, "Technically I didn't. I was halfway to Dumbledore's office when I bumped into Black as he rounded a corner. Marlene got a gash on her head from when Peter knocked her out," Mary gestured to her bloodied sleeve, "So when he saw the blood on me, he started demanding answers. James must have heard him because he came running. I…I couldn't exactly lie; everything was happening so fast. When I let slip that Peter and Remus were down here, well…they sort of took the choice out of my hands."
The basilisk flailed madly, thrashing to and fro in an attempt to dislodge the hooved attacker from its abdomen. It's erratic movement sent Severus, Lily, and Mary scrambling as fast as possible, stumbling off the stone pathway and into the chest deep water that lined the hall.
Severus barely managed to deflect a curse cast by Tom before the latter being once again caught up in a firefight with Simone and the others.
"Do you honestly think two glory-hungry idiots are any match for that thing?" Severus snapped, "Potter, don't look the thing in the eye; that's how it kills!"
James paused a moment from shaking himself loose to lunge at the basilisk again, taking in Severus's words. In a moment of understanding that would have been unnatural on the face of a real stag, James lowered his head to the ground for his second stab, eyes fixated firmly on the floor.
"I told you, I didn't ask them to come," Mary reiterated, managing to throw up a shield just in time as Tom broke off to send another spell their way, "They forced my hand."
The black dog at the stag's side kept its head low, snapping and growling at the basilisk, taking advantage of the creature's confusion to drive it backwards.
"For the love of—Black, don't bite the bloody thing!" Severus shouted, "Do you want your teeth to break out of your head?"
Black's mouth snapped shut as he turned to give Severus a look one could only describe as halfway between scathing and befuddlement, something sure to be an amazing feat if the dog wasn't a wizard in disguise. Never the less, Sirius kept his head low, snarling but no longer attempting to bite his massive foe.
The basilisk lurched sideways suddenly, its gigantic tail coming around to knock into several pillars, crashing straight through them. It collided with Sirius, the man-turned-dog letting out a pained help as he went flying across the room, landing with a splash near Severus and Lily.
"Sirius!" Remus screamed. The scarred boy broke away from the main group, erecting a shield between him and Tom's volley of hexes as he ran towards his fallen friend.
Remus tromped through the water, furiously searching through the murky depths.
"Sirius!" he cried again, dragging up a once again human Sirius from the frigid water, "Are you okay?"
Sirius coughed, a mouthful of water sputtering past his lips.
"Never been better," he croaked.
Remus shook his head, caught between wanting to laugh and cry, "You stupid idiot. Why the hell did you come down here for?"
Black struggled to shrug nonchalantly, still coughing up water, "Mary told me that you were down here…we marauders stick together…"
Remus bit back a sob, a smile spreading across his face even as tears sprung to his eyes, "You great, bloody idiot."
James skidded towards them, no longer a stag, "Where's Peter?"
"The other's have him," Severus explained, as he trudged through the deep water with Lily and Mary close behind. He reluctantly took the hand Potter offered him, allowing himself to be pulled from the water, "Tom's draining his life in order to revive himself."
"Tom?" James questioned as he helped Severus pulled Lily and Mary out of the water.
"Voldemort," Lily said, ignoring how the name made Potter flinch, "He's been killing long before he rose to power. He opened the chamber of secrets years ago and used the death of a muggleborn girl to seal part of his younger self in a diary. That's what possessed Peter."
"And it's almost complete!" Tom declared. When had he gotten so close?
Not far away, Simone kneeled clutching her side, barely held up by Thea as Davis tried to curse Tom from behind only to miss.
James ducked out of the way of a stream of green light from Tom, tackling Mary to the ground as Remus dove under the water with Sirius.
"He's not fully revived yet," Severus called out from where he was hunched over Lily to shield her, "The diary is his horcrux; part of his soul. If we can destroy it, the connection between him and Pettigrew will be severed."
"Well what are we waiting for?" James asked, taking advantage of Tom's renewed distraction with Davis and Marlene's spells, "Let's blast the bloody thing!"
"We've tried for months to destroy it, Potter," Severus snapped, "Horcruxes clearly can't be destroyed by ordinary means. The basilisk's venom is the only way."
Remus dragged Sirius out of the water, helping him sit up, "Well, it's not like we can just walk up and take some."
"We need to kill the snake," Severus said firmly, "Once it's dead, we can harvest it's venom."
"You better think of a way to do that fast," Mary said, shielding her eyes, "Because here it comes!"
The basilisk slithered towards them with a menacing hiss, sending the students running frantically towards their friends, half dragging Sirius along with them.
Severus shot off another curse at Tom, grinning with relish when it managed to slash across the distracted boy's face with stinging ferocity.
Tom clutched his face, glaring hatefully at Severus.
"You're skilled, Severus," he sneered, "But I'm better."
"Only just," Severus shot back.
Tom raised his wand, eyes full of dark intent, when he was struck fully in the chest by a curse, forcing him to stumble back several feet.
Thea pointed her wand levelly at Tom, her eyes burning with hatred. Besides her, Simone was fighting feebly to stay standing, red seeping under the hand she pressed tightly to her side.
Peter's eyelids fluttered, a mumble of a word passing his lips.
Tom narrowed his eyes at Thea, "You won't get another lucky shot."
Thea glared right back, "You'll find luck is often on my side."
Singling her out, Tom fire curse after curse at Thea, growing more and more aggressive as he bore down on her. The others tried to join the fray to assist Thea, but Tom's curses were getting ever more concussive and powerful, clearly intending to keep them all off balanced long enough to get to Thea.
The basilisk continued its advancement, chasing the others around as they stared at the floor, unable to look back at the creature for fear of its gaze.
Thea for her part was a woman scorned, her eyes blazing with fiery determination as she parried and blocked Tom's spells.
"Hard to fire off that unforgivable, eh Tom?" she taunted, "Even with unspoken spells, you need enough time to think the word to cast it; I'm not giving you much time for more than one syllable spells, am I?"
It was true, though sticking to a meager arsenal of paltry defensive and offensive spells; Thea was firing them with a ferocious rapidity, one after the other with hardly a pause. The few she knew to do without speaking an incantation were short and simple, but just effective enough to keep Tom constantly forced to use only the shortest and quickest spells he had if he wished to keep dodging.
Tom continued to advance on Thea, forcing the girl back step by step even as she held her own.
Thea's luck seemed to run out as she tripped over Peter's foot, falling backwards into Nesme as the girl ran by. Nesme's bag spilled onto the floor as the two girls tumbled to the floor.
"It was impressive while it lasted," Tom mocked, pointing his wand at them, "But barely so."
"I found it!" Nesme declared excitedly, clutching onto something from her spilled bag, "Say your prays, you big ugly snake."
Tom scoffed, "A candy? Are you hoping the beast has a sweet tooth?"
Nesme slapped the candy into her mouth, chewing as quickly as possible. Suddenly, her face screwed up, an odd look passing over her. Before anyone knew what was happening, Nesme opened her mouth and let out a loud, obnoxious rooster crow.
The effect was instantaneous. The beast shrieked loudly, shaking it's head from side to side as if in agony. Blood poured from its mouth as it curled up tightly to shield itself from the sound.
"No!" Tom roared in outrage. So distracted with his beast's pain, he never saw the punch to the eye coming.
"We need to go," Davis said, rubbing his bruised knuckles, "Now!"
Everyone took off down one of the side tunnels, James transforming back into a stag to scoop Peter onto his back.
Hurdling through the bowels of the school's plumbing, the group did its best to keep Sirius and Simone on their feet.
"That won't be enough to stop it," Nesme explained, "Only the cry of a real rooster is fatal. I merely injured it."
"And to think I make fun of you for carrying those candies around," Davis said, panting as he ran.
"Down here," Severus ordered, directing them all to take a sharp left. Twisting right at the next intersection, they reached a dead end, blocked by metal grates.
"What do we do now?" Simone wheezed, still clutching her side, "The thing will be able to find us."
Severus panted, hands on his knees, "The creature may kill with a look, but it relies more on scent to find prey rather than sight. We need to confuse its senses."
"Nesme," he said, "You got any dungbombs?"
"Um, maybe? Nesme said, looking through her bag. Judging by how deep her arm went into the thing, the purse was much larger on the inside than it appeared, "Perhaps I wedged some in next to the blood replenishers…?"
"We could use one of those over here," Thea said, holding up a swaying Simone.
"Oh, just give me the bloody thing," Severus snapped, taking the bag from Nesme. He tossed a blood replenisher to Thea before rummaging around in the bag, "You've got everything but the kitchen cauldrons in here…"
Severus's hand closed over a peculiar parcel, something circular and wrapped in cloth.
"What…" he trailed off, looking at Nesme.
Nesme looked away sheepishly.
"Ahem," Sirius coughed, bringing everyone's attention to him, "You haven't asked me if I have what you need."
Severus rolled his eyes, "Let me guess…you have dungbombs on you at all times, don't you?"
Sirius managed a cheeky grin, slowing regaining some of his wits as he recovered from the earlier blow by the basilisk, "Never leave home without them."
He pulled out several dungbombs from his pockets.
"Perfect," Severus said taking them and venturing back down to the last corner they rounded, "We need to be quick."
Realizing what was about to happen, everyone pulled the collars of their shirts up over their noses.
Activating one, Severus tossed it down the tunnel with as much force as he could muster, grimacing as the smell hit his nose.
"We need them spread out," he informed the others, levitating another dungbomb and sending it off down the tunnel, "If we overpower the creature with this smell, it won't be able to scent us out."
Behind him, Peter groaned, groggily opening his eyes, "Wha' happ'n?"
"Peter!" Marlene cried, practically dragging the poor boy off of Jame's furry back as she hugged him, "You're okay."
"What's going on?" Peter asked wearily, blinking to try and clear his foggy mind, "What's that horrid smell?"
"You were possessed, Pettigrew," Severus said simply, "That diary you lot were trying to get from us in the bathroom was a cursed object, one we've been trying to destroy. When you opened it, it took hold of you. You were the one who set fire to the Slytherin dorms."
"I-I did?" Peter asked worriedly. He placed his head in his hands, "This is awful…I'll be expelled for sure."
"You were being controlled, Peter," Marlene soothed, "You didn't know what you were doing. Dumbledore will understand."
"That is if we ever make it out of here alive," Severus griped, "That basilisk is still pursuing us."
"Basilisk?!" Peter cried, trembling with fear.
Severus held a finger to his lips, "Quiet! I think I hear it."
Severus strained his ears, focusing intensely on the unsettling silence. Sure enough, if he listened closely he could make out the sound of something large slithering down the tunnels.
"It's hunting for us," he stated, "But I doubt the thing can smell where we are."
"Maybe its best we mess with some other sense too," Sirius suggesting shakily getting to his feet.
"Be careful, Sirius," Remus pleaded.
Sirius shot him a cocky grin, the kind that turned girls' legs to jelly, "Aren't I always?"
With further ado, Sirius turned back into a dog, his likeness reminiscent of a Grim. Taking a deep breath, he barked loudly.
"Shh!" Severus hissed, "Are you trying to get us killed?"
"Wait," Lily said, placing a hand on Severus shoulder, "Listen."
The barking echoed off the walls, bouncing around with a powerful reverb. It almost seemed to drill straight into their ears. The sound traveled down the tunnels, echoing off every surface.
"I don't think it will be able to tell which way the sound came from, Lily pointed out, "That will give us time to try and escape while its down another tunnel."
Everyone listened anxiously, intently.
Eventually, the sliding, slithering sound of the basilisk got farther and farther away.
"I think it's gone for now," Sirius said as he transformed back, "We should move now; while the snake's gone, we have a chance to incapacitate Voldemort and get out of here."
"We still need its venom," Severus pointed out.
"It's the only way to destroy a horcrux," he added for the others who had not been privy to the earlier conversation.
"How do you know?" Thea asked, carefully tending to Simone.
Severus filled them in on Riddle's peculiar reaction back in the main room when the basilisk was dripping venom.
"If we get its venom, we can destroy this thing," he finished, gesturing to the diary in his hands."
"No offense, Snape, but there is no way I'm facing down a basilisk if there's an option to get out without fighting it," James said, sauntering over in human form.
"But we need it—"
"Snape, if we get out of here alive, I will spend every scent I own buying all the basilisk venom you could ever need," Simone interrupted, hacking up blood, "But for now, my side hurts like a bitch and I'm pretty sure I've punctured a lung."
Lily griped Severus hand, "Let's get moving before it gets back."
Begrudgingly, Severus followed the others out of the tunnels, everyone moving as silently as possible.
"This is terrible," Peter whimpered, "I didn't mean to open the chamber…Why did it have to target me?"
"You're an emotional mess," Severus said tartly, "Ideally; the diary would be looking for someone desperate for a friend; someone who felt alone. You'd be the ideal target."
Peter whimpered more, his lower lip trembling.
"It's not your fault, Peter," Marlene assured, sending a glare Severus's way, "You can't be blamed for that thing being evil."
"But it targeted me because I'm hopeless," Peter insisted forlornly, "If I wasn't such a weakling, this wouldn't have happened."
Peter tugged his hair with his hands, "I'm worthless!"
"Hey," Sirius said sternly, "Knock it off. I didn't befriend you because you were some pitying coward."
"Yeah, Wormtail," James added, "Do you honestly think we would have picked you to be a marauder if you were as awful as you think?"
Peter looked gratefully back and forth between his friends, "Did you really come down here to save me?"
"Well, you and Moony," Sirius said, slinging an arm around Remus's shoulder.
"And we'd do it again, too," Marlene insisted fiercely, "I wasn't about to let anything happen to you, Peter."
Peter smiled gratefully at Marlene.
Severus tiptoed to the end of the last tunnel back towards the main chamber, "I don't see it out here. This would be a lot easier with Dumbledore around."
"I said I was sorry," Mary fumed, "I meant to go get him; these two intercepted me."
"Let's not bicker," Lily intervened, "Maybe Myrtle told someone what's going on. Or perhaps someone found Slughorn; that would raise the alarms."
James tilted his head, "Why? What happened to Slughorn?"
Severus jerked his thumb at the hobbling Simone, "This one knocked him out cold in his office."
"What?" Sirius bawked, only to be shushed by the others. He continued in a quieter voice, "You knock out old Sluggie?"
"In defense of a second party," Simone huffed, looking to Thea, "I'm sure that's perfectly legal in the court of law."
Sirius was grinning like a fool, thoroughly entertained, "I think I'm starting to like you, Serapeum."
"And I think you're all starting to get on my nerves," Tom drawled as the group re-entered the chamber.
Instantly everyone was on the alert, wands at the ready.
Tom looked much the same as when they left him, only there was a slight translucence to his skin, a ghostly blur at the edges. The loosening of his hold on Peter was taking its toll.
"Ah, I see you managed to wake up dear Pettigrew," Tom observed, "How humorous; you actually think that whelp will add to your numbers. Please, he hardly counts as half a wizard."
Peter flushed in embarrassment, eyes downcast.
"It's over Tom," Severus said, "Without your snake to divide our attentions, you cannot hope to fend us all off."
"Because you were doing so well fighting me before," Tom said mockingly, twirling Peter's wand in his hand, "Hasn't it sunk in by now? None of you are a match for me. Be it by yourselves or all as one."
"We'll see about that," Severus growled. He launched a curse in Tom's direction, it glancing over his shoulder to hit the column behind him.
Tom smirked, "Getting sloppy, Severus."
Severus smirked back, "Wasn't aiming for you that time."
The column behind Tom began to crumble, destabilized by Severus's curse. Tom barely had time to get out of the way of the falling stone before it crushed him.
That was all the opening the others needed.
Davis fired a binding spell, wrapping Tom up in thorny vines that dug into the boy's skin.
Nesme shot off a stinging hex, managing to nail Tom in the legs, causing him to buckle and drop to his knees.
As the spells continued, Peter started to look more steady on his feet, some color returning to his face.
Tom flicked his wand at his side and banished the vines, sending a stunner at Davis that nailed him in the chest, toppling him.
"You really don't get it, do you?" Tom sneered, blasting Nesme off her feet as she went to aide Davis, "I'm the Dark Lord. The destined Master of Death and all the wizarding world. What hope could a pathetic group of blood traitors and mudbloods have to defeat me?"
He bowled Simone over with a crucio, sending the wounded girl sprawling to the floor with a bloodcurdling scream.
When Sirius transformed and lunged at him, Tom sliced his wand through the air crudely, causing Sirius to roll away with a howl of pain, blood seeping from his muzzle.
"I'm unstoppable," Tom went on, wordlessly waving his wand at Remus. The werewolf dropped to his knees, crying out in agony, "Even if you stop me here, the real me is still out there, growing stronger, amassing an army."
The massive stag where James once stood bellowed, charging Tom with his antlers lowered at the ready. Tom blasted him away as if he was little more than a fly, the animagus landing several feet away, one of his front legs bent at an awkward angle.
Marlene stood protectively in front of Peter, casting shield after shield with Severus as Tom assaulted their defenses with a slew of curses, the dome like, glistening clear shield they erected beginning to fracture and crack.
"None of you know what it's like to have true power," Tom said with pride, "You're worthless, weak," he said the last part with a nasty smile at Peter.
"Don't listen to him," Marlene said, struggling to maintain her shield.
"You may be right about one thing," Severus called out through gritted teeth, hand clutching his wand with all his might, "The real Tom is out there. All you are is a lousy copy. Not even a good one, at that. What use could the Dark Lord have for a version of himself that existed before he truly came to power?"
Tom's eyes turned into dangerous slits, "How dare you…"
"You're little more than an untrained child," Severus pressed on, even as the shield around him started to crumble, "Sure you've picked up some skills here and there, but how long has the real you been out there honing his skills? Twenty, thirty years? He's more powerful than you'll ever hope to be."
"Silence," Tom shouted.
"Do you really think he'll welcome you with open arms?" Severus goaded, "You know yourself better than anyone, Tom. Would you honestly let another version of yourself grow to power?"
"I said shut up!" Tom yelled.
Severus grinned, putting the final nail in the coffin, "Face it, Tom. There can be only one Lord Voldemort, and he won't let anyone get in his way; not even himself!"
Tom let out a roar of rage, hurling a massive curse at Severus.
The blast broke through Severus's shield with enough force to send him flying several yards away.
Lily and the others crashed to the ground.
"Sev!" Lily shrieked, searching frantically for her wand.
Severus panted, struggling up onto all fours, his head throbbing madly. He felt a trickled of blood seep down his face.
Tom advanced on Severus, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Severus crawled towards his wand hanging precariously over the ledge of the stone pathway, teetering dangerously close to the water.
"Look at you," Tom gloated, "Crawling on your belly like a worm."
Agonizing pain shot through Severus, every nerve felt as if it were burning, like venomous fire ants running through his veins.
"Weak," Tom uttered, casting another Crucio, "Useless."
'Endure it,' ordered himself, gritting his teeth through the onslaught, biting so hard he could feel blood dribbling down his chin, 'Endure it, damn it. How many times did Tobias beat you? How many times did he leaving you bleeding. Endure it!'
Severus forced himself onward, inch by inch.
Severus's fingers closed over his wand just as Tom's foot came down hard on his back. He could see Tom's arrogant face reflected back at him from the water's surface.
"You're good at playing mind games, Severus," Tom praised, a nasty smirk on his face, "But that's all it is; games."
Tom pointed his stolen wand at Severus, a cold look of victory on his face, "And I'm tired of playing with you."
"Severus!" Lily cried, scrambling to find her wand.
"Any last words?" Tom asked.
"Just this," Severus grunted out an answer, staring down at Riddle's reflection, "Next time you want to kill someone, do it instead of just talking about it."
Severus pointed his wand at Riddle's reflection, "Sectumsempra Speculum!"
Tom let loose an agonizing cry as cuts opened up all over his body, deep angry gashes bleeding profusely down the front of his robes.
"What magic is this?" he cried, clutching at his mangled arms, running his hands over his wound littered chest.
"My magic," Severus informed him coldly, getting to his feet, "I've spent a lot of time modifying that one."
Lily raced to Severus, wrapping an arm around his waist to steady him.
There was a scurry of activity behind them. When the three of them turned around, Peter was clutching his wand that Tom had dropped.
"And what," Tom wheezed, "Are you going to do with that, boy?"
Peter didn't answer, looking petrified at Tom.
Tom croaked out a laugh, "Pathetic."
"That's enough, Tom," Severus commanded, pointing his wand at Tom.
Tom only laughed harder, "By all means, hurt me more, Severus. You'll find it will do you little good. You can harm me all you like, but you forget one key thing."
Tom pointed at the diary Severus had dropped in the scuffle, "Until the ritual is complete, I am neither alive nor dead. Its destroy the diary, or nothing."
He shuffled on bloody, crippled legs towards Severus.
"Cut off an arm," he said, "Chop off a leg. Drain every drop of blood from my body. It'll make no difference; you can't kill what isn't truly yet alive."
"D-don't move," Peter ordered with less conviction than he probably intended. He pointed his wand at Tom, "I s-said don't move."
Tom chuckled, "So Peter wants to play the hero, now. How charming."
Behind them, the basilisk burst force from the deepest part of the waterway with a mighty roar.
Everyone still conscious instantly ducked their heads, refusing to meet its eyes.
Tom hissed something at the creature, holding if off with a way of his hand.
"It would seem our time is at an end," he said, "but first…"
He turned toward Peter, a cruel smile on his face, "Do you honestly think you can do anything to stop me? You? Of all people? Look at you, weak, pathetic, barely a wizard at all."
"Don't listen to him, Peter," Marlene pleaded, sluggishly righting herself after being blasted away by her broken shield charm, "He doesn't know the first thing about you."
"Oh, but I know plenty," Tom laughed, "Poor little Peter Pettigrew, always picked last for everything; nobody's first choice…"
"He's wrong!" Marlene yelled.
"You've got Felix Felicis in you, Pettigrew," Severus called out, "I slipped you some earlier, regardless of what he may say about your skills, luck's on your side."
"How did you think this would play out?" Tom asked Peter, "That you'd save the day? Get the girl? What a lovely fantasy."
"He's more of a man than you, Tom," Severus said, surprising himself, "He may be frightened, but he's still holding his ground. You're so terrified of death you had to go making Horcuxes just to tie yourself to this earth."
"I've conquered death," Tom argued fiercely, "Something not even that fool Dumbledore could ever dare to do."
"That's because Dumbledore isn't so spineless as to kill someone else off just to save himself," Lily said angrily.
Tom glowered at her, "You have such faith in your precious Dumbledore. But tell me, where is he now? Did he send children to do his bidding?"
Behind him, the basilisk hissed menacingly, eager for its bloody feast.
"Dumbledore doesn't know we're here," Peter declared shakily, "But if he did, he'd come for us. A-and then you'd be sorry."
"You honestly think he cares for you?" Tom mocked, "You're practically a squib."
"D-Dumbledore stands by anyone who has hope," Peter said heatedly, "If…if he actually thought I was worthless, he never would have let me into this school. Or Remus, or Sirius."
"Dumbledore has always stuck his neck out for me and my friends," Peter went on, a little more sure of himself, "A-and if he knew we needed him now, he'd be here."
A piercing cry split the air, making them all whip around.
A large majestic bird flew through the air, clutching something in its talons. Feathers a fiery crimson, it's wing span was huge, its tail a sweeping plume reminiscent of flames.
A phoenix.
Behind it, flapping its wings at a furious pace just to keep up, was none other than Pudge, Simone's beloved new owl.
The phoenix swooped low, dropping its cargo at Peter's feet.
Hesistantly, Peter bent down and picked it up, unrolling it.
"Is that," Marlene said quizzically, "The sorting hat?"
Tom laughed, "This is what Dumbledore sends his champions? Some overgrown bird and an old hat?"
Before anyone could say anything, a shriek of pain came from the basilisk.
Fawkes and Pudge were pecking furiously at its eyes, blood splattering down onto the ground.
"No!" Tom yelled.
Simone sat up weakly, "That's my Pudge…you flying pillow of seething hatred…" she collapsed feebly onto her back once again, Thea clinging to her side in a panic.
The basilisk shook its head as hard as it could, finally managing to break free of the birds beaks and talons. But they'd already accomplished their goal; where once the basilisk's eyes sat, were two bloody holes.
"You've blinded my serpent!" Tom yelled, enraged, "He may not be able to see you, but he can still smell and hear you."
Tom hissed at the creature.
"Grab whoever you can and run," Severus ordered Lily.
For once, Lily didn't argue against leaving his side, grabbing Mary off up the ground and making a beeline for the exit.
"Move now!" Severus shouted to the others, "Before it's too late."
Thea managed to get Simone to her feet, the pair of them dragging an unconscious James by the legs.
Davis, feebly stirring, barely registered Nesme tugging him along.
Severus blinked woozily, his vision spinning; the injury to his head may be a concussion. He ran a hand through his hair, his palm coming away bloody. Every nerve ending was spasming and twitching in pain.
The basilisk advanced sightlessly on them, chasing the sound of their footsteps and obeying whatever directions Tom may be hissing at it.
Marlene tumbled out of the way of a swing of the creatures tail, "Peter, we need to get Sirius and Remus." She pointed to the aforementioned pair, Remus weakly trying to pick up Sirius as his own body twitched and spasmed from the aftereffects of the crucio.
"Peter!" Marlene called again when she received no response.
Peter stood looking down at the sorting hat, lost in thought.
"Do you see now, boy?" Tom taunted, "Dumbledore has abandoned you with little more than a mockery of good will. You'll die down here; all of you will."
The basilisk bore down on Peter, goaded on by Tom's instructions.
"Peter he's wrong," Marlene said, nearly sobbing, "Dumbledore wouldn't abandon us, abandon you. You're worth something Peter, you matter."
"How sweet," Tom teased, breathing shallowly from his wounds, "Some sweet nothings before he dies."
"Peter, you mean more to me than you realize," Marlene continued, struggling to stand on a sprained ankle. Remember at the Christmas party in our dorms? The guy I snogged. It was you, Peter, and I know you know this. But you didn't act like other boys. When you sought me out, it was to spend time with me, not because you expected me to give you more. I'm a person to you, and…and that's meant the world to me. You mean the world to me!"
Peter stared in shock at Marlene, unable to look away, even as the beast hurtled towards him.
"No!" Severus shouted, running towards the oblivious boy. He cursed; he'd never reached Pettigrew in time.
Everything happened in a rush. One moment Peter was facing down the menacing snake as Marlene and Severus rushed towards him, the next moment, there was a clunk, a flash of silver and the basilisk reeled back with a screeched of pain.
Peter clutched in his hands a magnificent, ornate sword, it's blade gleaming with the basilisk's blood.
The basilisk reared back, the pain only spurring its rage on further. With a deafening roar, the creature lunged forward, mouth agape.
"Peter!" Marlene screamed.
Peter narrowly jumped to the side, the creature's head hitting the ground beside him as it's jaws snapped shut over empty air.
As if guided by an unseen force, Peter raised the sword above his head and impaled it through the beast's head, the creature letting out one bloodcurdling screech before falling limp, its body crashing to the ground.
"No!" Riddle cried, hobbling towards the basilisk.
Severus wobbled towards the diary while Tom was distracted, the room spinning.
"You fool!" Tom hissed dangerously at Peter, dragging his broken body towards the shaking boy, "I'll kill you!"
"H-hey Tom," Severus panted.
Tom whirled around, eyes going wide as he saw the diary in Severus's hands. Wand clutched firmly in his other hand, he had the dead basilisk's mouth pried open, revealing glistening fangs.
"You should take better care of your things," Severus huffed out.
Before Tom could stop him, Severus thrusted the diary down onto one of the fangs, releasing his spell and letting the jaw crushed down over it.
A strange, animal like yell echoed around the chamber from within the beast's jaws, ink spewing from its mouth.
All at once Tom screamed, parts of his body flaking away to reveal beaming light. Consumed by the destructive glow, Tom burst into oblivion, leaving nothing of himself behind.
"We…" Severus bit out, pausing to catch his breath, "We did it."
Marlene all but threw herself at Peter, arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again," she warned angrily.
"Sev," Lily raced to Severus side, steadying him, "Sev, are you okay?"
"Just a little woozy," he assured her, "We need to find a way back out. But first…Nesme, bring your bag over."
Curious, Nesme left Davis propped up against the wall, quickly coming to Severus side.
"I believe you have something else in that bag that needs destroying?" Severus theorized.
Nesme grinned sheepishly, reaching into her bag.
"Figured out what it was, huh?" she asked, pulling out something wrapped tightly in cloth.
Severus took the parcel from her, carefully unwrapping the diadem, "You knew we were going to try and destroy the diary once and for all. Seemed likely you'd hope we could get rid of the diadem too."
Severus looked at her, a knowing smirk on her face, "Did you really plan to cast fiendfyre down here to destroy them both?"
Nesme shrugged, ignoring the gasps that question got from Marlene and Lily, "it's a huge, magically guarded chamber. Worst case scenario we destroy the whole bloody chamber; I'd call that a win."
Severus rolled his eyes, ignoring the pounding in his skull, "I believe the worst case scenario would be us burning alive."
"Yeah, I guess there's that," Nesme conceded.
"Lily," Severus said, turning to the girl, "Could you assist me with this?"
With Lily's help, Severus opened the creature's mouth again, the now ink covered, ruined diary laying on its tongue.
"Helena will be thrilled," Severus said.
Carefully placing the diadem the basilisk's mouth, he gave Lily the go ahead, "Drop it."
Lily let the basilisk's jaw drop, one of its fangs coming down and piercing the diadem right through the jeweled center.
Again, an inhumane wail filled the air, thick black plumes of smoke seeping out of the creature's mouth.
Finally, they'd done it; two horcruxes destroyed.
Severus letting the relief wash over him before the darkness fell over his eyes.
In all honesty, I'm loving the image of a dog-form Sirius trying to make human facial expressions while as a dog. Just seems funny to me.
So as usual, I've taken some clear liberties with the whole Horcrux thing. If the more life Diary Tom gets he becomes more alive, then the more injured he becomes, the more the life force he's stealing returns to the original owner, something Harry wouldn't have known from his encounter since in canon, Harry never has an opportunity to harm Tom because Tom took his wand.
You know, it is really hard to write the simultaneous actions of so many people in one setting. It's like, "Okay, we have that guy doing this, but then, oh no! What should that guy be doing?" Occasionally I found myself scrolling back some to see where some of my characters fucked off to.
Review folks!