Fawkes

I must be going crazy, but I was sure I heard music. Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on my scalp and made my heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that I felt it vibrating inside my own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle.

A second later, the bird was flying straight at Potter. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Potter looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.

The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle.

"That's a phoenix. . . ." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.

"Fawkes?" Potter breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently.

"And that—" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat—"

So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Potter's feet.

Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark Chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once— "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"

Potter didn't answer.

"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice—in your past, in my future—we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

With the phoenix nearby I finally felt like I could take control of my own body again. It was clear I could no longer stand by and watch. Riddle stood with his back to me and Vin and Ginny. The odds did not seem very good. At least at this point I had the advantage of not being watched. I felt sure Riddle had forgotten me and Vin were in the room And we had the sorting hat. Maybe I could disarm him. He might be Voldemort, but he was still a school boy - who was weak. Then I'd countercharm Vin and with Potter we should be able to get Ginny away and keep Riddle here.

At least it felt like a plan. Besides I needed to act, Riddle told us himself, Ginny was growing weaker.

I raised my wand. "Expelliarmus," I yelled. Riddle looked shocked. He looked enraged. But then Riddle's twisted smile was widening again. I freed Vin out of his frozen state, who immediately stood up, sweating, while gently letting Ginny lay on the ground. Potter looked tensely to Riddle. His smile was unnerving. I walked towards Potter, grabbed the hat at his feet and then pushed his wand in his hands. All three had our wands trained at him, but he seemed far from worried.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him... And of course, we'll see how you friends fare."

He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then looked at me and Vin, then walked away. I was definitely scared, I watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed.

I shuddered. Potter wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder. I followed his gaze. Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, I saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole.

And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

We backed away until we hit the dark Chamber wall. "Don't look," Vin said urgently.

Great. Good. I mean, of course. We'd be dead if we looked the basilisk in the eye, but would we not be just as dead standing here backed against the wall with our eyes shut?

Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. I felt it shudder—I knew what was happening, I could feel it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then I heard Riddle's hissing voice again.

I feel as panicked as Potter sounds. "We have to run, don't look, try to go the other way: it wants me." We began to run, at least I think we did, I could not be sure about the other two since I had my eyes closed. I ran blindly, hands outstretched, feeling my way. Behind we heard its body slithering.

Someone tripped. Voldemort was laughing. I kept running, just till my heart stopped throbbing so painful. I should go back. But then I'd die. It must have been Potter that tripped, since the basilisk seemed to have stopped following us.

There was a loud, explosive spitting sound. It was too late. Potter must be dead. I should just flee, but I could not move. I opened my eyes and saw Vin standing next to me. We both had opened our eyes. What now, did Vin's eyes seem to ask. I harshly breathed in, trying to remember the phoenix song and jammed the sorting hat on, running back into the chamber.