Penny's eyes flickered open to be face to face with a giant serpent. She let out a little shriek as she struggled to her feet, before coming to her senses and she realised she was looking at the head of the snake skin. Remembering where she was she turned to look at the rock face that had formed, stars appearing before her eyes as she did so. Reaching up she felt hot blood on her hand as she touched the back of her head. Cursing, she raised her wand and healed the superficial surface of the wound. She knew that it needed to be cleaned out and healed properly, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. She looked round as she heard movement, and she saw Ron getting to his feet, purposefully kicking an unconscious Lockhart.
'Ron? Penny?' Harry's voice came muffled through the rock.
'We're ok. Well, Lockhart isn't but who cares!' Ron shouted back 'What are we going to do now?' There was a pause before Harry replied.
'I'll go on. See you in a bit' He said with fake courage. Ron and Penny moved to start shifting some of the rock out the way, which despite the use of Penny's wand was frustratingly slow, as neither of them wanted to risk causing the rest of the ceiling to cave in. When they had made a smallish gap Penny immediately squeezed through, leaving Ron on the other side.
'Hey!' He shouted angrily 'Come back! Don't you dare leave me here!'
'You wand is useless, and you are barely better' Snapped Penny back 'You'd be no use right now, except to make this hole bigger, Harry needs me more than you' and with that Penny ran along the tunnel, leaving a fuming Ron behind the wall of rock. Although her logic was correct, it was something she knew he would never forgive her for.
Reaching the end of the tunnel with the two serpents, Penny had hissed, ordering them to open, which they did. Wand drawn she ran swiftly but silently along the chamber, slowing as she heard voices, one she recognised was Harry, the other she didn't know but was definitely male. Peering round the edge of the last pillar she saw Harry and a tall older boy. At their feet was Ginny, motionless, her black diary lying beside her. Glancing back at the boys Penny was confused. Why were they just talking with Ginny like that? And something about the older boy didn't seem right. She knew she had never seen him at the school, and yet he seemed familiar to her. That and his outline wasn't normal, almost like a ghost. Penny strained her hearing to catch what they were saying.
'How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?' The older boy said coldly. Harry seemed as puzzled as Penny until the boy used what looked like Harry's wand to write in the air.
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE which changed into I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. Penny's eyes widened. This was the boy from the diary, and yet here in the flesh. This was a young Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard of all time, stood in the same room as her. She stood frozen to the spot as Harry and Voldemort argued. Out of nowhere Fawkes the phoenix had appeared with the Sorting Hat, which seemed ridiculous to Penny in the situation. Voldemort had laughed, turned and approached the huge statue at the back of the Chamber speaking to it in Parseltongue.
'Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four' The mouth of the statue opened and the Basilisk uncoiled out of it. Penny stared at the creature as Harry backed up and started running away from it. Penny however felt strangely unafraid; somehow she knew it would not harm her.
'Kill him' the young Voldemort hissed. As Harry shot past her Penny stepped out from her hiding place revealing her presence and faced the Basilisk, averting her gaze slightly from its own.
'Leave him!' She shouted with as much authority as she could. The serpent froze on the spot, its limited serpent facial features appearing confused. Both Harry and Voldemort stared between her and the snake.
'I said kill him' Hissed Voldemort glaring at this newcomer with anger, still staring between the Basilisk and her, fear showing through at the monsters obedience to this small girl 'You only obey me, the Heir of Slytherin' He spat angrily at the giant snake, which recoiled from him.
'She IS the Heir of Slytherin' the giant serpent replied in its icy voice.
'No stupid creature I am the last living descendant of Slytherin!' Voldemort shouted 'She cannot be the Heir of Slytherin unless she was….' Silence filled the air asVoldemort's bluey green eyes met Penny's own identical eyes as all three of them realised the truth at the same moment 'My daughter…Impossible.' Voldemort finished with a gasp and his pale complex took on a hint of colour as he studied the girl in front of him.
Penny stared back at him, her stomach twisting nastily in her gut. She wasn't… she couldn't be the daughter of the darkest wizard ever to have existed, she couldn't be. But the truth was reflected in his eyes, her eyes. Her advanced magical abilities, her ability to speak Parseltongue….perhaps she inherited his darkness and that was why….. She dragged her thoughts away as Voldemort began speaking again.
'What is your name?' He demanded toying with the wand in his hand.
'Penny Black' She replied, raising her own wand higher in response to his movement, he eyed her wand lazily as he noted her young age.
'Black, that's a Pureblood name, yes your mother would have been a Pureblood' He said, more to himself than anyone else 'I guess I wouldn't have wanted to pass on my filthy Muggle father's name. Do you know your mother, girl?' He asked, scrutinizing her face, looking disappointed as she shook her head. They both appeared to have forgotten Harry who looked helplessly between the two of them, forcing himself to ignore the gigantic snake in front of him. Its tail flickered in distress, making something soft hit him in the face. The Sorting Hat.
'You, you were….inside Ginny' said Penny faintly, realising what she had witnessed as she glanced towards the small figure on the floor at Voldemort's feet. He smiled in a self satisfied manner, causing coils of rage to form in Penny's stomach.
'Ah yes, the silly little girl, pathetic really, but she had her uses. Beyond now she is useless, Potter here is of no interest to me anymore but you' Voldemort cocked his head to one side, like a curious dog, as he looked her up and down. 'I never thought I would procreate…but I admit curiosity in my progeny. You may prove useful yet in my attempts to bring order to the world'
'And who says I want anything to do with YOUR world order crap?' Challenged Penny, glaring as Voldemort laughed his chilling high laugh.
'I do like a bit of spirit my child' He mused 'But you appear to be under the belief that I was asking you. You may either obey me or die.'
'You have killed one of my friends' Penny said, her voice shaking with anger 'You have tried to kill two more of them. Two words for you. Screw you!' Penny shouted with more gusto than she felt. Voldemort's mouth twisted into an angry snarl, but as he opened his mouth to speak they heard a horrible shrieking noise. Turning they saw that whilst they were talking Harry had somehow managed to get hold of a sword and had snuck up on the Basilisk, who had been looking confusedly between its two Heirs. Now with his eyes screwed shut, Harry had rammed the sword into the roof of the serpent's mouth, its blood squirting thickly from the wound.
'NO! You filthy half blood scum!' Screamed Voldemort raising the wand in his hand to point it at Harry. Without thinking about it Penny flicked her own wand, taking Harry's feet from under him, allowing Voldemort's spell the hit the jaw of the Basilisk above him instead, scattering its fangs around the Chamber.
Hissing furiously Voldemort turned his wand on Penny, deflecting her curse with ease. For a couple minutes they duelled, Voldemort easily reflecting her spells, whilst Penny's tiny frame managed to evade his curses by inches. As one of his spells nearly hit her again she darted behind a pillar as the spells hit it. Out the corner of her eye she saw Harry dragging Ginny's limp body out of harm's way.
'Stupid child! Do you truly think you can match the power of Lord Voldemort?' He snarled 'Clearly conceiving you was a mistake! I shall find your mother, child and she shall feel the full wrath of Lord Voldemort!' He shouted down the corridor at her. Penny felt rage pulse through her veins as her hatred welled up inside her. Without thinking she span round the corner, no words coming to her as she started flicking her wand through the air at random. Golden flames erupted from the tip of her wand, knocking Voldemort off balance. Startled he gathered himself and fought back harder. A furious exchanged of curses ensued, Penny not even knowing how or what she was doing, working purely on instinct. Finally sixteen year old Voldemort over powered her, a curse knocking her to the ground and disarming her. As she did so Fawkes swooped over her head with a dark shape in its clutches.
'Impressive.' Voldemort commented reluctantly 'You would have been a powerful follower, but you are too easy to read, too predictabe, you chose to defy Lord Voldemort and he does not forgive' He raised the wand, his eyes meeting Penny's identical eyes. Penny's eyes widened, her entire existence flashing in front of her to this moment. This was how it was going to end. Killed by her own father, unable to avenge Hermione, unable to save Ginny, never knowing who her mother was….
'Hey Riddle!' Shouted Harry from behind the dead head of the Basilisk, holding a detached fang to the black diary 'Forgive this!' Voldemort let out a high pitched scream as the fang pierced a hole into the diary.