It had proceeded into horrible territory.
But right now? Well, right now was pure, unadulterated hell.
Time was funny sometimes. The incident with Tonks tripping into Lockhart had happened in slow motion to Harry. But right now, staring down what he now knew to be a younger Voldemort as well as having a basilisk steadily approaching... Now, everything was happening far too quickly. Harry wasn't being given enough time to collect his thoughts and to think of what would be the best thing to do, logically. Of course, he rarely got this opportunity. Especially at Hogwarts.
As the stone mouth of Salazar Slytherin crashed open, Harry took off running in the opposite direction, heading for the entrance to the room. He heard Riddle speak to the basilisk in what was very clearly Parseltongue, followed by the monster's loud hiss in reply.
Things had started out innocently enough, sure. Harry had entered, seeing Ginny laying in the damp semi-circle in front of a monsterously large stone head. Harry knew it was Slytherin without a doubt, as the man's face was plastered everywhere down in the dark abyss he had been wandering through for the past twenty minutes. Running up, Harry had checked Ginny's wrist for a pulse. Finding one, albeit a faint one, Harry got to his feet and was about to think of the best way to take her back with him when Riddle had entered.
From there, things had quickly spiralled downward. Harry was told of how Riddle was behind everything, both past and present, concerning the Chamber's opening and the basilisk's release. Apparently, the creatures had phenominally long lifespans, though Harry couldn't imagine how on earth something like that would stay alive for fifty years without anything to eat. Even taking hibernation into account, the timeframe for it was desperately screwed up.
Riddle had then gone into a thankfully long, boring spiel about who he really was. While this came as a complete shock to Harry, it also gave the Ravenclaw time to think about his next move. Obviously, Riddle wasn't intending for either of them to escape with their lives. And unless Tonks blasted clear a good-enough hole, it would be pointless to try running, anyway.
All of this had degraded into Harry trying to hex Riddle senseless. But his magic proved to be less than successful on the Dark Wizard's memory. Harry had ended up on the ground, wandless. It had been picked up by Riddle... and he didn't seem to be too keen on returning it.
Rushing into one of the many large pipes that branched off from the main path, Harry flattened himself into the first small opening he could, hoping that the basilisk wouldn't sense him there. Out of all the bad days he had had in the last year, this one definitely topped them all. He was powerless, had a honking big beast chasing him, a madman whose bloody memory wanted him dead, and he was lacking any form of backup whatsoever.
Feeling the tunnel shake slightly, Harry ducked further back into the shadows and held his breath. A moment later, the giant serpent slithered past disturbingly fast. Harry bolted from his hiding spot, knowing that the thing could never turn around in a space it could barely even fit into. But instead of running out of the pipe, he followed after the basilisk. By the time it got out and turned back around, Harry would either be hiding in another hole or running off down another branching path.
'Think, dammit!' Harry thought to himself as he quietly walked a few paces behind the now-slowed basilisk. For whatever reason, the serpent had literally slowed to a crawl and seemed to be inspecting its surroundings better. 'Huge monster, no arsenal at my disposal, no reinforcements, never told Tonks I loved her... having a wonderful time of it today...'
Thankfully, Harry's luck decided to throw him a bone once again. A small opening - too small for the basilisk to get into, certainly - opened up as the large snake continued down the tunnel. Harry peered down it. It was dark, it seemed to go on a fair distance... Harry weighed his options. He could either risk fate again by continuing to follow the basilisk, or he could head into the smaller tunnel and risk possibly getting trapped.
Harry rushed into the tunnel.
He could hear Riddle yelling at the basilisk in Parseltongue as it emerged. The Dark Lord's younger self wasn't happy that his giant death beast continued to not kill things. Meanwhile, Harry had found the other end of the smaller tunnel. Like the larger one, it branched off in two directions. There wasn't any water flowing through this one, however, like there had been with the previous one. On one hand, it could let Harry be stealthy. On the other, so could anything else that could fit into it. And unfortunately enough for Harry, the small tunnel had opened up a fair amount. It wasn't so small anymore. Harry was certain that the basilisk couldn't get into it, but he wasn't about to wait in one place to find out.
When he emerged, he found himself back down near the main chamber's entrance. Well, that was just great. The basilisk wasn't anywhere in sight, but Riddle still loomed over Ginny's body. Harry took off running towards them. He needed to get his wand and he needed to get Ginny, basilisk or no.
For whatever reason, Riddle wasn't attacking. Harry figured it was because he wasn't entirely 'whole' yet. He still needed some kind of catalyst to trigger his memory phasing into reality properly. Whatever that was, Harry didn't want to know. He had a sinking suspicion death was involved, however.
Just as he knelt down beside Ginny to once again check her pulse, - still weak - something happened. Harry could almost sense something bad approaching. He knew things weren't quite right. But, as he glanced over his shoulder, he saw just how bad they were.
Gilderoy Lockhart, quite conscious, had entered the chamber. Just behind him floated Tonks, apparently out cold. Lockhart's wand was out and aimed slightly over one shoulder. As he approached Harry, he glanced between him, Riddle, and Ginny. Keeping a safe distance away, Lockhart smirked. "Well, well, well... what do we have here?"
"You...!" Harry began. But, unable to quite properly express the flurry of emotions that had entered his system, was unable to say more than that.
"Ahh... you must be the 'Professor Lockhart' that Miss Weasley spoke of." Said Riddle, stepping around Harry and walking towards the older man. "Hard to miss someone such as yourself. Tell me... why are you here?"
"And who might you be?" Asked Lockhart, setting Tonks down none too easily as he aimed his wand forward and at Riddle, who simply smirked in response. Getting no answer, Lockhart continued, "Not going to speak, are you? We'll see about that..."
But Harry knew the real reason that Riddle was smirking. So silently that it was frightening, the basilisk had emerged from the pipes again, slowly creeping up behind Lockhart. Warning sirens were blaring in Harry's head. Tonks was behind Lockhart. Tonks was in mortal danger. Tonks would die if he didn't do something.
"BEHIND YOU!" Harry finally cried, his voice coming back, at last. "The basilisk's behind you, you idiot! Get Tonks out of here! NOW!"
Lockhart's glance slid from Riddle to Harry, a chuckle slipping from his mouth. "Come now, dear boy... Even in the wizarding world, that's the oldest trick in the book."
"You assume he's lying." Riddle said, his smile growing as his eyes moved from Lockhart to the basilisk, which was now raising up higher.
"Your little friend in on it, is he?" Lockhart began, shaking his head. "I don't know what kind of game you two think you're playing, but I assure you..."
A number of things proceeded to happen. Harry had bolted past Riddle, snatching his wand from the young Dark Lord in the process. Lockhart, thinking Harry had gone mad and was charging him, shot off a stunner. Harry brought up a shield, thanking the fates that Lockhart was so horrible at regular magic, and shot past the man. While Harry levitated Tonks up and grabbed at her hand to help things along, the reflected stunner smashed into the basilisk's face, causing it to let out an unholy roar. This, in turn, caused Lockhart to go ghostly pale and finally turn around.
Harry had been careful to keep his gaze down after seeing the basilisk start to emerge. He was no fool. Lockhart, for the first time in his life, didn't seem to be, either. Seeing the massive body of the basilisk, he let out an ear-piercing shriek and took off running, leaving Harry and the two girls behind.
He didn't get far.
The basilisk, angry now, whirled around and let out another roar as it took off after the Defense professor. Lockhart was running full tilt back towards the door at the far end of the chamber. Harry watched in a strange mixture of horror and fascination. Lockhart made it to the door, the basilisk hot on his heels. But just as he got the large door thrown open, something blasted past him in the opposite direction, knocking him backwards onto the stone floor.
And, while Lockhart's gut-wrenching screams couldn't be ignored, Harry's gaze was at least broken, so he didn't have to watch the basilisk pick the man up and gulp him down in one swift motion. He eyes, trained from two years' worth of Quidditch, had been tracking what had caused Lockhart to falter. But before he could open his mouth to say anything about it, the phoenix had dropped something at his feet and had turned back around. Either Fawkes was leaving him with just the Sorting Hat to finish the battle, or he was going off to fight the basilisk himself.
"This is the best Dumbledore could offer?" Laughed Riddle, watching as the headmaster's phoenix flew at the basilisk. "A song bird and an old, tattered hat?"
Harry, who had placed Tonks next to Ginny, grabbed at the Hat and gave it a once-over. There didn't seem to be any kind of weapon hidden in it. It didn't even seem to be chatty at the moment. It just seemed like a normal, old wizarding hat. What on earth would Fawkes bring it to him for, though? Did Dumbledore think that, if Harry put on the hat, he could amuse Riddle and the basilisk to death?
His deductive skills were interrupted when a horrible shriek echoed throughout the chamber. Without thinking, Harry's head jerked up. Once again, the fates had decided to take it easy on him. For, although the basilisk was facing towards him once more, there was no longer any cause for concern in looking at the creature. Fawkes was flying around the creature, almost tauntingly, as blood poured from the spots where its eyes had previously been. Fawkes had pecked them both out.
"My song bird beat your death snake." Harry commented aside to Riddle, who seemed almost livid at this point.
"Don't you dare think it's defeated yet!" Riddle growled. And then, yelling at the basilisk, he said, "You don't NEED to see! You can sniff them both out! Now KILL THEM! ALL of them!"
The basilisk, though still emitting horrible noises of pain, seemed to react almost against its will at Riddle's orders. It stopped writhing about and, instead,
began sniffing the air.
Knowing he had to do something to get the creature away from the girls, Harry rushed towards it, wand in one hand, Sorting Hat in the other. As he drew closer, he called out, "Fawkes! Get the girls the hell out of here! Can you do that?"
The phoenix let out a melodic trill and took off in a burst of fire towards the two girls. Riddle tried blocking the bird, but was simply too slow to do so. Fawkes landed between Tonks and Ginny, one claw on each girl's arm. With another melodic trill, this time accompanied by a huge, bright flare, the three were gone. The diary, which had been barely in Ginny's unconscious grip to begin with, fell back to the floor. Harry only dimly took note of this.
"Over here!" He yelled, shooting a few quick spells at the basilisk's pecked-out eyes. The serpent let out louder roars of pain, thrashing about wildly. Feeling much more confident, Harry took off into one of the many tunnels that littered the sides of the room. "After me, you bloody python! Come and get me!"
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Albus, where do you think Fawkes could have gone?" Asked Professor McGonagall.
"I can only guess, Minerva." Said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling slightly. "But I have a feeling that we shall know soon enough."
The two were in the headmaster's office, discussing Hogwarts' future... or rather, its seeming lack thereof. Their conversation had been interrupted when Dumbledore's phoenix had awakened with a start, let out a shrill cry, and flew from his perch. After stealing the Sorting Hat, the song bird had simply vanished in a shower of flames.
That had been almost a half an hour ago.
McGonagall suspected that Dumbledore knew jolly well where his phoenix had left to. He always seemed to know exactly what was going on within Hogwarts' walls. It was both a comforting and a slightly creepy thought to the Transfiguration teacher. But the woman's ponderings were shattered, however, as once again a blazing distraction derailed her train of thought. Just behind the chair she was sitting in, halfway between herself and the door to the stairway leading to Dumbledore's office, stood Fawkes with two damp, dirty, and quite unconscious young girls on either side of him.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Nnng... Good morning!"
"It's the bloody evening... and don't act so damned chipper!"
Fred Weasley blinked, staring up at his twin in confusion for a moment before glancing around. "So it is. And why shouldn't I be chipper, then?"
"Because you've been petrified for months, you stupid sod! We've been worried sick about you!" Declared George, nodding aside towards Ron, who was sitting in a chair next to Fred's bed.
"Petrified?" Fred repeated. It was only then did the redhead truly take in what was going on around him. Several students seemed to be getting more than the average amount of attention. "George...? What's going on? ...And where's Ginny?"
George and Ron exchanged dark looks. This caused Fred to sit up a bit more, looking between them. "...George."
Running a hand back through his hair, George murmured, "You, and everyone else currently in here, were victims of a basilisk. Or rather, you were almost victims. Everyone was lucky enough to not get a clear look at it. If you had, you would have been dead on the spot."
"And Ginny?" Fred repeated. "Why isn't she here?"
"She's been taken into the Chamber of Secrets." Ron said, quietly.
"The what?" Fred asked.
Once quick explanation later and Fred was being held down by his brothers. "Geroff, you two! We've got to go get her!"
"Harry and Tonks are taking care of that!" George argued, shoving his brother back down and drawing his wand. "You're doing well to be moving about right now. You aren't going on any rescue missions!"
"You should have more faith in them." Came a voice from nearby. Turning, the three Weasleys saw Solieyu standing near one of the privacy curtains that had been pulled back. "I do."
"You look a right state, Leon." Fred commented. "What happened to you?"
"Long story. Not getting into it here." Solieyu commented. Glancing over his shoulder briefly, he nodded once, then walked closer to Fred's bed. "Anyway.
you should believe in Harry. He's strong. I think he's much stronger than he lets on, truthfully. If anyone could stop the basilisk, it's him."
"Still... it's been awhile since they left." Ron commented, voice still distant.
"Yes. It has." Said George.
Any morbid thoughts the group might have had, however, were stymied as the doors to the hospital wing burst open. Dumbledore strode in, levitating both Ginny and Tonks in front of him. As he entered, he called, "Poppy! Severus!"
Both Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape - who had been there helping to administer the antidote along with Professor Sprout - looked up at the headmaster's words. Madam Pomfrey's gasp was drowned out as, at once, the three Weasley brothers caught sight of their little sister and let out shocked cries. At the same time, something deep in the pit of Solieyu's stomachtied itself in a knot at the sight of Tonks. As Dumbledore floated the two girls onto beds, he could only close his eyes and pray that, wherever Harry still was, he was winning.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"I hate you!" Harry hissed.
"Not very fond of you either, at the moment, Potter." Replied the Sorting Hat in a monotone voice.
"Why did Fawkes even bring you down here?"
"Can't say."
"Great, so you're clueless, too."
"No, I mean I literally can't say why I was brought here. I know why, of course, but I'm forbidden from speaking of it. This is one of life's tests, Potter. You have to work out why I'm here on your own." Said the Hat.
"Once again: I hate you."
"Quiet!"
Harry slammed himself back into the furthest corner of the tiny tunnel he had been hiding in. The basilisk was passing by every so often, but hadn't quite picked up on where he was yet. Every time the serpent passed out of range, Harry and the Sorting Hat began arguing again. It had started speaking once Harry had crept into his hiding spot, berating him for not using his head like a proper Ravenclaw.
Once the creature was most likely out of earshot again, Harry growled, "Look, if I die down here, that thing's probably gonna take you with me, since I'll see to it to keep a good grip on you if your riddles get me killed!"
"Nothing I've said has been a riddle, Potter. I believe the Riddle out there is more the concern, anyway." Said the Hat.
"You think I don't know that?" Harry snapped. "But how do you kill a memory? What am I going to do, wish hopefully that he'll fade away? Lock him in an empty room somewhere and leave him for dead? Oh, I know, I can pine to him in the damned diary and--!"
"Now you're on the right track." Interrupted the Hat.
"The diary? ...That's right ...Riddle's memory came from the diary. So reason stands that, if I somehow destroy it, he'll fade, too?" Harry asked.
"Can't say."
"Have I told you how deeply I hate you yet?"
"Not quite."
"...Anyway, the problem is," Harry began, shutting his eyes and trying to ignore the sounds of an obviously-angry Tom Riddle yelling at the basilisk in its own language. "What am I going to destroy it with? It's not like I've studied up on heavily-offensive magical spells. And I somehow doubt a magical diary is going to burn..."
"Shame you don't have something to pierce it with." Said the Hat in bored tones.
"Pierce... that's it, I can shove something through it! Wizards seem to have some odd weakness with not protecting things physically..." Harry said, shaking his head slowly. "Can't burn it, blow it up, or shatter it after a good freezing, but you can take a pair of scissors to it just fine, I'll bet. ...But where am I gonna get something sharp down here? I'm not good enough in Transfiguration to get myself a sword or anything..."
"You could always punch the snake, knock one of its fangs loose." Offered the Sorting Hat.
"Oh, that's real funny." Harry scowled. "Did you miss the part where I said I'd take you down with me if I got eaten?"
"Who's being funny? Knock its teeth out. Can't do much then, can it? Blind and toothless creatures have a bit of a disadvantage, wouldn't you say?" Asked the Hat.
"Well sure, but--" Harry went silent for awhile as the basilisk made another long, slow pass by. "-- how? I told you, I don't know any kind of truly destructive spells! I'd need something much stronger than my wand to take down something like that thing, anyway..."
"Ahh, and now we're getting more to the point of things..." Said the Hat, cryptically.
"Huh?"
"A weapon, Potter. You need something stronger to take down that thing and get us both out of here once and for all." Said the Hat.
And then something smashed into Harry's foot, causing him to cry out. He quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, then looked down to see what had hit him. Seemingly coming from inside of the Sorting Hat was what appeared to be...
"A stick. Is this some kinda joke? You want me to poke the basilisk to death, is that it?" Harry asked.
"Think, Potter! You're a Ravenclaw, aren't you? Sorted you myself, and I'm never wrong... though you are making me doubt myself right now." Said the Hat.
Harry lifted the Sorting Hat up further, revealing the rest of the 'stick,' as Harry had put it. Grabbing it, however, caused a surge of energy to spark through Harry's body. Dropping the object, he stared at the Sorting Hat. "...You're kidding, right?"
"I try not to. It makes me look like an idiot." Said the Hat. "It is what you think it is. Will yourself to channel through it. It has more than enough power on its own to serve you well, just as it did its previous owner."
"Wonderful."
Harry pocketed the Sorting Hat, much to its irritation, and grabbed what he knew was a wizard's staff. Keeping still for a moment, Harry quickly escaped his hiding spot, making his way back out to the main chamber once more. He was thankfully spit out next to where Ginny and Tonks had been laying. Riddle was standing nearby, staring down at his diary with an annoyed look on his face. The fact that Riddle couldn't touch it seemed odd to Harry.
"Your friend still off crashing into things?" Harry asked, using the staff more as a walking stick than anything else.
Riddle frowned when he saw Harry. "Where did you get that?" He asked.
"This? Oh... nowhere. Just found it laying around." Harry said, shrugging.
"GET OUT HERE!" Riddle suddenly roared, turning his head and staring off towards one of the pipes leading off from the room. A moment later and the blinded basilisk came slithering out of it. "He's right here! Kill him!"
"Remember, Potter..." Said the Hat in a muffled voice. "Will yourself to channel through it. It's no different than a wand; only bigger. Aim and fire."
"Aim and fire." Harry repeated, quietly. The basilisk lurched ever closer, raising itself up as it caught wind of Harry, at last. It let out a deep hiss and began closing in faster, causing Harry's heart to speed up. Quickly grasping the staff in both hands, he aimed right for the creature's head. He could feel the energy circulating out of his hands, through the staff, and back into his hands again.
The only problem was, amplified magic or no, he still didn't know any really strong offensive magic. He was better at defensive stuff. And he had the distinct feeling that a shield spell wasn't going to mean squat against a gigantic snake.
The basilisk reared back and threw its head forward, its mouth open wide. Harry's eyes squeezed shut and he pushed all thoughts from his head saved one: 'KILL IT!'
The energy surging through the staff increased at once, causing Harry to open his eyes just in time to see the reaction. The tip of the staff illuminated brightly with a deep blue light, which quickly shot up and smashed into the roof of the basilisk's mouth. A squealing hiss was all the creature was able to produce before the lightdrilled through its head, shooting out of the top and into the ceiling above, where it continued to bore upwards.
So caught up in the hypnotic beam that had killed the monster, Harry only barely realized that the thing was falling forward. He pulled the staff off to one side, though it was incredibly difficult to do so. The beam of light sliced through half of the serpent's head, causing parts of its mouth to hang to one side. Realizing he had to move, Harry let go of the staff and leapt to one side. Its source of power cut off, the staff went lifeless once more, clattering to the stone floor. The basilisk crashed to the floor a split second later.
Harry let out a scream.
Turning, he saw one of the sliced-away portions of the basilisk's upper jaw pinning his leg to the floor. What was worse, one of the fangs had gone in one side of the back of his right leg and out the other. The pain was greater than anything Harry had ever experienced in his life. At that moment, every single beating he had received at the hands of his relatives flashed through his mind. And in all of the horrible, nightmare-inducing memories, nothing could compare to the pain he was in now.
"Grab the staff!" Called the Sorting Hat, still muffled from inside Harry's robes. "Break yourself out!"
His vision blurred from the amount of pain he was in, Harry saw the staff laying nearby. He reached out for it and, once more, the energy flow coursed through him. It numbed the pain just enough for him to twist slightly and aim at the fang that was piercing his leg. Instead of a beam of light, however, this time only a burst of blue light flew out. It collided with the top of the fang, blasting it free of the basilisk's mouth. It also served to blast away at most of the thing's already mutilated jaw, causing bits of basilisk meat to splatter the nearby floor.
Dropping the staff again, Harry gasped as he sat up and grabbed at the fang. He still had one monster to kill before he could die. As Riddle taunted him and asked how it felt to have basilisk poison slowly killing him, Harry ripped the fang free, letting out another awful scream. Blood poured from the gaping wound, soaking his pants and the fang that had been removed.
Literally dragging himself across the floor, Harry made his way towards the diary. Riddle was too busy taunting Harry to realize that he wasn't coming for him. By the time he did notice, it was too late. Harry had raised the bloody fang, bringing it down and piercing through the diary's cover. Blank ink sprayed from the diary at the same time Riddle let out a scream of his own. Harry stabbed the book over and over, more ink spilling out over his fingers. When the ink ran out, Riddle was gone - destroyed along with his precious diary.
Rolling over onto his back, Harry stared up at the ceiling. He had won, but at what cost? Who knew if Ginny and Tonks were even alright. The basilisk was dead, but it had gotten the last laugh in. Riddle's memory had faded away, the power of the diary gone. Letting his eyes slip shut, Harry smiled sadly. Ever since he had left Tonks behind with Lockhart, he had made a promise to himself. When he got out, if he got out, he would tell her. And now it looked as if he was going to die on the cold, stone floor, next to the basilisk.
As his consciousness slowly ebbed away, Harry only barely took note of the sudden surge in warmth around his body.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: Chomp.
Y helo thar wizarding staff lolz. If Godric had a sword for bitch-smiting things, it'd make sense for the smartest of the Hogwarts founders to have a staff, right? I have great things planned for that staff. But that's waaaaay down the line. It seems Harry's beginning to get a little collection of random stuff, huh? Even if the staff, like the sword in canon, will end up in Dumbledore's office... the fact that it came to Harry is important. I have a feeling Gryffindor's sword will play a role in the downfall of Voldemort in the canon material, after all.
So! What have we here? A nice little twist to the original stuff, wouldn't you say? Shame I can't have some big, hulking monster come along and take care of the other couple of annoying professors, huh? I've planned Lockhart's death for awhile, but what people don't know is that, in the original draft of the R-Series, Harry and Tonks were still Gryffindors and Dean Thomas was the third member of the trio. I had the whole of first and second year planned out with those schematics. But then I thought, "No, Gryffindor Harry is well overdone. And as interesting as Dean's backstory and home life seem to be, I think I can do something a bit more interesting."
I briefly toyed with putting them in Hufflepuff. That woulda been amusing. Voldie appears on the back of Quirrell's head, Harry hangs his head and whines, "We're gonna diiiiie..."
I also toyed with Harry killing Riddle, which would have left the basilisk wild and enraged. Harry and Tonks escape back up into the school and get chased around by the hulking beast for awhile before help arrives. But that seemed too... I dunno, Action Movie-ish to me.
So this is what you get! VERY little conversation, a lot of descriptive text, and a painful, cliffhanger ending. But hey, this update comes what? A day or two after Chapter 15? Considering it usually takes me a few weeks to write, I'd say y'all got a fair trade on this one.
For the record, I DID end up combining two chapters into one. So it looks like we're two chapters away from the end. Thank Merlin.