That afternoon, Anthony Goldstein found Harry Spellforged in their dorm. He was sitting on his bed, legs crossed beneath him, hands folded in his lap. His eyes were closed. By all appearances, he seemed to be in some sort of trance.

It was Sunday, there was nowhere to be, no event planned that would require Harry to attend. But it was also unseasonably warm, and some of the boys from Hufflepuff were setting up an impromptu game of football. Anthony had been sent up to see if Harry wanted to play - Harry's cousin Eric could be quite insistent, when he wanted to be.

"Um, Harry?" he asked, quietly. Spellforged opened his eyes and looked over at him, before closing them again.

"Yes, Anthony?" The response was pleasant, with none of the trademark annoyance one got from an eagle who had their studies interrupted. There had been a brief flash of… something, though, across his roommate's face.

"We were going down to the pitch for a game, and Eric thought you might want to come."

Harry's shoulders slumped, just enough for Anthony to notice. "I won't be playing today, but maybe I'll come down and cheer you on." A slight smile crossed his face. "You might try inviting Hagrid, he hasn't had a chance to see the pitch in action yet."

That got a chuckle from Anthony. "Maybe he'll agree to referee sometime?" he asked. They had joked about the prospect at the beginning of the year, with Harry pointing out that Hagrid would be able to see the entire game from that high up.

Once Anthony left, Harry settled himself back into the link. He had wanted his full attention to be on what was happening with Rose. As he opened himself up to the conversation, he heard Marigold speaking.

"He'll wake her up," she was saying. "Riddle will want to brag. He can't switch over to her, because she's never written in the diary. There's no connection."

"They have to be in the Chamber," Seeker pointed out. "He's not going to try… whatever it is on Ginny in a girl's loo."

"Can we wake her up?" asked Chaser. "Like we did with Marigold?"

"Maybe," said Spellforged, the uncertainty in the statement clear. "And if she stays quiet for long enough, we'll try it. But for now, I agree with Mari - the diary will wake her up before Ginny passes the point of no return. Once that happens, we'll have to trust Rose."

"Fawkes came," said Marigold, quietly. "Fawkes knew that I was in trouble, and came to me somehow. Maybe he will find her, too?" Despite the hope she clearly felt, they could tell that she was reaching.

Chaser was the one who said why. "There's no way she will be able to pull the shield of Gryffindor out of the sorting hat, and that assumes that Fawkes brings it there in the first place." They could almost hear him shaking his head. "I hope I'm wrong, but she might be on her own."

As if summoned, they heard her then. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…" came the voice of a very annoyed slytherin.

oOoOoOoOo

Professor Snape led his guest to one of the meeting rooms, just off of the entrance hall. The Headmaster did not want to entertain the Board of Governors in the opening hours of this crisis, nor did he trust that this particular governor would not attempt to interfere.

As they entered the room, however, both men were surprised to find it occupied. The long table was strewn with large parchments and rolled documents, some several feet square. When the Professor approached the table, he saw that they were various depictions of Hogwarts castle.

As Snape was examining the documents, his guest recovered from the surprise. "Lord Hillyer, what an interesting day for you to visit," he said, in his usual drawl.

Lord Hillyer looked up, removing the glasses he had been wearing - glasses that clearly seemed to have some magnifying function. "Lord Malfoy," he replied. "I was told that my talents might be of use in solving a particular dilemma here at the school, so, well," He waved a hand a the blueprints spread out before him. "It hurt nothing to make the attempt."

Malfoy scoffed at that. The pair were frequently on opposite sides of debate in the Wizengamot, this was a secret to no one - but outside of the chambers, they were generally pleasant to one another. Indeed, when they first met he had been surprised at Hillyer's manner, for the Potter proxy had acted almost amused at seeing the newly minted Lord Malfoy. Somehow, that never quite went away, even years later.

Hillyer's smirk was no different. "Do you know something I don't, Lucius? I admit, having never attended Hogwarts, I might not know the ins and outs of Slytherin house, but I was not led to believe that the location of the Chamber of Secrets was common knowledge."

"Someone knows where the Chamber must be," replied Snape. "They've taken two girls and hidden them there."

Professor Snape suddenly found himself looking into the dull blue eyes of Lord Hillyer, and realized that he now had the Potter proxy's full attention.

"Tell me," he said simply.

"Their skeletons will lie in the chamber forever," said Snape. "Another message, on the same wall as Halloween."

Hillyer nodded, as if he expected that. Seeing Snape's look, he explained. "It's the next logical step, the next escalation. Lord Malfoy is here, which means that the Board is aware, which means that the Headmaster is in their sights, is this not so Lucius?" Lord Malfoy could do little more than nod. Hillyer then turned to Snape. "Right, and since you're here…"

"The girls are a gryffindor and a slytherin," said Albus Dumbledore as he entered. "Ginny Weasley and Rose Potter."

Hillyer digested that for the moment, looking at the Headmaster. Then he pulled out a map, using his wand to lay it flat on the table. "Well, then it's fortunate that I've found the Chamber, isn't it?"

oOoOoOoOo

The first thing Rose Potter noticed was the smell. Wherever she was, it hadn't been cleaned in quite some time, if ever. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was laying on a flat stone dais, elevated slightly above a walkway and a pool of fetid, cloudy water.

There was a girl laying next to her. Though Rose could not see her face, the red hair and red-trimmed robes left no doubt as to her identity. Ginny, she thought to herself.

The scene in the bathroom came back to her, then. How the diary had captivated her attention, even as she fished it from the toilet. Marigold had warned them about the artifact's compulsion charms, how they had convinced her to write in its pages even after firmly deciding not to do so. Rose suppressed a shudder - she ranked compulsion charms like those just under the Imperius on the list of curses that infuriated her.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, she admonished herself. She had known there would be a trap, and walked into it anyway. That charms had been involved did not diminish the disappointment she felt in herself at the failure.

Her four counterparts all began speaking at once, creating a sense of chatter across the link. She had to calm them down - even as she calmed herself. I'm fine, she sent. I'm in a massive stone chamber that stinks so badly I'm surprised the school doesn't smell it. Ginny is out cold, which means Tom is awake.

Keep him talking, said Marigold. We think Fawkes will help you, like he did me.

Rose could not help but project a mental roll of her eyes. The sorting hat is not going to give me the bloody Shield of Gryffindor, Marigold. I doubt it'd even give me the sword. She sighed, and began to lift herself up off of the stone. You best start figuring out how to teach me to conjure a rooster, kids, or this could go badly.

"I see you're awake," said a voice. It was that of a teenage boy, and Rose realized with a start that it felt familiar. The self-importance, the arrogance, the distaste for anyone below their station - yes, she had heard this voice before. Slytherin upper years had mastered it by the time they got to the end of their time in the snake pit.

It didn't have quite the same effect when your target knew that you were bluffing, though. Rose stood, brushing off her robes. She noticed that she still had her wand, for some reason. Across the dais, she saw the slytherin boy, just as Marigold had described him. Rose gave him an appraising look, and saw exactly what she expected - a handsome boy who had slytherin house wrapped around his finger.

You were right, Marigold, she sent. This is exactly the sort of arsehole who would try to kill a toddler.

Yeah, agreed Chaser. And he sounds like exactly the sort of ponce who would fuck it up.

Rose couldn't help it. She was still gathering her wits, still recovering from the stunner. When she heard Chaser's reply, she snorted.

The boy frowned. "Something about your situation amuses you, Miss Potter?"

Rose shook her head, still chuckling. Waving a hand at him, she made a show of struggling for her words. "I mean, look at you. You could have been Minister, if you wanted. Chief Warlock, maybe, if you played things correctly. The Slytherin name would have gotten you far, I think." She sighed. "Quite honestly, Mister Riddle, I find myself disappointed."

"I AM the Heir of Slytherin," Tom replied, hotly.

"So it would seem," she agreed. "And yet, in all of the time since you killed Myrtle Warren, in all the time since you publicly claimed that mantle, you never thought to claim the lordship? You never took on the power that a Lord Slytherin would command?" She placed a hand on her hip, tilting her head, giving him a look filled with judgment. "I never figured out why that was, exactly."

Now it was Tom's turn to scoff. "What would a half blood orphan know of such things?"

{"More than you'd think,"} Rose hissed, letting herself slip into Parseltongue. Keeping the ability secret paid off in the look of shock on Tom Riddle's features.

{This is… unexpected,} was his quiet reply.

Rose chuckled again at that. {"How did the hat place you in Slytherin, I wonder? You take your muggle father's name, but your mother's line had ties to Slytherin himself, why would you not embrace that? Take the power and prestige that such a bloodline carries with it, half blood or no."} She let the disappointment come out in her voice, shaking her head. {"Instead, you built an inner circle of sycophants and cowards, lashing out at the muggles and the muggleborn, all because your daddy didn't love you."}

How the hell did you get Parseltongue to sound so sarcastic? Rose heard Marigold ask, almost in wonder.

Practice, was her only reply. Rose knew that the others needed to hear the conversation, and was carefully dividing her attention between keeping the link open and watching Tom closely.

Tom was enraged, now - and part of Rose wondered if setting him off was the wisest course. But the idea was to keep his focus on her, and not on Ginny. Such was his anger that he fell back to English. "How could you possibly know about my father?" was his reply.

She let herself sneer at him. "Know thy enemy, Mister Riddle." She indicated the Chamber around them. "1943 was quite the year, as you'll recall. Slytherin's Chamber opened, for the first time I think, and its beast unleashed. Hagrid, with his spider that mysteriously petrified students, even killing one. Mudbloods all, if memory serves. And a young slytherin prefect who happened upon the criminal, just in time to save the school." She grinned at his astonishment. "Your stupid award still hangs in the trophy room, in case you missed it."

Tom seemed to be reappraising her, reevaluating what he knew about the light's snake, this girl-who-lived. "Perhaps I have underestimated you, after all." He said, thoughtfully.

Rose levelled her green eyes at him. {"Wouldn't be the first time, Lord Voldemort."}

He smiled at her, and it was not a pleasant smile. "So," he said, continuing in English. "You speak the name without fear, impressive. Ginny, there, couldn't even write it without shaking like an infant."

"It's hard to fear that name, when my mother and I defeated the wizard who used it while I was still in nappies." Rose enjoyed the look of anger on Tom's face, even as she ignored the laugh she heard over the link. Seeker was thrilled that she had stolen his line, apparently. She allowed herself another eye roll, only to feel something cold brush against her mind. It felt like the link, only not...

/Groznak/, that's a legilimency probe, Rose, said Spellforged. Rose's face froze in horror, even as Tom broke out in a grin.

"My word, you are full of surprises, aren't you Miss Potter? You, a half blood, and yet leader of my old house even as a second year, already you've made waves in the highest echelons of power at the Wizengamot, and you've made inroads with the Goblins. All this, I knew from Ginevra." It was as if he were gazing into her - which, in fact, he was, it seemed. Rose felt as if she were paralyzed. "And now we add to that the fact that you are a Parselmouth. But even then, we find more power than I could have dreamed."

Oh my God, thought Marigold. He knows.

"Rose Potter, the Sixfold Witch. Such power you hold at the tip of your wand," Tom almost sounded impressed. "What a remarkable alliance we could forge, you and I."

"An alliance?" she spat the word as if it were a curse. "With you?"

Tom nodded. "Look at Ginny, a pureblood in name only. She poured her secrets into my pages, and I drank deep of her magic. Soon, she will be gone, and I will be reborn." His eyes met hers once more. "All you have to do to take your place in my new inner circle is to do nothing."

She stared at him, not quite believing what she was hearing. The link was in a panic, now - he knew. Even worse, he coveted.

"Together," he continued. "We could make the wizarding world ours, as only two true slytherins could."

oOoOoOoOo

"A girl's bathroom?" asked Lucius Malfoy, incredulously.

Hillyer nodded, pointing to the plans on the table. "This is the most recent map I can find for that part of the castle. In the early 1830's, the bathrooms in the castle were retrofitted for the new flush-style toilets." He indicated the new pipes that had been installed in the bathroom in question. "Apparently, before that upgrade, well… let's just say it wasn't pretty. First years would learn Evanesco almost before the end of the welcoming feast."

Dumbledore nodded. Students these days had no idea how lucky they were. Nor did Mister Filch, for that matter.

"Now, see here," Hillyer pointed to one of the sinks. "Workers had to reinforce the floor here repeatedly, because it kept being undermined, as if the bricks were falling through the floor. Eventually they put in a thick stone slab that spanned the gap, and that was enough." He tapped on the map. "I'm betting that there was a passageway under that sink, and that the workers didn't notice because it was charmed against detection."

"Preposterous." All eyes turned to Lord Malfoy, who had his sneer back. "While you wave a map at us like we're still in school, two students have been abducted!" Malfoy pointed at the Headmaster, who did little more than meet his gaze. "Two students under your care, I might add. One of them the Heiress of my wife's house."

"We are doing what can be done, Lucius," said Dumbledore.

"The Board will disagree, I think, Dumbledore." Malfoy said, bitterly. Taking his cane in his hand, he turned and walked to the door. "No need for an escort, Severus, I know the way. The Board is in its usual office, I believe." With that implied threat, he was gone.

"Delightful," muttered Lord Hillyer.

"Indeed," said the Headmaster, his eyes returning to the map. "Why this bathroom, Joseph?"

"Ah, well, there I cheated a little." Hillyer looked a bit sheepish. "See, I may have looked up the records for Myrtle Warren, the girl who was killed in 1943." Again, he tapped the bathroom on the map. "Guess where she was found?"

"Quite a coincidence, that." said Dumbledore.

"Maybe. But that bathroom, with what looks like a disillusioned passageway? Right next to both the first and last messages? Those coincidences seem to be stacking up, Headmaster."

"Do we not need a Parselmouth to open the way to the Chamber?" asked Snape.

Lord Joseph Hillyer looked the Potions Master in the eye, and grinned. {"Probably,"} he hissed.

oOoOoOoOo

Rose Potter stared at the shade of Tom Riddle.

"An alliance?" she repeated, before allowing a sneer to cross her face. "With you?"

"The greatest sorcerer in the world, partnered with a witch of your abilities and power? Yes, such an alliance would be unstoppable."

Rose didn't like how he had emphasized partner. As he spoke, her thoughts raced. He knew about the link, he thought to ally her counterparts and herself in one move. He thinks himself a slytherin, she reasoned, and yet makes such a greedy move.

"No."

Tom stared at her. "No?"

Rose shook her head. "What cunning is there in anything you've ever done? You arrogant fool, look at yourself. You were so cunning that you announced your presence in the school, instead of striking from the shadows. You were so cunning that you were almost stopped by a first year who got tired of the mental abuse you obviously heaped upon her. No subtlety there, that's for sure." She smiled as his features betrayed the growing anger he felt. "Your only ambition led you to grab every scrap of power that you could - and it led you, in your true form, to cross wands with Lily Potter. It was she, a 'mudblood', who plotted out your death, with magic you cannot fathom because you cannot steal it."

"Honestly, Tom, I can't think of a single wizard who is less Slytherin than you." She stood up straighter, moving to stand between Ginny and the would-be tyrant before her. "But do you realize what your worst mistake was, Tom Riddle?" She saw his eyes glance at her hand, noticing the wand there.

"What would that be, blood traitor?" Tom spat the words angrily. Oh, that did it, she thought.

"Your worst mistake was making my sister cry."

His eyes widened at that, not realizing what she meant. She did not hesitate, however, and her Expelliarmus struck true. This Riddle, it seemed, had not seen a need for a shield, overconfident as he was.

The spell passed right through Tom Riddle.

He chuckled at her surprise. "A bit premature, Miss Potter. Had you waited but a few minutes, the transfer would have been complete. Alas, it seems you will be missing it." He turned to the great stone statue, and hissed. {"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."}

The statue began to move, creating an opening. A basilisk sized opening. Shit, thought Rose. Turning to Ginny, she saw that Fawkes had already arrived - and he had carried the Sorting Hat, just as Marigold had expected. Ignoring the taunts coming from Tom, Rose dodged behind one of the stone pillars that dotted the Chamber. Quickly, she placed the hat on her head. Help me, she thought.

She felt a brush of contact against her skull, as if something hard had been placed gently against it. Lifting the hat, she reached in with her hand. She found something hard and round, almost like a handle. Oh, you're fucking kidding me.

What happened? she heard Seeker ask. He had been the one who expected the Sword of Gryffindor, much to Rose's consternation. The others were speaking as well, and Rose quickly realized that that might be a problem during what was shaping up to be the fight of her life.

Drawing the sword from the hat, she gasped. The thick blade was a dark steel, curving gently at the point, its length inscribed with flowing Arabic script atop a simple Celtic design. The guard was inlaid with green jewels set in polished steel. The green on silver look, more than any other single feature of the blade, identified its owner - for such a blade could have but one origin.

The stupid hat just gave me the Blade of Slytherin! That, at least, shut them up.

The basilisk was entering the Chamber, now, and Rose saw through squinted eyes just how massive the beast truly was. Without prompting, Fawkes moved to strike the serpent in its deadly eyes, earning shouts of rage from Tom. She could hear the basilisk as it screamed its own anger at the phoenix, but the damage had been done - the beast was now blinded.

That didn't stop a swipe of its tail from knocking her down, catching her on the wrong side of the pillar. Scrambling, sword in hand, Rose hid behind another pillar. Again the blind beast lunged toward her, and she dodged away just in time.

Keep coming, that's it, Rose thought.

Wait for it, came Spellforged's voice.

I know, dammit! Rose replied. Another strike from the basilisk, this time missing her by inches. She covered her face to protect from the debris, but the beast must have heard her grunt of pain. It began to turn, weaving in and out of the remaining columns. Watching its receding form, Rose noticed two columns at the end that seemed to be closer together. Would they hold?

She was up and moving before the basilisk could zero in on her position. Tom's shouts of "Kill the girl!" did nothing to aid his servant, and Rose noticed the basilisk slowing down, as if uncertain where she was. When she reached the narrow pillars, she paused. This was a gryffindor maneuver in every way, and the fact that she actually held Slytherin's Blade just made the whole thing that much more ridiculous.

Rose found herself grateful that no one would ever see this. "Oi!" she shouted. "You missed me!"

The basilisk snarled at her, the creature's words blurring into incoherent rage. The voices in her mind were only a little bit calmer.

Rose, she heard Spellforged say. Tell me you didn't just taunt a thousand year old basilisk.

Alright, I won't tell you that, she replied, bringing the sword to the ready. She had only one shot at this. She could see the blind snake now, bringing its great mass toward her. The debris from its earlier strikes helped her now, as the basilisk had to weave in and out of the ruined stone, thus slowing its progress.

Good, she thought to herself. She heard the warning hiss, saw the great mouth open wide, and felt the stone underneath her feet rumbling as the beast surged forward - only to slam into the narrow pillars. Its jaws were wedged into the stone, and there was no way to get the leverage needed for the beast to free itself.

Knowing that this was her shot, Rose struck, driving the Blade of Slytherin up into the roof of the creature's mouth. It struck home, the steel destroying the creature's brain. Stepping back, she saw the basilisk begin its death throes, and found herself smiling at Tom's rage.

The burning in her arm would not be denied, however. Looking down, she saw the long red scratch that marked where one of the creature's fangs had cut her.

oOoOoOoOo

In his bed, in the Ravenclaw dorm, Harry Spellforged gritted his teeth. He did not get the full effect of the venom, nor of the pain that came with it. But he got enough.

In a window sill, overlooking the sunset, Seeker Potter gritted his teeth as the pain struck him.

Susan Bones looked up from her textbook when she sensed Chaser Potter tensing up. Her friend was gritting his teeth, as if he were in pain. What happened?

In the Gryffindor common room, Marigold Potter closed her eyes. She did this quite a bit, they knew, when she needed to gather her thoughts, and so it went unremarked upon by her friends. None of them noticed the tear rolling down her cheek.

oOoOoOoOo

"So, the blood traitor defeats the Master's beast with his own blade." Tom seemed to be shaking his head in disgust. "At least old Finola had one last bite left in her. You will be gone in moments, I'm afraid." Again the voice was taunting, and the arrogance grated at Rose's nerves.

She had made her way back to Ginny's side, the Blade still in her hand. "Still pretending, Tom," she said quietly. Just a few more steps now. The sad song of the phoenix was soothing her, at least enough to finish her task.

"You will never be my equal," the shade spat at her, no longer hiding behind the cool and collected Slytherin pretense.

"I don't need to be," she muttered, her eyes falling to the diary.

Tom saw what she was doing an instant before she did it. She lifted her arm, limply, as if stumbling forward, before planting the point of the blade on the diary. The mix of venom, blood, and Slytherin's own enchantments (whatever they may have been) was enough, and the book started to bleed a thick, black ichor.

"No!" shouted Tom. Ginny's yew wand came up, and a blasting curse had left it even before the diary screamed. Rose fell backwards onto her rear, knowing that she had no way to block anything.

Fawkes flew in front of her, intercepting the attack, and burst into a ball of flame. Rose sighed, thanking the phoenix for saving her once again. The burning was intensifying now, and she lay back onto the stone. Not long now, she thought.

She felt the warmth above her, before she felt the pinpricks on her chest. Opening her eyes, she saw the maimed phoenix looking at her, one wing broken at an odd angle, and the other missing entirely. It began to weep, the phoenix tears seeping into her wound, and where they touched her the burning dulled and disappeared. She ignored the bird's own blood as it dripped onto her. Reaching up with her left hand, she stroked the bird's feathers softly.

The phoenix song was the last thing she heard, before darkness finally took her.


A/N: Lots of moving parts here. Rest assured, I did not get my universes mixed up, nor is my math in error. All will be explained. Expect a longer AN next time - for now, we'll let this sit for a while.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback, as always, is welcome.