Evanna groaned. Her body ached-she was sure she had a broken foot, maybe some bruised ribs. She was sure that if her hands had been free, she would have felt something wet and sticky at the back of her head. She had been tied against something stony-she cracked an eyelid open. There was a stone pillar at her back, and more within the hall. It looked like Hogwarts, but nowhere she had ever been in Hogwarts. It was a large rectangular room with pillars every few yards and at one end, there was a stone bust that reached all the way to the ceiling. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized Salazar Slytherin from the portrait in the Common Room.
Laying in front of the stone bust was the prone form of Ginny, red hair splayed out like a fan around her head. In her left hand was a book with a black leather cover, one that Evanna had seen before. Standing over her, Evanna thought that she saw Harry, but no. This boy was too tall to be Harry, and he was almost translucent like a ghost. But something told her he was far more dangerous than a ghost. He had sharp blue eyes and his skin was as pale as Evanna's, his hair just as dark. She struggled to a more upright position.
"Ah, good, you're awake," the boy said, striding closer to her. "It is fitting that the daughter of one of my most ardent followers bear witness to the moment I finally defeat Harry Potter."
There was an unnerving sense of familiarity as Evanna looked at the boy, like she had seen him in a photograph or like he was the long-lost relative of an acquaintance or something.
"Who are you?" she said, voice hoarse.
"Yes, of course, Lucius would have had to keep his cover," the boy-ghost mused. "You would not recognize me on sight, would you?"
Evanna did her best to read him, but there was something about this boy's mind unlike any other she had come across. It was something less than human-not necessarily animalistic, but as though some huge essential piece was missing. All she felt from him was surface level satisfaction that she had felt earlier that night, but beneath that… it was like a raging storm, a deep whirlpool of rage and hatred and darkness.
Darkness she sometimes felt in herself.
The thought came to her then, a terrible thought, that twisted up her guts, even as she knew that her father would expect her to celebrate it. But, she was not in Malfoy Manor anymore, she had been out in the world, had met and known and cared for people that this man had and would hurt again.
"Lord Voldemort," she whispered, fear laced into every word.
The boy smiled. "I knew Slytherin put out much smarter stock than the other Houses-I had to spell it out for the Potter boy."
Evanna's heart thumped and her mouth felt like cotton. "But-what-how-where-"
"Your little friend over there has become just close enough to me that I was able to take from her," Lord Voldemort said. "Of course, she'll be dead soon."
Evanna struggled against her bonds. "No, please, don't hurt her! She's nothing to you!"
"Strange that a Malfoy would be so protective of a Weasley," he mused, looking her over. "Of course, I would say by your looks that Lucius ought to pay closer attention to his wife-perhaps that would be why I was not informed."
For some reason, Lord Voldemort seemed amused. Evanna's mind was spinning wildly, trying to figure out a way out of this situation, some way to save Ginny and herself. But if this was truly Lord Voldemort… what could she hope to do against him? She may have learned to duel from a young age, but she was nothing in comparison to the most dangerous Dark Wizard to walk the earth since Morgana herself.
"How are you here… my lord?" Evanna added the epithet at the last minute, brain working sluggishly. If she could endear him to her… "My father has taught my brother and I the old ways, though he believed you dead."
Lord Voldemort sneered. "If he had truly taught you, you would know not to associate with scum like the Weasleys, much less Potter."
Evanna's ears perked. There was rustling coming from the pipes surrounding the Chamber. She had almost forgotten about the monster, whatever it was. But, it had to be close, she knew.
"I am sorry, Master, to have disappointed you," she said, mind whirring. The noises were growing closer. "Please forgive my youthful indiscre-"
"Lord Voldemort does not forgive," he said in a voice that made Evanna's blood run cold. He leveled a wand-Harry's wand-at her. She relaxed momentarily when she was released from the ropes hold her to the pillar, rubbing feeling back into her wrists. Lord Voldemort smiled.
"Crucio."
The word was a whisper, but it did not lack in power. Lucius was an amateur-a lousy amateur. Evanna felt as though her soul was melting from the inside out. Screams ripped from her throat in a way that she thought she may never be able to speak again, but something else happened too. She heard it, the voice she had been hearing all year.
Master is being hurt. MASTER IS HURT!
It took a few moments for Evanna to realize that the spell had been lifted. When she did, she took in the look of shock on Lord Voldemort's face as a great snake poured its body into the Chamber, which almost seemed small in comparison. A basilisk. Of course the monster was a bloody basilisk, what else could it have been? All the words Evanna had heard from the older Slytherin quidditch team members flitted through her mind as she closed her eyes tight in protection against the beast.
But, it was strange. She heard Lord Voldemort shouting.
"What are you doing?" he was screaming. "Turn around-attack Potter!"
The giant serpent stopped just in front of Evanna and she felt it bump its snout against her almost gently.
"Is Master okay?" it hissed.
"Master? I'm your Master, you idiotic creature!" Lord Voldemort was screeching.
Evanna slowly opened her eyes. The basilisk had closed its own eyelids out of deference, its pointy head lingering just in front of Evanna's face. Its scales were a bright poison green and shimmered in the low light of the chamber, with a darker green diamond pattern dancing down its back. Evanna was mesmerized by the creature, a strange sense of protection welling up within her. The serpent was hers, she knew, though she didn't know how.
"Old Master demands I chase speaker of lions," the basilisk said, seeming to fight an overwhelming urge to turn away from Evanna.
She could understand the snake-the king of snakes, if she was being specific. But that would mean she was a Parselmouth, but how was that possible?
The snake had turned and Evanna saw him then-Harry Potter, clinging to the bust of Salazar Slytherin, with a sword in his hand. She gaped at the sight-since when did Potter have a sword? The way he was waving it, it had not been very long that he had been playing at a seat at the Round Table. Evanna's heart lurched as the basilisk stuck at the stone beside Harry, sending pebbles tumbling down onto the floor.
"Yes, yes! Kill him!" Lord Voldemort coaxed the basilisk. Evanna could have been going crazy, but she thought the teenage boy seemed more solid than he had when she had first seen him. If he was more solid, then that must mean… Ginny.
Grabbing onto the pillar beside her, Evanna lifted herself up, shaking as she tried to place weight onto her foot. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as she forced her way to her friend lying prone on the ground. She stumbled forward as the basilisk crashed into the bust of Slytherin again and again. Evanna stared in fear at the swaying figure of Harry. Finally, she reached Ginny's side, desperately trying to shake her awake.
"Ginny, Ginny, wake up, please!" she begged. Her eyes landed on the book.
"Aggghh!"
Harry screamed in unison with the basilisk above her, and great big splashes of blood dropped beside her, hissing upon contact. She watched in horror as Harry stumbled down, a large fang sticking out of his arm. The basilisk had slumped to the ground, breathing heavily.
"Master… master… help..."
"You may have killed my basilisk, Potter," Lord Voldemort hissed, "but you're too late. The Weasley girl is all but dead and I-I will soon be returned to power."
Evanna looked at the book again, the words on the cover morphing from "Tom Marvolo Riddle" to "I am Lord Voldemort". A thought occurred to her.
"Harry!" she yelled. Potter looked at her, green eyes glazed in pain. Evanna took the diary in her shaking hands and threw the diary. The injury he was nursing did nothing to mute his Seeker's abilities for he caught the diary with one hand. A surge of anger flared from Lord Voldemort so strong that it had Evanna seeing stars.
With a cry, Harry pulled the basilisk fang from his arm.
"No, don't-"
With a defiant glare, Harry plunged the fang over and over into the diary. Evanna closed her eyes against the surge of fury that went out from the almost translucent boy. A blast seemed to flatten everything around them. After a moment, Evanna opened her eyes. Harry had fallen in a heap beside her and Ginny.
"Your arm," Evanna said. "It's poison."
Harry looked paler than Evanna had ever seen him-not pale. He was gray. His breaths were coming in short pants and his forehead was glistening with sweat.
I'm dying.
"Harry?" Ginny rose slowly. "Evanna? Oh, Merlin."
The redhaired girl took the two in and clasped her hands over her mouth. Her big brown eyes filled with tears.
I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry….
"Listen, Ginny," Harry said. "Your brother and Professor Lockhart are that way-follow the tunnel to the rocks, they should have cleared a large enough hole by now. I think you'll have to help Ma-Evanna. She's pretty hurt."
"But what about you?"
Evanna was shaking her head, eyes full of tears. "No, no way, Potter. Don't be a bloody martyr-"
Harry smilled. "That's not very ladylike, Malfoy," he said.
"You're coming with us!"
"Ginny needs to get you out of here, I heard-"
I heard you screaming.
"You'll die, Potter!" she all but screeched, shaking all over. She knew that this time it was not just the after effects of the Cruciatus.
A large bird landed beside them, red and orange and gold. Harry pet the bird with trembling hands. Evanna turned away, refusing to allow the older boy to see her cry.
"Hey, Fawkes," he whispered. "You were brilliant. I just-I just wasn't good enough."
Evanna choked on the sob that threatened to burst out. No matter what he had accused her of, Harry Potter, for a brief moment in time, had been her first friend. He was kind and he was good and he didn't deserve to die and Merlin they were all only children.
"Evanna, look, it's crying!"
Evanna turned to look in confusion. Why would Ginny comment on that? Then she remembered: phoenix tears had healing powers. As she watched, the hole in Harry's arm healed, leaving only a pink raised scar on his forearm. He gave the two girls a surprised look, and then a boyish grin. Evanna pulled herself to her feet with Ginny's help before both girls wrapped their arms around Harry as the three revelled in the fact that they were alive.