Rebekah ran to Ginny Weasley the moment she saw the red-haired body. She shook her shoulders, trying to wake the girl up but she didn't stir. Rebekah checked her pulse and found it weak but there. Thank Merlin.
"She won't wake," Rebekah looked up and saw Tom Riddle stand there, all smug and happy.
"Hello, Tom,"
"Don't call me that!"
"Would you prefer Voldemort?" Rebekah shrugged. "You're a memory. How in the hell are you here?"
"Magic,"
Rebekah reached for her wand and found it missing. Riddle twirled it in his finger and made Rebekah flinch.
No one touched her wand.
"Give."
"No, you won't be needing it anyway," He said, stepping forward towards Ginny. "It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl. But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom. . . . I'm so glad I've got this diary to—"
"Don't do a monologue," Rebekah sighed and stood up fully. "I don't care what she did. I already know you possessed her and made her do those things."
He sent her a distasteful look. "Fine," He said and waved the wand to create three words in the air:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE.
Rebekah stepped forward and waved her hand, making the letter rearranged.
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.
"I know who you are," Rebekah said and turned to face the older boy. "But I don't really know your story."
"You see? It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Rebekah, darling— I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"
Rebekah didn't really have anything to say to that. She was thinking, trying to process it. "You became feared. People still fear to say your name but you, you are not the greatest Sorcerer."
She stepped back several feet as she knew this would anger Riddle.
Music sounded faintly in the Chamber. Both of them looked around to try and find the source but nothing could be seen and the music was increasing in volume. Flames erupted from a pillar, resulting in the form of a bird. It was large and majestic as it flurried its golden tail.
The bird flew straight for her, dropping the ragged buddle at her feet. It curled its talons into her shoulder as it landed, completely warm to the touch as it brought its golden beak closer to her. Fawks.
"A Phoenix…"
"Hello, gorgeous," Rebekah said and gently stroked his head. She bent down and picked the hat up as Riddle cackled. He began to make fun of Dumbledore and monologue again.
"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." Riddle hissed and Rebekah braced herself.
Salazar Slytherin's stone face moved, opening the mouth to reveal a pipe. It might have been reckless but Rebekah refused to look away. Voldemort was dead. He wasn't the Heir of Slytherin anymore. She was the last living descendant.
Fawkes took off, flying away. A Phoenix couldn't do much against the King of Serpents.
The serpent was poisonous green in colour with the thickness of a tree trunk. It had a flat head with so many teeth Rebekah couldn't count.
"Kill him."
Rebekah turned her head up and looked at the snake start to snap at the bird soared above its head. Her eyes glanced to the dark blood that splattered on the ground. Rebekah jumped when the tail of the serpent thrashed and it turned. Confidently, Rebekah turned to look at it in the face.
Fawkes had removed its eyes.
Tears welled up in Rebekah's as a gasp soared through her chest. The poor creature! It was being controlled and the snake was in agony for doing what it was told.
"NO!" Riddle screamed. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE GIRL IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HER! KILL HER!"
Tears dripped down her cheeks silently as Rebekah stood tall and called out to the creatures. Fawkes stopped his violence and flew back to her as the serpent hissed, tasting the air.
"Look at me. Hear me, serpent, he is not the heir,"
"I am the Heir!" Riddle yelled at her, reddening.
"He is but a memory of the one who used to be your master," Rebekah hissed at the creature as it laid its stomach down and slithered up to her. She pulled a hand up to touch its nose and it struck, searing pain echoed in her right forearm as she screamed in pain. One of the Basilisk's fang stayed in her arm and she watched her skin sizzle.
"I have but one master,"
"NO!" Rebekah screamed and it jutted forward when its tongue came out. She pushed her bleeding arm to the tongue, causing the snake to retreat its tongue. "Taste my blood. BLOOD TO BLOOD, I TAKE WHAT IS MINE BY BIRTH, BLOOD, AND CONQUEST!"
Her arm and the blood on the snake's tongue glowed a bright white and then returned back to normal. Rebekah clutched her arm as the snake slithered around her and went behind her. It brought its head down to the floor and laid it there by her, allowing her to place a hand on its snout.
"Are you mine?"
"As you are of my original master's,"
"NO. NO. NO," Riddle screamed again. "I am your master, kill her. Kill her. KILL HER!"
"A memory cannot be the Heir,"
"I need to destroy the diary, I think," Rebekah said to herself without realising she hissed it.
"Take my discarded fang and pierce the book,"
"ACCIO DIARY, AND FANG!" Rebekah yelled and made both of them soar towards her. She took the two and plunged the fang into the diary until half of it came out of the other side. She dropped both as Riddle's screams became lessened and she dropped to her knees beside the Basilisk.
It allowed her to use its head as a rest as she couldn't focus. A searing pain happened in her arm made her stay awake as she watched a blur of gold and red next to it. Rebekah screamed, making her voice go hoarse.
"Thank you, Fawkes," She whispered when she could finally focus on the bird. It jutted its head towards the serpent, somehow Rebekah understood. "Stay still and do not attack."
Rebekah watched Fawkes quickly move to stand on the Basilisk's snout and the bird began to cry into its eyes. The serpent closed its eyes after it could see, unwilling to kill the creature that helped it even after hurting it.
"I cannot allow you to be killed," Rebekah whispered hoarsely and gulped. "I ask you to hide, hide before the girl awakes, and I will keep you safe. I will see about letting you out into the Black Lake."
"I would very much like that, Mistress," The voice became clear and distinctly masculine. "It has been almost a thousand years since I have seen the outside world."
"You can no longer hunt MuggleBorns. They are a significant part of our society, we need the fresh blood else Wizarding kind would become existent within a dozen generation,"
"Salazar," The Basilisk turned its head to the gigantic statue of the Wizard. "He was right to be wary of MuggleBorns. The truth has been twisted over the centuries. He did not hate MuggleBorns, no, he hated their Muggle parents that tried to kill their Magical children. He had taught the children to be wary of their parents and their beliefs, and when one killed a student of his, he became distraught with grief. The other Founders agreed that this couldn't continue but they had no way to stop it. Salazar hatched me to look after the students while they stayed at Hogwarts, else Muggles come and attack. I am getting old and my duty is yet not fulfilled."
Rebekah heard Ginny Weasley stir from the other side of the Chamber. "Hide please, if she sees you, she will tell everyone that you are alive. I'm gonna tell them that I've killed you and so they won't bother looking for you."
When Ginny awoke, she began to ball her eyes out. She became as red as her hair as Rebekah hugged the crying girl and tried to comfort her. She sobbed and tried to speak, "I'll get expelled!" and Rebekah told her that it wasn't her fault for doing everything.
"Come on, honey," Rebekah helped her stand, placing an arm around her. "We need to leave. The Basilisk is dead and we need to be looked at."
Fawkes led the way to McGonagall's office and Rebekah didn't even bother knocking, simply shoving the door open and waltzing in.
"Ginny!" Mrs Weasley clutched the girl after leaping from in front of the fire. Mr Weasley joined in hugging.
Fawkes flew straight for Dumbledore's shoulder and the elderly Wizard stroked a tail feather. Next to him was McGonagall, clutching her chest through the last gasps of surprise.
"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?" Rebekah and Blaise were brought into Mrs Weasley's clutches as she hugged them. Realising that they were comfortable, she let them go.
"I think we'd all like to know that," McGonagall's eyes were warm but completely serious.
"You might want to get Snape and Madam Pomfrey,"
"Very well," She said. "so you found out where the entrance was — breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add — but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"
"Well, it started with the diary…"
The feast was wonderful and much bigger than normal. Everyone wore their sleeping clothes but Rebekah, Blaise and Ginny had to get changed. Everyone's pets joined in too, Emperor chased around some of the birds playfully.
"DAPHNE!" Rebekah launched herself at the girl when she walked into the Great Hall. Then Rebekah launched herself at the Gryffindor girl as she came in behind.
Then Hagrid returned at half three in the morning. Rebekah watched the sulking Fang suddenly get up from behind her and fling himself into the half-Giant's arms.