"So Alastor Moody put your name in the goblet?" Tom asked as he leaned back in his chair, his brown hair curled away neatly.
"And I have no idea why he would, and it's pissing me off!" Rebekah growled, slamming her hands into the table in rage. She didn't realise that she had broken the skin on her hand until Tom grabbed it before she could slam it again.
"I doubt you'll have the injury when you awake but you'll probably be sore," He turned the hand over in his, looking at the red abrasion site. "How old are you anyway, Rebekah? I would think that the Time-Turner would add on months, if used long enough, years."
"Um… I'd think it would be about… I once did three months of work in a month, then did a month's work in a week. About an extra two hours for each hour? I've gained a year or two but legally, I am fourteen,"
"Are you sure you're not seventeen by accident?"
"Yeah, I tried to walk through the Age Line but it didn't let me so I know I'm not seventeen," It was the truth.
Rebekah did try at some point because she had wanted to see if she could do it. If she was seventeen, she would be able to do Magic outside of Hogwarts without alerting the trace. The Ministry hadn't taken into account the use of a Time-Turner on a not Of Age student would have on their Magic. So, if her calculations were right, she would be seventeen by her next birthday.
"Have you found any pacts that would work for you and your group?" He asked after they both went back to their seats.
The room had changed slightly. The table was no longer there, in its place was a glass side table that sat between two high back chairs in front of the roaring fire. A blurry, non-moving painting sat atop the fireplace.
"I found this ritual in Morgana Le Fey's book," Rebekah paused to think out her next sentence. "From what I read of it, the Founders did it to connect themselves together, that is before Slytherin was forced out of the school by the parents of some PureBloods. It's not Dark, but it isn't Light either. The Blood sacrifice needed makes the spell unstable, and if everyone is not completely willing and open, it could backfire horribly. However, nothing can be revealed without the permission of the lead caster. So even if they wanted to, they couldn't say anything."
"Is that a good thing?" He grinned lowly, resulting in Rebekah's own lips curling also.
"A very good thing."
The next week was hell for Rebekah Potter, worse than the week when the school found out that Rebekah was a Parslemouth. Slytherin House was the only place where Rebekah and the snakes of the school could stay without being harassed by the rest of the school. Even with how capable Rebekah was, some of the older years had tailed her whenever she left the common room, until Snape told them not to.
Even when she went back in time, she kept her eyes and ears open. Her shield was always up and Emperor followed her in the shadows. Emperor had found a new talent, he could easily hide in her shadow and be transported with her. It kept Rebekah safe as Emperor could jump out of the shadows within a split second if there was a need.
Pansy played the piano in the corner of her room. It was one of her passions and, in Rebekah's opinion, it could have set her for life. She was beautiful as her fingers graced the keys, dancing across them easily and without hesitation. Rebekah was impressed with her skill with the piano, Pansy had said that she had started to learn when she was just a child. It was due to her PureBlood upbringing.
Fidele slithered under the door with a hissing mess of a sentence.
Pansy stopped mid-note, completely freezing up as he came in. "What's wrong?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out," Rebekah stood up from the plush floor where they all laid.
"Fidele, what's wrong?" Rebekah went into Parseltongue without hesitation, it came as second nature now. Having spent using the language to communicate with three creatures, Rebekah switched between them like you would shoes. You have one pair, and suddenly the other in a single step, if done right.
He had gotten only the first syllable out before Rebekah had jumped out of the room in her Animagus form. Fidele was quickly wrapped around her neck as she sprinted down the hallway and out of the Slytherin dungeons.
Rebekah could hear her friends follow behind her but she gave them no thought. She knew Emperor would lead them to where she was. Her mind was blank with confusion and a dash of fear.
She needed to get to Vibora.
Now.
Rebekah couldn't think straight as she sprinted, her paws loud against the stone and she had to dodge between some students.
Vibora was dying.
His colourings had paled in the last few weeks, exceedingly more than they had over the last few years. He was no longer vibrant Basilisk as his eyes were no longer an acid yellow and barely registered in the darkness of the Chamber.
Rebekah threw herself to be quicker, only shifting to grip his huge snout in her hands to make him lift his head. She shook her head in disbelief.
"Come on, Vibora," Rebekah said, cradling his head so the bottom of his snout sat in her lap. She stroked the top of his head as she watched his eyes carefully. "You can't leave me. Paladin and I need you."
"It is time," He hissed out, it was strained and made Rebekah's eyes tear up as her nose burned but she refused to cry.
"No, it's not!"
"Rebekah, I have been alive for a thousand years."
"So? Stay for a thousand more!"
"The school no longer needs me. The hatchling is almost completely grown,"
"Who you calling hatchling, grandpa?" Paladin retorted sadly. The trio laughed for a moment, allowing Rebekah to wear her not fallen tears away.
They sat in silence for a moment as they heard the group coming from the staircase. The Slytherins were shocked at the outlay of the Chamber, more so at Rebekah hugging and stroking the head of a huge snake, and the other huge snake that slithered to be around her.
The lights in his eyes became shallow, barely any life in them anymore, and something in Rebekah's chest deeply ached.
The tears were now free-falling down her red face, ruining her Muggle eyeliner. Every time she tried to rub them away, more came and made a black smudge against her eyelids and cheekbones. Rebekah couldn't be crying, she was supposed to be cold, uncaring, unaffected.
She was supposed to be strong but she couldn't be right now, and it made her feel pathetic.
"Take my fangs, Witch," Vibora murmured. "They will be useful for you. Take the largest two before my body disintegrates completely as Magic takes me back into their grip."
Rebekah didn't sob when he asked, she only nodded as tears dripped and her little red nose sniffled. Her bottom lip trembled as she watched Vibora open his mouth wide enough for her to grip a fang in each shaking hand before tugging them away sharply. She gathered them into her lap before going back to hugging him, her body half draped across his nose.
"No, no," Rebekah muttered. "Don't you dare go, Vibora!"
His breath was warm as he took his final breaths. Rebekah cried even hard but she didn't sob, only allowing her voice to waver.
"Don't leave! You can't!" Rebekah shouted in Parseltongue. She reverted back to English without realising. "You can't die, Vibora! Come on. You can't leave Paladin and I. We need you."
"Take care of the school, hatchling," He breathed out. "Take care of our Witch."
Vibora's scale turned grey, almost ash-like before he actually turned into an ash statue. It sparkled ominously but Rebekah found peace in it. She hugged him closer as she finally allowed a real, heart-wrenching sob out. Her elbows hit the cold ground as Vibora slowly disintegrated beneath her, his ashes glittered like actual Magic as they pulled apart his long body. Rebekah began to bang her fists against stone, unwilling to believe that he was gone.
Her friends didn't know what to do. This was the first time they had seen Rebekah so vulnerable, so human, so their age. She had always acted mature and strong for them, even if another insulted her, belittled her, or were condescending towards her. She never gave them anything but her best. It was… Unsettling to see Rebekah sob and wail as she was surrounded by a huge Basilisk.
Emperor came up to the Basilisk, put one paw onto its scales. The huge snake looked at Emperor and then the heartbroken Rebekah, and slithered off to one of the pools of water.
Soon enough, the whole group was around Rebekah, trying to coax her onto the futon area so she wouldn't hurt her hands anymore. She latched onto the closest one of them, which was Theodore who was slightly uncomfortable due to the closeness but he allowed it. Rebekah was in a bad place at the minute.
Somehow, the whole group fell asleep on the futon after they got the nonverbal Rebekah calmed down and talking again. Rebekah curled up in the middle, her eyes puffy and red but she didn't cry anymore. She knew she could trust her friends now, at least trust them more than she had done before. Emperor curled around the whole group, being the size of a truck. He nestled everyone into his side, paternal instincts telling him that this was his group.
The forgotten foot-long fangs were now replaced by a beautiful set of earrings. A single inch long fang, pearl white in colour with an etched Basilisk into the bone, was held by Goblin silver, easily curling over the bones.