The acquaintance
There is nothing more dizzying than the sensation of total loss of control. That moment, that second when everything changes, and the doubts of the past overwhelm all that was left. Voldemort watched the last sparkle of life die in Nagini's eye and let out a howl of rage.
As he approached the corpse of his snake, oblivious to the silent crowd and the boy, he saw, standing in all its majesty, the king of the snakes who was observing him with a relentless gaze. A burst of hope seized Voldemort's soul. He was the Heir of Slytherin and as such, all snakes were bound to him. Especially basilisks. He couldn't figure out why the creature had attacked Nagini, but he knew that if the basilisk stood besides him, he would be almighty.
'Strike the boy,' he ordered in a hiss he tried to steady.
The basilisk didn't move.
'Parseltongue won't save you now, Tom,' said Harry calmly. 'He only obeys me.'
Voldemort ignored the pitiful attempt of the boy and reiterated his order, more furiously. But again, the basilisk didn't move and turned his gaze towards the boy. When Voldemort witnessed the tenderness in the basilisk eyes as he was watching his sworn enemy, the remaining of his world fell apart.
'How… how is that possible?' He asked in disbelief.
In his despair, he found the mindfulness to stick to Parseltongue. Letting his Death Eaters know he was in a quite uncomfortable position would be the end of his legitimacy with them. He was aware that his grip on them was only as strong as how powerful he appeared.
'Well, that is quite a story, in fact,' replied Harry while approaching Supra. 'It might also give you the explanation of why I obliviated Bellatrix Lestrange instead of simply petrifying her and giving her to the Ministry.' He waited for the Dark Lord to look at him and added in the most casual hiss possible. 'Would you like to hear it?'
'You… you little insolent brat,' spat Voldemort with a hateful look.
But still, his mind was shattered and right now, everything he had thought certain, was dangerously compromised. He needed to understand where and when it had gotten all wrong.
He was the Heir. The only one. Then why the basilisk was favoring this child instead of him. How had Harry managed to get his secret about Bellatrix? And why on Earth was the boy not frightened to death in front of him?
The Dark Lord almost gasped when he realised he was doubting. The world was spinning around him, and he was overwhelmed by the situation. Something he had never knew before. He narrowed his eyes and declared in proper English.
'Maybe you deserve to live a few more minutes. You and I are going to have a little conversation and once we're done, I am going to kill you. Therefore, choose your words wisely as they are the only thing standing between you and your inevitable death.'
Harry nodded, turned his heels, and headed to the Forest before the Dark Lord could choose where they would talk. He had perfectly understood the dynamic between Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Either the Dark Lord would follow him, or he would leave the Death Eaters with the picture of a boy so unafraid of the darkest wizard ever, he had no trouble turning his back on him. Before he followed Harry, Voldemort turned towards his followers.
'I have decided to grant the boy a final discussion. You can see this as his last will,' he added with a cruel grin. A few Death Eaters let a nervous laugh out, but most of them had felt the change in the power balance. However, everyone knew they were no match to the Dark Lord and therefore, they all stood quiet. 'Let no one follow us or you shall pay it the high price,' he threatened with a growing smile.
He didn't even wait for them to answer and disappeared in the Forest. Supra watched him pass in front of him and turned his gaze towards the crowd of witches and wizards. No one dared to approach the legendary snake. The creature didn't have to speak English to let them know that anyone who would try to follow would perish from a terrible painful death.
Voldemort joined Harry until he reached him in a glade that was illuminated by the soft light of the Moon.
'Do you recognize this place?' Asked Harry with a strange smile.
Voldemort looked around and his gaze fell on a spot that was of a luminescent silver color. He had the vision of a shadow drinking the blood of the purest creature at this exact place. It had been his shadow. A pale reflection of the powerful wizard he had become.
'I almost had you that night,' said Voldemort with a blank tone. He turned his gaze towards Harry. 'But this isn't why you brought me there, is it?'
'I am curious,' replied Harry. 'Minutes ago, you wouldn't have listened to word from me. What has changed that made you follow me here?'
Voldemort looked at the boy a few seconds. He had nothing to do with the scared and lost boy he had trapped into a graveyard almost a year ago. He had seen from the beginning that Harry Potter wasn't the usual fifteen-years old student. It would have been dumb to not recognise that the boy had an unusual resourcefulness and a certain bravery… Recklessness might be a better world. But as Voldemort was considering Harry, he thought, for a moment, he was seeing a reflection of himself. A reflection from a different time.
'Let's say,' said Voldemort with a voice he tried to steady, 'you may not be as weak as I thought.'
'If that is not a compliment, I don't know what is,' taunted Harry. 'I have another explanation for you. You followed me because you want to understand. I can tell you never expected what happened tonight.'
'You have a lot of nerve for a child about to die,' smiled Voldemort while caressing his wand.
'I am not afraid of death,' said Harry with a casual tone. 'I do not fear what comes next as I know that I won't be alone there,' he added while looking straight into the Dark Lord's eyes.
Voldemort knew the statement had been specially designed in his intention.
'You don't know what you're talking about,' replied Voldemort with a sneer. 'You're just a fifteen years-old boy. What could you know about life and death?'
'A great deal in fact,' said Harry with a sad smile. 'And I know a lot more about you, Tom Riddle. I know things you don't know. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?'
Voldemort didn't reply and his sneer faded. He didn't like the boy's attitude.
'Hogwarts is a truly a wonderful place, don't you think?' Continued Harry while taking one step towards the Dark Lord. 'A Home for some, a place filled with knowledge, hope and secrets. There is especially once place I have become quite fond of in the past year, and I owe it to your ancestor, Salazar Slytherin.'
As he was talking, he casually pulled his sleeve over his forearm to reveal the silver snake bracelet. Voldemort's eyes widened.
'Where did you find this?' He spat. 'What vicious trick is this?' The surprise was so great, he couldn't even conceal the doubt and fear growing in his voice.
'So, you know what it is,' said Harry looking falsely startled.
'You ignorant boy,' hissed Voldemort. 'Only a true Heir can wear this jewel! What wicked corruption did you apply to it so you could defile it with your dirty blood.'
'My blood is as dirty as yours Tom,' replied Harry oblivious to the aggressive tone. He took another step towards Voldemort. 'I can wear it because Slytherin gave it to me.'
'How… that is not possible.'
Harry looked at the fine bracelet, caressed it and turned his green eyes towards the purple ones.
'And yet here it is. Therefore, I am going to ask you this once, Tom. Do you want to know about everything you have missed during your life? Do you want to know why you have continuously failed since you chose the path towards immortality?'
'Failed?' Scoffed Voldemort. 'You should watch your mouth Potter.'
'Let me see,' said Harry while feigning to think. 'A rise to power ruined by a newborn, a rebirth crowned by the escape of your enemy, a fourteen-year-old boy if I may remind you.' Voldemort gaze was getting darker as Harry was throwing the list of his defeats at him. 'The destruction of everything you've worked for during your entire life and the loss of your old lover.'
'She wasn't my lover!' Blurted Voldemort.
'And yet you considered abandoning everything for her. Remember, Tom, there was a time where you would have given up all this hate, all this wrath just to be with her. But you decided otherwise. Where did it get you Tom?' Harry planted his gaze into Voldemort's eyes and took another step. 'The work of your life, gone. The love of your life, lost. When you'll destroy Hogwarts, which was once your only Home, when you'll beat Dumbledore, the only one who ever gave you a chance, what will be left for you?'
The last question echoed off the trees. When the silence came back, Voldemort was still breathless. The boy was now only two or three feet away from him.
'You went after my family and I,' said Harry with a calm tone, 'because of a Prophecy you chose to obey to. That is not very Slytherin of you.'
'Obey?' Repeated Voldemort before Harry could add anything else. 'Prophecies are not rules, there transcend them…'
'Are you going to talk about Fate?' Cut Harry abruptly with a condescending look. 'Prophecies are rules about Fate. Granted. But rules nonetheless.' He paused and smiled. 'Do you want to hear our Prophecy?'
Sirius was the first to go after Dumbledore who had rushed towards the crowd of Death Eaters after they had seen the Fiendfyre. He too had guessed why the hostilities had ceased and right now, his priority was his godson safety. The rest of the Order of the Phoenix followed while McGonagall indicated to the professors and students to stay in position. She couldn't, however, stop Ron and Hermione who ran after the group completely ignoring her call.
Dumbledore had been rarely surprised in his life, but when he arrived, what he saw, he had to admit, was a first. On the left side of the battlefield where the duel had happened, was standing a giant snake that Dumbledore had never seen in real life. The same creature that had crawled in his school three years ago, petrifying everyone he was encountering. However, the basilisk wasn't threatening. He seemed to be more in a guarding position. The Death Eaters were assembled on the right side and were observing the basilisk with a wary eye.
'This is a basilisk,' muttered Moody in disbelief.
'He doesn't seem to want to attack though, does he?' Asked Sirius who was a bit bewildered by the scene.
Upon seeing the Order of the Phoenix, some Death Eaters drew their wands out in a menacing way. A few spells fused, but Dumbledore dismissed them without even using his wand. The basilisk didn't move. A wind of panic spread through the group of attackers. Without Voldemort, they wouldn't stand against Dumbledore. But if they left, the Dark Lord would hunt each of them down.
Supra was watching the two groups of wizards and witches with a cautious eye. Their quarrel didn't matter to him. His task was to forbid anyone to pass. One of the wizards, however, caught his attention. He was tall, with piercing eyes and a long white beard that reminded him of Salazar. His aura was brimming with a quiet strength that could be devastating if unleashed. He tilted his head and recognised the man Harry had told him so much about. The old wizard turned toward him and, for the first, he met the blue electric gaze of the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore considered the basilisk. He was young, maybe four or five years old but no more. He hadn't attacked anyone, but seemed to be very protective of the area he was in. He was obviously guarding the way and Dumbledore was ready to bet anything it was leading to Harry and Voldemort. The missing information was on which side the basilisk was.
As soon as Dumbledore turned his attention towards the snake, chaos ensued. Some Death Eaters tried to escape while others had started to attack the Order. The spells started to fuse on each side.
Supra found that very annoying and before the fight escalated, he stepped in between the groups and spat violently in the direction of the Death Eaters as they had started the assault. His mighty hiss echoed of the edge of the Forest and the remaining Death Eaters froze in front of the threatening look of the basilisk. The creature had been touched by many spells while interfering, but none of them seemed to have affected him.
As the silence fell again, loud cracking noises were heard and, a few feet away, in front of Hogwarts Gate, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and about twenty Aurors Apparated. When Fudge saw Dumbledore, a wicked smile appeared on his face. But it was quickly replaced by an expression of genuine surprise when he realised what was happening. His eyes widened when they fell on the basilisk who ignored him completely.
'Dumbledore!' Exclaimed Fudge, 'what is the meaning of all this?'
'Ah Fudge,' replied Dumbledore coldly. 'Right on time as always. If your Aurors could please seize those Death Eaters,' he said with an acid tone while pointing towards the black hooded crowd, 'you would make yourself quite useful.'
The Minister seemed to be gasping for air and Dumbledore turned towards the basilisk. He raised his hands as a sign of peace and declared.
'I am a friend of Harry Potter. The boy is in great danger, and I humbly ask you to let us pass to assist him. Please.' No one had ever heard Dumbledore speak with such a humble tone.
Supra considered the wizard and hesitated. He wanted to obey Harry but his first and foremost priority was the safety of his master. And he pondered which choice would go this way. He lowered his head and approached Dumbledore, hissing softly. He plunged his pale-yellow eyes into the blue ones. The Headmaster didn't move an inch. So that was the wizard in whom Harry had placed his hopes and trust. The little one had good taste. He looked on the left and noticed the aristocratic dark-haired figure. That must have been the godfather. He stood back up again and raised his head. He had taken his decision.
