5
`NO!' Tom had screamed as the new monster tore viciously at his basilisk. `No, no, no!'
It's mouth ripped away chunks of scales and flesh from the basilisk's frame. The thrashing and writhing and screaming echoed through the Chamber of Secrets as Tom stood, helpless, as the monster ripped apart the neck of his basilisk.
It took half an hour before his basilisk's pain stopped, and Tom had considered putting the poor thing out of it's misery; but he couldn't do that without a body to posess, and the Weasley girl was still unconcious upstairs.
With a final moan, the enormous snake went limp. Long hands covered with blood, the monster drew back, as if satisfied.
A sudden rage gripped Tom, stronger than he'd experienced in a long while; it was agonizing to be posessed. And this monster killed his basilisk.
Tom let his body lose it's structure, and splashed to the ground. In this form, in this slick, inky substance he slid across the floor towards the monster.
Hello, monster, he thought.
Then latched himself onto it's white, muscled leg. It screamed and shook it's leg, trying to get him off. Tom shot up it's leg, it's torso, and forced himself down the monster's mouth, suffocating it's power to resist.
It's struggling stopped- eventually.
/
Tom made his way to the dungeons. There was another muggle nearby; he didn't know what happened to the other one, the first one. It was nowhere he could see.
Come out, come out.
The muggle was somewhere in the corridor. The monster was blind, but Tom realised that the monster's heightened sense of smell- particularly blood- coupled with his ability to find impure things in the castle made them quite the effective team.
There was a sticky sound.
Tom found his head whipping round against his will- clearly the monster's bloodlust could overpower his posession. Like an unruly horse, Tom struggled to get the monster back in check but it pounded blindly towards the smell.
Pounded right past the muggle.
And burst through the barricaded doors.
/
`Elliot, you alright?' Harry asked, when he'd finished laughing. A steady stream of blood dripped into Eleven's lips, the red bleeding into every crease in her mouth. It looked quite alarming, to be honest. Eleven nodded.
`She's fine,' Dustin explained. `Her nose bleeds when she uses her powers.'
`That's new,' Hermione said. `Harry, have you seen Ron anywhere?'
`Oh, he's back there,' Dustin offered up helpfully, jerking a thumb behind him.
And then the doors to the dungeons flew off their hinges, as the demogorgon charged in with a roar.
/
Mike sprinted into the carnage, hollering `Dustin! El! ELEVEN!'
Students screamed and ran in every direction, pounding on the other locked doors. The demogorgon roared, strings of spit flying from it's mouth.
`Out of the way, out of the way!' McGonagall ran to the door and waved her wand. There was a click, and students streamed into the corridor.
Mike whipped his head round, yelling his throat raw.
`MIKE!' Another voice screamed.
`Eleven!' They ran towards each other. Mike grabbed her hand. `Where's Dustin and the others?'
`Gone,' Eleven gasped.
Mike was still processing this when McGonagall charged towards them.
`What are you two doing? RUN!'
They listened to her, and Mike and Eleven fled through the twisting stone corridors of the castle, the horrible noises pursuing them. They ran for fifteen minutes, Eleven's warm hand clinging to Mike's.
`In here,' Mike said, spotting an empty classroom. He started dragging desks across the door but Eleven floated them through the air, before dropping them down with a loud crash.
`Sh,' Mike hissed, putting a finger to his lips. Eleven guiltily froze, and both turned to check the door.
Nothing.
`Think we're safe.' Mike felt the adrenaline of the last few minutes leave his body and slid down the wall. He settled at the bottom of it, panting heavily.
`Mike?'
`I'm okay, don't worry.'
Eleven sat next to him. She wore a crisp white shirt, red and yellow tie, a skirt and socks that went up to her grubby knees. The overlarge robe had been left behind in the chaos, along with her wig.
Mike saw Eleven worriedly touching her head. `You don't need it,' Mike said gently. Then immediately flushed scarlet. `I-I mean-'
Eleven smiled, cheeks pink as well.
`Could you try and see what the demogorgon wants?' Mike asked after an embarrased pause.
`Dark place?' Eleven replied, a cloud crossing over her face. She nodded. `I'll try.'
She took off her tie and wrapped it like a blindfold around her head. `Hum,' she ordered Mike, and, slightly confused, Mike began to hum in a dull, repetitive note.
Eleven slipped away.
/
Tom fought for control over the monster. It was far more powerful than the Weasley girl…
It occured to Tom that he'd bitten off more than he could chew.
`Obey me! I am your master!' He shrieked inside the monster's head. The monster shook it's head furiously and Tom felt his already tenuous hold on the monster become weaker. They had two very different motives- to purge the school of the unworthy, and to find one particular girl.
Tom could see her face through the monster's mind.
Fine. If he could get control of the castle back by finding this girl, then so be it. He wasn't above sacrificing children for his own ends; in fact, it was useful to do so. This girl was a muggle, no matter how powerful the monster seemed to think she was.
If he could kill two birds with one stone, well, that would just be an added bonus. The monster had her scent, he'd been drawn by her blood. It would be easy to track this girl down.
`Hey, Voldemort!'
Tom Riddle swung the monster's head around, looking for the source of the sound. `Yeah, I know you're in there,' Potter continued.
Tom smirked. The monster had torn apart a basilisk. A twelve year old boy? Easy.
The only problem was, the monster was blind. It was attracted by blood. How to make the Potter boy bleed?
He shot out a clawed hand, trying to catch him. What would another scar be to Potter?
Another swipe into the air, and there was a yell of pain, but it was female blood, not Potter's-
`Hermione! No, no, no!' Different voices now. Footsteps ran towards the source of the blood.
`I'll take her- Harry, deal with the monster, Hermione needs Pomfrey- Dustin, help me!' The sound of school shoes being dragged squeakily across the floor.
A final swipe. Tom felt the monster's razor claw dig into soft flesh and rip part of it away. An arm? Yes, Potter's blood spilled from his arm. The scent was thick and tangy with salt. The monster pleaded to be let loose on the fresh meat.
Tom gave the monster a free rein.
/
Dustin was soaked in Hermione's blood; He and Ron were both holding her up.
`Ron, she's not gonna make it!'
`Shut up! She won't die!'
Dustin didn't have the heart to argue otherwise- and he was having trouble breathing- but there was a gaping wound in Hermione's torso. It spanned her chest and stomach. And her blood was going everywhere.
They'd made it out of the dungeons and reached a corridor of classrooms.
`Son of a bitch, where do we hide?'
Hermione coughed, and more blood soaked her white school shirt. She let out a low moan, then mumbled something.
`Hermione, what is it?' Ron held Hermione's chin, forcing her to look at him through half-closed eyes. `Come on, you've got to keep talking.'
`V-vulnera…' Hermione's knees gave out and she flopped down. Dustin managed to catch her before she hit the floor. `Vulnera… San-en-tur,' and then her eyes slid shut.
`Hermione! Hermione!' Screamed Ron. With bloody fingers, he checked her pulse. `It's there, but it's so weak-'
`Dustin! In here!'
Dustin looked up and saw Mike leaning out of a classroom, beckoning.
Ron had tears spilling down his cheeks, but still heaved Hermione up. He sprinted, carrying her to the classroom, Dustin behind him. The sounds of the demogorgon got louder.
Eleven kept the wreckage of the desks suspended over the door to let them in. The minute Dustin came through she let it all drop, and hastily wiped the blood from her nose.
`Hermione?' She asked, freezing when she saw.
`Ron, what does Vulnera Sanentur mean?' Dustin asked, trying to keep Ron focused. Ron's breath caught in his throat as he shook his head.
`I don't know, I don't bloody know and she's going to die…'
`I can save her.' Eleven said.
Mike put pressed his hands to his cheeks. `The demogorgon wants you, and it's attracted by blood. What about when your nose bleeds?'
`I can save her,' Eleven repeated determindly.
`Then do it!' Ron half screamed, gesturing at Hermione's body. Her chest rose up and down in quick, rapid movements. Her shirt was so saturated with blood it looked black.
Eleven steeled herself. The same powerful intensity came over her as she outstretched her hand.
Hermione screamed, her back arching. Ron made to run towards her, but Dustin launched forwards and held him back.
`Stop! Look.'
Ron looked, and it wasn't a pleasant sight. Eleven was literally knitting Hermione's chest and stomach back together. She panted, blood dripping not only from her nose but a thin line traced down her earlobe.
Mike listened, and heard the demogorgon getting closer. He pulled a chair leg from the wreckage barricading the door. It's ends were spiked and jagged. It'd do.
He stood guard at the door, holding it like a sword and feeling, just for a moment, like he truly was from Dungeons and Dragons. But when playing that board game, he'd never imagined the stink of blood and sweat, or the fear that thundered through him.
There was another scream from behind him, and Eleven let out a low groan. Her skin got whiter and whiter.
`You can do it, Eleven!' Mike shouted. She looked up at him and nodded, arms shaking with exertion. This time, when Hermione screamed, Eleven's own scream joined in. Hermione's arched back flopped still, her wound healed.
Eleven panted heavily. Her knees inverted, and she collapsed onto her front.
Just as the demogorgon's body slammed through the door.
