As Fawkes attempted to fly through it, the door to the Chamber slammed shut. There was a crack on one side, but not enough for the bird to go through it. The sound had also alerted the Basilisk, who had now switched target once more and was charging directly at the professor. Snape saw that the beat was blind - at least Dumbledore's pet had done something useful! He waited for the monster to open its mouth, readying his aim.

"Sectumsempra!"

The voice made everyone freeze on the spot for a second. They heard the Basilisk screech and hiss in pain as Snape ran past it to avoid being bitten.

Harry noticed the beast slamming its tail around. "Professor Snape! Watch out!"

Although meant as a warning, it distracted Snape enough for the Basilisk to hit him hard over his back, slamming his body against the floor. The man gasped, as he felt the air knocked out of his lungs and the pressure tightening his ribcage but struggled enough to get away from it.

Tom Riddle found it amusing. "Severus Snape, the hero of every Hogwarts student!" he mocked him. "Too bad you fell on your face."

"Shut up!" Katherina attempted to charge at Riddle, but Draco pulled her aside.

"You don't honestly think you can take on the Dark Lord!"

"He's not the Dark Lord, he's a memory!" she argued.

"He's got a wand!" Draco cried out. Tom Riddle had picked up Harry's wand that he had dropped while getting dramatic over Ginny.

"Very observant of you," Riddle laughed as he pointed the wand at them. "Ten points to Slytherin!"

Snape made his way towards Harry Potter. "While those idiots argue, pay attention! Its scales will reflect anything! You need to aim for the mouth or for the missing eyes. Whatever you do, you must not allow its fangs to touch you!"

Harry Potter saw the Basilisk charging at them again. It went straight for him this time, as Tom Riddle spoke to it in Parseltongue and the beast obeyed. He was prepared to make a run for his life when Fawkes returned with something in between its claws and dropped it right in front of him and Snape.

Draco ran in front of the snake, trying to distract it so Harry could take the package. "Over here, you dumb ugly worm!" He kicked the ground and splashed water towards it so that the noise would draw its attention, then went to hide between the Snake sculptures.

Katherina tried to head after him, but Snape caught her by her cloak. "What do I have to do for you two idiots to stop risking your lives?"

"Let me go!" The girl extended her arms back, leaving Snape to hold onto her cloak, as she made a dash on the opposite side of the Basilisk. She knew Draco had a plan and that nobody else would be willing to help him.

"Katherina, when he opens its mouth, freeze it!" Draco yelled as he tried to avoid the falling fragments of stone that the Basilisk was knocking over.

"Understood!" she said from behind another hissing snake statue.

In the meantime, Harry saw a sword appear inside the Sorting Hat. Instinctively, he pulled it out and it came surprisingly easy. Snape looked at him in awe, well aware of whose sword it was.

"Futile efforts!" Tom Riddle laughed. "In case you forgot, any spell will reflect off of its scales, like your very dedicated Professor thought to mention right after you nearly turned yourself into snake food."

Draco soon came face to face with the beast. "Now!" he yelled.

Katherina had climbed up one of the statues, barely keeping her balance on the smooth and slippery surface. "Immobulus!" She had aimed for the Basilisk's left breeding eye, but it turned towards her when it heard her and so, the spell bounced back.

"Katherina!" Draco yelled in shock as he watched the snake charging at her.

"It's me you want!" Herry yelled as he attempted to slash the tail of the Basilisk with the sword. "Come get me! I'm your target, not them! Come here!"

Successfully attracting the beast, Harry ran through the water and climbed the statue of Salazar's head. Tom Riddle watched without a worry. "In another minute or so, Ginny Weasley will be dead and I will cease to be a memory, so go on! Joke around all you want! If the Basilisk won't kill you, I promise I will!"

"Not if I have a word in it," Snape declared bravely. He went and picked up the green journal from beside the Weasley girl and threw it towards the monster.

"No!" Tom yelled as he saw the Basilisk open its mouth, attracted by the sound of the journal's pages fluttering.

Harry took the chance and jumped on the head of the Basilisk, driving the sword through its right eye. The pain caused it to bite hard into the journal and blood sprung from it, while the Basilisk trashed around and hit Harry against the statue hard. Harry felt his skull come into contact with the stone as his vision became blurry and the strength melted out of his limbs. He let go.

Snape went to catch Potter as he was falling while trying to avoid the dying, screaming snake at the same time. When he reached him, he was relieved to see that he still had a pulse and was most likely just knocked out. He watched the two Slytherins help each other out, as Draco had cast the countre-spell on Katherina and helped her off the statue. It was finally over...

The professor laid Potter on the ground, checking to see if he had been seriously injured at all. Draco and Katherina gathered around him as well. As soon as Snape threw the edge of his cape off his leg, they were met with the gruesome discovery. One of the snake's fangs had cut a small wound into Harry's flesh.

Katherina and Draco looked at Snape. They were well aware this wasn't good, but their Potions professor was there. Surely there was something he could do, right? He knew the cures for so many poisons and venoms, he even spoke about stopping Death in its tracks.

"There's only one known antidote for this..." Snape spoke in a low voice as he heard the sound of fluttering feathers above them. "The tears of a Pheonix."

The Slytherins watched as the bird leaned over Harry's leg and let a few tears fall into it. The venom evaporated instantly and his scratch began to heal.

Ginny came through and looked around, confused. She saw everyone bent over herself and somebody else... Groggy and numb, she turned to see Harry on his back.

"Harry! Harry?" She turned on her side and slapped her hand on his chest. "Are you alright, Harry?" The boy began to wake up as he recognized his name being called.

Snape stood and looked at his clothes in disgust. This could have gone better... Well, at least it was over. He began to walk towards the door which he had ordered Annelyse to lock as a safety precaution. That silly little girl had still cast a healing charm... No! He couldn't allow emotions to cloud his mind, not again. He had promised himself he won't ever allow it. He used Alohomora to unlock the door and walked out, back into the tunnel system.

Draco turned his back on the others and shoved his hands into his pockets. "...I expect us getting detention after you yelled at Snape," he addressed Katherina without making eye contact. Instead, he went to look at the dead Basilisk. Whatever spell Snape had used on it was enough to make it slow and manageable, but not enough to kill it.

Katherina took a few steps after him. "At least we're alright."

"Why would you do it?" he asked in a low voice. Ginny and Harry were crying and embracing behind them. He couldn't stand the sound of it - looking would have probably disgusted him more.

The girl stepped to his right. "I knew you had a plan, but no one would back you up if you needed it. Snape was keeping an eye on Weasley and on Tom Riddle's memory, while Potter was taking his sweet time drawing the sword out of the hat."

"But you missed..." he pointed out the obvious. "You left yourself defenseless."

"At least... I managed to get it to leave you alone." She saw the last letters of Godric Gryffindor's name engraved on the sword.

Draco looked at her. "Sorry about your hair..."

She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to preserve some body heat. "It will grow back." After a moment of silence, she let out a faint chuckle. "You called it a worm..."

Not bothering to defend himself, Draco began to laugh bitterly as well. "My father will be mad..."

"Probably," she admitted. "Let's go back and find out what our punishment will be."

Malfoy nodded. He went to pick up her cloak, but it was soaked, so instead, he took off his own and put it over her shoulders. "You should start wearing sweaters, Caesarius. It'd be really lame to survive a Basilisk and die of pneumonia."

"People no longer die of pneumonia in Europe," she chuckled but accepted his cloak.

"Oh, really? Then give it back!" he said with a laugh.

"Never," the girl held it tighter around herself. "You'll need a new one!"

Their smiles faded for a moment when they noticed Harry and Ginny staring at them.

"Thanks," Potter said simply but solemnly. "I appreciate the help." Ginny nodded to his words.

"Can we... be friends, maybe?" The girl held out her hand.

Draco was ready to turn them down, but Katherina reached past him and shook Ginny's hand. "We're good. Just... stop being so harsh to Selena."

The Gryffindors looked at each other. "We barely ever spoke," Harry said. "I don't remember being harsh to her."

Rolling his eyes, Draco walked past them. "Whatever!"

"Selena said you were a little defensive," Katherina told Ginny. "Give her a chance, alright? She's the one who ran out to warn you and Weasley about the Basilisk, Potter. We told her not to do it, but she wouldn't listen. I doubt Selena would ever tell you this on her own, she probably thinks you'd take advantage of it if you knew, but she cares about your group more than Malfoy or I ever will."

The two seemed surprised. "She always seemed so cold and emotionless..." Ginny mumbled.

"What you see isn't always what you get," Katherina said as she walked past Potter and went after Draco. "Especially in our house," the girl finished her sentence in a low voice, talking to herself. She held Draco's cloak over her shoulders and took her time walking back. He seemed changed since she had been with Cedric, and she couldn't complain about it.

Katherina saw a knotted rope being descended into the tunnel which she used to climb back up. McGonagall and Dumbledore were there, waiting, while Pomfrey was checking on Draco to make sure he was alright. She saw Selena's worried eyes aimed at the ceiling and followed her gaze. Ron was floating, laughing, swollen up like a balloon.

"Look at me! I'm flying without the broom!" he yelled.

"That's nice, but won't you come down?" Selena pleaded with him.

"No way! Not that I know how, but it's nice up here," he laughed.

Madam Pomfrey looked at him. "The effect should wear off in another half an hour."

Dumbledore waited for everyone to reach the surface. "Mister Malfoy is waiting in my office. Let's kindly explain what has taken place." He set his hands on the shoulders of Katherina and Draco.

"I want to come too!" Potter stated bravely. "There's something I need to confirm to myself."

Draco shot him a questioning look over his shoulder, but this wasn't his decision to take. He let himself be escorted into Dumbledore's office along with Katherina and Potter. As they went, a stray thought crossed his mind. Where was Professor Snape? He was the first to leave the Chamber, yet nowhere in sight.


Author's notes:

Merry Christmas, or happy holidays, or anything you celebrate these days. Here's my gift for you: three chapters. Please enjoy and as always, favorite, follow, and review.

The Losing Game will be out this weekend, I believe, if all goes well.