Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Writers Notes: thanks to my beta HGranger89 and thanks to mimisvpor, Chelsea always, FlowerChild23, Iia a karas , Smootsmokey, pgoodrichboggs, Smithback, gisela19wwe, Ieonix2009, emjrabbitwolf, Glass-NotCannon, Nanyin and FrancineHibiscus for the positive feedback.
"Move," Severus motioned to Lockhart to enter through the small door; he let out a whimper of fear as he walked in. Severus quietly followed and edged inside the large chamber behind the door with Potter taking up the rear. The Chamber was dimly lit by an eerie greenish gloom and had a path of stone pillars carved with life-like serpents. Severus paid them little attention though, distancing himself from them. Lockhart was looking about every way, desperately searching for an escape.
"If you see any sign of movement you need to close your eyes, turn your back and run. Just... run, stay quiet and listen to everything I say," he whispered to Harry who was behind him. "That goes double for you, Lockhart."
He heard nothing but the sounds they made: their breathing, the rustling of their robes and the echo of their footsteps on the damp stone floor. Severus extinguished his wand-light and gestured for Potter to do the same; the dull, green light showed them enough of their surroundings, and to draw the attention of the Basilisk upon them with more light would be very unwise. Severus hoped to locate Miss Weasley and get the hell out of there before the Basilisk was alerted.
Finally, at the end of the chamber, Severus found he was facing an imposing statue of Salazar Slytherin himself. Then, by his feet, he spotted the kidnapped girl sprawled on the floor.
"Ginny!" Potter screamed in terror and attempted to run towards the girl, but Severus caught him by his arm and held on tightly.
"What did I tell you?!" he whispered furiously.
"It's Ginny; we've got to help her!"
"Be. Quiet!" Severus intoned very clearly, "and stay behind me. Be ready to run." Keeping the boy behind him, he approached the still form of the first-year, an everyday, black diary in her grip. His eyes darted around the chamber, looking for any movements from the beast.
While he saw no serpent, a boy was leaning against a pillar, looking at them imperiously. He appeared to be around sixteen, a fifth or sixth year, and it took Severus only a moment to recognize him.
Voldemort, while he was still human, or at least resembling a human.
He was also almost transparent. Not quite real, was he a ghost?
Riddle didn't say anything, just watched them. Severus tried to keep Potter behind him, but Riddle knew he was there, for he let down his arms and straightened his posture a bit.
"Tom?" the boy asked confused, "Tom Riddle?" Severus pushed him further back, behind his own back, he was left with a million questions racing through his mind. "Are you a ghost?"
"A memory," the boy corrected. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years." He pointed towards Miss Weasley, and to the small book that lay in her grip.
"Tom we have to get her out of here. There's a Basilisk, and it will be here at any moment." Potter said quietly, and the boy raised his eyebrows.
"The Basilisk won't come until its called," he said softly. "Let me tell you the real reason why Ginny's like this. She wrote in my diary for months, and I wrote back, I was sympathetic, I was kind. She simply loved me." He smiled and began speaking in a mocking tone. "No one's ever understood me like you, Tom... I wish you were here with me Tom.." Riddle laughed, and Severus stiffened and shoved Potter behind him, shielding him with his own body.
"I know who he is, but who are you two?" Riddle asked, narrowing his eyes at the Professors. Severus did not reply, keeping his wand at the ready, but Lockhart looked like his ego was hurt deeply that someone never heard of him.
"I am Gilderoy Lockhart," the buffoon said, insulted.
"Yes, yes, she went on about you. She said you were handsome but dumb." Tom turned to Severus, "and you are?"
Severus remained silent.
"No answers? It's of no matter to me; you'll all be dead soon enough."
Severus kept his face impassive and offered no answers to this memory. 'He doesn't recognize me,' he thought, 'he doesn't know I'm supposed to be his second.' Snape's brain was firing on all cylinders.
"What have you done to her?" Harry asked.
"To the girl? Why I simply listened, let her pour out her soul to me... and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted. I grew stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets, but she grew scared of the diary, and she tried to get rid of it in the girl's bathroom. With luck, the diary ended up with the one person I wanted to meet."
"Why did you want to meet me?" Harry questioned.
Riddle began pacing around, trying to get to the other side to get a clear view of Harry, but Severus kept himself between the two of them, his eyes trained on Riddle.
"Have you figured it out yet? I am Lord Voldemort, the greatest sorcerer in the world."
"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world," Harry angrily protested.
"Albus Dumbledore has been drawn out of Hogwarts by the mere memory of me," Riddle smiled.
"Dumbledore will never be gone," Harry glared, "Not as long as there are people who are loyal to him."
A loud cry erupted close to the ceiling, and Fawkes soared downwards settling on Severus' shoulder, dropping the bundle, which he deftly caught before it fell on the floor. It was the sorting hat.
"A bird..." Riddle breathed. "and the Sorting Hat." Riddle said, stating the obvious. "So this is what Dumbledore sends to his defenders." Riddle began to laugh mockingly. Severus had enough.
"Sectumsempra!" Snape cast at the boy, but the spell went right through him.
"Useless...," Riddle replied nonchalantly.
"Sectumsempra!" Severus tried, but the spell failed once again.
"Pointless" Riddle smiled.
"Enough," Riddle said, "Now let's test the power of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Slytherin against Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived." A nasty smirk spread on his face, and he walked to the statue of Slytherin, looking up to his face and let out a nasty hiss. The mouth of the figure opened to reveal a large hole and something was slithering out...
Severus immediately turned around, grabbed a tight hold of boy's arm and ran to the exit. Fawkes took flight from Severus' shoulder, but he cared only about was getting the boy out. They were so close to the exit when Severus tripped on the slippery stone floor.
Snape looked over his shoulder and realized the Basilisk wasn't following them; its body was thrashing wildly against the pillars while Fawkes attacked the Basilisk's dangerous eyes and empty eye sockets gaped in the Basilisk's head. Severus spotted Lockhart hiding behind one of the stone serpent carvings and saw a sword appear from the sorting hat.
"Run!" Severus roared at Potter and blasted the Basilisk's mouth with a Sectumsempra that severed two of its teeth and rolled swiftly to the side as the great serpent hissed in pain, spewing blood all over the floor.
He hit the Basilisk's tail and back desperately with the dark curse of his own creation, hoping to draw its attention back to himself, giving the boy enough time to escape. Instead, he cursed the gods as the reckless boy ran back towards Ginny Weasley picked up the sword on the ground, ready to face the beast himself. As the basilisk turned towards the children, Severus ran towards them as fast as he could, intending to snatch Potter away and run for the exit, but the Basilisk lunged.
Severus howled and struck the beast's underbelly with another slicing hex, snatching the sword of Gryffindor out of the boy's hand. His fingers touched the handle, and his veins were filled with rage and blind fury at the beast...
The creature lunged again, Severus clutching the boy tightly to his chest. His wand hand raised the Sword of Gryffindor, and just as the beast went to make the deadly bite, Professor Snape thrust the sword to the hilt into the roof of the beast's mouth. The poisonous fangs surrounded them like prison bars, Severus let out a hiss out pain as he felt the Basilisk sharp fang pierce his forearm. Then, blessedly, the beast toppled, twitching on the floor.
Severus let go of the boy and dropped the sword, he stared down at his arm and stared blankly as he pulled the fang out of his arm and tossed it away.
Riddle was left stunned and glared angrily, "It doesn't matter. You're too late, I will return, and there is nothing you can do about it. Its funny what damage a book can do in the hands of a silly little girl."
Harry glared angrily at Riddle as he picked up the fang of the Basilisk and jam into the diary.
"NO!" A piercing scream shredded the air of the chamber. Ink spurted out of the diary, gushing onto the floor. Riddle writhed in pain, screaming and flailing and then, suddenly, he was just gone.
Harry sighed and ran to the girl's side; Miss Weasley let out a moan from where she lay. She seemed to be struggling up, so Harry helped her to her feet, as Lockhart came out of hiding.
Ginevra Weasley was staring at the dead Basilisk, her eyes darting from Harry to the fallen creature, then to Severus and Lockhart. Tears welled in her eyes as her gaze landed on the diary.
"Harry... Professor Snape, Professor Lockhart I'm sorry, so so sorry... It was me, I-I d-didn't mean to, I s-swear I didn't mean to, but Riddle made me."
Ginevra Weasley was staring at the dead Basilisk, her eyes darting from Harry to the dead creature, then to Severus and back at Lockhart. Tears welled in her eyes as her gaze landed on the diary. Harry took the younger girl into her arms and held her as she sobbed.
"Calm down, Miss Weasley," Severus said his voice was growing weak as the poison spread through his bloodstream. "Riddle's gone, Mr. Potter destroyed the diary and Tom Riddle. Drink this," he said, pulling out a vial of calming draught from a pocket of his robes.
"W-what is it?" Ginny eyes widened, "Sir! You're bleeding!"
"It doesn't matter. Now take the Potion Miss Weasley," Severus said irritably, and Ginny knocked it back, her eyes closed.
"There, now that the hysterics have ceased, Potter, grab the sorting hat and the diary. Lockhart, help the girl and the sword. Get back to the main castle." Severus said, his voice thin and raspy as the poison spread.
"Wait what about you, sir? We can't just leave you here!" Harry stared at Snape. He would be lying to himself if he hadn't wished for the git to suffer horribly, but Snape had saved them and killed the Basilisk, and the man wanted them to leave him to die here.
"It doesn't matter... just focus on getting out of here alive." Severus started to get up, "I'll lead you as far as I can."
"The adventure ends here!" Lockhart smiled, his wand aimed at Harry, "I'll be taking credit for all of this!"
"Just shut the fuck up and let me die in peace," Severus rasped.
" I won't lose my integrity to Potter, Severus."
"I wasn't aware you had any integrity, to begin with."
Then, Lockhart made to obliviate the children, but luckily, even when dying, Severus Snape was the greater wizard by far. He quickly stunned the idiot, leaving him in a heap on the Chamber floor.
"I'm afraid Miss Weasley, you will have to take the sorting hat, while Potter takes the sword." Ginny grabbed the old hat gingerly from Harry, who hefted the sword of Gryffindor into his arms.
They arrived at the entrance to the tunnel when Severus collapsed to the ground. The young Gryffindors made to run to their hated Potions Master when Fawkes landed on the floor next to Snape, resting his beautiful head against Severus' injured arm.
Severus curled the feather on the top of its head back, "You are a reckless Gryffindor. Aren't you Fawkes?"
Thick, pearly tears fell from the phoenix's eyes onto the wound. The pain vanished, and Severus 's skin knit itself back together as if nothing had happened.