Summary: In the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter is given more support than a bird and a tattered old hat. It comes in the shape of one Draco Malfoy.
Prompt: The Fates have spoken. You have drawn The Chariot card, upright. You will write about direction, control, and willpower. You will channel the element of water. You may read the full description of the upright card here for more inspiration. The powers that be sense your story will be between 349 words and 993 words.
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling.
A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, gripping a ragged bundle. The bird stopped. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle.
"That's a phoenix…." Said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.
"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently.
"And that –" Said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped. "That's the old school Sorting Hat –" Riddle began to laugh. "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do You feel safe now?"
"He should." Another voice broke through, trembling slightly, but loud enough to carry his words across the cragged tunnel. The boyish grin that had spread across Riddle's face curdled into one of displeasure, as if the new presence physically pained him.
Harry looked over the shoulder that wasn't occupied by a phoenix and was surprised at what – or who – he found. Draco stood, his chest puffed out, and a determined – if frightened – expression on his face.
"Get out of here!" Harry hissed, causing Draco's smile to drop. He had already killed Quirrell, perhaps inadvertently, but he was dead all the same. Harry didn't want to add Draco's name to that same list. He was grateful the other boy had showed up, that he wasn't alone, but he couldn't let him stay.
"It's no matter." Riddle sneered, voice slicing through the new tension that had appeared. "No witch or wizard can match my powers, even those that aren't eleven."
"Twelve." Harry and Draco growled in return, as if it made any difference. Harry was half tempted to point out he had defeated Voldemort once before, at just over a year old, but it could only make the situation worse. He glanced down at the nearly lifeless body of Ginny, the concern of how they were going to save her, and themselves flitting through his mind.
Riddle didn't waste his breath on the concern of two young boys. Instead, the stone wall in front of him began to shift, the mouth that had been chiseled into stone sliding open. He heard the shift of something beside him and glanced to the side. Draco stared back in determination, his steps having been muted by the movement of stone.
"Kill him."
Harry's head snapped back to the visage of Riddle and then to the now open mouth. The thud of a great beast sounded, echoing through the chamber. Harry felt a flicker of relief that Draco was beside him, that Fawkes and the sorting hat weren't his only weapons. He had drawn his wand without fully realizing it, without knowing any spell that could save them.
The basilisk appeared then, his thick body slithering across the stone, his forked tongue flickering out from beneath his scaled lips. Harry began to run, hearing Draco stepping carefully behind him. Harry slid, splashing into a puddle beneath him. and falling hard to the ground. As the taste of blood filled his mouth, he felt the hands of Draco grace his arm, tugging him upwards. Free standing water dripped from his clothes as they hurried farther away, the sound of the great snake growing closer.
The two of them rounded a tunnel, colliding into a dead end. Harry turned, his back pressing into the metal bars and Draco beside him. "You shouldn't have come."
"Yeah…yeah, I reckon it wasn't my best idea. Impending death and all." Draco swallowed, eyes glued ahead, waiting for the basilisk. He twisted his wand in his hand, tightening his grip.
"How did you find me? How did you get past the-" A loud screech met their ears, followed by a roar of protest from Riddle and drowning out any attempt of conversation. They could hear the sound of slithering again, ending their quick reprieve.
"He'll find us." Draco muttered, resigned. "They use heat to find food."
"Great, what do you suggest then?" Harry swallowed as his hand found Draco's in the dim cavern. "In case we don't make it out, just-"
"I know, me too." He smiled back. "Hold your breath."
"Don't you mean –"
"No, hold your breath. As in fill your lungs with air and shut your gob."
Harry did as he was told, drawing in a large breath of air and puffing his cheeks as the basilisk rounded the corner. Blood dripped from his now missing eyes, but it faced their direction all the same. Harry was about to release his breath, to take control of the situation himself when Draco's arm was raised, a shout coming from him. "Permadesco!"
Water erupted from the tip of his wand, flooding the chamber around them. Cold water soaked through their clothes, pressing into their skin as the level steadily rose around them. Ginny. He shook Draco, urging him to stop before she drowned.
"It won't affect her!" He shouted, seeming to read Harry's desperation before the two of them were swallowed up.
The snake thrashed in the icy waves, distracting it enough that Harry was able to swim toward it unnoticed. One hand gripped the snake, the other still tight around the sorting hat. He felt the fabric go hard beneath his fingers, as if something lingered beneath it. He stopped his climbing, reaching inside and drawing out a sword.
Harry stared at it, gobsmacked. He turned the sword in the light, the silver reflecting what little light filled the chamber. A wicked smile crossed his face and he drew it upwards, stabbing it through the beast's throat. It gave a final screech of pain before its heavy body fell to the ground, tossing Harry into the water below with another splash. Harry swam to the surface, blood tinged water now nearly reaching the top. Draco reached him and the two of them continued to swim, knowing Riddle and Ginny would be waiting for them.