Chapter 25 Flight of the Phoenix
By Jelsemium
Who does not own the characters, make a profit from writing about the characters, or intend any copyright infringement
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Fawkes shot out of Moaning Myrtle's loo like a quarrel from a crossbow.
The Glass Fireball was close behind as the Grim clinging to its right rear leg did not slow it at all.
A glass pane appeared in front of him, causing the phoenix to back wing frantically to slow his forward momentum. Then he had to fold his wings next to his body and drop like a stone.
The Glass Fireball surged forward and snapped at Harry.
Harry kicked it in the snout and managed to deflect the attack.
Fawkes did a loop de loop and shot over the Glass Fireball's head.
The Glass Fireball twisted, spraying glass scales like shrapnel.
Fawkes darted down corridors and dashed from room to room in search of an open window. However, all the windows slammed shut in his face.
Glass arrows shot from the window of the Transfiguration classroom, causing Fawkes to back wing into the corridor and almost into the jaws of the Glass Fireball.
Harry shot off a quick Diffindo spell. This caused several fangs to shatter, but the Fireball's tongue snaked out and snatched Harry's wand out of his hand.
Fawkes barreled down the corridors, in and out of secret doors and passages, and wound up in the Great Hall where he was forced to dodge through a hail of crystal spikes from the enchanted ceiling.
Every twist of the Glass Fireball movements slammed Padfoot against the wall. The Animagus managed to keep his grip until the Fireball made a hairpin turn on a staircase and swung Padfoot over the railing.
The combination of Padfoot's weight and velocity tore the glass fireball's rear leg off. Grim and leg plummeted two stories. The glass leg shattered and so did one of Padfoot's front legs.
Growling, Padfoot tried its best to give chase. However, running on three legs was a lot easier for the Fireball than it was for the Grim.
Fawkes jetted up toward the chandeliers and then plummeted past the fireball's nose, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws. Harry's Quidditch training allowed him keep his last meal in his stomach. He just hoped it wasn't literally his LAST meal.
The Glass Fireball turned on its own length again. As it swished around, the staircase that had tried to dump Harry on his head swiveled suddenly and trapped the remaining back leg against the wall.
That only caused a small delay in the pursuit as the Glass Fireball tucked its front legs under its body and let its weight pull its trapped leg off.
Any hope that losing another leg would slow the Glass Fireball was quickly dashed. It was almost able to keep up with the Phoenix by pulling with its front legs and slithering with its tail.
And it seemed to have an uncanny knowledge of the castle's short cuts.
The Fireball appeared from a suit of Slytherin armor directly in front of the fugitives. Fawkes went straight up, trying for what looked like an open skylight.
The Glass Fireball clawed its way up the wall. It passed the friendly Gryffindor armor, which took a swipe at it with its axe.
This knocked the fireball into a wall, which opened and revealed a secret passage.
The fireball darted into the secret passage. The armor charged, but bounced off the wall as the secret passage closed.
Above Fawkes and Harry, the skylight suddenly swirled together and twisted towards them like a glass tornado.
Fawkes spiraled out of reach and darted down a side passage that Harry had not seen.
"I think we should go back to Myrtle's bathroom," Harry said. "I'm almost certain that I hear that thing close the door behind us."
Before Fawkes could react to the suggestion, a large vase in front of them bulged and the Glass Fireball lunged out of it.
Fawkes dropped like a stone in an effort to avoid it.
Harry changed from boy form to cat form to make it easier for Fawkes to carry him.
Fawkes braked abruptly and darted into a side corridor.
The Glass Fireball almost overshot the corridor. It skidded to a halt, almost ripping its damaged leg of. When it got back to the side corridor, it saw that Fawkes was on the verge of escaping.
So it ripped off its damaged front leg and threw it.
Fawkes didn't have a chance to dodge. The glass limb caught him squarely and pinned him to the wall.
Involuntarily, the phoenix flared in anger and managed to melt the glass, firmly gluing him to the wall.
Fawkes released Harry before he scorched the boy wizard.
The Fireball made a snatch at him, but cat-Harry twisted and evaded capture. Then the Abyssinian was streaking away, with the Fireball hard on his heels.
There was only one thing that Harry could think of that might have a chance of stopping the glass dragon.
Norbert.
Assuming that Harry could get to him.
Assuming that Norbert didn't eat Harry.
Cats were not built for long distant running. Harry's lungs were burning and his vision was blurring when he skidded around the corner into the corridor where he had last seen Norbert.
The corridor was empty.
Behind him he could hear the slither of glass scales against stone.
Harry looked around for someplace a cat could hide, when shadow loomed over him.
There was a roar of "Get down!"
Cat-Harry flattened against the ground as a large shadow passed over him
Harry flinched as the Glass Fireball rounded the corner and charged headfirst into a barrel the size of its head.
Both glass dragon and wooden barrel were smashed into smithereens at the impact. Black, stinky tar poured out sullenly, engulfing the shards of glass. Harry sprinted forward and was scooped up by a hand the size of the recently smashed barrel.
"Yeh aw'right, Harry?" Hagrid asked worriedly.
Harry took a few deep breaths and nodded. Then he switched back into his human form. "Yeah, I think so," he said. "Just let me catch my breath."
"Where is ever'body?" Hagrid asked. He pointed his pink umbrella at the pile of glass and tar and shot off a flare. The tar and glass melted together into a goopy pile.
"Filch ain't gunna be happy," Hagrid said.
"It'll be easier to clean this up than blood, won't it?" Harry asked as Hagrid stepped over the mess and round the corridor.
"Actually, I think the blood would be easier to clean up," Hagrid said. He set Harry down as soon as they were clear of the mess. "What's goin' on?" He asked. "Where's Dumbledore?"
"They're still in the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said. "We'd better get them out of there." He hesitated. "And Fawkes is stuck to the wall somewhere."
"We'll get it all sorted out," Hagrid promised.
"Where's Norbert?" Harry asked. "And why did you have a barrel of tar?"
"Yeh saw him, did yeh?" Hagrid seemed pleased that Harry had recognized Norbert. "I was usin' it to patch up Norbert's leg. I had 'im up here to keep him quiet so I could treat 'im proper. Me cabin is too small."
"Oh," Harry said blankly. A lot of Hagrid's explanations caused this reaction in him. He should learn not to ask.
"I've got yer birthday present back in me cabin, by the way," Hagrid said. "Sorry it's late."
Harry smiled. "Funny, here I was thinking you were right on time."
There was an ominous squelch and rattle.
Before either wizard could react, the tar and glass conglomerate had wrapped itself around Hagrid's legs.
"Hey!" Hagrid tried to point his pink umbrella at the goop, but a tarry tendril yanked it out of his hand.
Within seconds, the goop had managed to pin Hagrid's arms to his sides and was making its way up his beard to his face.
"Harry! Get outta here!" Hagrid ordered.
Instead of obeying, Harry tried to Scourgify the goop, to no avail. He desperately tried to think of a hex that would destroy the goop without hurting his friend.
Preferably before it could suffocate Hagrid.
Looking around desperately for something that would help or inspire, Harry spotted a shattered glass talon. He snatched it up and thrust it between Hagrid's lips before the goop covered the gamekeeper's face.
For a second, the only sound was sloshing goop and Hagrid's stentorian breathing through the hastily improvised snorkel.
"Very clever, boy."
Harry whirled around, wishing he had his wand. "Dr. Cressida Opal," he said. When he had been sick last year, he thought that Dr. Opal was his friend.
It turned out that she had murdered his grandfather. She also tried to kill him with a cursed glass chess set. Seeing her here after being attacked by a glass dragon wasn't exactly a surprise.
"In the flesh," she smirked. "You know, I never really thought you deserved all the attention you've received. On the other hand, I can't deny that you've earned that "Boy Who Lived" appellation. You are bloody hard to kill."
"Thanks," Harry said, watching her with narrowed eyes.
Opal fired off an entanglement charm at Harry.
Harry dived for Hagrid's pink umbrella and managed to yank it from the tar.
"Do you think you can disarm me with that toy?" Opal asked. "Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried.
Sparks flew as their spells cancelled each other out.
Harry tossed the Bat-Bogey hex her way and dove to avoid her return blast.
Blinded by her own bogies, Cressida shrieked something Harry couldn't make out.
Harry's glasses shattered. He flinched back and tossed them away.
"Expelliarmus!" Opal shrieked. Harry flew in one direction; Hagrid's umbrella flew in another. He hit the wall and slid down into a sitting position, gasping for air.
By then, Opal had figured out how to negate the Bat-Bogey curse. She scourified her face and glared at Harry.
Harry quickly switched into cat form, only to have Cressida negate the Animagus spell.
"Your time is up," she said.
Groping around for a weapon, Harry's hand landed on one of Norbert's half eaten chickens. He flung it, not expecting much, but he had to try.
It worked better than he would have believed.
The bit of chicken bone and feather hit Cressida's cheek, causing her to flinch back. Then she shrieked a useless swear word, regrouped and shrieked, "Incarcerous!"
Harry rolled forward, grabbed a scale from the Glass Fireball and held it up, reflecting the curse back on Cressida.
Moments later, she was wrapped up as tidily as a Christmas present.
Harry staggered over to try to help Hagrid.
Sirius staggered into the corridor, Lily's wand at the ready. "Harry!"
"Sirius," Harry gasped. He pointed at the mound of glass and tar. "Hagrid."
"Oh," Sirius studied the situation.
For a moment, Harry was afraid that Sirius would make a joke. However, all his Godfather did was wave the wand and transfigure the tar and glass into feather pillows.
"Yeh aw'right, Harry?" were the first words out of Hagrid's mouth.
"Been better," Harry said.
"You up to opening the Chamber again?" Sirius asked.
"Yes," Harry said. He looked at Cressida Opal and shuddered. "Somehow the Chamber doesn't seem as frightening as it did twenty minutes ago."