Chapter 7

Mort took a deep breath. In his hand was the diary of Tom Riddle. He was alone in his room, Ginny had told everyone he was in a bad mood and not to bother him for the rest of the evening. Hesitating, Mort firmed his grip on the quill in his hand and wrote in the diary:

'My name is Mortimer Thomas Riddle, heir and apprentice of Lord Voldemort. I need help.' And then he waited. After what seemed like eternity but could be hardly more than a few minutes, words formed of their own accord in the diary, making Mort shiver.

'How do I know you speak the truth? How do I know you are indeed my heir and apprentice?'

Mort frowned thoughtfully and then he nodded. 'On my finger is a ring with the Peverell coat-of-arms, given to me by yourself. That ring is precious to you, as precious as this diary.'

'And I gave both to you… perhaps you speak the truth… What ails you, my heir?'

'I am trapped in Hogwarts by Albus Dumbledore. My magic is restrained and my life is bound to the estate of Hogwarts. I need leverage. I need the secret that you hide,' Mort scribbled furiously, his anger rising with every word he wrote of his situation. 'I wish to return to your side.'

'I understand. Ordinarily, I would take full control over your mind. I would possess you and use your life force to feed my own existence…'

Mort shivered and half decided to throw the diary away. The Dark Lord had often warned him to stay away from the diary, among certain objects, claiming that not even he would be able to prevent what might happen should Mort be reckless. But his situation was desperate.

'I would gladly stand aside and give you everything, Master.'

'Your hand trembles, not with deceit but with fear. It is a fear, but not for your life… it is a fear I do not understand.'

'I fear to displease you, Master. Your other self, the one who raised me and taught me everything I know.' Mort wrote back. 'I would gladly give my life to you but I fear the other you, my Master, would be displeased with my choice.'

For a long time, there was no response. Then words began forming.

'Very well. I have decided. I will part with my secret without harming you. In the second floor, there is a girl's toilet… No more will I say to you. If you are truly my heir, you will discover the secret. Go alone and speak the noble tongue.'

Mort frowned but the diary would reveal no more to him. Making sure that no one was following him, he walked to a quiet part of the castle where there were no portraits or statues to observe him and quickly used his metamorphmagus power to alter his appearance. Thinking carefully, he chose to adopt the appearance of Ron Weasley before rushing out in a frenzy. He noted how the portraits glanced at him without any real interest and he smiled in his head.

Hesitating for a moment, Mort entered the girl's toilet and looked around with confusion as he reverted back to his usual form. He ran from corner to corner, trying to locate anything remotely singular about the toilet and he stopped with a start at seeing the sink. The tap was in the shape of a snake's head.

"Open," he hissed, suddenly making sense of the diary's instructions. With a soft rumble, a secret entrance showed itself and Mort gasped. "Good luck to me," he muttered and jumped in.

He felt he was rushing down an endless slide. There were pipes branching off in all directions, which twisted and turned and Mort knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons. And then, just as he had begun to wonder how far it would go, he hit the ground as the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel.

"The Chamber of Secrets," said Mort out loud, with a quiver of fear. "I wish I had my magic with me." The tunnel was absolutely quiet and dark, and as he walked, he came across the skin of a serpent.

"Basilisk," he spoke out loud again. "No wonder Master cares little about attacking Hogwarts. It's as if he could come here any day and become Lord of the Castle." His confidence grew and he smiled. "And in his absence, it will be I who commands the serpent." And so he came before a gigantic stone hall and his eyes widened in surprise. His own chambers at home were designed similar to the Chamber of Secret. Gaining more confidence, he looked at the massive stone face of Salazar Slytherin, which clearly appeared to be the entrance of another secret passage and he spoke out loud in parseltongue, "Open!"

When nothing happened, Mort took out the diary again and scribbled on it.

'How do I get Salazar Slytherin to speak to me?'

'Try asking,' the diary wrote back, almost as if smirking. Then more words came, 'The basilisk is bound to obey you but it could kill you before you make any command.'

Mort shook his head and fixed his eyes on Slytherin's face and bellowed in Parseltongue, "Speak to me, Salazar Slytherin!"

To his surprise and joy, a deep rumble resounded and Mort could hear something move within. He took a deep breath and waited.

"Rip! Tear! Kill! I am hungrrrrry…"

Mort took a step back with sudden anxiety, worrying what would happen should the basilisk decide he was food. Summoning every shred of courage he could and thinking of his Master, he gathered himself and stood in a manner similar to that of his Master.

"Silence!" he said in a loud and cold voice. "I am a speaker of the noble tongue. You will listen to me."

It was then that the basilisk finally emerged from the opening and shot out towards Mort. "Rip! Tear! Eat!"

Mort, however, exercised every ounce of self control he could summon and held his ground. "You will obey me! You will not hurt me in any manner whatsoever!" The basilisk stopped a mere few feet in front of Mort and fell to the ground.

"Massster…"

"You will obey me. Can you access the entire castle through the pipes?"

"Yesss, Master."

"Can you follow my movement by smelling or sensing me?"

"Yesss, Master."

"Can you attack and hurt others without killing them?"

"Yesss, Master. I can petrify instead of kill."

Mort smiled. He had a plan and he was ready. "I want you to follow me through the castle wherever I go. I want you to always be on a sharp look-out for any new orders I give you. If anybody is about to attack me, you will hurt them first, without taking their lives. Is that clear?"

"Yesss, Master."

Mort sighed in relief. If things went according to plan, he would be out of Hogwarts shortly. He smiled at the basilisk and for the first time noted how magnificent, if scary, the creature truly was. "What is your name?"

"Name? What is this name?"

Mort raised an eyebrow. "What do people call you?"

The basilisk slithered around the hall, almost as if in fury, before resting in front of Mort and with a hint of sadness replied, "Death. That is what I am called by your kind."

"And what do you call yourself?"

The serpent raised its head and looked at Mort's face and replied, "Hungry."

Mort felt a sudden surge of sympathy for the serpent, knowing full well that his Master would have treated the basilisk as a mere tool. Tentatively, he reached forward and touched the snake's head. "Both are unacceptable to me. I will call you Salarin after Salazar Slytherin, your first master. Is that acceptable?"

"Salarin is most grateful to you, Master," the basilisk hissed mightily, seemingly prideful of its new name. With a sudden vigor, the serpent zoomed around the hall yet again before settling in front of Mort.

"Very well." Saying that, Mort looked at the upward trail and frowned. Turning to the basilisk, he said, "Can you lift me to the surface?" On hearing no response from the serpent as it lowered its head, Mort shrugged and climbed on top. Before he could steady himself, Salarin shot up the slide in tremendous speed, and Mort barely managed to hold on. Within moments, he reached the top and climbed back to the girl's toilet. He turned to the basilisk with a hint of fondness in his eyes and said, "Follow me. Look after me. Do not kill. Tonight you may feast on the acromantula in the forest."

He had barely stepped out when he heard a gasp from behind him.

"YOU!" a shrill girl's voice screamed and Mort turned around in surprise to see the ghost of a bespectacled girl - Moaning Myrtle, he recalled from Ginny's letters to him. "YOU!" With that, she flew out of the door and to the corridors. "MURDERER! HELP!"

Mort sighed and scribbled on the diary. 'Was Myrtle an old acquaintance of yours, Master? She ran away on seeing me, screaming murder.'

'Nosy, good-for-nothing, muggleborn slut. She tried blackmailing me into kissing her after seeing me in the girl's toilet. The basilisk was with me.'

"This could work in my favor," muttered Mort to himself as he stepped out into the corridor and felt a bustle of activity around him. He calmly walked towards the direction where he could hear Myrtle's voice. When he arrived, he saw a large group had gathered - several members of the Order of the Dragon - some of whom looked warily at him. Mort, however, turned to Ginny and held his hand out, his eyes beckoning her to join him.

"Ginny!" Molly cried out when her daughter stepped away from the safety of the large group and took the hand of the Dark Lord's Apprentice.

Mort stroked the backside of Ginny's wrist tenderly before turning to Albus Dumbledore. "I am giving you one last chance, Dumbledore. Free my shackles or see your precious Order crumble to dust before the most carefully guarded secret of Hogwarts." Seeing the sudden spark of disbelief in Dumbledore's eyes and confusion everywhere else, Mort continued, "You know what I speak of, Dumbledore, the creature that took the life of Myrtle now acts at my behest. Free my shackles if you wish to prevent any more bloodshed."

"You have no idea what you have done," said Dumbledore sadly, raising his wand. "I tried to save you, to give you a second chance, but it appears I have failed. Stupefy!"

Mort pulled Ginny to him and managed to duck barely in time to avoid the spell. He raised an eyebrow as he picked himself and stood in a manner so reminiscing of the Dark Lord that it sent shivers all around.

"Salarin," he hissed in parseltongue, heightening the anxiety of everyone, "Show yourself. Do not kill or hurt yet. Move around and disappear as fast as you can."

To everyone's great shock, the very next instant, the walls ripped and a mighty creature - a monster in the eyes of everyone save Mort - emerged and after slithering around in great speed, encircling the Order of the Dragon, disappeared in the walls again.

"I have a basilisk under my command, Dumbledore. Should anything happen to me, no adult in this castle will have long to live."

"I knew it," shouted Moody from beside Dumbledore. "I told you, Albus. This boy is as far gone as You Know Who himself."

"Mort," Lily Potter called out in anguish but couldn't continue as James suddenly stepped in front of her.

"Do not give in to his demands," James said with confidence. "We will fight the basilisk. With Dumbledore on our side, we can defeat it."

Mort laughed. His eyes hadn't moved from Dumbledore even once. "In open battle, perhaps the great Albus Dumbledore and his followers might defeat a basilisk," he took a deep breath, "but I believe snakes have a reputation in this castle of not playing fair. How many lives will be lost, Dumbledore, before you finally manage to bring down the basilisk? How much of your glorious Order will be destroyed? What about your precious boy-who-lived? What if somehow accidentally - "

"Mort!" Lily cried out again. "Please, don't."

Mort took a deep breath and said, "There is another way. Free my shackles and give me, and Ginny should she wish to join me, safe passage outside the wards of Hogwarts and the basilisk will leave with me. Nobody will be hurt."

"You must be a fool if you think we'll give in to your demands!" someone bellowed angrily, raising his wand. Mort couldn't recognize him and hissed, "Petrify!"

In a movement of such great speed that even before the unknown member could finish his spell, Salarin struck and the basilisk's victim fell to the floor, paralyzed.

"Dedalus!" shouted some of the Order members in disbelief, fear and anguish.

"He is merely petrified. A potion made with Mandrake juice can revive him," said Mort over the din of shouts and whispers. "This was a warning. The next one might not be so lucky. Dumbledore, what will be your choice this time? How many will you sacrifice to keep me in your control?"

"Mortimer, you must see that you belong here," said Dumbledore, trying to bring the situation back under control. "Let go of this foolishness and all will be forgiven. We can start over afresh and - "

"My patience is running out, Dumbledore!" Mort hissed. He turned to Ginny and raised an eyebrow. No words were exchanged as Ginny nodded and clutched his hand firmly.

"I am leaving with Mort," said Ginny, to the shock of everyone present. "But -" She turned hesitatingly to Mort and muttered, "But I don't want to become a Death Eater."

"You will not have to," promised Mort. "I love the Dark Lord as a father but I will not let either you or myself become a Death Eater. But I will not stay here with these -" he fumbled to find the right word. "I will not stay here."

"And I will go with you," said Ginny firmly, not looking at the crying form of her mother. But just then, two shimmering white forms could be seen flying from different directions towards the group. Both Mort and Ginny frowned, Mort recognizing Snape's doe patronus making its way to him while Ginny recognized Bill' jackal patronus rushing towards Dumbledore.

"Death Eaters are attacking Hogsmeade," said the doe in Snape's voice. "The Dark Lord isn't aware but I doubt he'll intervene. Lucius and Bella are with me but they do not know how to save pureblood lives from being unnecessarily taken."

The jackal, meanwhile, said urgently, "Albus, you must bring the Order to Hogsmeade immediately. The Lestrange brothers are leading an attack unlike any other. Hundreds of Death Eaters, Dementors, Trolls… you must hurry!"

Mort raised his head urgently towards Dumbledore and said, "Release me and I can help."

"Surely, Albus, you can't trust this little -" Moody shouted out but was interrupted by a scream from Lily Potter.

"Emily!" she screamed. "She was visiting Hogsmeade with Minerva." She looked at James, who had frozen with fear, and then at Dumbledore, who seemed to have aged another hundred years. On seeing no flash of inspiration to aid her daughter coming from either source, she turned to Mort and said woefully, "Mort, please. Help Emmy."

Mort had frozen also on hearing that his little sister was in the middle of a Death Eater attack but Lily's urgent plea made his eyes flash with fury. What had he to fear from Death Eaters when he had a basilisk at command?

Something in his eyes gave away his idea to Lily, who instantly sprung to action as she rounded on Dumbledore with her wand raised. "Release him now, Dumbledore!" she snapped. "Release him, or I swear to heaven, I will make you fear me more than Voldemort!"

"Lily -" Dumbledore began but was interrupted.

"Release him," Lily said coolly, in a more controlled manner. "I should have been more forceful from the start, but no longer. You will release him now, Dumbledore, or my family will have nothing more to do with you and the Order."

Mort had frozen. He looked at Lily defend him and felt his childhood yearning taking form once again in his heart but he stifled it. "No more weakness," he hissed out loud. "Dumbledore, I command a basilisk and have the best chance to stop the Death Eaters."

"It appears that I have no other choice," said Dumbledore finally with a heavy sigh. "But how can I be certain that you will not side with the Death Eaters once I free you?"

Mort looked furious for a moment before finally realizing the sense behind the old wizard's words. Nodding, he said, "I will swear an oath to do so at the edge of Hogwarts wards." When Dumbledore nodded his agreement and started giving out orders to the others, coordinating their battle plans, Mort turned to Ginny and said, "I do not want you to be there but I know you will not have it any other way. But before we leave, I want to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"When you found out I was the Apprentice, you hated me," said Mort. He hushed Ginny before she could speak out. "Please let me finish. How would you react should you find out that I have kept yet another identity from you?"

Ginny looked at him curiously before asking, "Will the truth change how you feel for me?"

"No."

"There," she said firmly. "Then why should it change how I feel for you?"

"Thank you," said Mort with great relief. He tore his eyes from Ginny's face and saw that Lily, James and Jake Potter were standing at a short distance, giving them privacy, but clearly waiting for Mort.

Jake came first and he said, "I know I have been horrible to you. But please save my sister. Please, I beg you."

Mort nodded. "She's my sister too." They clasped hands and then Mort turned towards the exit, where Dumbledore was waiting.

"I will release all charms on your wrist band," Dumbledore said. "But there will be a one minute period in which you will have to take the oath. During this period, if I feel dissatisfied by your oath, the charms will resume. After the first minute, the band will lose all magic and you will be free of all compulsions. I, Albus Brian Percival Wulfric Dumbledore, give you this oath, on my life and magic." A white light emerged from Dumbledore's wand and surrounded his body. He then muttered an incantation and Mort's wrist band glowed golden.

While Dumbledore was chanting his magic, Mort hissed, "Salarin! Come out here. Do not hurt anyone. We ride to battle." He ignored the gasps of shock and fear as the basilisk emerged and settled peacefully near Mort's legs.

"Now," said Dumbledore hurriedly as the glow on the wrist band became brighter.

Mort took a deep breath and looked at the three Potters. His eyes locked with Lily and something passed between them that made the witch gasp and clutch her heart. He then turned to Ginny with damp eyes. Then he turned to Dumbledore's frantic gaze and accepted his phoenix and holly wand and said firmly, "I will leave the wards of this castle to fight the Death Eater army in Hogsmeade. I will try my best to save any and all innocent lives that I can during the battle. I will try my best to save Emily Potter, even if I must die in the process." He paused to look at Dumbledore, who nodded appreciatively. "I, Harry James Potter, give you this oath, on my life and magic."

He closed his eyes, not seeing the reactions of his family, Dumbledore and Ginny as his oath took hold. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he climbed over the basilisk's head and hissed, "To Hogsmeade and battle."

--

The attack was unlike any Mort had witnessed before. Dozens of trolls were wreaking havoc in the village of Hogsmeade, destroying shops and houses and throwing aside any that came in their way. Dementors soared overhead, sinking the spirits of any who tried to retaliate. The Death Eaters were gathered in a semi circle perimeter of Hogsmeade, sending curses from time to time as they observed the chaos created by the trolls and dementors.

Slowly, the Order of the Dragon had gathered in a line standing in opposition to the Death Eaters. Spells were being exchanged as battle commenced. Mort's entry, despite on a basilisk hadn't been noted due to the magnitude of chaos already in Hogsmeade.

"Bring down the trolls," Mort hissed to Salarin. "Petrify them."

The serpent slithered around the alleys and winding paths of Hogsmeade with great speed, chasing the trolls and sending them crashing to the ground. When the basilisk slowed, Mort jumped out and said, "Keep an eye on me but focus on the trolls first."

"Expecto Patronum!" Mort shouted, sending a silver colored Nagini flying from his wand, striking a dementor from behind, stopping it from sucking the life out of its victim. "McGonagall!" Mort shouted on seeing the old witch. He ran to her and helped her to her feet. "Where is Emily?" he demanded.

"I - I -" she stammered and Mort lost patience.

"Legilimens!" he attacked her mind and sieved through her memories. She had been treating Emily to a butterbeer when the attack had happened. She had tried to get Emily out of the pub but a troll had brought down the wall between them and she had been pushed afar by the stampede of people trying to get to safety, leaving her young charge behind.

Mort turned around and ran towards the Three Broomsticks. He stopped with a gasp on reaching there. The entire building was razed to rubble. With quivering fingers, he started banishing the bricks and stones.

"Looking for something, Lord Apprentice?"

Mort jumped aside in shock and turned around to see Flint staring at him with a wand pointed at his chest.

"Crouch seized her," Flint said, to Mort's surprise, and he lowered his wand. "Stop this madness, Lord Apprentice."

"Huh?" Mort managed to utter in shock. "What? Why?"

"I see it now," said Flint. "The Dark Lord has lost control over his hounds. Pureblood Britain's very existence is at stake. I sent a patronus to the Malfoy heir but only you can save us now, Lord Apprentice."

Mort raised his head and a fire lit up in his eyes as he saw the belief in his former adversary's eyes. Perhaps all was not lost, if one such as Flint could turn his back on such madness. He nodded and said, "Take me to them," he slid his wand within his sleeves. "Tell them you overpowered me."

Within moments, Mort found himself being led to the middle of the battlefield between Death Eaters and the Order. There were several scores on either side and the crossfire ceased when Flint walked forward with Mort.

"Well done, Flint," shouted Rodolphus. "Not feeling so brave now, Lord Apprentice?" He managed to make Lord sound something as insulting as the dirt beneath his feet. "How did you manage to overpower him, Flint?"

"The fool was searching for a girl in the pub," said Flint casually. "I snuck up behind and disarmed him."

Rodolphus laughed and he was joined by his closest comrades - Rabastan, Crouch and Nott. Crouch had a struggling girl in his arms.

"MORT!" Emily yelled in distress. "MORT! HELP ME!"

The Death Eaters laughed even harder and Mort took a deep breath. He was biding his time and had to be absolutely certain that his sister didn't get hurt. It was then that he heard a wolf howling in the distance and he closed his eyes with a strange warmth in his chest. He recognized that howl. He opened his eyes and directed his gaze at Crouch. Everything else seemed to fade out of his vision and he hoped that somehow the timing would all work out miraculously in his favor.

"AARGH!" a Death Eater screamed from a far side and all eyes turned to see a crocodile pouncing on the Death Eaters with vehemence, even as a wolf attacked the line of the masked attackers from the other end. During this confusion, Mort's eyes were fixed on Crouch and he kicked the ground and leapt off as an eagle. Within seconds, he was on Crouch's face, and his claws struck hard. A popping sound followed by a scream later Mort descended and reverted to his human form. At the corner of his vision, he saw Crouch bent on the ground with his hands covering his right eye, but Mort put his arms around his little sister and kissed her head.

"You're safe, Emmy," he said as her grasp on him tightened. He saw Salarin joining the battle, having done with the trolls, and hissed, "Petrify the masked men. Then feast on the trolls if you wish. Stay in the Forbidden Forest until I come to you. Do not hurt the unicorns or centaurs." He closed his eyes and apparated, taking Emily with him.