A/N: So, the penultimate chapter. Thanks for all your support thus far! The last chapter will be posted this Saturday, not Sunday, because I'll be traveling all day Sunday, from four in the bloody morning, and will have not Internet access. D:

And in any case, you guys deserve a quick update for being so kind with your reviews! :)

Chapter Fifteen

Harry had gone a long way down the pipe until he finally landed in a pile of rocks and debris. The fog was especially occlusive in these dark passages and Harry could hardly see anything five feet in front of him. He lit the tip of his wand to at least light up the darkness, but the fog was still pressing all around him. Harry took a few steps forward, slowly stepping through the debris. He remembered the last time he'd been in the Chamber and knew that he was currently stepping on rubble and the skulls of dead little animals the basilisk had consumed during its lifetime.

Harry heard the swishing sound of someone coming down the pipe behind him and stepped in a rightward direction to nearly avoid being hit by Malfoy as he landed in the Chamber. He heard Malfoy cough slightly at the dust he'd raised upon landing. Harry extended a hand toward Malfoy, whom he could see only due to their proximity and felt Malfoy place his hand in Harry's, allowing him drag Malfoy up into a standing position.

Harry pointed his lit wand at Malfoy to better discern his features. Malfoy was scowling and attempting to dust himself off.

"I can't believe the father of all Slytherins built this place. It's a pile of junk," Malfoy muttered.

"Well, this is just the passage for the basilisk. The real Chamber's still a ways from here."

Malfoy turned to stare at Harry through the fog. "Basilisk? There isn't still one, is there?"

"No. I already told you I killed it in my second year." Harry began walking carefully through the fog, in what he hoped was the right direction.

"Well, I was no longer sure if you were just showing off at that point or if you'd really done it." Malfoy followed behind him just as carefully.

Harry snorted. "I'm glad all those conversations we've had actually paid off. Now that I realize you didn't believe half of what I'd said."

But it didn't seem that Malfoy wanted to argue about these things, so he said nothing.

The two carefully walked through the rock and debris until they reached a closed door, made of slithering metal snakes. Harry touched the door's etchings and concentrated on the noises he'd made back in Myrtle's bathroom. Then he began hissing at the door. And just like last time, Harry drew back just in time to avoid nearly being hit by the swinging, opening door.

They crossed through the open doorway and continued walking, although this time the floor seemed to be made of cobblestone and wasn't littered with debris. Harry didn't recall seeing the large snake skin he'd seen the last time he was in the Chamber, but he supposed they had simply missed it, unable to see much in these passages.

The further they walked, the more Harry was filled with hopeless dread. If Ron had really been here for several hours already, what were the odds that he was still alive? Of course, Ron could produce a Patronus, but could he fight off five or ten or a dozen Dementors all at once? And for several hours at that? Harry only maintained the hope that they wouldn't arrive too late.

"So how exactly are you so familiar with Myrtle's bathroom?" Malfoy asked as they walked across the smooth cobblestone passageways. His voice came out in puffs due of the pure iciness of the Chamber.

Harry wasn't sure if he was up for idle chitchat at the moment, but followed along, if only to take his mind off the anxiety. "In second year, Ron, Hermione, and I needed a place where we could brew a potion and no one would find us. Myrtle's bathroom was perfect because no could stand being around Myrtle."

Malfoy smiled. "That's the same reason I went there sixth year. No one could find me either. What potion were you brewing? And why so secretly?"

Harry refrained from pointing out that he'd used his Marauder's Map to locate Malfoy at least a dozen times during their sixth year. "We were brewing a Polyjuice potion. And I think that in its nature made it secretive."

Malfoy's eyebrows rose. "And who did you need to turn into?"

Harry suddenly laughed, remembering why exactly they had used the Polyjuice potion. He told Malfoy about how they had suspected him to be the Heir of Slytherin and turned into Crabbe and Goyle to attempt to coax out answers from Malfoy.

Malfoy laughed after he'd heard this. "I remember that. I thought it was awfully strange the way Crabbe and Goyle were acting, especially the way they'd gotten angry when I insulted you and Dumbledore. And imagine my surprise when I found them sleeping in a broom closet without their robes on."

Harry chuckled. "I suppose that clears up a few things for you."

"Although, I must admit that at that time, I wouldn't have minded being the Heir of Slytherin. I was frankly insulted that most of the school thought you were the Heir. And of course, it had just turned out to be You-Know-Who all along."

Harry said nothing, and after this exchange, they continued walking in silence, both lost in thoughts. The fog had thickened as they neared the end of a passageway. Harry could somewhat make out the shapes of large stone snakes lining the sides of the Chamber, their heads turned toward them as they passed.

Then, they entered the heart of the Chamber itself, where the passage was wide and high-domed on all sides and the large head of Salazar Slytherin loomed above them, its mouth forever closed as it no longer had the large snake inhabiting it. Harry examined all sides of the Chamber and spotted the tail of the basilisk, to the right side of the statue's head. He couldn't see its entire body due to the fog.

"My God, is that the basilisk?" Malfoy asked as he stepped forward to examine the long-dead serpent. He knelt down by it and very lightly touched its skin.

Harry was more concerned with other things. He paced around the Chamber in search of anything that might point out where the Dementors or their victims were. He walked closer to Salazar Slytherin's stone statue and spotted something dark lying right under the statue's nose. His heart began thudding loudly and quickly as he ran forward, toward the statue.

The closer he got, the more he could discern the shape. It was small and frail-looking and covered in black robes. Harry stepped close and finally caught sight of what it was.

Though he'd never seen her before, Harry instantly knew that he'd found Hestia Baddock. She was lying against the statue, much the same way they'd found Mafalda. Her eyes were wide open and blank. Her cheeks were hollow and her body thin, flanked by the black robes. Though Mafalda had been very much alive and breathing when she was found—Hestia was dead. She had been missing for weeks. And after the Dementors had absorbed her soul, they had simply left her there to die.

Harry felt dread fill him. His panic and anxiety became despair; all he could think was that they were probably too late and Ron was long gone. The ghastly image before him was burned into his mind and the longer he stared, the more hopeless he felt. And through all that hopelessness, anger ignited his fury at the Dementors and at his inability to again save an innocent child from being Kissed. Harry dropped down beside the girl and felt rage engulf him, unable to stop his emotions from surfacing.

"Potter!" Harry suddenly heard Malfoy call out from somewhere far behind him. His voice sounded panicked. "Potter, you'd better come here!"

Immediately, Harry got to his feet and followed Malfoy's voice through the fog, striding back to where the giant snake had been, raising his wand. The cold had completely settled into Harry's bones and he shivered unconsciously.

The closer Harry got to Malfoy's location, the better he saw him. Malfoy had raised his wand as well, which was lit at the tip, and was staring at something lying on the ground, behind the giant basilisk. When Harry approached, Malfoy turned and gave him an apprehensive look. His eyebrows had knit and he stared in alarm.

"Malfoy, what's going on?" Harry asked as he walked around the dead snake to look at the figure on the ground.

It was Ron.

And he lay sprawled out on the cobblestone floor, his forehead bleeding from a spot that had probably hit the ground when he was dropped. His eyes were closed and his lips parted slightly. His wand lay limply in his right hand, almost out of his grasp. His robes were dirty, torn in several places, and all color was gone from his face. The longer Harry stared at him, the more he was reminded of Ginny's cold figure lying upon this same floor eight years ago, under Voldemort's control, with her red hair radiating out onto the floor the same way Ron's shorter red hair was matted upon the damp ground.

Harry dropped down beside Ron and gently touched his hand. It was icy cold. And Ron looked immobile. Harry couldn't even guess how long he'd been there.

"He's still alive," Malfoy said from above him. "Look at him closely."

Harry examined Ron's face and noted that through his parted lips, a faint puff emerged into the air and his chest rose slightly, signaling that he was still breathing. That meant nothing, however, because his soul could be gone without him being dead. At this realization, Harry's rage increased, coursing his veins venomously.

Malfoy suddenly breathed in sharply.

"They're here."

At these words, Harry whipped around immediately and observed the direction in which Malfoy was staring intently. Three dark and hooded figures appeared through the dank fog, their cloaks billowing out as though caught in an unseen wind. The Dementors opened their mouths wide, splitting their faces into two equally distorted halves. The Chamber's chill intensified as the water upon the floor beneath them froze. Frost radiated outward over the floor, traveling like water spilled over the ground, quickly and in all directions until it reached Harry's and Malfoy's feet. The immediate cold was like a shockwave, circulating over the Chamber and freezing everything in its path. The darkness deepened as all light was extinguished from the Chamber and all that was left were the tips of Harry's and Malfoy's wands, pointed directly at the approaching Dementors.

Among these chilling effects, Harry also felt the creatures' hunger for happy memories. He stood up and stepped in front of Malfoy and Ron, knowing that the two could hardly defend themselves against the creatures. Harry became increasingly forlorn as his happiest recollections were sought by the descending Dementors, but knowing to expect it, he braced himself and dove into his mind for a happy memory.

The first one he extracted was a recent one—in fact, it had only happened an hour or so ago, though it felt much longer now. He recalled the feel of Malfoy's arms around his waist and his warm breath over his face as he leaned in. Harry's heart thumped louder just at the memory, which overshadowed the terrible memories that also attempted to surface. Harry raised his wand higher and pointed it at the pack of Dementors.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted and felt the power of the Patronus leave his wand.

The blindingly white stag rose in front of Harry and like a wall, stopped the Dementors from coming any closer. The shield engulfed them, allowing them to feed off the stag instead of the Dementors' primary targets.

Knowing that they had very limited time before the Patronus failed, Harry turned toward Malfoy hurriedly and demanded, "Give me the poison, now!"

Malfoy's eyebrows knit in worry and frustration. "No, Potter! I should take it. This will be too much of a risk! You shouldn't—"

Enraged and frightful of what the Dementors could do, Harry stepped forward and grabbed Malfoy by the collar of his robes, shouting in his face, "Malfoy, this isn't the time to be a martyr!" He pointed toward Ron's still form on the floor. "That's my best friend lying there and I'll be bloody damned if I don't risk my life for him! The moment that Patronus fails, those Dementors will be on us and if we don't use the poison—nothing will save us! And I'll bet you anything these three aren't the only Dementors in here!"

Malfoy's expression had turned furious as he threw Harry's clenched hand off his robes collar. "Fine, Potter! Then you take the poison—but remember that you only have ten minutes before its effects are irreversible. You will die if you don't take the antidote before your time runs out."

Harry stared at Malfoy's infuriated expression and realized that Malfoy didn't particularly want to take the poison; he only wanted to ensure that Harry survived the effects, and if that meant Malfoy would have to take it himself to stop Harry, then he would. But Harry was in the same boat—he didn't want Malfoy to die either—and he had other stakes to fight for, such as Ron's life.

So Harry simply extended his hand, palm upward. Realizing that he was serious, Malfoy glared at Harry before he finally dug into his robes pocket and pulled out one of the vials of poison, and handed it over. His expression became unreadable as Harry took the vial of black sludge.

Harry glanced at the stag shield and noted that it was beginning to break down. The blinding light was fading slowly, as the hooded figures became more visible by the moment. Harry had a minute, at the most, before the Dementors broke through the defense and rushed forward, fueled by their ferocity at being stopped by the Patronus.

Pulling the cork off the vial, Harry downed the glass of poison, not allowing himself to think any longer about the great danger he'd just placed himself in. The tar-like substance slid down Harry's throat and burned at the pit of his stomach. The toxin entered his bloodstream quickly and enflamed his veins, causing Harry to cringe in pain at the scorching fire that now coursed through his body. The agony was so great that Harry thought he'd lose his mind from the pain. It was worse than when he'd gotten stung by that stonefish—and he'd thought that was particularly agonizing.

The last light of the stag dissipated into thin air as the Dementors ate through the Patronus, and just as Harry had predicted, they sprang forward all at once to attack him. Harry had squeezed his eyes shut from the pain of the poison, and now opened one eye to stare at the descending Dementors. Their mouths were longer than he'd ever seen them. One skeleton-like arm stretched forward as the front-most Dementor grabbed Harry by his robes and dragged him forward, across the slippery, frozen floor. Harry hardly had the strength to fight back, so allowed himself to be hauled forward like a puppet.

At the Dementor's sudden move, Malfoy cried out, "Potter!"

But Harry twisted in the Dementor's grasp and glanced back to throw an infuriated look at Malfoy. "Get back! Don't come any closer or they'll come after you."

Harry then turned back toward the Dementor's putrid wide mouth and snarled, "This is between you and me! I know you can understand me—so take my soul!"

He thought he detected a slight upward twist of the Dementor's mouth, as though it was smirking. Harry could tell that it was immensely amused that Harry had given himself up like this, as it descended upon him to place its gaping wide mouth over Harry's.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut. He was filled with fear and dread. All his instincts shouted at him to get out—he had no chance of living through a full-on Dementor's Kiss—he should run and get out of this horrendous place. But Harry planted his feet firmly on the ground and kept his wand at his side. He knew that if he attempted to escape the Dementor's grasp, it would rush toward Malfoy and Ron, who were defenseless behind him. The other two Dementors also appeared to be intrigued by Harry's willingness to give up his soul and were competing with the front-most Dementor to suck out Harry's memories.

Harry felt the onslaught of the three Dementors. The poison still ran very strongly through his bloodstream, but the pain paled in comparison to the agonizing pierce of the Dementors into his mind. He was completely exposed and unguarded as they invaded his memories and selected his happiest recollections, causing Harry to live through his worst ones. Harry felt the life drain from his body. His strength was quickly depleting due to the poison and the Dementors' attack. The front-most creature was clutching Harry with its skeletal fingers, excitedly sucking Harry's memories through his mouth. Through his fading senses, Harry felt himself be raised upward roughly until his feet no longer touched the ground, as though the Dementor was trying to get a good grip on him in order to complete the final step of the onslaught.

Harry's mouth was wide open upon the Dementor's and he was quickly losing awareness of what was going on. He heard and felt the Dementor suck in deeply and in another instant, Harry lost focus of everything, right before hearing a scream behind him.

Harry felt himself fall as darkness descended over him.

He fell until he felt and heard nothing.

Lol, I should really stop with these cliffhangers. Thanks for reading! Please review!