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Defeating the Dark Lord

7) Finding Tom Riddle

They were making their way out of the Great Hall when Harry felt a crippling pain in his scar. His legs buckled under the force of the searing, red-hot agony; catching himself on his hands, he collapsed to the floor, curling into a fetal ball, hand pressed to his forehead. His spare hand formed a fist, and he bit down on the protruding thumb joint in an effort to not scream, but whimpers still emerged as the pain threatened to overwhelm him.

After an infinity, he smelt the familiar cinnamin-and-dittany scent of Severus, and his arms were gently prised apart.

"It's alright, Harry," the voice was soft, "just drink this. It's a Pain-Relieving Potion, one of your special ones... that's it... good."

Harry swallowed the potion and grimaced at the taste before rolling cautiously onto his back. Experience had taught him not to move much until five minutes after ingestion; it had a nasty habit of coming back up otherwise.

He met Snape's concerned eyes and smiled slightly, whispering a slightly hoarse "thanks."

"Not a problem. You're alright otherwise?"

Harry nodded, "You?"

"A brief flare of my Mark, alerting the Death Eaters that something important is happening; he won't know I've betrayed him yet."

Harry managed a vicious grin, "I'm just wanting to see his face when he finally realises. You've only been spying on him for, what, seventeen years?"

"Eighteen."

"Just goes to show how brilliant you are."

Snape looked at him sardonically, "Thank you, Mr Potter. I'll be sure to add that to my resumé."

Harry sat up slowly, and placed a hand on his arm, "I mean it, Severus. You really are brilliant. I don't - I don't know what I would've done without you."

The Potions Master scrutinised him for a long moment, and then nodded and murmured, "Nor I, you."

Harry grasped the proffered hand and hauled himself to his feet.

His scar gave a twinge; rubbing a hand across it, he said softly, "He's here."

"Here here?"

"No. But I think I might know where."

"Then by all means, lead on."

They made their way to the second floor, where Harry opened the door to the girl's bathroom. Severus paused.

"Harry, I'm sure we just passed any number of serviceable lavatories on the way here, if you need to relieve yourself; and you do realise that that is a girl's bathroom?"

Harry slipped inside, calling back over his shoulder, "We're going to the Chamber of Secrets, and this is the only way I know of getting there."

Snape sighed and followed.

A hissed open, a slippery slide, and they emerged in the dank bowels of the castle. Severus lost no time in casting a very thorough scourgify on the both of them, as "We just had a rather long trip down the inside of a sewage pipe."

When he saw the shed basilisk skin, however, Harry could see his eyes light up.

"Do you know what this is worth? Oh, not just the money, but the research possibilities..." Severus was practically drooling, "Tell you what - I'll trade you. The Defence position for the basilisk skin."

Harry grinned. "You can have the whole basilisk if you want."

"A whole basilisk - " his eyes were wide, and alight with passion, "show me."

Harry nodded, biting back a grin at the all-my-birthdays-have-come-at-once expression on Snape's face.

As they approached the entrance doors, he lifted a hand to lips, motioning for quiet.

Severus nodded.

Another hissed open, and they slipped into the Chamber, stealthy as shadows. A scan of the area, and it became clear that Voldemort was not there. He led Snape over to the basilisk corpse.

Harry laughed aloud at the look on his face. "You're drooling."

Severus' lip twitched. "Nonsense. I'm far too dignified to drool."

"Sure." They exchanged a conspiratorial glance before Harry turned his attention back to the Chamber.

"Well, I was wrong - he's not here."

"So, the question is... where is he?"

Harry shrugged. "Could be any number of places. The graveyard from fourth year... the orphanage where he grew up... "

"Godric's Hollow..."

"The island where the locket was..."

"The Slytherin Common Room..."

Harry blinked. "Not a very roomy place for a showdown, is it?"

"H'm, perhaps not. But I think we're on the right track. Hogwarts was his home, much as it is ours."

"So... the Great Hall? the Headmaster's Office? No..." Harry caught his breath. "He applied for a job here, years ago - "

"Of course... Defence Against the Dark Arts - "

" - which means - "

" - he's in the Defence Classroom."

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