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Chapter 24

First Blood

The winding slopes of the pipes were as rough to his bottom as it was a few years ago. After what seemed to be hours, but in actuality was mere seconds of grueling sliding, he hit the bottom, landing among the familiar pile of bones.

Guess bones don't age much. He had barely any time to collect himself, let alone get up, when Hermione came crashing down on him with a shriek.

"Ow! Watch it!"

"Sorry! Ow! That's my leg!"

Harry slowly wriggled himself free from under the pile of bones plus Hermione, and hopped around until he gained his footing. He scanned the area, not much was different from the images in his memory.

"This way." He pointed.

"Yeah, let's go." Hermione got up, shrugging a bone off her shoulder, with a barely stifled shudder. Time was of the essence, so they moved quickly until they reached the serpent gate. The glowing emeralds seemed to glare at them, daring them to enter the sacred domain.

"You're the newest addition to the parselmouth family, Mia. So, I'll let you do the honors!"

"Oooh, alright! What do I have to say?"

"Try Open Sesame." Harry smirked.

"You are truly a genius, Mr. Potter... Open!"

The heads of the seven serpents coiled back and an eighth one slithered around the edge of the circle to unlock the gate. It swung open and a sudden cold draft hit them. The green tinted chamber faded into their view. As they entered through the opening, Harry noted that the pathway was dry and the chamber was way lesser damp than what he had encountered before. But, it had no effect to lessen the awe he felt as he entered the chamber for the second time. He could hear Hermione's heavy breathing and could picture her gawking at the walls and statues with her mouth wide open. However, he did not look back to confirm the obvious. Instead, he had his gaze straight, down the pathway, past the gigantic open-mouthed serpents that stood guard on either side of the pathway, toward the even more gigantic, menacing figure of Salazar Slytherin, in front of whom stood a robed figure.

Riddle.

Don't go rushing in. We need a plan.

Yeah, we go forward, wipe the floor with him, come back. Sounds good?

Perfect! Except Tom's mine, I'll let you handle the Basilisk.

Hey! I want a piece of Riddle too!

Close combat and co-operation won't be so effective in such a chamber, especially with a huge beast like the basilisk. It'll be better if you can draw the basilisk away with your Animagus. That way, I can focus on Tom and not worry about any eye-slits coming in between.

Fine! But don't finish him off! After I'm done with the snake, I wanna give the snake charmer one last punch before he goes down.

Well, if that's how you want it, better finish off the snake real quick.

You can count on it.

Riddle's sudden laughter startled the duo, their planning interuppted. His facial features were much clearer now, and both of them noticed that he had his eyes trained on them, and his head tilted down slightly downward which gave a menacing aura to his look.

"Amelia Sparks and Harris Bolt." He spoke softly.

"So you had the guts to come after me after all. I knew Amelia would be foolish enough to try, but you Bolt? I thought you were more Slytherin than that."

They didn't reply, though Amelia smiled at the mention of Slytherin. If only he knew. She mentally shook herself and listened more closely. He didn't shout or scream his words. His voice was strangely emotionless, mesmerising.

" I would say welcome. After all it's not everyday you get to visit the Chamber of Secrets." He paused, gauging their reaction.

"I see you already knew. You even knew the way. How, I wonder. This is a closely kept secret and my pet says no one ever had found it before because I am the only one entrusted with His powers." He frowned.

"But it doesn't seem to hold true anymore. You couldn't have found your way inside without using His powers. I wonder who among you have it. One...or perhaps both?" He scrutinised them.

"Will you tell me, Amelia?" He held the first note in Amelia a little longer than the rest, a charming smile accompanying it. Hermione stiffened and as if reading her mind, Harry moved closer to her.

"You fascinate me, Amelia. You are unlike any other girl I know. You are intelligent, fearless and yes, beautiful. Oh not the conventional beauty, but the beauty that comes from the confidence of your knowledge. Tell me Amelia, are you not impressed? "

"What did you expect, Tom? Me swooning at your magnificence?"

"Of course not! No… Not you. Anyone else, everyone else, but not you! I've learned that!" He let out a smile.

"At the beginning, I thought you two were no different either. Sure, a little war-weary, serious minded… But nothing different! Aah… How wrong I was!"

The duo looked at each other, wondering what he was leading to, what he had found out.

Let him talk. Hermione swayed her head.

"Not even a hint of my true thoughts, I gave to you. I had plans and I had time only for those plans. Nothing else mattered. Yet somehow, you come along and piqued my interest."

Think this is leading somewhere? Or is he stalling?

Be patient. I want to know who he thinks we are.

"It was Hogsmeade. Your fighting, skills, speed. You know, I had sent you to destroy that building because I wanted you away. I felt you were a hindrance. I thought you would not be able to do it in such a short while. But you did."

This is getting on my nerves; I really think he's stalling.

Stalling for what? The Basilisk? Stick to the plan, Harry.

"And your healing, Bolt. How… unusual" Riddle's eyes had widened. "And your apparition into the castle! It seemed… you had more knowledge of the castle than even I, a heir!"

Mia, we're wasting time. You know we can take him on.

Let the Basilisk come, Harry! We don't want it moving unnoticed during the battle, do we?

"I see you are not surprised by that pronoucement either. How...interesting." He gazed intently at them, and they still kept silent.

"After Hogsmeade, I knew I'd underestimated both of you. You were powerful, very much so. And intelligent! How badly I wanted you on my side then." He stopped, and with a hint of trepidation, said "I still do. Join me, Harris! Amelia! Together we shall lead a revolution; we can create a better world! A better world, where there is no more hiding, where we can practice our magic unhinged – anywhere, anytime! Join me." His tone had softened gradually, trailing to a whisper at the end.

"You murderer! How could you even have the nerve to work that up?" Harry screamed, and not wasting another minute, he charged.

Harry, No! The Plan!

"I'm tired of hearing the crap that comes out of his mouth." Harry wasn't even thinking, but shouting the words out now.

"I will shut you up for good, Tom! Rictusempra!" The red jet streaked out from an already running Harry toward Riddle. Riddle raised his wand till it was parallel to his nose, and inches before him, the red jet dematerialized.

"Depulso!" Harry was giving Riddle no time to think. The second jet came straight for Riddle's face. He had no time to adjust his wand, so he ducked and jet passed millimeters above him, and collided into what was Salazar Slytherin's jaw. While he ducked, Riddle yelled "Carpe Retractum!" aimed at Harry's leg. The orange whip lashed out from his wand, threatening to sweep Harry off his feet, leaving him vulnerable. Harry suddenly slid sideways, using the momentum from his advance to evade. This provided Riddle with a window to get a clear shot at Harry and he cocked his wand back. Suddenly, there was a bluish streak advancing toward him.

A petrification charm! He used his free hand to push at the ground and swivel toward the oncoming stream and with his already cocked wand, let out "Expulso!" The blue streak had almost reached Riddle when the air around the jet contracted and then expanded wildly to scatter the beam and sent a small shockwave. Riddle was knocked back by the proximity of the shock, screeching to a halt with one arm raised and the other in his robe.

"Forgot me, Riddle?" Hermione smirked.

Riddle had barely time to respond, when Harry taking advantage of the distracted state of his opponent and sent a "Stupefy!" his way. Riddle quickly lowered his raised hand to counter the spell, not with half a second to spare. But, by then Harry was inches from him, Harry had advanced the moment he had cast the Stupefy spell.

"Checkmate, Riddle! Let's see you dodge a spell from point-blank range!" The tip of Harry's wand glowed; another "Stupefy!" was coming. Then, in a swift move, Riddle pulled out his other hand from his robe, revealing a second wand and pointed it straight at Harry. The wands were so close; their tips almost kissed each other.

"Expulso!"

"Stupefy!"

Both boys were knocked back almost ten feet from each other. Harry landed wildly on his back, Riddle had landed on one knee and one foot; his spell was a split-second earlier than Harry's. Hermione realized that Riddle got the better of Harry. "Reducto!" Riddle noticed the spell and his face gravened. "Incendio!" The dark orange jet raced from his left wand and met its opponent. The two jets clashed, neither overpowering the other nor cancelling each other off. Hermione and Riddle pushed on, determined not to let the other have the upper hand, even for a second. Harry slowly pushed himself up, onto his knees. He was greeted by another maniacal Riddle laugh.

"You're strong, Amelia! Matching my wand's strength! But, I did borrow a second wand just for situations like these! Let's see if it has the strength in it to… kill." There was a definite hiss in how he ended that word. Riddle pointed the second wand at Hermione. Even in this intense light, she saw his eyes glinting.

"Avada…"

Her eyes bulged. Should I cancel the spell? Will I have time to dodge even if I cancel? I have the speed of the Kitsune. With it, I can dodge even if the window is very narrow.

But then, in a move that made her stomach turn upside down, instead of finishing his spell, Riddle tilted the wand and moved his wand sideways, eyes still glinting upon her. The wand was now pointing at a stuttering Harry, who had just barely made it back on his feet.

HARRY!

"… Kedavra!"

HARRY!

"You disappoint me." Harry heard the distinctive yet almost indifferent voice ringing in his ears.

"Snape?" He looked up to see a lone figure of Severus Snape standing tall amidst darkness. There was nothing else in this setting, only him and Snape.

"Are we in the room of requirement?" Harry questioned, slowly getting up.

"Ventus!" Snape spoke. A jet of wind spiraled from his wand and hit Harry flat on the chest, knocking him back onto the ground.

"You disappoint me."

"What in BLOODY HELL was that for?" Harry scrambled to his feet, fuming.

"Ventus!"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, but his wand did not spit out golden jets. Worse, it did not produce anything. Harry found himself again lying flat on his back.

"You disappoint me."

Confused and dazed, Harry got up, only to be knocked back down again. He tried a variety of counter-attack spells, but his wand refused to produce any output. Snape's voice kept ringing in his ears.

"You disappoint me."

Harry hit the ground for the umpteenth time. He looked up at the darkness. What was he supposed to do? Why was this happening? He felt his mind split open.

"You disappoint me."

"ALRIGHT ALREADY! I'm sorry! Help me, Professor. I don't know what to do!"

It was quiet all of a sudden. Harry cocked his head up. Snape was just standing there, still, quiet.

"Is he…?"

He sprang up, neglecting his pain to get a better view of Snape. Indeed, there stood Snape, his lips pursed, arching at the ends - to give the most awkward smile Harry had ever seen. All those students were right; a smile did not feel natural on that face. But it was there, all the same. Harry felt his eyes well up, but he had no idea why.

"Help yourself, Harry. Remember your training."

Snape tilted his wand down, and then swished it up. Harry's eyes flew open, letting tears roll down his cheeks. He remembered. Out of nowhere, a wind blew and Snape turned into a million dust particles, to be carried away by the wind, to his world – one to which Harry could not follow, not yet.

A green light appeared where Snape stood, as if Snape had been covering it. It grew bigger and Harry realized that it was a beam headed straight for him. He knew what he had to do. He stood erect, poised his wand.

"Thank you, Severus."

Harry moved his wand down and quickly flicked it up, forming a perfect 'J' in the air, yelling at the same time,

"PROTEGO MAXIMA!"

The force, with which the two spells met, let out a tremendous amount of energy. The deadliest offense against the strongest defense. Shockwave after shockwave was generated from the epicenter, pushing back each person present a few steps at a time. Tom Riddle marveled at the sight he was seeing. How could he have blocked the killing curse? He was in no condition… His thoughts were cut short bypulses of pain in his right hand. The killing curse was meant for a one hit kill, it was not a spell to be sustained for longer periods of time. Keeping up the curse was taking an immense toll on him, and this weakened his spell against Amelia. She started pushing back.

Riddle felt his right hand tensing up, the muscles contracting from the unbearable pain. Then, something in the hand snapped, and like an inanimate object, it drooped down and slapped his waist. As the sensation left his right hand, he could no longer hold on to the second wand. It slipped down from his unhinged fingers and hit the floor. He put all his might into overpowering Amelia and began to find success. With the green jet no longer fuelling the shockwaves, the remaining energy was suddenly released, causing a small light show at the center of the chamber. Hermione was distracted by the sudden light, causing her spell to be overpowered and the Incendio hit her flat on the chest. Then came the blast of the energy which sent all the three flying in different directions.

It took a while for the dust to settle, but when it did, it revealed a sizeable crater at the end of the pathway. One of the serpent heads had collapsed. Hermione was blasted over 3 serpents, hitting the fourth one and sliding to the floor. Harry was displaced the least; his flight was cut short abruptly by a serpent's head near him. His upper body now lay inside the second serpent on the left while the lower body hung down from its mouth, eerily reminding the image of a large snake eating a person whole. Tom was sent flying only to meet Salazar Slytherin himself, and he brought down a piece of Slytherin's nose with him in his free fall to the ground. All bodies lay limp, motionless.

When Harry came to, he had this shooting pain all throughout his right hand and stinging in all the joints. He wriggled free from inside the serpent's mouth and slid down onto the floor. Slowly, and with great effort, he got up onto his haunches, then his knees and finally onto his feet. He scanned the chamber and could not spot Hermione anywhere. He wiped the blood dripping from his nose. He saw Riddle, lying face down near the mouth of the Slytherin statue. For a moment he thought of limping over there and delivering a final punch, to ensure that he would not get up for at least one week, but thought better of it. He had to find Hermione. He wobbled around and started limping back, looking left and right.

Mia. He thought. No response. He had almost reached past the third serpent when he heard a rustle behind him. Turning around, he saw Riddle pushing his left arm into the ground - his right arm just hung about his shoulder – trying to prop himself up into a sitting position. He succeeded in getting his knees under him and then he willed himself up, and rested his back on the wall of the Slytherin statue. Stretching his leg, he looked scornfully at Harry, who was approaching him.

"You think… this is… over?" He choked over the words, and spit up blood next to him after finishing the sentence.

"Give up, Riddle. You're done."

His menacing laugh that followed, however, ended in a fit of cough. He held his head down and spit out some more blood. Harry was two feet from him, when he raised his face to Harry, revealing a murderous look on his face – his eyes bulging, pupils contracting, and lips as wide as possible.

He's gone maniacal. It's better to end this quick.

Harry took another step forward, when Riddle hissed,

"Come! Kill! Kill! KILL!"

Then, the mouth of Salazar Slytherin, to the left of Riddle, slid open and there was a rustle inside. Harry fumbled back. He had to get back, get back at once. The next rustle sounded closer and Harry immediately looked down. The monstrous head of the Basilisk appeared at the mouth of Salazar Slytherin and with a slow, terrifying ease, the rest of its body materialized. It coiled in front of the statue, raised its head as high as it can go, and let out a thumping, echoing roar.

Discerning all this from the shadows, all the muscles in Harry's body tensed up, except for his heart, which beat with increasing ferocity, and the silence in the chamber following the roar reverberated his heartbeat.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A/N : Well, this chapter answers your question, Comic Critic! Feedback is always welcome! Read And Review Guys! :D