THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Chapter 13: You're safe now, you can open your eyes.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to their respective owners.
-TRNT-
They appeared in the forbidden forest, just at the edge of the semi-transparent bluish dome marking the wards.
"Wow, its colder up here than even in London." Shevaun said, pulling her coat tighter. "So what's the plan?"
Harry looked around the forest, the trees were lighter so they weren't that deep, he doubted he would be running into a centaurs any time soon. The evening light had almost faded completely but he could see clearly, Shevaun muttered a spell and her eyes glowed for a second before going back to normal, probably to help her see more clearly in the dark.
"Wards, no matter how powerful have one common weakness." Harry started explaining. "They can prevent people or things from going in and the ones under lockdown like these prevent leaving, but if one has a way to bypass them, then they are practically useless."
"That makes sense, and it's why any methods of teleportation are specifically added to the wards." Shevaun nodded. "So, if you have a way of teleportation that is not warded against, then you can just get in and out without the wards having any effect?" Harry nodded. "But the person controlling the wards can expell you or use them to kill you once you are under the wards."
"Not if he doesn't know that you're there." Harry replied, pulling his father's invisibility cloak from his pockets.
"Wasn't that with Black?"
"Yeah, I grabbed it as he led us upstairs, as well as this." He showed her the lighter. "Having the power to divert attention from you even for five seconds can come in pretty handy."
"Right, your misdirection thing." She nodded, looking impressed. "So, what do we do?"
"Since you barely have any magical presence, you don't need the cloak so you won't register to him and even if you did, he won't be able to pinpoint you amongst all the castle residents." He gave her the lighter. "I've been analyzing this thing and I found that it doesn't just find me, but rather any person the one holding it wants to find. Just concentrate on the name 'Tracey Davis' and the lighter will lead you to her."
"Just like that?" Shevaun asked. "And is there any reason I'm looking for her in particular?"
"Yeah, just like that, names I have learned that have much more power than many give them credit for." He replied. "As for looking for Tracey, she is the only one whose full name I know as she only has two names, I doubt using less names rather than the full name would work."
"Right. And what do I do when I find her?"
"Take her to the kitchens, I have allies there and once she is safe, you can ask her to tell you the names of the rest." Harry said. "And if I'm not back by then, you can go look for others."
"And what will you be doing?"
"Hunting a basilisk."
"I wanna fight a basilisk." Shevaun pouted.
"Trust me, you don't." Harry smiled as he covered himself with the cloak and took her hand. "Good luck to both of us."
They disappeared, only to appear again in the castle. Without wasting time, Harry released her hand and left.
-TRNT-
For a society of people with long lifespans, it was no surprise to anyone that it took them long to change. Change of any kind was usually ignored and many instances frowned upon. People generally liked their comfort, if one is happy and comfortable, why bother change that when it could risk that comfort. And which was why policies and cultures stayed long in the magical world.
This was especially seen at Hogwarts. What the people did and enjoyed doing at the castle in the 18th century was still what was done even now, the policies there, the prejudices, even the way of life was still the same. And anyone raised in a magical home knew what they would find at the castle even before recieving their acceptance letters. Daphne had been one of such students, she knew what to expect, what she would do, experience and take part in while residing at the castle and when she boarded the Hogwarts Express on September 1st 2001, she had a good idea how her seven years of education would go.
She also knew how she would deal with them. Except for a few exceptions, the first year was just as she had expected. She and Tracey ended up in Slytherin, she made a couple of acquaintances and lived the year trying to control her friend's whims, exactly what she had expected. What she didn't expect was Harry Potter, that the famous boy would take a liking to Tracey and she would end up being friends to a bunch of Gryffindors. One of which was without a doubt the smartest witch of their age. Their little study group with Harry's occasional visit had been the highlight of her first year and when she got on the Express for the second time last year, she was actually looking forward to it.
She had her expectations, to get closer to Granger, learn more complicated magic than she had learned last year and if possible get closer to Harry Potter because she knew exactly what kind of influence he had and was likely to have in the future. But most importantly, figure out the mysterious boy's secrets. He was practically wrapped in them, everything about him was mysterious, and even when he seemed to be open, his soft voice seemed to indicate that he was largely holding back. And so Daphne had dedicated her second year to figuring out the enigma that was Harry Potter, on top of looking after Tracey of course.
The second role though would not be much of one given the fact that it was no secret the little excitable girl was Harry Potter's pet for a lack of a better word. The Gryffindor boy was very fond of Tracey and Harry was so mysterious and exuded such danger that nobody was so stupid as to try and hurt her. Daphne had her plans on how to deal with her second year at Hogwarts, plans that were thrown out of the window on the very first day of second year when she found no sign of Harry Potter at the castle. She had feared that she would have to actually start to protect Tracey like she had planned to in the first year, even more so when she talked to Neville and found out that Harry wouldn't be coming back.
It took almost untill the end of September before the school got used to the fact that Harry Potter really wasn't coming back. In that time, Neville had taken charge of their study group, and had been instructing them in learning to fight. He believed that there were likely to be bullies who will wish to try and assert their 'superiority' over Harry by attacking his friends in his absence, with Hermione and Tracey being the more likely targets due to their blood status. And so they learned to fight at and practiced at every chance they got, comparing with the hints that Harry used to drop on them every now and then last year.
By the time any likely bullies got comfortable enough with Harry's absence, the five were decent enough with a wand that the two fourth-years who tried to corner Neville got a nasty surprise from the boy. He had been growing his confidence ever since he had met Harry and by the end of last year, he had grown assertive enough to stand up for himself. His parents getting healed had boosted that confidence even more and from what she had seen, Daphne could safely say that the boy may just be the most magically powerful student in their year.
The other two older students stood no chance against Neville but after the attack, Hermione suggested a way for them to communicate. The brilliant muggleborn worked with Daphne to come up with an easy method of communication that would alert the others of anyone's location if they were ever attacked. They got a galleon with protean charms and all one had to do was squeeze in in their hand and the others would be imformed. This came in handy two weeks after Neville was attacked when Hermione was cornered by a couple of fifth-years.
Neville got there first even though it turned out it wasn't necessary as Hermione had been handling herself well enough. She may not be as powerful as Neville but she was bright and had an impressive repertoire of spells. After that incident, the group were left alone and they were free for the rest of October even though they stayed vigilant. And then the attack on Filch's cat had happened on Halloween, and on the wall behind it was written in blood the words 'Bring me Harry Potter!'.
At first, Hermione had wanted to investigate but Neville had told her not to, reminding her of last year and how Harry had advised them to keep away from the Stone. Instead they kept training, and then increased how much they practiced when a muggleborn from Hufflepuff was petrified in the hallways a week later, with the same message written on the wall next to him. Two more similar attacks happened that month, all the victims were muggleborns and the remaining ones started fearing for their lives. The entire castle was gripped with fear but none more than muggleborns.
Hermione was always around Neville the entire time, Tracey despite being a half-blood never left Daphne's side ever. Infact they had started sleeping in the same bed as she didn't want anything to happen to her. December was littered with attacks of that same kind and Daphne wondered why the school had not been locked down yet. Maybe it was because there hadn't been an actual death. Hermione, despite Neville's warnings kept investigating untill she discovered what was attacking the students.
An honest to Merlin basilisk!
And then on 20th, breakfast was interrupted by the pale body of Ginny Weasley appearing in the middle of the Great hall during breakfast. Below her feet on the floor were the same words declaring that Harry Potter be brought. While the students were panicking and the professors were trying to regain order, the Great doors had opened to reveal a boy wearing Slytherin Hogwarts uniform and right behind him was the biggest snake Daphne had ever seen. Daphne can honestly say that that was the most scary sight she had ever seen in her life.
Things had gone downhill from there. The young man had threatened to have the basilisk kill all the students if the headmaster didn't transfer full control of the wards to him. Dumbledore had no choice but to agree, and then the professors, except for Slughorn were all thrown in the dungeons and locked up. All muggleborns present were then rounded up and also thrown into dungeons with the basilisk guarding over them, while the boy, Tom Riddle declared himself ruler of the castle. Rules were passed on how the castle would be running, he picked a couple of Slytherin seventh-years to enforce any of the rules.
Life went back to normal in the castle, or as normal as it could be with a pureblood fanatic ruler in control of the castle. Teachers were let out of the dungeons after Christmas to resume classes and were warned not to do anything or risk Riddle sending the basilisk after the muggleborns. Only one message was sent from the castle and it went to the Daily Prophet, someone was in charge of the castle and he would hold the students there untill Harry Potter was brought to him.
The half-bloods hadn't been thrown in the dungeons but life certainly became very hard for them. If you couldn't protect yourself or didn't have a pureblood beneficiary to protect you then you would spend the better part of your time at the castle in the hospital wing. There was no one to report to, and some times the price for protection was a little too high for most of them to even consider. Many made attempts on Tracey but were thwarted by Daphne who kept getting better and more ruthless by the day. However, she knew it was only a matter of time before she caught Riddle's attention.
The young man was intrested in smart students, the ones in the upper years had been rounded up and taken to the headmaster's office and on coming back were singing praises for the man. Neville had been taken there a few days ago and he had yet to be seen again. No one knew what happened over there and no one wanted to find out, and so when four of Riddle's enforcers came for her, she made it clear she wouldn't be going 'peacefully'. And then one had tried to hex Tracey as 'encouragement', Daphne had managed to block the hex but it had triggered what led them here.
Daphne with her robes in tatters as she favored her left leg and nursing a broken arm while shielding Tracey who was lying down behind her having been taken out of the fight less than a minute ago. Daphne's ribs were paining, probably broken also and she was panting heavily, there was no hope in this fight, she wasn't going to win and they all knew it. Her opponents were not unscathed either, one was out for the count and the remaining three had a couple of injuries of their own. The corridor they were in was destroyed but no one had come by despite how loud the fight had been.
"You can't go on any longer and you know it, Greengrass." Flint leered. "If you give up now, we might go easy on you and your little friend over there, otherwise you're making things much more difficult for yourself."
Daphne just glared at the former Quidditch captain
"You know, our master only wants her alive, and not for another thirty minutes." One of the other two said. "That should be enough time to have some fun with her."
"She is developing quite nicely, isn't she?" The last one said, his eyes running over her figure.
"She certainly looks old enough to make things interesting for all three of us." The other agreed and Daphne could feel her stomach revolting at what they were insinuating.
What made the thought worse was that she likely won't be able to do anything about it given that she was barely even standing up, however, she wasn't going to make it easy for them. Now that she knew their intentions, she had a good idea where to aim any last spells she was likely to get off before she was overwhelmed. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to begin casting when she was interrupted by a new voice.
"How brave!" The person, a girl who barely looked much older than Daphne exclaimed. She had red hair and bright green eyes which were taking in the three boys. "Three boys against one girl? Your parents must be very proud of you."
She was standing behind the boys and Daphne wondered how she had entered the corridor and even walked over to them without Daphne seeing her.
"Who the fuck are you?" Flint asked, turning around to glare at the new arrival.
Daphne knew everyone in the castle, even if not by name, she atleast knew their faces and would recognize any student if she ever met one. This girl was not a student, atleast not one she recognized.
"Me?" She grinned, raising what appeared to be a lighter above her head. "I'm the girl who is about to kick your collective asses."
And then she clicked on the lighter, and the corridor was plunged in darkness. Before Daphne could even think of lighting her wand, she heard movement from the other side which was followed by grunts and screams, clearly from the boys. The screams were accompanied by the sounds of breaking bones and dislocations before they were cut off as suddenly as they had started. It hd barely been half a minute when Daphne heard another click and the light came back. The girl, was standing between the fallen boys without even a hair out of place. The boys were all unconcious and most of their limbs were facing the wrong direction.
"Well, that was disappointing." The girl said, looking at the boys in disappointment. One of them groaned only to get a kick to the face which knocked him out instantly, Daphne was sure the jaw had broken. "Pathetic."
The girl spat on each of the boys before she carefully walked over them towards Daphne. She smiled brightly when she reached her. "Hi, I'm Shevaun, a friend of Harry's. Sorry I didn't get here sooner."
"Harry?" Daphne asked in confusion. "Harry Potter?"
"Yep, the very same." She smiled. "Here let me help you with that."
She placed one hand over Daphne's elbow and the other on her leg and muttered something under her breath, probably a spell of some kind as Daphne felt the pain in both limbs disappear almost instantly. She moved them both experimentally and was amazed at how good they felt.
"Better?"
"Yeah, thanks." Daphne replied even as she eyed the other girl who was looking behind her.
"Is that Tracey?"
"Yes, but she's just knocked out."
Shevaun walked over to Tracey and shook her. The tiny girl woke up groggily and blinked her large brown eyes at the redhead in confusion.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Shevaun, and I was sent by Harry to find you."
"Harry?" Tracey perked up. "Where is he?"
"Somewhere in the castle looking for a basilisk." She waved her hand like it wasn't important. "I have to say that it is a pleasure to meet you. Harry has told me so much about you."
"Really?" Tracey asked with a smile.
"How do you know him?" Daphne asked as the other girl helped Tracey to her feet.
"We go to school together." She replied. "And I'm his girlfriend though he doesn't like telling people. Come on, let's get you somewhere safe, Harry mentioned the kitchens, do you know where they are?"
"Yeah, this way." Tracey replied. "So, what is it like to be Harry's girlfriend?"
Daphne followed from behind as the two girls chatted, Tracey excited at the thought of seeing Harry again and Shevaun apparently just as excited at meeting Harry's 'most favourite person'. Daphne could hardly believe how fast her situation had changed, one minute she was fighting for her life with the threat of rape thrown in and the second she was walking after a stranger she barely knew but had apparently already become Tracey's friend in a minute. She had almost forgotten how mysterious things tended to be when Harry Potter was involved and was realizing just how much she had missed having the other boy around.
-TRNT-
"Granger!" Hermione jerked awake at the mention of her name. "Granger get up! You have been summoned!"
She looked up and saw three Enforcers standing at the door of their room. Two girls and one boy, probably all seventh years, they were glaring at her and had their wands pointed into the enlarged room. With her in the room were all the muggleborn first and second year girls and she knew the boys were locked up in the room next to theirs. They had been here since that day when Ginny Weasley's body appeared in Great Hall, Hermione estimated it had been about two weeks going by the meals they got.
They were given breakfast and then one other meal later in the day. None of them knew what was to happen to them, only that it wouldn't be pretty. Everyday, they heard screams as students from upper years were dragged from their cells and taken upstairs, they were never heard from again. At this point, everyone preferred to stay in their cells rather than face whatever waited for them upstairs. Every now and then, Riddle himself walked by the cells with the basilisk in tow, probably to let it sink in the minds of his captives that they were never going to be saved.
Nobody knew what had been done to Dumbledore, many believed that he had been fed to the basilisk but none was brave enough to voice it out. They knew the professors had been released to continue teaching the purebloods a d were kept in line by the threat of hurting the muggleborns. Which meant that there was no hope for them, they were all at the mercy of the young man, the teachers who could have helped were powerless, and many had resigned themselves to their fate, waiting for the day they would be dragged upstairs and most likely be fed to the basilisk.
Hermione didn't give up hope though, she was not particularly religious but ever since they had been thrown in their cells, she had been praying to every single diety out there that someone would come to help them. Earlier today she had even prayed to Harry, which showed just how desperate she was becoming as days went by. Every day, students from the upper years were taken upstairs and she knew it was only a matter of time before they reached second year, it seemed like that time had come.
Straightening her robes as much she could, she stood straight and marched towards the door, ignoring the pitying looks she was getting from her classmates. She refused to scream or beg, she knew that no matter what she did, there won't be mercy for her and so she decided to not embarrass herself any further. She stood still as she was hit with cleaning charms to get rid of the stench she had accumulated over the days as none of them had been allowed to shower. Magic suppressing cuffs were slapped on her hands despite not having a wand. All their wands had been destroyed.
She steadfastly led the way upstairs, with her handlers silently trailing behind her while their wands were pointed at her back. As the distance between them and the headmaster's tower reduced, Hermione was starting to despair. Any window of her being saved was closing and it seemed all her prayers would go unanswered. As they were rounding the corner to the corridor that led to the headmaster's tower, Hermione closed her eyes and prayed one last time, not to any god out there but to her one time friend.
I need you, Harry James Potter.
There was no answer, not that she expected any, even though for a second she had felt like someone was listening to her prayer, like there was another person on the other end waiting to answer her. They reached the tower and started ascending the stairs, just as they reached the entrance of the office, Hermione's steps faltered. She had been to Dumbledore's office earlier that year after her fight with the fifth-years who had tried to bully her and she knew that it was a gargoyle that protected the entrance.
Gone was the gargoyle, however, in its place was the basilisk. Hermione had yet to see it this close and it was terrifying, she had barely looked at it in the great hall that day before slamming her eyes shut from fear of looking it in the eye. More than once, they had heard it slithering past their cell but none dared to look, and now it was right infront of her. Hermione was frozen as she stared at the gigantic snake coiled on itself infront of the entrance to the headmaster's office even as she idly noted that its eyes were closed as it flicked its tongue in their direction.
Before anything could happen, there was a thud behind Hermione. She spun around to see one of her handlers on the ground, either passed out or dead. The others, the boy and the girl were looking at their friend in confusion. There was an unmistakable sound of bones breaking as the boy screamed and fell on one knee. A hand appeared in midair and backhanded him straight into the wall silencing his screams instantly. The hand moved onto the girl in a blur and slammed her head in the wall knocking her out as well. Hermione heard movement behind her and she spun around, her eyes widened in fear as she came face to face with the basilisk's head floating right infront of her.
It flicked its forked tongue out towards her face before it pulled back its head and its jaws opened wide, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth dripping with venom. Hermione closed her eyes, resigned to her fate but then felt an arm wrap around her waist. Even if her invisible saviour tries to pull her out of the way, it would not be fast enough, it was too late. She wondered how death would feel like, she could only comfort herself with the thought that it would all be finally over.
"Hermione..." A voice said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "You're safe now, you can open your eyes."
She slowly opened her eyes, the voice was very familiar and one she had hoped to hear for the last two weeks. And then she saw him, his head was floating in midair but there was no doubt it was him. "Harry?"
"Yes, it's me." The boy replied with a smile. "You are safe now."
"Wha...how?" It was all she could say.
"I heard you calling to me, I don't know how but I did." Harry answered. "I have to go though, the basilisk has probably warned him of my presence."
And then he was gone without waiting for a response.
"Hermione?"
"Daphne!" And then she was being hugged by her friends, Tracey and the blonde practically pile diving on her and for the first time since she appeared in the kitchens, it really sunk in that she was alive. "Wait, we are in the kitchens?"
"Yeah." Tracey replied. "The house-elves are Harry's allies and will protect us if anyone attacks."
"We are safe here." Daphne added as she gestured with her hand. "Everyone of us."
And that was when Hermione saw them, most of the elder muggleborns who had been dragged from the cells were there. They were dressed like house elves and wore togas made of tea-towels bearing the Hogwarts crest. Their eyes were downcast, like they were afraid to even make eye contact.
"What happened to them?"
"Their minds were reprogrammed to think that they are house-elves." A new voice said, announcing their presence. Hermione looked up to see a redhead about their age smiling at her. "Hi, I'm Shevaun, Harry asked me to help the elves protect you."
"She is Harry's girlfriend." Tracey supplied.
"Right." Hermione said. "Is there anything that can be done to help them?"
"The damage done to their minds is extensive, but it can be repaired." Shevaun said. "My dad is an expert in the mind arts, I'm sure I can convince him to help them."
Hermione looked at the boys and girls, each and everyone of them older than her, they had believed that they were being killed and fed to the basilisk, but now, it seemed that they had faced a fate even worse than death.
-TRNT-
When Harry came back, still under the cloak, he found the gigantic snake still there, and with it was a young man. He was wearing Slytherin robes and looked to be in his seventh year. He had dark hair, just like Harry's and at Harry's appearance, he looked up along with the snake revealing intense blue eyes. He frowned at seeing nothing before turning back to the basilisk.
~You felt it ass well, didn't you?~ The basilisk nodded. ~Very peculiar kind of magic, wouldn't you agree?~
Harry had spoken to snakes a couple of times when he was young, he had never considered how it sounds when another speaks it as even to his ears, it had sounded more like hissing than words. However, hearing the other person speak, he could clearly hear words. Then again, he has always been capable of understanding any language despite never having heard it being spoken before.
He pulled off the cloak and swiftly stashed it in his pockets. Both the snake and the young man turned to look at him.
"Hello." He greeted, staring the basilisk right in the eyes. "I hear you're looking for me."
"You're not dead, are you a perselmouth?" The young man asked, turning to look at Harry completely.
Last year, while he was researching things that could kill him while going around his 'tough skin', Harry had read about the basilisk and its deadly gaze. He had also read about perselmouths and their immunity to the basilisk's gaze. However, he knew that if anything could penetrate his skin, it would be those sword-sized teeth.
"Who are you and why are you so intent on meeting me?"
"How did you get inside the castle." He asked instead.
"I am Harry Potter." Harry shrugged. "Apparently I do the impossible."
"So I've heard." He said. "Tell me, Harry Potter, what did you expect when you decided to come here."
"To be honest, it was to get my former acquaintances and leave." Harry said. "But after seeing what you did to the muggleborns in the kitchens, I can't in good conscience just leave knowing you'll keep treating them like that."
"I have heard that you were a prodigy but even you can't hope to win a fight with someone with seven years of magical education much less against me in particular." He was certainly arrogant.
"I still don't know who you are." "Harry pointed out.
"Right." He drew his wand from his robes and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
Once that was done with, he looked at Harry expectantly, waiting for his reaction.
"Well, now you have me confused." Harry began. "I fought Voldemort last year, and he looked nothing like you."
"I am but a memory, preserved in a diary that Ginny Weasley was foolish enough to open her heart and soul to." Riddle said smiling broadly. "Telling me all her pitiful worries and woes—how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how"—Riddle's eyes glinted—"how disappointed and heartbroken she was that the love of her life wasn't here when she arrived. That, more than anything allowed me take root and drain her much faster than I otherwise would have."
All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them. "Infact, I know for certain that I wouldn't have gotten strong as fast as I did had you come back. I have you to thank, I guess."
"Is that what bore your obsession for me?"
"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle, disregarding the sarcasm in Harry's voice. "Your whole fascinating history. " His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could, and with the basilisk at my command, I knew just what I had to do."
"Take the students hostage?"
"That was only to get you here." Riddle waved his hand uncaring while the other rubbed the basilisk's pummel. "My aim is to turn Hogwarts into the prestigious institution my ancestor Slytherin wanted it to be. Free of mudbloods and the premium magic school in the entire world."
"You're not even a pureblood, there's no house with the name Riddle."
"It doesn't matter, I have Salazar Slytherin's blood running through my veins and that is all that counts." Riddle declared proudly. "But enough about me, I have questions for you, Harry Potter."
"Ask away." Harry said with a shrug though he was preparing himself, this conversation had gone on long enough. "Unlike you, I have all the time in the world."
"How is it that a mere child, no more than a year old managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.
Harry smirked. "You're about to find out."
He teleported, and before the wisps of smoke he usually left behind had disappeared he reappeared again with Riddle struggling in his hands. With barely a thought and a detachment he hadn't expected, he snapped the young man's neck and he became limp in his arms. The ring on his finger disappeared as the control of the wards was returned to the rightful headmaster. Harry dropped Tom Riddle's dead body and turned to the basilisk that was probably still processing what had just happened.
"Stand down and I will make this as painless as possible." Harry spoke clearly, his voice ringing with authority. For a moment, the basilisk seemed willing to listen, but then it suddenly lunged, moving way faster than it had any right to given its size. Harry though had no trouble following its movements. "Painful it is, then."
For someone facing such a deadly creature, Harry felt so calm, not a single speck of fear at all, maybe he had simply become numb after the rollercoaster of revelations he had received today. And it had been all in one day.
Calmly stepping to the side while simultaneously conjuring a sword, Harry let the basilisk's head pass by him before stabbing the sword with all his might into its side. The sword almost failed to breach the skin but Harry enhanced it with magic as he drove it deep, and then he pulled the sword along the snake's length, cutting a deep gash through its side. It managed to shake the sword lose from Harry's fingers even though it was still sticking out of its side as it pulled away and reached the other end of the corridor.
Harry thought he would have to chase after it, but then it turned around, and hurtled through the air towards him even as blood was streaming from its injured side. Harry just repeated his previous actions only this time he conjured two swords, both of which were glowing an angry red. He sliced through the skin with little resistance and cut the gigantic snake, the swords going even deeper than the first one had. By the time it managed to dislodge itself, he was almost reaching the tail and this time he managed to keep ahold of his conjured swords. At this point, it had lost so much blood that it could barely move.
Harry calmy walked towards the head that had turned around and was trying to pull its unresponsive body. It opened its jaws and snapped at him, the fury and pain clear in its yellow eyes, but Harry just side stepped it before slamming both swords down at the head right through its skull, the roof of the mouth and down to the lower jaw effectively killing it and closing the mouth at the same time. Harry watched the magic leave the snake's eyes as it died, something with in him actually feeling sad at the creature's death, which was ironic as he had felt nothing at Riddle's death.
And speaking of Riddle, Harry turned around to look at the body, only to find that it was no longer there. In its place, lying innocently on the floor was a small leather bound book. Harry stepped over the basilisk, careful not to step in any of the blood that filled the corridor. He carefully picked up the book and saw engraved on the cover the name 'Tom Riddle'. He could feel his scar prickling slightly, something he hadn't felt since his fight with Quirrell.
Hearing footsteps approaching, he slipped the book in his pocket and whipped out the invisibility cloak and threw it over himself, just in time as Dumbledore rounded the corner with Flitwick and McGonagall in tow, their wands drawn. Dumbledore looked exhausted and was wearing dark robes which looked completely out of place on him. His beard and hair had grown alot and was dishevelled, though the barely controlled power in his eyes was even more pronounced than ever.
McGonagall and Flitwick gasped on seeing the dead basilisk while Dumbledore released a breath. Harry imagined the old headmaster hadn't exactly been looking forward to fighting a basilisk especially in the condition he was in. Flitwick walked over to the Snake and started casting numerous spells over it.
"What do you think happened, Albus?" McGonagall asked.
"I believe, young Mr. Potter happened." He said with a sigh as he looked at Harry's position. "You can take off the cloak, Harry. I know you're there."
Harry did and McGonagall rushed to him in concern. "Are you okay, Harry?"
"I am fine." He assured her.
"What happened?"
"Alot, but to cut the long story short, I came to check on my friends and ended up dealing with Riddle and killing his basilisk."
"And where is Tom?" Dumbledore asked.
"I'm not entirely sure myself." And it was the truth, even though he had his suspicions. "His body had disappeared by the time I finished fighting the basilisk."
"I have questions about what happened here, Mr. Potter, questions that I'll refrain from asking right now as I'm sure that we are all tired and need some time to recover from this ordeal." Dumbledore said. "I hope you will be willing to answer them when the appropriate time to ask them comes."
"I'll answer your questions, headmaster." Harry replied. "Though I can't promise if you'll be satisfied with the answers I give."
"Well, there is alot to be done if we are to all recover from this." McGonagall said. "But atleast for now, we can all agree that it's time to put this ordeal behind us and it is all thanks to you, Harry."
Any further conversation was halted by a piercing shriek that seemed to be coming from everywhere.
"I believe, Minerva may have spoken a little too soon." Dumbledore said, drawing his wand once again.
"What is going on, Albus?" Flitwick asked, speaking for the first time.
"The wards have fallen." He announced gravely. "And Voldemort and his army are currently marching onto the castle."
-TRNT-
AN: Hello, welcome to 2022 and here is our very first chapter this year.
A few things I need to point out, Allspeak is a thing here and since we have established that Harry is infact a true Asgardian, he possesses it as well.
The other thing is that since Odin's kids seem to have domains they're supposed to rule over like Thor with storms and Hella with death, I'm assuming that it's a thing for his bloodline and spoiler since Harry is descended from Odin's bloodline, he is likely to have a domain of his own. I'm still thinking of which one but you could give your suggestions depending on what you have seen of him so far.
See you next chapter and I'll be waiting for your suggestions.