AN: Hello everyone! Welcome back for another week of the fic. Climactic fight time! Unlike every other chapter this year I'm pretty proud of this one! Hope you like it. Probably only two or three more chapters left of Year 2 left, then there will be a break while I work on Year 3. Enjoy!
"Voldemort…" Harry said, in disbelief.
"It was very convenient that such a name could exist. An anagram of my own name, yet sounds as though it could strike the fear that was needed into the masses." Tom said. Harry refused to call him Voldemort in his mind. Tom as a name was less frightening, less sinister, and less likely to cause Harry to quake in fear. Harry had to be brave. For Susan, for Padma, for Hermione. For all the students who were being terrorized by a giant snake.
"Why? Why are you doing all of this?" Harry asked.
"As revenge. I was ostracized for my power, my cunning in my youth. Now I intend to show the world what true power is. Unfortunately, you supposedly destroyed me in your time, so I must create a new body. That is where your dear Susan comes in. I was guiding her through my book, unknowingly on her part, to open this Chamber for me, so that I may use the knowledge inside to truly spread my influence. Now though, I have little use for her as anything more than a battery. I shall use her spirit to charge myself, and then begin my conquest anew." Riddle said.
"I'll stop you. I've done it before." Harry said, preparing himself.
"Perhaps, let us see how the Boy-Who-Lived fares against the might of Salazar Slytherin!" Riddle shouted, before saying a few words in Parseltongue. Harry's heart stopped for a moment as he heard a familiar voice.
"Kill" came the word from the Basilisk, as it began slithering into the room. Harry quickly closed his eyes and darted down a side passage, trying to buy some time to think of a plan.
He couldn't engage the creature head on, without being able to see, aiming his spells would be near impossible, and opening his eyes was sure to get him killed by its gaze. He could theoretically outrun it, but for how long he was unsure. He didn't know the Chamber's layout like this creature almost certainly did. Maybe he could try talking to it? Riddle obviously could. Maybe he could give it a shot.
"Stop please!" Harry spoke in parseltongue, surprised at the ease of which he managed to summon the ability to speak it.
"Master says KILL!" The basilisk spoke back. Harry was disappointed, but not altogether unsurprised at this outcome. It had been a longshot to begin with.
Harry fired an overpowered Red Sparks spell behind him, hoping to temporarily blind the creature as he had Ivan Krum, as he opened his eyes away from the beast long enough to recognize he needed to turn in order to not run into a wall.
Continuing his sprinting, Harry was excessively glad for Flitwick's insistence on physical fitness, he would otherwise never be able to keep up this speed for this long without it. Ducking into a small corridor, Harry took a moment to try and remember everything he could about Basilisks.
Their scales were too strong to be pierced by spells or slashed by conventional weapons, not that Harry had any of the latter with him. Perhaps blunt force? Maybe he could concuss it.
Harry picked up a loose brick from the floor, before banishing it in the direction he hoped the Basilisk was in. The sound of stone hitting stone was never heard, although there was a thud sound, so Harry believed he hit the creature. It didn't seem as though it stopped moving however, so Harry began to run again, trying to get some more distance between himself and the beast.
'Okay, so that didn't work,' Harry thought to himself. 'Maybe if I had something bigger, but I'm not exactly full of options. I wish Dumbldore was here, he always said that Hogwarts would help those who needed it.'
With a flash, Fawkes the phoenix appeared, holding the sorting hat in his talons, he dropped it at Harry's feet before flying off. "Fawkes?" Harry asked, surprised at the bird's presence.
"I believe you have bigger fish to fry my boy, quickly, put me on." spoke the Sorting Hat, and Harry, for lack of a better idea did so.
"I see. You're in quite the predicament, boy. Shame that Slytherin's pet has become so mad in its isolation. She was a peaceful creature not but a thousand years ago, bred to be a guardian." The hat said in Harry's mind, supposedly reading the situation.
"Any advice?" Harry asked the hat hopefully. It was an artifact of the founders after all, and seemed to know about the Basilisk, maybe it also knew something about how he could deal with it. Harry felt something relatively heavy bump into his head.
"Take that, it should be capable of piercing the creature, Fawkes will have hopefully clawed it's eyes by now. Just in case, let me be your eyes. I can't be effected by it's gaze, I have no eyes to use." The Hat said, as Harry pulled a sword from the hat.
"The Sword of Gryffindor?" Harry asked, bewildered. "But I'm not a Gryffindor, I can't wield it."
"There's more to being a member of a house than where you sleep, boy. It's the attitude, the mindset, and the drive. You may be a Ravenclaw, but you are ALSO a Gryffindor, more courageous than many who sleep in its tower. Now we don't have time to debate this, that Susan girl needs our help." The hat said, and Harry was filled with a strange sense of determination. He would do this. He had to.
Keeping his eyes closed seemed to do little to affect his vision, the Hat seemingly providing Harry with its vision instead.
Looking down the corridor, Harry saw Fawkes flapping angrily against the Basilisk's face, deep claw marks present over the Basilisk's eyes.
"Thatta Boy, Fawkes! You can open your eyes Harry, it won't be able to kill you with it's gaze, it can't see. It can still find you though, it'll smell you easily." The Sorting Hat said, and Harry opened his eyes. Somehow his vision felt sharper than normal. "Now boy, just because you have the sword, doesn't mean you're invincible. You'll need to use some of that Ravenclaw cleverness to think about how to get in close enough to have that sword do anything."
Harry thought for a moment, his mind racing. He needed to stun the creature, but a stunning spell, even if he overpowered it was unlikely to do anything. It was worth a shot though.
"Stupefy!" Harry incanted, firing the white bullet from the tip of his wand. The spell made contact with the creature, and did seem to affect it slightly, but nowhere near enough to matter.
"Good idea, shame it didn't work. Now move! It's after us. Fawkes! Keep it occupied!" The Sorting Hat said, and Harry booked it down the corridor. "Turn me around, I'll be the eyes in the back of your head."
Harry did so, and was surprised that he suddenly was capable of seeing all around him. Although his vision wasn't as sharp as it had been a moment ago. Harry managed to move himself back into the main chamber, where Tom was simply sitting with his book in his hand over Susan's body.
"Ah yes, a sword and a hat. Truly remarkable you think they will help you against Slytherin's greatest creation." Riddle said, as he looked up at the fleeing Harry. The Basilisk made its way through the passageway after him, still being pecked and clawed by Fawkes. "An interesting move bringing in one of the few creatures immune to the Basilisk's gaze. It would have been smart, had I not been here. Avada Kedavra!" Tom yelled, as a sickly green spell flew towards Fawkes, impacting on his body, leaving behind a pile of ash and a few feathers.
"Fawkes No!" Harry said, as the Basilisk hissed at him.
Harry thought fast and noticed the large statue of Salazar Slytherin, Harry began to climb the statue in an attempt to put some distance between himself and the Basilisk.
The Basilisk moved to the statue and began coiling around it, making its way further and further up the statue. Harry jumped to a ledge from the statues shoulder and yelled one word at the statue as he pointed his wand at it. "Depulso!"
The spell hit the statue and it began to tip away from Harry, clattering to the floor with a loud BOOM, pinning the Basilisk beneath it's legs ad the torso shattered. Harry cast a slowfalling charm on himself and jumped down to the floor safely landing.
"No! Avada-" Tom began, before being interrupted by Harry's Expelliarmus spell removing the wand from his hand. Harry caught it and realized it was Susan's.
Without missing a beat, Harry began banishing more of the rubble from the statue into the Basilisk's head, dazing it more and more.
"Yes my boy! Now finish it while it is stunned!" The Sorting Hat said, as Harry ran forward and attempted to stab the sword into the head of the Basilisk.
The Basilisk however, had other plans, and opened its mouth, forcing Harry's momentum to carry him into one of its fangs.
Harry screamed in pain as the fang pierced all the way through his arm, and a burning sensation wracked his entire body.
"You've got no time Harry! Do it!" The Sorting Hat said.
Pooling all of his remaining strength, Harry stabbed the Sword of Gryffindor through the roof of the Basilisk's mouth, the tip poking out of the other side covered in unsightly goo.
"No! My creature!" Tom Riddle said, as he came over and attempted to pull the sword from the beast. He seemed unable to touch it though, as when he clasped his hand around it, it burned him. "No matter. Soon I will have a body again, and you will be dead to the Basilisk venom. I'll burn the hat for daring to oppose me, and begin my conquest of the world.
Harry weakly tried to punch Tom's form, only to realize that he had no corporeal form as his hand simply went through him. He was invincible.
Then Harry got an idea. Pooling what little strength remaining, Harry moved over to where the Diary lay next to Susan, and stabbed it with the Basilisk fang that had broken off in his arm. Inky black fluid began to pour from the pages as nightmarish screams erupted. Tom simply looked over to where Harry was and wordlessly screamed "No!" as he faded from existence.
Harry awarded himself a small smile at his pyrrhic victory, as he tried to shake Susan awake.
"Susan, come on. Wake up." Harry said weakly, his vision growing darker by the second.
"Mmm. Harry?" Susan said, as she started to come to. "You.. you saved me." she said blankly.
"Of course I did. I couldn't let anything happen to you." Harry said, as he lied down next to her body as she managed to pull herself to a sitting position. "I… don't think I'm making it though. Basilisk venom doesn't have a known cure… and It's been about thirty seconds. I don't think I've got long."
"Oh, Harry no! Stay with me." Susan cried, clutching his hand.
"Padma went to get help, they should be here before too long. You'll make it out okay." Harry said, as he started to close his eyes.
"No, you can't leave. Not yet." Susan said as she cried deeply into his chest.
A small chirping noise caught her attention, as a baby phoenix rose from the pile of ashes and feathers on the floor. "Miss Bones, quickly, grab Fawkes and bring him to Harry." The Sorting Hat said.
With no time to ask questions, Susan did as instructed and brought the baby bird to Harry's side, where it leaned over his arm and shed a few tears, filling the wound with the most potent magical healing poultice of all: Phoenix Tears.
Harry slowly felt warmth returning to his own body, not knowing he had lost it in the first place. Looking down, he saw Susan holding the small bird over his arm, and a smile cross her face when she saw him look.
"You're going to be okay Harry. We're both going to get out of here." Susan said, taking her hand and squeezing his.
"Harry! Susan! Can you hear me?" The voice of Padma came from one of the hallways.
"Yes Padma! We're here! Harry did it!" Susan said, her voice becoming weak. She had held out for while Harry needed her, but she was tired, and began to slump.
"Mr. Potter, Ms. Bones, oh I'm so glad you are alright." Filius Flitwick said as the pair of them entered the central chamber, he stared in shock for a moment at the large deceased snake taht was pinned under the rubble of a great statue, but reassessed his priorities. "Come Ms. Patil, we must get them to the hospital wing immediately. Levicorpus Duo" Flitwick incanted, as he lifted the two bodies from the ground magically. Harry could feel himself lift into the air shortly before falling unconscious.