OF SERPENTS AND ROOSTERS
Anxiety gripped Harry's heart, as he thought of all the possible things that could happen to Greengrass. She could fall in an ancient booby trap. She could come face to face with the Heir of Slytherin. And worst of all… she could encounter the Basilisk, all alone. It hadn't even been five minutes since they had separated, but all Harry wanted to do was get back to the girl and make sure she was safe. But he'd come too far to turn back. He kept on walking through the dark tunnel, his Lumos only lighting a little bit of the floor in front of him. After a minute of walking in the dark, Harry could see a light at the end of the tunnel. A dim light, but a light nonetheless. He walked faster, making sure not to make any noise. As he got closer, he began to hear the faint noises of someone talking. He quickened his pace, hoping Greengrass had found Ginny.
What Harry saw made him freeze in fear. He flattened his body against the wall, leaning out slightly to peek at the person standing. He was a student of Hogwarts, a senior perhaps, although his edges seemed to be flickering? What made Harry alarmed, was the fact that he had his wand pointed towards Greengrass, who was shielding a redheaded girl - Ginny!
Harry pulled his Invisibility Cloak on and began tiptoeing towards the student. The other boy raised his wand and seemed to write something in the air.
"You see, Voldemort is my past, present and future." said the boy, making Harry tense up.
As he finished swishing his wand, a name appeared in the air. Tom Marvolo Riddle.
It was Tom, the one from the Diary. Harry didn't have time to ponder the implications of his previous sentence, because Tom flicked his wand again. The words shifted and now said, I am Lord Voldemort.
A wave of dizziness washed over Harry as he read the words in the air. He was in the presence of Voldemort! He was the Heir of Slytherin! He was the one controlling the Basilisk, causing all the petrifications around the school. He was the one responsible for Hermione being in the Hospital Wing. Harry clenched his fist, but didn't try and do anything rash. He waited for the right moment to strike.
"You're… you're… Him?" Harry heard Greengrass whisper. She was visibly shaking.
"Only an incomplete form. As of now, I'm just a memory. I trapped a bit of my soul in this Diary when I was still in Hogwarts. I've recently learned that Harry Potter destroyed my original body although I still find it hard to believe how a mere baby could best the Dark Lord." said Tom, with a sinister smile, which quickly turned into a frown.
"Why did you bring Weasley here?" asked Greengrass. She certainly has courage, thought Harry.
"Because she's the one who opened my Diary. She's the one whom I manipulated into opening the Chamber, into controlling the Slytherin's Monster. Now, she is the one who will help me come back to life. I will use her lifeforce to become fully corporeal. As she weakens, I grow even stronger. It won't be long now, before I return. The only obstacle blocking my way is Harry Potter. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" asked Tom, kneeling down in front of Greengrass.
"N-no." she whispered, averting her gaze.
"Well," Tom stood up, "You're no use to me then. And I can't leave you alive, you know too much. Rejoice, for your death will be at the hands of the greatest wizard of all time."
Tom walked towards the statue of a large face, presumably Salazar Slytherin's, and hissed in Parseltongue.
"Serpents in the shadows, rise to my voice! Come, heed and execute my command, eternal Guardians of Slytherin!" his voice echoed within the chamber, as he raised his hands dramatically.
The mouth of the statue gritted open and out crawled a large snake. A really large snake. 'Large' doesn't do it justice, that thing's gigantic, thought Harry, as he slowly stepped towards the girls. Greengrass looked even paler than she usually looked, something Harry hadn't thought was possible.
"Slay this girl, who dares desecrate the sanctity of Salazar Slytherin's sacred Chamber!" hissed Tom, now pointing towards Greengrass.
Greengrass tried to back away, but was unsuccessful. Her body seemed unable to move, despite her efforts. Harry had to do something. The only advantage he had right now was the element of surprise, and he had to utilise it properly. So he gripped his wand tightly, and waited for the right moment to strike.
As the Basilisk got closer, Greengrass let out a scream. That was the moment to strike, the attention of both the Basilisk and Tom was on Greengrass. He ripped his Cloak off his head and took off his school robe, quickly aiming his wand at it.
He muttered a quick "Incendio," causing the robes to catch fire and he flung them to the side with a Flipendo. It caught the Basilisk's attention, which slithered away from the girls and towards the burning cloak instead. He shouted at Greengrass, "GO! GET OUT OF HERE!", snapping the girl out of her daze, who began to carry an unconscious Ginny Weasley away with her.
The Basilisk heard his shout and turned its head to look at him. He squeezed his eyes shut and began brainstorming for plans. Harry was only a 2nd Year student, and his opponent was an immortal magical snake. He hoped the Basilisk would be all that he would have to fight, and that Tom wasn't corporeal enough to cast spells yet.
"Harry Potter! We meet at last. Prepare to meet your-" Tom never managed to finish his sentence as Harry fired a Diffindo which hit the serpent.
The creature hissed in response, but was neither deterred nor slowed. It unhinged its jaws, ready to swallow Harry whole, as it began slithering towards him. Harry tried to use his surroundings to his advantage by climbing on top of a smaller statue. He knew that on open and flat surfaces, the Basilisk held the advantage. But on vertical structures, Harry could climb over while it couldn't. He smirked in triumph at Tom, who was watching from below.
However, that moment of triumph didn't last long. Harry had failed to account for the fact that the Basilisk was insanely large and thus had enough strength within it to knock a stone statue down easily.
It crashed into the small statue with immense speed, cracking the base considerably. It backed up, hissing at Harry, before crashing against it again, which caused the statue to shake furiously. Harry braced himself, as the final blow sent the statue toppling over. Harry tried to jump towards the other statue but it was too far. His hands landed on one of the ledges but he failed to grab on. He slipped and fell, landing on his back.
Harry groaned in pain. I really ought to be more athletic, just practising Quidditch won't cut it, Harry thought in dismay. As he rolled over, he saw the Basilisk's underside. It started lowering his head, so Harry had to shut his eyes. He could hear the serpent hiss. He knew it was about to devour him and he knew he didn't have enough time to get away, so he did the first thing that came to his mind.
"Daphne Greengrass has strawberry scented hair and it is intoxicating!" Harry screamed in Parseltongue.
It seemed to work, as the bite never came. Instead, Harry heard a melodious song followed by a chirp, as he felt something land in his hand. The smooth voice was that of Fawkes the Phoenix, Dumbledore's familiar! He had come to his rescue. Harry crawled away quickly, draping his Invisibility Cloak over himself hastily, making sure he grabbed whatever the bird dropped too.
"NO! Dumbledore is STILL a thorn in my side?!" screamed Tom in frustration.
Harry tentatively opened his eyes, just in time to see the Basilisk look towards the Phoenix. Fawkes trilled and swooped down on the snake, scratching out its eyes in the process, making the serpent hiss loudly in pain. It stumbled around, clearly blinded now. Wait, blinded? It was safe to look at the Basilisk's face now!
He silently thanked Fawkes, as he looked at the thing in his hands. The Sorting Hat…? Harry was confused. Why did Fawkes bring him the Sorting Hat of all things? He didn't have time to think, however, as the serpent lunged for him.
He barely rolled out of the way, as it crashed into the wall behind him. Can it hear me think, thought Harry, confused as to how the serpent had found him despite being blinded and him being under the Invisibility Cloak. He was panting for breath, when he saw the snake snap its head towards him and lunge yet again.
My breathing, it can hear my breathing, Harry realised as he rolled away again. He sucked in shallow, silent breaths to make sure he wasn't heard. It seemed to work, as the snake slithered away slowly, searching for him.
As Harry backed up and raised his wand to land a spell on the Basilisk, his Cloak fell off.
"There he is! The desecrator stands behind you! Finish him!" hissed Tom. The snake quickly turned around and lunged for Harry yet again. His Cloak lay on the ground behind the Basilisk, he couldn't get to it.
As he desperately looked around for something to use, he saw something glint in the distance. The hilt of a sword? It seemed to be inside the Sorting Hat. Harry was out of options, so he dove for the sword. He grabbed the jewelled hilt and pulled, revealing a stellar looking silver sword.
"He is to your left!" shouted Tom in Parseltongue. If only Harry could muffle his speech…
Harry dove out of the way as the snake pounced for him. He knew he had no choice, he knew had to kill the snake. So, Harry aimed upwards and cast a Diffindo, carving out a section of the ceiling which landed on the Basilisk. The sudden impact on its head disoriented the Basilisk. There was his opening! He aimed his wand at himself and whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa".
Harry started floating up. He cancelled the spell just as he reached the serpent's head, landing on it with a dull thud. He raised his sword, but nearly toppled over as the serpent had just started moving again. This was his only chance.
"HE'S ABOVE YOU! HE'S ABOVE-"
Harry drove the sword in the Basilisk's head and didn't stop pushing it in until it was hilt-deep. The snake shuddered and fell on the stone floor, the weight of the impact causing an echo in the chamber.
"NO! NO! You filthy, insolent brat! How dare you kill the sacred Guardian of Slytherin!" thundered Tom, marching towards Harry, anger apparent on his face.
"You nearly killed so many people using it. I did what I had-" Harry was interrupted by Tom.
"Rise, my young one! Heed and execute my command, for you are now the Guardian of Slytherin! Rise, and avenge your fallen mother!" said Tom, looking behind Harry.
Harry's heart sank, as he realised that there was another monster left. Before he could turn, however, he felt something sharp pierce his left shoulder. He didn't dare turn, as he knew it was a Basilisk. The venom from its fang took almost immediate effect, as Harry started feeling dizzy and his knees buckled.
He looked at Tom, who had a sinister smile on his face. It sickened him, but that could also have been the effects of the venom, or maybe not. Tom Riddle has a really punchable face.
Harry looked at Greengrass and shouted with all the strength he had within him, "Run!" and then he slipped into darkness.
Daphne was trying her hardest to not hyperventilate, but was mostly unsuccessful. She had just come across the Heir of Slytherin, who happened to be a memory of Lord Vol- the Dark Lord, who had brought out the Basilisk, which had almost eaten her. But Harry Potter had saved her at the very last moment, by distracting the Basilisk.
She had been carrying away Ginny Weasley's unconscious body, as she watched the fight between the large snake and Potter unfold. As soon as she was a safe distance away, she focused on Potter, making sure not to make eye contact with the Basilisk. She watched in terror as Potter dodged the Basilisk and climbed a statue nearby. She felt some hope as she saw him smirk at Tom, who looked murderous.
However, all that hope was lost in an instant, when the Basilisk rammed itself against the statue, causing Potter to topple over. She had tears in her eyes, as she watched the snake open its mouth, ready to swallow the boy whole, when Potter said something in Parseltongue. She didn't understand it, however that seemed to interest Basil a lot, who tried her hardest to climb out of Daphne's robes.
At that moment, a bird flew into the chamber with a hat clutched in its claws. It was a Phoenix! Daphne had no idea why a Phoenix came with a hat, but was glad for it, because it promptly scratched out the Basilisk's eyes.
Even blinded, the Basilisk seemed to be able to attack Potter. He was under his Invisibility Cloak, yet it still knew where he was! Most possibly, it could hear him somehow. But as soon as Potter lost his Cloak, Riddle began to hiss at the snake, no doubt giving it directions.
Potter dove for the hat and pulled out a sword from it. A sword hidden inside a hat, dropped by a Phoenix. This is unbelievably ridiculous.
With a spell, Potter then carved a chunk of stone from the ceiling and dropped it onto the snake. He then attempted what was either the stupidest or bravest stunt she'd seen anyone pull. He levitated himself on top of the Basilisk's head, using the well-known first year spell. And then he proceeded to stab the Basilisk's head, killing it.
She couldn't believe it. He had done it, he had killed the Basilisk! He is the luckiest wizard I've ever seen, thought Daphne. Her musings were cut short by Riddle's angry screams.
Potter stepped down from the dead Basilisk's head and said something, but was interrupted by angry hissing from Riddle. She watched in horror as the statue behind him opened up yet again, and out crawled another Basilisk. It was much smaller in size compared to the other one, but that didn't matter much especially as it sank its fangs deep into Potter's shoulder.
Daphne was paralyzed, as she watched Potter slump to the ground and shout at her.
"Run!" he said, but how could she leave him behind? She began thinking furiously for a solution to beat the Basilisk. She wasn't nearly as athletic as Potter, she couldn't stab its head. She knew that Basilisk skin was nearly as magic resistant as Dragon skin, so spells weren't a good choice either.
Suddenly, it hit her. The page, the page Potter gave to me, thought Daphne excitedly, as she pulled it out. She began scanning the entire page for any weakness a Basilisk could have. She glanced up, just to see Riddle point at her and hiss something to the snake. She was running low on time when she found it, at the bottom of the torn page.
'A rooster's cry is fatal to a Basilisk.'
That's why the rooster pens were attacked earlier that year! She knew the spell to summon any animal that the caster was thinking of, she had learnt it from her mother before she came to Hogwarts in case she lost Basil. She slapped her forehead in frustration, trying to remember the spell, when the memory hit her.
"Animalculum Vocare!"
A rooster materialised in front of her, clucking at her. Daphne grabbed the rooster and pointed it towards the Basilisk, which was close to her now. As soon as she did that, terror seemed to grip the rooster as it began to crow uncontrollably.
She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the presence of the snake near her. However, she heard hisses of pain from the snake, indicating that the rooster's crow had injured it! She squeezed the rooster slightly, which made it screech more.
She heard a slight thump and the hissing stopped. Daphne tentatively opened her eyes and looked around. The basilisk lay dead a few feet in front of her. It wasn't as large as the one Potter had killed, but it was still half as tall as her. She didn't have time to celebrate her victory, however, as Potter had been bitten and was dying.
Daphne let the rooster go and sprinted towards Potter, seeing the Diary of Tom Riddle along the way. She stopped for a moment, Riddle could release more Basilisks, she realised. So she decided to step on top of the larger Basilisk's head and pull out the sword that Potter had put in there. It was covered in what was possibly Basilisk venom, not to mention all the blood, so she had to be careful not to touch the blade. She quickly walked over to the Diary and raised the sword above her head.
"Wait, what're you doing? STOP-"
Riddle began to scream in pain as she stabbed the Diary with the sword. Ink began to ooze out of it, as she stabbed the second page as well. As soon as she stabbed the cover for good measure, Riddle let out a blood-curdling scream, before disappearing in a bright flash of white.
Well, that's one problem down, thought Daphne, as she threw the Diary and the sword aside and ran towards Potter.
He lay on the floor, unconscious with an unnaturally pale face and ragged, shallow breathing. His shoulder was bleeding heavily, causing blood to pool around him. She performed some quick first-aid spells to stop the bleeding but she wasn't quite sure what to do about the venom in his body.
Daphne felt utterly helpless, as she watched the life drain out of Harry. She clutched him in her arms and hugged him tight, tears now flowing freely from her eyes. Why does he have to die? He was noble, kind, valiant… He rushed in to help the Weasley girl without any second thoughts… He didn't deserve to die. But he was dying, and she couldn't do anything but watch powerlessly.
Just as she let out a sob, she heard the Phoenix's cry yet again. The bird landed near her and looked at Daphne's tear-stained face. It trilled softly, and tilted its head over Harry's wound, crying over it.
She was confused to see the bird do such a thing. Why would it cry on Harry's wound itself? But her questions were left forgotten, when Harry's body began quivering.
She stared at him, as colour flushed back into his face. His fever seemed to subside, too, as his body was no longer burning hot. She squealed in joy, as she hugged the boy tighter. The Phoenix's tears, they healed him!
Daphne bent down and planted a quick kiss on Harry's cheek and whispered, "Don't die on me again, Harry."
"Okay, Daphne," said Harry, with a cheeky grin.
Daphne yelped in surprise and dropped Harry on the floor.
"Since when have you been awake, Potter?" shrieked Daphne.
"Just a moment, enough time to hear what you said." said Harry, that lopsided grin of his still adorning his bloodstained face.
She stepped closer to him and said, "You don't remember anything that happened right now."
"I don't remember anything that happened right now," he said, still smiling.
Daphne sighed. He was never going to let her forget this. Well, at least he was alive.
Author's Note-
Daphne to Harry: Oh dear, oh dear. Gorgeous.
Daphne to Ginny: YOU FUCKING DONKEY