Chapter Fourteen
Next thing Bart knew, he was slipping and sliding down a dark, slimy slide.
"Cowabungaaaaaaa!" he screamed, taking in the pipes which streamed to all directions.
Hey, it's like that ride at Mount Splashmore, only Homer's not clogging up the pipe! Bart thought, inwardly chuckling as he remembered how Homer's girth almost made the H2WHOA ride his tomb.
But the fun would soon come to a dead end, as he landed on his derriere. Gemma quickly helped him up and wordlessly applied a Cleaning Charm while Harry lit up the passageway with a Lumos.
Ron looked around as Fawkes flew out of the tunnel and circled above them.
"W-we must be miles under everything."
Harry nodded.
"Yeah, I reckon we're under the dungeons, too. And the lake."
Gemma smirked.
"It seems that we're underneath Slytherin's surface", she knowingly remarked as Fawkes flew down the passageway.
The four stood for several suspenseful seconds before Gemma piped up.
"This passageway's clear; if it wasn't, Fawkes would have tipped us off. Let's go."
And so they trooped through the passageway, ignoring how the water splashed onto their robes, ignoring the crunching of animal bones beneath them, ignoring everything but the very darkness before them, until they could ignore no more.
Before them stood something scaly and curved, with a length of sauropod proportions.
Coooooooooool, Bart thought, but the others weren't so enthused.
"Don't touch it", Gemma whispered, with Harry and Ron complying all too eagerly. Even Bart wasn't fool enough to question her, as the quartet snuck past the thing.
The sheer claustrophobia almost overwhelmed them. Ron thought that he'd collapse into a watery mess, such was the sweat pouring off him. Indeed, it took him everything he had to not faint on the spot. Harry, meanwhile, felt like his heart would burst from his chest.
Gemma and Bart fared better because of their Occlumency, but even Bart could feel the pins and needles poking through his feet, while Gemma tried to relieve the choking sensation that was claiming her by taking deep breaths. None of them even dared look at the thing that they were passing.
Eventually, eventually, that excruciating passage passed. As if expecting death from above, Gemma furtively glanced up at the ceiling before ushering the boys along.
While their fear was alleviated somewhat, the air was still pregnant with tension as the quartet advanced through the winding tunnels.
God damn, this is some trek. I didn't know that Salad-zar was so big on healthy living. First the greens, then the walking. Geez…
But just as Bart was wondering when the walk would end, he almost walked into a wall. Instinctively, he reared back like a cobra before taking in the scenery before him.
Before him were two entwined serpents, their emerald eyes boring into Bart.
Coincidentally, another pair of emerald eyes slowly walked towards the door. Two pairs of emerald eyes then locked together before Harry hissed the magic word.
"Open."
Bart grinned as the serpents made way, splitting the wall open and revealing a waterfall.
Fawkes immediately flew through while the quartet eyed each other expectantly.
Finally, Bart broke the deadlock.
"Ahh, what the hell."
And with a nonchalant shrug, he led the others through.
After walking through the waterfall, the quartet wandered into wisps of smoke.
Gemma gasped.
"Someone's cast Homenum Revelio several times!"
She quickly ushered the three boys into a safe space before drying them. After scribbling a note on her enchanted parchment, she then readied them for the next act.
"Close your eyes and ears. I will tap the three of you when it's time to advance. I will lead, Bart will follow, then Potter, then Weasley. Stay in single file and look at the feet of the person in front of you. That way, you won't meet the Basilisk's gaze."
Truth be told, this wasn't her ideal plan – she would have preferred to cast Disillusionment Charms instead, but the boys wouldn't have been able to follow her.
But the boys didn't care, since they nodded their approval.
With that, she launched a Verdimillious Tria into the distance before silencing everybody's feet and giving them the fateful tap.
And with that they were away, staying off the main path and instead weaving through the shadowy areas behind the snakes. Gemma periodically stopped to cast a Homenum Revelio, but not too often, because she knew that stationary targets were easier to locate and attack.
Normally, the quartet would have felt too tense to move, but somehow the sheer adrenaline kept them going. Perhaps Brad Goodman was right – perhaps inside even the most jaded soul was an inner child which craved adventure.
But they cared only for the red-haired child who they finally found lying face down in the chamber, replete with Hogwarts robes. Next to her lay a little black book.
"The diary!" Harry gasped.
"Well, at least we solved that mystery", Bart muttered as Ron turned Ginny's body over and knelt by her side.
"Wake up, Ginny! Please wake up!" Ron tearfully implored.
But his sister remained as cold and pale as before.
Not that the voice which called out was concerned.
"Don't bother."
As Ron spun around, a figure emerged from the shadows. The figure was misty around the edges, almost like it wasn't fully real.
But to Harry, the figure felt very real.
"T-Tom Riddle?"
Tom smugly nodded.
That told Bart and Gemma everything they needed to know.
He opened the Chamber.
Somehow, Gemma felt less surprised than she should have been, as Tom spoke up.
"You have a good memory, Harry."
Tom then appraised the others.
"You must be Ronald Weasley. You quite resemble Septimus."
Ron stared at him uncomprehendingly.
"Y-you knew my granddad?"
"I went to school with him, yes", Tom dismissively replied before eyeing Gemma.
"And you must be Gemma Farley. Your grandfather was quite the duellist."
Gemma inclined her head.
"Yes, I can imagine. And it's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Riddle. You may call me Gemma."
Tom raised an eyebrow. Gemma's greeting was obviously perfunctory, but he saw no need to raise that issue.
"Impeccable pure-blood manners, I see. And you may call me Tom."
Tom then peered down at Bart.
"And you must be Bart Simpson. Yes, young Ginny wrote quite a lot about you."
Bart smirked.
"Yeah, 'cos I'm a legend."
Tom chuckled before hungrily circling the quartet.
"Maybe so, but your legend pales in comparison to Salazar Slytherin's. Do you see that sculpture up there?" Tom asked, pointing Ginny's wand towards the ancient, monkeyish face which imperiously looked down upon them. "That is Salazar himself. That magnificent beard symbolises his wisdom. Those gargantuan feet convey his gargantuan presence."
Bart scowled.
Ugh, yuck! Even Sideshow Bob didn't drool over mouldy old dudes.
And Tom wasn't even finished.
"I am proud to say that his blood runs through my veins and that I could access his finest creation", Tom remarked as he extended his arms. "The Chamber of Secrets! A fine testament to Salazar's greatness. So, what do you think?"
Bart scoffed.
"I think that Salad-zar didn't know jack about interior design."
Tom's eyes bugged out as the others sniggered.
"What did you say?"
"I said that Salad-zar was obviously smoking something when he came up with this. I mean, I could have come up with something better after an all-night bender."
Truth be told, Bart was bluffing. He actually liked the Chamber's cool, dark vibe, and the snake statues around them gave the place a really sinister edge.
Not that Harry and Ron knew that, for they started laughing. Even Gemma chuckled.
Tom, however, was rendered speechless.
"Y-you dare insult my ancestor, and your house's founder?"
"Yeah, 'cos I do whatever I want, basement boy."
Tom bared his teeth.
"Do you even know whom you are conversing with?"
"Yeah, a pompous prick."
As the others laughed once more, Tom closed his eyes in vexation.
I can't give him any more free lines.
"Well, I'm afraid that this 'pompous prick' will decide your fate."
Not bloody likely, Bart thought as Harry cocked his head.
"What do you mean, Tom?"
"You will find out soon, Harry. But you must be wondering why I am here, pacing around little Ginny and my secret diary."
Tom wouldn't normally have drawn things out like this. In fact, he normally would have sicced the basilisk on the quartet immediately. But he knew that the more he dallied, the more life he would receive from poor little Ginny.
Besides, he enjoyed control, and he enjoyed nothing more than controlling someone's death. And he would control the deaths of these four with pleasure.
But for now…
"It's because Ginny didn't heed the lesson to not talk to strangers. Certainly, one should not spill all their secrets to one."
Tom smirked before continuing.
"Yes, Ginny spilled them all. At first, she was rather whiny. She complained about her twin brothers harassing her. Her father being too preoccupied with Muggles to spend time with her. Her anxiety about forming friendships. Her mother being too overbearing. Her celebrity brother not helping to purchase her school supplies."
Ron's face went red with guilt. Truth be told, he didn't have that much left after purchasing Hera and paying the Goblins to set up those wards around the Burrow. But Ginny didn't know that.
I really should have given her a few Galleons, Ron ruefully thought. He had been too wrapped up in himself to pay attention to her. And now, he was paying the price.
While Ron was chastising himself, Tom continued his monologue.
"She also confessed her love for the fantastically famous Harry Potter and Bart Simpson. And her admiration for Gemma Farley as a role model for women.
And do you know what, Ronald? Despite her anger towards you, she still loved you. Crazy little thing, love. I will never understand it.
But she felt it, and she felt proud of you for vanquishing the evil Lord Voldemort last year.
In fact, she discussed you four far more than anybody else. Naturally, I became eager to meet you four.
Of course, I didn't believe it right of me to accept her secrets without giving something back in return. After all, that would be most impertinent of me."
"What do you mean?" Harry slowly asked. He was suspicious to start off with, and the more he talked to Tom, the more uneasy he felt.
Tom's mirthless chuckle only fuelled Harry's fears, as a shiver ran down his spine.
"Let's just say that Ginny put her heart and soul into the diary. It was only fair that I repaid her in kind."
Gemma immediately realised what he meant.
"You started controlling her through the diary, didn't you?"
Although she would never openly admit it, Gemma would have succumbed to the same temptation had she been in Tom's shoes. She wanted to keep moving, keep hustling, keep achieving, and nothing screamed 'stagnation' like being stuck inside a diary.
Indeed, the loss of control that entailed would have been worse than death for her. Perhaps Tom felt the same?
"I did indeed, Gemma. Including by having her come down here to rest. It's good that we Slytherins are on the same page."
Gemma brushed off his words, but Ron clearly couldn't.
"YOU BASTARD!" he roared, lunging at Tom before Harry could stop him – only to fall through the boy and into a puddle of water.
Bart cringed.
Man, this dude's like something out of Star Wars.
Tom airily laughed while Harry struggled to suppress the animal inside him.
"You're obviously not human. What the hell are you?"
Tom laughed that laugh yet again. In fact, Bart and Harry could have sworn that his laugh sounded very familiar. But they didn't know why.
"Did you think I was a mere man, Harry? I am so much more than that. But to answer your question, I'm a memory. A memory that will soon be made flesh."
He turned towards Ron and gave him a haughty smirk.
"Foolish Gryffindors. Always so impulsive. So impetuous. I consider myself blessed to have not been one."
Harry took a few deep breaths.
"Yeah. But you are a scumbag."
Tom chuckled.
"You wound me, Harry. But Gemma was quite correct. It was all too easy for me to…guide Ginny's future direction."
"You had her control the Basilisk, didn't you?" Gemma asked.
Tom nodded.
"Indeed, I did. Such a shame about the caretaker. A tragedy to match the Hindenburg's explosion, that was."
Harry stared Tom down.
"You didn't do a very good job. Nobody else died, and they'll be revived shortly."
Tom's eye twitched.
"Yes, that was a trifle. Little Ginny eventually realised what was happening, and she started fighting with me for control over herself and the Basilisk."
So that's why those students didn't die, Gemma thought as Ron beamed with pride.
But Tom's mockery just made him angry again.
"Of course, she lost in the end. But it was a valiant effort.
And her diary entries became so much more entertaining. Her initially not realising what was happening…her horror over Filch's death…her concern for the missing roosters…her confusion about the writing on the wall…her alarm over having blood on her hands…it was like reading a thriller.
And the best part is…I was the one writing it."
Too bad no-one's gonna buy it, Bart inwardly snarked. He had remained uncharacteristically silent throughout Tom's little monologue. Instead, he watched and waited. He expected someone with Tom's ego to give him an opening, but one wasn't forthcoming.
I gotta make an opening.
And with that, he stepped forward while inclining his head.
"That was beautiful, the way you manipulated Ginny", Bart remarked, feigning admiration for the fiend before him.
Harry looked at Bart askance, but Gemma nudged him and shook her head before the bespectacled boy could do anything. She knew that Bart was planning something, and she wanted to take advantage.
Tom knew too, but Bart was dead anyway, so what difference did it make?
"Thank you, Bart."
"And I assume that you framed Hagrid, too? I must say that was very well executed."
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, SIMPSON?" Ron roared before being silenced.
"Thank you, Bart. And thank you, Gemma, for silencing young Ronald. He should learn not to talk out of turn", Tom smarmily remarked.
"Indeed", Gemma replied with equal smarm.
"Anyway, you are correct, Bart. I did indeed frame Hagrid. And I must say that the faculty's response exceeded my wildest expectations."
Yeah, 'cos everyone was high as a kite back then. "What about Dumbledore?"
Tom sneered.
"Yes, Dumbledore never trusted me, right from when I first met him. Did you know that he ordered me to return possessions to the other children that I was living with? I won those possessions; I should have been allowed to keep them!"
Harry couldn't help but interject.
"Yeah, I bet he knew that you were a sociopath."
Tom's face turned very ugly. Harry could tell that he had struck a nerve.
"A sociopath! I was only doing what was right by the school!
Hagrid was a troublemaker, a menace! He used to bring in dangerous creatures and breed them! You do understand that acromantulas are highly dangerous predators? Dumbledore should have been thanking me for protecting the school from that half-breed freak, but instead he made my life more difficult!"
Harry gasped. He remembered Voldemort saying that very thing last year, and coupled with Riddle's distinctive laugh, he now knew that wasn't a coincidence.
"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed, pointing his finger. "You're Voldemort!"
Gemma and Bart were no less surprised.
Of course! That's why he sounds like Prince in a helium suit!
Tom gave Harry a predatory grin.
"Full marks, Harry", he mocked. "Why, I was starting to think that you'd never guess."
And to punctuate his point, he traced three words in the air with broad strokes that would please any painter.
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
Bart looked nonplussed.
"Sooooooo your dad was a circus freak?"
Tom glared at him before continuing. With one melodramatic swish, the letters rearranged themselves.
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
Gemma, Harry and Ron gaped. Bart, meanwhile, burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, your name's an anagram. That is so gay!"
His three colleagues sniggered before Gemma spoke up.
"And 'vol de mort' simply means 'flight of death'. Why would you name yourself that?"
"Because death is the last enemy that must be conquered, Gemma", Tom remarked before Bart asked him a question.
"Why didn't you just finger another Slytherin, or make out that Hagrid only got into the Chamber with their help?"
Tom thought for a moment.
"Firstly, there were no obvious candidates among my fellow Slytherins. Secondly, Slytherins in my time did not cooperate with Gryffindors unless it was absolutely necessary. Third, old Dippet thought the world of me. He hung on every word of mine, and he wanted Hagrid gone as much as I did."
Harry added another question.
"Why did you kill Myrtle?"
"She was collateral damage. The truth is, I didn't really care whether the Mudbloods lived or not, which is why I didn't finish the others off when they were petrified. I merely wanted them to leave Hogwarts, so that only the worthy could study magic."
Harry snarled.
"You had no right to do that!"
"I had every right!" Tom exclaimed. "Muggles are little more than filth, and Mudbloods are their offspring! Did you know that my father was a Muggle? And that when I tracked the cur down, he said that he never regretted leaving my mother! Even after I informed him that she died during childbirth!"
Usually, Harry would have felt sympathy for Tom. But he just couldn't. Not after Tom launched into a speech about how Muggleborns were inferior. Given that his mother and friend were both Muggleborn witches, that belief was heretical to Harry.
As Tom rambled, Harry suddenly saw reflected light shine off Ginny's wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Gemma whispered.
PING!
The spell pinged off one of the snake statues and hit Ginny's wand on the full.
Bart quickly stuck his arm out, drawing Ginny's wand into his palm before pocketing it.
Realising that he had just been played, Tom's face went red with fury.
"So, Mr. Diddle", Bart sneered. "On a scale of 1-10, how pissed are you?"
Tom bared his teeth.
"Enough to enjoy watching the basilisk torture you to death."
"Eh, hearing you talk is torture enough."
As the others snickered, Tom marched towards Salazar's stony face and hissed a request.
"Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."
As Fawkes flew towards the hole that was emerging, Gemma took charge.
"Let's go!" she barked, launching a Fumos Duo in Salazar's direction before leading the boys into the shadows. As she did, she heard Tom give the fateful command.
"Kill them."
After they reached relative safety, Gemma removed the Silencing Charm on Ron before blind firing a Verdimillious Tria over her shoulder – a skill she honed to stop her father from exploiting her blind spots when they duelled.
BANG!
Outside the chamber, three men heard the shriek of pain and fury that followed the explosion.
"That must be the basilisk!" Snape hissed. "Are you sure we cannot enter, Albus?"
The headmaster shook his head sadly.
"No, I am afraid that we are on a 'sticky wicket', Severus. Is that the right phrase, Willy?"
Willy nervously grinned.
"Yeah, Albie. We've made a real pig's ear of this, we 'ave."
Snape sneered.
"Just like you make a real pig's ear of caretaking."
"Severus!"
Meanwhile, back in the chamber, the quartet could feel the snake slithering towards them. They ran for dear life, eyes to the ground, buying what little time they could.
And Fawkes was determined to help them, sinking his long golden beak into the basilisk's eyes before the beast could stop him.
Two screeches simultaneously rang through the chamber – the basilisk's, and Tom's.
"NO! NO! LEAVE THE BIRD! PURSUE THE INTRUDERS! YOU CAN SMELL THEM, YOU CAN – "
Gemma artfully exploited Tom's distraction by blind firing another Verdimillious Tria towards his voice.
BANG!
Blinded by the light, Tom howled furiously as his ears rang like a telephone.
"I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL DISMEMBER YOU! I WILL WATCH THE BASILISK TEAR YOU INTO A THOUSAND LITTLE PIECES!"
It'll have to catch us first. Something that big would turn like a semi, Bart mused from behind a snake statue. Surely they were safe for the moment?
SMASH!
A tail crashed through the statue, spraying debris everywhere. Luckily for Gemma and Harry, the basilisk's tail swooped above their heads, but the tail caught Bart and Ron full-on before flinging them into the darkness.
Gemma and Harry didn't have time to cry, for the basilisk swept around and lunged at them. Harry exploited his small frame to full effect, rolling under the basilisk's jaw before jumping up and firing a volley of spells.
"STUPEFY! IMPEDIMENTA! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
But they all bounced off the basilisk while Tom's cackling permeated the background.
Only Harry's survival instincts stopped him from sinking to the floor in despair.
This thing is like a tank! How are we gonna kill it?!
The basilisk then turned towards him. Surely this was it; surely Harry was done?
But he found that he was alive, even after the basilisk had faced him. For Harry didn't see the basilisk's eyes, but rather bloody red sockets.
He didn't have time to savour his luck, however, for the basilisk lunged at him. He deftly sidestepped the basilisk before yelling at it.
"HEY SNAKE! HEY SLITHER! HEY REDEYE! THIS WAY!"
Taking the bait, the basilisk rushed after Harry while Gemma, who had been recuperating under the cover of a Disillusionment Charm, brought out the big guns.
"CONFRIGO! EXPULSO! REDUCTO! BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"
At that moment, Daphne and Tracey sat in their dormitory together while Millicent, Pansy and Rachel chatted away behind them.
"I wonder where Bart is?" Daphne wondered.
"Wherever he is, I hope he's alright", Tracey admitted, having felt closer to Bart since he visited her over Christmas.
Suddenly, the five girls felt a tremor underneath them.
Daphne gave her friend a small smile.
"I think he's fine, Tracey."
Meanwhile, Theo was brooding on his bed.
Truth be told, he wanted only to finish his studies and become a healer at St. Mungo's, so that he could save others where he could not save his mother many years ago.
Indeed, for Theo, her passing symbolised the frailty of life and the importance of preserving it, so others did not suffer like he did. Living under the watchful eye of a cold, dogmatic father who had tried indoctrinating him into an ideology which brought only death and ruin, including to the Nott name.
Theo hated how he lacked the courage to stand up to his father, or the bigots who had roped him into ambushing Gemma Farley. But he couldn't handle the judgement that would come with doing so. A weakness which he hid underneath an aloof façade.
He then thought about Bart Simpson. In many ways, he was Theo's opposite. He was the extravert to Theo's introvert, the showboat to Theo's wallflower, the doer to Theo's observer. While Theo was a pureblood, Bart was a Muggleborn.
By all rights, Theo should dislike Bart. And indeed, he disliked Bart's frivolity and lack of foresight. But Bart displayed the courage and daring that Theo had long wanted for himself.
Moreover, Bart wasn't quite like any other Slytherin. It was almost like he was a Slytherin – but also like he wasn't.
Theo decided that he needed to know Bart better, Farley be damned.
At that moment, he felt something rumble under his bed. Almost like a tremor.
Given Bart's impact upon Slytherin, it was quite fitting.
This very tremor shook the earth under the three men outside the chamber, as they almost fell on their faces.
The two older men maintained their composure, but the pressure of it all brought Willy to his wits end.
"Mate, there's gotta be some way we can get in and rescue 'em!"
"Hmmm", the headmaster replied while rubbing his temples, "I can understand Parseltongue, and I do remember what the word 'open' sounds like – assuming that is the password. Perhaps if I correctly replicate the sibilants, we can enter the chamber."
So he went to work.
However, his first attempt yielded nothing.
Perhaps I'm not stretching the sibilants out for long enough, the headmaster mused. Let me try again, and let us pray that the four students inside don't come to any serious harm.
Unfortunately, it seemed like the headmaster's prayers would go unanswered. For not only were Bart and Ron still down for the count, Gemma and Harry were also in real trouble.
For sure, the basilisk definitely felt Gemma's metaphorical cannons, since they had blasted its tail clean off, slowing it down as blood periodically spurted out of the stump where its tail once was.
But Gemma couldn't press home the advantage, for she had lost her footing in the resulting earthquake, allowing Tom to tackle her to the ground as the tinnitus took effect.
Normally, a man of Tom's height could easily have overpowered a tired Gemma, but he still lacked a normal human's strength. Hence, he struggled to take Gemma's wand from her, as they rolled along the chamber's slick surface.
Meanwhile, the tremors caused Harry to trip and fall on his face. Miraculously, he could still get on his feet, but the basilisk was closing in fast, with Fawkes following behind. Worse still, he was up against the wall, with no means of escape given his exhaustion.
He closed his eyes and waited for the end.
Moments before…
Ugh, I'm shakin' all over. And what the hell is this? A Republican fundraiser? a dazed Bart thought, taking in the dank, frigid atmosphere as the tremors shook him back into consciousness.
When his vision cleared, he realised exactly where he was, and what was happening. But he couldn't rejoin the battle, for pain sliced through his leg like a butcher's knife.
As Bart hissed in frustration, he saw something truly horrifying.
The basilisk, lunging at a trapped Harry.
Bart gasped.
I'll save you, Harry!
Braving the pain, he whipped out his wand and went for the Hail Mary.
"Tantō!"
Harry had closed his eyes.
Surprisingly, he didn't feel scared, just resigned. The commotion and the exhaustion had dulled his senses to the point where death seemed like a trifle.
But the end didn't come, as a massive screech overwhelmed his senses.
Hoping against hope, he opened his eyes.
Before him, the basilisk was swaying and swerving, trying in vain to remove the dagger which had lodged itself into its rear end.
Harry couldn't believe his luck. But he still had to make the most of it.
What can I do? What can I do? he frantically thought. He had nowhere to run, and his spells had failed to slow the basilisk.
He had to think quickly…
…especially since Gemma was losing her tussle with Tom.
For while Gemma was athletic, she was also exhausted. At this point she could barely remember her name, much less struggle with a shade. Moreover, while Gemma grew weaker, Tom grew stronger, as he leeched life from Ginny's unconscious form.
He therefore saw no harm in toying with Gemma. Make her think she had a chance, while she actually had none at all. That would make her defeat more final and his dominance over her more complete.
Not that she knew that, as she held on to her wand for dear life while they grappled.
But she was slowly losing her grip. She couldn't touch him, but he could touch her.
He took full advantage of that fact, slapping her down whenever she looked like regaining control. She rolled over army-style, dodging the kick that would have connected with her gut, but that left her open to a kingmaker.
She saw stars as his fist collided with her face, the kinetic energy bursting the blood vessels near her right eye as her head reared back. The sheer force of the impact disoriented her for a few moments, rendering her vulnerable.
A vulnerability which Tom exploited, as he seized the wand while Gemma regained her vision. At first, she didn't even realise that Tom was pointing her wand at her.
But Tom could wait. In fact, he wanted to wait. He wanted to control how she died. He wanted to see the light leave those eyes. The very thought made him feel like a God!
So he waited for Gemma to recover. Normally, she would have lunged for him after regaining her senses, but she was spent.
Gemma was typically a very efficient duellist, not expending any more effort than she had to. However, in the heat of the moment, she had not considered how much energy she might expend casting those spells, and she had forgotten to watch her rear.
The irony wasn't lost on her – she had chided Bart for his carelessness during their duels, but carelessness had ultimately cost her dearly.
Tom smirked as he made eye contact with her.
"You fought well, Gemma", he flippantly remarked as he readied the Killing Curse. "But nobody can defeat Lord Voldemort."
At that moment, the basilisk was hurtling towards Harry again. Surely, this time, it was curtains?
But Harry had a flash of inspiration, thrusting his wand up and swinging it like a lasso.
Just as the basilisk opened its mouth, Harry narrowed his eyes and drew his arm back.
"YOU'RE DEAD, FUCKER! SPIRIT BLAST!"
And with that, he hurled the ball forward like a javelin, sending it down the snake's gullet before the momentum sent him crashing to the ground. He knew that the blast's shockwave would end him, but he'd be damned if the basilisk wasn't going down with him.
Moments before, three men arrived inside the chamber, braving waterfalls and wisps as they did so.
Albus' eyes widened at the sight.
Near him lay Ron Weasley's unconscious form. Ron was bleeding from the head, his legs were askew, and his arm jutted out uncomfortably.
Just ahead of Ron lay an unconscious Bart, with his wand pointed out. Like Ron, his leg was broken. His injuries were less severe than Ron's, but it was clear that neither boy would survive long without treatment.
In the distance, the headmaster thought that he could see someone in Prefect's robes stand over Gemma Farley, who was on her back and looking up with a helpless expression. Near Gemma lay Ginny's unconscious form.
And finally, he saw Harry fire an orb down a basilisk's throat before stumbling forward and collapsing onto his feet.
The headmaster's breath hitched in horror while the basilisk stopped and stared uncomprehendingly at Harry.
Just as the headmaster pointed his wand at the basilisk…
BLAM!
Seconds prior…
"Say goodnight, Gemma", Tom sneered.
But before he performed the coup de grace, he saw a light in the corner of his eye. Expecting an attack, he swung the wand around…only to see Harry fling an orb down the basilisk's mouth.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Gemma kicked her wand out of Tom's hand and caught it before slipping into Never Never Land.
The basilisk went up in a bright light. As it did, fangs flew everywhere. One landed between Harry's legs, another inches from Bart's face, and another landed smack bang onto Tom's diary.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO – " Tom screamed, feeling like he was being ripped apart from all angles as his body, which was now consumed by light, stretched onto the ceiling before sliding towards Salazar's statue. The light filled every nook, every crevice, every cranny of the statue before consuming the entire chamber.
Tom's screams of anguish also consumed the chamber as he was snuffed out. All that remained was the shockwave…
But it wasn't coming.
Harry instinctively craned his head towards the chamber's entrance.
He felt a wave of elation as he saw his esteemed headmaster channel the shockwave into his wand, turning it into a tornado as he did so.
With a final clap, the shockwave was absorbed into the headmaster's wand.
The boy couldn't quite believe his luck. Really, the four of them should have died several times over. And yet, they lived to tell the tale.
Part of Harry wondered whether this was all just a dream. Indeed, he half expected to wake up and find himself back at the Dursleys.
But he knew that his dreams didn't include the potions master, who was sporting a sullen expression as he walked behind the headmaster. They also didn't include the caretaker, who was sporting an inane grin.
"That's great, innit? The way that snake went up!"
Severus contemptuously scoffed.
"Isn't it, Widdershins, not innit. If you are going to disgrace yourself, then do speak proper English."
"Severus…" Albus warned while peering towards where Salazar's statue stood – or once stood, as it had vanished with the light.
The headmaster thought that maybe, just maybe, the statue's disappearance symbolised a sea change within Slytherin. Namely, that the old Slytherin – the Slytherin that had become tainted by bigotry and insularity – was being wiped away in favour of a house which better suited Salazar's initial designs.
For while Salazar was wary of Muggleborns, the headmaster did not believe that Salazar meant to exclude them entirely. After all, Muggleborns could be as ambitious, cunning, driven and resourceful as any other student.
But still the Sorting Hat had refused to sort Muggleborns into Slytherin for many decades, because their safety could not be guaranteed.
Last year though, that all changed when Bart Simpson arrived at Hogwarts. Like Tom, Bart was a prodigy. Like Tom, Bart was a harbinger of change.
For instance, as far as Albus knew, Gryffindors and Slytherins only worked together under sufferance. And yet Bart had willingly worked with Gryffindors to thwart Voldemort – not once, but twice.
Maybe his sorting marked a new beginning for Slytherin. One where Slytherins used their ambition to collaborate with outsiders for the entire wizarding world's benefit, rather than applying their ambition towards blackmailing politicians or furthering a demented ideology.
He lived in hope, as Harry stared at him.
"P-Professor Dumbledore? How did you get in?"
"Guesswork, Harry", the headmaster replied, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he applied Episkey upon Harry. Harry instantly felt like he was in the Himalayas…and then in a lava pit, as cold turned to heat. The sudden change startled him, as he jumped to his feet and rubbed his backside.
The headmaster chortled while Willy and Severus went about treating the other students. Of course, Madam Pomfrey would have to fully treat their more serious injuries, but the headmaster knew that could wait.
For now, there were more pressing issues.
"Who was the culprit, Harry?"
"Tom Riddle. He came out of the diary."
The headmaster's eyes flashed as Ginny stirred.
"W-where am I?"
Still in a state of shock, she startled when she saw two people stare at her.
"H-Harry? P-Professor Dumbledore? Is Tom gone? Is it over?"
As Fawkes perched himself on the headmaster's shoulder, he nodded.
"Yes, Miss Weasley. It's over."
Or was it?
Author's Notes for Chapter Fourteen
At least that wasn't a big delay.
As alluded to in Chapter 1, the Basilisk was blown up from the inside ala the Death Star.
RE the wisps, you'd think that Tom would try and detect any hidden intruders so that he isn't taken by surprise. The waterfall's purpose will be explained later.
Septimus Weasley is assumed to be Arthur's dad. He would have been the right age.
RE Gemma's assumption about Tom finding confinement worse than death, she's actually off the mark. Another Mary Sue aversion.
The whole thing about Dumbledore mimicking Parseltongue sibilants to enter the Chamber is pulled from DH Part 2.
Basilisks are tough, but not invulnerable. If Dragons can be brought down by multiple stunners, Basilisks can be hobbled by multiple explosive spells.
Canonically, Tom Riddle was a somewhat flat character. I wanted to emphasise his sadistic, controlling nature. Basically, I modelled him on the serial killer Ted Bundy.
Monster King/alexeie2006: Thanks.
Baneofevil4: Good for you.