CHAPTER 11

01 August 1993 - The Dungeons - Longbottom Manor, 7:39AM

"We're absolutely certain we want to do this?"

Four responding grimaces were all she received, causing Cassie's expression (wearing the face of Greer Garson in Strange Lady in Town) to grow worriedly tight.

The five conspirators were huddled outside the doorway of Dungeon 2, ensconced within a Muffliato and an obscuring cloak spell to prevent their conversation from being overheard. Some feet away near the entrance proper sat Dobby, kicked back in his rocking chair with a woven straw palm hat covering his eyes as though he were asleep.

Today was the day Tom and Severus would be delving into Rookwood's mind, the mere prospect of it daunting. The two Master Legilimens had undergone a three-day long ancient Sanskrit psychic cleansing ritual to ensure their minds would be in peak condition to undertake this dangerous task. Should their mission into Rookwood's mental gauntlet succeed, they would emerge and undergo another cleansing ritual to rid themselves of any residual influence.

Cassie was deeply concerned about their very slim prospects of 'success'.

"I have to agree with Aunt Cass here," said Regulus quietly. "There is absolutely no real guarantee that you two will be able to breach his mind and access his memory palace, even after all the years he's spent in Azkaban. Bloody hell, he's the only prisoner who needed to be placed under a Parseltongue coma spell on top of Draught of Living Death! Not to mention his ventrilist legilim-"

"That's Ventriloquist Legilimens, Regulus." Snape rolled his eyes as Reg glared at being interrupted. "And yes, the prospect of invading the mind of an actual psychic puppet master is daunting, we really don't have much choice. The Dark Lord created artifacts that allowed him to invade the minds and eventually consume the life force of those who come to possess those accursed things. Due to the aforementioned, it is highly possible that Rookwood himself was involved in said objects' creation, which would mean he more than likely knows what exactly those objects are and where they're being stored." Cassie could only glare, unable to refute such sound Slytherin logic.

"And if Rookwood does manage to implant a psychic string in each of your minds? Undetected? What then?" Lily's voice was uncommonly reedy, eyes tightened in concern.

"That's what the post-ritual is for - The Sieve of Thoth. As the name suggests, it will psychically comb through our minds and 'catch' any strings Rookwood may or may not leave behind. You, Regulus, and Cass will be there to complete the five-point foci needed for the ritual's success. If my calculations are correct, Severus and I should successfully breach his memory palace within 8 ½ hours, give or take a few minutes."

"And if your calculations are wrong dear?" insisted Cassie worriedly.

Tom could only sigh tiredly. "Then I can only hope it will take a little more time." His dear friend was not happy with that answer.

"You're certain you won't need additional assistance? I could go in with you. Three is better than two, magically-speaking and all that." Lily rubbed her arms vigorously, a clear sign of her distress. Tutting, Severus protectively tucked her into his side, which she clung to gratefully.

"I'm certain. However, in this context, Severus and I will more than suffice. It is not boasting when I say that he and I are the two of the foremost Legilimens in Wizarding Britain, significantly well above a Level 7. Anyone else would be a hindrance." He patted her affectionately when she frowned. "Additionally, I will have an added boost that should maximize our probe." He subtly gestured to his neck, where a sliver of silver gleamed.

Slytherin's Locket.

The Founder's artifact he'd succeeded in reacquiring from Borgin and Burke's in his Seventh Year, using his Consilierii Tassos Burke as a would-be broker.

True to the legend, it amplified the wearer's Legilimency ability by exactly three-fold. For a Parselmouth, their skill was magnified nine-fold, weaponizing his or her Legilimency probe to lethal precision.

Lily nodded once, feeling slightly more confident than she did before. Regulus looked fascinated at the prospect of having Salazar's Slytherin's relic so close. Already aware of the relic and its power, Cassie didn't bother reacting.

A few tense beats passed before the group ventured into Dungeon 2. It was surprisingly spacious as far as dungeons were concerned, a 15x15 room with rock-hewn walls and absolutely no sunlight (or any other source of light). Manacled to the northern wall was Rookwood, tightly bound in a double full-body straitjacket and an iron mask.

Lily was vaguely reminded of the homicidal muggle psychopath Hannibal Lecter in that movie she'd watched with Severus a few years' prior.

Regulus assumed his position near the entrance, in case Rookwood (by some very unfortunate miracle) managed to overpower everyone and try to escape. Cassie conjured a throne-like velvet upholstered chair against the eastern wall, primly settling herself down. Tom and Severus came to stand exactly six inches in front of the Death Eater, before turning to each other.

"Are you ready Severus?"

"As I'll ever be. Initiate."

As one, the two crossed their cuff-arms over each other and locked their fingers, forming an 'X'. Tom sharply hissed, causing their cuffs to glow orange.

Click-click-click. Zhing-zhing…Zhing-zhing. Click-click…click-click-click-click.

The basilisk and cobra symbols began unfurling, before slithering to interlock with each other in a figure-8 symbol. The cuffs then glowed a cool blue, becoming ephemeral and gas-like.

"Stealth-mode activated," Tom said. "Ready for Level 5 Joint Probe." He turned to Lily. "As we planned.

The witch sharply nodded before turning to Rookwood's form. She hissed the counter for the coma spell, watching as he twitched. Two sharp flicks saw his mask shrink to cover and compress his mouth, before a Blinding Hex struck his eyes. Another sharp flick of her wand levitated the Wiggenweld antidote from her robe pocket, which uncorked itself and floated to the Death Eater's lips. His head was magically tilted head back, allowing the potion to go down. He twitched again, before slowly blinking awake.

Rookwood visibly startled upon realizing his blindness, eyes flitting about in a seeming panic.

A sharp jab from Lily caused him to freeze, just as his blindness was lifted.

Hazel orbs widened as they landed on crystalline blue and fathomless black.

There was no time to react.

"LEGILIMENSsSsS!"

Fourth Circle…

The feeling of weightlessness and ethereality accompanying entry into another's mind slowly fell away, before proprioception reasserted itself in the two Slytherins. A muddled foray of weakened psychic traps had marked the first two levels into the Ventriloquist Legilimens' mind, all relatively easy to overcome.

Their eyes were closed as their other illusory senses flared, amplified by the steady thrum of their cuffs' magic. Tom's Peisinoen ability was at a low and undetectable level, imperceptible serpentine tendrils actively seeking the core of Rookwood's true self.

Sensing no immediate cognitohazards, the two men allowed their bodies to 'land' on the closest surface before opening their eyes.

Tom and Severus slowly exchanged a glance, before turning to look back at the scene before them.

They were standing atop a high rocky bluff, gazing out at a very thick mass of fog. Peaks of other bluffs could be seen above the surface of the fog, which lightly stood out in relief against the densely gray sky. Said sky seemed to stretch on until it reached one particular peak - a scraggly speck hidden behind a rather large moat, all surrounded by staggering dark gray cumulonimbus clouds.

Tom: "Wanderers above a sea of fog…who knew he was a romantic?"

Severus: "Hmph. We should have sent a poet." Tom bit back a snicker at his friend's scathingly acerbic tone, not wanting to risk uttering a word within the Death Eater's mind. He and Severus would be thought-speaking indefinitely.

They soon registered the sound of rushing waves, but there was no roiling ocean or sea to be seen anywhere. In fact, the only visible body of water lay some miles to the east, and it was still.

Perfectly still.

A faint shape rested near the shore, resembling an out-of-focus elderly man standing astride a small boat.

Severus: "I'm sensing a trap."

Tom: "Indeed. But per my initial scan, we will have to traverse above the expanse of water to reach whatever structure lies ahead. However, I am not naive enough to believe it will be so simple."

Severus: "Too true. But we need to make a move for it, lest something rises from the fog to greet us."

Snorting but not disagreeing, the two Legilimens manifested a pair of matching Nimbus 2001 brooms and began flying a steady path towards their destination, using psychic feelers to detect any would-be aerial traps. Tom's Peisinoen ability - further aided by the magicks of Slytherin's Locket - had yet to detect anything, which was both irritating and alarming. 'Just how damned deep does this psychopath's mind go?'

At their sixth mile, the two Slytherins incurred their first issue.

'We…we don't seem to be moving.'

Tom frowned at Severus' mental statement, and gestured for them to try again. Both kicked forward with their brooms…but once more were unable to, hitting what felt like a massive and impenetrable brick wall. They tried thrice more at different entry points, but they felt the wall grow stronger and more unyielding, resisting all of the efforts to bypass it.

Looking down, they realized they had reached the shoreline for the too-still body of expansive water. The elderly figure manning the small boat looked significantly less out of focus - in fact, he was in crystal clarity.

He was tall, significantly taller than the wooden boat he stood upon. A thick halo of riotous curls framed the balding center of his head, gently swaying in an unseen breeze as they fell unbound down his back. His form was surprisingly lithe and spry, balanced perfectly against the massive oar half-hidden in the water. A slip of cloth covered his intimate bits, and it too swayed in the same unseen breeze. His face was old and weathered, bearing many criss-cross grooves of lines tempered by a wild and gray beard. His eyes were closed, almost as if he were waiting…

'Charon…' Severus' nerves immediately ratcheted up.

'The ferryman of the Underworld…' Tom's eyes narrowed.

This was not good.

The nomenographic significance was terribly suggestive enough, but Tom's true concern lay with the journey they'd be expected to take with the old man. Not only could the psychic avatar lead them to a literal hellish trap, it would grant Rookwood ample opportunity to assess the intruders set upon his mind. Study them…weaken them…

Lord Gaunt ran a few calculations, even positing their combined relative ability to swim across the waters. Apparition was out to the question; it would allow Rookwood the chance to lock them in metaphysical limbo whilst they traveled from one position to another.

Sighing, he gestured for Severus to head downwards to board the boat that would no doubt ush them to Rookwood's personal Hell.

'We're literally getting nowhere.'

That was the primary thought bouncing between Severus and Tom, who'd noticed the discrepancy after eight minutes sat upon the little wooden boat. They'd chosen to place themselves directly behind the Charon-figure so as to not be ambushed. While it looked like they'd traversed a significant enough distance (when compared to their position from the shoreline), the two Master Legilimens noticed that they were nowhere close to the speck-sized citadel that lay in the distance. Additionally, there was the faintest ripple effect in the water's surface that repeated when they restarted the loop, a subtle tell that indicated a purposeful duplication in the mental construct.

As one, they two attempted to eject themselves from the boat with a nonverbal Ascendio.

It didn't work.

They tried twice more, but to no avail. In their efforts, the two men realized that they'd committed the elementary mistake of treating the boat and a ferryman as reality instead of mere mental constructs, thereby submitting themselves to what was no more than a hostile idea.

'It really couldn't be helped,' Severus mentally said. 'We had no other means of bypassing that dreaded wall-barrier over the water, which only grew stronger the more effort we put in. Beyond that citadel looming in the distance, there is nothing else to suggest a strong enough clue to the entrance of his Sanctum.'

A grumbling Tom agreed, but it brought him no comfort.

Suddenly, both men stiffened as they heard the ferryman take a deep and shuddering breath. He stopped his rowing ministrations, before slowly turning to face his two passengers. His eyes were closed and he leaned against his oar (which was still immersed in the water) for support, somehow keeping him balanced and upright.

He once more took a deep breath…before his eyes flashed opened.

Hazel met crystalline blue and fathomless black head on, as he opened his mouth and spoke in Rookwood's chillingly rasping tone.

"You…truly believed…that you could…invade my sanctum sanctorum…and not suffer…consequences?!" He then laughed, an empty rattling sound that was at once too quiet and loudly ringing everywhere. The two Slytherins tightly gripped their wands, preparing themselves for offensive retaliation.

Charon-Rookwood chuckled, sinisterly delighted at their discontent.

"Oh…you ought to see…your faces!" He chortled with hateful glee. "Such…a delight…having visitors." His tone had become lighter, almost playful, but no less frightful. "It has been…so long…since I've had…company." He smiled with all his teeth - a heinous sight of rotted green and brown. "Allow me…to properly…welcome you…"

And with that portentous statement, Rookwood's avatar pulled his massive oar from the water and thrust it high in the air, like a beacon beckoning the wrath of the gods above. The sky immediately blackened as arcs of lightning flashed in ominous intervals. The water's surface - now matching the blackness of the sky - started to ripple violently as something started to emerge.

Scores of heads slowly broke the surface of the water behind the man, causing the two Slytherins to internally balk in horror.

Rotted and decayed flesh tightly stretched over exposed skulls, many of whom bore exposed bits of brain matter and matted clumps of hair. Their open eyes were misted as though covered in with cobwebs, milky white in seeming blindness. Some rose their entire bodies out of the water, standing upon it as though it were solid land. Their skeletal forms were ensconced in putrescent flesh covered in filthy and decayed rags. Their fingers - mostly mottled bone due to decomposition - were wickedly curved into deadly sharp claws.

Perfect for tearing apart human flesh.

Turning his savage gaze towards the two tense wizards, the ferryman's frightening smile stretched across his face as his hazel orbs flashed in demented exuberance:

"SUPPERTIME!"

Up Above…

Sighing, Cassie pulled out her favorite gold pocket watch to check the time.

The two wizards had been in Rookwood's mind for a little over three hours, and while she would never be so outwardly obvious, the Healer was worried that they'd somehow gotten themselves entrapped in the Death Eater's mind.

Lily clearly shared her thoughts as she stared intently at the two Slytherins, rhythmically tapping her wand against her thigh as a means to expel her nervous energy. To Cassie's amusement, Regulus was staring intently at Lily, lips thinned in concern as he watched the witch do her best to conceal her worry.

'Whoever would've thought these two…'

Her favorite nephew had been taken with the "unexpectedly impressive muggleborn" since his Third Year, often mentioning her and her "strangely impoverished halfblood friend" in his letters to his favorite Auntie. By his Fifth Year (when he'd taken the mantle of Slytherin Prince), Lily's name made up significant parts of his letters, marveling at her "sheer brilliance" in maneuvering the nest of vipers that was Slytherin House and (along with Severus) keeping "those blasted Marauder idiots in check". The older witch had all but expected for the boy to buck tradition (like Sirius so readily did) and properly court the younger witch in spite of House Black's unyielding rules.

Cassie bit back a snicker at imagining the look on Walburga Black's cow face if she had ever discovered that juicy little tidbit about her favorite son.

The Metamorph's thoughts were cut short as the two Legilimens suddenly spoke for the first time since the interrogation began:

"INFEERRRIIIII!"

Lily's willow wand ceased its rhythmic tapping, eldritch eyes widening in horror at that harshly whispered declaration. She jumped as the basilisk and cobra symbols on her cuff grew alarmingly red hot, vibrating thrice in an SOS-beacon. Regulus and Cassie felt the same, becoming increasingly panicked.

"They're in grave danger," said Lily with poorly-concealed dread. "If Rookwood has managed to conjure a psychic trap that can mimic Inferi…"

"Is there a way to get them out of there?" asked Regulus urgently.

"Not at this stage," Cassie quietly replied. "The probe is too far along, any attempts to break them apart will incur severe consequences - a psychic coma if we're lucky. They could remain trapped in Rookwood's mind for an eternity, eventually falling into a coma and… dying as a result." She shivered in spite of herself.

"Is there anything we can actually do to help them in there?" Lily asked in a whisper.

Regulus could only sigh. "Nothing, I'm afraid."

Down Below…

"IMMOBULUSsS!"

To their shock, Charon-Rookwood deftly parried Tom's spell. With strength one that looked so old oughtn't possess, he powerfully thrust his oar downward and struck the boat in a mighty blow.

CRACK!

It violently split in half as Tom and Severus were forcefully flung several feet apart.

That was the Inferi's cue to swarm.

Matching waves cast a distortion field around each of the mouths, to prevent Rookwood from hearing whatever spells either vocalized. Reinforcement and protective spells were cast upon their respective planks of wood as Tom and Severus crouched their bodies low, making themselves as small and streamlined as possible.

Neither could afford to expend unnecessary energy.

"PROTEGO DIABOLICA!"

The twin spells erupted from their wands, creating matching protective rings of blue-black flames that surrounded the pair. A few overly eager Inferi got too close and were immediately rendered to screaming ash.

The ferryman cackled from his position - standing on top of the water.

"Ah ah ah," he cackled, wagging his finger playfully at the pair. "You won't get away so easily!" A sweep of his arm froze the undead horde in their tracks, before they slowly lowered themselves beneath the water's surface.

'That…that cannot be good.' Tom snorted but otherwise didn't respond, on high alert.

It was with good reason.

Because in less than a flash, four pairs of mangled Inferi hands reached from the fathomless waters below and sunk their claws into the calves of the two wizards, drawing blood and pained screams.

With unholy strength, the creatures forcibly drug down them down into the watery abyss.

Up Above…

"MORGANA'S SAGGY TIT!"

Regulus' shocked exclamation matched the horrified expressions of Lily and Cassie, the three gawking as the matching sprays of blood spurted out of Tom and Severus' calves.

The two groaned in agony, though they didn't cease to stare unblinkingly into Rookwood's eyes. The Death Eater had a thin film of sweat coating his forehead, a clear sign of the effort he was making to keep his two invaders properly occupied.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"...Corresponding physical stigmata incurred by their psychic selves." Lily's voice was wooden as she set about healing the injuries with Cassie's help. "It's…it's a rarity to have such a thing happen. This kind of damage can only be caused by a very powerful Legilimens…"

Regulus cringed at her leaden tone, hoping to Merlin, Circe, Morgana, Hecate, and any other deity who would listen that the two men didn't end up dying for their efforts.

Fifth Circle…

THUMP.

The two Slytherins synced their heartbeats to thrum as one in order to maximize their reaction times.

"SsSANUSsSPIRANTESsS DUO!"

Matching large bubblehead charms to spring around their heads, ensuring they wouldn't asphyxiate to death.

It was pitch black within the bottomless waters, temperature numbingly cold.

There were hands everywhere - grasping claws of rotted flesh dragging them downward whilst they struggled to kick…clawing at their chests to rip their hearts and lungs out…slicing at their faces to gauge their eyes out. Thankfully the Bubblehead Charms remained intact, made nigh impervious with Tom's Parseltongue modification.

THUMP.

'How the hell did they get past Protego Diabolica?!' snarled Severus, walnut wand slashing in Sectumsempra to sever the Inferi to shreds. Their number seemed endless, the unyielding manifestation of Augustus Rookwood's desire to bring a painful death to his enemies.

'Swam under it looks like,' replied Tom, mimicking his friend's actions. Protegos of any sort in the face of such a horde would be a fool's errand, too easily overwhelmed and an unnecessary drain on their cores. Any fire-based charms would be equally useless.

THUMP.

Their exercise continued on.

A few succeeded in getting past their defenses, clawing at their bodies in vicious slashes. Blood flowed out in thick red ribbons, further beckoning the beasts' hunger. At this point, both keenly felt tiredness creeping in, knowing they couldn't continue at this for much longer.

THUMP.

Suddenly, Tom froze.

The hissing voices of his Peisinoen ability had found something…something which was dangerously close!

Warning hisses from Slytherin's Locket compounded the point. Something was close…less than a hair's breadth away… and it was even more dangerous than the Inferi swarm attempting to eat them alive!

THUMP.

Without hesitation, Tom unsynced his heart from Severus' and activated his second, third, and fourth Reserve Personalities, granting them enough psychic sentience to sustain an individual Dilation. This unique application of mental magic recognized each Personality as his own person though they were all contained in the same body. Each Personality dilating concurrently would extend his perceptive abilities expontentially, allowing for a significantly longer period of mental analysis.

It also carried the very high risk of a massive heart attack and stroke.

Simultaneously.

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP.

Everything had slowed down to less than a standstill, allowing his senses to take it all in. The darkness of the water had receded significantly as his vision sharpened to laser precision. He paid little mind at finally seeing the scores of Inferi that filled the waters, a terrifying mix of the malformed beings and the severed limbs of their fallen comrades. Severus seemed frozen in time, his expression contorted in a vicious scowl whilst snarling yet another Sectumsempra at more attacking creatures.

Tom strengthened his connection to Slytherin's Locket as he drew his Legilimency ability in on himself, redirecting its power outward and around the perimeter of his and Severus' bodies.

He faintly registered his nosebleed as his head throbbed with his efforts.

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP.

'...There you are.'

Small lamprey-like tendrils were closing in on their heads, ten in number. They'd been manifested to blend in perfectly with the water, undetectable to the naked non-dilated eye. Tom had no doubt that they succeeded in latching on with their barbed maws, they'd burrow deep into their minds and devour them inside out.

Or worse, implant psychic strings and make them Rookwood's own puppets.

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP.

He could feel his nosebleed getting worse as his head thudded painfully, but Tom couldn't allow that to deter him at this time. He would only have one chance.

A sharply hissed command fully awakened the nest of ornately carved horned vipers that formed the outer design of his ancestor's locket, their eyes glowing a sinister amber.

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP.

'SsSEIZE THEM!'

The serpents struck the invading worms at his command, sinking their fangs deeply into the now struggling creatures. Tom focused his Legilimency to a sharp point and joined his mind to the horned vipers.

Feeling the connection strengthen, he temporarily linked his Peisinoen ability to the Locket's vipers, commanding them to 'SsSHOW ME THE SsSOURCE!'

Up Above…

Cassie choked back her horror at the sudden sight of Tom's nose and eyes bleeding!

The macabre sight was further compounded by his fiercely unblinking gaze and harsh Parseltongue commands. Rookwood was equally worse off - nose and eyes dripping blood as sweat steadily poured down his forehead.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THERE?!" Regulus oscillated between scandalized and panic-stricken.

Lily was wooden, both in expression and form. Internally she was struggling not to scream. Judging by Tom's hisses he was performing some kind of deeper-level probe, but never had she seen him so physically affected! Her only relief was that Severus was seemingly unaffected, but without knowing what the hell was going, her best friend could very well be dy-

'NO, SHUT UP LILY!'

She couldn't think that, she just couldn't.

Down Below…

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP.

Skull-crushing pain pounded in his head, and for one terrible moment Tom thought his brain had finally exploded from his efforts. A rush of images buffeted his mind, metaphysical projections approximating exactly where these filthy worms had come from.

It wasn't from the current mind-stream.

Hazy depictions of other mind-streams…parallel to the current one…more than seven…several…a 21 mind array!...

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP.

Like a rubber band Tom's senses snapped back into him. The pain was well beyond unbearable as his eyes, nose, and mouth bled profusely.

He couldn't sustain this quadripartite Dilation for long.

He needed to act now.

'DESsSTROY THEM ALL! DESsSTROY EVERY SsSOURCcCE!'

Fangs sunk deeply into the lampreys and released every drop of venom they possessed.

Rookwood's agonized screams sounded as the magical toxins traveled through the psychic proxies and injected themselves into the mind-streams proper. Tom latently realized he was screaming as well, pain the only sensation he could remotely comprehend. He saw the Inferi all scream as well, with the ones closest to them exploding in a cloud of rotted flesh.

Their joint screams echoed for what felt like an eternity, until finally, finally, Tom saw and felt the lampreys and their source mind-streams necrotize completely.

Lapsing the Dilations, Lord Gaunt returned the Reserve Personalities to quiescence, feeling the pressure on his head and behind his eyes lessen considerably. His nose was still bleeding, and he was certain his eyeballs were bleeding too. He vaguely registered Severus' horrified alarm at the sudden state of him, not fully comprehending what his friend had done in a seeming blink of an eye.

'Do I even want to know what that was about?'

Tom tiredly snickered. 'I'll tell you - pant - once we get - pant - out of here.'

'Well… I may have some ideas on that.'

He shared his mad plan with the older wizard, who smiled venomously.

It was good timing too, as the remaining Inferi decided to resume their attack.

Tom strengthened their Bubblehead Charms, hardening them into a full-body shell that shielded their entire bodies from the feral horde and his next spell.

"SsSUPPRIMERE OXxXYGENI MAXxXIMA!"

A loud WHOOSH sounded as every oxygen molecule was magicked out of the water, leaving nothing but hydrogen gas.

Highly flammable hydrogen gas.

"ASsSCENDIO!" shot them out of the water's surface, just as Severus slashed his wand downward and cried:

"INCENDIO MAXIMA!"

Fire erupted from the walnut wand - a blazing glory of crimson and gold that set the hydrogen gas aflame.

Tom cast a Protego Flammarum to shield them from the burning fire, which burned with abandon in time with the screaming wails of the Inferi horde as they were reduced to ash. Severus' Ventus Deorsum ensured they wouldn't drop into the flames.

The flames soon flickered away, leaving a massive crater several feet deep.

Satisfied, the two wizards ended their spells and resummoned their brooms, continuing on to their destination in the horizon.

As the citadel swelled into full view, Severus felt his heart drop as he registered (to his shock) Tom viciously hiss-swear beside him.

Because at this point, the true direness of what they would be facing settled heavily over them upon recognizing the fortress that housed Augustus Rookwood's true memory palace.

Azkaban.

Cautiously, the two wizards slowly flew forward, wands at the ready for offensive reprisal.

A fifty-foot moat surrounded the formidable tower proper, an identical facsimile to its counterpart in the North Sea. A rock-hewn vestibule opening marked the entrance through the moat, its arc carved with the foreboding phrase - Spem omnem demittite, qui huc intratis.

'What is with this man and Dante?!' exclaimed Severus indignantly. Tom snorted but otherwise didn't respond. Taking in his surroundings, Lord Gaunt ignored the long cobbled path from the archway entrance, knowing the true entryway to Rookwood's mind wouldn't be so easily gained.

'It has to be nearby…' Tom's senses pulsed out further, seeking out the true entryway.

'There!' A sliver of a crack in the foundation of the North Tower, about 30 feet away from the moat proper. It looked to be a small fissure in the mighty tower's base, practically blending in with the surrounding obsidian rock.

Severus suddenly stiffened. 'Five newcomers - 4 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 11 o'clock.'

They were Death Eaters, bodies swirling with robes made of plumes of inky smoke that could blend into the blackest of night skies.

The first two - closest to the archway - each bore a bone-white mask fashioned in a savage rendition of a Roman cavalry soldier.

The second two immediately flanked the left (closest to the North Tower entrance). One wore a mask rendered into a ghoulish porcelain doll, while the other's was an overly decorative (and quite devilish) Venetian opera mask.

The last emerged and began flanking their right. His face was covered in a textured bone-white mask that resembled a leering scarecrow.

In order: Messrs. Praestes, Bellator, Petal, Anguilla, and Farmer.

Severus mentally sneered. 'The Cavalry, of course.'

'No Nimrod?' Tom's tone was cheeky.

'Pfft, a waste of a good trap,' replied Severus acerbically.

Tom's responding chuckle was stopped short due to Messrs. Anguilla and Farmer casting a volley of Entrail-Expelling Curses at the two, forcing them to block and separate.

The second battle was on.

THUMP.

Mouth distortions were immediately cast, before yew and walnut blurred in an unrelenting volley of lethal magicks against their very persistent enemies. It was harder than naught because they had to maintain steady flight on their broomsticks, a most unfair disadvantage since their attackers seemed to have mastered unsupported flight.

Bellator released a salvo of poisoned arrows in tandem with Praestes' overpowered Bonebreaker Curses. Severus parried the former and evaded the latter, bending his entire upper body backwards and near parallel to his broom's length to evade the sickly white spells.

The two Death Eaters maintained that unrelenting strategy, forcing Severus on the defensive.

THUMP.

Petal and Anguilla (with an assist from Farmer) had upped the ante against Tom, switching between Entrail-Expelling, Acid, and Cruciatus Curses. Because they were mental projections (albeit very powerful and capable ones), the avatars were able to apparate to avoid offensive spellfire.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" bellowed Anguilla.

THUMP.

"AEGISsS MAXxXIMA!"

A stone shield sprung into existence, exploding upon impact. The debris was transformed into envenomed spears then rapidly launched at the trio. The Death Eater succeeded in blocking most save three, which embedded themselves into his upper wand arm and his right knee.

Tom pressed his advantage as the Death Eater yowled.

"BRACKIUM CONFRACTUSsS!" The poisoned arm was broken, before summarily sliced off with a Parsel-enhanced Lacero.

"CALAERISsS!" Tom bellowed, focusing directly on the Death Eater's mask. He screamed as super-heated air coalesced around his head, causing the mask to melt onto his skin. Redactum Skullus reduced his ruined head to the size of a grape, which was summarily squeezed to pulp.

This gruesome takedown encouraged Petal and Farmer to up the ante.

THUMP.

At this point, Severus had succeeded in dispatching Bellator by using Levicorpus to upend the man, before an overpowered Everte Statum repeatedly hurled him into the moat. As such, the man was currently a bloody splat sliding down the obsidian stone. That sent Praestes into a rage, raining down furious Laceros and Exvisceras on the Potions Master as he flew wildly to evade. A few Cutting Curses clipped the side of his face and neck, drawing quite a bit of blood.

'Enough of this madness!'

"LANGLOCK! DENSAUGEO! SUFFOCATIO HORRIBILIS!"

Praestes froze at having his tongue suddenly stuck to the roof of his mouth just as his teeth grew uncontrollably. He then wildly clawed at his throat as his airwaves were magically constricted, before an Expulso rendered him to bloody chunks of flesh.

THUMP.

POP!

Petal suddenly apparated on the back of Tom's broom, momentarily startling the man. As he was still Dilated, he was able to use the 88th Step Air-Path kata The-Gannet-Dives-Downward to leap forward from his broom and just barely avoid the Exviscera furiously cast at his back.

Twisting mid-air Tom hissed "EPOXxXIMISsSE!" followed by Bombarda, blowing apart the Death Eater and the broom he was magically stuck to.

'Severus, coming in hot at 6 o'clock!'

THUMP.

His partner blocked Farmer's Acid Curses before repositioning his broom to catch Tom mid-air. Mr. Farmer's current position was near the North Tower, near the fortress' true entrance. With Severus shielding, Tom cried "COLLOSsSHOO MAXxXIMA!" followed by a Parsel-enhanced Immobulus. Once frozen Tom once more cried "PARTISsS TEMPORUSsS!", creating a massive hole in the now-screaming Death Eater's body.

Severus piloted the broom straight through the open gap, before accelerating towards the barely visible crack in the North Tower foundation.

'Are you absolutely certain about this?! Because if we die slamming into a metaphysical wall so help me Merlin I'll kill you!'

'I'm certain, now shut up and JUMP!'

With that, the two wizards leapt from the brooms almost thirty feet above and dove straight into the opening. To Severus' relief, the fissure parted and granted them entry, falling…falling…falling…

Sixth Circle…

The Slytherin pair were soon spit out of the entry tunnel, tucking into a roll to minimize landing impact. Nonverbal Disillusionment Charms provided temporary cover as they evaluated their newest surroundings.

They were currently on the upper level of a large and darkly lit circular room with extremely frigid temperatures and an overbearing sense of gloom and fathomless despair. Said level was ringed with ten shadowy prison cells, none of which seemed occupied. The lower ground level was lined with ten additional cells, which also seemed unoccupied.

The pièce de résistance was a massive hole that took up the entirety of the floor, teeming with a swarm of creatures responsible for the cavern's ambiance.

Dementors.

'So…there's that.'

Tom merely grimaced at Severus' clipped statement. He could detect a large source of memory magic within that pit, meaning Rookwood's true palace was housed in the center of the Dementors' nest. He relayed his thoughts to his partner, who could only nod grimly.

'I assume you have some ideas on getting past all of those Dementors to get to his memories?'

Before Riddle could respond, the gravelly sound of Rookwood's echoed in the vast subterranean cavern.

"Well…well…well…you made it…to the heart…of my sanctum sanctorum…" Though he sounded most sinister, Tom and Severus could hear the exhausted and pained rasp in his voice. Riddle's destruction of his parallel mindscapes had definitely had an impact, and Rookwood was definitely struggling to keep the two invaders at bay.

"But…like all good things…this…must come…to an end. Believe me…when I say…YOU…WILL NOT…SURVIVE! OPEN SESAME!"

The Slytherins froze at the first spell vocalization they'd heard within the Master Legilimens' mind. A series of loud 'CLANGS!' sounded as three cells on the Upper Level were opened to reveal new guests.

The first - flanking Tom and Severus' left - wore a disturbingly blank stark white mask with no discernible features.

Miss Demeanor - The Right Hand of the Dark Lord.

The second - flanking the right - bore a bone-white mask fashioned in a grotesque rendition of an anguished man whose face wept blood from a thousand cuts.

Mr. Tyrfing - the Lance of the Dark Lord.

The third - emerging from a cell on the opposite side - wore an ornate plague doctor mask in stark white, accented with streaks of black.

Mr. Justinian - the Bane of the Dark Lord's enemies.

'For FUCK'S sake, not the fucking Triumvirate! Just what we fucking needed!'

Severus didn't know whether to snicker or wail at the older wizard's uncharacteristic vulgarity.

What was once extremely difficult would now be impossible - how would they overcome the three deadliest of the Dark Lord's tactical force and keep those daemonic wraiths at bay? They were straddling the cusp of exhaustion after two very harrowing escapes. Adrenaline had its limits, and it meant very little in the face of dwindling cores.

A wave of poisoned arrows from Miss Demeanor flew towards the pair just as the Dementors furiously swarmed, immediately forcing them on the defensive

The final battle was on.

Some Moments Later…

THUMP.

Cradling his broken non-wand arm to his body, Tom struggled to stave off the combined attacks of Miss Demeanor and Mr. Tyrfing, all while switching to a Patronus Shield to block off the relentless Dementors. Trying to cast a corporeal Patronus would render him vulnerable to the Death Eaters, but ignoring the soul-sucking wraiths was not an option. Exhaustion and Dementor-induced despair steadily crept in, and Tom didn't know how long he and Severus could sustain their joint Dilation.

A salvo of Exvisceras from Tyrfing broke his reverie, spurring Riddle into action.

THUMP.

A pained scream from Severus some feet away broke Tom's concentration, enough for Demeanor's Bonebreaker clipped his right leg and forced him to his knees with a scream. Some very rapid wand work parried back the barrage of Crucios the two Death Eaters sent his way, enough to transfigure a semi-dome shield to provide cover. A duo of Dementors who'd crept up behind him were screamingly rebuffed by his Patronus Shield.

This couldn't go on for long.

They needed help.

With a deep breath, Tom closed his eyes and focused on his last resort. He reached deep inside his own psyche and unlocked a long-hidden door that he'd barricaded shut that fateful day in October of 1949.

A sudden explosion rocked parts of the lower level, redirecting the attention of all three Death Eaters. A boyishly bombastic laugh accompanied the falling debris as the Slytherins' savior and Tom's Advocatus Diaboli suddenly emerged in a cell, playfully pressing his face into the cell's bars as he exclaimed:

"HERE'SSS RAZZZIE!"

He then lashed out with "IGNEORBISsS HORRIBILISsS!", raining down cursed fireballs on the Death Eater trio and finally forcing them on the defensive from a 16 year-old Erasmus Wilkes.

With the immediate threats suitably distracted, Tom summoned Severus to his side with a sharp Accio, rolling his eyes at the disbelieving look on his friend's face.

'You've got to be fucking joking! HIM?!'

'Not now. I need to concentrate for this to work.'

He ignored the man's grumblings, recentering his thoughts as he maintained a low-level shield to keep the Dementors away. He could faintly hear the pained grunts of the Death Eater trio as Erasmus - eldritch green eyes alight with maddened glee - skillfully bombarded the Death Eaters with hissed Sanguis Coquite and Serpensortia spells from his 10 ½ inch snakewood wand.

Condensing his power and Dilating one last time, Tom drew a deep breath and bellowed: "EXxXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A blinding flash of light erupted from his yew wand…before coalescing into the brilliant form of Nagini. The Dementors shrieked at the sight of the mighty basilisk and tried to flee, before exploding into bursts of black mist. Grunting, Tom poured more of his power into the spell, watching with sadistic pleasure as the foul creatures were all rendered to black dust.

Suddenly inspired, Tom sharply hissed something at Nagini. The mighty Basilisk turned her killer eyes towards each member of the Triumvirate, causing them all to drop dead.

Pleased, the enormous serpent slithered her way over to her master and gently nudged his chin, pleased as he tenderly rubbed her snout.

'Well done, my preciousss girl.'

Nagini gently flicked her tongue against his nose, before slowly dissipating.

'...Did your Patronus Basilisk just petrify Death Eaters?' Severus was genuinely flabbergasted.

Tom tiredly smiled as he fought to draw in breath. 'Magical - pant - beast - pant - Patronus - pant - against magical human - pant - facsimiles. And it's a Death Gaze - pant - not Petrification. Try not to - pant - overthink it.' Severus snorted but otherwise didn't respond, feebly casting healing magic on his ruined knee and Tom's broken leg.

"Brilliant Tommy-boy! Those pests made it a bit chilly, no?" Erasmus gave an exaggerated shiver, before exuberantly laughing at Severus' sneer. "Your little friend doesn't like me much, yeah? Well, I like me plenty enough, ha-Ha!" Lord Prince nearly groaned at that gratingly Lockhart-esque laugh.

Tom struggled not to roll his eyes while ignoring the several complicated feelings that arose at the sight of his Advocatus in the flush of his youth, eldritch eyes - 'Lily and Harry's eyes' - sparkling with mischief and madness.

"It's time for you to leave. Thanks…thanks for the help."

The young Wilkes slapped Tom on the shoulder before mock-saluting. "Aye-aye Cap'n'! Remember, I'm a part of you (Riddle winced in spite of himself) and I'm alwaysss there when you need me! SSSayanora!" And with that, Erasmus slowly faded away as Tom Banished him back into the hidden room of his psyche where he'd housed the Advocatus for over four decades.

Ignoring Severus' questioning looks, Lord Gaunt hobbled his way over to the massive pit and peered downward, relieved at the sight that greeted him.

It was a small pensieve nestled about thirty feet deep, swirling with the familiar blue-white mists of memories.

'Will we be jumping down yet another hole?'

'No,' snorted Tom. 'I have a better idea.'

Some sharp hisses later, a cluster of pythons made entirely of spellstuff appeared, slithering down the massive hole in a brisk orderly fashion. One-by-one, they each swallowed a memory whole, causing their midsections to bulge. More slowly than before, they emerged and shimmied their way back to Tom, climbing up his body and wrapping around his cuff-arm. Each deposited a memory that caused the cuff to glow white. Once complete, they dissipated away.

'Now what?' Severus asked quietly. 'How the hell do we get out of here?'

Tom gave his first genuine smile in this entire hellish ordeal. 'Easy; sync your wrist with mine.'

Severus brandished his cuff and synced with Tom's forming an 'X' formation, causing the symbols to glow a deep pulsing red.

"EXCcCELSsSIOR!"

Up Above…

Lily could have cried in relief as Tom and Severus came to, staggering to their knees as they took deep choking breaths.

Without hesitation she whirled and cast a Blinding Hex at Rookwood's eyes, before forcing two phials of Draught of Living Death down his gullet. She hissed out the Advanced Coma Charm, satisfied at his complete unconsciousness.

Cassie and Regulus had each come over and wrapped an arm around Tom and Severus' midsection, keeping them upright and nursing them with a bevy of Healing potions. The elder Black summoned several Unbreakable phials, watching with keen eyes as Tom hissingly transferred the acquired memories into them. One-by-one, Cassie gently strapped them to the garter on her thigh to keep them safe in the interim.

"DOBBY!" The elf quietly popped in at Lily's command. "To the ritual room please, now!"

With a sharp snap the party of five found themselves in the makeshift room they'd put together over a week ago, magically placed in their respective ritual positions by Lord Malfoy's ever-efficient elf.

In the middle circle Tom and Severus joined their heads together and held their arms up with palms pressed against each other's, slowly chanting the hypnotizing Ancient Kemetic words. Lily, Reg, and Cassie recited the accompanying hymn, all three desperately hoping that Augustus Rookwood hadn't found some way to turn the two men into his personal puppets.

AN 1: That was a lot of fun to write! In PoS Rookwood has a 49 Mind-Array, which is basically (magic number) 7-squared. His memory palace is hidden behind a massive 50-foot moat, and, based on his rather perturbing quote citing Azkaban as the 'key to perfecting his mental gauntlet' (major paraphrasing). Tom's done a good amount of damage, but not enough to take Rookwood completely out of the fight. More will be revealed.

AN 2: RE: Hydrogen gas scene - I know that's not exactly how hydrogen gas combustion works, but we'll chalk it up to it interacting with the O2 air molecules above and ***magic***

AN 3: With the exception of Miss Demeanor and Mr. Farmer, Messrs. Tyrfing, Praestes, Bellator, Anguilla, and Justinian are my own creation. Praestes and Bellator were confirmed in Book 1 as Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange respectively. Praestes means 'protector/guardian/defender' and Bellator means 'warrior/soldier/fighter', hence their DE Mask design. Anguilla is Latin for 'eel' (i.e. slippery little shit) and Justinian is a reference to the Justinianic plague (541-549 AD), the precursor to the Black Death so to speak. Tyrfing is a reference to the cursed magical sword of Norse mythology. The DEs of 'The Calvary' and 'The Triumvirate' will make many more cameos in Book 3 onward.

AN 4: RE: Nagini Patronus - As Tom said, she's a magical beast Patronus using her magical beast abilities against magical mental facsimiles of human DEs. A bit of creative license there, and hopefully not as 'controversial' as Theo's own magical beast Patronus.

AN 5: Lars Mikkelsen is excellently cast as Augustus Rookwood. Can't imagine him as anyone else. Sebastián Zurita is whom I envision as Rodolphus Lestrange, with Stuart Townsend as Rabastan Lestrange. They kind of favor enough (to me) to look like brothers.

AN 6: Thoth is the Ancient Egyptian god of intelligence, thinking, reason, and logic - which encompass sacred texts, mathematics, the sciences. He was also a god of magic, with the magical number 5. Fitting he would be invoked in a mind-cleansing ritual.

AN 7: RE: Erasmus Wilkes - How he became Tom's AD will be revealed later on, with more details added to their dynamic as was briefly referenced in Book 2. And of course, he'd announce himself with the iconic line from The Shining (1981). Also, Simon Pegg is perfectly cast in the role.