Chapter Twenty Five
He rolled lazily onto his back feeling his spine retract slightly. As he lifted himself off the leaf strewn muddy ground he let out a groan. A vicious lump throbbed the crown of his head causing him to blink a number of times. When the pain had subsided enough so that he could think clearer he found his mind doused in silence.
It had grown darker if that was indeed possible. A whispering wind curled around the trees and hissed through the thickets that lay scattered in the forest. Harry felt a chill on his skin that was not caused by the weather. His eyes roved the surrounding area while his ears remained alert for any sound.
"Harry!" Ron's voice screeched so loudly that Harry jumped. "Where's Hermione gone? She was here a minute ago before we were attacked."
Harry immediately pulled up his left sleeve and read the face of his ticking watch. "We've been out for nearly twenty minutes. They must have taken her into the castle." He attempted to remain calm and adamant of mind, suppressing the inner turmoil that made him want to roar furiously. He knew exactly where Hermione had been taken, the Chamber of Secrets. He just had to discover its whereabouts, fight a Basilisk and then destroy Lord Voldemort. The only reason Hermione had been snatched was to encourage Harry to follow her. Voldemort needn't have, he was going there anyway.
"Let's get moving. We should probably try and exit the forest as soon as possible," he advised while Ron revolved on the spot staring at the menacing forest that peered down at them. Gnarled branches arched over them blocking out the ceiling of stars and Harry had the distinct feeling the trees were listening in on their conversation. He took off instantly soon followed by a hasty Ron.
As they progressed through the forest a silence fell between them neither uncomfortable nor unexpected. Harry pleaded with himself that Hermione would not be harmed anymore tonight. All he wanted was to get through this ordeal as safely as possible which even seemed quite absurd to him.
Suddenly Harry stopped and motioned for Ron to do so also. He heard the noise again, a soft cracking as someone trudged towards them. Then he recognized the sound of a cloak slithering over leaves. His breath hitched and panic flooded his mind as he withdrew his wand from his pocket. As he prepared to rush whoever was approaching the two boys were instantaneously flooded with light. Harry was forced to look away as the light penetrated his eye sockets. He thought he saw shifting shadows and the light suddenly ceased to be replaced by three familiar people. Mr. Davis, Professor Sinistra and Gilderoy Lockhart.
"Thank Merlin we found you," Mr. Davis exclaimed running towards them. He reached Harry first and started examining him. Harry felt the tap of a wand on his head and the swelling on his crown dwindled to nothing.
"He's fine," ensured Sinistra after checking Ron.
"They've taken Hermione! Students-there were loads of them. Must've been about twenty in all, they came and knocked Harry and I out and when we came to Hermione was gone. Harry thinks it's a plot to get us to go to the Chamber of Secrets," Ron explained hurriedly and not very coherently.
At the mention of Hermione, Mr. Davis imploring eyes shot to Harry who remained silent. He reached and held his shoulder for a moment before nodding in silent agreement with himself. "Harry, we will do everything in our power to ensure Hermione's safety. But the Chamber of Secrets has been searched for before with no conclusive results."
Harry's narrowed eyes fell on Gilderoy Lockhart and he recognized fear and apprehension. He also noted how pale he seemed in the vague light. When Harry made no response Ron decided to fill the trio of teachers in on their suggestion of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and the Basilisk. Harry was briefly aware of a conversation beginning around him as they questioned Ron about significant information. His mind dulled slightly. He could feel his adrenaline slowing in his veins and fear overtaking his thoughts. "What state would he find Hermione in? Would he find her? Would he ever see her again?"
His footfalls against the squelching mud awakened them out of their intense exchange of ideas. "We don't have much time. I doubt Voldemort has much patience after ten years of exile," Harry shouted over his shoulder to them. As they trudged through some undergrowth Mr. Davis told them about the pandemonium that had broken out just as they were leaving the castle. Apparently students under a vigorous Imperious Curse had invaded the staff room and most of the faculty were captured. Professor McGonagall had implored that no teacher was to harm a student too severely but were merely to incapacitate them. This meant that getting through the castle to Myrtles' bathroom would be extremely difficult.
Harry snuck in between the small gap left ajar by the Entrance Doors. The Entrance Hall held two younger students and one older boy Harry didn't recognise. "Do you have any weapons?" Harry asked quietly. Davis responded with a disgruntled shake of his head before charging into the hall and stunning the three flabbergasted students.
"Are they all possessed?"
"Every one of them," replied Sinistra as she bent over the rigid figures that lay still on the marble floor. She lifted their eye lids and winced at the blank whiteness that stared back at her, their youth tarnished and abused.
"Well I am sure you can take it from here," Lockhart said abruptly while backtracking towards the marble staircase, the direction to his office. "I mean there isn't much that you can do and I am sure I would not be much more help. I can take a direct line to the Ministry and inform them of the dire situation in which this school has been placed." He rubbed the palms of his hands together nervously.
"No, I'm sure we can find a use for you here," Davis spat sharply, gripping his wand quite obviously. They progressed upwards ignoring Lockhart's moans and groans, his explanation on why their plan would never work and that they were all walking freely to their deaths. They neither saw nor heard any sign of students in the corridors. Davis explained that whoever controlled them probably kept as many of them together as possible in order to contain and order them efficiently.
The chipped green door was shut tightly when they reached the entrance to Myrtles' bathroom. It creaked loudly and sounded like thunder as Harry pushed it inwards. Once they had entered and lit the main candelabra sending cascading shadows across the room they all stood, wordlessly acknowledging that they knew nothing of their next move.
"If I know what you're thinking then it came from over there," came a gloomy melancholy voice from over one of the cubicles. Everyone turned to see Moaning Myrtle hovering ominously in the air, one of her transparent arms pointed in the direction of a sink. "Then again I am not very adept with the human species."
"You got this one right," Harry said as he began examining the magnificent marble sink which Myrtle pointed out. From a distance it looked an exact replica of all the other sinks but Harry noticed a tiny anomaly on the underside of a thin brass pipe that ran down into the floor below. The carving of slender snake became more apparent as he leaned in towards it. Going out on a limb he commanded it to open wondering whether anything would happen. To his ears the language was simply English but the others gasped to hear the morbid hissing Harry emitted.
A trembling followed his words and particles of the stone sink fell away sending dust spiralling into the air. Harry fell back off his haunches and caught himself with his left hand balanced on the floor. When the dust had cleared a looming black hole appeared that seemed to place Harry under a spell. He could feel a part of his mind encouraging him to just run and dive through the new opening the other instructed he remained where he was. He swallowed uneasily before approaching and gazing into the darkness.
"Do you see anything?"
"It's a pipeline running downwards. I have no idea how steep it is." Harry's voice echoed hollowly before he pulled his head out of the opening. "Perhaps one of you should stay at least to help the resistance against the students. McGonagall has probably been captured by now."
Mr. Davis turned gently to Sinistra. "He's right. I believe the Headmistress needs all the help she can get and you can offer…"
"No I'm going. It'll probably be less dangerous down there than it will be up here. Five hundred students against me! I'd rather take You-Know-Who." The lines of her face deepened and her eyes shone fervently. A strand of her dark hair lay across her face and despite all of tonight's events she still remained elegant. "I'm sorry Harry. But if we are going to do this then we will do it together."
"Er…I wouldn't mind staying. Again as I said before I could alert the Ministry." Lockhart's tone of voice failed to conceal his desperation.
"You can go first," shot Ron obstinately glaring at him. Lockhart glanced terrified in Davis' direction but Harry decided to put his mind at ease. "Don't worry that'll be my honour." He skilfully climbed into the opening, feet first, and clung to the wall with the palms of his hands for a moment. The group gathered around him. "If you hear the sound of agonising pain and anguish don't hesitate in following." He let go and felt his legs slip over the edge of some temporary pipeline.
Before he knew what was happening air rushed past him brining with it torrents of stale and stagnant smells that clogged his mind. He thought he was free-falling but then felt his elbow scrape the boundary of some sort of pipe. The darkness was so utterly blinding that Harry felt like he was merely plunging through a pocket in time, no thoughts, distractions or horrifying premonitions. After about ten seconds of complete bliss he felt his legs sliding against a metallic surface and a very gentle curve was apparent in the pipe. Slowly he found that he was entirely enclosed by the pipe as it eased out, levelled and then ended. He slid out, tried to stand too quickly and tumbled onto the ground.
He rapidly became conscious of what he was lying on. Hastily he lifted himself to his feet, the bones crunching forebodingly under him. With the help of his wand he illuminated the expanse of skeletons that stretched down the tunnel he was currently occupying. Tiny skulls with gaping eye sockets screamed silently up at him. His heart was thumping thunderously against his chest but he noted with some relief that the skeletons seemed to all belong to rodents.
With a whooshing sound Lockhart appeared down the wide tube and lay sprawled on the thin skeletal remains. With a yelp he clambered to his feet and regarded his findings with disgust. Sinistra and Ron repeated Lockhart's routine while Mr. Davis merely scrutinized the miniscule bones with some interest. "They've been here quite a while. No human remains…that's a good thing," he said reassuringly.
The shafts of light emanating from their wands were the only source of light to guide them down the long tunnel. After what seemed like an age the gruelling noise of crushing, crunching and cracking bones ceased and they found themselves on level ground. The distance was uncountable and Harry had no idea what or when they would discover its end. He could hear Ron's laboured breathing coming from behind him while Mr. Davis and Sinistra were less anxious. Lockhart occasionally whispered some sort of remark on their inevitable deaths but did not turn back or stop. The tunnel gradually slithered right and they found themselves facing a circular metallic door which was the length and width of the tunnel. An ornate gold imprint of a snake adorned the face of the door and glared at the five newcomers.
Harry approached no longer knowing whether to be hasty or to remain calm. He wanted desperately to find Hermione but was less enthusiastic about battling a snake or Voldemort for that matter. Once again he demanded entrance from an inanimate snake, this time the effects were far more dramatic. The snake slithered around the door twice before a deafening screeching sound told them that the door was opening. Every one of them stumbled backward away from the vast door that opened like a vault. Another wave of dust encompassed them and Harry immediately made a decision. Without hesitation he sprinted through the powdery air that floated in front of him, his footsteps deadened by the amount of grime that concealed the floor.
A cavernous vault revealed itself in his view causing him to halt his progression. Colossal marble snakes loomed over his head in rows along a dangerous path he treaded with care. He knew the group behind him had followed and gazed entranced by the sight.
The Chamber of Secrets was far greater than Harry had expected. The ceiling domed higher than his eyes could see and passageways, large enough to allow trains to run through them, opened up either side of the chamber. Three columns surrounded by crude curling snakes reached high into the dome, supporting the vast ceiling. A sculpture almost the height of the chamber faced them with a sombre expression adorning its monkey like face. Harry craned his neck and trailed his eyes down the length of the statues body, the twisting robes to its heavy concrete boots.
"Dear Merlin, it's Salazar Slytherin!" gasped Sinistra in awe. Fear was etched in her face but she could not keep the wonder from her eyes. Harry's eyes left the magnificent art to search the marble flooring for any sign of Hermione. He continued to the other side of the chamber as the others also dispersed to look for any signs of life in a place that seemed long forgotten by history.
"Keep your eyes peeled everybody. Remember there's a Basilisk somewhere in here and once you see him well…you'll…er…die." Davis looked apprehensively again at the statue of one of the greatest wizards in all of time before continuing to investigate. Harry was contemplating exploring the wide passageway that led off from the main chamber when a cold voice boomed throughout the dome. "I'm glad you made it. Party was beginning to get a bit…boring."
Harry whipped around to see the image of young man standing languidly in the centre of the marble floor. Davis instantaneously shot a stunner but the red beam of light passed through him and bounced off the statue behind. "Not yet," he chided while displaying the fact that he was permeable by poking a finger through his own stomach.
"Who are you?" Harry asked vehemently. He already thought he knew the answer but he wanted to ensure he had clarity on every detail.
"Tom Riddle…or as some wizards like to refer to me as…Lord Voldemort." As he called out his name the scornful smile disappeared from his face to be replaced by a cunning determination. Harry could see he revelled in the effect it had. Ron turned colourless and dropped his tattered wand. Lockhart fainted, slumping to the ground as if Voldemort had sucked his bones from his body. Professor Sinistra took a sharp intake of breath and her hand shook violently but she held her wand nonetheless. Davis' eyes narrowed and his wand hand remained steady. He was experienced in battle, Harry thought, but this was not his battle.
"I trust you found my diary. But what you did with it I have no idea. Lose it perhaps?" Voldemort/Riddle asked snidely in a tone of patronisation.
"It was taken from me. So that was how you survived…through the diary." Harry was pleasantly surprised to discover his voice was composed. His brain felt numb.
"Yes…even at seventeen I was brilliant. I preserved myself in my diary. Then I began to feel more and more uneasy and I could feel magic around me. So I decided I would use it. Souls are quite fulfilling." He laughed eerily and his brown hair lopped from side to side. Harry tentatively took a step towards him to have a closer look at Riddle. He was astounded at how healthy Voldemort had once been.
He had never imagined that the greatest tyrant had once been just a normal school boy. He was quite handsome and gave off an air of unbridled intelligence. There was a slight mysteriousness that glowed in his eyes and his robes only added to the sense that he was a resolute academic. Harry noted that from where he stood Riddle seemed transparent and he deduced he would continue to become clearer with the amount of souls he digested.
"So you're not Voldemort? Not really. You're just a memory."
Riddle smirked in Harry's direction. "I will return my future to its glory days. I will take all that once was mine. Time is a strange phenomenon and I will use it against this world. But first I want to clear some things up. That is why I wanted you to follow me down here, Harry. I needed to know something. Of course I wasn't really expecting you to have tag-alongs but no matter I'm sure we'll find a use for them."
"You want to know why you were nearly destroyed all those years ago. The answer is simple enough. And maybe one day you might figure it out," Harry spat as he straightened up and withdrew his wand. "But not today. Now tell me where my friend is."
"Why so angry Potter? I asked you a question. It seems you have to learn to respect a superior race. Shall I teach you the basics?" Harry watched aghast as Riddle extracted a wand from his inner pocket which he recognised as Hermione's. "This world can't touch me. But I can sure harm you and your friends."
Harry had expected Riddle to try a direct attack but instead he spun around on his heel and raised his arms to the statue of Slytherin. Harry thought he was worshipping the colossal figure, a prayer to his ancestry. Then he distinguished a hissing coming from Riddle which was met by shriller noise. It was hissing, but nothing a human could muster. It made Harry feel nauseous and his stomach lurched unpleasantly.
He knew what was coming even before a gaping fissure appeared in the statute and a gigantic broad Basilisk slithered to the floor. Harry glimpsed its poison green skin imprinted with black diamonds before he clamped his eyes shut. Instantly the others did the same. Lockhart remained unconscious. Hoping that the others were trying to escape Harry felt for the wall and slid his hands down it. He then lurched blindly behind a pillar in an attempt to put something between the monster and himself.
He could vaguely hear Riddle chiding and encouraging the malevolent serpent and the enormous frame of the snake sliding along the chambers' floor. The palms of his hands were sweaty and his hair was stuck up in all directions. His stomach resembled a muggle dishwasher, constantly rotating in anxiety.
Suddenly an unearthly enigmatic music filled the chamber. Harry reluctantly opened his eyes and peered into the darkness of the shadows he had cornered himself in. Swallowing fearfully he let go of the pillar and went in search of the source of the music. Riddle had paused in his murderous encouragement and was also seeking out the disturbance.
With an abrupt explosion that set Harry's nerves on fire a crimson bird the size of a swan appeared out of thin air. It glittering peacock-like tail glowed golden as it swept across the marble floor and its scaly talons clipped it noisily. It dropped something onto the aisle that was flanked by the colossal structures of snakes and then soared high into the vaulting ceiling before swooping down and perching on the head of a marble serpent.
As cautious as he could possibly be Harry peered around the column he was hiding furtively behind. He recognised the bundle which the bird had dropped as the Sorting Hat. His heart picked up its pounding of his rib cage as he discerned the gleam of a sword hilt from the ragged bundle. It was an enormous risk that could easily take his life but there was no other chance. He understood that as soon as he would move the Basilisk would chase him down, its senses were far greater than any wizards.
From across the aisle he spotted Davis, a look of astonishment gleaming on his face. There was a moment where Harry just stared at him hoping an answer would drift in front of his eyes. Comprehension dawned on his face and he shook his head furiously, refusing Harry permission to take that risk. Harry responded with a sorrowful passive expression before getting to his feet and preparing to run. He gave himself a three second count while Davis stood also clasping his wand tightly with a nervous hand.
Three…Harry felt a stirring coming from down the aisle he was about to sprint into.
Two…He concentrated solely on what he had to do, ridding his mind of images of dark wizards or serpents
One…With a last breath of desperation he sprinted. He had no idea what the Basilisk looked like or how he was positioned, all he knew was that it was so close behind him he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in terror. His feet pounded deafeningly throughout the chamber as he sprinted with all the pace he could gather. As he neared the bundle he lunged, his feet just missing the massive fangs that protruded from the Basilisks mouth.
His hands clasped the icy cold sword hilt and with all his might he turned, his eyes slammed shut, and thrust the sword upwards. A ripping sound filled his ears as the taut skin of the serpent's mouth tore open. With a loud call the bird wheeled downward and a horrible screeching sounded the Basilisks pain. Davis roared from behind Harry an unknown spell which caused more blood to pour copiously from the wounded serpent. Unwillingly Harry opened his eyes and wheezed from the horrific sight that met him.
He was staring into the Basilisks mouth, its immense gargantuan pointed fangs seemed to protrude from everywhere. The broad sword was lodged into the pallet of the serpent and dense blood streamed from the wound. Harry guessed the snake had been blinded as it flailed the length of its body dangerously about. He could feel the presence of Davis behind him looking on in revulsion. Harry felt the sword hilt continue deeper into the mouth and suspected it had broken through the thick skin of the diamond shaped head of the snake. He willed himself to let go but part of him wanted to ensure this cruel vicious creature was definitely dead.
All of a sudden the serpent gave a final death rattle and its whole frame shook violently. Harry lost his balance as his hand slipped and he fell forwards. A piercing feeling shot through his side and again he wheezed and grasped the area of pain. With all his might he pushed against the mouth and toppled backwards, landing sprawled on the cold floor. His head settled beside the Sorting Hat and he felt rather than heard Basilisk die a few feet from him.
He shifted his head and laid eyes on something he never expected to see. The thin diary was peeking out of the Sorting Hat seemingly put there for his use. It looked so innocent, the only thing in the vicinity not surrounded by pooling blood. He tried to reach out to it but could not move the right hand side of his body. Footsteps echoed thunderously around him and he saw colourful cloaks pass his field of vision. With enormous effort he raised his head and glimpsed Dumbledore, his wand aloft in the direction of Tom Riddle.
Harry's vision continued to display distorted images to him. Students with chilling white eyes sending streams of spells towards numerous teachers. His brain could not deal with the amount of separate information it was receiving. The poison was rapidly slowing down the systems of his body making the darkness of his own death feel inevitable. His burning eyes cleared and he could just make out the spherical ceiling. Then a familiar face appeared, red hair shining against the black.
"Harry," Ron choked out bluntly. "We…we have to get you help. HELP!" His scream would have echoed throughout the entire hollow tomb had there not been complete chaos unfolding. Harry could decipher distant roars and calls for aid. His mind was growing dim, blackness multiplying quicker than his cells.
"What's happening?" Harry whispered his tone sorrowful almost regretful. Ron stared at him in confusion and gave the mayhem a sweeping gaze. "Describe it to me," he implored.
"Dumbledore's here," Ron responded with a forced cheerfulness in his voice. He was nearly out of breath from anxiety and Harry knew he was trembling. "There are students…possessed. All the teachers are here…they're fighting. Its three students to one teacher," he conceded shakily. "Dumbledore is trying to talk to…to Him."
Ron's face turned away from Harry as he watched the confrontation between the supreme wizards. "He's becoming stronger, I can barely see through him. He's gonna come back…" He saw Ron hang his head, defeated and broken. He thought he heard a sob coming from beside him and realised there were indistinct tears forming in his eyes but it could just be the poison. His body tensed faintly and he felt the diary's cracked pages against his head.
"Ron," he whispered frantically. "Ron…the diary. Destroy it."
"What?" Ron's face drifted in front of his face again.
"Do it. Break his memory and you destroy his soul," Harry muttered indistinctly. His voice was failing and he pleaded to any divinity left in the world that Ron would hear through his mumbling. The faint sounds began to die again and suddenly he found himself doused in unperceivable night. His sight had failed to win the battle against the venom in his veins.
Then he heard the unmistakable noise of paper being savagely ripped apart. Silence fell at Ron's actions and after seconds passed a blood curdling shriek ruptured through it. Harry heard a sigh of joyous relief come from Ron before unconsciousness overwhelmed him.
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