Ellie Collins and the True Heir of Slytherin

Chapter Eleven: The True Heir of Slytheirn

She was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the greenish gloom that filled the place. Her heart beating vet fast, she stood listening to the chill silence.
She pulled out her wand and moved forward between the serpent columns. Then as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue as high as the chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall.
Ellie jumped and spun around on her feet.
A tall, black haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Ellie were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him -
"Tom... Tom Riddle."
Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Ellie.
Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen.
"A ghost?" Ellie said uncertainly.
"A memory," He said quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."
Riddle pointed at the diary Ellie had tucked in her robe.
"Listen," said Ellie, pointing at the exit. "You've got to go, If the monster comes-"
"You mean the basilisk? It won't come unless it is called by you..." said Riddle calmly.
"What are you saying?" Ellie stepped back.
Riddle's smile broadened.
"I've waited a long time for this, Elizabeth Collins," Riddle chuckled. "For a chance to see you. To speak to you. To the Heir of Slytherin herself."

Ellie raised her wand, trembling in fear at his words. It couldn't be true.

"Yes Elizabeth, you are the one and only Heir of Slytherin. My relative. The blood of Salazar Slytherin coursing through your veins." Riddle Laughed viciously at her, his gaze growing stronger and eyes become more evil.

Ellie's fear swallowed her whole. She couldn't move. Everything was true, all of it.
"I have a question for you Elizabeth." Riddle stepped to Ellie, grabbing the end of her wand, lowering it for her, for she was too astounded to cast any spell of charm.
"How is it that you managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? Why is it that you caused Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"
There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.
"Why do you care?" Ellie spat, stepping back, snatching her wand away from him. " Voldemort was after your time..."
"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Elizabeth Collins..."
He stepped back to her.
"I am Lord Voldemort."
"You see?" He whispered to her. "It was a name I was already using, to my most intimate friends only, of corse. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever?" Riddle questioned. "You, whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself through your mothers side. You, the witch who I myself knew that one day, wouLd become the only witch who can defeat me." He paused to chuckle. "And you, the Heir of Slytherin, your time is coming to an end."
Riddle raised his hands in a triumphant manner. "Now, Elizabeth Collins, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Lets match the powers of Lord Voldemort, against the famous Heir of Slytherin..."
Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed- but Ellie understood what he was saying...
"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four."
Horrorstruck, Ellie could see something stirring inside the statues mouth. Something was slithering up from the depths of the statues mouth.
Ellie backed away until she hit the dark chamber wall as she shut her eyes tight.

Something huge hit the stone floor of the chamber. Ellie felt it shudder - she knew what was happening, she could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoil itself from the statues mouth.
"Kill her."
The basilisk was moving toward Ellie; she could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. A hiss so loud it could wake all of Hogwarts's students scared Ellie's eyes open wide.
But nothing happened. She wasn't petrified. She had nearly forgotten she was the Heir of Slytherin, and that the basilisk's gaze wouldn't and couldn't petrify her at all. However, it didn't stop it from slithering furiously at her.
The enormous serpent had raised itself high in the air and it's great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As Ellie trembled, ready to cast a spell, she saw what had troubled the basilisk.
Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix, was soaring around its head. He dived, his long golden beak sank into one of the basilisk's eyes, causing a sudden shower of dark blood to splatter across the floor.
"NO!" Riddle screamed. "LEAVE THE BIRD! THE GIRL IS BEHIND YOU, YOU CAN STILL SMELL HER!"
The blind serpent swayed, confused, still deadly, jabbing here and there.

I'm the Heir... Ellie thought silently... I can control the basilisk. Ellie stood watching the serpent raise its head sharply.
But how do I kill it.
Ellie looked at Riddle for a split second before noticing the basilisk's hiss directed at her.
Ellie clutched her wand before the serpent lunged blindly- she dodged and it hit the chamber wall behind her. It lunged again, and it's forked tongue lashed Ellie's wand hand. She raised her wand in both her hands-
The serpent lunged again, and this time it's aim was true- Ellie threw her weight behind her wand and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpents mouth.
"Confringo..." Ellie mumbled, Causing fire and smoke to split the basilisk's skin and destroy it from the inside out.
But as warm blood drenched Ellie's arms, she felt a searing pain above her elbow. One long poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into her and it splintered as the basilisk kneeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor.

Ellie slid down the wall. She gripped the fang that was in using poison In her body and wrenched it out of her arm.
A patch of scarlet swam past, and Ellie heard a soft clatter of claws beside her.
"Fawkes..." Ellie said thickly.
She felt the bird lay it's beautiful head on the spot where the fang pierced him.
"You're dead." Riddles voice echoed above him. "I couldn't imagine killing my own relative... but it was the only choice I had if I needed to stay alive."
"Shut up..." Ellie felt her head grow dizzy as she spoke. She could feel the poison swallow her thoughts.

If this was dying, Ellie couldn't help but think, it's not do bad.
Even the pain was leaving him...
Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. She gave her head a shake before looking down, seeing a pearly patch of tears shining all around the wound- except there was no wound.
"Of course... Phoenix tears have healing properties." Riddle remarked. "But it makes no difference, in fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Elizabeth Collins..."
He raised his wand-
Then in a rush of wings, Fawkes soared back overhead and something collapsed into Ellie's lap- the diary.
Without thinking, without considering, Ellie seized the basilisk fang on the floor and plunged it straight into the book.
There was a long, dreadful screech. Ink sputtered out of the diary in torrents, splattering over Ellie's robes. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and -
Gone.
Ellie's blood covers wand clattered to the floor and there was silence.
Silence.
Then black.