The Dark Mark (The Girl Who Lived part II)

Predator Vs. Prey

I ventured in first, destroying the cobwebs in my path, with the wave of my hand. That was a good sign. No one else had entered the Chamber in a very long time. "Ron, how are you doing?" I glanced over my shoulder as I continued to crawl through. It was a tight space, but luckily for me, I was small enough so there was enough space for me to easily make my way through the entrance. "Uh, Scarlet". It took me a minute to realize the predicament that Ron was in. He was stuck. His top half was in the entrance, his lower half still in the girls bathroom. I managed to pivot around, and crawl towards Ron. "It appears that I'm stuck". He stated the obvious. This reminded me of Winnie-The-Pooh, when the  silly bear was seeking honey, and he was stuck in a tree, just like Ron was now. Ron even was wearing a red shirt.  I grabbed his wrists and yanked him forward, only to not have him budge. "Goodness, what have you been eating?" I wiped my forehead with my sleeve, before retrying. With a few more hard pulls, I was able to free him. 

When we were out of the tunnel, we found ourselves in the Corridor of Secrets. It was familiar, yet new. Though then again, the last time I was here was in second year. We walked along the path, viewing the skulls and other remains of the creatures the Basilisk feasted upon. Then, came the decaying leathery Basilisk skin it had shed, along with the spot where Gilderoy Lockhart had caused the cave in. We eventually reached the doors to the Chamber. "Open". Ron mimicked in Parsletongue. The door opened to reveal the ancient room with the familiar statue of Salzaar Slytherin in the rear, the perfectly aligned serpents on each side of the room, and of course, the large Basilisk skeleton near the statue. The Basilisk appeared every bit just as menacing as it did when it was alive. Even though it was reduced to a mere skeleton, I could visualize the beast at its prime when it terrorized the students of Hogwarts in second year. Ron wrapped my fingers around one of the fangs and was able to tear it away from the rest of the Basilisk. He repeated the process and handed me one of the fangs which I would then place into Hermoine's pouch, and retrieved Helga Hufflepuff's cup. "You do it". He said handing me the fang. "I can't". So long as Voldemort was alive, I was permanently bonded to him. I'd certainly be hesitant about destroying it. "You can, and you will". He said, positioning the cup on the floor, and placing my hands over the fang. I knelt down on one knee, so the cup was a for sure target. I raised my closed first with the fang upward. There was a pain in my left arm. At first it was just numbing, and then it became excruciating. It was Voldemort, telling me not to do it. I winced from the pain as I brought the fang down onto the cup which disintegrated upon contact. There was this feeling of freedom. One less chain that attached me to Voldemort. But then again, at the moment, what he felt, I felt. And what he felt was a part of him being destroyed. I screamed and twisted in agony. Some other worldly force was tearing me limb from limb. My body was on fire. "Scarlet!" I heard Ron's voice in the distance. Sounded as if he were a football field away. When I didn't answer...couldn't answer, he shouted something again. What it was, I'd never know. But I felt the water level rising. He scooped me up, as I could no longer feel the sensation of water. He sprinted.... well, more like a Ron sprint, which was the speed equivalent of a granny on the motor scooter with the speed on the lowest setting. 

 When I felt the effects beginning to subside, we were in the Hospital Wing. Ron sat at the edge of the bed. "Ron". He was drying his hair off with a towel. I sat up, experiencing a massive headache. I was completely dry, but yet I felt as if my body temperature was that of an icicle. I rubbed my arms, hoping the friction would generate enough heat to warm me, but no such luck. Ron draped his jacket over my shoulders. He was in a new pair of clothes, and as was I. I thanked him. "Scarlet, what happened back there?" I could think of no excuse. "I'm not sure, but I'm feeling perfectly fine now, thanks to you". I peeled back the covers. "Oh, no. You aren't going anywhere. You're staying right here". Ron pulled the covers back into place. "But-" Ron could be awful stubborn sometimes, and his mind was set on not letting me leave. "Scarlet". "Fine". I agreed. "That's good. Now, if your hungry, I've got some chocolate frogs. I'll be back to check up on you". He reached into his pockets and produced three packaged chocolate frogs before standing up and leaving.