Not Again//Harry Potter [2]

26

Harry paused briefly before speaking. "No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggleborn mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. We both did. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul—"

Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile.

"So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful counter-charm. I can see now. . . There is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. We even look something alike. . . but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know."

"Now you, Miss Autumn Grey. Why does Norace, one of the most powerful wizards of his time contact you?"

Autumn smiled, much to her surprise. "He's looking for people to stop you." Autumn spoke so angrily, that she felt Harry flinch in shock.

Riddle stood there, shocked that such a small girl, could talk with such rage.

"And why would he," Riddle paused for effect. "want you?"

"I think you underestimate me, Riddle."

Tom Riddle stared at Autumn for a moment, then he walked between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed, but the two understood what he was saying.

"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. The statue's mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

"Shut your eyes!" Autumn said quickly as she and Harry backed into the wall.

"Kill him," Riddle spoke.

The basilisk was moving toward the two; they could hear it slither across the floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Harry and Autumn grabbed each other's hands, trying to not get separated. They began to walk along the wall, trying their best not to trip on anything.

But, Autumn fell after putting too much pressure on her foot.

"Harry, go to Ron. Get him out then leave. I'll hold the basilisk off." Autumn said.

She felt the basilisk slither closer to them.

"Go!"

But the attack never came, and Harry didn't leave. Loud sounds occurred around them. Autumn opened her eyes and saw Harry to the same.

The snake was chasing something, weaving through the pillars. Fawkes was distracting the snake by flying in circles around it.

Fawkes dove in the air. A sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. And Autumn stood up, ready to run. The snake's tail thrashed, hitting Autumn into Harry. The snake turned, and Autumn thought it was the end. It was too late: the two saw it. But the snake's eyes were poked by Fawkes.

"NO!" Riddle screamed. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE CHILDREN ARE BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL THEM! KILL THEM!

Autumn flipped herself off of Harry and saw the Sorting Hat on the ground.

"If Dumbledore sent it, then it must have some importance," Autumn said to Harry.

Harry glanced at the hat, as a sword appeared in it.

"What the—"

Harry grabbed the sword and pulled it out of the hat.

"Good job, Dumbledore," Autumn muttered. "Okay, I'll distract the snake, and you can kill it."

"KILL THEM! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE TWO ARE BEHIND YOU! SNIFF -- SMELL HIM!"

Autumn spoke to the snake. "Over here, Basilisk. Kill me if you can."

Riddle stared at the girl; he didn't know she could speak Parseltongue.

The snake slithered towards her, not wasting a second more on Fawkes. It charged itself at her, and Autumn dove out of the way, but she was too slow. A fang from the serpent had lodged itself in Autumn's leg.

She cried out in pain as Riddle laughed. She pulled the fang out of her leg as she felt the poison seep in her skin. Harry tried to hit the snake, but it moved out of the way, now aiming to attack Harry.

Autumn had to act quickly, so she grabbed a rock and threw it at the serpent. But it ignored Autumn and lunged. Harry drove the sword to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth.

The Basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor.

Autumn ignored the pain as she tried to find where Harry was. Her vision got hazy. "Harry?" She crawled over to Harry, who was only a few feet away from her. "Harry are you alright?"

He didn't answer. Harry slid down the wall. He gripped the fang and wrenched it out of his arm. Autumn fixed herself next to Harry, grabbing his hand.

"We're going to get out of this, okay?" Autumn told herself more than she told Harry.

Harry only nodded as the familiar red bird flew by.

"Fawkes," said Harry slowly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes. . ."

Autumn began to phase out, her vision getting worse by the second. She could see the red bird lay down on Autumn's leg.

"You're dead, Autumn Grey. . . Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing? He's crying."

Autumn couldn't keep her head up any longer, so it rested against the wall behind her.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you both die. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

The pain in Autumn's leg slowly went away and the bird flew towards Harry's arm. Everything began to get in focus as the searing pain in her foot disappeared.

"So ends the famous Harry Potter and the not so famous Autumn Grey," said Riddle's voice. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged."

Autumn looked at her leg, and saw the place that was bleeding on her leg was now gone.

"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him, I said, get away—"

Autumn realized something: if the diary gave him life, it could give him death too. She grabbed the fang that was in her leg and avoided it from sight.

"Phoenix tears. I forgot, healing powers." Riddle said.

"I prefer it this way. I'll take Grey out first, then have Potter watch her die. Then, he'll join her soon after."

"Fine." Autumn stood up, hiding the fang in her robes. "But I have one request before I die." Autumn stated before slowly limping towards the diary.

"What is it?" Riddle asked, obviously annoyed.

"Have fun in Hell." Autumn shoved the fang into the diary, and ink shot out of it, getting all over her robes and face.

A piercing scream was heard as Riddle began to fade. He was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then -- he disappeared.

Autumn took a deep breath, then smiled. "We did it." she said staring at the ceiling.