Harry potter and the what the fuck is this bullshit.

It's the dead of night, both Ron and Neville are asleep and with my cloak its trivial to sneak down to the common room. I pause for a moment and wonder if I should tell them what I am planning on doing, but I think better of it, they are children. While they have followed my footsteps in bettering themselves and will most likely be upset I did not tell them of where I am going, they are children...and my friends. I will not lead them to a possible death.

I find a passed out seventh year on one of the seats in the common room, their face lying on a desk as they snooze. Passed out from studying. I give a light chuckle of amusement and walk towards the stairs up to the girls dorm, the diary is in Ginnys room. But before I walk up the stairs a sudden feeling strikes me, while I may be in my young teens my mind is that of someone who has already lived a full life before, on top of the memories of others I've collected. Therefore me sneaking into the dorms of underage sleeping girls makes me very, very uncomfortable.

Like really this is super gross, I feel nasty and...eugh!

Regardless of a horcrux literally being up there I still feel icky actually going in. Well...this gives me an opportunity to try an idea I've been thinking of, I conjure up a blank piece of cloth and wrap it around my head, blindfolding myself. Then I let my magic flare out and feel the world around me. Hogwarts is saturated with magic, down to every individual brick. So I'm essentially able to find my way around by using my magic to feel the magics around me. Not really mage sight per se, more like magical echo location. I came up with this idea when pondering on how I'd deal with the basilisk, no vision means no killing stare.

I walk up the stairs and am halfway when I remember they're supposed to be enchanted to not let boys walk up them...guess the cloak hides me from that too. Using my magic I'm able to follow a thin thread of darkness, much like the one I felt when I originally came to this universe at the beginning of my journey. I follow it into a dorm and can identify the presence of multiple magical signatures I find the origin of this dark magic, the horcrux, very close to one of these magical signatures. I'm assuming this is Ginny and she has the diary under her pillow...very cliche.

As I get closer I can sense a few faint tendrils branching out from the horcrux and attaching to Ginny, slowly weakening and draining her magic. I focus and use my magic to coil around the tendrils and carefully remove them from Ginny, when they come free I hear the sound of a small startled yelp. I freeze for a moment, but then the regular breathing of deep sleep resumes. I hope the damage done to her is only minimal, I know that canonically she makes a full recovery but this universe can easily shake things up.

I then direct my magic towards the horcrux itself, wrapping around it. With a slow swish of my wand the diary carefully slides out from under the pillow and into my hand. I feel the void within my magic flare up upon contact, the instinct to consume the soul shard and assimilate its magic and memories swells up within me. I fight it down, as much as I would love to absorb this thing, I still need it.

Wasting no time I quickly depart the dorms and the gryffindor common room altogether. Undoing my blindfold I make my way through the castle's many corridors until reaching the headmasters office. Ensuring there is no wandering caretakers or prefects around I take off my cloak and speak to the gargoyle in front of me.

"I need to see the headmaster immediately, I've found another one of 'his' items..."

Nothing happens for a moment before the grinding of stone on stone is heard as the gargoyle slides out of the way and reveals the way up towards the headmasters office. Wasting no time I enter the stone staircase and enter the office proper, I pass by the snoozing portraits of previous headmasters and momentarily freeze from a sense of nostalgia as I spot Phineas Blacks portrait. I shake my head and continue on, seeing a concerned looking Dumbledore already approaching me from across the office.

"My boy, I was quite startled to awaken and hear an emergency alert from the gargoyle. I assume that your message means you've found another horcrux? Are you okay? Do you feel ill at all?" Dumbledore asks, with worry and a slight tinge of anxiousness. Immediately brandishing the elder wand and running many types of diagnostic and scanning spells over my person.

I slowly hold out the diary toward him before replying, "I'm fine sir, I found this in the possession of a student. I don't think she knew what it was, there were these...'tendrils' of dark energy draining her of her own magic. It feels the same as the other horcruxes I've encountered and there is also...the name." I point to the initials on the diary itself.

Dumbledore nods at my words, shoulders sagging in relief at my safety but his mouth frowning at the idea of a student being used by such a thing. He momentarily reaches to take it from me, but thinks better of it and instead uses magic to gently lift it from my hands and levitate it over toward a small glass case with numerous runes carved into the frame. He places the diary inside and the case immediately closes itself and locks, the glass shimmering with magic and the runes lighting up as the diary is sealed.

Dumbledore turns back to me and speaks, "Thank you for coming to me Harry. I wish to study the horcrux to find if there is anyway of tracking them more easily, or other weaknesses that can be exploited. Also if it does not bother you...I'd like to observe the 'assimilation' you've described to me before, I've never heard anything quite like it and would like to ensure that no traces of the horcruxes magic remains within you."

Dumbledore takes a breath before continuing, "As you have had previous experience with these kinds of items... I'd ask that you assist me in my attempts at studying the diary."

Dumbledore gestures to the diary before asking, "Was that your only concern for tonight my boy?"

"No sir, there is something else... Tom's intended for this diary... this specific horcrux to end up here in Hogwarts." Dumbledore raises his eyebrow in concern and gestures for me to continue.

"He had given this portion of himself instructions... that should it ever end up in Hogwarts it was supposed to possess a vessel and take them into the chamber of secrets. Then perform a ritual to regain a body and unleash Slytherins monster in a takeover of Hogwarts."

Dumbledore's eyes widen at my statement as he asks, "And I assume you have knowledge of how to enter the chamber? and what exactly Slytherins monster is?"

I nod in response before replying. "It's a Basilisk, a very large basilisk... and I'm going to have to accompany you to slay it."

Dumbledore closes his eyes in apparent turmoil before speaking in a quiet voice.

"Harry...I can't ask you to fight such a creature... I'm not willing to endanger a child...even one with your talents and skills. Please, my boy... do not carry the burden of slaying this monster on your shoulders"

I give a soft smile in return to his words, before speaking "I'm sorry headmaster...but only a parseltongue can open the entrance to the chamber. So I need to accompany you...and the only way to even awaken the Basilisk is via a phrase spoken in parseltongue... So I can't just open the chamber for you and stand outside while you go in."

Dumbledore sighs and he nods and accepts my reasoning. "If it is required...then so be it. But please try to stay out of harms way"

I nod to his request. Dumbledore takes out his wand and conjures a patronus. An ethereal blue phoenix emerges in a white light from his wand.

"I require the heads of house in my office immediately, an urgent issue has been brought to my attention."

The Patronus hasn't even left the room by the time Dumbledore waves his wand a second time and walks towards a cabinet on the far wall, it opens up...much wider than you'd expect. Extra compartments and drawers expanding and unfolding in an impossible way. I look and see various items within, silver daggers, wooden stakes and many, many vials and draughts of different liquids. The headmaster probably has enough potions and weaponry to fight an army.

I see him ignore the weaponry and take a few of the bottles and phials, drinking some of them now and pocketing others for later.

Then he turns around and faces me, a collection of small vials in one hand and a satchel in the other. He holds them out to me in offering and speaks,

"Take these potions Harry, I do not wish for you to intervene, or be needed at all in this upcoming fight. But rarely have I gotten what I wanted..."

I take the vials looking them over and reading the labels before drinking them, "Strengthening solution, Cassandra's Cat-eye vision enhancer, Felix's quick fix for boosting natural healing, edurus potion and...what is this?"

I say as I hold up a small phial of clear sparkling liquid not drinking it yet, my magic instinctively reaches out towards it...I can feel it radiating pure light...pure peace.

Dumbledore answers with a twinkle in his eye, "Ah, you should keep that on you should the worst come to pass, it is a generous donation to my personal supplies from Fawkes, his tears. Extremely coveted for their regenerative properties and one of the only known cures to basilisk venom. Despite being my familiar, he has only given me a very small amount and I thought that this was a situation that would garner its use."

I nod at his reasoning, pocketing the vial. Before I can speak there is a knock at the door and the four heads of house walk in, Flitwick still wearing his pajama bottoms.

The half goblin speaks first as he's trailed by a drowsy Mcgonagall and Sprout, while Snape just looks annoyed.

"Albus you said there was something urgent? What could possibly be so urgent to have us up at the dead of nig- oh, Mister Potter" Flitwick says noticing me and then kind of just stares as he takes in the pouches and belts I'm wearing filled with potions from Albus's emergency store.

"Hello sir." I say idly, as the other heads of house become aware of my presence. Snape speaks up looking at Albus.

"I take it Mr. Potter is the reason for our rude awakening?"

"Not exactly Severus, Harry has found new evidence regarding the case of Myrtle Warren and...the entrance to the chamber of secrets."

All heads of house now look at Albus with a mixture of shock, disbelief and the type of silent judgement one gives when their senile grandparent says something racist and outlandish during family dinner.

"Albus...wasn't it discovered that an acromantula was the cause of that poor girls death?" Mcgonagall asks with an eyebrow raised.

"On the contrary my dear, we both know Hagrids pet had nothing to do with her death...and I had a suspicion the culprit was a creature far more deadly and dangerous than an acromantula. Young Harry has confirmed it for me, beneath the school, right under our feet, a basilisk lies sleeping within the Chamber."

The four teachers eyes widen at the claim with Sprout finally getting a word in, "A basilisk?! Beneath the school?!? Albus have you gone mad?! If there was a basilisk hiding in the school grounds there would be countless students and staff going missing every year!"

"I know it sounds farfetched Pomona but it is the truth. Only those who possess the gifts of Slytherins line may open the chamber and awaken the creature... and none possessing the ability have done so since Voldemort himself was but a student in this school." There are a few flinches from sprout and Flitwick at Dumbledore speaking Voldemorts name. Snape turns to face me while speaking to Dumbledore.

"And the boy informed you of all this? Have you been confounded Albus? This screams like some kind of elaborate prank James Potter would pull." Before Dumbledore can reply I speak with amusement in my tone, staring right into Snapes eyes.

"Have you no faith Severus?" . The entire room freezes as I feel everyone's eyes on me. The hissing of parseltongue bringing the conversation to a standstill, Snape remains frozen in eye contact with me. I can see his eyes momentarily gain a faraway look and its only now I'm realizing I may have triggered some form of PTSD from when he was a death eater...well the fucker led to the death of my parents so we're even Stevens now.

"a parseltongue?..." Mcgonagall says shocked breaking the silence.

"Yep, and that makes me the only person capable of opening the chamber and awakening the basilisk... so lets go! I don't wanna miss breakfast." I say moving towards the door of Dumbledore's office. I'm followed by the man himself who seems to agree with my need for action, with the four heads of houses following behind us bewildered at the boy-who-lived being a parseltongue.

The prefects who are still out on patrol also just kind of stare at the entourage of professors following me. They're told to resume their duties and not speak of this, which means that everyone will most likely know by morning.

Arriving at the abandoned girls bathroom I casually stroll in with Dumbledore and company behind me. The ghost of Myrtle Warren emerges from one of the toilets to see what the commotion is and for a brief second, I'm assaulted by a memory of Riddle's from when he...defiled...her corpse. Shaking my head I hide the brief grimace it brought up and instead put on a cheerful tone as I greet the ghost girl.

"Hello miss Warren! I'm Harry, do you mind if I use your bathroom to access the chamber of secrets and slay the monster that killed you?"

The absurdity of such a question seems to be lost on her as she sort of squints her eyes at me, sizing me up before nodding. "Hmm...I suppose its fine since you asked. It's nice to be consulted about these sorts of things instead of having people just rudely barge in."

Ignoring the somewhat bashful looks of the heads of house I make my way towards the sinks, looking for the one that has the visage of a snake. Finding it I focus my gaze towards it, I take in a deep breath and speak one simple word.

"open."

The noise of stone sliding against stone is heard as the pipes creak, the sink in front of me and those either side of it sinking into the floor while the wall behind it seems to slide away. revealing a large pipe in the wall that bends down into the floor. I hear the gasp of professor Sprout behind me and I dont have to turn around to know that the other professors are staring wide eyed at the entrance to the fabled chamber of secrets.

Dumbledore speaks up addressing the heads of house, "Now then, Filius and Severus with me. Minerva please inform the rest of the staff and the ministry about there being a basilisk within the school. Pomona, allow the students to enter the great hall for breakfast but do not allow them to leave until the ministry has sent specialists. If we've not returned an hour after breakfast has passed then you may need to evacuate the student body."

Both Sprout and Mcgonagall don't waste anytime as they wish us good luck and quickly head off. Filius and Snape approach Dumbledore who turns to me before giving me one last word of caution.

"Please be careful my boy, allow me to go ahead to ensure the way is safe. I shall send my patronus to inform you all of the immediate area being secure."

With that Albus heads in first, sliding silently down the pipe. Barely a minute has gone by when a phoenix patronus emerges from the depths to inform us the way is clear. Turning back to a frowning Snape and a somewhat cautious but excited Flitwick, I give them a grin before jumping in backwards. Wooing as I slide down the twists and turns of the pipe.

I land on my arse, but luckily the landing area has been cleared by Dumbledore with him placing a cushioning charm to break our falls.

I soon hear Flitwicks exclamations as he slides down and manages to stick the landing. He is followed by Snape who makes no noise and lands in a crouch with his cloak settling behind him in a rather dramatic fashion...he definitely used charms to do that the dramatic bitch.

We wander through the dark dank underground corridors of Hogwarts, coming across the remains of many rodents and the semi intact shed skins of the basilisk...I cant help but feel that the skin is a lot larger than I remember it being in the movies...anyway, as we move on I make a note to come back and harvest it either for alchemical ingredients or to catalogue the genetics. Contrary to some fanon sources, basilisk hide is actually on par with standard dragon hide armors. The creature doesn't need to have incredibly durable scales as its main method of defense lies in its extreme offensive abilities, such as the instant death stare and the deadly venom. If I were to make any form of armor from basilisk hide it wouldn't really give me an advantage, It'd more or less be for show...it would most likely be more of a waste of alchemical ingredients to be honest. As there are species of dragons with hides that are nearly indestructible.

Moving on the corridor terminates in a stone wall with two giant snakes engraved on it, coiling around each other. With another hiss the wall opens up and all four of us enter into the chamber proper.

Okay the chamber is definitely bigger than it was in the movies, and the statue of Salazar himself is fucking huge. As we pass by the snake statues encircling the chamber I cast a lumos that brightens up the entire area. The statue isn't just Slytherins head sticking out of the water, its an entire full body statue of him with his arms raised like hes the second coming or some shite. His palms held out and open.

Seemingly detecting the presence of our arrival two giant balls of green eerie light form on either hand of the statue, illuminating the chamber in an otherworldly glow.

Unable to help myself I end up muttering aloud, with my voice being amplified by, and echoing around, the chamber. "The fucker really liked his ambience..."

My comment earns me a deadpan stare from Snape, while Filius coughs into his hand trying to hide a laugh. Dumbledore takes it in stride and simply looks around the chamber and the statue itself, admiring the craftsmanship before commenting.

"It is quite a marvelous piece of architecture, despite the rather egocentric nature of it. I'd love to get a better look at everything, but we have a threat to take care of."

Turning towards me Dumbledore asks, "Where does the basilisk dwell my boy?"

I point towards the statue and speak plainly, "The Basilisks, er, den, is behind the statue. I'll speak a certain phrase in parseltongue and Slytherins mouth will open wider than a banshees. Then the giant snake will come slithering out and probably try to eat us. Anyone want to make a few preparations before we do this?"

At my question Dumbledore begins taking a few of his potions. He hands extra to Filius for him to have as well. Snape seemingly came prepared as he pulls out his own brews and quickly downs them. Following suit I take the enhancement potions Dumbledore gave me and immediately I feel my magic and body thrum with energy, my senses becoming sharper and my mind starting to analyze my surroundings like a battlefield, looking for advantages I could use in the terrain.

Both Snape and Dumbledore begin to draw a large circle in the center of the chamber, inscribing runes and charging them with magic. Snape seems to be taking the lead as he makes minor adjustments and precise measurements for the ritual circle they're preparing. As the circle is slowly filled out I'm able to piece together its purpose, its roots lie in dark magic, which is why Snape seems to be the one leading its creation. From what I can gather it links to a specific witch or wizards magic, draining them to keep it activated once the incantation is spoken. When the circle is activated whatever is inside will be completey bound by magic, keeping it trapped within. Then it'll slowly build up more and more energy until releasing it all upon the victim, eviscerating them.

However it seems both Snape and Dumbledore have added in a few modifications so that the energy is concentrated on a specific part of the body, the eyes. Basilisks, while not having tough hides, are known to have an extra resistance to any spells cast at them, due to the dark magic used in their creation and that keeps them alive. Said dark magic flows around their body, making spells bounce off and unfortunately for me, will completely fade away once it dies. Meaning anything made from its hide won't have the same effect. This also means that it would take the magic of a small village in order for the circle to destroy the entire creature, having the magic focus on one specific part will make it less taxing for the poor fucker that has to fuel the thing.

The circle is finally finished, with Snape giving a few final flourishes of his wand to ensure the runes are correctly aligned and pre-charged. Then Dumbledore cuts his hand and allows his blood to pour onto the circle, binding it to him. With Dumbledores incredible magical stamina and power it will ensure we won't have to worry about it draining him completely or the circle failing before it carries out its purpose.

I turn away from Snape and Dumbledore to see how Filius has prepared. Only to be completely caught off guard as the short half goblin is no longer in his pajamas. But is now wearing a full suit of custom goblin light armor, with parts of his body covered with goblin steel and leather. he's even wielding what looks to be a goblin silver dagger in his off hand. the plating and leather of his armor adorned with various runes in ancient goblin script providing it with powerful enchantments. Filius catches my dumbfounded look and with a hearty laugh and sly wink he speaks cheerfully,

"Surprised? After the first wizarding war I decided to go back to my roots and get this set made in case the need ever arised!". I nod at his words still slightly bewildered before making a mental note to see if Flitwick would be able to point me in the right direction for acquiring some goblin silver...or maybe learning their magic.

Everyone casts a few final spells on themselves and begin erecting shields, I take the time to uncork my final potion, a bottle of edurus potion and down it. I immediately feel the rocky coating of magic form over my body to give additional protection. I turn towards the others and speak,

"all right, we all good? I'm gonna let the big snake out to play and per Dumbledore's request I will try my hardest to stay out of the way. This means going completely undetectable via magic, I'll try and stay out of the way of spell-fire, so try not to worry about where you aim." I'm not quite willing to reveal that I wield a hallow to Snape and Flitwick yet, however Dumbledore seems to understand what I mean.

I receive nods of acknowledgement, before I turn to face the statue. I clear my throat before hissing loudly,

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

Immediately I feel the slithering magics of parseltongue wash over me and with a loud groan the mouth of the statue begins to open, growing wider and wider. The jaw practically unhinges with the ground in front of the statue rising up to form a ramp for the basilisk to safely descend. Eventually everything ceases and the entire chamber is quiet except for our breaths of anticipation, then a loud hiss followed by slithering echoes around chamber. As the hissing becomes clearer I'm able to make out words, my parsel magics translating the speech of the basilisk for me.

"Meat! Fooood! So hungry! Soo long without meat! False speaker, you will make a perfect meal!" okay so its definitely not friendly.

"Oh its fucking batshit insane." I say with anxiety in my tone, my words making the other 3 grasp their wands as they ready themselves.

As the basilisk comes into view its eyes remain closed as it adjusts to the light. That gives us all a chance to take in the sight of the big snake...and holy fuck is it big.

This fucker is way bigger than the movie version, it could put most species of dragons to shame with its size! Not even that but its been...tattooed, with runes of differing scripts adorning its body. some of them even in parsel script. I can feel the magic within them flowing from here, fueled by and enhancing the basilisks own dark magics, It's obvious that some are protection runes. But there are too many adorning its hide for them all to be for protection.

I quickly pull up my hood, completely disappearing from perception. This action spurs on the others, Dumbledore blindfolds himself but doesn't seem to be hindered in any way. Still acting like and moving as if he could see. Filius places on a helmet of goblin make, with various enchantments and charms worked into the metal. It covers his eyes completely but I can feel the magic of the charms are allowing him to remain aware of his surroundings and maintain peak efficiency in this fight. Finally Snape mutters an incantation under his breath before tapping his wand to his head and then pulling out and downing a vial filled with a dark purple liquid. He shudders and my eyes widen as I feel dark magic ripple off him and begin to warp and twist his body. his eyes sink into his head and shrink into nothing, as his ears become pointy, growing longer and longer. He ends up looking like a fucking falmer from Skyrim!

I blindfold myself, and let my magic flare out to remain aware of my surroundings. Snape makes the first move as I hear him shout firmly,

"Avada Kedavra!" I feel the sickly magic of the killing curse rocket towards the basilisk, but before it makes contact a few of the runes on the basilisk flare to life and the killing curses trajectory starts to curve. It's like the basilisk is the sun and the killing curse a meteor as it seems to completely sway off course, ending up doing a full 180 rotation around the basilisk and shooting back towards Snape.

Luckily he had moved as soon as he cast it, not trusting it to be that simple. It impacts the ground harmlessly as all four of us begin moving. I stay true to my word, making my way to the edges of the chamber out of harms way and allowing the other three to take down the beast.

Dumbledore fires a few offensive spells of moderate severity, trying to test and determine the exact defenses this enhanced basilisk has access to. Some of them simply splash against the rune engraved scales with no effect, others are curved like Snapes, being redirected to hit the floor and walls. A few of the more esoteric and obscure spells Dumbledore has access to, impact the basilisk and cause it to let out a hiss of annoyance as the runes briefly flare up. The damage is minimal and we could be here for hours trying to slowly whittle away at the runes until they break.

Flitwick takes a more offensive approach. A combination of a quick-foot charm and his natural agility allows him to rapidly duck and weave towards the basilisk, the giant snake lunges in for a bite but Filius rolls out of the way and uses the opening to leap at the basilisk. He uses his wand to enhance his jump, allowing him extra height and he brandishes his goblin silver dagger, using his momentum to plunge into the basilisks hide all the way too the hilt, holding onto it and using the dagger to stay perched on the basilisk. The giant snake hisses in pain at the feeling however it doesn't appear to be that great of a wound.

However Flitwicks aim is excellent, as the dagger is lodged right inside one of the runes on the basilisks hide. Using his other hand to hold himself steady Filius begins to twist the dagger while channeling magic through the metal, widening the wound and completely breaking the rune and disrupting the sequence its a part of. The basilisk lets out a cry of pain as the broken rune discharges magic into Filius, he lets out a grunt of pain as the harmful discharge shocks his body, but the enchantments on his armor take the brunt of it.

The basilisk goes to slam its side against the wall in an effort to crush Filius, However the agile half goblin yanks the dagger out of the creatures side and quickly launches himself away, landing in a roll. The basilisk recovers quickly from its impact against the wall, its wound openly bleeding the runes around it broken and now reduced to nothing more than a tattoo. However many more runic sequences line the creatures body on both sides, this one broken sequence only providing a tiny gap in its protections.

Filius quickly runs around the chamber, distracting the basilisk as its attention remains focused on him. Snape uses the opportunity and with a loud cry of "Sectumsempra!" slashes his wand towards the wound on the Basilisk. His aim is true as the curse sails right towards the slithering creature, the gap in its protections allowing the spell to fly unimpeded as it lands right on top of the wound Filius had inflicted.

The creature lets out a horrifying shriek as the dagger wound is ripped open into a large tear, the healing runes engraved onto its flesh glowing brighter as they have to work overtime to counteract the intense bleeding and effects of the curse that prevent the wound from closing. The enraged snake abandons its pursuit of Flitwick to focus in on Snape, lunging for him.

However its then that Dumbledore finally makes his move, using the power of the death stick, he chants an incantation in an old tongue and from the tip of his wand shoots out a glowing trident. The trident impales itself into the Basilisks open wound, digging deep and staying completely roooted within the damaged flesh. An ethereal chain materialises around the handle of the trident all the way to the tip of the elder wand. With a mighty bellow Dumbledore twists his entire upper body in a pulling motion, causing the trident to be pulled hard.

The conjured trident stays completely impaled in the basilisk, pulling the entire creature along with it in the direction of Dumbledores wand movements. The basilisk wails and hisses loudly in pain as Dumbledore pulls on its open wound using powerful magic. Runes along the back of the Snake light up for the first time in a bright red glow, causing a shock wave of energy to be released from the basilisk that completely evaporates the conjured trident.

The enraged snake now lunges towards Albus, however, blinded by its blood lust it fails to see the ritual circle between itself and its target.

As soon as the head of the Basilisk enters the circle the runes light up, the creatures head becomes immobilized, suspended. Its lower body thrashes wildly as it tries to escape the trap, the runes on its body glowing brightly as they fight against the circles hold. Both the runes engraved on the snake and that of the circle glow brighter and brighter as they each draw on more magical power in an attempt to counter the other. The build up of magical energy causes electricity to manifest and begin crackling along the basilisks body, making it shriek and struggle harder.

Albus wastes no time in chanting and waving his wand, the ritual circle drawing on his own magic to fuel itself. Every thrash of the basilisk seems to make the old wizard grit his teeth in pain, sweat drips down his brow as his voice grows louder and begins echoing off the walls of the chamber with magical power. Dumbledore finishes the end of the incantation with a final shout and harsh flick of the elder wand, immediately the ritual circle lights up in a bright dazzling light that blinds me even through my blindfold. the Basilisk screams a horrid noise that sounds like something only a demon of the vilest depths could produce.

A large shock wave of energy ripples out through the chamber, as my ears are assaulted by the noise of a loud explosion. Followed by the sound of the basilisk impacting the wall.

Immediately I yank off my blindfold, my eyes landing upon the dazed and bloodied form of the thrashing basilisk as it attempts to re-orientate itself. Two large bloody openings sit where its eyes should be, confirming our success. I turn my gaze to sweep across the chamber, seeing Flitwick lifting up the visor of his helmet, still poised and ready to fight. I spot Snape in the corner tapping his wand against his head and chanting softly as his face slowly reverts back to normal. Then I see Dumbledore, kneeling, out of breath and looking to be on the verge of magical exhaustion.

I waste no time and dash over to him, letting my hood fall to reveal myself. As I get near I drop to my knees and slide right next to him, immediately placing one hand on his shoulder to steady him as I begin to cast a multitude diagnostic spells.

"Sir! Sir are you alright? Can you stand?" I ask my voice laced with anxiety and concern.

"I...I am quite, okay my boy...That took more out of me than I thought it would." The headmaster replies between breaths, slowly steadying his breathing and falling into a rhythm.

I dig through the potions I have on my person before pulling out three vials, invigoration draught, strengthening solution and wiggenweld potion. I uncork each and hold them up to the headmaster who gratefully takes all 3 and downs them. Within seconds his face relaxes and the cocktail of potions do their job in restoring him.

I help him to stand and we both turn to face the basilisk which has now begun to rely on its senses of hearing and smell to find us. It remains distracted as both Flitwick and Snape work in tandem to undo more of the protection runes carves into its skin, with the half goblin darting around and managing to latch onto the snakes side and begin carving away at the nearest rune before jumping off and allowing Snape to strike with another sectumsempra to permanently keep the wound open.

Despite our success in evasion and our strikes, we're still not doing enough damage in time. I can feel the magic of both men waning, pretty soon they'll be struggling to defend themselves let alone go on the offensive. Turning to Dumbledore I look at him with urgency.

"Sir we can't keep this up...we need help, we need something to take this thing down now!" I exclaim feeling slightly panicked.

However at my words Dumbledore calmly looks at me and smiles a soft gentle smile as if realizing something, before speaking,

"My boy, help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it", I stare bewildered for a moment, Not really expecting that response, before a loud cry echoes around the chamber catching my attention.

The cry of a bird.

In a flash of flame Fawkes materializes mid flight into the chamber, the bird clutching the sorting hat in its talons. It lets out a mighty cry, with a jet of flames bursting out of its mouth. Despite the Basilisk not being that affected by fire, the purity in the magic of the phoenix reacts against the dark magic within the basilisk. Making the large serpent instinctively flinch back from the bursts of fire.

Fawkes flies right by the two of us before dropping the sorting hat, I catch it in my hands and without thinking immediately place it on my head. I feel a thud against my skull and don't have time to exclaim 'ow' as I reach up and unsheathe the sword of Godric Gryffindor. It's goblin silver blade reflecting the light of the chamber. I can see the intricate and delicate carvings of runes along the hilt and blade itself, enchantments for recalling, permanent sharpness and to always strike true, worked into the very metal itself.

I look to Dumbledore who seems to have a quite surprised expression, I go to hand him the blade but as he reaches up he winces in pain and lowers his hand before speaking.

"I'm sorry Harry...I can't keep you safe, the binding circle took too much out of me. I underestimated the amount of power it would take to bind the Basilisk and destroy its eyes. I don't have the energy to go charging in with a blade and slay Slytherins monster..." Dumbledore speaks with a heavy tone before looking over to where Snape and Flitwick are keeping the snake distracted.

I can tell that they're starting to reach exhaustion, yet the basilisk itself seems to barely be tired, despite the numerous wounds along its body and the gaping holes where its eyes used to be.

Dumbledore seems to be thinking the same as he finishes. "We can't keep this up...It will take myself, Severus and Filius to keep the beast distracted, you'll have to use the opening we give you to deliver the killing blow Harry."

He gives me a look of sorrow and guilt, I reassure him by placing a hand on his shoulder. Which is kind of awkward because I haven't hit my growth spurt yet and he's a head taller than me.

"It is fine Sir, I'll be safe, I promise." I say softly trying to reassure him, before continuing. "On your word headmaster."

I see the light behind his eyes grow that bit brighter and he gives me a firm nod before turning to face the basilisk. Dumbledore waves the elder wand through the air and glowing ghostly ropes with hooks emerge from its tip and swing through the air as if floating through an ocean current. The hooks find their purchase in multiple spots of the Basilisks hide, making it hiss in anger as Dumbledore uses the force of his magic to pull and push the mighty serpent. He calls out to Snape and Flitwick. "Hold it still by any means necessary!"

Both heads of house acknowledge Dumbledore's words by changing tactics. Snape calls upon his knowledge of the dark arts, summoning chains that emerge from the earth, glowing red with heat as they coil and wrap around the neck of the serpent, making it shriek as its head is yanked down against the floor. Filius falls back on his wand, casting so many charms that the colors of spell-fire blur in the air. He casts them at the tail of the basilisk and the floor, making it impossible for it to find friction and pull against the restraints Severus and Dumbledore have used to bind it.

The sorting hat atop my head takes this moment to finally speak up, "Now's yer chance to prove to me that putting you in Gryffindor was the right decision. Go on lad, put the thing out of its misery."

I acknowledge its words by firmly grasping the sword in my right hand while holstering my wand. Pulling up my hood to shield myself from the snakes senses, I hastily make my way closer. Taking a note out of Filius's book, I leap at the giant snake, the sword of Gryffindor easily bypassing the protective wards on the creatures skin and sinking deep into its flesh. It's struggles increase but I latch on, using a sticking charm on my hands and feet to stay attached to the creatures side. Using the sword as a crude form of Ice axe to hoist myself up onto its back, like I'm climbing a mountain.

Ripping the sword out of its side I hold it firmly in my hand as I crouch down onto all fours, keeping a steady grip on the creatures scaly back as I shimmy my way up towards its head. I let my hood fall as the basilisk can already feel me on its back and remaining hidden may accidentally result in the others hitting me with a spell. I notice how Snape's posture grows stiffer as he sees me climbing with sword in hand, his wand movements growing more fierce.

I finally reach the head of the beast, taking care to avoid the red hot chains binding its flesh as I sit right on the top of its skull. The sticking charms on my feet keep me from being thrown off by its thrashing and without further hesitation I grip the sword in both hands and bring them up high above my own head. Then I swiftly bring them down, sinking the blade all the way into the Basilisks head as I 'Shadow of the Colossus' the big fucker.

The creature lets out a horrible shriek as it goes slack in its restraints and begins convulsing and twitching, I hold onto the handle with all my might, keeping it embedded inside of the creatures head as I endure its dying twitches and thrashes. The sensation feeling like a mini earthquake as I hold on.

Soon enough it ends and the chamber goes deathly still, the only noise being the labored breaths of four people and the distant dripping of water. I slowly unsheathe the blade from the creatures skull, a wet squelch echoing against the stone of the walls as blood squirts out of the opening. Slowly and carefully I slide off the creature, landing on my feet and letting the sword fall to the ground next to me as I catch my breath.

The three professors make their way towards me, with Dumbledore in the lead as he begins to check me over. "My boy are you okay? You're not in any pain at all are you? you weren't injured by any lingering magics on the creature?"

I give the headmaster a reassuring nod as I take in a deep breath and speak, "I'm fine...just tired. That uh, that was something...". It wasn't as draining as my encounter with my reflection, although I still feel winded physically. My magic is quick to rush throughout my body and help speed along my recovery rate.

"That was incredibly foolish! You could've gotten yourself killed! What were you thinking Albus?" Snape says, his tone hard and cold as he eyes the headmaster.

"If there were any other way I would've taken it in a heartbeat Severus, but we wouldn't have been able to take the creature down quick enough without becoming worn out and exhausted...at least... its over now." The headmaster says softly, his voice tired.

Flitwick goes to speak and then freezes, before looking around and speaking under his voice. "Does anyone else feel that?"

The rest of us are confused by Flitwicks words, but then I feel it...the feeling of static electricity in the air, like the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. The air itself becomes heavy and saturated with magic. Dumbledore and Snape feel it too. It's only when I glance back at the corpse of the Basilisk that I see it.

A set of runes engraved all along its hide have started glowing, not the blood red of the previous carvings, but a deep sickly green. Before any of us can react they flash bright enough to blind us as the chamber is filled with a loud shrieking noise. as my vision clears I see the corpse of the basilisk begin to twitch and shudder, before it starts lifting itself up and hissing.

"What the fuck?!?", the words leave my lips before I can even think. Okay this universe is starting to veer away from canon, the fucking snake has just been brought back to life, it's a fucking zombie!

Snape is the first to react, brandishing his wand and casting a shield as he steps in front of me and the headmaster. "Get down!" he shouts.

However the snake is too quick, its just as agile in undeath as it is in life. It swings its massive body towards us, sending us all flying across the chamber. I land on my chest and let out a strangled grunt as I quickly move to right myself. The others are spread around the chamber, taking much longer to get up as their bodies and magic have already been pushed to the brink from the earlier fight.

I quickly unholster my wand and make to grab the sword before I remember that I dropped it earlier, it's on the other side of the chamber, with the basilisk sitting between me and it. As I stand I hear a light clink as something falls out of my pocket, looking down I see its the small canister I had taken from Tony's lab, my explosive foam...an Idea immediately starts brewing in my mind, a way to put this creature down so hard it can't get back up. Quickly forming the plan in my head I begin to twirl my wand in a large circle, trying to open a portal above the basilisk.

It fails. Only a few sparks of black and white sputter to life in the air. The chamber has been warded against sorcery it seems, fuck, okay my plan can still work, just need to make a few alterations.

As the others stand back on their feet I call out, "I have a really stupid idea! I need someone to distract the big snake and someone else to push me high into the air above it!"

Severus looks like hes about to argue but realizes the situation we're in and gives a very strained nod as he starts to draw the snakes attention. I call out to Dumbledore right before he moves to backup Snape, "Sir! I need you to make sure the basilisk is facing upwards when I'm in the air!"

Dumbledore also seems to have a somewhat pinched expression as everything in him is telling him to not let a child risk their life, but against his better judgement he sighs and nods before aiding Snape. I look towards Filius who gives me a thumbs up before getting out his wand and readying himself to cast me into the air.

I nod and take a deep breath before breaking out into a sprint right towards the basilisk, Once I get close I feel Flitwick's magic rush past me as it lands on the floor right in front of me. As I run over the spot I feel my legs lift off the ground as I'm carried upward, near the roof of the chamber. Dumbledore casts a bombarda at the underside of the basilisks neck, making its head fly up with its mouth open and pointed at the sky. Seeing the opening I hold the small canister in my hand before pressing the button on its side and throwing it down towards the basilisk, I flick my wand to banish it, giving the canister extra momentum as it rockets towards the snakes open maw.

With a loud click the canister bursts open and white foam begins to rapidly fill and harden within the Serpents open mouth. It's jaw being forced open wider as the foam expands to take up all available space.

Gravity catches up with me and I find myself quickly plummeting downwards, I'm saved as Dumbledore casts an arresto momentum at me before sprinting to catch me and further break my fall. I land in his arms with an 'oof' but am otherwise unharmed. Quickly finding my footing I call out loud, my voice echoing across the chamber.

"Quick hit it with electricity! Any kind will do!"

Snape waists no time as he begins to conduct his wand through the air and bright blue sparks sputter from its tip, before he jabs it in the direction of the basilisk and a bright lightning bolt shoots out of his wand directly towards the snake.

As soon as the lightning makes contact with the hardened foam blocking the basilisks mouth, the foam begins to glow brightly. Before a loud crack is heard and the entire chamber is filled with a blinding bright light. A massive shock wave echoes across the chamber of secrets and I feel heat on my skin as the explosion rockets outwards. The force of the blast sends us flying, and I slam against the wall of the chamber, leaving me winded as I crumple to the floor.

I land in the pool of water that encircles the chamber, my body jerking and thrashing as I pull myself out, coughing and blinking the spots out of my vision. I see my glasses laying in front of me, one of the lenses cracked as it sparks slightly. I pull myself out by my arms, laying flat on the cold stone floor as the dank water of the chamber drips off of me. I look up and can see the corpse of the basilisk, the entire head is just gone. Nothing but a bloodied and charred opening remains above the neck, with the burnt and ruined spine of the beast crudely sticking out. The glowing green runes that reanimated the creature glow before fizzling out, the patterns now nothing more than fancy tattoos along its scales.

I breathe a sigh of relief before I start coughing again. My legs shake as I try to stand and I have to settle for just kneeling on all fours, its then I get a proper look at myself. It seems the heat I felt wasn't just superficial, parts of my clothing have been burnt, with a few minor wounds and cuts along my exposed skin. Nothing that should leave any lasting damage.

My legs however seem to disagree about my assessment as they only grow weaker, also my magic seems to be...draining? why am I feeling so lightheaded?

As I move my left arm to try and balance myself I feel a sharp pain along the back of my arm, angling it to get a better view I see a slight thumb sized hole in the fabric. I see something sticking out slightly, some debris must have gotten embedded in my arm due to the explosion...probably a skull fragment of the basilisk, gross.

I reach up and roughly pull out the tiny piece of 'whatever the fuck' from my arm, as I move it around in the palm of my right hand to inspect it idly, my eyes widen and I feel my blood freeze.

It's a tiny little jagged fang, the tip smeared with my blood. My heart races as I try to clear some blood off the tooth hoping that it doesn't have- my heart sinks, a few tiny drops of a black inky liquid slowly emerge from the tip of the tooth.

I immediately drop the tooth and begin rummaging around in my robes, where the fuck is it?!? come on! come on!

I pull out empty vials and bottles form previously consumed potions, but none are what I'm looking for. Its in my frantic search that I see a glint of light from a few feet away, the bottle of phoenix tears perched directly on the edge before the floor terminates into water. Immediately un-holstering my wand I try to summon it towards me, only to feel the magic rebuffed by anti summoning charms on the vial. Fuck! my magic also coils painfully as its currently occupied fighting the venom that's slowly working its way through my body and doesn't appreciate being used to perform spells while it fights to save me.

I try to run towards it, but my legs give out and I'm forced to crawl, my head starts to pound, my heartbeat sounding in my ears growing louder and I feel fainter and fainter. My breath becomes wheezy and as I try to pull myself closer I let out a strangled cry as my arms stop responding to my brains commands. I can only lie limp on the floor, as my vision grows dark, staring at the vial of life saving tears just a few feet away.

My mind unhelpfully begins to pull up facts about basilisks and their venom as some form of coping mechanism as I struggle for my life. Typically venom acts as a neurotoxin, or a blood clotter, some can even cause blood vessels to restrict or damage skeletal muscles. Basilisk venom is a completely different type of thing altogether. The fucker who first came up with the ritual to produce a basilisk was a vile and depraved individual, the venom itself literally leeches the life and magic from you on the cellular level, draining every cell it touches. It works its way into your circulatory system and takes its time to actually reach your heart or brain and kill you. It's specifically designed so that anyone unfortunate enough to have it enter their body, will stay alive and conscious just long enough to slowly feel their body shut down and die.

"P-please!..." At this point I can't even comprehend what I'm saying.

I let out one more barely audible cry, "help...". Then my world goes dark. I don't hear the sounds of a phoenix cry out or the heavy footsteps of a distraught headmaster approaching me. I don't notice the red blinking light on my damaged glasses as they're triggered by my call for help, sending out a distress signal.

The only thing I know is darkness.