𝐀𝐈𝐌 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘┊ᴴᵃʳʳʸ ᴾᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ

30 ✦ 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑆𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑡

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

"Crystal! Close your eyes!" Harry warned her as they backed away until they hit the dark Chamber wall. Eyes closed, Harry felt Fawkes' wing sweep his cheek as he took flight.

Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry and Crystal felt it shudder - they knew what was happening, they could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then Harry heard Riddle's hissing voice:

"Kill them."

The basilisk was moving toward them; hearing its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Their eyes still tightly shut, Harry and Crystal reached out for each other's hand and began to run blindly sideways, their other hands outstretched, feeling their way-Voldemort's laugh was echoing-

And then Harry tripped taking Crystal down with her. She blindly fell and hit her head on the cold floor which throbbed in pain, she could feel the dampness of the blood on her fingers.

Harry too fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood - the the serpent was barely a few feet from them, he wrapped his arms around Crystal to protect her, and they braced themselves as they could hear it coming-

"We're dead, Crys," he muttered against her shoulder shakily holding her tightly in his arms. Crystal squeezed him tight hiding her face in his shoulder. Her phobic heart was on the verge of a panic attack, she couldn't think straight.

Crystal suddenly had a stupid and reckless idea. Harry had always pointed out several times that her mystery powers would probably be active in dire situations. She was well aware that this would result in her death but she didn't care and was desperate to get the answers about herself, without a second thought, she pushed Harry aside from between her and the basilisk as she felt it slithering closer to them.

Just then, there was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above them, and then something heavy hit Crystal so hard that she smashed into the wall.

Crystal let out a yelp of pain and tried to concentrate in her brain that her powers would activate in vain. She heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars - but she couldn't help it - she squinted her eyes just enough to get a hazy peek at what was going on.

The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. Crystal trembled, ready to close her eyes if it turned around, but she saw what had distracted the snake.

Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers-

Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry, and before Crystal could shut her eyes back again, it suddenly turned around-

Crystal looked straight into its head, its eyes, both its great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony. She looked to her right for Harry, who was trying to get up from the floor with his eyes closed, and ran towards him.

"Harry! We can open our eyes now!" Crystal tapped his cheeks, dropping to her knees. Harry opened his and looked at her half angry and half shocked.

"Why did you push me? Why were your eyes open?" Harry hissed. "What if you-"

"Not the time, Harry! Hurry, get up!"

"NO!" Harry heard Riddle screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! BOTH OF THEM ARE BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL THEM! KILL THEM!"