A Hogwarts Legend: Round Two [2]

Chapter Thirty One

Unedited

Chapter Thirty One - "Just chuck it in the fuck it bucket and move on."

I back away, Harry coming with me, until we hit the dark Chamber wall, and as I shut my eyes tight I feel Fawkes's wing sweep my cheek as he takes flight. I want to shout, "Don't leave!" but what chance does a phoenix have against the king of serpents?

Something huge hits the stone floor of the chamber, I feel it shudder. I know what's happening, I can sense it, can almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then I hear Riddle's hissing voice: "Kill them."

The Basilisk is moving towards us, I can hear its heavy body slithering ponderously across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, I begin to run blindly sideways, grabbing Harry's hand. Riddle's laughing ...

Harry trips, and I fall with him. I fall hard onto the stone and taste blood. The serpent is barely feet from us, I can hear it coming.

There's a loud, explosive spitting sound right above me and then something heavy hits me so hard that I'm smashed against the wall. Waiting for the fangs to sink through my body I hear more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars.

I can't help it. I open my eyes wide enough to squint at what's going on.

The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, has raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head is weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As I tremble, ready to close my eyes if it turns, I see what's distracted the snake.

Fawkes is soaring around its head, and the Basilisk is snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabres.

Fawkes dives. His long golden beak sinks out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood splatters the floor. The snake's tail thrashes, narrowly missing us, and before I can shut my eyes, it turns. I look straight into its face, and see that its eyes, both its great bulbous yellow eyes, have been punctured by the phoenix; blood is streaming to the floor and the snake is spitting in agony.

"No!" I hear Riddle scream. "Leave the bird! Leave the bird! They are behind you! You can still smell them! Kill them!"

The blinded serpent sways, confused, still deadly. Fawkes is circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at the Basilisk's scaly nose as the blood pours from its ruined eyes.

"Help me, help me," I mutter wildly, "someone, anyone!"

The snake's tail whips across the floor again. Harry and I duck. Something soft hits my face.

The Basilisk has swept the Sorting Hat into my arms. Harry seizes it. He rams it onto his head and throws himself flat to the floor, me following, as the Basilisk's tail swings over us again.

There's a loud thud. Harry pulls off the hat and there's something underneath it.

A gleaming silver sword has appeared inside the Hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.

"Kill the boy and the girl! Leave the bird! They are behind you! Sniff - smell them!"

Harry and I get to our feet, ready. The Basilisk's head is falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twists to face us. I can see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow us both whole, lined with fangs long as the sword in Harry's hand, thin, glittering, venomous ...

It lunges blindly. We both dodge and hit the Chamber wall. It lunges again, and its forked tongue lashes Harry's side. He raises the sword in both his hands.