Bella and the Chamber (Book Two)

Chapter Forty-Eight

"No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," I said abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," I added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. Me and Bella 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. Because there are strange likenesses between us, Harry Potter. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parcelmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike...But after all, it was merely a chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know."

I stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him."

He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Me, fear spreading up my numb legs, watched Riddle stop 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 I understood what he was saying. 

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

I wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on my shoulder.

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horror-struck, I saw his 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.

I backed away until I hit the dark Chamber wall, and as I shut my eyes tight, I felt Fawkes's wing sweep my cheek as he took flight. I wanted to shout, 'Don't leave me!' but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents?

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

The Basilisk was moving towards me, I could hear its heavy body slithering ponderously across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, I began to run blindly sideways, my hands out-stretched, feeling my way. Riddle was laughing...

I tripped. I fell hard onto the stone floor and tasted blood. The serpent was barely feet from me, I could hear it coming. There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above me and then something heavy hit me so hard that I was smashed against the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through my body, I heard more hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars.

I couldn't help it. I opened my eyes wide enough to squint 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. As I trembled, ready to close my eyes if it turned, I 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 sabres.

Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sang out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing me, and before I could shut my eyes, it turned. I looked straight into its face and saw that is 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.