Chapter 12: From the Dead
Fwooosh Hsssss
The door to the Chamber of Secrets hissed open, revealing a brightly lit pathway that led up to the two Slytherins who were arguing with each other. Harry ran up to the girl who laid on the cold wet floor, dropping to his knees the moment he reached her. Draco's eyes widened, seeing the girl he liked in another's embrace, her eyes bulging out of its sockets at his arrival.
"Stella?"
"Draco…"
"So this is the infamous Harry Potter." Tom stared intriguingly at the boy kneeling next to the muggle born witch. "And this….must be Draco Malfoy."
"Hermione, get it together. Open your eyes." Harry whimpered, shaking the young girl whose blood had already started to run cold. "Malfoy, we have to get her out of here!"
Stella's throat dried, wanting to say something but it was if a cat got her tongue and nothing came out except a soft squeak. The young Gaunt latched onto Voldemort's cloak, not wanting him to hurt the boy she had expressed her fondness to a few moments earlier.
"Who are you?" Draco demanded, his wand raised up high. "Stella, Scarhead, get back."
Harry glanced upwards at the boy who wore a Slytherin Prefect badge, "Prefect? You're a Prefect? Help us, you have to help me bring Hermione back!"
If Draco could slap the man right now, he would've. "He's not our Prefect you dim twat. Didn't you hear me ask who he was!"
Stella pried her wrists free from Tom who still clenched at it tightly, running up to Draco and standing in front of him with her arms spread out. At this time, Tom was not at all concerned about the young Malfoy, rather the boy who continued to gaze at him questioningly.
"How is it that you...a skinny puny little boy with a dim head manage to defeat the greatest wizard of all time?" Tom Riddle hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the boy who lived. "How did YOU escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" A red gleam flashed in his eyes as he touched Harry's scar.
"Why do you care?" Harry backed away, his eyes now fearing the man in front of him. "Why do you care if Voldemort's powers were destroyed."
"Voldemort." said Riddle softly, his eyes flashing towards Stella brightly. "Is me."
"What?!" Draco gasped out in utter shock.
"Come cousin, our rival awaits." Voldemort smiled, pulling Harry's wand from his pocket and holding his hand out to Stella to take. "I'll deal with you later, Draco Malfoy."
The young Malfoy held onto Stella's hand, not wanting to let go as a million questions floated around his head. He wanted to ask who she really was, but he easily deduced it by Tom calling her cousin and how strange she had been acting recently. He wanted to ask what he could do to help her but he already could tell that Lord Voldemort didn't exactly like him. It was his time to shine, to prove to his father and Stella that he is just as great as the both of them. It was his time to show that he is worthy of being with Stella and carry her Gaunt lineage down with his blood.
"STELLA!" Tom yelled, his first and only time that he raised his voice at the female. Stella's blood froze from the mere sound of his voice, the one time she actually had feared him.
"My Lord." Draco whispered, kneeling down on one knee while holding on the Heiress's hand. "I, Draco Malfoy, offer myself to assist you in the stand of Mistress Stella."
"Draco no." Shaking her head, Stella walked up to Tom as if daring to accept Draco's assistance.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Our family lives to serve the Masters." Draco replied, his head held low. "I would be honored to keep Lady Stella's hand free of blood."
'I'll do anything to protect you.' Draco thought to himself, glancing up at the blood red eyes of the Dark Lord. 'I'll protect you now more than ever. I didn't protect you when you were bullied, I even hurt you. Not anymore. NOT ANYMORE.'
"Malfoy, what are you doing!" Harry yelled, backing further away from the three Slytherins, seeing that he was outnumbered 3 to 1.
"I never liked you anyways Potter." Draco hissed, standing up from his position and pointing his wand out at his classmate. "If your death secures Stella's life. Then don't blame me for what's going to happen next."
"I didn't accept nor reject anything." Tom shrugged, but in his mind, everything was unfolding itself nicely in his hands.
"If he gets hurt, I will personally. Personally, take you down myself."
Hearing this, it was all the more reason for Voldemort to allow Draco to fight in his stead, afterall it was killing two birds with one stone. It was also somewhat a challenge he couldn't reject since he DID want to see how far Stella had grown in the past years.
"Prove your worth and in reward, You'll receive the Dark Mark. Just like your father."
Suddenly, a crimson bird with a beautiful fluttering golden tail and golden talons appeared gripping onto a ragged sack. Flying straight to Harry, it dropped the sack it was carrying in front of him before perching onto his shoulder, staring straight at Voldemort as if saying 'Back-Up has arrived'.
"Pfft...heh.." Tom Riddle broke out in hysterical laughter seeing the bird. "Is that what Dumbledore sends you? A stupid bird and a ratty old hat?"
Turning towards the platinum haired male. "Draco Malfoy was it? Make Harry Potter bend the knee to me."
"Yes. My Lord."
Stella immediately turned away from the scene, not wanting to see what was going to happen next. Harry withdrew a sword out of the old sorting hat, holding it out in front of him defensively.
"Malfoy, don't. Don't do this." Harry whispered, shaking his head as Draco smirked at him.
"Watch Stella. Watch how he protects you." Tom smiled, wrapping his arms around Stella and digging his sharp nails into her cheek. "I want you to watch." demanded the taller.
"Don't cry Potter. It will only hurt a bit." the young Malfoy sighed, raising his wand above his head, ready to attack. "Confringo!" Fireballs shot out of Draco's wand, rushing to Harry with intense heat. Harry ran out of the way, staring at the sword as he hid behind Salazar Slytherin's statue, not knowing what to do with it. It was all too obvious who had the current upper hand, Draco continued to send spells and hexes at the other, cornering him into the spot behind Slytherin's statue.
"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."
"Tom? What are you doing!?" Stella yelled, watching Slytherin's stone face move, revealing a basilisk that slithered its way out.
"It was getting boring. It's no fun when he just hides." Tom pouted, trying to act cute to Stella who merely narrowed her eyes at him in anger.
Horrorstruck, both Draco and Harry froze on the spot before backing away slowly.
"Kill Him."
"Don't look into its eyes Draco! Run!"
"RUN HARRY. RUN!" Lord Voldemort cackled, holding back his cousin who thrashed in his arms. "Once this is over, you and I will take over the wizarding world. Just you and me. Forever."
Draco's blood went cold from the way Tom spoke, just the mere thought of the most evil, most powerful wizard wanting to take over the world scared him. Tom Riddle looked over at Draco who was shivering with fear from the basilisk and perhaps himself.
"Draco Draco. You think I'll let you stay by Stella's side? Perhaps...in your death!""
Eyes widened with shock, this was a once in a lifetime chance for the young Malfoy to prove himself to his father, to the Dark Lord. Without a second thought, Draco dropped to one knee and held his arm out to Voldemort. "I swear my loyalty to Lady Stella. Please, give me a chance to prove myself My Lord."
"Kill Them Both."
"Stop! Return to your slumber!"
"Listen to your Heir! Kill them Both!"
"I'm your Heiress. I'm the true Heiress!"
The basilisk glanced from Tom over to Stella who was fighting her way to aid her beloved and then finally landing onto Harry and Draco. The two boys could hear its heavy body slithering its way towards them. Tom howled with excitement as he watched Harry run blindly across the Chambers, swinging his hands around to feel his way around while Draco could barely move himself as he was rooted to the ground with fear.
"No!" Stella's eyes morphed to take the form of a serpent. She fisted Tom's collar, tiptoeing so she could be at his eye level with her wand placed under his chin. "I said. Leave. Him. Alone."
"Don't forget who gave you those powers, Stella Gaunt." Tom Riddle hissed, gripping at her wand and with one easy snap, her wand broke into two pieces. "Don't test me."
The two boys ran for their lives blindly hitting into each other and their surrounding area as they dared not to open their eyes, afraid the basilisk would kill them with one single gaze. Draco proved useless with his spells while Harry had no clue what he could do with the sword if he couldn't even get close enough to the big serpent.
"We need some way to take out its eyes!" Harry yelled to Draco who continued to shoot spells out of his wand behind him.
"I'm not stupid Potter, I know that!"
"You ARE stupid for thinking Voldemort was going to take you in just like that."
Suddenly a loud humming flew above them, Fawkes soared through the air beautifully before using its beak and gouging the basilisk's eyes, blinding him. Stella pushed Tom away, her bangle slipping off her wrist from the force, Voldemort turned his attention back onto Harry and the basilisk, surprised to see that not only is Harry still standing, but the Basilisk's eyes have been carved out by Fawkes.
"NO! LEAVE THE BIRD, GET THE BOY!" Panicked expressions flew across Tom Riddle's face. "SNIFF HIM OUT! HE'S RIGHT THERE!"
The basilisk swayed confused at where it was before using it's sense of smell to try and sniff Harry out. It lunged blindly, hoping to get the boy but unfortunately Harry had jumped out of the way as he could now see where he was going. The basilisk lunged once again and this time, it's aim headed straight for Draco. However, the person that it had attacked, plunging her poisonous fang into, was Stella causing an echo of painful screaming to ring. Tom too had felt the exact same excruciating painful puncture of his shoulder, causing him to drop to his knees. Taking this moment, Harry pierced through the great serpent, driving the Gryffindor sword right into the roof of the serpent's mouth and puncturing through Stella's arm once again. Killing him.
"NOOOOO." Shrieked Tom, taking three blows at once, twice from Stella and once from the death of the Basilisk.
"I told you…..don't touch him." Stella hissed out, breaking the fang from the Basilisk's mouth with a devastating crack and ripping her arm free of the sword, splashing her deep red blood everywhere. "You'll pay for this. Tom. Morvolo. Riddle."
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