Harry got the sword free finally though it was accompanied by a small amount of black liquid dripping from the wound in the mouth. Holding onto the sword in one hand Harry and Daphne supported each other as they stumbled back over towards Tracey and Riddle.
"You two are far more impressive than I initially assumed," Riddle said with narrowed eyes as they drew close. "You would do well under me. I could lead you both to greatness."
Harry spied the diary still lying under Riddle's foot. He walked a bit closer. "You know what I have to say to that, Riddle?"
"What we both have to say to that," Daphne chimed in.
Riddle cocked his head. "Go to hell, arsehole!" Harry yelled. He raised the sword and stabbed it forward spearing the diary.
"No! What have you done!?" Riddle screamed first in astonishment and angry. The scream quickly shifted to pain as ink began to spurt out of the diary. As the ink drained, the spirit lost its substance. Tracey's wand clattered to the ground from insubstantial fingers. Tom Riddle gave one final roar of pain and defiance before fading completely, the diary falling completely dormant under Harry's sword.
"Tracey!" Daphne exclaimed falling to the ground beside her friend. "Tracey! Please wake up! Please don't let us have been too late! Please wake up, Tracey!"
Tracey moaned and a bit of color started to return to her cheeks. Her eyes fluttered open and locked onto Daphne. "Daph?" She glanced around the room. "Potter? Wha-what?"
"Oh Goddess, Tracey!" Daphne flung her arms around the girl and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. "I thought you were going to die. I thought – " She broke off and just clung to her friend.
"You alright, Tracey?" Harry asked leaning on the sword for support. It probably wasn't the most respectful way to treat a priceless artifact from one of the founders but then he had just killed the pet of one of the other founders and casually tossed aside their enchanted Hat. Leaning on the sword was probably the least disrespectful thing he had done that day.
"I – I – No. Not really. But I'm…better. I think…Daph, Potter…I think I'm the one who was opening the Chamber!" She leaned her head against Daphne and started to sob.
"Shh, shh, it's okay Trace," Daphne whispered running her hands in circles along the other girl's back. "It wasn't you. That diary was a trap that V-Vol-Voldemort left. It possessed you. You didn't do anything, Trace."
"You-Know-Who? What? No, I was writing to Tom…I knew something was wrong but I couldn't stop…"
"It was Voldemort, Tracey," Harry said. "A memory or spirit or something from when he was teenager. He showed us his name and it's an anagram for 'I am Lord Voldemort'. You got tricked. It's not your fault. You aren't like Quirrell. You didn't invite the arsehole in."
"It was really him?" The other two nodded. "I can't believe it…I – I don't even know where I got that stupid diary from. It was in my stuff when I got back from the bookstore before school started. I must have picked it up but I don't remember it…Wait!" she pulled back from Daphne's grip and stared between the two. "If that was You-Know-Who and if he was possessing me to control the monster then where are we and how are we going to kill it?!"
"Trace," Daphne said clearing her throat. She pointed towards the dead basilisk. "We killed the diary already so Volde-Voldemort is dead. And Harry killed the basilisk." Tracey's eyes followed Daphne's arm and widened before turning back to the other two and gaping. "With a sword." Tracey's eyes flowed down to rest on the sword in Harry's grip. She looked back at his face and Harry just nodded.
Tracey slumped into Daphne's arms again and groaned. "Can this day get any weirder?"
"Trust me you don't want to ask that," Harry sighed. "It's better not to tempt the universe. Can you walk? We should get back to Shiva and Neville."
"Who the bloody hell is Shiva?" Tracey asked as she accepted their arms to pull her to her somewhat shaky feet.
Harry winced. "Err, Professor Babbling. I'd appreciate it if you both kept it quiet until next year that I call her by her nickname."
"Well considering you both saved my life I think I can do that…" Tracey looked at him like he was crazy. Daphne just shook her head and nodded. "And wait, since when do you call him 'Harry', Daph?" Tracey got an odd look as she stared at the two of them.
"Somewhere in the middle of getting down here and killing the basilisk. I think that qualifies as a bonding experience don't you? At least enough to bump him up from 'Potter' to 'Harry' I would say." Daphne said looking amused.
"Well I was hoping for 'friends' myself," Harry grumbled good-naturedly.
"Eh, trial basis." Daphne said before all three of them broke into laughter.
The trio of students got themselves under control and walked back down the middle of the Chamber. Daphne stopped to pick up the Sorting Hat which stayed resolutely silent even when she placed it on her head so she could keep supporting Tracey with one arm and hold her wand with the other. Harry stopped as they approached the pile of feathers where Fawkes had given his life to try and help them.
"I'm so sorry, Fawkes…I never wanted…" Harry trailed off and stared in astonishment as a tiny nearly featherless bird poked its head out of the feathers and ashes. It looked at Harry and squawked happily. Harry's mouth just dropped open and scooped the baby phoenix up in his hand. "What the…?"
"That's a phoenix, Harry," Daphne said with an arched eyebrow. "They're reborn when they die."
"Oh." Harry just nodded still dumbstruck as the phoenix cuddled into his hand.
"Come on. Let's go." Daphne started leading the group back up the corridor again pausing only long enough for Harry to again open the door out.
It seemed like forever before the tired group made their way to the caved-in section of tunnel. There was now a large hole opening in the center. Shiva was standing in the center finishing an inscription of a rune Harry recognized as Stability. It flashed as she finished it and she turned back. "Neville, come on. I'm done. Let's go!"
"Good timing," Harry said with a soft chuckle. Shiva twisted so fast he thought she would fall over. Her mouth dropped and Harry just lifted his arm from under Tracey's side and waved tiredly at his friend. "We won."
"Harry!" Shiva lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug that rivaled one of Hermione's. He hugged her back laughing as Fawkes chortled from his shoulder. Shiva heard that and pulled back in astonishment. "Is that a baby phoenix? Daphne, Tracey are you two alright? What are you three covered in? Is that the Sorting Hat? Is that a sword?!"
"In order, Professor Babbling," Daphne said, "yes, it is a baby phoenix. Fawkes to be precise. I am okay though bruised over quite a lot of my body with several small cuts in addition. Tracey is physically more okay than me but spiritually/emotionally less okay...Her lifeforce was being sucked out but we stopped it so now's she's just weak, but she should get a full examination as soon as possible. We are covered in an absolutely horrendous mix of sludge, dirt, grime, blood and ink. Yes, it is the Sorting Hat. And yes that is a sword. Godric Gryffindor's sword actually."
"I…whatever goddess you seduced Harry I don't think she has anything to do with logic…" Shiva managed to get out after trying to process that. "Are you okay?"
"Just tired, Shiva. The short version is that nothing we were doing worked, Fawkes came to help bringing along the Sorting Hat but got killed and reborn during the fight. The Hat gave me the Sword which I used to kill the basilisk. The ink is from an enchanted diary made by Voldemort – when he was a teenager still going by Tom Marvolo Riddle – that was possessing Tracey. I stabbed the diary with the sword, killing Memorymort and spraying the three of us with what passed for its blood. That about covers it."
Neville laughed. "Man, Harry, you really have some of the worst good luck I've ever heard of!"
"You can say that again, Nev. Can we go now? I'd really like to sit down for a few minutes," Harry pleaded. Shiva just nodded numbly.
"Neville, switch with Harry. Harry, let me help you," Harry handed Tracey's left side over to Neville who supported the girl while Harry leaned against Shiva for support as the group slowly started to trudge back towards the slide up to the castle.
"So where's Lockhart?" Harry asked. As they left the makeshift tunnel under the cave-in though Harry's question was answered. The 'Professor' was bound in ropes with a bandage around his groin and staring off into space with a happy grin on his face.
"Lockhart's quite out of it. His spell was powerful enough to hit all of us at once and that full force blasted right into him." Shiva flicked her wand and the man floated ahead of them. "He doesn't even remember his own name. I'm actually not entirely sure he remembers how to speak at all…we only bound him up because he kept wandering off down the tunnel and I got…rather annoyed with him."
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