"What are you doing?" Panic filled Tom Riddle's voice.
Harry held the tooth of the basilisk he had removed from his arm and looked closely at the diary before stabbing it hard. The blood from his arm dripped onto the diary as he did so and for a second there was hope in Tom's eyes as he felt the blood and magic mix into something he thought he could use. At sixteen Tom was a natural at reading others, influencing them, and other mind arts. He reached out with what was left of his mind and found a link on Harry's head that was opened up by the mixture of death, blood and magic. He was smug as he plunged into the mind of the boy who had pressed home the improvised dagger again.
For half a minute the physical world ceased to exist for both of them and a titanic struggle for mastery of the mind and body of the living took place. Then very quietly, the echo of Tom Riddle faded away without a whimper leaving bits of knowledge scattered about.
As an exhausted Harry lay there dying from basilisk venom, he looked over at Ginny, just coming back to life. A moment later she got up in surprise and he saw she was surprisingly steady on her feet and hoped she would be able to walk back. Fawkes had been able to blind the beast but had received what Harry thought was a fatal bite. He did not know that the phoenix was the only creature who could sometimes survive the venom of a basilisk, although usually not one as old and magical as this one.
"Ginny, I am knackered, but back the way you came Ron is waiting. Go help him." He knew she would be willing to do almost anything for family, she was a Weasley. He also knew that this poison was starting to affect his vision, which probably meant it was getting to his brain. He didn't know that she had seen the wound in his arm from the basilisk.
"Go find Ron back there. He is with a teacher." Harry knew it was a lie of intent not words since Lockhart was scarcely a teacher anymore. He watched as she walked away and relaxed, knowing the poison would now do its work, both of them realizing he was now as good as dead.
He thought about his friends and, if he were to admit it, Hermione the most. She was petrified and fortunately wasn't able to hear all of the dark things he had poured out to her still form in the middle of the night. His fears and frustrations and most intimate secrets he was able to tell to her in quiet whispers of the night. He often snuck back in with his cloak just to be next to her. He wished he could stand the physical contact of holding her like he wanted to. He had wished he was a brave enough a Gryffindor to tell someone the truth about the stripes on his back from the cane, the ache in his bones from multiple fractures untended, the cigar burns in places he didn't show to anyone. But even more damaging, the…
His reverie was interrupted by footsteps. He forced his eyes open to see the return of a lost-looking Ginny. He shrugged to himself before he realized what was wrong. Gathering his energy he forced himself to his feet and turned toward the long walk, picking up the inert body of Fawkes as he did. He didn't remember as Ginny put his other arm over her shoulder and supported him for the walk. They reached the door and he spoke the snake words for open then pushed Ginny through the opening and let the door close behind her, separating them with a door no one else could open except Voldemort. After she left he sagged to the cold floor still clutching the almost dead phoenix. They made eye contact and he felt a brief connection. Harry poured some of his own strength to her along with the message, 'you were brilliant Fawkes.' He thought one of them should live and Fawkes looked much better than he. He didn't notice the improvement in the bedraggled magical bird only moments later, even though it still was not strong enough to use its magical healing tears for Harry. His thoughts went back to Hermione. She would cry if he died down here and he hated to see Hermione cry. He couldn't see the harsh expression of determination cross his battered face as he decided he wasn't going to let her down without a fight. That fight was to live.
Something about the air bothered him as he took his last breath as 'Harry Potter the-boy-who-was-cursed.' He had never lost consciousness before and didn't plan to start now. His numerous beatings had trained him to believe that to lose sight of your surroundings was to die. This was instinctive for him and he was unsure where such thoughts came from. He was not familiar with Pavlov and the training that went with it, nor how such a simple thing like knowing that losing control would be a death sentence while living with his uncle, would change his very subconscious. Still aware, he opened his eyes to a red mist that was choking him almost to death. He wasn't dead yet. He had a wand. He waved it in a comforting pattern that felt right he didn't really understand, somehow gleaning a few of the memories of healing spells Tom had learned. The mist grew more solid like he was inside a blood filled pool. Somehow he had tied his magic internally to the wild magic that was intent on healing him. After another few seconds he could no longer see the rest of the room.
"Lumos," he called out to the redness. He was surprised to see a strong brightening in the mist and even more surprised that he actually felt better for a brief instant. Through the pain he felt the poison burning in his body as his heart and lungs struggled to continue functioning. His eyes were long burned out by the poison. He could now feel each heartbeat. Breath, thump one thump one thump one tw thump one two thump one two th thump one two three f, breath.
Upstairs in the headmaster's office were many instruments tuned or blood bound specifically to Harry Potter including a device that measured his very life. It was a simple device and after three seconds with no heartbeat the device expired signaling that Harry too, was dead. The device had been built with the best medical advice known, after all everyone knew a wizard was considered dead after three seconds without a heartbeat, according to St. Mungos. The device silently died, leaving the stain of dark blood magic where it had resided.
At the same time Harry was concentrating hard and pushed himself to have his body still work. His entire will stared into the depths of his heart forcing it to continue. He wanted to see Hermione again and she would cry if he didn't make it. The thought to give up never crossed his mind. The damage to his body continued as his kidneys and lymphatic systems shutdown along with complete digestive system failure. All of these messages came to his tired brain where he was now perched in the midst of the turmoil, but he ignored the other signals for the moment. He concentrated for a second and pushed with the few reserves he had left, and received one heartbeat. He pushed again as soon as he could and got another. He pushed once more as hard as he could and the thumping started metering beats at one per 10 seconds. Soon his entire world focused on the frequency of the thumping sounds. After a very long time he noticed the thumps getting stronger and he willed them to get closer together.
Now he turned his attention to the screaming pain in the rest of his body. Immediately the system of breathing was next as he followed the same pattern he had with his heart and carefully willed it to begin working again, not noticing the violent swirling of magic surrounding him and heating chamber significantly. He coughed hard for about a minute as his body ejected the fluid that had settled deep in his lungs. He could do no more now and he rested, blind to the world and time. An hour later he gently pushed his magic into the other systems of his body and let them start healing and working as much as possible. It was another long rest before he awoke from his sleep.
He reached out and tried to hear something. His magic turned up his hearing far beyond what any natural creature could fathom. He could hear a voice. He didn't know it but waves of raw magic were still pouring from him causing an echo throughout the castle, with unusual consequences for his best friend.
"Well Miss Granger, other than needing dusting, you are the same as always. I don't envy anyone the job of telling you the one you love is dead." Her tone was as though reflectively talking to herself, which told Harry that Hermione must still be paralyzed.
"Mister Creevey, you look quite the same as always, as with Miss Clearwater and both of you may go."
"Miss Weasley," her voice was internally focused again and he heard a medical diagnostic spell surprised that he somehow knew what it was supposed to do.
Madam Pomfrey had sounded closest when speaking about Hermione. His hearing told him that his presence was close to that spot near her bed where he had waited with her.
Suddenly he heard a violent wail and weeping following.
"Miss Weasley, be calm. You did the right thing in leaving him there. There is nothing anyone could have done for him."
The wailing continued. "Here drink this calming draught."
"I don't want a calming draught I don't want a potion to forget and I don't want to be in this bed when I am not hurt and his body is still down there. IT HAS BEEN FOUR DAYS. DO SOMETHING. My Harry is alone," she whimpered again.
Harry heard the stunner and Ginny was quiet again. It sounded like someone was pouring a potion down her even against her wishes. When did he become 'her Harry?' he wondered.
He could sense everyone in the room. He reached out for where he thought he felt Hermione. She should already be up. He concentrated on relaxation her condition and felt her body follow his will. After a moment where he couldn't tell if anything further was happening, he spoke into the darkness.
"Hermione, come back to me," his voice was cracked.
Poppy Pomfrey had seen many strange and wonderful things in her long career where she had changed from an emergency healer finally to come to a school to help children that she always loved. So when she turned with the petrification restorative to Hermione and saw that same petrified student standing in the open area next to her bed she didn't panic.
"Miss Granger?" her voice was tentative. She could tell that the girl was not listening and her eyes were unfocused. With a serene smile on her face she reached out to something in the air with a tentative touch.
"Harry?" the girl said in a tender voice.
"Miss Granger," her voice finally reached Hermione, "Harry is not here at present. Please return to your bed. You should not be able to stand, or do anything else at the moment. How are you even breathing?"
She dutifully sat on her bed and the nurse cast spells to determine how a completely petrified student was suddenly moving around with no outside influence. As she was checking she saw the light in the girl's eyes come back and she focused on her healer.
"Where's Harry?" The nurse didn't answer. "Where's Harry!" her voice had a tremulous edge to it now and the room began to hum.
"Calm yourself Miss Granger."
She looked at the panic stricken face of Madam Pomfrey. With a supreme effort Hermione forced her feelings back. "I need to talk to the headmaster immediately. The monster is a basilisk and is moving through the pipes to key parts of the castle. Everyone should be using mirrors to look around the corners of hallways and especially…"
"I will get the headmaster, Miss Granger." Ginny had not had any memory of what the monster was nor whether it was really dead, just that Harry had been killed by it.
It was only a minute later that the oddly dressed headmaster entered.
"Miss Granger, it is good to see you up and about," he looked at the nurse with a question in his eyes.
"I don't know professor. She needs to stay here for more checking but seemed quite insistent that she speak with you."
"Professor," Hermione avoided his gaze, trying to still the hurt she had about where Harry was and how much danger he was in and if she had sent him to his death. "The monster is a basilisk and it petrifies when seen through a reflection or any translucent material. Obviously it will kill if you get a direct blast of its gaze. It has been traveling from place to place in the castle through the large plumbing pipes, which is why the entrance is hard to find, there are probably more than one. Everyone will have to check corners and hallways using a mirror so the worst they can get is paralyzed. It has deadly venom as well, however, so people should go in groups with..."
"Excellent reasoning Miss Granger," the headmaster's eyes twinkled as he cut her off, but she didn't see as she wasn't looking. "I will handle the arrangements." Without another word to her he left.
Madam Pomfrey immediately gave Hermione the new batch of the petrification removal potion that had healed the other students, having waited because she didn't want to tell her about Harry. Unfortunately the potion only worked partially and her skin remained hard and grey causing her constant pain. For some reason she was not completely cured.
She didn't hear the Headmaster tell the nurse to 'allow no one to know that Miss Granger is awake.' There were no visitors the rest of that day and in the afternoon Ginny awoke and was released at dinnertime without seeing her.
The next day Hermione showed up for breakfast surprising everyone, even Poppy.
"Miss Granger, you should not be here." The nurse immediately left her chair and went over to Hermione.
"I am quite alright and I need sustenance," was the cool reply. A tear streaked Ginny caught her eye but as she was asleep, neither spoke to the other. Hermione looked as if she was still partly petrified. Her expression was hard and unreadable and her skin still had a decidedly gray tinge to it. A sea of quiet surrounded her and as she walked about her magic seemed to oppress anyone who was near, with the result of keeping everyone away. Throughout the day she went to her classes and only answered teacher's questions directed to her.
She had heard everyone talking about how Harry must now be dead, but she was sure she had not only felt his presence but actually talked to him. Ginny hadn't been sure if the creature was dead or simply injured so no one at this time was willing to go into the chamber, even if they could find it. For some reason Ginny's memory on its location was blank. It was the fifth day since those events and somehow Ron could not even begin to remember where the entrance to the chamber of secrets was, having caught just a touch of the obliviate from the defense professor, Lockhart, who was in the hospital and would likely never come out again.
Harry had been bitten by a basilisk, Hermione now knew that much, and was informed that its venom was always fatal unless the person received only the smallest dose and took the emergency anti-venom, regenerate, blood restoration, and pepper-up potions within a few minutes. For some reason Ron was also avoiding her. She hadn't heard his comments about how freaky she looked with her grey skin and slow stiff movements.
She wandered into the great hall for dinner alone, still numb emotionally and physically, except for the constant pain of her skin. She sat across from the twins next to Angelina and had just started eating mechanically when she was interrupted.
"What's the matter mudblood," Malfoy had walked over from the Slytherin table. "Miss your boyfriend that would rather kill himself than stay with you? I hear he was kissing snakes instead…"
"No!" came a harsh voice from the far end of the room. Every head turned to see Harry Potter walking with careful slowness into the Great Hall. His eyes were almost black holes that showed only redness where the whites should be. There was dried blood at the corners and dried trickle marks of blood down his face. Most of his torso had bloody slashes on it and his right arm was almost completely black from the effect of the venom. There were additional red trails from both ears running down his neck, and he was covered in basilisk blood and gore. Various bruises and cuts from the violent fight adorned his face and upper body. The gasps around the hall at his condition were punctuated by several students getting violently ill. The prefects were required to clean up after them, at least those able to keep their own meals safely put.
"I would charge hell itself for Hermione." Harry's voice cracked somewhat. Now making such a statement while sipping tea by the fireplace would be laughable, but stating such sentiments while in his condition instantly meant that no one would be arguing with his resolve. "But now…" his head inclined toward where the Gryffindor table was. "Right now I need something to eat, drink, and a bit of a rest."
In a sudden jerk of motion Hermione was on her feet grabbing a plate of food and putting her drink on the edge of the plate. Her demeanor was so electrified that no one else moved, watching her pushing through her stiffness to help. She glanced at the nurse and made eye contact with the twins. With a toss of her head indicating they move toward Harry, who was barely on his feet.
Leaving their food all three people indicated, rushed to do her bidding, the twins to help take Harry to the hospital wing as she was to feed him bits from her plate. This finally started people speaking again and the gasps and expressions of surprise were quite loud.
"But you're dead," the surprised Dumbledore stood and said much louder than intended. Everyone in the hall heard him.
"Feels like it," Harry's voice was rough but full of mirth.
"Harry, you need to let me check…" the Headmaster began, but the boy just shook his head. Hermione had reached him and she grabbed his arm and squeezed for a second. She was looking at his face and noticed his grim expression when the headmaster spoke of getting involved. She immediately turned and faced him with a furious expression on her face.
"Professor, Harry needs medical treatment. Now!" her bracing of the headmaster had the entire school taking a deep breath as she appeared ready to do battle. Her magic pushed waves through the air like a sea and it was just moments from crashing around them all, possibly doing real damage.
"Yes, but…"
"I haven't eaten in five days, headmaster. I doubt I will be hard to find in the infirmary but I am going to have to decline anything further at this time, including discussions." Harry put a hand on Hermione's arm.
Under his breath he muttered "Don't worry. I'm fine, Hermione."
The twins, having gotten the message from Hermione to help, nearly carried him to the hospital. While Madam Pomfrey was casting spells even as they walked. She put him in a bed and began pulling Hermione away. Immediately the room started to shake and Harry, not really aware of his surroundings but still missing her presence reached out toward her retreating form. Hermione pulled away and took his hand and only then did the small earthquake cease.
She smiled, "I guess I will stay for a bit, Madam Pomfrey. After all it is a large part of healing to have the patient in the right frame of mind toward the healing isn't it?"
"Yes, Miss Granger." The nurse sounded somewhat put out but didn't press the matter. She admitted to herself that she was quite fond of these two students. Their dedication to each other when hurt was surprising from children their ages.
"She stays," Harry said quietly, his lucidity returning.
The nurse began the healing spells. There were signs of heart failure, respiratory failure, poison, concussion, detached retina, and other serious injuries not to mention the long list of bones that were just partially to healed. Soon she was frantically working on a much more severely injured patient than she thought capable of wandering about a castle.
"How are you even alive?" the nurse exclaimed shaking her head and not receiving any answer. Muttering under her breath Hermione only caught a few phrases like 'total cardio arrest,' 'pneumatic shock,' and even 'protracted nutrient deficit,' she was in a state.
After a brief whispered conversation with Hermione, Harry took a dreamless sleep potion to rest better. Hermione stayed close and they barely averted another room shakeup when she skipped out to the loo for a minute. The mediwitch spent long hours through the night using various healing spells on the sleeping lad and both were exhausted come morning. For some reason the dreamless sleep potion had barely any effect on Harry, but he did manage to sleep somewhat beginning in the early hours.
Harry woke early and pawed at his face.
"Stop," Hermione said in a sleepy voice. He had bandages across his eyes and his right arm was wrapped completely to the shoulder. His skin was a better color she decided, now that it was slightly more normal than her own grayness.
"How are you feeling this morning?" her voice was still laced with concern.
"I am fine, Hermione. How are you holding up? I understand I was dead yesterday," there was mirth in his voice but he didn't laugh. "I expected you to be in a right state."
"It is simple. I never believed them. Right after I woke up I heard you calling me Harry. At least I think I did."
"I tried to talk to you," he reached out with his good hand. "You are the most important person in the world to me, Hermione." There was a long silence before Harry continued. "Let's talk about it later, when I can see… better. I want to see your face," he finished wistfully.
"What happened down there Harry?" her voice was low so even the nurse a dozen feet away couldn't hear it.
"I have had days of just thinking. I will tell you all of it, but for now I want you to do something for me. I killed it, the basilisk, but it got me. I can't tell you all the details yet because there are a lot of things that happened and I don't understand most of them. It will take me some time to get my head straight and I don't need the headmaster to… I guess I don't want to hear him telling me how stupid I was since I already know," his voice was getting tired. He asked her for some water before he lay back resting.
She stayed with him until almost noon before he let her go without complaint. At the lunch table there was a near riot of conversation taking place. Hermione strode into the great hall clearly determined and looked to be on a mission, her hand slightly behind her holding a long paper wrapped bundle. She went straight to the head table, Harry's blood still showing on her face and collar from helping with the changing of his bandages, he wasn't a very good patient. Hermione held the bundle up and watched it unroll until it dropped the sword of Gryffindor by the headmaster's plate right next to the potatoes. Turning, she addressed the noisy room in a tired voice.
"The creature in the Chamber of Secrets, a basilisk, is dead by Harry's hand with the assistance of the phoenix Fawkes. Harry is half dead and quite tired, leave him alone." Her voice was brittle but controlled. "The chamber was opened by someone who was controlled by a dark magic item that has since been destroyed and it is not their fault. I will answer no other questions at this time."
She didn't stay for the ensuing near riot.