Time After Time

Disclaimer: I own only the obvious, the rest belongs to JK Rowling


Darinka Bronz
Darinka Bronz
2
250
2003-03-14T18:43:00Z
2003-03-14T18:43:00Z
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21







Disclaimer
and Authors Note found in the first chapter.


 

-Chapter
Twelve-

 

 

“I am here to bring you back, Chase,” the
blonde man replied. “No bloody need to sound so happy about it.”

 

“I thought that you where checking out that
pyramid down in Egypt, Draco Calloway.” Harry replied, glaring at his
school rival. “What happened? Did you blow the place apart or something?”

 

“Funny Chase, funny.” Draco said. “Now, how
about you tell us what happened down in that Chamber and we can get the hell
out of here?”

 

Harry just
shook his head and sat up, getting ready to tell the story. The room was
looking at him, waiting for him to begin. And Harry began.

 

-FLASHBACK-

 

Harry led
the way through the darkness, it was only broken by the soft glow of the two
teens wands. They could hear rats and bats hurrying away from the light, and
worms that crawled through the rat-skulls and skeletons could bee seen and
heard. All Severus could do was follow Harry, who didn’t pay much attention to
the skulls or skeletons. The boys gaze was locked straight ahead, penetrating
the darkness.

 

“How much further?” Severus asked, this place
gave him the creeps.

 

“Not much.” Came the reply. “Aha, here we
are.” They where standing in front of a huge wall made out of hard stone
decorated with carved snakes. “Stay back.” Harry warned, then turned to the
wall. “>Open.<” The wall didn’t budge. “>The heir of Slytherin
commands you to open!<” Harry hissed after a few minutes in deep thought.
The wall cracked open and the two Slytherins could enter.

 

The room
beyond was dimly lit, green torches spread here and there. The huge statue of
Salazar Slytherin was the only thing that was completely lit, bathed in the
green light. In the middle of the room there was a cage. Inside the cage
McColgan was sitting, watching them hopefully. Harry walked over to the man,
and sat down on his heels.

 

“Look who needs help this time.” He said,
making the older man glare at him. Harry ignored it and began to check out the
cage, Severus was keeping guard. In the end Harry had found the lock. “Alohomora!”
he said, but the lock wouldn’t budge. “>Open.<” Again nothing. Harry
looked at it for a few minutes, thinking hard then he simply snapped his
fingers, the lock fell to the ground and the door opened. “Come on McColgan,”
Harry growled looking around. “Lets get out of here before that basilisk shows
up.”

 

The other
two agreed and they set off towards the exit, Harry interrogating McColgan
about what had happened. The older man told them that he had managed to kill the
vampire, but right after that he had been hit with the full Body-Bind and had
been placed in that cage. He hadn’t managed to get a glimpse of the person who
had done that to him, but he swore that if they ever met again, he would kill
the bastard right on the spot.

 

“How are you going to manage that if you
never saw the guy?” Severus asked. He was walking on Harry’s right side, and
McColgan on Harry’s left. The two of them kept glaring at each other over the
smaller boys head, and Harry was getting very annoyed by it.

 

“I will know, Snape.” McColgan replied hotly.
“I will feel it. It’s an ability you get as a Slayer.” There was a silence
before he continued. “And if you’re not careful, that pale skin of yours could
get you into trouble. Especially in this dark.”

 

“Could you two please stop threatening each
other until we actually get out of this place?” Harry said, it was more of a
command than a question. He glared at Severus and McColgan in turn. “Thank
you.”

 

“What’s wrong Harry?” Severus asked. “You
seem worried about something.”

 

“This is all too easy.” Harry replied.
“Something should’ve happened by now.”

 

“You are right, Gamemaster.” The voice came
from somewhere in front of them, from the shadows. “It was too easy and
something is going to happen right now.”

 

The person
the voice belonged to stepped out of the shadows. It was that Ravenclaw that
had disappeared a day ago, right before the vampire-attack in the Forbidden
Forest. The boy had shoulder-long black hair, extremely pale skin and ruby-red
eyes. He was a few inches taller than Severus, and a bit thinner too. He
grinned at them, revealing perfect pearly-white teeth.

 

“Riddle.” Harry growled hatefully. “How nice
to meet you again. The last time I saw you, you looked like a snake. What did
you do? Take a plastic surgery or something?”

 

“As funny as that would be,” the other
replied. “No, I did not take that. Muggle things don’t really go with my image.
But there’s this lovely potion that helped me. I am sure you know which one I
am talking about.”

 

“Unicorn Youth.” Harry whispered. “That
explains all those dead unicorns we found.”

 

“Well, you can’t have one thing without the
other Gamemaster.” Riddle replied. He lazily walked towards them, taking his
time, his eyes always on Harry. “Ah, McColgan. I must admit, you did a very
good job with the vampire, but you forgot to put up guarding spells. How stupid
of you.”

 

“I swore that I would kill you, and I never
go back on my word.” McColgan growled taking his wand out, and pointing it at
Riddle.

 

“Stupid boy. You really think you can match
me with that stick of yours that you call a wand? Well, we’ll have to see about
that.” Suddenly Riddles wand was in his hand, and Riddle himself pointed it at
the Slayer. “Crucio!” the room was filled with screams that seemed to go
on forever. Riddle broke the spell, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. “You are
no match for me McColgan. Never heard about the saying ‘If you can’t beat them,
join them’?”

 

“Never.” Came the shaky reply.

 

Before
anyone could do anything McColgan took out a dagger, twisted the pommel and was
gone in a flash of light. The flash allowed Harry to see the basilisk
slithering closer to them, ready to attack. Riddle didn’t seem to notice the
overgrown worm, so Harry assumed that the boy had forgotten about it too.

 

Riddle
turned to Harry and Severus, his eyes filled with hate when they landed on the
taller Slytherin, but he talked to Harry.

 

“Have you told him the truth?” Riddle asked.
“The truth about who you are? From where you come from? No?” he turned to
Severus, who steeled himself under that gaze. “I know a lot of things about
Harry that you’d better know before you put your trust in him Snape.” He said,
grinning evilly. “And yet you trust him, even with all the things he has left
unsaid. Not wise, not wise at all. I would’ve expected something better from
you Snape.” Suddenly, without warning, hrnedrned quickly and shot a curse at
Harry, who barely managed to dodge it. “Very good, very good indeed. I see you
still have your abilities.”

 

Harry
wasn’t occupied with the Dark Lord, instead he was looking at the basilisk
towering behind him. He and Severus where slowly retreating backwards after
Harry had put up a shield against the basilisks eyes on them.

 

“It feels stupid to retreat for an overgrown
worm, and not Riddle.” Severus whispered, never taking his eyes off the
monster. Riddle was looking curiously at them, wondering why they where going
backwards.

 

“Think of it this way,” Harry replied. “We
aren’t retreating, we’re just advancing in another direction.” The basilisk
hissed and Riddle stiffened. Then the boy turned slowly, and looked upwards
towards the head. The snake was ready to attack. “Run.” Harry whispered. “Try
to get around them and towards the exit.”

 

The two of
them turned and started to run, but they didn’t get far. The basilisks tail
shot out towards them and forced them to act without thinking. Severus ducked
under the tail, but Harry was flung backwards into the statue of Slytherin. In
front of Severus’ eyes he got up again, muttered some words and a golden sword
floated in front of him.

 

Riddle had
disappeared, something Harry was grateful for. The last thing he needed was to
fight the Dark Lord and a basilisk at the same time. He directed the sword towards
the giant snake as it lunged. It sank deep into the snakes throat, killing it
before it even reached half-way to its destination. A second later Harry had to
duck a curse that came from the dark.

 

Severus
could only watch as Harry duelled with Riddle for a long time, ducking,
rolling, jumping and dancing out of the way of the curses and spells cast his
way. Suddenly Harry was hit with a curse and was flung backwards into the wall.
This time he didn’t get up, just stayed still on the ground.

 

“Join me Gamemaster.” Riddle stepped out of
the shadows. It was clear that Harry had tired him out, if the bruises, cuts
and sweat on his brow where something to go after. “We could be great together.
You know that just as well as I do. Imagine all the things we could do.”

 

“Go fuck yourself Riddle.” Came the reply
from Harry. “You’ve asked me a thousand times before, and a thousand times
you’ve gotten the same answer: GO FUCK YOURSELF!”

 

“Pity.” Riddle said in a bored tone. “What
about you Severus?” he asked, turning to the Slytherin. “You want to join me,
or stay with Chase?” Instead of replying, Severus started walking towards
Harry, who was watching the exchange carefully from his position on the ground.
“Nothing else to expect from you, Severus. You where always extremely loyal if
it fit you.” Riddle mumbled. “Crucio!” he yelled, pointing his wand at
Harry.

 

Severus
acted on instinct and ran straight between Harry and Riddle. He doubled over in
pain, but still continued towards Harry through sheer will power. It seemed
like an eternity before Severus reached the smaller boy, and held him in his
arms, all the time with the Cruciatus curse running through his body. Harry
grabbed his hand, twinning their fingers together in a death grip. The other
hand gently brushed Severus’ tears away.

 

“How touching.” Riddle’s voice penetrated the
fog in the two teens minds. “How very touching.”

 

He was
coming closer, Harry could see him over Severus’ shoulder. The wand was pointed
at the two of them. Suddenly Harry’s hand shot out – without his wand – and
began to glow golden. Riddle stared at the ball of light that formed in Harry’s
hand with wide eyes, then he screamed in rage as the ball shot towards him, and
hit him straight in the chest. Riddle doubled over in pain, feeling the pull of
a Timekey-spell. His wand shot out, pointing at the two Slytherins, his eyes
where full of hate and anger.

 

“If you are so determined to stay together,
you might as well stay together for eternity!” he growled. “Rinsoulir!”
right after the curse left his wand and hit the two boys, he disappeared.

 

-END
FLASHBACK-

 

“…I have no idea what that curse was.” Harry
ended. “I’ve never heard about it.”

 

Snuffles
had woken up and was sitting beside Harry, carefully keeping an eye at him. The
three Marauders had sat down on the bed right opposite the two Slytherins,
Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at Harry and Severus, while McGonagall, Fudge
and the Auror’s just looked at each other in confusion.

 

Draco was
standing by the door, carefully watching the rest of the people in the room. He
had no idea what that curse was, but it couldn’t be good. Not if it had been
the Dark Lord that had cast it. One thing was certain though, Harry had gotten
himself into one hell of a mess.

 

Draco
couldn’t believe that he had been jealous of him before, just because of
something that had happened years ago and that wasn’t Harry’s fault. When he
had been discovered as a spy for Dumbledore, Harry had been the one to get him
out. Out of that mess and into the Order of the Phoenix. He would not leave
Potter to deal with this alone, even if it was the last thing he did.

 

“Harry,” Dumbledore began and everyone turned
to him. “Are you sure that was what Riddle said?”

 

“That was exactly what he said.” Harry
replied. “His own words. You know something?”

 

“If Riddle really did say ‘Rinsoulir’, then
I’m afraid dear boy that you two have been bonded. For all eternity.”
Dumbledore replied.

 

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