Chapter Thirty-Five, Almost Dying at Age 12

Tentatively Izzy made her way up the tunnel barely having her eyes open so she was prepared to close them at the slightest sign of movement. That is until she came across a bronze mechanical snake door with a six-headed snake that almost seemed real with the way the eyes twinkled in the cavernous light.
"Open!" Izzy hissed, and within seconds the six heads started to move, opening up the circular door. Once it was fully opened she unsheathed her wand stepped hazardously into the cavern coming face-to-face with a ladder that led down into a long Chamber with multiple stone snake heads protruding from the water and lining the gang way that lead up to a gigantic stone statue of Salazar Slytherin.

If she wasn't half terrified out of her mind Izzy would fully admit that the Chamber was beautiful in a historical sort of way. Finally, on level footing once again, Izzy spotted something gleaming in the puddle of water just beneath the statute of Salazar Slytherin.
"Ginny!" Izzy gasped, darting down the wet stone flagged floor, at breakneck speed, her black school shoes slapping so loudly that the sound reverberated off of the cavernous walls. "Ginny!" Izzy shouted, worried for her friend and sister, dropping down besides the youngest Weasley not caring her black knee-high socks and skirt were getting wet and dirty, her wand falling from her slackened grasp.
"Ginny, oh please don't be dead. Wake up, wake up! Please wake up!" Izzy begged, gently shaking her cold-as-ice hand.

"She won't wake." A honeyed voice said from behind Izzy startling her slightly.
"Tom. Tom Riddle? What do you mean? She's not -?" Izzy trailed off fearfully, worried she was too late to save her.
"She's still alive, but only just." Tom replied, stalking closer to the young girl he'd been most anxious to meet ever since Izzy had found his diary. A girl, who he would make pay for not only allowing Ginny to get hold of his diary once again, but almost destroying his older self.
"She's as cold as ice." Izzy muttered to herself, taking off her robes and covering Ginny to try and conserve what little body heat she had left. "Are you a ghost?" She asked cautiously.

"A memory preserved within my diary for fifty years." Tom answered in a roundabout way, a secret smirk playing across his lips as a faint red gleam shone in his chocolate brown orbs in the light before vanishing once more.
"You've got to help me, Tom, before the Basilisk comes." Izzy asked, looking around the Chamber only to spot her wand in Tom's hands causing her magic to surge within her 'crying danger' much like it did the year before and when the Dursleys' abuse got too extensive.
"It won't come until it's called." Tom brushed off.
"Give me my wand, Tom!" Izzy demanded, holding out her hand, only for the wand tip to light up as she was hit with a Body-Bind Curse before she could move out of the way.
"You won't be needing it and I'd like to have a little chat with you first, Isadora Potter." Tom smirked maliciously.

"As poor Ginny grows weaker, I grow stronger. Yes, Izzy, it was Ginny Weasley who opened the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny who set the Basilisk on the Squib's cat and the Mudbloods." Tom crooned pleased with himself as Izzy's eyes widened in realisation. "Ginny who wrote threatening messages on the walls. Oh, but don't worry she never really knew what she was doing she was in - shall we say - a kind of trance. But still, the power of my diary began to scare her so she disposed of it and who happened to find it? But the one person I was most desperate to meet! And soon I was turning my power onto you, blocking your bond with your soulmate, making him think you were fine despite the obvious that you were fading away before everyone's eyes.

But then you fought against me, much like you did my older self - thrice now - when I showed you the capture of the brainless oath Hagrid to try and gain your trust but it backfired I admit. And who happened across my diary next? Why you just had to give it to your Godfather didn't you? Let Ginny see, who panicked and had to steal it back before I told you everything she'd done." Tom ranted, smirking when Izzy tried and failed to get away from him when she realised who she was facing against. "For you see now, don't you, Isadora Potter, that Voldemort is my past, present and future." Whipping out Izzy's wand he started to carve in burning red letters, 'Tom Marvolo Riddle', with a flick of the stolen wand they rearranged themselves to spell out, 'I am Lord Voldemort.'

"Surely, you didn't think I'd stick with my filthy Muggle father's name, did you?" He asked sardonically, smirking cruelly as he twirled Izzy's wand in his long-fingered hand, loving that Izzy was bound and powerless at his feet. "No. While I was at school I fashioned myself a name where one day wizards and witches would fear to speak when I became the greatest sorcerer in the world!"
"You're not the greatest sorcerer in the world! You're just a coward!!" Izzy suddenly screamed, her anger and roiling Magic loosening the hold Tom had on her to both of their shock.

"Yes.. I am you foolish girl! You may have escaped me when you were a baby but your filthy Mudblood mother and Blood-traitor father aren't here to enact Olde Blood Magick to protect you now! And I will prove to you just how worthless you are before we settle the score shall we, see who comes out on top: Isadora Potter or Lord Voldemort the Heir of the great Salazar Slytherin!"
With that Tom let a cruel smirk appear on his twisted lips, ripped back her jumper roughly and started to carve 'worthless' into her right forearm, loving the sound of her screams of pain vibrating off the walls as blood pooled around her in a gruesome puddle.

***

In Gryffindor Tower, Fred suddenly sat up clutching at his arm screaming in pain.
"Fred!!!!" George shouted, running from the bathroom to his twin's bed. "Fred what is it?? Lee!!! Get Percy!!!" He shouted at his best friend, while he checked over his brother's arm only to see nothing there which only meant one thing: Izzy.
"What is it? What's wrong?!" Percy asked worriedly, like his twin brothers', Percy's eyes were red rimmed and puffy from where they had all been crying at the news at what had happened to Ginny and that Izzy, Ron and Neville had taken off - foolishly - to save her with Professor Lupin running after them. That was several hours ago now and they have yet to hear anything since.

"Something is wrong with Izzy!" Fred croaked, tears falling down his cheeks at the sheer terror, and pain, and anger coming over the bond from his sweet Izzy.
"Let's go then!" Lee shouted, running back out of the room.
"Wait!!" Percy called after the three fourth years, who tore out of their dormitory leaving him behind. "Oh sod it!" He exclaimed, darting after them.

***

In the cavern, Remus, Neville and Ron who had also been joined by Sirius froze when they heard Izzy's screams echoing from all around them, the rocks falling from their slackened grasps landing with a resounding thud.
"NO!! No! No, no, no. NOOOO!!" Sirius screamed, beating his hands bloody against the rock as he sobbed helplessly at the thought of what his little pup, his daughter, could possibly be going through.
"Sirius?" Fred croaked from behind them.
"What the blood hell are you doing here?!" Ron demanded of his three brothers and Lee Jordan.
"Us?" Percy asked incredulously. "What were you three thinking! Taking off like this!!" He demanded worriedly, as he pulled his youngest brother into a tight bear hug.

"Percy, ge'roff!" Ron grumbled, voice muffled by Percy's dressing gown clad chest.
"What are you all doing here?" Remus asked shrewdly, grasping Sirius's shoulder to offer him some semblance of comfort and time to collect himself once more.
"I felt the pain Izzy was going through. And the sheer amount of terror and anger she felt." Fred explained.
"We can help you shift this quicker." Lee added, before the two Professors could steer them away. "The quicker we move at least some of this, the quicker we can rescue Izzy and Ginny." He added, just as something red and gold darted passed them, squeezing itself through the tiny gap with a comforting trill left in its wake.
"What was that?" George asked, alarmed.

"Fawkes, the school Phoenix." Sirius mumbled gruffly, climbing to his feet without another word as he started to move some rock after checking which was safe to move and what wasn't.
"Gran is gonna kill me." Neville muttered with a wince.
"Your Gran? More like my Mum is going to kill me!" Ron muttered with a shudder.
"Your both goners!" Percy declared with a glare at the pair after he'd finished checking over both Ron and Neville he helped his two Professors make the rockfall as structurally sound as they could get it and ignoring the wince that darted across both Ron and Neville's faces. Could they really be blamed? Ron was only thirteen and Neville twelve, they'd just wanted to save their sisters; but somehow, they didn't think that argument would win them any favours with anyone.

***

"Now that you've felt some of my mercy, Isadora Potter, I think it's time we got down to business, don't you?" Tom asked rhetorically, a dark smirk on his face as he noticed the puddle of blood beneath a harshly panting Izzy. As he stood up once more a smirk on his lips, pocketing the wand so she couldn't reclaim it; but he was lenient enough to remove the Body Bind Curse, he turned towards the statue only for a trill to be heard causing the pair to spin around almost slipping on the wet floor, during the time torturing Izzy, Tom had become more solid around the edges and Ginny had become increasingly paler.
"Fawkes?" Izzy questioned, slowly easing herself up as Fawkes dropped the Sorting Hat at her feet.
"So this is what Hogwarts sends her greatest defender!" Tom mocked. "A songbird and an old hat."

"Speak to me Salazar Slytherin: greatest of the Noble Founders. Release the Basilisk and allow me to finish your noble work by allowing your Basilisk to only obey me!" Turning to Izzy as Salazar's mouth started to open after he'd finished speaking in Parseltongue, the cruel smirk seemed to become even more pronounced as he watched Izzy run up the gangway. "Parseltongue won't save you now, Potter. It only obeys me!" He crooned in delight, watching eagerly as the Basilisk rapidly approached the Potter-Black Heiress gaining on her; he almost - almost - laughed in delight as she tripped and fell just as the Basilisk was about to strike only for Fawkes to swoop down and started clawing and pecking out the Basilisk's eyes.
"NOO!" Tom shouted outraged. "The stupid songbird might have blinded the Basilisk, Potter, but it matters not for it can still hear you!" Tom hissed.

And he was right, of course. For the second Izzy had climbed to her feet and started backing away towards the tunnel on her left the Basilisk stopped writhing around in pain and fixed its blind stare exactly on where Izzy stood. Taking her chance, Izzy darted off into the tunnels barely giving it the slip twice, the first barely missing her by an inch and the second the gigantic snake had her pinned to a grate and it was only sheer dumb luck that it fell for Izzy throwing a rock in the opposite direction that she was able to escape and make it back to Ginny who had grown steadily colder.
"In a few mere moments Ginny will be dead and the process will be complete and Lord Voldemort will return very much alive!" Tom cawed excitedly, getting sick satisfaction out of how worried and angry Izzy was.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. I won't let this happen to you." Izzy whispered, only for her heart to nearly beat right out of her chest when the Basilisk suddenly lunged out of the pool of water behind her which surrounded the statue head of Salazar Slytherin. Crawling backwards, away from the fast approaching poisonous snake, she heard a ringing sound behind her; chancing a glance she spotted a sword appearing hidden within the depths of the Sorting Hat.

Acting quickly, Izzy pulled the sword from within the Hat, stumbling at the weight of the sword that was several feet long - over half her size in fact - and surprisingly heavy. Looking around she ran for the stature climbing it, and blindly swinging at the striking Basilisk that almost knocked her off the statue multiple times. Once she stood up on the head of the statue she knew this was her last chance as she lunged upwards with the sword with all her might, as the Basilisk lunged down towards her with its mouth open wide.

Her aim was true! But something had gone terribly wrong. When the sword had pierced the roof of the snake's mouth, she felt a burning pain blooming in her right elbow. Wrenching the sword from the snake with a mighty tug - not noticing as it writhed in agony before keeling over dead - Izzy noticed that a foot long fang (it was nearly piercing through the other side of her arm, nearly right through her elbow, it was that long), had broken from its mouth, and was rapidly spreading venom throughout her bloodstream from both the entry point of the fang at her elbow, and from her previous injury where venom had dripped into the words carved into her arm when she had pierced the snake's skull as it lunged towards her.

"Sorry Freddie." Izzy whispered, her sight already going bleary, pulling the fang from her already injured arm, but she knew it wouldn't do any good; it was too late. She couldn't recall - if asked later - how she got down from the statue with only one good arm and a sword half her body weight and over half her height, as she could barely see from the pain of the fast acting venom, but she succumbed to her injuries as she collapsed by the snake's head and had to crawl up to where Ginny lay prone and Tom stood smirking in victory.

"Fascinating isn't it? How quickly and painfully the Basilisk venom penetrates the body. You'll be dead within a minute Isadora Potter and will be with your dear Mudblood mother soon, don't worry. Funny isn't it what a silly little book can do especially in the hands of a silly little girl." Glaring weakly, and not knowing her family were losing their minds as Fred was feeling her slowly and painfully die, Izzy plucked the book from Ginny and opened it in the middle of the book. "What are you doing?" Tom questioned, confused before his eyes widened as it suddenly dawned on him. "No wait! Stop!" He shouted darting forwards to make her stop, only to freeze screaming in agony as Izzy stabbed the diary over and over again; ink pouring from the book like rivers of blood along with a dark gooey substance, until with a bright burst of light Tom disappeared and Ginny awoke with a started gasp a moment later as Izzy's wand fell to the floor with a clatter.

"Ginny." Izzy whispered hoarsely, almost completely slumped on the floor. Barely having the strength to hold herself up.
"Izzy! I swear I didn't mean to, Riddle made me, and - Izzy your hurt!" Ginny whispered terrified, spotting how weak and injured she was.
"Don't worry about that now. Listen to me, you... you need to get yourself out. Follow.... Follow the Chamber and - and you'll find Ron, Nev and -" Izzy muttered, fighting to keep her eyes open as she completely slumped to the floor as Ginny scrambled closer to her, putting Izzy's head in her lap.
"No. No, I won't leave you." Ginny sobbed, brushing Izzy's dirty and sweaty hair out of her face just as a shout sounded from ahead of them. "Help!!! HELP!!! HELP!!! PLEASE!!" Ginny screamed, looking up she spotted Professors Lupin and Black run in followed by all of her brothers, Neville and Lee Jordan.

"IZZY!!!" Several cries screamed, jumping one after the other off of the ladder as they ran towards the two preteen girls.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Ginny sobbed when they reached them. "Help her, please. I think the Basilisk bit her." She sobbed, pointing to the dead snake laying upside down two feet from where they sat.
"I'm sorry." Izzy whispered, barely keeping her eyes open as they kept closing against her will.
"No, no, no. No! Keep your eyes open baby. Hey, Izzy. Izzy, look at me!" Sirius croaked, gently pulling his daughter into his arms as he ran his hand over her cheek while trying to keep his tears back but failing miserably.

He barely even noticed as Lee, Neville, and the four Weasleys hung back staring horrified at the state Izzy was in while Remus questioned Ginny on what had happened while trying to remain composed as no doubt Moony was howling in rage as his Cub was dying on them.
"I'm sorry Daddy! I'm sorry I wasn't quick enough." Izzy whispered weakly.
"No, don't say things like that young lady. Remember we have all those things planned for the summer. You have the trip with me, Luna and Xeno, a trip with the Weasleys to see Bill in Egypt." Sirius muttered hastily while he tried to think of ways he could help his daughter, he couldn't lose her too.
"GINNY!!!" Fred shouted, stopping her sobs and rambles. "What happened!?" He demanded sharply, shocking Ginny into silence.

Ginny remained silent for a moment and as Percy was about to demand his sister answer their Professor and brother - who he wasn't even mad at, he couldn't even begin to comprehend just how Fred was feeling right now, Ginny revealed the whole truth over what had happened since the start of the year, just as Fawkes landed beside Sirius and cried on both of Izzy's wounds healing them from the inside out and curing her of the Basilisk venom and not a moment too soon.
"Of course Phoenix tears have healing powers." Izzy muttered in realisation. "Thank you Fawkes." Izzy whispered, stroking his warm feathery head and revealing the two scars that were now all that was left from her ordeal.
"Who... did... that?!" Ron demanded angrily through gritted teeth, spotting the scar that now spelled, 'worthless', on Izzy's forearm.

"Tom Riddle." Izzy revealed, which started a long explanation on what had happened while Ginny was unconscious until the moment she woke up which lined up with Ginny's story.
"I'm so, so sorry Izzy." Ginny sobbed, hugging Izzy tightly as she had feared for a moment that she was losing her big sister.
"It's okay Ginny, it's over now. It's just a memory." Izzy soothed.
"Let's get you girls back up to the school and have Madam Pomfrey check you both over." Remus said letting out a breath of relief now that it seemed the worst was over with. Standing up, he helped Ginny up and was just about to help Izzy up when Fred suddenly dropped to his knees and kissed Izzy as if his life depended on it, putting all of his love, adoration and fear into the kiss.

"I'm sorry -" Fred apologised after he'd pulled back after Sirius and Remus cleared their throats several times.
"No. No, don't be." Izzy whispered shyly, blushing as red as her mother's blood-red hair.
"Not the place but fuck it!" Fred shrugged and kissed her again, soft, short and sweet this time and ignoring the incredulous looks from Percy, Ron and Neville, and the smirking looks on Lee and George's faces. "Would you be willing to allow me to court you, Izzy?" Fred asked suddenly unsure of himself.

"I would love to, Freddie." Izzy muttered blushing brightly, her hair taking on a faint pink tinge but she was so drained that it didn't change fully.
"Okay that's enough!" Sirius demanded, lifting Izzy up into his arms. "We need to see Minerva and Augusta who should be with your parents and elder brothers now, along with Madam Pomfrey."

"Don't you dare go to sleep, Izzy. Not until Madam Pomfrey has checked you over. You scared several years off of me."
"I'm sorry Daddy." Izzy whispered, slumping back into his arms as they escaped with the aid of Fawkes who flew them all the way up to Minerva's office and in through the window, startling the occupants with their sudden and unexpected entrance.