Delicious as Sin

They raced down the steps to the dungeon and to the door of Snape's room.

"You know his password?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Ha, he uses more than just a password," Draco said.

Ginny and Harry watched as Draco produced his wand and began muttering soft incantations. After a few moments, the door slid open and they all walked inside. Draco sank into a plush armchair and Ginny made herself comfortable, lying at his feet. Harry paced the room. They sat in silence, screams echoing in their ears. They jumped, as the door seemed to fly off its hinges as Snape stormed in. They all looked up at him expectantly.

"There's been an attack on Hogsmeade," he declared, slightly breathless.

No one spoke for a few minutes.

"How many people died?" Harry softly asked.

"Three fourths -- and most of those left were taken prisoner."

"No one knew?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"No."

"He never said anything," Draco whispered nervously folding his hands in his lap.

"Of course not, the Dark Lord isn't dim enough to spread information to those he knows spy against him," Snape snapped.

"Then why aren't we dead yet?" Draco asked.

"We will obviously be of some use to him later."

"Merlin, Hogsmeade is by far one of the largest wizard towns there is. If he can take Hogmeade in just a few hours," Harry trailed off and Snape rubbed his forehead.

"What happened exactly?" Ginny asked, wanting to bask in comforting disbelief.

"Nothing out of the ordinary -- until someone spotted the Dark Mark in the sky. From left and right the death eaters poured in. They destroyed everything and anyone, just... set fire, everywhere. By the time Aurors arrived, it was too late... everything was already in flames. Nobody to save anymore, just... burnt corpses, and those losing their minds." Snape paused for a second, "Lord Voldemort has dementors under his control."

"So this is war," Harry simply said and Snape appeared to ignore him.

"Aurors are flooding Hogwarts as we speak. It appears as though the school is his next target," Snape finished in a foreboding tone.

"So what do we do?" Draco asked. It was the first time Harry had ever seen him look so lost.

"We put up wards and protection spells. Hold emergency defense lessons with the students and try to teach them how to fight in war," he said simply.

"And then? Then we just wait? Wait for him to attack us? It's like a sitting bomb ready to explode. Hundreds of inexperienced wizards sitting in a castle... waiting for someone to attack!?" Ginny yelled angrily.

"That's quite enough Ms. Weasley!" Snape shouted. He looked as though he was trying to calm himself. "I brought you here for a reason and you know it. The Lord forbid -- I didn't simply wish to spend time with you, three mindless children."

Harry looked as though he was about to say something, but thought better of it. Snape smiled slightly.

"You all have a connection to the Dark Lord that runs deeper than even the connections some Death Eaters have," Snape began looking pointedly at Harry.

"It's over Professor. I... I have no more connection with him," Harry said looking away.

"True you may have not seen him, and he has not attempted any emotional connection, but you haven't left his thoughts just yet."

"I know, now he just wants me dead," Harry said matter of factly. Snape snorted in amusement.

"The Dark Lord is not known to give up so easily Potter. You are still his prize and his goal is not only to rule as Lord, but to rule with you at his side," Snape began and was again cut off.

"He knows I'll never rule with him!" Harry hissed.

Snape hushed him with a hand and continued. "Although his endeavor may be useless, it is still his dream to take the golden boy of the wizard world and make him bend to his will. Though you may hold nothing but contempt for Lord Voldemort, Potter, it could be to our advantage to humor him," Snape said.

"Never! I will never see him again unless his head is sitting in a jar on the Headmaster's desk. I will never let him... touch me and there is no fucking way you're getting me near him again!" Harry exploded but collapsed, hissing as pain seared across his forehead. He looked up wide-eyed.

"He's here," Harry whispered his face taking on a sickly pale color.

"That's impossible," Snape snorted. "There are Aurors surrounding the castle -- he could not just have apparated into Hogwarts."

"No... that's not it... he's been here. That's why he's been pressing into my mind... he's here," Harry hissed.

"The chamber," Ginny said and there was a moment of dead silence before chaos erupted again. They all bombarded the door and Harry was running. 'I have to get to the chamber, this is all my fault," he thought pushing people out of the way.

"Everyone back to your dorms!" Snape roared. "POTTER, WEASLEY, MALFOY GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"

Snape's voice faded as Harry flew up the steps. As he rounded the corridor he realized Ginny and Draco weren't following him. He was alone. He stopped for a second and pushed the door of the bathroom open. Memories flooded his mind: the Basilisk, Ginny's limp body lying on the chamber floor -- blood... blood everywhere.

"Back to see me?" Moaning Myrtle asked smiling at Harry, breaking his reverie.

Harry panted as he hissed "open" in Parseltongue. The sinks slid apart to reveal the entrance. 'Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever,' he thought briefly before he cleared his thoughts.

"This is it," he whispered "I'm going in and only one of us is coming back."

Harry slid down the entrance and looked around warily at his surroundings. The chamber had been cleaned and there was no garbage or traces of his past venture. He walked quietly towards the door to the main chamber and drew in his breath. Tom sat in a large chair at the top of the stairs. He was dressed meticulously and appeared to be waiting for Harry. The Basilisk that Harry had killed was very much alive, and it appeared to be resting comfortably behind Tom. Harry shuddered at the though of the Basilisk's fang piercing his skin, but shook his head.

"So good to see you again Harry. I didn't expect you so soon, but you do always manage to exceed my expectations don't you?" Tom said rather jovially.

"Just what do you think you're doing!?" Harry hissed stalking forward.

"Shhh, now Harry you wouldn't want to wake Basil here would you?" Tom said running his fingers along the Basilisk's scales.

"Basil?" Harry asked.

"Yes, everyone good Basilisk has to have a name darling."

"You're sick," Harry spat.

"Now, now, don't get too carried away with the name calling. You are, after all, my guest here," Tom said smirking.

'Why aren't I dead yet?' Harry thought in the back of his mind as he watched Tom raise a glass of wine to his lips. His head was spinning and he had no idea what was going on. 'This is the bastard who ruined my life, who just killed hundreds of people, this is him,' Harry thought as he ran forward. He tore the glass out of Tom's hand and it shattered against the floor. The wine spread like blood across the floor and the Basilisk appeared to stir.

"Look at the mess you've done," Tom said disapprovingly.

"Ava--" Harry began, but Tom slammed his mouth to his. Harry struggled to free himself, but it felt so... good, it felt so right.

"A kiss before dying kitten," Tom whispered against his throat.

Harry screamed as Tom snapped his wand, and gave his a smile which was so saccharine-sweet it made him sick to the stomach. He slammed Harry to the floor, and Harry gave out a sharp kick that landed flatly on Tom's shin.

"Imperio," Tom mouthed and smiled again.

'No wand, crap, crap, crap,' Harry thought frantically.

"Give me a kiss," Tom commanded and Harry watched in horror as he rose and moved towards Tom. Internally he was screaming as he felt himself kiss Tom. "Brave little kitten, how deeply I pity your fall. Mmm... I would just love to wrap my hands around your very soul, but this... this is even better kitten."

Harry was panicking. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything and he was absolutely powerless to do anything. "This is because I can't protect you all the time," he remembered Draco's words. 'Sameera,' he thought helplessly in his mind. 'HELP ME!' he thought as loudly as he could.

"Kitten I think I might just keep you this way. You look so delicious, absolutely helpless, and waiting to take orders. Just the way I like you," Tom purred against his ear.

Tom hissed as a tiny ball of green light hit him full blast in the face.

"Potter, what the--" he began and struggles as the ball attached itself to him. He wrapped both hands around it and laughed.

"A fairy! Darling how sweet... a little fairy, trying to protect her helpless love," Tom said still laughing. He held the fairy in one hand and cast a spell with the other. Harry watched helplessly as his hands and feet bound themselves with chains. Tom's smile faded as Sameera escaped from his hand and launched her attack again. Harry watched as green beams of light surrounded him, and he realized he had control.

"Sameera get away! He'll kill you!" Harry screamed struggling to free himself from the chains that bound him.

"You little bitch!" Tom screamed as he managed to grab the fairy once again. He shook her rather viciously and laughed again. "Just as stupid as your master," he said and as he moved to crush her, his smile faded. Sameera exploded into a giant green ball of light and Tom screamed. His scream was drowned as curses and hexes were yelled in every direction. Harry twisted around to see hoards of students. Hermione ran towards him and he shuddered.

"HERMIONE!" he screamed as the basilisk dove towards her.

"Sangius oculus!" she shouted and the basilisk hit the wall with full force. Harry watched as blood poured from the basilisk's eyes. "Come on Harry!" she shouted as she attempted to pull him upright.

"Oh no you don't you little bitch!" Tom screamed as he lifted his wand.

"Run Hermione!" Harry yelled.

"I'm not leaving you here!" she screamed as she was hit from the back.

"CRUCIO!" Tom yelled and Harry screamed as Hermione fell. He would have laughed as he watched Blaise tackle Tom from the back. Zack, Blaise and Tom wrestled for a few moments, before he seemed to give up and simply pointed the wand at Harry. Harry kept struggling as he watched the other students trying to get rid of basilisk.

"Obitus somnus," he muttered, his wand pointed towards Harry.

'This is getting so old,' Harry thought as the world faded to black.