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Harry had woken up in an unfamiliar place. His vision was vague, his head was piercing. He sat up slowly, his hands rubbed gently against his eyelids. He felt so weak. His tiny body was quivering, and his muscles felt so sore. the Chamber, disregarding the commotion behind him. His curious eyes roamed around the large space. He removed his hands from his face and looked down at his arms. His usual tan arms had gone very pale. He could make out the blue tint of his veins beneath his skin. He seemed skeletal. He inhaled shakily, his eyes roamed around the murky setting.
It had seemed so familiar…
Then it clicked.
He was in the chamber of secrets.
He had last remembered being with Ron reading the bleeding message in the corridor of Hogwarts.
“ Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever."
That is how he ended up here. Harry and Ron had been separated by the ruble leaving Ron with Lockhart who ended up oblivitaing himself, and Harry set out his way to find Ginny.
But Ginny wasn’t in the chamber.
He had looked around, but the girl was no where to be found. He instead observed what was around him. The chamber was murky with greens and grays. Series of magical tunnels had been engraved in the place. Flanked with towering pillars that had been entwined with wood. Beautiful carvings of snakes had been made out of the bland stone. Harry couldn’t stop the awe in his eyes as he observed closer. Tiny details had been impressive. His mouth went slack when he saw the craving of Salazar Slytherin on the back wall of stone. The mans long hair had been chiseled into the grey stone behind it. The man’s facial features looked exact to the many paintings he had seen before. He couldn’t take his gaze off the wall, that was until a slither of movement was caught from the side of his eye.
He froze when he heard footsteps coming from the direction of the Salazar. His green gaze had flicked back and forth between the two dark corners of the man’s face.
That’s when he saw a tall figure step out slowly, then they leaned against the man’s stony hair.
His eyes widened.
“Tom?”
Tom. He surely remembered the boy.
A while ago Harry had found a diary in Myrtle’s washroom. He had asked the girl to explain what the diary was doing in the girls washroom. She explained that someone had shoved the book down the toilet, supposedly going to try to flush it. That was until Harry had picked it up.
From there, Harry had begun to write in the diary and to his surprise; the diary wrote back to him. He had begun talking with the diary to find out that a former student; Tom Marvolo Riddle. He had been at Hogwarts from the late 1930s to the mid 1940s. That has solved the mystery of T.M.R. On the cover of the book.
Ever since that day he had found the diary, and met Tom; they had talked everyday. Tom would write back to Harry asking him about his day or asking if he needed help with homework assigned from his classes. With that, they grew close to one another. Harry had always took the book around with him. To classes, to breakfast and dinner, even when he was alone in the second year dorm. It had even gone to the point where he slept with the book in his hands. He always fell asleep with a smile, but he always awake in the Gryffindor common room. He shrugged it off as sleepwalking.
Then the rumors of the Chamber of Secrets had begun.
It’s had started off with Filches cat, Mrs. Norris being prettified, and a threatening message on the wall. He was immediately the one to be blamed due to his parseltongue abilities being exposed earlier in the year. Then more threats continued, until it went out of hand.
Eventually he had asked Tom what had happened with the Chamber of secrets, making sure that the other was comfortable. Instead of showing what happens on the night of a death due to the Chamber of secrets.
Myrtle.
He quickly thanked the boy before dashing off to his friends to share the information he learned.
He found out that It was Ginny who tried to flush the book later on when she tried to break into the boy’s dormitory but she was caught by Dean. She had left with empty handed and a detention with Filch. Harry still had the book.
It all stopped for a while, until another message appeared on the wall.
“ Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever."
“Harry, we gotta help her!”
He agreed, and they had planned to rescue her that night. Ron had went to the washroom, and that’s when Harry had suddenly felt a wavy of exhaustion hit him. That was what he last remembered before walking in the Chamber.
The boy had smirked up at him, nodding but he didn’t take his eyes off of Harry. He slowly pushed away from the sculpture. He walked up slowly to Harry, looking down at the frail looking boy.
“I quite am surprised that you have been able to wake up.” Harry’s eyes narrowed back at him, then he sighed. Another wave of exhaustion and a sliver of twinge had ran through him.
“What do you mean?” He whispered. He watched closely as Tom crotched down to his level. He couldn’t ignore the fact that boy seemed real.
“You were not supposed to wake.” The boy extended his arm, and moved it towards Harry, then gently touched Harry. Harry watched the others fingers go through him only slightly. He felt his eyes widen once again, then his body went rigid.
“You’re still alive,” he spoke softly “but only just.” He finished off in a whisper standing up, but Harry’s as far away. Everything seemed so distant around him. He felt a wave of fear rack through his body. He swallowed weakly, looking down at his pale wrists.
He was dying?
Harry stared at him. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen.
Are you a ghost?” Harry said uncertainly.
“A memory,” said Riddle quietly. “Preserved in a diary for fifty years.”
He pointed toward the floor near the statue’s giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there, but there were more pressing matters to deal with.
“Tom, what’s going on?” He asked quietly, looking at the tall boy. He didn’t answer instead he vanished into the shadows.
“Harry!”
Harry’s head quickly snapped over to see Ginny running towards him. Wait.. Ginny?
“Come, we’ve got to get out of here.” She tried to host the boy up, but then she stopped
“He’s not going anywhere.”
Ginny jumped and spun around on her knees.
“Tom — Tom Riddle.. it’s you?! Never mind that.. what do you mean he’s not going anywhere?! We’ve got to get out of here. There’s a basilisk... I don’t know where it is, but i know you’re behind it.” She huffed up at him, her eyes narrowed. Harry looked at Tom, confused.
Tom was behind what?
Riddle didn’t move. Ginny, sweating, managed to hoist Harry half off the floor, and bent to pick up her wand that she dropped.
But her wand had gone.
“Did you see-?”
She looked up. Riddle was still watching her- twirling Ginny’s wand between his long fingers.
“Thanks,” said Ginny, stretching out her hand for it.
A smile curled the corners of Riddle’s mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly.
“Listen,” said Ginny urgently to Harry, her knees sagging with Harry’s near dead weight.
“We’ve got to go, before he releases the basilisk-”
“What do you mean by that?!” Harry asked frantic.
Ginny huffed, lowering Harry back onto the floor, unable to hold him up any longer. She glared at Tom, hatefully
“Look, give me my wand so I can get Harry out of here.” Riddle’s smile broadened.
“You won’t be needing it, because Harry’s not going anywhere.” he said. Harry stared at him even more confused now.
What did he mean by that? What did Ginny mean by him releasing the Basilisk?
Tom laughed, a cold, high laugh that did not suit him. He then then sneered at Ginny.
“Foul Weasley ruining my plans, I am afraid I cannot allow that.” Tom swiftly turned around before hissing
“Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four.”
Harry watched with wide eyes as Slytherin’s gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder, he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin’s mouth. Then he heard Riddle’s hissing voice:
“Kill her.”
Harry felt the warm hands leave his side as soon as Tom spoke the two words. His head snapped around watching Ginny run from the beast chasing her. He couldn’t believe what was happening.
He turned around to see Tom with a fatal smile before waving his arm.
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
Harry’s eyes widened horribly. He tried to scramble away from the teen In front of him. His supposed killer, his parents murderer-
“Stay back! I’m warning you.” He hissed out when Tom once again lowered himself to Harry.
“No need to talk, dearest. Let me explain.” Tom had pressed a finger to Harry’s lips. He certainly enjoyed how the younger boys green eyes immediately focused onto him.
“As you now know I am a memory persevered inside of my diary, do you understand, no?” Harry nodded his head.
“I needed a way to forsake from that diary. Ever since Voldemort had placed me in there, it gets very lonely. I had no one to talk to for over fifty years.” Tom’s voice was quiet.
“I needed magic to be able to leave the diary. I had Lucius slip my diary into Ginny’s bag so that I would be to use her magic, and that did work. It did work until she broke from my control, leaving me in the girls washroom. That is where you came in.” His blue eyes gleamed.
“Since Ginny’s magic was ripped away from me, I needed a new source of magic, and yours Harry, is the most divine magic I have ever felt.” He purred at the boy, leaning closer to him.
“So much more powerful then Ginny’s, so much more euphoric.” He whispered lowly into the second years ear.
“I couldn’t stop once I started. Then that is when I have decided that your magic would be powerful enough to preserve me to my original form and be able to return Voldemort to full power.”
Harry’s heart had tightened more and more to every word Tom had said. He was using him, draining him of his power. That’s all of a use Harry has been to him.
“No.” He whispered, shrinking in. He felt so betrayed.
“Yessss.” Tom hissed leaning in closer.
A scream was heard. Harry heart clenched painfully, tears had quickly stormed his vision.
“Good job, lovely. Now being her to me.”
Harry watched as Ginny’s bloody body had plummeted to the floor from the Basilisks mouth to the floor next to him. He began to sobbing. Loud cries had echoed in the near empty chamber.
Harry harshly rubbed at his eyes and looked up at Tom.
“So that was me? The messages, the threats..?” He asked softly. Tom had begun cradling Harry’s face in a soft gesture.
“Yes, dearest.”
He felt another way of agonizing pain ran though his body. He felt his body crashing against the floor, tears falling down his face.
His eyes opened to look at the boy who continued to gently caress his face, he ran his long elegant hand through Harry’s messy hair gently.
Harry felt his eyes close gently. He just felt so tired. His limbs felt heavy among side him. He could barley open his eyes, and when he did; he saw the the blue of the handsome boys face in front of him. He felt himself being pulled up only to be embraced in warmth. He let himself settle into the warmth which brought him unusual comfort.
“Will you at least try to good things” He asked softly, his voice cracked. He felt how his body had begun to shut down.
He heard the boy above him him, gently tugging his hands through Harry’s hair at a gentle pace. He felt Tom pause above him as he moved back Harry’s hair. Harry watched as Tom curiously let his fingers rest on Harry’s scar. Harry could help but close his eyes as a jumble of warmth was sent throughout his body in a comforting way. It made him feel relaxed. His breathing had begun to slow down rapidly. He was gently hoisted up until his head rested on Tom’s shoulder. The teen leaned down before hotly whispering in his ear.
“I believe it’s not time for you to go just yet, my dear.”