Tangled in the web.
"I'm so bored!" With those three innocent words, Fred Weasley began a chain reaction that would have worldwide consequences, shattering long-held beliefs and ushering in a new age of enlightenment as the Dark Ages were lifted…but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Let's start back at the beginning.
"I'm so bored!" Fred Weasley said. His brother George felt the same way.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" George asked his best friend and twin.
"I think so George, but how are we going to get Ron to eat a Tarantula?"
"No, that's not what I'm thinking.
"Ron will eat just about anything, but he's afraid of arachnids. Maybe if we fry it up in some batter…"
"Would you forget about Ron and spiders?" George asked. "No, my idea involves someone a litte shorter."
"Professor Flitwick? I'm all for a good prank, George, but why don't we concentrate on those who deserve one first."
"We're not going to prank Ron, nor are we going to prank Professor Flitwick. Tell me, Fred, have you noticed…"
"I tell you George, this plan of yours is brilliant." Fred grinned at his brother as he rummaged through the trunk.
"Just following in your footsteps old bean." George replied, as he searched through a set of drawers.
"Ah ha! Got it!" Fred cried. George shut the drawer and him and Fred left the room.
"Think Dumbledore will ever realise that boys can fly into the Girls Dorms?"
"Who's going to tell?" Fred replied with a grin, and the two flew into their own dormitory.
The troublesome twosome sat on Fred's bed; faces alight with mischievous glee, as they prepared to open the rather old and slightly tattered diary.
"Hey Fred, something's wrong. It's completely blank."
"It can't be…Ginny's been writing in it for months."
"Maybe she's smarter than we thought. Maybe she put a voice activated passphrase on it…"
"Like the map?"
"Exactly."
Fred and George pulled out their wands and began taking turns stating phrases they thought Ginny would use.
"Fred and George are the best brothers ever."
Nothing happened.
"I was sure that was the one." Fred said.
"Let me try." George replied.
"Harry Potter is so handsome."
"Mrs Ginny Potter."
"Official Journal Record of the Harry Potter Fan Club."
"Percy is a prat."
"Ron has a rat."
"No, really, Fred and George really are the best brothers ever!" Fred tried again. Nothing worked.
"Nothing. We need to try something else."
"Like what?"
"What if we wrote in it – it might unlock the other entries."
"Ginny would notice."
"Not if we wrote something that would fit in."
Fred smirked and dipped his quill in his inkwell, scratching the name 'Harry Potter', surrounded with little hearts, on the parchment.
"Well, hurry up!" George admonished, yawning.
"I did! It just vanished."
"Oh my Minerva McGonagall, it ate Harry Potter!" George wailed.
But he stopped abruptly, as new writing appeared on the page.
He is so handsome. Fred and George can be so mean though…
"Hey!" The duo protested, but couldn't really defend themselves, as they were snooping through their sister's personal diary.
…They're covering themselves in boils and leaping out from behind statues…there's already enough monsters without them pretending to be…
The words disappeared and were replaced by new ones.
Percy has been showing an unusual interest in me lately. I think he thinks I'm sick. I'm perfectly fine, as you can see. Of course you can't see, you're a diary. Anyway, I'm not sure if he really cares or just wants to look good for Head Boy next year…
Hermione Granger was attacked today. It was awful…and Percy seems really upset…I'm so sorry for what I said about him before…
Fred and George frowned at the page. They had been expecting a lot of embarrassing entries on Ginny's adoration of the Boy-Who-Lived. However, they had only seen a few words written. Furthermore, they were fast becoming unusually tired.
Within a few seconds, the two had collapsed into a deep sleep.
Fred and George blinked as they opened their eyes in unfamiliar surrounds. As they took in the friendly, artificial glow around them, they saw an older boy walk toward them.
"Ah, you're awake." The boy smiled at them.
"Where are we?" Fred asked.
"You're at my place." The boy replied. "Can I get you anything? Tea…Juice?"
"No-no thanks." George answered, Fred shook his head.
"I found you outside."
George went over to the curtain and pulled it open. It was pitch black outside, but quite clear that a fierce storm was buffeting the little cottage.
"Thank you." George said.
"No problem." The boy answered with a friendly smile. "To whom do I owe the honour of hosting?"
"Fred and George Weasley."
"N-not THE Fred and George Weasley? Gentlemen, it is an honour! I've heard so much about you!" The boy told them, vigourously shaking their hands. "Excuse my rudeness. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tom Riddle."
"Pleased to meet you Tom." Fred replied, as the twins across from Tom at a little kitchen table. Fred got a good look at their host for the first time. He was wearing Hogwarts robes, Slytherin, with a prefect's badge pinned to it. He also had a striking resemblance to Harry – but with black eyes instead of Green and looked to be about 16.
Fred turned ominously to George.
"Have you noticed?" Tom began, obviously finished with the niceties. "That Hogwarts, majestic though it is, wastes a lot of time on useless pursuits. I mean, who other than Ravenclaws and historians care about the Goblin Revolutions of 1654?"
Fred and George gaped open mouthed at Tom Riddle. They never expected such words to come out of the mouth of a Prefect and never expected to find themselves agreeing with a Slytherin."
"And that many of the spells we learn will be of no use to us later in life. I mean, how many of you are going to need to turn a badger into a sofa? Isn't it better to learn the fundamentals of magic and mould it to our needs?"
"That's what Fred and I have been saying all along!" George began excitedly. " We want to start a joke shop – Mum wants us to follow Dad's footsteps and join the Ministry though, so she doesn't approve – but we've studied a lot of ways to make new spells and potions…But it can be so hard and arduous to get the information we need.
"Exactly." Tom replied. "If Hogwarts had a more organised curricular structure, then all subjects could work together to teach us the basics of Magic and we could then use the knowledge to further the boundaries of Magical ability! And it would leave a lot of spare time to devote to more useful pursuits than all that boring homework."
"You know what Fred?" George turned to his brother.
"What?"
"I think Tom is the most decent Slytherin I've ever met."
"You're right there."
Tom smiled at the two.
*-*-* A few hours later…
"…Of course, the Anti-Apparition wards around the cottage means your parents won't be able to get here anyway…" Tom was cut off by extremely weak and muffled moaning.
"Excuse me, the bitch is acting up – excuse my language. It's probably the storm."
Fred nodded as Tom went down into the cellar to tend to his frightened dog.
Tom returned after a few minutes. "Well, that seems to have settled her."
A few minutes later, the ground began shaking violently.
"This shouldn't be happening!" Tom yelled, waving his wand in intricate patterns. The shaking continued, but grew weaker.
"Hey Fred!" George yelled over the rumble. "That looks just like Ginny's wand!"
"Ginny?" Tom asked.
"She's our little sister. You might've seen her! Short, long red hair! Started this year"
"I can't recall her." Tom answered.
"Must be a coincidence, George. I'm sure some wands are bound to look simi-"
Fred's voice was cut off as he fell through the wall. Tom suddenly stopped waving his wand.
Fred pulled himself back through the wall, an expression of unspeakable horror plastered on his face. George's comfortable expression slid away as he noticed his brother's face.
Tom Riddle's eyes glinted dangerously.
"Incarcerous!" Riddle yelled, as ropes flew out of his wand and lashed Fred and George to a giant pillar, as the illusion of the little cottage vanished, and the twins found themselves in a massive underground chamber.
"Gentlemen," Riddle began grandly. "Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets."
"You…you're the heir of Slytherin?" Fred choked out, hardly able to believe his eyes. "You've been attacking everyone?"
"Surprise!" Riddle replied. "Of course, I can't take all the credit." Riddle grinned as he stepped aside, revealing the tiny body of Ginny Weasley, pulling herself up against another pillar.
"What's Ginny doing here?" George demanded.
"She has been quite…helpful." Riddle answered with a twisted grin. "And there is one more thing she's doing before her usefulness runs out….Though you'd think after all these months, she would have learned her lesson…Sadly not. Some people can be so stubborn. Pity to waste Pure blood like this, but sacrifices must be made. Perhaps another lesson is required."
Tom turned away from Fred and George.
"CRUCIO!"
Ginny's body thrashed back onto the ground. She started screaming in agony, which seemed to be ten times louder than what it was. Fred and George violently struggled against their bonds to no avail. The twins began sobbing uncontrollably as Riddle's evil laughter echoed around the chamber, adding the horrible cacophony.
After about a minute, the noise died down, Ginny's body lying still on the ground as Fred and George choked in their sobs. Riddle stood before them as if he were the conductor of some grand play. Fred and George were staring at Ginny's motionless body.
To their astonishment, Ginny stirred and began to pull herself up the pillar for the second time. George couldn't help himself and let out a small gasp. Riddle turned to see Ginny.
"Astonishing resilience for one so young and small." Riddle stated.
"Size is no guarantee of power." George choked out.
"CRUCIO!"
The process repeated itself.
"You would think," Riddle began in a friendly tone after he'd finished torturing Ginny for the second time. "That she would embrace her destiny. It would be…far less painful." Riddle chuckled at his own joke.
"You're wondering why I don't kill you all now?" Tom asked. "After all, if Ginny's going to die, why wait? Well Fred and George, I'll start from the beginning. Somehow, my diary…" Fred and George suddenly noticed Ginny's little black diary lying on the ground between them and their sister. "Fell into the hands of your sister. It was a slow process to begin controlling her, but I am patient – I had waited fifty years. It was very boring at the start, listening to the pathetic problems of an eleven year old girl. How she thought Harry Potter would never notice her. How." Riddle's eyes gleamed. "Her brothers never had the time of day for her anymore." Fred and George's eyes glistened with fresh tears. "But then I started to learn things I did not know. Her…sickening affection for the famed Boy-Who-Lived provided me with an unexpected goldmine of information. So I continued to be her friend, her confidante, I listened to her incessant whining…Of course, her entries started getting far more interesting instead. 'Dear Tom.'" Tom began in a sing-song voice. "Dear Tom…There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom…I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front…There was another attack today and I don't know where I was… The power of the diary began to scare her, so she tried to dispose of it in the Girl's bathroom. Who should find it but Harry Potter! Of course, Ginny could not risk me spilling all her secrets out, so the brat snuck into his dorm and stole it back. Thanks to her, I am now able to complete Salazar Slytherin's noble work!" Riddle finished.
"Not this time." Ginny said, her voice low and hoarse. "The Mandrake potion will be ready, and everyone who has been petrified will be alright again."
Riddle's smile broadened. "Haven't I told you, killing mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore. For months now, I've had a new target. How did a boy with extraordinary magical talent manage to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did Harry Potter escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"
"What do you care about Voldemort?" Ginny demanded. "He was after your time."
"Voldemort is my past, present, and future, Ginny Weasley." Tom waved her wand in the air.
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
The letters changed their positions.
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
Fred and George were speechless. Horror-struck, they stared, frozen with fear at the young face of the most feared wizard to ever live. Ginny, however, was not nearly as affected.
"Figures." Ginny snorted. "The world can't fit two beings as evil as you in."
Riddle chuckled enigmatically. "I've grown to nearly full strength thanks to you, Fred and George, but I cannot fully return until I have completely drained the life out of your sister. And you serve another purpose. Harry Potter, I know, is a parseltongue, and he will not rest until he uncovers the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets – and if Ginny is right about him, he will not allow himself to ignore the abduction of his best friend's siblings! You two will witness what happens when someone dares to defy Lord Voldemort!"
"You know what? I don't think they will." Ginny's eyes found the diary.
Tom laughed and strode over to it, picking it up. "What do you think you can do without a wand? Make the pages flop? This diary is beyond your meagre capabilities to destroy. Go on." Tom taunted. "Give it your best shot." Tom laid the Diary on the ground.
Ginny's arm shot out, her screwed into intense concentration. Nothing happened. Riddle laughed a high, cruel laugh.
Ginny fell back onto the pillar, a wan smile gracing her pale face.
"Have you finally embraced your destiny?" Tom questioned, but was cut off as the roof of the chamber cleaved apart and thousands of rocks poured down between Riddle and Ginny and Fred and George.
"Like I said Tom, I don't think they will."
Tom let out a bestial roar. "CRUCIO!"
Fred and George renewed their struggles against their bonds. If they could release themselves, they would be safe. Ginny had sacrificed herself to save their lives. Of course, breaking Lord Voldemort's spell would be no easy task.
"Did you hear that?" A female voice asked from beyond an ornate iron door.
"Yeah."
"This must be it, Harry." Ron's voice filtered in.
There was a short burst of hissing, and Harry, Ron and Hermione slowly edged into the Chamber.
"HARRY!" George called.
"Fred! George! What are you doing here…Where's Ginny. Where's the Basilisk?" Harry asked, as himself, Hermione and Ron raced over to the brothers.
"Finite Incantatem!" Hermione yelled. The ropes moved but didn't release themselves. "Together!"
"Finite Incantatem!" The trio yelled. The ropes fell away from Fred and George.
"Ginny's behind there. Harry, You-Know-Who is with her. We haven't seen any Basilisk"
Harry spun around and looked like he was going to blast the rocks to smithereens.
"No!" Hermione shouted. "We don't know what will happen. It could cave in and kill us all!"
"Hermione!" Ron yelled. "
"I'm on it!" Hermione began waving her wand and figures, numbers and symbols began appearing in the air. Harry and Ron tossed their wands to Fred and George and began ripping rocks away with their bare hands.
"Accio Fred Weasley's Wand! Accio George Weasley's wand! Accio Fred Weasley's trunk! Accio George Weasley's trunk! Accio Albus Dumbledore!"
"George!" Hermione called over the noise of Fred summoning things. "What are the dimensions of the chamber?"
George went over to Hermione and began calculating with her.
"I think I've got it!" Hermione announced. "I know of a few spells that might be useful but I've never tried them before…I know the theory."
"Need something blown up, Hermione? We're your guys." Fred said, face filled with grim determination as he rummaged through his trunk, pulling out phials and setting them out on the ground.
"This is the force created by our basic one." Fred stated, activating a small explosion. Hermione started scribbling in the air while the twins pointed out the various different potencies of the different potions.
"Okay. Put one of those purple ones there…two of those orange there…" Hermione began, telling Fred where to place them.
"This might not help much against You-Know-Who, but…" George told Harry and Ron.
"What are you doing?" Ron asked.
"Shield charms. They should protect you against basic spells."
"Somehow I don't think that will be the problem." Harry said.
"That's it! We've got it!" Hermione announced.
The five retreated behind a pillar.
"When that gets blown apart, Voldemort will be there…Maybe you four could go find a teacher." Harry ventured
Ron thumped Harry on the head over the outraged noises of Fred, George and Hermione.
"My sister is in there you moron!"
"Right, sorry." Harry replied, as Hermione began counting her fingers down.
"Impiger Maxima!" The twins shouted simultaneously. Harry darted forward and disappeared into the thick dust before it settled.
Hermione, Ron, Fred and George exchanged bolstering glances and followed Harry into the breach.