All right so this fic will be extremely AU after the first chapter, it will feature a more intelligent, far more powerful Ron but Ron will still make mistakes, he will fall on his ass many times and don't expect him to start dueling Snape, Bellatrix and Sirius at the same time in third year, he will have to work hard to get power, no Mary Sue Ron.
All rights go to JK Rowling.
Ron Weasley could do nothing but stare at the intense amount of destruction he had caused, one moment he had been standing there, behind the rocks with Lockhart who was mumbling something about Dwarves but Ron hadn't been listening, all he could think of was Ginny, his little sister, the baby of the family was inside the Chamber Of Secrets with the Heir of Slytherin, he had never felt so useless, a failure who couldn't even help his little sister when she had needed him the most, His best mate Harry Potter was inside as well but Ron felt like he needed to be the one to save Ginny, she was his sister after all. But without a wand that had seemed impossible, Ron cursed Lockhart again, the idiot, this was all his fault.
'It isn't impossible' a tiny voice had whispered, Ron was certain that he had heard it but nobody was here, only Lockhart and himself, so where had that voice come from?
'Stop wasting time, let go Ronald, let me take control, Ginny will be saved' There that voice was again, Ron was certain it was in his head, so compelling sounding,but how? the voice was right though, there was no time to waste, he felt a warm energy wash over him, for a second it felt nice, comfortable even, a split-second later that was replaced by the most painful feeling Ron had ever felt, it felt like his entire being was being cooked alive, he couldn't see a thing or feel a thing.
Ron felt the literal fire burning in his veins, felt power like he had never felt before flooding him, Ron didn't know how it happened but the rocks that had been blocking the entrance started melting like it was nothing, after a minute or so where there had been solid rock there was only ash, his feet were walking and Ron was certain that he wasn't the one commanding them.
Soon he was standing in front of a very complex looking door with numerous snakes seemingly guarding it, Ron felt it again, the fire almost burning him alive and the door was burning just like the rocks, it took maybe a minute and the hellish flames had turned this entrance into ash.
Ron walked through the dimly lit chamber where he saw quickly saw Harry and another boy wearing Hogwarts robes but when he saw Ginny's body laying there the two were quickly forgotten.
''Gin! I'm so sorry, I should've been watching you! I'm the lousiest brother ever'' Ron said as he fell to his knees next to Ginny's still body and gently held her deathly pale face.
''Ron how did you get here?'' Harry asked, his expression curious but at the same time extremely alert.
''Long story Harry, we need to get Ginny out of here and to the hospital wing, who're you anyway?'' Ron asked the unfamiliar teen, After he saw his Slytherin robes he couln't help the sneer that covered his face.
The boy's smile seemed charming but he also held a strange gleam in his eyes.
''He's Tom Riddle Ron, a memory at least and I agree we need to go back immediately!'' Harry stated urgently, Ron nodded and went to pick up Ginny when he saw the Slytherin named Tom Riddle fingering a wand he right away recognized as Harry's, so did the Boy-Who-Lived.
''Give me my wand Tom, this isn't game, Ginny needs help right now and there's a Basilisk in here!'' Harry said losing his patience quickly.
''I just want to have a little talk Harry, Besides the Basilisk won't come until it's called'' Riddle's voice matched the smug look he had on his face.
''Why is Ginny like this? why isn't she petrified?'' Ron's voice quietly cut in.
''Interesting question Ron, and quite a long story, I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley is like this is because she spilled her heart to an invisible stranger'' Riddle said with smirk never leaving his face.
''What are you talking about Riddle'' Ron growled, giving the dark-haired Slytherin his undivided attention.
''The Diary, my diary, Ginny has been writing in it for months and months now, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes- how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how''- Riddle's eyes glinted'' How she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever look at her''
Ron growled as he stared at Riddle who didn't even seem to be paying him attention, his face staring at Harry with a primal hunger.
''It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven year old girl,'' he went on.'' But I was very patient, I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind, Ginny simply loved me...I'm so glad I have you to confide in Tom, no one's ever understood me like you Tom, it's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket'' Riddle laughed a cold high laugh and Ron thought that cruel laugh laugh sounded wrong coming out of someone who looked only a couple of years older than himself.
''I have always been able to persuade the ones I needed, Ginny was no different, she poured her soul into the diary and unfortunately for her, that's exactly what I wanted. You see as Ginny Weasley grows weaker, I grow stronger, soon I was far stronger than, strong enough to give her some of my secrets and in-time strong enough to control her, Ginny was the one who opened the Chamber Of Secrets, the one who wrote the threatening messages, petrified those mudbloods and Filch's cat, Ginny killed those roosters.''
''Ginny would never you slimy git! you forced her to! but it's useless cause the Mandrake potion will be ready soon and it'll all be over for you Riddle.'' Ron told the boy who was still wearing that damn smug look on his face, said Slytherin turned to him and regarded him coldly, his face settled on a menacing grin.
''Ginny's brother, Ron, she looked up to you, she thought her favorite brother was going to protect her but you've let her down, her last thought before she passed out were about you, where were you Ron? to self-absorbed to help his sister when she needed him?'' Riddle said coldly, Ron visibly flinched, he looked at the ground wondering it was true.
''What do you want Riddle?'' Harry quietly asked. Tom turned to him and approached Harry until he was standing in front of him.
''What I want to know is how you, a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? how did you escape with nothing but a measly scar while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?''
There was an odd red gleam in his eyes now.
''Why do you care how I escaped?'' Harry said slowly. ''Voldemort was after your time..''
''Voldemort'' Said Riddle softly. ''Is my past, present and future''
He wielded Harry's wand and started writing three words in the air.
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
With a swish of his wand the words started rearranging themselves.
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.
Ron felt his heart almost stop beating within his chest, they were facing You-Know-Who! the darkest wizard ever! he felt himself start to lose hope, they would never escape..
'With that mentality you certainly won't'
that voice again… after this whole debacle he was really going to find out what it was.
''It was a name I was already using at school, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You'd thought I'd keep my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself through my mother's side! Keep the name of a foul Muggle who abandoned my mother before I was even born just because she was a witch! no boys, I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would fear one day, when I became the greatest Sorcerer in the world!''
''Wait you're a halfblood?'' Ron asked seemingly incredulous.
Tom sneered at that, an ugly look.'' I grow tired of talking, it's time for me to put an end to you two boys and little Ginny, let's match the powers of Dumbledore's finest against Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin'' Riddle calmly walked away, Ron felt the feeling of his veins being set on fire again but this time stronger than ever.
Riddle hissed at the statue of Slytherin and after a minute or so he heard something heavy and big coming out, out of Slytherin's mouth crawled The King Of Serpents, the Basilisk in all it's glory, Ron strangely enough didn't feel fear this time, he gave a single look at Harry and the boy immediately understood, the boy turned tail and ran as far away as he could with Ron following him, Riddle hissed something at the beast and it was chasing them.
'The Basilisk won't hurt you...it obeys the Holy Power..'
''I don't even have a wand let alone The Holy Power!'' Ron snapped at the stupid voice. ''You know right about now would be a great moment for you to give me that power to melt things again!''
'But that is highly unnecessary… look it isn't even attacking you, it's attacking your friend, the beast of Slytherin can sense the Holy Power, if you command it, it will stop and yes I know you're not a Parseltongue but command the beast, tell it to stop and don't look into it's eyes'
''Stop Beast! I command you!'' Ron said with a authority in his voice that he had never had before and it was with horror that he realised he wasn't speaking, the voice had taken over.
'I felt a sense of insecurity, that you couldn't do it, I had to take action, you wouldn't want your friend to die I assume?'
Ron decided that he didn't even want to answer as the Basilisk was now circling his body, Harry looking positively terrified and Riddle furious. He hissed something which Ron could interpret as 'Kill him you damn beast I am your master!'
''I'm afraid not Riddle, I am the Basilisk's master and I command The King Of Serpents to return to where it came from'' Ron said and like a dog instead of a 60 feet snake it crawled away, past Harry, past Riddle and right into Salazar's mouth.
Riddle for the first time looked dumbstruck, as if he couldn't even fathom what had happened and to be honest, Ron who was now back in control of his body didn't know what to think, Ron couldn't see Harry but he was certain that he was also looking bamboozled.
''How did you do that Weasley! you are not the Heir Of Slytherin, you are a Blood-Traitor!'' Riddle had lost the smug look on his face and replaced it with one of extreme panic, Ron got the feeling he wasn't used to not being in control of a situation.
''Like I'd tell you!'' Ron yelled and Riddle's anger seemingly increased even more but not even a second later he was back to the cool mask he had worn previously.
''Either way it doesn't matter, soon Ginny will be gone and I will be alive once more and then I'll just pull all of your secrets out of your tiny body! yes, that is the best course of action, I had never even considered that Ginny would have such an interesting older brother-''
Riddle was interrupted by a beautiful song, Ron had never heard anything quite like it soon the creature singing the song entered his vision, it was a bird, red in colour but with a long golden tail. It landed before him, the creature was staring at him. it was a Phoenix.
''That's Fawkes, what is he doing here?''
''Dumbledore must have sent him, I don't know what it's gonna do, Phoenixes aren't exactly known for their offensive capabilities!'' Riddle laughed.'' But let's see what he does, after all in mere minutes you will have to face the might of Lord Voldemort!''
Fawkes seemingly having had enough of him flew at Riddle who's face twisted into a look of surprise and Fawkes was on him, the Phoenix clawed at the Slytherin's arm who clearly felt it and it made him drop his wand, Harry with his natural Seekers was there faster than Riddle and grabbed it.
'Destroy The Diary' The voice said.
''Harry I think we need to destroy the Diary!'' Ron asked of his best friend who nodded with a look of concentration on his face.
''Incendio!'' Harry intoned as he pointed his wand at the Diary, the Diary burst into flames, nothing, the flames licked at it for a second and it seemingly extinguished itself.
Ron felt it again, the extremely painful feeling of his entire being getting set on fire and he was again a bystander, the voice had taken over again.
'Ron' calmly walked towards the diary, he held out his palm toward the dark book and spoke in a unforgiving guttural tone. ''Expellat Tenebras'' A silver flame took hold of the diary.
''What are you doing stop it! Damn you both, foolish children! you have no idea what you're messing with!'' Riddle kept yelling and Ron noticed that tiny holes were starting to appear in him as the silver flame just kept burning, he was back in his body, soon Riddle wasn't there anymore and the Diary had been turned into ash by the flame.
''Ron...what's happened? you weren't like this before'' Harry asked, his voice sounding confused.
''I don't even know Harry, I'd tell you if I did mate but this whole has been confusing...let's go back, Ginny needs immediate help'' Ron said as he watched his sister, he smiled as she finally opened her eyes.
''Oh Ron! I didn't want to do it! Tom forced me I sw-'' Ron immediately silenced her with a hug as she sobbed quietly on his shoulder.
''It's okay Gin-Gin, we know everything, Tom is gone now, you're safe, we know you didn't do it'' Ron re-assured his baby sister, Harry who was standing behind couldn't help the slight envy he felt when he saw the relationship between the two, Dudley wasn't going to be crying on his shoulder any time soon.
''We need to get out of here Ron'' Harry said to his friend who nodded, Fawkes flew in the air and Harry remembered that Phoenixes could lift weights far heavier than they were, he held onto the bird's tail and Ron grasped his hand while Ginny grabbed Ron's, they made a quick stop for Lockhart and they were out of the Chamber Of Secrets.
Yes that's it, I'm sure many of you are wondering about the voice and the Holy Power, much will be explained in time, and no it won't be some unbeatable all-powerful force, it has limits and Ron will soon painfully experience them and to you guys wondering if Harry will now be playing second-fiddle to Ron, no he won't Harry will end up being VERY powerful and he will play a very important role. see you soon.