Tom walked Isabel back up to the common room, her delicate fingers entwined in his. The other students, who had been busy with their own petty romances for most of the evening, had finally begun to notice the highly anticipated couple. As they passed girl's hearts broke as the object of their affections slipped his hand around the waist of another. Boys' envy grew as the perfect, pureblood, brilliant; Tom Riddle strode down the hallway with the girl who was widely accepted to be the most beautiful in their year. Tom noticed the stares. He noticed the admiring looks from classmates, the envy, and the desire.

He drew Isabel closer to him.

"Look at them, Isabel," He whispered. "They all want to be us. They see what we're going to become."

Isabel's eyes shone once again. The power had overtaken her senses.

"We mustn't boast, Tom," She replied softly. "It isn't becoming on people of our status"

"No," Tom said, louder than before, "we deserve to boast Isabel. We are the dream that Salazaar Slytherin intended to create. It is for people like us the Chamber of Secrets has been opened."

"Do you really think it's the Chamber?" She asked as she entered the dungeon.

"I know it's the Chamber," He said quietly.

She raised her eyebrows and stared at him for a moment, allowing the meaning of his words to sink in. He knew what he'd said. He also knew that Isabel would never tell his secret, no matter how much she disapproved.

"Tom—I—"

He held up his hand in protest, "Don't," He told her.

"But Tom what if—"

"I won't be caught," He said.

"But—Joshua!" She cried. "You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

Her eyes were full of hurt but they could not conceal her wonder as she gazed upon her handsome friend for the first time in his true light.

"He was a mudblood, Isabel," Tom spat. He took her hands firmly in his own, "This is what is right, Isabel. This is what he wanted."

Tom indicated the statue of Slytherin.

"How did you—you know?" She asked quietly.

"I," Tom began dramatically, "am the last remaining descendent of Salazaar Slytherin himself."

Isabel's eyes grew wide. Tom could see himself becoming bigger in her eyes. He could see his power over her expanding. Though Isabel was not the typical Slytherin, any member of the house had been taught a certain reverence for its creator and Isabel was no exception.

"It is my duty," Tom said quietly, "to finish my ancestor's great work."

Isabel nodded in understanding, though she still seemed troubled.

"We should go to bed," She said softly.

Tom stepped toward her, "It is traditional, I believe, for the female to kiss the male goodnight."

Isabel hesitated, clearly the news of Tom's identity was weighing heavily on her mind, but Tom was determined. He stepped closer still, grasping Isabel's waist and pulling her toward him.

"You're mine, Isabel," He said softly. "You belong to me now."

Fear welled up in Isabel's heart as, for the first time, she felt uncomfortable in the presence of her best friend, but she did not let him see it. She fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously and tried to forget the pale image of Joshua lying frozen on the floor of the great hall as she looked into Tom's dark eyes. He leaned in for a kiss and she accepted it, though not as wholly as she had its predecessor. Even when she closed her eyes she could still feel the weight of Joshua's condition on her weak heart.

Tom pulled away and smiled. It was not the type of smile that one lover gives to another, but the type of smile one might see grace the face of a little boy who had just gotten away with eating two helpings of dessert. His eyes roamed her body and his grasp remained firm on her waist.

"Who else knows?" She asked after a small silence.

"Our usual crowd," Tom replied. "I never told Bellatrix, but I suspect she's guessed."

"Why didn't you tell me until now?" Isabel asked, a flash of anger in her eyes.

Tom rubbed her shoulders, "I wanted to protect you, Isabel, for as long as I could. That's all I ever want to do, protect you and keep you safe from harm."

Safe from mudbloods, Tom thought. Now that Isabel was his the thought of a mudblood of half-breed putting his hands on her was revolting. He wanted to protect Isabel from the filth that could potentially infect her pure blood and from that dirt that could stain her delicate skin. Desire rose in Tom to remove Isabel from Hogwarts altogether where she was forced to fraternize with those of a lesser breed. He wanted to build a home for her and keep her locked away where only those who were worthy of her presence could see her. That, Tom decided, was the eventual goal.

"I'm a big girl, Tom," Isabel said, standing up a bit straighter and gazing into his eyes fiercely. "I can handle myself. I am a Slytherin you know."

Tom could not help but laugh at this, "You're delicate, darling, I want to keep you away from the things in this world that could hurt you."

"If you keep me from anything that could hurt me you keep me from living!" She said. "Tom, I want to be with you but you can't control my life."

Tom cupped her face and lifted her forehead gently to his lips, "I wish only to protect you, darling, you may live as you choose."

She seemed to melt at his touch.

"How long have you felt this way about me?" Isabel asked quietly.

Tom took a moment to formulate his response. He, once again, did not wish to appear weak or emotional, but he also wanted to give her an answer that she wanted to hear.

"I have desired you for quite some time," He answered.

The answer seemed to disappoint Isabel, and Tom immediately regretted his choice of words.

"I'm going to go upstairs now. Goodnight Tom," She sighed.

Tom watched Isabel ascend the curved staircase that led to the girls' dormitory and waited until he heard the faint click of the door behind her before dashing out of the common room into the deserted corridors of Hogwarts after hours.

Tom sped stealthily to the bathroom he knew so well and down into the chamber that had almost become a second home. There was Nagini, coiled around herself in a deep slumber. Tom called her awake.

"Nagini!" He cried. "Nagini wake up!"

The snake lifted its enormous head drowsily to show Tom that he had gained her attention.

"Take to the pipes tonight, Nagini. Do not pick just any mudblood prowl the school for just the right one. We celebrate, tonight, Nagini. It has been a wonderful day for your master."

Nagini uncoiled herself approvingly and sped off into the bowels of the chamber where she would then take to the school itself to seek out her prey.

Her victim was found on a Thursday two weeks from the date when Tom had first sent her out. The air around Hogwarts had gotten significantly colder as November brought in the onset of winter and an icy wind from the north. Students had begun to don their hats and scarves and comfortable fires were constantly lit in the common room. It was on a crisp November morning that first-year, gobstone club member, and hufflepuff Rebecca Motley was found petrified just outside the Quidditch field frozen as she gazed into the lake.

Tom was furious.

His monster had once again failed to kill. The girl had not looked the snake directly in the eye but had seen her through a patch of ice. Tom had finally worked out the mystery behind the petrified students, and he wondered how long it would take for the Hogwarts staff to catch on. None of the students had seen the basilisk head-on. Maribella, who had been notoriously vain, saw Nagini in a reflection in her compact as she applied makeup. And Joshua, poor Joshua, had seen the snake reflected in the flask that he was famous for carrying.

How hard could it possibly be, Tom fumed, to turn around when you see an enormous snake reflected behind you?

Tom let Nagini rest until well after the Christmas holiday. Maybe her sloppy performance could be cured by a little time alone in the chamber. Soon, Tom hoped, she would strike to kill. Ever since Rebecca had been petrified the school was in a frenzy. Many of the students had begun to look up the legend of the Chamber of Secrets though, at Professor Dippet's request, the staff virulently denied its existence.

Tom found it most amusing to watch the panic he'd created. He spent his time alone during the winter break wandering the corridors and marveling at the freedom he felt as opposed to his frightened classmates. First years began to travel only in frightened groups to all their classes and the more chivalrous boys had taken to escorting the female students down dark corridors.

Isabel had left Tom over the Christmas break to spend the holiday with her family in Ireland. Tom was little less than furious. How dare she leave Tom Riddle, the Heir of Slytherin, to spend his holiday alone? He had done so many times, but now that he had Isabel he was almost certain she would stay and accompany him. Tom no longer wished to lord over the other students without his beautiful Isabel by his side. He longed to use her as another reason for his elevated status. Not only was he powerful, pureblood, and beautiful, but so was his woman. It was not enough for Tom any more to be what other people desired he also must have what other people desired, and other people desired Isabel.

He hated being without her. Not because he longed to speak with her or missed her company, but because he hated not having her to show off. He missed the jealous stares he received from other students as they walked hand-in-hand. He missed being able to feast his eyes on the curves that were now his while other men had to settle for lesser beauties. He was furious she had chosen to spend time with her family as opposed to spending time with him; in fact, the two had parted on rather bad terms.

"But why, Isabel?" He had asked her.

"It's Christmas Tom!" She cried as they walked down the corridor, her luggage floating lazily behind them. "I have to spend Christmas with my family!"

"You don't have to do anything but stay here with me, Isabel," He said, flicking his wand to stop her trunk in mid-air.

"Stop it," She said forcefully. "Put it right, I have to go."

"No," Tom said quietly. "Stay with me."

"TOM!" She yelled, nearly hysterical, "Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?" He asked, even quieter still. He allowed his eyes to bury into her soul.

"That thing you do!" She cried. "You're making me feel terrible and I shouldn't! You're so controlling!"

He reached out and pulled her close to him. She resisted, but he was stronger than she was.

"You belong to me, not them, Isabel," He said.

"I belong to myself," She spat, pulling out of his grasp. "You would do well to learn that!"

Tom's eyes flashed angrily as Isabel began to pull her trunk manually toward the front of the school.

"They can't do for you what I can, Isabel!" He cried after her. "Do you choose them?"

"It's not about choosing one or the other Tom, they're my family." She said with disgust.

"Well, as you know, I myself have never had a family," He replied scathingly.

"Don't try to put that on me Tom," She answered her voice now full of sadness. "If I could do something about that I would."

"You could stay with me," He replied.

"I can't," She answered. "My family wants me home."

"But why? Why does it matter so much to you?" He genuinely wanted to know.

"For someone who cares so much about blood, Tom, you care very little about family." The two reached the front of the school where various other couples were saying lengthy goodbyes. The others stopped as the frustrated Isabel and the furious Tom continued their fight at the Hogwarts gates.

"Look at everyone else!" Isabel cried. "Other couples are saying goodbye, Tom! Nobody else is offended by the fact that their girlfriend has to leave for the holiday!"

Tom grabbed Isabel by the arm and hissed "We are not like everyone else, Isabel, you know that."

"I'm going, Tom," She said. "Hopefully I find you in a better mood when I get home."

With that, Isabel grabbed her trunk and walked out into the group of students who were leaving for the Hogwarts Express. Tom was furious.