She went inside and closed the door behind her. Sneaking up to it, I
pressed my ear against the door and listened. She was talking to someone.
I heard her say, "No one saw me. Can you show me now?"
A boy's voice answered with, "Okay, but you can't tell a soul." The voice sounded an awful lot like Tom's. I then heard the same boy's voice speak a very strange language-a language that no normal person should speak. The words ended as fast as they had started. Then I heard an awful scraping sound, like someone was moving cement against cement. Then the boy's voice again. "You go first. When you get to the bottom, wait for me."
I didn't hear anything else for a few moments and I decided to risk it. Sticking my head in the doorway, I saw that the washroom was empty. But the rows of sinks in the centre of the room had separated. A dark, looming hole was in the centre. Maybe it was insanity, maybe it was incessant curiosity. But I jumped down that hole. I jumped into the blackness and bit my tongue so I wouldn't scream.
It was like a slide at a park. Only at the park, when you got to the bottom, there was usually sand. Here, there was an awful crunching sound and when I looked down I saw thousand of small animal skeletons. Recoiling in horror, I jumped through the first tunnel I saw. Sensing shadows ahead, I drew my wand from my robes, feeling thankful that I had thought to put them on, I headed towards the shadows.
There was no noise, except that of the odd squeak from a rat by my feet. I followed the shadows, lurking to avoid being seen. What was this place? We were obviously deep under the castle. But why would Dawn want to come here? I knew she had tried some pretty strange places with guys, but this was just sick. It seemed like I had been walking for an hour when I heard the boy speak the same language and a loud clicking sound echoed through the tunnel I was standing in. I waited again, for several moments, before I advanced towards the voices. I found myself standing at what looked like a vertical manhole. It was open and I stepped forward. There was a small ladder in front of me, leading down, so I climbed down it and found myself facing one of the most frightening scenes I had ever witnessed.
It was a chamber. All of a sudden, thoughts came rushing to my head and everything clicked into place. The Chamber of Secrets that everyone spoke of was real. Rubeus was really Salazar Slytherin's heir and he did use the monster here to kill people. But if Rubeus was Slytherin's heir, then who had led Dawn down here? And where were they?
Moving forward towards the giant statue of Slytherin's head (kind of eerie, I know) I pressed on with caution. I felt jumpier than a cat and every slight noise scared me out of my wits. I almost screamed three times on the short walk. When I got to the front of the chamber, I looked around. Where was Dawn? Surely, she couldn't have gotten that far.
"Vickie."
There was that voice again. Knowing who it was, before I turned, I faced the dark shadows of the statue to find Tom standing against the wall. I was torn. Half of my body tried to run to him, and be comforted, while the other half stood in place. I was forced to make a snap decision and I ran to him, stopping short of him, three feet in front of him.
His eyes were neither cold, nor happy. He expressed no emotions whatsoever. When he spoke, his voice was level. "What are you doing here?"
"I, um, wanted to know what was going on." It was a pretty lame excuse, but it didn't seem to reflect on him. He looked so casual, leaning against the rock, his arms crossed in front of him. In one hand was his wand and he was tapping it patiently against the rock.
"Nothing's going on," he replied in that calm voice. I felt like screaming until Professor Dippet could hear in the castle and scratching at the walls in agony. I felt so completely frustrated, and for no reason at all. I was confused and I wanted answers.
"You shouldn't be here, Victoria," he said. Using my full name was never a good sign. "You should be in bed, asleep, getting your rest."
"Are you feeling okay, Tom?"
"I'm feeling fine."
I felt a little braver for a quick moment, so I asked, "Where's Dawn? Why did you bring her down here?"
"Dawn wanted to see my secret hideaway, Vickie. You should not be here."
"Your secret hideaway?" For a moment, I felt completely puzzled and lost. How could Tom get into Slytherin's chamber? How was he able to find it if Rubeus was the heir? Unless Tom was the heir. But that was crazy talk-wasn't it?
Tom noticed the change in my expression and he nodded slowly. "Yes, Victoria. It was I. I was responsible for Myrtle's death. I was responsible for all those attacks. I was responsible for Rubeus Hagrid being blamed. It was all me, Vickie, all me. And in case you haven't noticed, I am the heir of Salazar Slytherin."
I felt as though my stomach had dropped to the floor. I was unable to speak and my first instinct was to run, as fast as my legs would carry me, back up the ladder and through the tunnel to safety. But I stood my ground. No matter how he acted, Tom was still Tom and I could handle him.
"Why?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice maintained. "Why did you do it?"
"Don't be such a fool, Victoria!" he spat at me, circling me like a hawk. "You know the legends. How Slytherin absolutely detested people who weren't purebloods. How he wanted his school to be designated for all- magic families. How he loathed anyone who wasn't fit to attend his school, yet somehow made it in. So I vowed to continue his work and finish off all the Mudbloods in the school. I started with attacks; it seemed the easiest way to ease my way into it. I then planned to move on to killings. Myrtle was an accident. I came into the washroom to come here and cause another attack, but Myrtle heard me and exited the stall she had been in, crying about something or other. It wasn't really my fault. I did feel kind of bad, but she deserved it for worming her way into Hogwarts in the first place."
My heart was beating like a tin drum. I only hoped Tom couldn't hear it. I felt as though I was drifting through an endless time of confusion and pain. I didn't know why, but I felt such a deep emotional pain that I dropped to the ground, clutching my wand to my chest. I noticed that Tom made a move to check on me, but stopped himself before he got anywhere near me. "Where's Dawn?" I managed to croak out.
Tom smiled maliciously. "Dawn's my helper now, Vickie. And now that you know my secret, you must suffer the consequences."
I had been reading romance novels all my life. I knew what the look between a man and a woman who love each other should look like. So I sat tall and closed my eyes, prepared to take the aim of Tom's wand. But nothing came. Opening my one eye slowly, I noticed Tom's arm shaking. When he saw that I was looking at him, he straightened his arm and aimed his wand at me again. "Goodbye, Victoria," he said and I heard his voice echo off the walls. It's funny how you notice little things like that in desperate times. I closed my eyes again, but once again, nothing. This time, I opened them both wide and saw that Tom had lowered his wand.
"Human emotion," he stated simply. "It's a strange thing. I've felt anger towards my parents. I've felt hatred towards those who don't understand me. But I've never felt anything quite like this." He dropped to his knees and the emotional pain inside me ceased. I crawled over to him and put my hands on his. He looked up into my eyes.
"It's love, Tom," I said quietly. "You can't fight something like that. You can try to struggle, but you just can't do it."
He lowered his eyes to the ground again before the fire returned to them. "Join me, Victoria," he said, heatedly. "Join me in my escapades. Join me in my quest for domination. Be by my side for all eternity. Be with me, Vickie. I need you."
I knew that if I were to have any chance at surviving this, I would have to play along. Yet there was something inside me that burned at the sound of his words. He did need me. I was his weakness. He couldn't handle love; it made him defenceless. I could change his ways just by being myself. And damn it, I was going to try.
"What do you want, Tom?" I asked simply. "What do you want?"
"I don't want to be Tom Riddle anymore," he replied. "I've found a new name for myself, based on my old one. One that will one day strike fear into the hearts of everyone when they hear it. A name that will survive me long after I am gone. A name that is strong and resolute. A name that will guide me."
"What is it?"
He grinned like a little boy on Christmas morning. "Lord Voldemort," he said, his eyes glowing in the darkness. "The name that will make me great."
I nodded. To me, it sounded absolutely ridiculous, but if it was what he wanted, I would go with it. "Voldemort," I whispered to myself. When he looked questioningly at me, I said, "Just trying it out."
I heard a soft groan from over in the shadows and I swung my eyes that way. Dawn was on the ground, crawling to us, holding her head in pain. When she got to be about six feet away, she stood, although wobbly, and started towards us. Tom's back was to her, and he didn't see her, but I did. Indecisive as to whether I should alert him, or let her bash his skull in, I decided to point casually towards her. Tom turned and raised his wand. Shouting a curse I had never heard before, a streak of green light shot out of the end of his wand and Dawn fell to the ground in a heap. Crawling away from Tom and to her, I checked her pulse.
"She's dead!"
A boy's voice answered with, "Okay, but you can't tell a soul." The voice sounded an awful lot like Tom's. I then heard the same boy's voice speak a very strange language-a language that no normal person should speak. The words ended as fast as they had started. Then I heard an awful scraping sound, like someone was moving cement against cement. Then the boy's voice again. "You go first. When you get to the bottom, wait for me."
I didn't hear anything else for a few moments and I decided to risk it. Sticking my head in the doorway, I saw that the washroom was empty. But the rows of sinks in the centre of the room had separated. A dark, looming hole was in the centre. Maybe it was insanity, maybe it was incessant curiosity. But I jumped down that hole. I jumped into the blackness and bit my tongue so I wouldn't scream.
It was like a slide at a park. Only at the park, when you got to the bottom, there was usually sand. Here, there was an awful crunching sound and when I looked down I saw thousand of small animal skeletons. Recoiling in horror, I jumped through the first tunnel I saw. Sensing shadows ahead, I drew my wand from my robes, feeling thankful that I had thought to put them on, I headed towards the shadows.
There was no noise, except that of the odd squeak from a rat by my feet. I followed the shadows, lurking to avoid being seen. What was this place? We were obviously deep under the castle. But why would Dawn want to come here? I knew she had tried some pretty strange places with guys, but this was just sick. It seemed like I had been walking for an hour when I heard the boy speak the same language and a loud clicking sound echoed through the tunnel I was standing in. I waited again, for several moments, before I advanced towards the voices. I found myself standing at what looked like a vertical manhole. It was open and I stepped forward. There was a small ladder in front of me, leading down, so I climbed down it and found myself facing one of the most frightening scenes I had ever witnessed.
It was a chamber. All of a sudden, thoughts came rushing to my head and everything clicked into place. The Chamber of Secrets that everyone spoke of was real. Rubeus was really Salazar Slytherin's heir and he did use the monster here to kill people. But if Rubeus was Slytherin's heir, then who had led Dawn down here? And where were they?
Moving forward towards the giant statue of Slytherin's head (kind of eerie, I know) I pressed on with caution. I felt jumpier than a cat and every slight noise scared me out of my wits. I almost screamed three times on the short walk. When I got to the front of the chamber, I looked around. Where was Dawn? Surely, she couldn't have gotten that far.
"Vickie."
There was that voice again. Knowing who it was, before I turned, I faced the dark shadows of the statue to find Tom standing against the wall. I was torn. Half of my body tried to run to him, and be comforted, while the other half stood in place. I was forced to make a snap decision and I ran to him, stopping short of him, three feet in front of him.
His eyes were neither cold, nor happy. He expressed no emotions whatsoever. When he spoke, his voice was level. "What are you doing here?"
"I, um, wanted to know what was going on." It was a pretty lame excuse, but it didn't seem to reflect on him. He looked so casual, leaning against the rock, his arms crossed in front of him. In one hand was his wand and he was tapping it patiently against the rock.
"Nothing's going on," he replied in that calm voice. I felt like screaming until Professor Dippet could hear in the castle and scratching at the walls in agony. I felt so completely frustrated, and for no reason at all. I was confused and I wanted answers.
"You shouldn't be here, Victoria," he said. Using my full name was never a good sign. "You should be in bed, asleep, getting your rest."
"Are you feeling okay, Tom?"
"I'm feeling fine."
I felt a little braver for a quick moment, so I asked, "Where's Dawn? Why did you bring her down here?"
"Dawn wanted to see my secret hideaway, Vickie. You should not be here."
"Your secret hideaway?" For a moment, I felt completely puzzled and lost. How could Tom get into Slytherin's chamber? How was he able to find it if Rubeus was the heir? Unless Tom was the heir. But that was crazy talk-wasn't it?
Tom noticed the change in my expression and he nodded slowly. "Yes, Victoria. It was I. I was responsible for Myrtle's death. I was responsible for all those attacks. I was responsible for Rubeus Hagrid being blamed. It was all me, Vickie, all me. And in case you haven't noticed, I am the heir of Salazar Slytherin."
I felt as though my stomach had dropped to the floor. I was unable to speak and my first instinct was to run, as fast as my legs would carry me, back up the ladder and through the tunnel to safety. But I stood my ground. No matter how he acted, Tom was still Tom and I could handle him.
"Why?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice maintained. "Why did you do it?"
"Don't be such a fool, Victoria!" he spat at me, circling me like a hawk. "You know the legends. How Slytherin absolutely detested people who weren't purebloods. How he wanted his school to be designated for all- magic families. How he loathed anyone who wasn't fit to attend his school, yet somehow made it in. So I vowed to continue his work and finish off all the Mudbloods in the school. I started with attacks; it seemed the easiest way to ease my way into it. I then planned to move on to killings. Myrtle was an accident. I came into the washroom to come here and cause another attack, but Myrtle heard me and exited the stall she had been in, crying about something or other. It wasn't really my fault. I did feel kind of bad, but she deserved it for worming her way into Hogwarts in the first place."
My heart was beating like a tin drum. I only hoped Tom couldn't hear it. I felt as though I was drifting through an endless time of confusion and pain. I didn't know why, but I felt such a deep emotional pain that I dropped to the ground, clutching my wand to my chest. I noticed that Tom made a move to check on me, but stopped himself before he got anywhere near me. "Where's Dawn?" I managed to croak out.
Tom smiled maliciously. "Dawn's my helper now, Vickie. And now that you know my secret, you must suffer the consequences."
I had been reading romance novels all my life. I knew what the look between a man and a woman who love each other should look like. So I sat tall and closed my eyes, prepared to take the aim of Tom's wand. But nothing came. Opening my one eye slowly, I noticed Tom's arm shaking. When he saw that I was looking at him, he straightened his arm and aimed his wand at me again. "Goodbye, Victoria," he said and I heard his voice echo off the walls. It's funny how you notice little things like that in desperate times. I closed my eyes again, but once again, nothing. This time, I opened them both wide and saw that Tom had lowered his wand.
"Human emotion," he stated simply. "It's a strange thing. I've felt anger towards my parents. I've felt hatred towards those who don't understand me. But I've never felt anything quite like this." He dropped to his knees and the emotional pain inside me ceased. I crawled over to him and put my hands on his. He looked up into my eyes.
"It's love, Tom," I said quietly. "You can't fight something like that. You can try to struggle, but you just can't do it."
He lowered his eyes to the ground again before the fire returned to them. "Join me, Victoria," he said, heatedly. "Join me in my escapades. Join me in my quest for domination. Be by my side for all eternity. Be with me, Vickie. I need you."
I knew that if I were to have any chance at surviving this, I would have to play along. Yet there was something inside me that burned at the sound of his words. He did need me. I was his weakness. He couldn't handle love; it made him defenceless. I could change his ways just by being myself. And damn it, I was going to try.
"What do you want, Tom?" I asked simply. "What do you want?"
"I don't want to be Tom Riddle anymore," he replied. "I've found a new name for myself, based on my old one. One that will one day strike fear into the hearts of everyone when they hear it. A name that will survive me long after I am gone. A name that is strong and resolute. A name that will guide me."
"What is it?"
He grinned like a little boy on Christmas morning. "Lord Voldemort," he said, his eyes glowing in the darkness. "The name that will make me great."
I nodded. To me, it sounded absolutely ridiculous, but if it was what he wanted, I would go with it. "Voldemort," I whispered to myself. When he looked questioningly at me, I said, "Just trying it out."
I heard a soft groan from over in the shadows and I swung my eyes that way. Dawn was on the ground, crawling to us, holding her head in pain. When she got to be about six feet away, she stood, although wobbly, and started towards us. Tom's back was to her, and he didn't see her, but I did. Indecisive as to whether I should alert him, or let her bash his skull in, I decided to point casually towards her. Tom turned and raised his wand. Shouting a curse I had never heard before, a streak of green light shot out of the end of his wand and Dawn fell to the ground in a heap. Crawling away from Tom and to her, I checked her pulse.
"She's dead!"
