I, Tikal...Fuzz... Awoke on a cold stone floor, hearing voices close, but not too close to me. One of them was Draco's, one was

Lucious Malfoy's, one was Severus Snape, and one I didn't recognize.

"This is the girl, my Lord. My own son found her for you. He would like to present her to you, personally." Lucious Malfoy said,

smugly.

"You are sure, Malfoy? You are sure your boy did not disappoint me? I cannot afford any more disappointments." said the cold voice. I

knew who it was, now, of course. It was Voldemort.

"I am sure, my Lord. I have seen the mark you yourself placed upon her, as has Severus and my own boy." Lucious told the Dark Lord.

"Your boy is clever, to come to one of my loyal Death Eaters when he found the girl." Voldemort said to Malfoy, voice echoing coldly

around the corridor.

"Thank you, my Lord... You are ever generous." Malfoy said, graciously, bowing.

"Young Master Malfoy... Tell me about the girl. Everything you know. Speak, boy." I could feel Voldemort's snake-like eyes burning

into the back of my skull.

"Yes my Lord... She is in Slytherin House, my Lord. She found the Chamber of Secrets all on her own, and she lives there. She is a

Parseltongue, sir. She is kind, as well, but she is not to be trifled with. She is menacing, at times. She gets angry easily, my Lord. She

very suited to be a Slytherin." finished Draco. Traitor, I thought.

"And, young master Malfoy... what are YOUR feelings toward the girl? Do not lie to me, Malfoy." Voldemort said, and I could hear the

cold, evil smile in his voice.

"My Lord... my feelings toward the girl... do not matter. She... she is yours." Draco said, stumbling over his words.

"I asked you what your feelings for her were. Not whether they were relevant. CRUCIO!" I heard Draco fall to the ground and scream,

just as I heard Voldemort's robes whip around him as he turned.

"Now, I will ask you again, young Master Malfoy. What are YOUR feelings toward the GIRL?" Voldemort said, sneering.

"My Lord!" cried Draco, choking back pained tears, "I... I love her with all my heart..."

"Then it is fitting that you should not have her. Love is a weakness, Malfoy. Get up, boy, and unlock the cell. I wish to see her. NOW!"

Lord Voldemort demanded.

Draco shuffled to the cell door, and unlocked it. There was a creaking hinge behind me, and then footsteps. He stopped behind me, and

I felt his hand close over my shoulder. When he turned me over, I stayed still, until he bent down to wake me. Then, I opened my eyes

and socked him as hard as I could in the face.

"TRAITOR!!" I shouted, jumping up and running for the door to the cell, where Snape stood clutching my (17 inch willow and

rosewood, dragon heartstring and black rose petal) wand, and dived at the stunned Potions Master. I tackled him to the ground,

wrestled my wand from his hand, and flicked my hand, shutting the cell door and locking it non-verbally.

"Impressive, young lady. Would you try that against me?" Voldemort said, facing me and smirking.

"I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you, old man. You'd like for me to run at you, so you could stop me dead with the Cruciatus Curse. I

wouldn't duel you, either, for you'd surely Imperius Curse me." I said.

"How dare you speak to the Dark Lord like that!" screamed Lucious, drawing his wand.

Voldemort held up his hand, silencing the tall blonde man.

"I wouldn't use the Imperius Curse on you. Nor would I use the Cruciatus." Said the white faced, snake-eyed menace.

"Oh, sure you wouldn't, Riddle. That's like saying Malfoy over here wouldn't give me over to you in a heartbeat to save his own skin."

Snape, Lucious, and Draco gasped.

"Impudent fool!" cried Voldemort, outraged at hearing his last name. "You are NEVER to speak that name!"

"What, Riddle? But isn't your name Tom Riddle? Tom Marvolo Riddle? Oh no, I forgot, you changed it to something even MORE

stupid... LORD VOLDEMORT." I said, angrily.

"CRUCIO!" Roared Voldemort, wand pointed at me. I did nothing. The pain was searing, intense.

I had showed Voldemort's fake Professor Moody that I could withstand both the Imperius and the Cruciatus, just because I could think

my 'happy thoughts'. The pain was magical, and could be stopped. I knew it.

"It... Doesn't work on me, Voldy. Go ahead and... try it. You can't... make me writhe...before you." I said, through clenched teeth. As I

said, the pain was severe, but I kept from falling.

The pain lifted, but I suddenly felt like I should ram into the bars head first several times, until I cracked my skull open. Instead, I threw

off Voldemort's Imperius and glared.

"You cannot defy me!" He screamed, losing his cool. He nodded at me, and I was about to make a crack about what that would have

done to any type of toupe he might have decided to wear, but I felt a rock hit the back of my head, and I was unconcious once more.

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I, Draco Malfoy, had been standing at the bars of the cell for the whole escapade, marveling at Tikal's ability to throw off both curses.

Finally, Snape came up behind her with a stone block from off of the floor, and hit her in the back of the head with it. My father

unlocked the door, and had me drag Tikal into the cell.

"BOY!" cried the Dark Lord, "WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME OF HER POWER?!?"

"My Lord! I did not know!" I said, cringing.

"...You have been helpful, boy, but not helpful enough. Do you have anything more to say to renew your helpfulness?" he said, regaining

his composure.

"Her name is all I have, my Lord. Her name is Tikal...Well, Tikal Black, to some, Tikal Fuzz, to herself... But when she tried to prove

her pureblood heritage, she found one name, sir... a name she mentioned earlier... Tom Riddle, my Lord, but this was listed as her

father, my Lord, and I acted as though I did not see." I said, cringing again.

He laughed. A cold, peircing laugh.

"I am glad that she found that. You have regained your usefullness, boy. Tomorrow we will tell her what happened to her parents and

why. I am glad for you, boy. Glad you did not go any further with the girl. As I said, Love is an enemy. It is a weakness. It causes us to

falter in what must be done. I only have the girl out of neccessity, you understand. By this time next year, she will be dead."

I stumbled.

"My Lord? You're going to kill her?" I said, aghast.

"Yes, young Malfoy, after she bears me an heir." he said, climbing the stone steps up into his Manor.

"B...bears you an HEIR, my Lord? But...why her? Why Tikal?" I asked, mentally abusing myself for ever making her help me, for ever

getting her here.

"I picked her because, young Malfoy, she came to me. When I was a boy, your age, I met her in the Chamber. You see, I enchanted

the Chamber when I found it, so that my sixteen year old self could see people in the future if they were in the Chamber. She lives there,

as you told me, my boy, and one day, I met her. Saw her. Spoke with her. And how I knew that when I was ruler of the wizarding

world, she would be mine. I picked her then, so that when I found her parents, and killed them, it was because I had found younger her.

Her past, my future, when I saw her. I marked her, specially, so that when time relapsed and my sixteen year old self saw her, he would

know she was the one. He would seek her out and mark her, so that time wouldn't change. Time is a tricky thing, my boy. But when I

saw her at my sixteenth year...You could say I loved her, I suppose. And that is when I saw YOU, master Malfoy, and then, I hated

you. Later, I saw you as an asset to get to her. You see?" The Dark Lord had led us up to an elegant drawing room and sat down.

"Uh... My Lord? Might I ask... What exactly did you hate me for?" I asked nervously. The thought of Lord Voldemort seeing me and

Tikal together was chilling, considering...

"Why do you ask, young Malfoy... Is there something... less than honorable that you and the Girl did in the Chamber?"

"No! Of course not, my Lord. We are only sixteen!" I said, indignantly.

"My Lord, excuse my son if he has done anything less than honorable to the girl. He IS sixteen..." my father said, glaring coldly at me.

"You do not understand, Lucious. If he has 'soiled' the girl, as the spell says, then she is worthless and must be killed."

"NO! You can't kill her! We haven't done anything, I swear!" I said, truthfully. As much as I joked about it, it never happened.

"Did she love you back, Malfoy?" Snape asked, quietly. It was the first thing he had said, really, since we had left Hogwarts the

previous day.

"...I...I don't..." I stuttered. The suddenness of his question shocked me.

"Yes... Quite. Did she, young Malfoy?" Voldemort asked me, cooly.

"My Lord... I'm... I'm not sure... what you mean..." I said, lamely.

"Did she love you back?" Snape repeated, rising and beginning to pace.

"Yes... sir." I said, hands resting on my knees, head down.

"And how do you know this?" asked the Dark Lord.

"She...told me. Every day." I mumbled. I knew what they were getting at. They were trying to convince me that she had been playing

me, didn't like me. Trying to ensure that I wouldn't try to stop what they saw as neccessary.

"She told you. Did she...show you?" Voldemort asked, staring at me.

"What do you mean, my Lord?"

"Did she hug you, kiss you, hold your hand, or stand up for you?" he said, red eyes gleaming with mischeif.

"Yes, sir... What is the relevance of this?" I said, hotly.

"Watch your tongue, Malfoy. The relevance of this, my dear boy, is this: She did only as would be expected by someone who was

attempting to get more out of a relationship then petty kisses and hugs. You know I am right, boy. She was a, what would be a correct

term... Money Hungry woman. You are rich, she is not. You cannot deny this fact. You know, I had rather come to like you, my boy.

Rather come to like you indeed. But if you insist on believing this nonsense, I will have to get rid of you." He said, eyes gleaming.

"But my Lord... Surely there is some way that this could be avoided. Perhaps the boy tells the truth. Perhaps the girl loves him in return.

In that case, would she not be less useful to you? Would not the three spells' effects be disrupted if she loves another?" Snape said,

stopping in front of the Dark Lord and tapping his chin thoughtfully.

I saw Voldemort's eyes flash, but not in anger. He knew something we didn't know, that was for sure.

"Indeed. The spells' effects would certainly be affected. Perhaps it would be an excellent idea to ask the girl what she feels... I'm sorry...

FELT towards the boy." He said, mischeiviously.

"What do you mean what she felt?" I asked, sharply. I immediately regretted this.

"I have told you to HOLD YOUR TONGUE, MALFOY!" Voldemort said, trying to regain his composure. "Let me tell you what I

mean. When you handed her over to me, you think that she would still care for you like she did before? You think that she would still

care about you when you handed her to such an alleged 'evil' man as I? You expect her to love you still, if she ever did?"

My heart sunk. He was right, of course. She wouldn't still care for me. She'd hate me, probably. I didn't know, but I wanted to find out.

"I know how you feel, my boy. First thing that we shall do tomorrow is test the girl, and get her to tell us somethings about herself, shall

we?" said Voldemort, therefore dismissing us to our own rooms.

I couldn't imagine what Tikal was going through.

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Standing at the wrought-iron door to the holding cell, screaming my head off to be let go, I, Tikal, finally fell back to the ground in an

exhausted heap.

"This is USELESS. Nobody's coming for me. Who am I kidding? I'll be here for the rest of my LIFE!" I cried, falling flat, spread-eagled

on the floor from my sitting position.

Just then, the heavy wooden door at the top of the rough stone steps was flung open. Down into the dungeon a familiar figure swept in

his usual manner, followed by Malfoy and his father.

"Here comes the calvalry..." I muttered, standing up and pressing my face against the bars, letting my arms droop out through them,

casually.

"The Dark Lord will join us soon, Tikal. He has something for you." Snape said, quietly.

The look he gave me, one of sorrow and sympathy, filled me with saddness. Snape hadn't meant for this to happen to me. He had

known about my mark since the beginning of my third year.

I shoved myself roughly back from the bars and sat on the cold stones again, and said

"I don't suppose that there's anything to eat around here for a measly little prisoner like me, ay?"

Malfoy jumped off the chair he had been lounging in and stared at me.

"I'll go fetch you something!" he said, beginning to walk to the steps.

"Don't bother. Your voice ruined my appetite." I said, coldly.

However hurt Malfoy looked, I didn't care. He had turned me over to VOLDEMORT. Suddenly, with that one thought, a memory

clicked in my mind.

"THIS is what you were talking about, wasn't it, you little rat?!" I cried, leaping up and pointing at him accusingly.

"Wh..." He began, but I cut him off.

"You asked me a few months ago if I'd leave you for someone who was powerful if not as good-looking. You ASKED ME that! Were

you planning this from all the way back then, Malfoy, or was this all just... spurr of the moment?! Huh?! You were planning on it,

weren't you? But you wanted me to stay with you, to forgive you BEFORE it happened!! DIDN'T YOU?!"

"NO! Tikal... I didn't want this! I didn't..." His father smacked him across the face just then, as the wooden door began to open again.

Voldemort came down, swiftly, followed by a house elf carrying a laden tray.

"I suppose our guest is hungry, am I right, my friends?" he asked, nodding to Mr. Malfoy and Snape.

"Guest my ass..." I shook my head and sat in the corner.

"Then you must be thirsty. It has been three days since you last had something. You must be famished."

When he said three days, my mouth went very dry. I choked,

"Water?"

"Yes. Indeed. Give her some water, now." he swept his hand and the cell door opened. His wand trained on me the whole time the

house elf was inside, but I didn't move.

"Thank you." I forced myself to say, replacing the glass on the tray when it was empty. He smiled a wicked smile.

"You see how easy that was, Malfoy? We must only wait for a few minutes before we can ask your friend what we wish to know."

I choked again, and slapped myself. Malfoy jumped up and looked at me for a moment, before I muttered,

"Curses... Veritaserum."

"She knows. Hmm. Interesting." Lucious said, snidely.

"Yeah, it isn't hard, Malfoy, since you're all sqealing like excited little girls about what amazing things I'll reveal to you." I said, fluttering

my fingers in a little fairy-ish motion.

The full effect of the potion hit, and I sat, silent and biting my tongue to stay that way, awaiting questioning.

"There we are. Now, Miss... Black. Tell me... Do you know who your real father is?" Voldy asked, sitting in a large chair in front of the

bars to the cell.

"Yes." I answered, continuing to bite my tongue.

"Who is it?" he continued, glancing at me.

"You." I snarled.

"Wrong, my dear. A simple ruse. We are not related in any way. Your adoptive father was attempting to hide you from me by

bloodline... I am no fool, however. Now... Did you ever love someone at any time, even if you don't love them now?" He winced at the

word 'love'.

"...Yes." I whispered.

"Who did you love, Tikal?" he sneered.

"I loved only three people in my whole life. Myself, first and foremost. I used to love that rat over there... but he's nothing to me now." I

spat.

"Who was the third, my dear?"

"The third I knew briefly. Only for a few weeks. He'd come to the Chamber at night and we'd sit and talk for hours. I only ever got his

first name. Tom."

"And do you still love this Tom?" Voldemort asked, intrigued.

"...Yes." and That is how I sold my soul.

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"Who was she talking about, my Lord?" my father asked the Dark Lord in the sitting room of the castle, where we had gone the night

Tikal awoke.

"Master Malfoy, you know who she was talking about. I believe I will tell you again, anyway, for the sake of your boy." He turned to

me, slowly, and I cringed under his gaze.

"Young Malfoy. Remember what I told you yesterday? About the effect of the Chamber? You do? Excellent. Then I presume it will not

be hard to guess who this mystery 'Tom' is."

I bit down a curse. Of Course! Lord Voldemort had been planning this from the beginning. He was the older version of the sixteen year

old man from the Chamber of Secrets. Curses!

"...you, sir." I managed, sitting on a footstool.

"No, not me... HIM." Voldemort swept his wand over the ruins of a book I recognized slightly. Where he had gotten it, I did not know.

Tom Riddle appeared before me, from the book, and Voldemort greeted him warmly.

"It seems that the spell worked well. Come, sit down my boy. I told you that Wormtail would come in handy ONE day, didn't I,

Severus?" Voldemort said, smiling evilly.

"Is he... permanant, sir?" Snape asked, slightly awed.

"He is. Tom, do you remember Tikal?" Voldemort turned to his younger self, relishing in the sight.

"I remember her, of course. I saw her only a few weeks ago." the boy lounged on the wingbacked chair, throwing untrusting glances my

way.

"Indeed. Would you like to see her? To talk to her, perhaps tomorrow morning?" The Dark Lord was grinning a very chilling grin.

"I believe I would. Why, is she here?" Tom sat up, intrigued.

"She is. But, when you see her, you will have to be locked in a cell, for trying to rescue her. You understand?"

"Yes, I understand, sir."

"My Lord, what will the boy be able to do for the three spells?" my father asked, standing.

"Malfoy... The boy IS the first spell. It is a captivation spell, to fascinate her with him. He is the main factor. I told you it would

somehow be myself, did I not?" Voldemort stood to leave.

"What will the second do, if I may ask?" I said quickly. Voldemort shot me an angry look, and then said,

"The second spell will be the next step after captivation. Preservation. We cannot MAKE her love him for long, but we can make a spell

to preserve her actual love. Fascination, Captivation, Love, and then Obsession. We will stop at the third." He made to leave, but I

called out to him.

"Sir! What is the goal of all this? What use is the girl to you if you're going to give her to this boy?"

"The boy is important of all of this, Malfoy. If I cannot do what this spell requires, and he can, well... My heir will still be mine by blood.

That is all I will say."

He swiftly left before I could continue.

So, they meant to use the boy for the 'dirty deed' as my father called it. Well, I didn't know whether I could stop it, but I would admit;

Tikal is lucky that it'll be Tom, not Voldemort.

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Ok, so I'm getting to why I rated this Teen, I suppose. There was some confusion as to when Tikal arrived. She arrived at the SAME TIME as everyone else. I screwed up a little, and I'm fixing that, don't worry. A typo, that's all. Sorry to confuse you guys. It'll be all fixed, even the mess up in the first chapter will be clarified. Thanks for being patient. The next chapter will probably be out by next month. Thanks again!! Soul of Shadow