Lavender Brown stared down at the black leather diary. It said it was a property of Tom Riddle, whoever that was. She had found it in her room over the Christmas break and only now was using it. She picked up her quill and inked in an entry.
'Dear Diary, my name is Lavender Brown. I am a first year at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' She wrote, watching in awe and confusion as the ink sank into the page gracefully.
'Hello, Lavender Brown. My name is Tom Riddle. It is a pleasure to meet you.' The words appeared in a neat script lovelier than even Professor Lockheart's beautiful writing. She held back a gasp of awe before replying.
'It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr Riddle.' Lavender giggled to herself, excited by the prospect of a new friend. She liked this Tom Riddle.
It was in January that the first petrification happened. Harry still hadn't woken.
Mrs Norris, Filch's cat, was found, suspended in mid-air, blood dripping from her middle. There was water on the floor, tinted red by the cat's dark blood.
'Kill... Kill... Destroy...' Unbeknownst to the students and staff, a hiss in a language only the heirs of Slytherin would know filled the corridor as a trail of spiders fled the scene.
In the distance, a rooster cawed, causing the monstrosity to take its leave.
"My cat!" The caretaker wailed pitifully. "It was you! You, the Death Eater's brat! You'll pay! I'll make you pay!" He screamed, lunging at Draco, who was amongst the crowd that had formed, staring at the petrified cat.
Draco staggered back, further so as Hermione shoved him, stepping in front of him and glaring fiercely at Filch, her blood-filled pen in hand, poised on her journal. The rest of the staff were making their way towards them. "You won't do anything. He is innocent." She snarled, then quickly pressed her journal and pen into Draco's hands, not turning to make sure he put them away in a very timely fashion, lest he should feel her wrath when the teacher's attempted to confiscate the items.
Lavender stood away from the crowd, smirking. She had never liked Hermione Black, she was annoying - beautiful, smart, kind, and the best friend of the two most famous children ever, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. She had always wanted to be like her. Tom insisted she would be if she helped him. She would have helped him anyway. He was so charming and kind... Tom would help her. Tom had helped her get rid of Mrs Norris after the cat had gotten her a detention.
It wasn't dead. What a shame.
Hermione and Draco sat in the library. It was February 13th. Harry had been in a state of comatose for three months and twelve days. The two were trying to figure out what was going on before somebody died. They were only first years, though, bit they had the seventh years on their sides, some aiding them in their studies. What better way was there in the earn extra credit than discovering what monster was terrorising the school?
They continued to study, not noticing somebody walk into the library.
They didn't notice them pick out a book from the Restricted Section, rip a page out of the book, and then replace the book.
They didn't even notice when they put the paper on the table and promptly walked out, a diary they planned to throw in hand.
Now it was April. Hermione finally caved into Draco's incessant insistence. She agreed to use the Philosopher's Stone. They were at home, in the ancestral home of House Black, the Black Castle.
The two were in the private Potion Lab that had belonged to Phineas Nigellus Black. Draco sat, staring into the Stone.
"Hermione, get me a solid gold cauldron and fill it halfway with water." He ordered, staring at the stone, it's magic washing over him, connecting to his soul.
Together, the two made the Elixir Of Life and prepared to get it to Harry immediately, have bottled a single flask. Luckily, the Elixir was able to be duplicated with the right amount of skill.
Molly Weasley finished cooking, scowling. The money from Dumbledore had stopped coming now that Ron wasn't as good a friend to Harry as they had hoped. Fred and George apparently got along with him wonderfully, and the three created mischief but kept up with their studies. That wasn't the point, Dumbledore wanted Harry to be behind, but he wasn't, not even in Potions with Severus, who hated the boy. Ron was meant to drag him down in his studies, as Dumbledore didn't want him to become too smart and realise Dumbledore was lying to him, manipulating him.
But he had realised that. Damned child.
She severed dinner to her large family, muttering to herself angrily.
Harry woke up with an ache deep in his bones that came from not moving for far too long. He sat up, blinking groggily, then hurriedly stood as he recognised where he was. He hated the Hospital Wing.
According to his Tempus charm, it was nearly midnight during the spring holidays. He ran out, glad there was nobody but him in the infirmary. He walked around blindly, not really recognising the path he was taking. He stumbled into a bathroom and to the nearest sink, not noticing the snake design on the tap or that he was in fact in the girl's lavatory. He hissed a curse in Parseltongue, stumbling back in shock as the sinks made way for a passage. All sense leaving him, he grinned and dropped down into the passage, grinning at the slide like experience.
Ignoring the bones strewn about, he walked on into the Chamber Of Secrets, having to stop only to open a door locked by a Parseltongue password.
The door swung open after a moment and Harry's eyes widened as he looked upon Slytherin's Chamber. He walked in, looking around in awe.
"My Lord, you have finally come.A voice hissed. The basilisk slithered out, eyes shining as it looked straight into the eyes of the Drake Lord, knowing he would not hurt him. Harry tried to fight off the scream that wanted to break free as a terrible pain spike within his head, blinding him for a moment while he got used to the magic of the basilisk's stare. Almost immediately, he felt a cold snout nudging him gently, trying to sooth him.
"I am sorry, Young Lord, I did not mean to harm you. I am Nidhogg or Níðhöggr as my masters originally named me, the Serpent of Slytherin." The basilisk introduced himself as Harry's vision cleared. He smiled at the beautiful snake, admiring its emerald scales and soft red plume.
Another stab of pain in his head made Harry fall to his knees and black out. Hissing, the basilisk carefully picked up the young mage and carried him to his master's old sleep-room.
