Chapter 11

The Heir of Slytherin

Senses slowly returned to Harry. He felt weak, groggy, he could barely stand. His eyes felt as if they were weighted down shut while his limps were unresponsive. He was damp, and he could hear a boy hissing. It took Harry all his might to crack open his eyes. His mouth was dry and voice barely a hoarse whisper, "Dray…"

"Ah, you're awake. Good," a voice smiled. Harry's eyes cracked open more, and a tall, black-haired handsome boy came into focus, leaning against a pillar. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry was looking at him through a misted window.

"T-Tom?" Harry croaked out.

Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face.

"H-How…"

"I'm surprised you are awake, Harry," Riddle said. "Your brother on the other hand…" He pointed a familiar wand a little ways from Harry. Harry forced his hand to move and gasped. Draco was lying unconscious on the chamber floor, his glasses askew and hanging off his face. "Draco!"

"He's not dead, yet," Riddle said.

Harry started feeling control slowly seep back into his body. His eyes were fully open and his senses returned. "You were in the diary," He said.

"But now I'm not because of you," Tom said. "A nice gesture to your replacement 'grandfather.'"

"W-Why… there's a basilisk Tom, you have to help me get Draco out of here—"

"The basilisk won't come until it's called," Riddle said calmly. Harry stared at the wand Riddle was twirling and recognized it.

"Give me my wand back Tom, I might need it," Harry said. Lifting his arm up with great effort.

"You won't be needing it," Riddle said. Harry stared at him.

"What d'you mean, I won't be—?"

"I've waited a long time for this, Harry," Riddle said. "For us to speak face to face."

"Tom?" Harry asked. He could feel his arms and feel. Weakly, he rolled to his side and did his best to push himself up. "We're in the Chamber of Secerts, we can talk later—"

"We're going to talk now," Riddle said, smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand.

Harry stared at him. "How are you here?" he asked.

"An interesting story," Riddle smirked. "Though this story has you in the center Harry. After all, you opened your diary and spilled all your secrets to an invisible stranger. How Mr. Malfoy doesn't truly care about you…your struggle with your grandfather, and your feelings for Draco and Blaise. Months you have been feeding," Riddle stared at Harry with a hungry look in his face. "Talking endlessly about your grandfather… I've grown stronger and stronger with every doubt and fear you opened up to me. The more you poured your soul into me…I poured my soul into you."

"What do you mean?" Harry demanded.

"You haven't noticed, grandson of the Dark Lord?" Riddle laughed coldly. "You have opened the Chamber of Secrets before. You were the one who strangled the school's rooster. You were the one who wrote that message. You, Harry Malfoy, were the one who set the Serpent of Slytherin on two Mudbloods and the Squib's cat."

"No!"

"Yes," Riddle said calmly. "Of course, you didn't know what you were doing…and still you have not. The time when you woke with feathers in your bed? Or when your shoes were wet… blood on your hands." Riddle gave Harry a cold smile. "Those nights you can't remember…"

"No… it can't be," Harry said, starting to shake. "I—it wasn't me!"

"But it was Harry," Tom said. "Granted you needed me whispering in your ear, but your actions are your own… heir of Slytherin."

Harry flared a breath. "You liar!"

Riddle chuckled. "Believe me or not, Harry, the truth will not change. But now we are face to face, and I can learn everything I want to know about you…though I was worried after you stopped speaking to me after I showed you my famous capture of the great oaf, Hagrid—"

"Hagrid's my friend," Harry said. "And you framed him! He did not open the Chamber of Secrets, my grandfather did!"

"Harry… Harry… Harry," Riddle said slowly, shaking his head as he chuckled. "How can you not realize? It hurts my heart."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, staring at the boy wearily.

Riddle stared at him, giving a sadistic, cold grin that did not fit his handsome face. "I am not surprised, that the old fool never told you my name. I've abandoned it even when I was at Hogwarts. My friends started calling me by my new name, my true name." He took Harry's wand out and began writing in the air. Burning letters appearing and spelling out:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

He waved the wand and the letters rearranged themselves, burning in the air ominously.

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

"You see, Harry… I am your grandfather."

"You…"

Riddle laughed his high, cold laugh. "It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student …on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls …but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I though someone must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance…as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!

"Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed. …Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did."

"He must have saw right through you!" Harry snarled angrily, his fear forgotten and replaced.

Riddle smirked. "Well, he kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled. But now… now he cannot stop me. We can finish the work of our great ancestor, Salazar Slytherin and clean the filth from this castle. Together, Harry… my grandson."

Harry looked up at Riddle. He tried to control his emotions as he looked away from the approaching teen, staring at the unconscious form of Draco. "I can make them love you the way you want them to," Riddle whispered, now standing on top of Harry. Harry froze in shock. "Harry… my grandson, tell me," Riddle said softly. "How is it that you, a mere child, defeated the greatest wizard who ever lived?"

"You are not the greatest wizard in the world," Harry said. "Sorry to disappoint you, but the greatest wizard in the whole world is Albus Dumbledore! Even you're afraid of him, grandfather."

The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look. "Dumbledore will be driven out—"

"He's still here," Harry said. "Dumbledore will never leave Hogwarts!"

"That… is what you think, grandson," Riddle said. He opened his mouth, but froze—

Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling twice its size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping to weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacok's and gleaming golden talons, which was gripping a ragged bundle.

A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.

"That's a phoenix…" Riddle said.

"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's talons squeeze his shoulder gently.

"And that—" Riddle said, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat—"

So, it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet.

Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once—

"That is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Malfoy? Do you feel safe now?"

Harry did not answer. His mind whirled to try and find any usefulness for the phoenix and Sorting Hat but found none. Eyeing the black diary near Draco's body, his eyes lightened as a plan began to form inside. Riddle came from the diary, they must still be connected somehow. He looked at Riddle and sagged his shoulders, looking as defeated as possible. "Grandfather…" he said in a low voice, "you win."

Harry felt a weight leaving his shoulder as Fawkes flew off, perching itself on the nearest pillar. Harry stepped over the Sorting Hat and looked up at Riddle. "You win Grandfather…"

A smirk appeared on Riddle's face. "I knew you would make the correct choice, Harry. But I need confirmation… I must know that you are truthful."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, fear in his eyes as they flicked towards Draco.

"Not Draco, no, I will not have you spill pure blood," Riddle said. "I am talking of your friend, the mudblood Granger. Call the basilisk and have it kill her."

Harry faltered, looking down from Riddle for a moment. He nodded, "Okay Grandfather…"

Riddle smirked.

"Grandfather? Can I hold your diary? I feel odd without it," Harry said.

"Of course grandson," Riddle said, his smirk growing with every second. Harry turned from Riddle and took a deep breath as he took slow, measured steps towards the black diary and Draco's body. He knelt down and frowned at Draco. "I'm so sorry Draco, I shouldn't have brought you here," he said, bending down and kissing Draco's cheek.

He picked up the diary as he stood up, and turned back to Riddle. "Okay Grandfather," he breathed. "I'll summon the basilisk."

Riddle extended his arm and waited for Harry to walk to him, placing the hand on Harry's shoulder. "You know the words, Harry," Riddle said calmly.

Harry nodded, feeling forgotten memories floating in his mind. He looked up at the statue of Slytherin and, holding the diary, he hissed out, "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. The mouth opening wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

Harry took a step back but Riddle's hand kept him in place. He saw a hint of poisonous green, and Harry focused himself to stare at the stone floor as something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Slytherin's Serpent uncoiled itself from Slytherin's mouth.

Now or never, Harry thought to himself. He stared at the snake's body, avoiding it's face as much as possible. The enormous serpent was a bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk. "Basilisk! I am the Heir of Slytherin!" He felt Riddle's hand squeeze his shoulder. The serpent stopped and Harry could feel it staring at both of them. His hand tightened on the diary. He looked up as far as he could without looking at the basilisk's head. "Slytherin is my ancestor! Voldemort, the one who woke you up last is my grandfather! So… Serpent… I command you to… destroy this diary!"

Harry threw the diary with all his might at the Basilisk's head. Riddle was stunned for only half a second before he screamed, "No!" He threw Harry to the ground, the boy landing hard on his back. Riddle grabbed for his wand, but it was too late. Through squinting eyes, Harry saw a burst of light erupt from Riddle's chest. Another burst of light come out of his mouth and eyes, Riddle's face disintegrating. Bright light filled the hall, flashing for a moment, before darkness taking over. Harry heard his wand drop to the floor, and Draco took a sudden deep breath.

"Draco! Keep your eyes closed!" Harry panicked, his head whipping to Draco. Draco's eyes began to open, but he closed them immediately. Harry grabbed his wand and stood to his feet. "Basilisk!" he yelled out. "I am the Heir of Slytherin, the only one! Go back to the statue and never come out! Ignore all calls from others, you're not needed anymore!"

Harry could sense the snake's anger. It gave a murderous hiss, and Harry heard something wet falling to the ground before the large body turned and slunk back into the wide-open mouth of Slytherin's statue. Harry did not move or looked anywhere else until he hear the stone face closed. Once he was certain that the statue's mouth was close, Harry opened his eyes and darted towards Draco.

"Draco!" he cried, pulling the taller boy into a hug. The older boy opened his eyes and wrapped his arms around Harry as he looked around.

"What happened?" he asked groggily. "I remember that boy crawling out of the diary… and then nothing."

"That was Riddle, Tom Riddle…" Harry said, helping Draco in a sitting position. "He was controlling me—all those things, the roosters, the attacks, the writing—it was me. I am the Heir of Slytherin."

"Harry—"

"No it's true," Harry frowned. "It's all my fault…"

"No it is not Harry," Draco said. He grabbed Harry's face and forced him to look at him. "You didn't do this. You said it yourself, Riddle controlled you right? So you're blameless."

"But I am the Heir of Slytherin! I can control the basilisk!"

"So? What did you tell the basilisk to do?"

"To kill all our fr—"

"No, as yourself without Riddle possessing you," Draco said. "What did you just tell the snake to do?"

"To go back to where it's sleeping and never come out," Harry said.

"See? You did not do anything wrong," Draco said. "All of that was Riddle's fault. Though… how did he know about the Chamber of Secrets so much? And how to summon it?" He frowned slightly.

"That's because he's… Tom Riddle is the name of my grandfather," Harry admitted. Draco stared at him, shocked. Harry nodded and frowned. He looked around, and saw the thing that the basilisk spat out. It was the dairy with many piercings in it, covered in what looked like a mixture of spit and poison. Harry stood up and grabbed Draco's hand. They both stared at the diary.

"Do you think it's safe to touch?" Draco asked after a while.

Harry took off his cloak and wrapped it around the diary. Draco saw the Sorting Hat and picked it up, frowning. "What is this doing here?" he asked.

"I don't know, Fawkes brought it with him," Harry shrugged, looking at the phoenix. Draco followed Harry's stare and gapped at the phoenix. "It's Dumbledore's," Harry explained as the bird flew down to them.

"What is it doing here?" Draco frowned. "You didn't tell Dumbledore—"

"No, I didn't," Harry said. "I guess the old man just knew that we would try and come here and they're the help he gave me—us."

"A songbird and a raggedy hat?" Draco sneered slightly, staring at the Sorting Hat in his hand. Harry shrugged and looked around. "More importantly," Draco said, "how that the snake… the snake's gone for good right?"—Harry nodded—"now that it's gone, how do we get out of here?"

Fawkes seemed to have been waiting for one of them to ask as it presented its golden talons to Harry. "I think he wants us to grab it," Harry said hesitantly. He looked at the beady eyes of the phoenix. Fawkes nodded. Harry clasped Draco's hand tightly in one of his hand as he handed his bundled-up robes to Draco, who held it to his chest with the Sorting hat. Harry grabbed Fawkes with his free hand and the phoenix flew into the air, carrying both boys easily.

They soared through the tunnels that both boys crept by only hours ago, and up through the man-sized pipe straight into the girl's bathroom. But Fawkes did not stop, it continued to fly, carrying both Malfoys, until they stood in front of the stone gargoyle that Harry recognized as the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office.

The two looked at each other hesitantly before the gargoyle jumped out of the way, and Fawkes led them up the spiraling staircase. When they reached the door, Harry and Draco squeezed each other's hand before Harry pushed the door open.

"Harry! Draco!" arms wrapped around them and a body obscured their vision as Uncle Sirius ran to them.

"Uncle Sirius! What are you doing here?" Draco groaned as he tried to look past Sirius's body. He caught glimpses of their parents, sitting with Dumbledore. "F-Father…"

Sirius let go of them, but didn't move away. Instead he placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, and led them to two chairs. Dumbledore sat patiently in his chair as Fawkes returned to his perch. Professors McGonagall and Snape standing by his desk. Mrs. Malfoy remained in her chair, and Harry thought that she gained some weight as Mr. Malfoy sat next to her, looking as authoritarian as he could. "Draco… Harry," he said.

"It's all my fault," Harry said. "I convinced Draco to come with me!"

"Harry, no!"

"Draco shut up—"

"Harry!"

The two glared at each other, both wanting to take the blame as Dumbledore cleared his throat. The two looked at each other, frowning, and Draco unwrapped Riddle's diary, laying it on Dumbledore's desk along with the empty Sorting Hat.

Mr. Malfoy stared at the diary, a flash of recognition on his face. "Where did you get that?" he asked, looking at Draco.

"I got it from your office," Harry answered. "Before the school year began." Then he started telling them everything. For more than a half hour he spoke into the rapt silence. He told them about founding the diary when he sneaked into his father's office, how he started writing to Riddle regularly, telling him how much Mr. Malfoy made him hate the man, how he is frustrated with the way Mr. Malfoy treats him, and how Mrs. Malfoy did little to nothing to stop him; then he told about hearing the disembodied voice, how he finally figured out what he was hearing was a Basilisk in the pipes; how he and Draco found the Chamber of Secrets and went to confront the snake in the girls bathroom. Harry's voice was growing hoarse as he started about the two exploring the Chamber of Secrets, walking into the empty Chamber and Tom Riddle's appearance from the diary. How Riddle turned out to be his grandfather. He finished with a description of how he tricked Riddle into letting him summon the Basilisk, and using it to destroy the diary and Riddle.

"How interesting," Dumbledore said gently. "That a simple diary could posses Harry so. It was a very unlucky thing, Harry, that you have found it in your father's study. Though I wonder why it was there to begin with."

"I don't know," Harry frowned, tired of talking. Dumbledore took the diary and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.

"Brilliant," he said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen. He turned around to the Malfoys and Sirius, who looked bewildered.

"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school …traveled far and wide … sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

Harry felt Sirius squeeze his shoulder and looked up at the man. "Why was the diary somewhere my godson could easily get?" the man demanded, glaring at Mr. Malfoy.

Mr. Malfoy did not answer, instead he just stared at the diary and looked back at Harry. Harry was the one who answered. "I think… I think grandfather gave it to Mr. M—father, when he was strong," he said. "Father must have forgotten about it."

Mr. Malfoy gave Harry a sharp look, which Harry returned. None of this would have happened if Mr. Malfoy didn't lock him in his room for a month, Harry thought.

"Nevertheless, you boys have done a great service to the school," Dumbledore said. "The Chamber of Secrets will not be opened again, and Slytherin's own heir has made sure that the basilisk will not do any harm. Harry, Draco, you both have shown great bravery and loyalty. Loyalty not only to your school, but also to each other. Which is why you both will receive Special Awards for Services to the School and—let me see—yes, I think three hundred points apiece for Gryffindor and Slytherin."

Harry's ears went pink at the amount of points. "Now, I believe both of you would do well to visit the Hospital Wing. I am sure we are all anxious to see you both unharmed. Lucius, Narcissa, Sirius, you can accompany them if you wish."

Sirius patted both their shoulders, and the boys stood, still holding hands. Mr. Malfoy helped Mrs. Malfoy up and Harry now noticed that his mother definitely gained weight around her stomach, though he did not point it out. They were near the door when Dumbledore stopped them. "Ah yes, one more thing… Happy Christmas," he chuckled.

.

The three adults stayed with Harry and Draco throughout the rest of the night. Madam Pomfrey was astonished to see that the worst the boys suffered were a couple of bruises which they got from the man-sized pipe, but still demanded that they stay the night in the hospital wing just to make sure. Mrs. Malfoy waited until Madam Pomfrey was away before turning to Harry and Draco. "Harry…" she said carefully. "I'm sorry for all that you've went through with us. Lucius and I talked a lot while you were at Hogwarts, and we want to apologize for neglecting you."

She looked at Mr. Malfoy, as did Harry and Draco. Mr. Malfoy took a breath and looked at Harry. "I apologize… it was wrong of me to punish you as I did during the summer," he said. He offered his hand. Harry stared at it, as if thinking if he should shake it or not, before reaching and delicately shaking Mr. Malfoy's hand. "Thank you, father," he said in a small, tired voice. Mr. Malfoy nodded. Harry knew that this was the most intimate Mr. Malfoy was going to be with him, but it was more than enough.

"Good. Now that that is out of the way, Harry, Draco, we have more news," Mr. Malfoy said promptly. "You are going to be older brothers."

"During our… talks… things happened," Mrs. Malfoy said. "That is why we wished to be alone during Christmas. So, we can figure out the best way to tell you."

Harry and Draco just stared at Mrs. Malfoy. She was pregnant? How? They were going to be older brothers? Harry looked at Draco and they both mouthed 'older brothers' to each other. They were in a bit of a shock. Just hours ago, Harry learned that the man he was talking to, the diary that he poured his heart and soul into was his grandfather whom he promptly killed using the basilisk. Now they're going to be older brothers?

Though he didn't want to, though he wanted to be happy, Harry frowned. This was too much information for him. Draco stared at his parents. "When…"

"May," Mrs. Malfoy said. "Near the end of the school year." Draco just nodded and looked back at Harry.

"Can we… can we sleep on this? We're tired," he said.

"Yes, yes of course," Mrs. Malfoy said. "We'll be here."

Harry slipped out of his bed and went into Draco's. The two boys curled around each other, falling asleep, both relieved that the year's trouble was behind them. And so, the rest of their school year went on. The mandrakes aged and near the end of the school year Professor Sprout and Professor Snape were able to make a restorative draught that restored the victims to their normal state. The year seemed to blur for Harry after Christmas. He spent his free time with either his brother or his friends, he made sure to have several "dates" with Blaise where it was just the two of them roaming around the castle, and he naturally became buried in schoolwork.

In late May Mrs. Malfoy gave birth to a tiny baby girl who Mr. Malfoy named Violet Malfoy, and they sent dozens of pictures of Harry's and Draco's new baby sister during their last month of school. She was a pixie-looking baby with a full head of blond hair and silver eyes like her oldest brother.

Before Harry knew it, his second year at Hogwarts was done. He was back at Malfoy Manor and for the first time in a year he felt right at home. He was in his room, curled with a new book on snakes and their uses. Violet was sleeping in her new room next to their parent's suite and Draco was in his room reading about Dragon handling and doing something with a secret gift that Charlie Weasley gave him.

The window to Harry's room was open, a cool breeze blowing in, when the pre-teen felt a sudden chill take over his room. "I've heard what happened. You are developing wonderfully."

A wisp of a man floated in his room. Barely a man and barely alive. Harry closed his book and sighed. "Why are you here?" he hissed at the wisp.

"To see your development, Harry. You are following the path I wanted your father to go."

"You didn't even know my dad existed. Do not talk about him. He is more of a man that you'll ever be."

"And you are the heir that he will never be."

Harry stared at the wisp. He stood from his bed, glaring slightly. "Do not talk—"

"He ran away from what he is. But you… you're accepting your role… your purpose."

My role?" Harry laughed. "Grandfather, I am the Heir of Slytherin. I have done the right thing, the good thing. The basilisk will not hurt anyone again."

"Perhaps, but I am still here. And as long as I am alive, grandson, I will go after you." The wisp of Lord Voldemort said.

"I hate you. I hate you more now than ever," Harry said. "If you're here to kill me, do it, otherwise I do not want to hear you."

Lord Voldemort chuckled. "Kill you? Why would I want to kill Slytherin's Heir? You've took the mantle when your father did not. You are more useful to me than your father. I am not here to kill you, Harry. Instead, I am here to propose a partnership with you. Join me, my loving grandson, and together we shall make a world safe enough for your little sister to thrive. …Join me, Harry Malfoy. Join your true family…"

END