Author's note: Apologies for the delay in this update. I was having difficulty in writing this chapter, wrote this chapter twice then deleted after reading. I'll try to update next chapter early.
Basilisk's name is Shesha. It's a Sanskrit word meaning King of serpents.
Hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
"So that means you interacted with the last heir about four hundred years back?" Tom asked. He was lying on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets, staring at its ceiling with his hands clasped behind his head, listening to the Basilisk -Shesha who was lying coiled next to Salazar's staue. She had been telling Tom about her life till now. He also learnt that as a Parselmouth, he was immune to her gaze, this was not mentioned in any of the books he ever read about Basilisk.
"Yes master." Shesha hissed.
"Hmm..This chamber is beautiful." He said, then frowned at something, "You know this green pattern here is of same colour as Harry's eyes."
Then he smiled, "Her eyes spark when she is angry. And when she blushes she looks so...unworldly."
"Who master?"
"There is this witch Harry Evans." He then started telling Shesha about Harry, about their first meeting, their small fights, her ignorance, her shyness, her anger..and whatever he was thinking about her.
"...and then she punched me and ran away from me." He gritted his teeth, "She took his side even though he drugged her drink earlier. And...Oh Merlin... Why I started talking about her? ...I can't get her out of my head... "
He then sighed, "I really want to kiss her again..." He sat up and shook his head in frustration. He came straight to the Chambers after their fight last night.
Shesha just gazed at her master, "Master I think you are in love."
"What?" He looked up at her shocked. "I can't be in Lo.." He could not even complete the word as he found it totally disgusting.
He shook his head and said "I think it's lust. I am a teenage wizard."
Shesha also shook her head. "Master let me ask you few questions and we'll be clear. Please master answer me honestly. "
"Go on." He said, he knew he only liked that witch, and was attracted to her physically. As per him it was all lust no love.
Shesha thought then asked her first question. "What do you find most attractive in her appearance?"
He answered straight away, "Her eyes."
"So you don't stare at her chest or legs or any other body part?"
Tom felt his face go red, "I did stare when she wore that green dress. But school robes hide her body. So I don't stare at those parts.. not really."
Shesha slithered near Tom and asked "And you said you had been thinking about her before that party?"
"Yes", again he answered her straight away again.
"What do you feel about touching any other witch apart from this Harry?"
"Disgusting" He shuddered with the thought of touching or kissing other witches.
"Do you like talking to her?"
Tom looked into the space, then said, "I kind of does like arguing with her." He then chuckled, "She thinks she is so superior even though she completely idiotic sometimes ."
"Does she make you laugh or make you happy. I mean.. does your mood lift up after meeting or seeing her look at you?"
He thought then nodded, "Yeah."
"How do you feel when some other wizard stare at her or touch her?"
He gritted his teeth, " I want to kill them.
"How often do you think about her? Do you dream about her too?"
Tom closed his eyes and sighed, "I find it difficult not to think about her, and yes I dream about her too."
"Master you just solved the puzzle yourself. You are in Love. You are not attracted to her because of her body, but for other reasons... so its not lust, else you would have been sleeping with other witches too. You feel jealous when others talk about her, you feel happy with her and you think about her all the time. It's clear you are totally in love with her."
Tom kept quiet for few minutes, staring into the space.
"Oh merlin..."
He was finding it difficult to accept that he could be in love. It's a weakness, and he hated it.
He looked at Shesha, "How can you be sure?"
"I am completely sure Master. I learnt this test from master Salazar himself. He used to be a witch's charmer when alive. He talks about these things all the time."
Tom frowned at her reply, "What do you mean? You still speak to him?"
"Oh I talk to master Salazar's portrait everyday, else it would have been so boring here." She shuddered with the thought of staying within chambers for hundreds of years with nobody to talk to.
Tom looked at her surprised, "You have an access to Salazar's portrait? Where is it? I want to talk to him."
Shesha gazed at Tom for few seconds as if analysing him, "It's here in his library. Let me show you." She then started slithering towards Salazar's statue.
"His library?" Tom started chuckling. He followed, as Shesha slithered towards left foot of Salazar's statues and hissed, "Jasmine"
He frowned when heard that password and stared as the left foot of Salazar's statue lifted to reveal entrance to Salazar's personal library. Tom entered and looked around the room, it was of same size as Great Hall, filled with volumes of ancient looking books, which he was sure won't be available anywhere now.
He started laughing, now he could reach his true potential. He would become the strongest wizard ever lived.
"Who are you young man?"
Tom looked towards the voice, and found a portrait of a dark haired wizard wearing green robes, staring at him with curious expression.
"You must be the great Salazar Slytherin. My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. It's an honour to meet you."
"Same here young Riddle. So you're my heir... hmm... Are you a halfblood? Don't get me wrong but Riddle is not a wizard surname. That means your mother is a Slytherin descendent." Salazar said while scratching his chin.
Tom nodded, and went on to tell about himself.
"Tch... Slytherin descendent staying in muggle orphanage? What about my mansion? And all of my money?"
"I don't know." Tom just shrugged as he had no idea about any Salazar mansion.
"Hmm...We will check about them. I don't want you to stay in orphanage or wear second hand clothes. I can see you have great potential and I am sure you will be an extremely powerful wizard in future. You know you are the first descendent of mine that visited me, Shesha must have really liked you else she would not have told you about me."
Shesha slided near Salazar portrait and said," Master Salazar I think young Master Riddle is in love."
"I told you Shesha I am only attracted to her." Tom was not ready to believe he could love anyone.
On hearing Tom's denial, Salazar started laughing, " Not accepting being in love...hahaha... But young heir if Shesha is sure then it must be true. So tell me about this witch."
Its Shesha who started telling Salazar about Harry, she told him everything she heard from Tom that evening.
" Oh young Tom, I think Shesha is right. You are totally taken by her. But a Hufflepuff? Never thought, but she must be charming."
Tom just shook his head and chuckled, "Yeah charming of course, she hasn't punched or kicked you ever, so you won't know how charming she could be... She steal my things... snatch my books...make funny hand gestures. She even tried to associate me with that stupid blonde witch and laughed when that idiot blonde wailed. And you have not heard her swearing, I myself heard few offensive words for the first time ever from her. She is not charming. She is a wild animal."
Salazar became excited. "Ooh..really? I find her more interesting now. So she had fight with you?"
Tom nodded and gritted his teeth when thought about Marcus Barnes. "Yeah .. And all for that stupid Hufflepuff Prefect Barnes. I want to kill him."
Salazar frowned at the murderous expression on Tom's face. "Calm down Tom. You don't need kill anyone. Killing him won't be your victory. You should win her back."
"Win her?" Tom asked surprised.
Slytherin house founder nodded and said, "Yes. Seduce her, charm her, make her ditch that Prefect. Then it will be your victory."
Tom raised his eyebrows and asked. "You want me to persue her? Won't that make me weak?"
Salazar smiled at Tom and replied, "Let me tell you from experience that love doesn't make you weak, you will be stronger than ever. Try if you don't believe me. Make her fall in love with you, start dating her, then you'll see the difference."
Tom didn't reply and started thinking.
After few minutes he said " I don't know anything about seducing or charming a witch to make her fall in love."
Salazar started laughing. "Don't worry about that young heir. I'll help you. I am an expert in these things."
Tom just sighed and nodded. He then checked time. "Its almost breakfast. I should leave."
"Oh you should take that door near green cabinet. It will take you next to Slytherin house's entrance." Salazar said while gesturing towards a black door next to a nearby cabinet. "The password is Jasmine."
Tom frowned and asked, "Why do you have such password for this library?"
"She was my love, my inspiration for so many things. Later she became my wife." Salazar smiled into the space when talked about his wife. He had this lovestruck expression on his face.
Tom just looked at him and shook his head hoping that he won't get such a weird expression on his face ever, with that thought he left the Chamber.