Oooh! Tom (well, Irina) has found the Chamber of Secrets!
Annabeth paused in her tracks, hardly daring to believe what she had heard. It couldn't be. She must've heard incorrectly, because she thought she had heard Irina tell Tom that she found something in the girls' bathroom. I must've heard wrong, Annabeth thought. After all, Irina was whispering so softly that I bet it was hard for even Tom to hear it. I just was listening because I care more about Tom's conversations than about the conversations of the other students simply because I know Tom better. And, okay, maybe I was curious as to what Irina could be whispering to Tom. Another part of her brain was arguing with her though. We're in our sixth year though, it said, and that's when Tom opened the Chamber of Secrets. Besides, it would make more sense for a girl to have found the Chamber. I am surprised that Tom told Irina about what he was trying to do. It makes sense that he didn't tell me, but I didn't think that Tom Riddle trusted anyone. Maybe he didn't tell her the whole story, only part of it. Yes, that seems like the kind of thing he'd do. Annabeth walked to her class, her mind whirling with worry. She tried to go to the third-floor corridors whenever she had free time. She started doing her homework in that corridor, but she didn't catch anything. She was able to wave away Emma and Edward's concern for now by saying that she just wanted to study more, but she knew that it wouldn't work for long. She figured that she should tell them the truth soon anyways. Two days later, a muggleborn student was Petrified. Annabeth knew that she'd have to tell her friends soon. But each day there was a new attack, and with each passing attack, Annabeth became more terrified of telling her friends, worried about how they'd react to the news.
"Annabeth, is something wrong?" Emma asked her. "I know that you are probably upset about Edward's friend getting Petrified, especially since you knew him pretty well. After all, you, Dan, and Edward played lots of pranks together. But you've been upset for days. What's up?"
"Emma, get Edward. I have to tell you something." Emma nodded and went and got Edward. He was looking quite upset.
"What happened Annabeth? Do you know something?"
"I'll have to start at the beginning. You know how I ended up back in time and de-aged? How I ended up across the Atlantic Ocean? How, in the future, there is a book series about the Wizarding world? Well, in the second book, we find out at the end that the person who opened up the Chamber of Secrets in this time period was Voldemort as a teenager. And...and..." Annabeth was holding back a sob, nearly in tears. "I know who it is. I never told any of you, because I didn't think that you'd understand, and a part of me was overconfident that I could change time, but the person who opens the Chamber of Secrets and later becomes Voldemort is...is... Tom Riddle!" Annabeth brought her knees to her chest and hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. Emma and Edward exclaimed in shock.
"What?" they said. "Tom...Tom Riddle? How could it be? You must be mistaken."
"I am not mistaken!" Annabeth nearly yelled. "At the end of that book, Tom...well, a memory of him preserved in a diary essentially, had written his name in the air with a wand, and then he waved it so that the letters were rearranged. They spelled out 'I am Lord Voldemort'. That's an anagram of Tom's full name." Emma and Edward thought that over in their minds. Annabeth was right, they realized.
"But Tom is in favor of muggleborns and even Muggles," Emma protested, trying to convince herself that it wasn't true. She didn't think that Tom could do something like that, but more than that, she was thinking of poor Annabeth. She must be devastated, Emma realized sadly. Emma couldn't imagine what it would be like to love someone who she knew would end up a cold, ruthless murderer. Not only that, but Annabeth is truly muggleborn, so it must be even worse.
"If I hadn't gotten sent back in time like I had, then I think that he would've grown up hating Muggles, and therefor muggleborns by association. He knew that I was muggleborn, almost Muggle, and the fact that I was nice to him despite knowing about his magic back when I couldn't do magic was probably the only thing that stopped him from that. Since I was the only one, though, it became a moot point when Tom found out that his Muggle father had abandoned his witch mother. That's what I think changed his mind."
"How long have you known?" Edward asked timidly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"Since before first year, when we were at the orphanage," Annabeth replied quietly.
"How did you stand to be around him?" Edward shouted. "Knowing that he'd turn out to be a murderer? How could you love him when, from your descriptions of Voldemort, you know that he was incapable of love?"
"Because when my future self had read the books, she was able to understand why Tom did what he did! The Muggles were horrid to him, and the fact that his father abandoned his mother the way he did, I can't blame Tom for hating Muggles! Plus, it's human nature to dislike something by association, so it makes sense in a somewhat twisted way that he'd hate muggleborns. I'm not saying that what he did was right, but I can see why." Then, Annabeth spoke in a faint whisper. "I know that, atleast initially, I had somewhat of an effect on him because when he discovered his magic, he didn't use his magic to mindlessly hurt the Muggles, he only used it to give those bullies the same injuries by magic as they had given us with their fists. Once they got a dose of their own medicine, they left us alone. For years, atleast he realized that it was nice to have a friend. He became my best friend. Even my future self believed that he should get a second chance. I don't know how or why I love him, I can't answer that. But don't worry. My love hasn't blinded me, and I won't help him. I'll try to do something. I believe that's the reason why I was sent here to this time so inexplicably. However, you must promise not to interfere. If I don't succeed, you must promise that you won't try to step in."
"Why not?" Emma and Edward both asked.
"Because you guys don't exactly understand him like I do. Besides, trust me. I won't let things get worse, no matter what. Imagine what would've happened if I hadn't gone back in time. There would've been no hope until the 1990s."
"But we won't just stand here and do nothing after all we know!" Edward said indignantly.
"Edward, Tom's powerful. There's no doubt about that. If you tried to get in his way, then he'd kill you. Same for you Emma. And you guys can't die, not you of all people. I'm sure that you two end up get married, and it's your grandson Harry who kills Voldemort. If you guys go off and get yourselves killed out of Gryffindor pride, then there may be no hope." Emma and Edward were stunned, looking knocked into silence. Then, they nodded, agreeing. "Edward, can I have your Invisibility Cloak? I'm going back to the third-floor corridoor." Edward went and got his cloak. She wore it, and headed off, tiptoeing when she finally got to the corridoor. She looked into the girls' bathroom. Annabeth heard loud sobs coming from inside. Then, she saw Tom coming towards the bathroom. This seems familiar, she thought. Ohmygod! Myrtle! She's going to die! Tom walked in, oblivious to Annabeth. He hissed at the faucet. She heard what sounded like a huge snake starting to slither out. Annabeth stuffed the cloak in her robes, and ran into the bathroom, eyes on the first cubicle.
"Myrtle! Don't look up! Look at the floor only. Please! Or else you'll die. Just do as I say!" Careful not to look at the basilisk, Annabeth then turned to face Tom, who had whirled around in shock.
To anonymus reader Alice: No, it's not possible to bother someone with too many reviews, especially since yours have positive comments and constructive feedback! I look forward to them.