Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.
Severus looked up at the knock on his office door. "Come in."
Lucius entered. "Hello, Severus."
"Ah, Lucius. Did Draco end up in the prophet again?" Severus stood, on guard for whatever Lucius was doing here.
"No." Lucius scowled. He was still upset over that. "It's about the chamber business."
Severus leaned back in his chair. "I've told you before, I don't know anything about it. Until recently, I thought the story of it was utter nonsense." He looked at Lucius suspiciously. "Do you know something about it?"
"Not exactly, but..." Lucius trailed off, looking unsettled. It was an unusual look for him. "I did something...foolish." He said stiffly. "I had in my belongings a diary that belonged to the dark lord, he had left it with me to keep safe." He hesitated. "He said it would cause chaos here at Hogwarts and clear the way for proper witches and wizards."
"And what did you think he meant by that?" Severus asked through gritted teeth.
"I thought he meant to scare away the mudbloods!" Lucius snapped.
"Muggle-borns have just as much right to be here as pure-bloods!" Severus snapped. "In fact, a certain first-year muggle-born is at the top of her class! Even above your pure-blooded son!"
Lucius scowled. "I know." He muttered.
"Whatever the creature is, he has targeted Mr. Filch, who is a squib and also a muggle-born student. They could have died. Would you really celebrate the death of an eleven-year-old?"
"No." Lucius said after a moment.
"You really want him back?" Severus asked incredulously.
"No," Lucius whispered. "I don't want that creature back. I don't want my son to make the same mistakes I did."
"Where is the diary?" Severus asked impatiently.
"I gave it to the Longbottom boy," Lucius admitted. "When I saw Draco off to the Hogwarts Express, I bumped into him and his grandmother and slipped it into his bag."
Severus rubbed a hand over his face. "Longbottom, really?" He suddenly recalled hearing McGonagall mention that Longbottom seemed unwell. Whatever was in that diary was making him sick. "I'll summon him here. We need to get that diary away from him."
Several minutes later, a timid knock on the door.
"Enter, Mr. Longbottom," Severus said.
Neville slowly entered, his eyes going wide at seeing his professor and Mr. Malfoy there. "Y-you wanted to s-see me, sir?" He asked a little fearfully.
"Yes. Mr. Longbottom, did you happen to find a diary in your bookbag?" Severus asked, getting right to the point.
Neville nodded slowly. "Yes, sir. I don't know how it got there." He said in a whisper.
"Have you been writing in it?" Severus asked, glancing at Lucius.
"Uh, only briefly," Neville said. "When I first found it, but then I stopped."
Severus relaxed. "Good. Where is it? Your dorm?"
"No, sir. Malfoy, I mean, Draco, has it."
"What?!" Lucius exploded.
Neville flinched and took a step back. "He s-said he saw you put it in m-my bag and wanted to know w-what it was. I s-showed him and he took it. He can have it, I don't want it." Neville said quickly.
"You can go, Mr. Longbottom," Severus said. Once the boy had left, he sent a Patronus to Dumbledore. "We need to inform the Headmaster of this."
"I can't believe this," Lucius said. "What was Draco thinking?"
"He's thinking he's a curious eleven-year-old boy," Severus snapped. "And now, that diary has opened the chamber of secrets, letting loose whatever monster is inside."
"I didn't know," Lucius said, clearly shaken. "I didn't know about the chamber. I just thought -"
"You didn't think at all," Severus said snidely.
"Don't scold me like one of your students."
"Then don't be a dunderhead like the majority of my students." Severus snapped.
"Gentlemen? What seems to be the problem?" Dumbledore asked as he entered the room.
After Severus explained, Dumbledore's face grew grim. "I'll have all the Heads of House and prefects gather all the students and keep them in their dorms. We need to make sure everyone is accounted for before we get the diary and hunt for this creature."
A half-hour later, all students had been summoned back to their dorms, confused as to why. After checking in with McGonagall that Harry was on his way to the Tower, he went to check on his Slytherins and retrieve Draco and the diary. "Is everyone accounted for, Mr. Flint?" He asked his prefect as he entered the common room.
"Almost, Sir. Only Draco Malfoy is missing," Marcus said, looking concerned.
Severus froze. "Who saw him last?"
"Crabbe and Goyle said they haven't seen him since breakfast."
That didn't bode well, not at all. "Make sure no one leaves and if Draco shows up, alert me immediately," Severus instructed.
"Yes, Sir."
HP
Lucius sat with Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office. Severus entered.
"Where is Draco?" Lucius asked anxiously.
"He has not been seen since this morning," Severus said quietly.
"No," Lucius said, looking horrified. "Where is he?!" He roared, jumping up from his chair.
Severus rarely ever saw Lucius looking terrified and he felt sympathy for him. If it was Harry missing, Severus would be losing his mind.
McGonagall entered, a grim expression on her face. "Albus, another message has been left. It indicates that a student has been taken."
"Draco Malfoy is missing," Severus told her.
McGonagall paled. "Oh, dear. There is one more thing. Professor Quirrell is missing as well."
"I knew it." Severus hissed.
"We have no time to lose. We need to find that chamber." Dumbledore said urgently.
HP
"I know what it is!" Hermione said excitedly as she joined Harry on one of the sofas in their common room. All the Gryffindors were talking about could be going on and Ron had gone over to see if Percy knew what was happening.
"What what is?" Harry asked.
"The monster! It's a Basilisk!" Hermione pointed out a picture in her book.
"The Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death." Harry read out loud. "But no one has died," He pointed out to Hermione.
Hermione bit her lip. "I know. I've been thinking about that. There was a puddle of water on the floor, maybe when Filch went to mop it he saw the Basilisk's reflection in the water. And Justin could have seen it through Nearly Headless Nick! And Nick is already a ghost so..."
"That makes sense," Harry breathed.
Ron walked up, his face pale. "I overheard Percy telling some of the older students that a student has been taken. It's Malfoy!"
"Oh, Merlin," Hermione whispered.
"Where could the chamber be?" Harry wondered.
"Maybe we could ask Moaning Myrtle. She's been around for like fifty years." Hermione suggested. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh. The faucet." She whispered.
"What?" Ron asked in confusion.
"The faucets in that bathroom are shaped like snakes," Hermione said excitedly. "Do you think -"
Harry took off, opening the portrait, and running out. He ignored Percy's frantic calls to come back.
"We need to tell Professor Snape," Hermione said urgently.
"Percy we need to leave -" Ron said to his brother.
"No one is leaving!" Percy ranted. "I can't believe Harry just did that!"
Ron rolled his eyes, grabbed Hermione's hand and they ran from the Tower.
"Both of you get back here!" Percy yelled.
"I'll go after Harry, you get Professor Snape," Ron said.
Hermione nodded and they went their separate ways.
HP
"Professor Snape, we know what the voice is that Harry has been hearing!" Hermione said breathlessly as she ran into the office.
"Why are you children not in your dormitory?" McGonagall asked in shock.
"Because we figured it out! We know where the chamber is!" Hermione said eagerly.
"Where is Harry?" Severus asked, suddenly getting a bad feeling.
"He and Ron went to find the Chamber -"
"They did what?" Severus shouted.
Ron rushed in. "Hermione!"
Hermione spun around. "Ron? What happened?"
"Harry was able to open the Chamber! He jumped in!"
"What?! Merlin, when I get my hands on that child...where is the chamber?" Severus asked urgently.
When Hermione told him, Severus began to run with Lucius and Albus right behind him.
HP
Harry made his way through the chamber, stepping around the bones of small animals as he looked for Malfoy. He gave a start when he almost stepped on a vivid green snakeskin. It was at least twenty feet long. He gulped and continued, stopping in front of a huge statue of a scowling wizard. At the bottom of it, there was a name carved in. Salazar Slytherin. Harry shuddered and continued walking. There were snake carvings everywhere, tall pillars and then he came upon...Malfoy!
Harry rushed to him, the blonde was laying face down on the ground. He pushed Draco over and gasped at how white Malfoy's face was and how cold he felt. Had he been knocked out? "Malfoy, wake up." He gently shook him. "Come on, wake up. You can even insult me and I won't say anything, okay? Malfoy?"
"He won't wake up."
Harry looked up to see a tall, black-haired boy leaning against a nearby pillar. He was watching them with interest, although he looked strangely blurred.
"Who are you?"
The boy smirked. "You have no idea, do you? I, however, am pretty sure I know who you are. Harry Potter. Or actually, it's Harry Snape isn't it?" He looked behind Harry. "Is that right, Quirinus?"
Harry stood up and spun around. "Professor Quirrell?"
Quirrell smirked.
"We have to help Malfoy!" Harry pleaded with the professor.
"I couldn't care less about that brat," Quirrell said, no stuttering evident in his speech. "Besides, he is serving his purpose." He smiled at the teenager.
Harry clenched his fists. "What do you want? And who is that?" He pointed at the teenager. Suddenly all three of them turned their heads when they heard the sounds of someone approaching.
"Dad!" Harry said in relief as his dad and Mr. Malfoy ran to him.
"Are you all right?" Severus asked anxiously, pulling Harry in for a hug.
Harry nodded against his father.
"Who are you?" Severus snarled at the teenage boy.
"You don't recognize your master?" Quirrell asked with a dark chuckle.
Severus paused, his eyes calculating. "Ah, a young Tom Riddle," He said slowly.
"Tom Riddle?" Harry repeated.
"Yes. Before he became Voldemort."
Harry paled.
The tall, black-haired boy smirked. "So, these are my followers?" He asked, looking from Severus to Lucius.
"They were," Quirrell said quietly.
Severus glared at Quirrell. "You will pay for your betrayal." He spat.
"And you will pay for yours." Quirrell smiled.
Lucius was bent down next to his son. "Draco." He said worriedly.
"He's still alive but barely," Tom said casually.
"Dad? Is he a ghost?" Harry asked in a whisper.
"No. A memory, I believe. Preserved in a diary for fifty years." Severus said.
Harry glanced at the small, black diary lying near Draco.
"Yes. My diary that was apparently put in your safe-keeping, Lucius." Tom said snidely. "But this is a fitting punishment, is it not? Your son wrote in it, slowly pouring his soul into me. So I returned the favor, pouring some of my soul into him."
"No," Lucius whispered in horror.
"Oh yes. He told me how important it was to make you proud of him, how jealous he was of Harry Potter...or rather, Harry Snape." Tom stared at Harry and then at Quirrell. "I must ask, my future self, how did a mere baby defeat you?"
"Future self?" Severus questioned.
Quirrell took off his turban and turned around, causing gasps of horror as where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a horrible face, chalk white with red eyes and slits for nostrils.
"The dark lord," Lucius breathed in horror.
"I am not defeated!" Voldemort snapped at the younger version of himself.
"You're only here because he is acting as a vessel for you," Tom sneered.
"Watch yourself!" Voldemort hissed. "You are not as experienced and powerful as I am. Yet."
"Powerful? Sticking out from the back of someone's head?" Tom rolled his eyes.
"Now, now. No need to fight amongst yourselves," Severus drawled, watching them both warily. Where was Dumbledore? He had thought he was right behind him and Lucius.
"Hurry and drain the boy's life so that you can get the Sorcerer's Stone for me," Voldemort said impatiently.
"It takes time," Tom said, glancing at Draco.
"No," Lucius stood, wand out. "You will not kill my son."
Tom looked at the statue of Slytherin and hissed. "Come to me."
"Harry, what is he saying?" Severus asked in alarm.
"He's calling for something...it must be the Basilisk!" Harry said.
From the statue's mouth, emerged the giant serpent.
Severus pushed Harry behind him. "Don't look it in the eyes!" He said in alarm.
"Kill them!" Tom ordered.
The Basilisk started to move forward.
"No! Ssstop!" Harry cried.
The Basilisk paused. "Massster?" It asked in a confused voice.
"No, I'm your massster! Kill them!" Tom ordered.
"No, wait. Don't hurt usss." Harry said quickly.
The Basilisk didn't move. "Which of you isss my massster?"
"Me! Now kill them!" Tom roared.
"He'sss not a very good massster." Harry said. "You've been alone for a long time, ssstuck in here."
"Yessss...it getsss very cold..."
"And, uh, I doubt thessse sssmall animalsss are enough to keep you full." Harry glanced down at the small bones on the floor. "A good massster would make sssure you have enough to eat."
"Yesss..."
"I ordered you to kill them!" Tom roared.
"And do it now!" Voldemort added.
"No." The Basilisk said.
Furious, Tom and Quirrell began dueling Lucius and Severus while Harry went to check on Draco. The blonde was still unconscious. Tilting his head, he picked up the diary that was next to him thoughtfully. Without making eye contact, he snuck over to the Basilisk. "Uh, I know it won't tassste good but could you pierce thisss with your fangsss?"
"Yesss Master," The Basilisk took the diary and bit through it.
"No!" Tom yelled in alarm, twisting and flailing before fading away.
With a roar of rage from Voldemort, Quirrell picked up a stray basilisk fang and ran over to Harry, stabbing his arm with it.
"No!" Severus yelled, pushing Quirrell out of the way to get to his son.
Harry felt a piercing pain and collapsed to his knees. He gave a whimper at the burning pain that was running through his arm.
"You have caused me problems for the last time!" Voldemort sneered from the back of Quirrell's head. "And now you will finally die as you should have ten years ago!"
TBC: