This is a first for me. Writing my thoughts before the story. Though I think this is good idea up into a certain extent. At least you can get to know me a little better. Other authors tend to put reviews they want to answer before the story but... It kind of makes things a little difficult to navigate the chapter. That's why I won't keep you long with this chapter. This first chapter is an introduction because it tells what happens in the chamber first. I will go into details here as well.

As you may have noticed the title... this is about receiving a gift from the Basilisk in the most oddest of ways possible. Will this gift be a curse in the war against Voldemort or will it be an advantage? You won't know till you read.

Don't forget to review to tell me what you think. Tell me if I should continue!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. They belong to J. K. Rowling who might I add is one of my many favorite authors. To have written a series so convincing and yet along a level even children would love, I say congratulations. To future endeavors I hope they will be just as successful.

'...' Snake speaking and snake speech

"..." regular speech

... mind speech or speaking one's mind

Introduction: How it all began

Harry POV

I thought that I was going to die when I accidentally looked at the basilisk in the chamber. The Chamber of Secrets more exactly. Well I didn't have much choice. When I had tripped I found myself trying to stay upright but instead I found myself on my back. Something happened that changed everything I knew. I doubt I will ever be the same again.

Basilisk POV

'Kill' The basilisk yelled out. When she finally gazed at the boy something happened. In his eyes she saw something. She saw his life flash before her eyes. She saw everything. Her master had caused him to loose his parents and worse still was how he had lived with his Aunt and Uncle not to mention his cousin Dudley. He had lived in a cupboard for eleven years and didn't even know about the Wizarding World till Hagrid the Giant came for him.

'No!' She moved quickly and the boy was leaning up against her body. He wasn't completely dead yet. She sighed. But I think it wise that I save him completely from danger. I will give him something I dared not give my master. I will give him a life.

She moved so that her head was level with Harry. His mouth hung slightly open. It was the entire opening she needed. Her tongue flicked out of her mouth and into Harry's mouth. A small ball of magic lay on Harry's tongue but he had to swallow it himself.

'Think of it as a very large pill dear and swallow it. Be forewarned though that you won't be the same afterwards.'

Harry POV

I heard the snake but I was finding it harder and harder to keep alive. Why had I looked? I must be the most foolish wizard in history. Yet, I am supposed to be their hero. I never asked to be in this position and still I am here leaning against a wall of scales with my mouth partly open.

'No' I heard the snake call out as I remember how I was now leaning against its scaly body. I couldn't see. Maybe that's because I feared that I would die further if I subjected my eyesight to the basilisk again. Why was the basilisk worried about me? Didn't it's master tell it to kill me? Maybe I will get swallowed and die as I am digested by it's stomach acids.

The basilisk said something else that I didn't hear. Am I dying? I think I am. That is when I felt a forked tongue enter my mouth. I felt something drop onto my tongue. What had been dropped onto my tongue? I swear I heard the basilisk say something about swallowing and not being the same afterwards.

I know I was all ready dead so I might as well swallow whatever it put into my mouth. I swallowed.

I began to feel light as if someone was levitating my body. I began to feel like my skin itched and yet I couldn't move my arms. My arms! Where are my arms? Where are my legs? I opened my eyes and realized that I was lying on the ground. I tried to move my arms so that I could stand up but that ended in horror. I didn't have arms. Is this what being dead is like?

'Use your stomach to stand up' I found myself using my stomach muscles to somewhat balance myself to stand somewhat erect. When I faced the basilisk she smiled.

'My! My! You certainly have changed. Why don't you look in the mirror of water near the statue of Salazar Slytherin.' The basilisk said.

'What do you mean? I have changed, but . . .' Harry couldn't help but ask.

'Just go and look.' Harry looked at her and realized something. He turned his head to survey his body.

'I . . .I . . .' For the first time in his life he felt hopeless. It really wasn't the first time but he still felt it.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tom Riddle who obviously was angry and hurt that his pet was doing something he didn't approve of. He however was met with a surprise. His enemy was gone and now there were two basilisks. I thought Salazar had only one basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. There was however a difference in size. One of them was smaller than the other.

'My dear I changed you into one of my kind. You were all ready part way there so I only hurried the process. You are a basilisk now and might I add a very handsome one at that.' She said to me. Wait a minute! When have I ever thought of the basilisk as a she. I found myself flicking a tongue out and realized that I could taste it in the air. That is when I realized something, Ginny! I had totally forgotten about her.

Looking toward the statue I found myself moving forward rapidly. The scales on the underside of me moved like shovels finding purchase on the ground. I looked down at Ginny and I prayed that she was all right. I put my mouth close to her nose. There was hardly any breath coming from her nose. She looked pale and her hair looked like a puddle of blood half dried. Her cloths were red as well making her seem like she was covered in blood.

'Ginny' I found myself crying because there was no way I could bring her back to life. I didn't know how. I lay my head on her chest and cried. Her life flashed by my eyes. I remembered when we first met and how shy she had been. I remember the confrontation in Diagon Ally and realized that Malfoy was to blame for this. I remembered school itself and how she had a long road yet before death itself.

'GINNY!' I yelled while lifting my head to the ceiling and screaming a pain filled note. I opened my eyes and looked at Ginny and her beauty radiated more then I care to explain. My tears fell from my face but I moved further and put my lips to her. At least she will know what it is like to kiss before dying. To my utter surprise she gasped and looked me in the eye. She didn't die as others would have.

'Who . . .' I didn't give her time to ask because I answered her right away.

'Ginny, it's me. Harry . . . Harry Potter.'

'Harry? But . . .' Ginny stopped only now realizing that she had spoke parseltongue.

'Harry, I . . . How comes I am not dropping dead?' Ginny looked at me with worry on her face.

'I don't know.' I found myself saying on impulse. It was true though. I didn't know how she could look into my eyes without falling dead.

'I know the answer to that my darling. It is because you kissed her and because you cared so deeply for her. In caring so deeply for her you passed onto her the gift to speak to snakes and the ability to see into any snakes eyes without falling dead. However this doesn't work all the time. If the person doesn't care just as much as you do they would die as soon as they looked into your eyes.' The larger basilisk spoke. She looked into Ginny's eyes. Ginny smiled as she came to realize just what the snake had said.

'I don't mean to be rude but what happened to Tom?' Ginny asked.

'Yea what happened to Tom?' I found myself asking.

'I killed him with my gaze. He would have been a danger to you all if I had not done so. I am surprised that none of you noticed the bright light that was Tom exploding as I looked him into the eye. I don't consider him a master anymore after the things he did to you Harry.'

'What?' I couldn't help but be surprised.

'When I had looked into your eyes I saw your life as it had been. I saw what my previous master had done to you. I wanted to make it up to you. There was only one solution. I would have to become a mother to you. I gave you the gift to become a basilisk. The ability to speak to snakes was solidified so that you wouldn't have to use my previous masters power but rather your own. On top of it all you are now considered a King because of being a basilisk. I hope you don't mind me adopting you, Harry.' The basilisk said.

What? But! I wanted a parent for the longest time. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia was certainly not the type of people who would be kind enough. For a long time he had lived in a cupboard and when he finally began Hogwart's he believed it home. I wonder how she is going to adopt me. Not that I don't mind or anything. It would be great if she would.

'How are you going to adopt me? I don't want to sound rude or anything. In fact I think it would be great. For a long time I have wanted someone who I could look up to. I wanted a parent but as you saw my Aunt and Uncle aren't very loving.' I asked. I found myself lowering my head as I spoke. I lifted my head when she spoke.

'First, my name is Maneerra. Second, I can change myself to be human so that I can walk among them. Third, don't think yourself rude because your not. It's perfectly healthy to ask questions. You can change to be human as well all right.'

'Maneerra, do you know how I can change back? I don't know how.' I asked my soon to be mother. She laughed.

'Think about what you looked like and will yourself to change. Here, I'll do myself first.'

Maneerra moved away and closed her eyes. A beautiful greenish light shone and the basilisk began shrinking and changing. Arms and Legs grew in the appropriate spots as she shrank till she was the height of an average human. Of course she had curves to accommodate her gender.

Her hair was a dark green that was almost black. Her eyes were yellow and bright with excitement. She was also of average height that was above five feet. Slim but not petite she looked at me and Ginny and smiled. She however was lacking anything of clothing. I found myself getting red in the face from looking. Ginny had got up from her position on the floor and seemingly took off her cloak.

Ginny POV

"Here, take this. I think you're embarrassing Harry." I found myself smiling even more when Maneerra nodded and winked. I think though that I was beginning to like her.

She seemed like the type of women that could do anything for you if you only asked. I wonder if it's because of being a basilisk? Whatever the reason she can at least be an adoptive

mother. There was something else that did start bothering me. What is going to happen to her about the murder of a student and the petrifying of students? I know she couldn't help doing it because of her nature but . . .

"Thank you Ginny." Maneerra said.

"How . . . ?" I found myself asking.

"Harry over there on the floor yelled your name for the whole world to hear. He was very grief stricken when he found that he could not save you. I believe that he loves you. He loved you enough to give you the gift of Parseltongue. Someday you might even find yourself with another gift because of his love for you." Maneerra said to me. She smiled in a knowing way.

How could she even . . . Argg . . . never mind I found myself blushing furiously.

'Let's see who's blushing now?' Harry from his place on the floor said.

'Harry . . . urrr' I growled to myself.

'What! What did I do now?' Harry said. He took a look around as if to get a better idea what the chamber looked like as a snake. Maybe though he was trying to ignore me and only pretending to look around at the chamber.

'Harry I need for you to become human unless you want to slither around for awhile.' Maneerra said to Harry. Harry looked up and stuck his tongue out in a very inappropriate manner.

'Young man! Must I know what that means or should I give you a spanking. Now do as I ask.' Maneerra said in a voice that went from soft and nice to harsh and hostile. I'm glad though that I have my own parents but . . . poor Harry.

Harry had hung his head and complied with a, 'yess, mother.'

I watched as a gold and red light surrounded Harry. Just as with Maneerra, Harry transformed back to who he once was before, a human. However Harry had clothes on.

"Maneerra, how comes Harry has clothes on when you didn't?" I couldn't help but ask. I was sort of confused because Harry had clothes on and Maneerra didn't. What was the connection?

"It's simple really. I didn't have anything on when I was transformed into a basilisk." Maneerra said.

"Someone turned you into a basilisk! Did Salazar . . ." Harry inquired. Maneerra shook her head at Harry.

"No, it wasn't him. You forget Salazar made the chamber and brought me here. Godric Gryphandor is to blame for my being turned into a basilisk." Maneerra stopped and turned to the statue that held her chamber where she had been for a very long time.

"Why? Godric couldn't have . . ." Harry said.

"Oh but he did and all because I couldn't love him the same way he loved me. I wish not to talk anymore about this. Someday I will tell you but not now. We have to get out of the chamber before . . ."

The room went dark and an eerie green light surrounded the head of Slytherin. The ground began to shake softly and then violently. I grabbed onto Harry and he to me. Maneerra had rapped her arms around us as if to protect us.

"We need to leave. It's now or never. Everyone run." Maneerra said over the rumbling.

I found myself turning and running still holding onto Harry by now only his hand. I could barely run but I found everything blacking out for me as if I had closed my eyes. That's all I knew.

Harry POV

I was running and Ginny had a hold on my hand and didn't seem to want to let go. When she did let go I saw why. A rock although small fell on her head and knocked her out. I found myself scooping her up and continuing to run. When we passed the iron vault door to the hall that led to Salazar's statue I nearly panicked. Behind us was the screeching of what sounded like Banshee's. I told the door to closed.

"Hurry! Run. I'll make sure that nothing gets through."

I wanted to run but I had a very bad feeling about all of what was happening. I waited to long. Through the door came death.

The temperature of the room became icy cold and memories that I would have not like to have seen surfaced.

"No! Please no! Don't take Harry! Take me instead! Noo! Noooo!"

Ha! Ha! Ha! "Avada Kedavra"

Mom

I knew no more. I blanked out.