Author's Notes: Again, big thanks to all my fabulous reviewers: Maelys, lilith, LavenderBrown77, Phinea, The Enchanted Teakettle, Aarzu, Larken27, All-American Vampire, Wren, GoodQueenA, Kiki, LovinLovegood1, Ni-chan1, Lauren, twighunter, and vegetatingkadoodle!

I'm re-posting this chapter, as yesterday ffnet was not picking upanyone's updates...I think it's working now, for those of you who have this story on alert, sorry for the double message!

The quote is from Napoleon Dynamite, I couldn't resist.There's also a nod in here to the classic film 'A Christmas Story.' Aaaand…here we go. Will the Real Tom Riddle please stand up.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Harry Potter universe; JK Rowling does.

Chapter 17

Devil

Several minutes of walking later, Tom, Honora, and the two first-years found their path back through to Forbidden Forest, Honora glancing behind them occasionally for signs of the Acromantula. Tom shot up green sparks from his wand, signifying that they had found the first-years. When they got out of the forest, most of the professors had re-gathered.

'We found them,' Honora announced. 'Barely alive.'

'They were about to be consumed by an Acromantula,' Tom explained. He glanced over at the half-giant, Hagrid, who glowered back. Honora rarely saw Rubeus Hagrid, but she did know that he would be a major member of the Order of the Phoenix later on. She felt sorry for him that he had been framed by Tom.

Ferriman and Fawcett jumped forward towards Madame Wimple, the infirmary nurse. She whisked them away brusquely.

'Well done, both of you,' Headmaster Dippet said. He dismissed them back to the school, and Honora felt a little put out. They had just confronted a huge, scary spider, saved two lives, and all Dippet could say was 'well done'? He really was a moron.

'Will they be expelled?' Honora asked Tom as they walked back to the school.

'Undoubtedly,' Tom replied.

Honora was not sorry for them. They had broken several major rules, and had endangered her by forcing her to go after them in a scary Forbidden Forest. 'You were pretty good back there, Tom. I mean, I didn't know that spell, I wouldn't have known what to do.'

'You really shouldn't be afraid of Acromantulas. As you witnessed, they are not all that difficult to deal with.' Tom sounded pleased with her compliment in spite of himself.

'Ugh. There's no way I'll be able to sleep now. I'll be thinking there are giant spiders sneaking up on me in my room.' Honora was struck with an idea. 'Let's get the house elves to make us hot chocolate. I think we deserve it.'

Tom hesitated. 'Well…'

'Oh, come on. You can't tell me you don't like chocolate, because I know better!'

'All right,' Tom acquiesced. He had a strange tone to his voice, a kind of uncertainty she had never heard before.

They went to the Head common room and conjured up a roaring fire as a house-elf appeared with two large, steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Tom and Honora sat side by side in comfortable armchairs. Honora felt warm and safe now that she was back inside the castle. It was hard to believe that only an hour ago, she had almost gone through with arranging Tom's death.

'What are you doing for Christmas?' Honora asked him, settling back into her chair.

'Staying here.'

'Oh. Me, too. It's hard not having family to go to.'

Tom made a non-committal noise.

'How about after? I mean, what do you want to do with your life?' Honora tried to keep the trepidation out of her voice as she asked. It would not do for him to declare himself Lord Voldemort, future evil dictator.

Glancing over at her, Tom shrugged slightly. 'I think I might continue the alchemical research,' he said. 'You know, with Flamel.'

'Oh! Yes, I would, if I were you. It sounds far too important to discontinue.' Honora was relieved. Apparently Tom had been kept so busy over the summer with Hermetic texts that he hadn't had time to make Horcruxes or plot his world takeover.

'And you?' Tom interrupted her thoughts.

Honora's face lit up. 'I want to be a Curse-breaker,' she announced dramatically. 'One of my ancestors was one.' Her mind turned briefly to her lost locket with Bill Weasley's picture, a tiny twist of guilt momentarily pinching her heart. 'And I think Curse-breaking sounds like so much fun.'

'Why?'

'Because I crave power, glory, and wealth,' Honora divulged. She gasped inwardly at herself; she had not even realised that she wanted those things. Why try to fool myself, she thought, I know it's true.

Tom laughed, strong and genuine. 'At least you're up front about it. You really should have been in Slytherin.'

'Oh, there you go, taking credit for all vast ambition,' Honora teased. 'I just hide it from most people!'

'But not from me?' Tom raised an eyebrow at her.

'Why bother? I'm sure you are even worse.'

'You're right.'

The light from the fire flickered across Honora's face as she smiled at him. 'No wonder we're friends,' she said matter-of-factly, giving Tom no room to argue.

'So you're afraid of Acromantulas, but not of the monsters that guard tombs? Deadly curses? Vampires and mummies and sphinxes?'

'Sphinxes don't bother me.'

'And why not?'

'I'm good at cracking Riddles.' A wicked grin spread across Honora's face.

Tom's eyes darkened and he smiled back, lazily. 'You think so?'

'Mmhmm.'

'Try this one: Until I am measured I am not known, Yet how you miss me when I have flown.'

Honora's ice blue eyes glittered with the challenge. 'Until...measured…miss me when I have flown…' she repeated the riddle to herself. Pressing her lips together, she thought about it for several seconds. What had to be measured? What flies?

'Time!' she blurted out. Tom had chosen a riddle close to her heart, indeed.

'Very good!' Tom flashed a grin at her, white teeth in darkness.

'So what do I get, now that I've answered correctly?'

'Nothing. You should have set the terms before.'

They lapsed into a companionable silence, the fire crackled, and Honora could see by the small clock on the other wall that time had flown to three in the morning.

She laughed out loud, remembering a funny story she had read in the Daily Prophet. 'Did you see that story about the Ministry worker training to be an Animagus? He had placed a bet that he would turn into a noble, strong bear. Of course, since you never know what kind of animal you'll turn into…'

'And he turned into a river trout instead! Yes,' Tom chuckled with her.

'Serves him right,' said Honora.

'How do you know you wouldn't turn into a cold fish?' he teased.

'I wouldn't! I would be a beautiful, dangerous creature if I were an Animagus,' Honora sniffed, unable to quite keep a smile off her face.

'Like what?' Tom scoffed.

'Like…um…a liger!' Honora bared her teeth, and made funny claws in Tom's direction.

He stared at her like she had gone insane. 'A what?'

'A liger. You know, a cross between a lion and a tiger, bred for its skills in magic.' Honora giggled madly at Tom's expression.

'Right.' He shook his head sceptically, amusement playing on his lips. 'What is your Patronus, then, Honora?'

'A raven, actually.'

'How fitting for a Ravenclaw. Can you guess mine?'

'Easily. Your Patronus is a snake.'

Tom smiled. 'Is it that obvious?'

'What else for the Heir of Slyth—' Honora stopped talking.

Oh fu-udge…

Tom seemed to turn into a stone statue. He stared at her, unmoving, unblinking, for what seemed an eternity.

'That is, um…' Honora could not find a way to conceal her slip of the tongue.

'How do you know about that?' Tom spoke with deadly calm.

Honora wanted to crawl into the floor. How could she be so careless? No one else in this time knew that Tom Riddle was the Heir of Slytherin. Frantically she tried to think of some way to explain herself. At a loss, she did the only thing she could think of: she blamed Albus Dumbledore. 'I didn't know, I mean, not for sure…until now,' Honora stammered. 'Dumbledore. He's the one who guessed it.'

Tom's dark eyes seemed to go right into her as he stood up, looming tall. 'Dumbledore. So you're his little spy, are you? Have you been telling him things about me? Is that why you eavesdrop on my conversations whenever you get the chance?'

Oh, dear Lord, he sounds angry.

'No!' Honora protested, standing up herself. 'I'm not Dumbledore's spy. He hardly trusts me any more than he does you. And I eavesdrop on everyone, that's how I heard about you being the Heir,' Honora lied. 'Dumbledore was talking to that bird of his, you know, the phoenix. He didn't tell me anything about you, Tom.'

'Oh, I'm sure,' Tom's voice cut through the air in disbelief.

Honora knew he was going to do it. She could feel his intent, and closed her memories just in time. It was time to test her real skill at Occlumency.

Keeping eye contact, she let Tom Riddle go through her selected thoughts, let certain things float to the surface. Everything about Polaris, her mission, and his own future as Lord Voldemort, she kept locked away tight.

Tom got a sour look on his face as he did not find anything to contradict her story. 'So that's it?' He sounded most unsatisfied.

'That's it.' Honora tried to make amends. 'Tom, you can tell me about it, you know. I've already heard from my friends about what happened two years ago, with the monster in the school.'

'You don't know the half of it,' Tom snapped. 'You have no idea. Do you even understand what it's like, being a half-blood and being in Slytherin? The utter disgust for my Muggle father for spoiling everything like that? No, of course you don't. You're a pure-blood, and everything is just fine for you.'

'How can you say that!' Honora was starting to match his anger. 'My parents are dead, too! Just because I'm a pure-blood doesn't mean that everything is perfect! My ancestry does not change the fact that I am an orphan and that until this past year, my life was a living hell, cold and fearful and dark!' She took a deep breath. 'But I'm not going to play this little game with you, Tom, debating who has suffered more. NO. I think you need to get over yourself and start taking responsibility for what you did.'

'What I did? Oh, that just goes to show how naïve you really are. Put yourself in my place for half a second, Honora. Say you were abandoned to rot in a Muggle orphanage, cast off by society. Say you were sorted into Slytherin house, where they can smell dirty blood from a mile away. And say that you discovered that you, a complete nobody, were actually the sole heir to one of the Founders of this school!'

Tom's manner blazed with fury. She had never seen him so upset as he ranted. 'Heir of Salazar Slytherin, the greatest wizard who ever lived! A wizard who had left a chamber accessible only to you, with a monster only you could befriend and control.' He was breathing hard. 'Tell me, Honora, would you just let that go? Tell me you wouldn't be curious, and that you wouldn't step up to claim the title that was rightfully yours!'

Honora gaped at him. He had totally lost it. Tom Riddle's eyes were a storm of rage, his handsome face flushed, his fists clenched tightly. The fire whipped harshly behind him, as if blown by a wind. At that moment, she was so scared of him she wanted to pass out. But as he spoke his last sentence, something got through to her. Wouldn't she be curious? If she were the Heir of Slytherin, would she have opened the Chamber of Secrets? Yes, her heart said.

'Yes,' Honora said in a small voice. 'Yes, I would have.'

Tom was silent for a moment. He was still staring at her, but seemed to know she was telling him the truth. 'I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt,' he said. 'That girl who was killed – it was an accident. And framing that oaf Hagrid – well, I had to do something. But that doesn't mean I feel guilty about it,' he finished. 'I suppose you think I'm a wicked person for that.'

'No, I don't. I know what it's like, accidents happen.'

'How could you know what it's like?' Tom retorted sarcastically.

'Something similar happened to me, once,' Honora said slowly. She knew she could tell Tom about Marlow Woden; he was probably the one person who had no grounds on which to judge her. 'See, where I used to live…' she paused, thinking about how to word things. It would not do to explain about Polaris and the Shadow Kingdoms. 'There was a small community of us, living underground, hiding from Grindelwald's forces in Europe. You've no idea how bad it is there.'

Tom's expression of anger cooled as she talked.

'Anyway, I had grown up underground, and these people were like my family, all of them. And I had a friend. His name was Marlow Woden. Everyone said we would get married someday; I never really thought that. He was a bit…boring.' She let out a short, humourless laugh. 'One night, he declared his feelings for me and I told him to take a walk. I didn't want anything to do with him. I was cold to him, even though he was my friend, someone I'd grown up with. So he did. He took a walk, straight up outside. The enemy forces were there…and he was kissed by a Dementor. His soul was sucked out, Tom. And it was my fault.' Honora finished her story, putting her hands to her temples. She had never told anyone about it, not even Damaris or Kay.

'Did you feel guilty about it?' Tom asked.

Honora shook her head. 'No,' she whispered. 'And I should have. But I didn't. I was glad it wasn't me, and I was glad to be still alive, with a future.'

'Maybe we're more alike than I thought,' Tom said in a low voice.

Honora's eyes shot up to meet his. Now that was something she had not considered. But when he said it, she realised he was right. They were alike. Ambitious, skilled, clever, ruthlessly alive…Honora shuddered. The fact of it was that Lord Voldemort was her perfect match.

A/N: Please let me know what you thought! Next update (and final part of this scene) will be up in two days.