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Harry's feet landed on solid ground. He lost his balance and fell down on his knees. What was going on? He looked around but could barely see anything. It was too dark. His relatives had betrayed him. What had they done to him? Where was he? He felt disoriented and his head spun. How was this possible? Was he dreaming? Was this a nightmare? It had to be.

Suddenly, Harry remembered the locket that his uncle had given him and told him to wear. Instantly his hands went to the locket around his neck and he tried to pull it off but it wouldn't budge. He held it in his hand and tried to understand what was going on. This wasn't a dream. The locket had brought him here, wherever here was. He rose to his feet unsteadily. His eyes adjusted to the dark and he realized that he was in the entrance of a castle. Everything was coated with a thick layer of dust. He looked for a way out but soon came to realize that the huge oak doors, his only way out, were closed. He tried to pull them open but to no avail.

Harry looked around. His fear was slowly being replaced by intrigue. Where was he? What was this place? Why was he even here? Harry made his way up the dusty stairs and looked around for another exit. He had to get out of here. Harry realized that he was getting Goosebumps and the hair on his arms were standing on edge.

He felt the weight of someone's gaze on him. It was following him as he moved. He wasn't alone here and it was terrifying him. Harry tried to convince himself that he was being paranoid. Who would live in this abandoned place? But something had brought him here. Someone was following him. Someone was watching his every move. Harry halted in his steps. He was in a corridor that had doors on either side of it. Which one should he take? None. He moved on ahead and looked around. He tried listening for footsteps, a rustle any sound that indicated that he was being followed but he heard none.

Maybe it was a ghost. That thought terrified Harry further. Ghost didn't exist. But if he could be brought here in the blink of an eye then ghost could also exist. He was scared. HIs heart was beating impossibly fast. Harry didn't know when his walking had turned into running. He ran through the extensive corridors until his footsteps came to a halt outside a huge chamber. Five Pedestals stood in the centre of the room and glowed eerily. Harry found his feet move automatically towards them. Suddenly he began to hear that murmuring again. But it was louder and this time it wasn't singular. Harry held the locket close to his ear and realized that the locket was not the sole source of the murmuring. He looked at the artefacts displayed on the pedestals and realized that the murmuring was coming from each of them separately.

He looked at the empty pedestal and understood that it was the locket's place. Harry tried to pull it off again but it was as if some force was holding it around his neck. He was in a daze as he focused on the murmuring. He didn't know when he spoke out loud,

"What are you saying?"

Harry suddenly covered his mouth his with hands as he realized that he had said it out loud and his voice had echoed throughout the chamber. He continued his attempts to pull off the locket. Harry felt sick. He felt nauseous and he felt dizzy. The fever was finally catching up with him again. His knees softened and Harry collapsed on his knees again. He closed his eyes and held the locket in his hand. Why was this happening to him? Why was all this happening to him? He did not deserve this.

A dark shadow regarded the boy from a distance and everything about him had piqued his interest. From the moment, he had appeared till now. Firstly, he had been mildly surprised to see that the greedy man had sent someone as his replacement. He had half a mind to slaughter that pig but he would do that later. He had judged from the boy's clothing and his physical appearance that he was possibly that pig's servant. From the moment, he had set his eyes on him, all his intent to kill had been extinguished. There was something about the boy. He was puzzled when he had observed the boy's failed attempts to take off the locket and his puzzlement had only increased when the boy had finally spoken. The boy had spoken parseltongue. How could an ordinary person like him speak parseltongue?

He was tempted to face the boy but he did not want to terrify him. He would have to take a softer approach towards him. He realized that the boy was close to passing out. Now that he observed him closely, the boy looked starved and malnourished. He wasn't surprised when the boy's head finally hit the floor and he became unconscious.

Harry's head was spinning. He was burning up. He held his head in his hands to make it still but nothing was working. His head felt too heavy and he felt it hit the cold floor. He closed his eyes. The cold floor felt so soothing against his burning skin. The darkness began to consume him. He knew that he was passing out. Soon enough the dark consumed him completely and he felt blissful oblivion encompass him.

The Dark Shadow moved towards the boy and rested his hand on his cheek. The boy was burning up. Maybe he should let him die. Maybe he should allow the fever to consume his soul. But his curiosity got the better of him and he picked the boy up in his arms effortlessly. His snake appeared at his heels and he spoke to it,

"He is not food, Nagini."

Nagini hissed dejectedly and slithered away. The Dark Shadow looked down at the boy in his arms and instantly knew that he was going to regret not killing him.

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