FACING THE MONSTER II
Both Natasha and Simran were now standing in a large and dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. His heart beating very fast, Natasha stood listening to the chill silence. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Ron? And who in the world was responsible for all this? These thoughts were going through her head. The whole situation with Ron and the heir was really mysterious, and Natasha wondered why the heir chose Ron as the main victim. Even Simran was looking around, and was looking dead serious.
They both then pulled out their wands, and started moving forward to search for their friend. They both were listening sharply for any sounds of movement and was ready to close their eyes immediately anytime. It felt like, the eyes of the stone snaked were following them. "This whole place is really creepy.", Simran muttered to Natasha. Natasha nodded in agreement. Then when they reached the near end of the tunnel, they found a really large statue of a head, which was as large as the chamber itself. Natasha and Simran found the face to be of a man, who had a really long beard, and was really old. He looked like, another version of Professor Dumbledore. Then just a few feet from the face statue, there was black robed figure with red hair.
Natasha and Simran knew that, it was Ron and the both of them then rushed towards him, to offer their help.
"Ron!", they both shouted as they nearly reached their friend. "Please don't be dead! We will never forgive you If you do.", Simran cried with tears in her eyes. But Ron did not respond. He was just lying on the ground with a really pale face, and was really cold. His eyes were closed shut, so they inferred that he was not petrified. That made them think of a really horrible conclusion. But Natasha was not the one to give up so easily. "Ron, please wake up! We really need to get out of this place.", she said to her fallen friend.
"He won't wake up.", a new and unknown voice said. Natasha and Simran was taken back by shock, and turned around to see who it was. Natasha was staring at the same sixteen-year-old boy, whom she had seen in the diary, who had showed her that Hagrid was the one who opened up the chamber. Confused at the Natasha's look of recognition, Simran asked, "Do you know this guy?"
"Tom Marvolo Riddle.", the tall boy said to Simran. Simran's eyes widened as she recognized the name, as Natasha had told her about the boy.
"What do you mean, he will not awake?", Simran asked suspiciously.
"Is he?", Natasha started with fear.
"No, he is still alive. But I think it is just the matter of time.", Riddle said looking at the girls. His expression was something which Natasha just couldn't make out. The whole thing about a boy, who lived fifty years ago, still looking the same even now was creepy and mysterious.
"Are you a ghost?", Natasha asked riddle.
"I am just a memory. Something that was preserved in the diary for fifty years.", Riddle replied with something that looked like an evil smile. It made the two girls even more uncomfortable. He then pointed towards the statue. Near it was the diary in which Natasha had written. It was lying there open. Natasha first wondered how the Diary and the boy had ended up in the chamber, but she knew that there were more pressing matters.
She then turned to Simran and said, "We both will grab him, and try and take him out of the chamber.". Simran just nodded.
"You also have to help us, Tom. Otherwise whoever opened the chamber will come and try to harm us. Or else the basilisk will kill us.", Natasha said to Tom.
Riddle did not move or tell anything. Natasha and Simran then started lifting Ron up, and then Natasha remembered that, both their wands on the floor, tried to bend and get it. But then both their wands were gone. Natasha and Simran looked at each other for a moment, but then Simran looked at Natasha's back and motioned even Natasha to do it. Natasha saw Riddle holding both their wands.
"Can you give the wands back?", Simran asked and Natasha held out her hand to Riddle. But he just continued to stare at Natasha with a small smile on his lips. Natasha had a small chill down her spine. "We have to go now! Please listen to us! When the basilisk comes!", Natasha was now in a state of pure panic and desperation.
"The basilisk will not come unless it is called by the heir.", Riddle said still clutching both the wands. Natasha and Simran put Ron back on the floor so that, they could talk to Tom about what exactly was happening here, and to retrieve their wands back.
"I know, I get it. But the heir might be hiding somewhere in the chamber! Please give us our wands! We will surely need it!", Natasha begged. Riddle still did not say anything, and he just smiled even more broadly.
"We all need a little talk with each other.", Riddle said.
"What do you mean talk? The only thing we need to do is to save Ron!", Simran shouted to Riddle.
"No! I have waited for so much time for this moment. The moment I meet Natasha Potter and talk to her, in person.", Riddle said again with the evil smile never leaving his face. Natasha knew that, there was something really fishy going on with the older boy.
"Do you know how Ron became like this?", Natasha asked suspiciously.
"That is a really good question.", said Riddle still smiling. "Let me just tell you that, it is because he wrote in my diary."
"What!?", Both Natasha and Simran shouted.
"Yes. Ron was the one who wrote on the diary before you Natasha. He was the one who threw the diary in the bathroom. He wrote all about him, and his problems in life in my diary. It seems that, he had found it in the books which were fallen from his sister's books, and he took it", Riddle said. "He even spoke about all his friends, and how they were all better than him, in almost everything."
Riddle's eyes never left Natasha as he spoke, he was completely ignoring Simran. "It was really boring at first, listening to other people's problems. But I was patient as it was what I needed to become more powerful. So, I wrote back, he trusted me. He trusted me so much that he wrote to me all his secrets.", he said as for a moment he glanced at Simran. "He told me how he was expected to be as really good as his brothers, but there was nothing more to do, as all his brothers had already done that before. He told me how glad he was that, he was having me to write about him."
Natasha was now frozen with fear, as Riddle laughed. It was a cold and creepy laugh. Natasha had a feeling that, she had heard that laugh somewhere but she just couldn't put where she had heard it. Even Simran was frozen in her place, the laugh had unsettled even her. "You see Natasha as Ron wrote more and more about himself, I became more and more powerful. I was more powerful than this boy, so much powerful that I could pass some of my secrets to him, even without him knowing. I started to pour my soul into him."
"What the hell do you mean!?", Simran asked with wide eyes.
"Did you both not guess it till now? What a pity! It was Mr. Weasley over here was the one who opened the chamber of secrets.", Riddle laughed like a maniac. Simran and Natasha were now in complete shock. They looked at each other in disbelief, and thought to themselves that Riddle must be lying about all this. "He was the one who killed all the roosters. He was the one who wrote all those messages in the wall. He was the one who attacked all the students and that wretched cat, and then wiped the memory of all that what had happened from the poor boy."
"You are lying!", Natasha shouted. "Ron would never do that."
"Oh, he certainly did, Natasha. It is just that, he had no idea what he was doing.", Riddle said. "I actually even implanted false memory of things, when all those happened. Like returning to the common room, and them sleeping. But he did give a detailed account of what you guys were up to, and how you were trying to solve this mystery. I was amused, and did not stop any of you from doing anything. Don't get me wrong. I could have done that if I wanted to. I found it very interesting that, 2 girls had managed to prepare a Polyjuice potion perfectly. It was all just like reading about that muggle story about the detective and his sidekick. Someone called Holmes if I remember correctly."
"B-but why did Ron throw away the diary?", Simran asked.
"Well, I made a small mistake one day, as I forgot to wipe some memories of killing more roosters. Then there was a small moment when Ron must have realized what I was doing, and then threw me to get rid of me.", Riddle said with a bit of anger in his face.
"And then I found it.", Natasha said so as to engage Riddle. She just wanted to buy them some more time, so as to live more as she was certain that Riddle was going to kill all three of them at the earliest opportunity.
"Yes. You found it. And I was really happy. I wanted to meet you very much, Natasha Potter, from the moment Mr. Weasley here wrote about you.", Riddle said.
"Why did you want to meet me? What was so interesting about me? I am just a twelve-year-old girl.", Natasha said trying to keep calm, but there was anger inside her. Even Simran was growing more and more angry second by second and wanted to strangle Riddle for what he had done.
"Ron told all about you Natasha. You are his best friend after all, and his first friend here at Hogwarts. Oh, don't worry he does not have a crush on her and all.", Riddle turned to Simran and said. "He did tell about you too. A Mudblood who can speak to snakes. That is really fascinating. That is the reason that, I did not attack you. You have a really good gift. But you are different Natasha. You are the object of my biggest curiosity."
"So, you decided to show you framing Hagrid to gain her trust.", Simran said.
"Yes, that was my point.", Riddle said nodding.
"You did actually frame him didn't you. Here I am thinking that, you made a small mistake but I did have doubts.", Natasha said.
"You see I was one of the most popular students in the school. So, they took my word against his. Here I am Tom Riddle a model and charming student with almost no bad mark in my student career, against another giant blabbering kid, who had an unusual fascination for monsters. Whose word do you think they had taken?", Riddle laughed. "I was really surprised that someone never thought that Hagrid can never be the heir of Slytherin. It took me years of research to find the chamber. Hagrid never had the brains to discover all that. Only Dumbledore doubted me. He was one of the most brilliant teachers, and always had a suspicion about me."
"I am sure that, Dumbledore knew that, you were nothing but evil.", Simran said.
"He watched me very closely during my later years at Hogwarts. So, it was impossible to open the chamber again. I never wanted my research and hard work to go in vain, so I preserved my memories in my diary, and my sixteen-year-old self in my diary. And as you can see, I carry on my legacy even fifty years after this.", Riddle said. "And now I am closer to finishing the great Slytherin's noble work."
"For your information, Riddle, you have failed miserably this time. None of the people you attacked this time are dead. The mandrakes that are grown by Professor Sprout will unpetrified all the victims.", Natasha said.
"Killing Mudbloods does not matter to me anymore. The only thing that matters to me now is you, Natasha. For months, you and only you were my target.", Riddle said with a maniacal laugh.
Natasha had a double take. "Why in the world am I target to him? As if one madman behind me was not enough.", Natasha thought.
"After you wrote me for the first time, I was waiting for you to return. But instead it was Weasley again. I was really angry at this. Ron had panicked when he saw you with the diary, and he took it from you saying that he will send it to his father, and then he staged a break in himself, and then said that someone else had broken in. I was able to control him again after he started to write again, and I wiped all the unnecessary memory, giving again some more fake memories. I knew that you will go into any lengths to protect your friends, and so I made a small plan to make you come here, to meet me personally. I made the boy once again write down all the message on the wall, and I made him to the chamber.", Riddle said. "But the thing was that, he was really tired of all the things I did to him and he fell onto the floor exhausted, after I left his body. He will die without any memory of what he did. Let's leave that for now, I have too many other questions to you, Natasha Potter."
"What questions?", Natasha and Simran asked.
"The question is that, how a small girl like you, with very less talent than me manage to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How is it that you escaped with nothing but a scar from Lord Voldemort?", Riddle asked with an odd gleam in his eyes.
"Why do you care about that? Voldemort was after your time?", Natasha asked with a puzzled face.
Riddle gave a very loud laugh and said, "Voldemort is my past, present and my future.". He took Simran's wand from his pocket and wrote down his name by tracing it through the air:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
The letters rearranged themselves as he waved his wand randomly
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
Both Natasha's and Simran's eyes widened in horror, as they realized that they were now facing a sixteen-year-old Voldemort. The situation was becoming more and more bizarre, as they thought about it. "Lord Voldemort was the name that I started using from the days of my schooling. It was used only in my close circle, but it was used nonetheless. You think that, I would have used my muggle fathers name forever? Don't you think my present name is catchier?", Riddle said and just laughed. "I who has the blood of the great Salazar Slytherin from my mother's side will never use the name of my muggle father, who abandoned me and my mom, before even I was born? Fat chance!", he said. "No Natasha I wanted a new name for myself, and I got it. It was a name that, no wizard will ever dare to speak of, when I become the most powerful wizard of all time."
"You are not the greatest wizard over here.", Simran countered. "Albus Dumbledore is!"
"Yeah. Even you in the future never tried to take over Hogwarts. Dumbledore was the only one you ever feared, as he always saw straight through you!", Natasha joined.
"He was driven out of the castle by me!", he half shouted to the girls.
"He is not gone! He will come back whenever the school needs him. I am sure that, he must be at the school by now!", Simran said so that, Riddle will have a little bit of fear in him. Riddle was too stunned to speak anything. Then there was music coming from somewhere in the chamber. Natasha was puzzled by it, and Simran was searching for the source of it. Riddle turned to stare down the chamber. The music was coming closer and louder, and was giving a really pleasant feeling for both the girls.
A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. Natasha instantly recognized it as Fawkes, who was Dumbledore's phoenix. It then suddenly came to Natasha, after it dropped the bundle on the floor. It stared at riddle, and there was a warm and nice feeling in Natasha's cheek. Simran looked at it in wonder, and touched the bird's head. "That is a phoenix.", Riddle said with a stare in the bird's direction.
"That seems to be the school's sorting hat.", Riddle said pointing to the rugged bundle on the floor. And there it was, a pointy and wrinkled hat laid at their feet. Riddle began to laugh again, and the whole chamber was now shaking as the laugh was really loud, it felt as though there were many people laughing in the chamber. "So, Dumbledore thinks that, a kid can defeat me with just an old hat and a bird! How pathetic.", he laughed. "How do you both feel now? Do you think you can escape with an old hat and bird?"
Natasha was totally clueless about the use of both Fawkes and the sorting hat in the situation. She could do nothing but to keep quiet. "I am asking you again Natasha, you faced me not once but twice in your twelve years of life, but you lived to tell the tale. How did that happen?", Riddle asked. "The longer you talk, the longer you both stay alive."
"I refuse to, as you will kill us anyways even after that.", Natasha said angrily. Simran did not argue even a bit, as she knew that, what Natasha told was true. The Riddle guy would certainly kill them both.
"What a real pity. I was hoping to have a real and nice conversation with you before I kill you. But no matter, I will find out myself, after I kill you both. But why bother anyways, after I kill you all the mistakes my future self has done will be nothing but a forgotten piece of history.", Riddle said with a large grin. "I feel a little bad that I have to do this. We both have too many similarities with each other, both of us are half-bloods, raised by the bad sort of muggles, and we are two parselmouths that came to Hogwarts after Slytherin himself."
"Hey! I am also a Parselmouth!", Simran said trying to buy them more time.
"Yeah, I almost forgot! You are an exceptional case. Simran. But now, Natasha Potter. I am going to teach you a lesson. A lesson that teaches you not to mess with Lord Voldemort. Let us match the powers of a twelve-year-old girl, with Salazar Slytherin the greatest wizard of all time after me.", Riddle said, and cast an amused eye at the hat and Fawkes and walked away, to the face of Salazae Slytherin and started hissing something to the face: "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."
Natasha knew that, he was calling the basilisk. She looked at Simran and found the same look of fear that she had. Natasha looked back to the stone face. The face was moving, as the mouth of the face opened fully. There was something moving inside the mouth, and Natasha closed her eyes immediately and turned back. Fawkes then took flight, from her shoulders seemingly to help her. Natasha then took a look at Simran, and found that she also had shut her eyes tight. Natasha immediately closed her eyes.
Natasha was really scared about Fawkes, as she wondered what chance would a phoenix have against the king of serpents. Natasha could hear something really large slithering towards them. She heard Riddle's voice telling the basilisk: Kill them
The basilisk started coming towards the both of them. Natasha knew that, they couldn't do anything but run blindly. Natasha and Simran were very lucky that, they did not run into each other and fall off somewhere in the chamber. Voldemort was laughing at the two girls who were running, and was encouraging the snake even more to kill them both. Suddenly Natasha tripped and fell, and Simran tripped as she blindly ran over Natasha. Natasha panicked, and did not know what to do at that time.
"Sorry.", Natasha whispered to Simran. But she just kept quiet. Both of them were breathing heavily, and knew that the snake will kill them any second now. Then something really heavy hit Natasha and was thrown on to the nearby wall. She screamed in pain at the impact. She was waiting for the fangs to sink into her, and was sure that Simran was already dead. She was controlling her tears, as she did not want another of her friends like that. But then she heard Simran shouting, "Natasha!". She was relieved that, Simran was still alive. Then she heard more mad thrashing and something thrashing off the pillars.
She then suddenly opened her eyes, but she did not know what exactly made her do that. There was a really large and green serpent who was really thick as far as Natasha could see. The Snake was fortunately was not facing either Simran or Natasha. But Natasha saw that, Simran still had her eyes closed shut, and she had managed to crawl away a bit away from the snake. Natasha was ready to close her eyes, if the snake turns its eyes to her. Fawkes was flying around the snake's head, and the basilisk was trying to attack it with its fang, and Fawkes was using its claws. Then Natasha saw that, Fawkes dived and attacked the eye of the basilisk, and there was a big flow of dark blood flowing onto the floor. Natasha knew that, the snake must have turned blind, as the phoenix somehow managed to attack its eye, and was not prone to the deadly stare of the basilisk. The basilisk then turned to Natasha and its blind eyes confirmed what she had thought. Natasha then somehow managed to crawl to Simran in the chaos.
"NO!", Natasha heard Riddle screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE GIRLS IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HER. KILL HER!". It felt as if Riddle had totally forgotten about Simran.
"You can open your eyes, Sim! The snake has gone blind, as the phoenix attacked his eyes!". Natasha screamed to Simran. Simran then opened her eyes after thinking it over for a few quick seconds. Simran found that the snake was indeed blinded, and it swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes. Simran then took the opportunity, and made a small run away from it, but when she saw Natasha, she knew that her friend was in a really bad situation.
"Help me! Please anyone help me!", Natasha cried. The Snakes tail came towards her again, but she dodged it this time. But then something really soft hit her face. It was the sorting hat. Natasha took it in her arms, in hopes of a help. Natasha knew that, it was the only chance that, she had left, the only fighting chance. She threw herself onto the floor again as, the tail of the basilisk came towards her again. "Help me. Please help me!", Natasha whispered as she stared at the bottom of the hat.
There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly. Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Natasha's head, almost knocking her out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, she grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs. Natasha looked at the sword in complete wonder. It was a really beautiful one. Simran looked at Natasha with wide eyes. Natasha standing with the sword in her hand looked like scene, from the books she had loved back in India.
"KILL THE GIRL! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE GIRL IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF - SMELL HER!", Riddle was shouting furiously. Natasha was on her feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face her. She could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous— It lunged blindly - she dodged and it hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Natasha's side. She raised the sword in both her hands. It was really heavy, but she knew that it was her only chance.
The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true - Natasha threw her whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth. But as warm blood drenched Natasha's arms, she felt a searing pain just above his elbow. One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into her arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor. Natasha knew that, the basilisk was definitely dead now.
"No!", Simran screamed as she saw what had happened. She knew that, Basilisk venom was one of the deadliest. Simran fell onto the floor crying. Natasha slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through her body and wrenched it out of her arm. But he knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as she dropped the fang and watched her own blood soaking her robes, her vision went foggy. She felt as though the chamber was slowly fading away.
A patch of scarlet swam past, and Natasha heard a soft clatter of claws beside her. "Fawkes," said Natasha thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes...". She felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced her. She could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of her.
"You're dead, Natasha Potter," said Riddle's voice above her. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what she's doing, Potter? She's crying. Now I have only one more person to finish off in the chamber.", he said as he looked at Simran for a moment. Natasha blinked. Fawke's head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers. "I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Natasha Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."
Natasha felt drowsy. Everything around her seemed to be spinning. "So, ends the famous Natasha Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. " Defeated at last by the Dark Lord she so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother.". Simran took advantage of this, and crawled towards the diary, which slid away by the Basilisk. But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Natasha gave her head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head-on Natasha's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound - except that there was no wound. Then to her joy, Natasha remembered Dumbledore's word that, Phoenix tears had healing powers. She knew that, she was being saved by it. Natasha took the basilisk fang, and slid it away from her.
"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him - I said, get away-"
Harry raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet with the basilisk fang that was thrown by Natasha.
"Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Natasha's arm. "Of course, healing powers... I forgot..."
Simran was a bit confused when the phoenix dropped the fang in front of her. The bird then looked at the fang, and the book as if it was saying something. Simran then had a general idea of what was happening, and knew what she was told to do next. Riddle looked into Natasha's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Natasha Potter... you and me...". He raised the wand.
But then he was interrupted by the voice of Simran shouting, "Hey Riddle boy! Look what I am doing!". Simran seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to her and plunged it straight into the heart of the book. There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Simran's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then, Natasha saw that, Riddle just disappeared. Natasha's wand just fell onto the floor, and she took it.
Natasha then ran towards Simran and hugged her. "We did it! We did it!", they sang. Then they heard a small groaning sound in the chamber. Natasha saw that, Ron Weasley was finally awake.