Disclaimer: I do not own SM or HP.

Heirs of the Founders 7

Not a Legend

The workload was unbelievable for the fifth years. Many did not know how they were going to do for their OWL's. Tom Riddle, however, was confident. He knew he was going to get top marks on his OWLs. The thing he was having trouble with was finding the trance to the Chamber of Secrets. As a prefect, he had more access to the school than other students but though he was able to cover more ground, he couldn't find the entrance anywhere. He was beginning to think Binns was right. Perhaps the Chamber of Secrets really was a legend and Tom Riddle wasted nearly five years trying to find it. While he sat and sulked in the Slytherin Common Room, Olive Hornby noticed him.

"What's the matter, Tom?" she asked, coming up beside him and pointing at the potion book in his lap. "I thought you loved Potions. Slughorn's always saying how good you are…"

"I'm not upset about Potions," Tom grumbled, shutting his book and setting it on the floor.

"What then?"

"Nothing."

"Right," said Olive, folding her arms. "You're just deciding to be in a bad mood today?"

Tom sighed.

"I'm not sure what you can be upset about," Olive said, "you're the best in our year, you're a prefect, and everyone likes you. I don't think there's anything you could do wrong, Tom."

"Nothing wrong," Tom smiled vaguely. "Maybe there is one thing…I'm probably looking in the wrong areas."

"Huh?"

Tom glanced at her. "Olive, you remember when Professor Binns told us about the Chamber of Secrets?" He didn't know why he was confiding in her. Tom didn't confide in anyone ever. The only other time he confided into his friends was when he told them he lived with Muggles. He kept most of his life secret. But now as Olive was standing next to him, he decided he might as well get the opinion of some of his fellow Slytherin housemates.

"Yeah, it was the only lesson of his that was interesting," Olive said.

"Well, you think what he said was true? About the whole thing being a legend?"

"Not for a minute," she replied without hesitation.

"I thought the same at first, but," Tom muttered and then shook his head.

"Wait, Tom, have you been looking for the Chamber of Secrets?" Olive inquired, stepping close to him and putting her hand on his knee. "Are you the Heir of Slytherin?"

"Well, I believe I'm the heir of Slytherin." Tom said. "I've been looking for the Chamber of Secrets since that lesson. I've read about every book I could find and I've searched every foot of this school and I keep reaching dead ends."

"You want help looking?" Olive said. "There are some places you may have overlooked…"

"No thanks," said Tom, "I've looked everywhere many times. Slytherin may have just said he built one to scare the others."

"You're just going to give up?" Olive asked, pouting.

"I haven't any choice," Tom sighed, trying to get up and Olive pushed him back down.

"Here, just let me help you look," said Olive, "there are some places I'm sure you have overlooked, like the girls' bathrooms, and classes you don't have. Maybe the entrance isn't even the school, but somewhere outside."

He gazed at her in surprise. Tom wasn't one to accept help from everyone. He was used to doing things alone. .

"Are you serious?"

Olive nodded. "Yes, just tell me the kind of research you did, or any ideas you have and I'll start looking."

Tom sighed and waited a few seconds before replying. "Oh, all right. I guess I could use your help. I believe the entrance will be marked with a snake."

"A snake, of course," said Olive, "or an 'S'."

"I haven't seen anything with snakes, except our house banners though, so the entrance might not be marked at all."

"We'll see," said Olive with a smile and without any warning, Olive leaned forward and kissed Tom quickly and softly on the mouth. She pulled away and went to the girls' dormitory. She would start her search tomorrow morning. Tom remained motionless in his chair and he brought his fingers to his lips. He had just received his first kiss. Tom never had any inclination of kissing or girls. He knew the girls adored him but he didn't care. He never wanted one. Now after receiving his first kiss, he wasn't sure what to think. However, he wasn't sure if Olive Hornby was the girl for him.

--

Though Olive helped Tom look for the entrance, she still was not too busy to pester poor Myrtle Mason. During lunch, when none of the teachers were looking, Myrtle was walking by the Slytherin table to the exit. Olive stuck her foot out, causing Myrtle to trip and fall on her face. Nearby Slytherins laughed and Olive Hornby stood up.

"Wow, Myrtle, you really are clumsy," she giggled. "I thought with those big glasses of yours, you'd be able to see where you are going!"

Embarrassed, Myrtle pushed herself up and she looked at Olive all red-faced. "Olive…you…you tripped me!"

Olive shrugged and stepped out of the Great Hall. Raye came to her best friend and helped her up.

"Myrtle, you all right?" she asked.

Myrtle nodded. "Fine, if Olive will just leave me alone!"

"We should tell Professor Dippet," said Raye.

"No, forget it," said Myrtle, hitching up her bag. "I wanted to get to Care of Magical Creatures early. I've got questions for Professor Kettleburn."

"Okay, I'll see you in Transfiguration then," said Raye and Myrtle passed by her. Raye scowled at the Slytherins.

"Five points from Slytherin!" she yelled and she left the Great Hall. She wanted to find Olive before she lost her. She didn't want to wait until potions. Raye didn't know her schedule, but she knew she went to the bathroom after each meal to reapply her makeup. She found her entering the girls bathroom on the third floor.

"Hornby, I want to talk to you!" Raye shouted.

"Hey, lower your voice Potter," Olive said, looking over her shoulder, "no shouting in the halls you know." Olive stepped into the bathroom and Raye followed her.

"I know you tripped Myrtle just now," Raye said.

"It was an accident," Olive said. "My legs are so long, you know." Olive hitched up her skirt and smoothed her right leg. "The boys love them." She giggled to herself and approached a sink.

"You're a liar, Olive Hornby!" Raye snapped. "You're always picking on Myrtle. You've been making her life miserable since the first day of Hogwarts."

"Ah, memories," Olive said. "I'll never forget the day that lowlife threw up on the boat ride." Olive mimicked throwing up into the sink, chuckled and took out her lipstick.

"If you keep making fun of her, I'll--," Raye said and Olive cut her off, waving with her lipstick in hand.

"Or you'll what, Potter?" Olive grinned. "Give me detention? Mark off points? You know you can't reprimand other prefects." Olive tapped her prefect badge.

"Maybe not, but I'll go to Professor Dippet," said Raye.

"You sound like such a baby, Potter," Olive said after putting lipstick on her mouth. "We're not first years anymore. You can't just go to Professor Dippet every time Myrtle gets it."

"Someday, Hornby, you'll get yours," Raye said, "someday."

"So you always say," said Olive. She reached for the tap and attempted to turn it, but it wouldn't budge. "What the hell's wrong with this thing?" Olive bent down, studying the tap. She found a snake etched onto the side of the tap. Curious, she rubbed her finger over it.

"What's the matter, Hornby," asked Raye, "too dumb turn on a faucet?"

Olive ignored her and remembering her talk with Tom, she smiled. A snake, Slytherin's symbol. This had to be the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. She was certain of it. She had to tell Tom the news right away! .

"What're you smiling about?" Raye demanded, watching her smile. "Hey answer me…if you're thinking about insulting my best friend anymore.."

"None of your business, Potter," said Olive, walking past her and out the bathroom. Tom might already be on his way to Charms. If she hurried, she might catch him there.

He was already in class when she got there. It figured. Tom was always punctual. She took the seat next to him and edged closer, to lesson her changes of being overheard.

"Tom, I found it," she whispered.

"Found what?" he inquired.

She cupped her hands over his ear and spoke into it. "The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

Tom's eyes widened as he stared at her. "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

"Pretty sure," she replied.

"I'll need to check it out," he said. "At dinner."

--

Tom couldn't believe it when Olive Hornby led to the girls' bathroom. She asked him to wait by the bathroom as she went inside to see if the coast was clear. Amazingly, it was. She came back out.

"Come on, Tom."

"The entrance can't be in here," he whispered.

"Hey, remember how you said that the school changes over the years?" Olive asked him as she took his hand and pulled him into the girls' lavatory. "Maybe Slytherin put the entrance somewhere in the dungeon, and the entrance changed as the school got older."

She walked to the sing on the end and pointed at the copper tap. "Look, see the snake?"

Tom bent down, eyeing the tap. "Unbelievable…this…this has to be it." He checked the other taps. None of them had snakes etched on them.

"How would we open it?" Olive asked him.

Tom looked at the snake for a moment and then he remembered about the snakes that would find him and talk to him. If he just imagined the snake were real and if he spoke to it, he may be able to make the entrance reveal itself.

"Open up," he said, but he didn't say the words. His voice was a low hiss.

"What'd you say?" Olive asked, but she was interrupted when the sink made a noise. Instinctively, Tom grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back. She looked at him in surprise.

The sink slid down into a hole in the floor and the walls pushed aside, leaving a large gaping hole. Tom smiled and stepped to the edge.

"Olive, you've found it," said Tom, "this has to be it."

"Oh, no need to thank me," Olive said, combing her fingers through her hair. She was wishing Tom would kiss her in thanks.

"Stay here," said Tom. "Keep a look out for me and make sure no one comes in. I'll be just a minute."

"Tom, wait!" Olive said but Tom jumped into the hole and he slid down a large, sludgy pipe. Olive groaned and stood by the sink. She didn't want to make Tom angry so she made a "Bathroom out of Order" sign.

'Maybe Tom would thank me properly later,' Olive thought to herself.

After sliding down the nasty pipe, Tom landed into a pit of rat bones. He stood up, brushed himself up and walked through the large, wet and underground cavern.

"Lumos," he muttered and the tip of his wand became alight. He stretched his arm out to get a better look of the cavern. At the end of the cavern that led—he hoped—to the Chamber of Secrets. He walked on, stepping on small animal bones. At the end of the tunnel was a wall emblazoned with two intertwined snakes, their eyes gleaming emeralds. An exciting fountain rose up in his being. He was getting closer to the chamber now. He was here, at last.

"Open," he hissed in the language of snakes. The two serpents parted and so did the halves of the wall. Tom stepped through the opening and the wall shut behind him. He found himself in a large long chamber, large stone snakes along the wall. A feeling in his gut told him this was the Chamber of Secrets. He glanced around the chamber. He knew this was it, but where was the monster he needed to control?
"Where are you?" he said aloud, in English. "Come on out. I am the heir of Slytherin."

There was no answer. Tom looked at the large serpent statues. Did one of them come alive when he came near it? He decided to test the theory, but nothing happened. At the end of the chamber stood a giant stone statue of a bearded man with monkey-like limbs. Tom walked to the statue, craning his neck to get a better view. He recognized the face from Hogwarts, A History.

"Salazar Slytherin," he whispered.

His heart began pounding hard, so hard, so loud that he could've sworn there was another heart beating in sync with his. He looked at the chest of Salazar's statue. Was the statue alive? No…there was something alive within it. That had to be where the monster was. How did he get it out of there? Tom stepped back, looking the statue around. Parseltongue had gotten him this far. It should work again. He looked the statue in the eyes and imagined Salazar Slytherin alive.

"Salazar Slytherin, I am your heir and I have come start the cleansing of your school. Release the beast that you have laid in the Chamber for me."

The mouth opened and something was moving from the belly of Salazar Slytherin. A pair of big eyes appeared in the dark the mouth and as the eyes came closer, Tom saw the green head of a snake. The snake slid out from the mouth slowly, gracefully and it fell on the stone floor.. The snake was nearly fifteen feet long—a basilisk. It stretched its body out and looked at Tom expectantly.

"I have been waiting for you," the snake said.

"I've also been waiting," said Tom, stepping forward and embracing the snake's head.

--

Tom returned to the girls' bathroom about an hour later. Olive helped him out of the pipe. "How'd it go?" she inquired. "Is it real?"

"Yes, very real," Tom said.

"What's down there?" Olive asked, looking passed him.

"A basilisk—the king of serpents," he said. "You know they can kill you if you look them in eye? But it cannot kill me, because I control it."

Olive gasped. "Then—then you should have no trouble at all getting rid of the mudbloods! When will you start? You should've brought it with you!"

"No, I need to make a plan first," Tom said. "I know I've spent a long time searching for the entrance, but now that I've found it, I can't let all that hard work go to waste. If I make one error, I could get caught."

"What would you like me to do?" Olive asked.

Tom smiled. "Nothing, you've already told me how to find the chamber. There is nothing else…"

"Wait…I can make sure you're never caught!" Olive said, grabbing his arm. "I'll be a look out for you. I can trap the mudbloods in a room for you…just name it and I'll do it!"

"You serious about this?" Tom questioned. "It could be risky."

"Yes," said Olive, breathing heavily as she leaned against him, brushing her lips against his. "And I can make it worth your while…"

Olive kissed him, low, deep and lingering. Tom stood still, not willing to participate in the kiss. Why was Olive trying to be with him all the time? Although he did like the fact he was absolutely irresistible, it got tiring. But then as he thought about it, Olive Hornby was a gorgeous witch. She was pureblood, talented, a prefect. Olive did share his views and she was a fellow Slytherin. Maybe she could do things he couldn't. She knew the students, their families, their bloodlines without having to look them up Perhaps they would be the perfect team. He didn't expect them to end up together. Tom had more important plans than settle down with his Hogwarts sweetheart, like some of the students were planning. Tom was going to be the most powerful wizard in the world and he did not need Olive's help to do that. But for now, he would allow her assistance. After all, Hogwarts was a large school full of kids. Perhaps the help would be good for him. When he had gotten rid of all the mudbloods in the school, he'd just get rid of her too. Without realizing it, his arms went around Olive's waist and he kissed her back. They remained in the lip lock for several minutes before parting.

"Come on," said Tom, "we've got much to plan."

--

The rest of the school went on, unknowing what terror would befall. Halloween was approaching and the Hogwarts staff had much planned for the feast. Aside from Christmas, the Halloween feast was the most festive feast at Hogwarts. On the morning of October thirty-first, when Serena was on her way to Care of Magical Creatures, she made a sad and unusual discovery. The roosters in the school barn were all dead.

"Professor Kettleburn," she said shockingly to the teacher, "what happened to them? Did they get sick?"

"I don't think so," the Care of Magical Creatures replied. "I'm not sure what happened to them." He waved the notion away like it was nothing. "Well, we won't be studying about them this year. We'll be studying unicorns—I know you've been looking forward to that, Serena."

Myrtle Mason was Olive's favorite person to tease, but she wasn't the only one. Olive teased every muggleborn, every brainy kid, every student that got bad grades, every poor kid (except for Tom), and anyone Olive believed deserved a teasing. Poking fun at the less fortunate was Olive Hornby's favorite past time.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins waited in the hall for Professor Slughorn to let them in for Potions. Gwendolyn Morgan, a smart Gryffindor student, was just telling her friends how she was able to get a passing grade on a difficult Arithmancy test.

"Wow, congratulations, Gwen!" said Myrtle.

"Thanks, I can't wait to tell my parents," Gwen said. "They'll be so proud when I…"

"Muggles, proud?" said Olive Hornby loud. "Aren't you muggleborn, Morgan?"

"Yes, so what?" Gwen demanded. "My parents want me to do well, and my father was always good at arithmetic. He even suggested me to take Arithmancy."

Olive laughed. "Oh, I don't believe it, your muggle father suggested you to take a wizarding course? Oh, does he help you with your homework too?"

Gwen smiled, folding her arms and straightening up. "Of course he does. Even though he's a muggle, he takes the time to help me with my homework. I guess that makes you jealous, doesn't it?"

"Jealous? Ha!"

"Yeah, because my muggle father can understand Arithmancy, a wizarding course, much better than you!" laughed Gwen. "You're so daft, I wonder if you can even count."

Myrtle, Raye and other Gryffindors laughed along. Olive tightened her hands.

"Oooh, you think you're funny, don't you?" breathed Olive. "But I have you know, I can count. I don't need to take Arithmancy to know how many mudbloods are in this school!"

Myrtle flinched at the very word and covered her mouth. "You're so mean!" she sobbed.

Gwen stepped forward and Raye grabbed her arm. The other muggleborn students became stiff and angry at Olive's insult.

"You'll end up with mud on your face one of these days," Raye told Olive.

"Oh, you think so, Potter?" Olive said. "We'll see about that. "

The door opened and Professor Slughorn ushered the students in. Olive gave Gwendolyn a dangerous look before entering the classroom.

--

The Great Hall was decked out in black and orange decorations, the enchanted ceiling a thunderstorm with a full moon and live bats flew around. The students were enjoying special Halloween treats. Everyone was there, except a few students.

"I can't eat anymore," groaned Myrtle after her fifth plate.

"Yeah me neither," replied Raye and she glanced at Serena, who was still going. How was it that Serena Moon could eat so much and stay at her usual weight? It was unbelievable. Bellies full, Myrtle and Raye rose to their feet and left the Great Hall. When they reached the stairs, they found someone lying on the bottom of them. It was Gwendolyn Morgan of Gryffindor. She was laying on her front, her arm stretched out , her hand ready to grab something.

"Gwen!" Raye shouted, rushing to her body.

"I think she tripped," said Myrtle, white with shock.

Gwen's body was ridged and cold, but Raye could hear her heartbeat. Whatever happened to her?

Myrtle looked away from her body and looked at the wall. She gave a silent scream. "Raye---Raye look!"

"What?"

"Look at the wall!" Myrtle exclaimed.

Raye looked up on the wall and found red dripping letters on the wall:

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS IS NOT A LEGEND.

"Oh no," Raye mumbled, "it's real…"

"We've got to tell Professor Dippet!" Myrtle exclaimed.

Raye nodded numbly. "You, you stay here and see if you can get Gwendolyn to wake up. I'll go."

--

Professor Dippet could not believe the news when Raye told him what happened. He, like the rest of the staff believed that the Chamber of Secrets was just a rumor, a legend. Now it was proven true. Salazar Slytherin had indeed built a chamber and left a terrible monster in its depths. His heir was in the school, likely one of Dippet's students and he unleashed the beast upon Gwen. Gwen was still alive, but her body had become petrified somehow. He didn't know what to do besides urging the students to use caution and not be alone in the castle. Incase the Heir of Slytherin would attack again, there would be a witness to the assault.

A few weeks went by without any more attacks. Professor Dippet believed that the heir of Slytherin had given up. But he hadn't. He was still planning his next move. It was only a matter of time until the Heir of Slytherin would strike again. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened, and Hogwarts would no longer be the safest place on Earth.

TO BE CONTINUED

Gah, I know this chapter is shorter than how I usually write my chapters, but…I'm stuck! This is supposed to be where things get interesting, but this is also when things get difficult. I need to think of plans for Tom, victims, and stuff like that…I hope you will bear with me and continue to read the story!