He gazed at the red headed girl. She was fidgety, nervous. Her skin was pale and she was skinny. There were bags under her eyes, and the black tendril on her magic was much larger, no longer a tendril but a maze of twisting roots. He rang a hand loosely through his bangs and smirked. She licked her lips nervously then excused herself from dinner much too early, to run off. The black tendrils seemed to be trying to take over at the moment. Harry just watched smirking. After a few minutes he also stood and walked off. He headed straight for the bathroom the girl had ditched the diary in. He knew it was tied in the puzzle. As he reached it he found Myrtle moaning.

"Excuse me Myrtle." He said calmly.

She sniffed and looked up at him.

"Did you see a girl pass through here?"

"Yes. She hissed at me!" Myrtle said.

"Where did you last see her?"

"She went towards the sink."

Harry moved towards it and found a small snake marking on one tap. He smirked but then he heard the sound of footsteps. He looked up in time to find Lockhart walking in. He blinked at Harry then gave a grin.

"I saw you leave early and wondered where you were going!" He grinned. "But coming to a girl's bathroom, how naughty!"

Harry's eyes narrowed. Lockhart had continued to step closer during the 'speech'. Harry took a step back and hit the wall cursing in his mind. Lockhart soon had his arms pressed against the wall leaning so close to Harry. He was almost pressed against and their faces inches apart. He leaned closer and Harry instantly saw what he was going to do. He held no remorse as he slipped a hidden knife from his shirt and slit the man's throat. The man dropped, dead before he hit the ground, eyes glassy mouth slightly open. Harry made a disgusted face and glanced to over to see Myrtle in her cubicle. She hadn't seen. Harry sneered slightly and turned to the sink.

:Open.:

The sink rose up showing a tube. He gave a grim smirk.

:Stairs?:

Stairs immediately rose from the tube. He waved his arm behind him and all the blood vanished while he floated Lockhart's body into the tube. He let it drop. He then stepped down the stairs briefly noting the sink closed and stairs vanished after he stepped on them. As he reached the bottom he simply walked across the bones ignoring the body, except to snap the wand. Then he was off walking down the tunnel. The first room he reached was just a crude stone cave entrance filled with shed snake skin. The basilisk skin a lone though would be worth a fortune. He stepped past the maze of skin and found a large door made of metal. It had eight snakes on it all coming from the center.

:Open.: He hissed again.

The door clicked and the snake drew back as it swung open. Harry stepped in and took a moment to admire. The whole room was stone. There was a large stone path way with statues of snakes, on either side and a 'pond' on either side. At the end of the path was a large statue of a face with a long beard. Various pipes and halls were connected to the main room he was in. He wasn't interested in that though. He spotted the red headed girl lying near the face statue and saw she wasn't moving. He walked easily to her and nudged her with a foot.

"Alive girl?" He asked.

No answer. He glanced around again. Suddenly a tall boy stepped from the shadows. He wore Slytherin robes and had black hair. His eyes were a light red/brown. He looked a lot like Harry. He had a wand in his hand and a small smirk on his lips.

"Hello Harry." He said.

Harry tilted his head and then glanced back at the diary by the girl.

"Ah, Tom." He greeted.

The boy raised a brow.

"So you know what that diary is?"

"All I know is it held quite a bit of dark magic…and a small piece of soul."

Tom smiled just slightly. Harry could see the black tendril on the girl slowly siphoning the magic to the shadow of Tom.

"So who are you?" Harry asked simply.

The boy wrote his name in the air using the wand. A flick later and the letters rearranged; I am lord Voldemort.

"Clever." Harry admitted.

Tom flashed a smirk.

"And what are you going to do to save Ginny, Harry?" He asked.

Harry glanced at the girl and thought the challenge over.

"Ginny? Is that her name?" He asked absently running a hand through his bangs.

Tom raised a brow. Then he smirked. He stepped right up to Harry and ran a finger over Harry's cheek. It half felt real and half like a ghost touch.

"So much like me." The shade whispered.

His hands caught Harry's chin so he could look into his eyes. For a moment the boy only looked at him. Then he leaned over, brushing his lips against Harry's in a phantom kiss. Harry allowed it. Then the boy drew back smirking.

"You know I've killed for less then that." Harry said.

Tom raised a brow.

"Yes. We're very much alike."

Harry just watched him.

"What do you plan to do when you're whole?" He asked.

Tom seemed to think.

"I'm not sure. I am not joining my future self. He would dispose of me, as I'm a threat. But from the way Ginny tells it, my goals have become warped anyways."

He tapped a finger against his cheek in thought.

"I believe I would spend my time studying. Learning. Gaining Knowledge. Travelling."

His eyes slid over Harry back to Ginny and for a moment something flashed through his eyes.

"She told you everything." Harry said quietly.

Tom looked back to him.

"She poured her heart and soul into you helping to anchor you."

Tom gave a sharp nod.

"Now Harry. Let's play."

Harry stepped back and Tom turned to the face statue and hissed.

:I call upon you as the heir of Slytherin. Heed my call!:

Harry watched the huge mouth creak open. Then to his slight awe a huge basilisk slithered out in all its glory. It was at least sixty feet long. Harry immediately, seeing it emerge, moulded raw magic into a bind around his eyes, almost like a pair of sunglasses. He stared into the large yellow eyes and just felt weary. His magic was odd like that.

:Kill him.:

He saw Tom look at him oddly with a flash of hesitation, but cruelness still in sight. But Harry respected him for that. He was cruel, like Harry, but more human for that hesitation. He would kill Harry as he was a threat at the moment, but saw no other need. Harry just leap away from the basilisk and drew his sword. He had shrunk it in his pocket. It unshrunk as he pulled it out. The emerald in the hilt flashed in the torch light. He stood his ground. The basilisk was quick, coming at him fast. He barely dodged, his sword bouncing off its skin. The second time it came at him he heard a trill. Fawkes appeared in a burst of flame dropping a hat on his lap. Then it flew to safety and Harry recognized the sorting hat. He tucked it away and dodged another strike.

For a few minutes he dodged and tried to find a weakness in the snake's skin. After about five minutes he realized the only weak spot was the mouth. He stood his ground on the final strike and as the basilisk almost snapped him in half he jammed his sword through the roof of its mouth. It gave a horrible keen as it shuddered. Then it collapsed. Harry pulled his sword out and winced as he felt his arm pull from the basilisk fang. He had miscalculated. He blinked away blurriness as he fell back. He saw Tom's feet step near him and smirked up at him. Tom seemed slightly amazed, yet impassive. Then the teen looked down at him.

"You should have run Harry." He said simply.

Harry just gave a tittering laugh and lifted his hands. He was soaked in blood.

"At least I die beautifully bathed in red." He almost cooed. "I do dearly like blood."

Then he heard a phoenix cry. A moment later Fawkes landed on his chest and leaned over his arm. He couldn't see what the bird did from the angle but suddenly he was feeling better. His vision returned, better then before. He sat up slowly, mostly just tired. He found Tom starring at the bird in surprise. Harry understood. He stood and felt the sorting hat slid from him. It hit the ground with a clatter. Harry raised a brow at the blue handle sticking from the hat's brim. He reached over and pulled a long thin knife from the hat. The hilt was a beautiful mix of indigo and blue. The blade itself was silver, carved with various runes. He looked it over.

Then he looked to Tom. The boy had leapt back, realizing they were still fighting. Harry simply leaned over and picked the diary up. Tom's eyes flew wide and he froze. Harry followed the black tendril that led from it to Ginny to Tom. He lifted the knife and brought it down, his magic slipping into it making the runes and blade glow. He saw Tom close his eyes and stand straight. But the blade missed the book and sliced through the black tendril Harry's magic burned up it, destroying all of it in Ginny then racing for Tom.

Tom gave a scream and fell to the ground unconscious. Harry smirked. He already had a soul, but the magic he had been stealing from Ginny had been giving him a body. Magic was amazing like that. Harry had just given him a large jolt of his own. Harry then leaned over to pick up the hat. He found a long flashy sword fall out. It was reds and golds. He smirked as he saw it a plan forming. Then he saw the useless, now ordinary diary. Finally he looked to the one suspicious tare in his shirt. He gave a small smirk. Then he began his plan.

.--.

Harry stepped into the headmaster's office, Ginny on his back, piggy back style. As he entered, after telling the gargoyle to move, he found a family of red heads crying on chairs; the twins, the boy Harry's age, a long haired man, a short haired older teen, the head boy, a balding man, and a plump woman. McGonagall and Snape stood by the headmaster also looking defeated (Except Snape who looked blank). As Harry stepped in all attention was drawn to him. There were sharp intakes as they saw the various tares in his robes, the blood just soaking him, and the bloody red sword in his hand.

Then they spotted Ginny. The woman cried out and was by him in an instant. She grabbed the girl and for a few minutes the headed family gathered around the waking girl just sobbing over and with her. Harry walked up to the Headmaster's desk and jammed the sword sharply in the wood allowing blood to drip all over papers. Then he idly stepped back and ran a finger through sticky hair in a thoughtful mode. A moment later he was drawn into a tight hug by the older man with long red hair.

"Thank you." He breathed. "Thank you."

He started to sob onto Harry's shoulder ignoring all the blood. Harry finally pried the man off only to be drawn into hugs by all the others. When he was finally released he reached into his robes and pulled the diary out, which had a sword mark straight through and bled ink. He set it on the desk and saw the Headmaster's eyes light with understanding. He saw Fawkes set the sorting hat back on the shelf as before returning to his perch, but ignored the bird.

"I find possession an odd and brilliant thing." Harry said simply.

Then he tipped his head to the headmaster.

"If you'll excuse me, I must go wash off."

"Professor Snape shall escort you to the infirmary." Dumbledore said.

"I'm fine." Harry said simply. "The basilisk did not get me."

Sharp intakes followed.

"A basilisk." The red headed balding man, introduced as Arthur muttered in shock.

"Yes. It's dead. Don't worry."

"How did you get out without a scratch?" The twins blurted out.

Harry motioned to the sword.

"I was small enough to fit far enough inside the basilisk's mouth to shove that into the roof of said mouth."

Silence. Snape strode for the door and Harry followed.

.--.

As Harry followed Snape from the infirmary still sticky with blood he idly thought about how D would take the basilisk's death. Best not to tell him at all. Harry followed in silence until they reached his dorm portrait. Snape pause to look at him. Harry gave a crooked smirk.

"Don't I look nice in blood?"

Snape swallowed then hurried off. Harry smirked again and stepped into his rooms. He immediately headed for his bedroom. He found a second bed had been placed inside, with Tom fast asleep on it. He hadn't wanted Dumbledore to know, but couldn't leave the boy in the chambers. The chambers were heavily warded, even from Hogwart's influence so Harry had had to drag Tom to the bathroom before he could get Hogwarts to take him to his rooms for him. The rest had went according to plan. Dumbledore believed Harry had drawn the sword of Gryffindor, destroyed the basilisk, destroyed Tom and the diary, and did it all for Ginny.

Harry just smirked and shed his robes as he stepped into the bathroom. He tossed them in the laundry basket where they instantly vanished to the laundry rooms run by the elves. He found the large tub already full of warm water and slid in, leaving the water red as he did. Once submerged in the water he examined the knife he had pulled from the hat. He recognized it from a book. It was Ravenclaws knife. Gryffindor had a sword, Slytherin had a set of daggers, Hufflepuff had a bow, and Ravenclaw had a knife. Only heirs could pull such items from the sorting hat, which had probably instantly pulled said items from the places they had been kept (most likely Gringotts vaults).

Then Harry idly fingered the pale skin of his arm. No scar. Phoenix tears worked wonders. Harry frowned thoughtfully though. A few tears, no matter how healing, would, not be able to completely destroy so much deadly venom. Not when it was magical venom. And no poison had been forced from the wound, meaning it was still in his bloodstream. He idly carded his fingers through his wet bangs. He would have to study this later. For now he wished to get clean and sleep.

.--.

End of Chapter 16.