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Stars
Chapter 14: The Hydra
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Summary: What if Harry wasn't taken in by Petunia? What if, instead, he was taken in by another wizard who moved into number four after Petunia forced her family to move to avoid taking in the freak? Neutral!Harry
Beta: Cauchy! Big thanks to her for being my beta! This means less confusing words and spelling errors and brains flying around.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own character. Including the several lines I did take from the book.
A/N: Apparently, it's canon that Myrtle has not told anyone about her death until Harry.
Did Dippet and Dumbledore just "Oh, my student is dead? Whatever."?
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When Harry reached his dorm room that evening, he immediately pulled the curtain separating the beds away and reached into his bag to look for the diary. Now that he knew that there was a Tom Riddle that was Voldemort, he would be more cautious when he spoke to the Tom Riddle in the diary. Perhaps even ask his dad what to do with the diary.
But his hand met thin air.
Sweat broke out on Harry's forehead as he searched his bag frantically, finally just dumping the contents onto his bed and looking through them. Ink bottles, quills, textbooks and parchment scattered on his bed, but the diary was nowhere to be found.
Harry felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on him.
Had he somehow forgotten it in the library? It seemed unlikely, but even if he had, Draco would have given it to him over dinner. Had someone taken it? But why?
Unless that person knew about the diary.
Harry swore at himself for being so careless. He sank onto his bed, reeling with the loss of such an important object. What now?
True to Zabini's words, the trophy in the Trophy Room proudly proclaimed that a Tom Riddle had done a Special Service for the School. But that was fifty years ago, and as far as Harry knew, Voldemort was either dead or stuck as a baby. So who was the Tom Riddle in the diary? And if it had been Voldemort, then why didn't he introduce himself as such?
Harry's first impression was that the Tom Riddle in the diary was not Voldemort, but a fraud that had simply taken his identity to pretend to be Voldemort. But Tom Riddle wasn't a famous person by any means. He wasn't a pureblood, nor was he a wealthy man. Why would anyone pretend to be Tom Riddle, when Voldemort was a much more intimidating figure?
Harry's second impression was that the Tom Riddle in the diary was not Voldemort, but a different Tom Riddle who just so happened to have the same name and the same initials. It was unlikely, but possible. That was why Harry wanted to ask what the M. stood for in Tom M. Riddle's name. It could easily have been Mitch or Michael. But Marvolo was an unusual name. Harry was willing to bet that not many children had such a name.
On the other hand, maybe it was Voldemort, and there were ways to survive the Killing Curse. If that was the case, Harry couldn't have imagined what those would be. To block the Killing Curse wasn't hard with a solid object, but there was no counter-curse. Considering how unlikely Voldemort would have expected the Curse to reflect, he shouldn't have had enough time to conjure or summon anything.
So perhaps he had pre-planned something, in case he did get cursed? It seemed unlikely that he would have anticipated something like that, considering how powerful Voldemort was described as, but it was a possibility. It would explain how Voldemort was a baby…
Harry felt his stomach turn in discomfort, recalling their last meeting. He wondered if Voldemort would take offense to his attitude and whether he would pay for it later. Hopefully, the answer was 'No' as Voldemort had had no way of proving that he was who he said he was.
Harry weighed the options in his mind. If he told his dad and asked his opinion now, he would have to spill everything he had kept up until then. Cygnus would be rather displeased with him, and Harry hated disappointing Cygnus. But if he kept it a secret Cygnus would no doubt be even more furious with him.
Maybe if Harry told Cygnus in person, Cygnus would be less angry? Maybe if Harry explained it well enough, Cygnus would understand? After all, Cygnus did say that it was Harry's schooling.
Harry sighed and scratched his hair, wondering what he should do next. On one hand, Harry very much doubted that anyone had seen the culprit, with the triple attack and all. On another, it wouldn't hurt to ask around, would it?
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"The diary's missing? Good riddance!" Draco huffed with satisfaction. "I never understood why you kept that tatty old thing." Draco was laying on his bed, Harry sitting on the floor next to him, books propped on Draco's pillow and the floor.
"Draco… it's got my notes in it. You know, of the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry reminded.
Draco dipped his quill in his inkpot and snorted. "So what? You know exactly what you wrote, since it's in your head. And it's not like the Slytherin monster is after us. Adding to that, even if we knew what the Slytherin monster was, you planning on going after it?"
"Draco… Hermione's been petrified," Harry said sighing deeply.
"And she will be un-petrified soon enough," Draco said, scratching down the essay for Potions Snape had them writing. "Professor Snape will brew the Restorative. What are you so worried about?"
Harry paused. "What if… What if the Slytherin heir wasn't after muggleborns?" Harry asked softly.
The scratching stopped and Draco looked up, surprised. "When did you come to that conclusion? Why wouldn't he be after muggleborns? That's what Salazar wanted, wasn't it? So why would the heir decide differently?"
"Draco… If your dad was a Death Eater, does that automatically mean you want to be a Death Eater?" Harry asked, frowning. "You are your own person."
"Fair enough," Draco said, nodding a little. "So who would he be after then? And why?"
"I told you about the voice, right?" Harry asked, leaning in so they wouldn't wake Crabbe and Goyle who were sleeping. "What if they were actually aiming for me? I mean, three attacks so far and I've been pretty close to all the attacks. I ran into Mrs. Norris on the second floor. The attack on Creevey happened near the Great Hall and I was in the Great Hall with you. The triple attack recently happened in front of the library, and we were all in the library."
"Why in the world would the heir want to attack you?" Draco asked bluntly. "Despite what you think about your fame, the world does not revolve around you." He paused a second and added, "Or Lockhart."
"It's not exactly a secret that Vol-" Harry paused as Draco flinched violently, upsetting the inkpot all over his pillow, "sorry, You-Know-Who didn't like muggleborns. Maybe the heir is mad I killed him, or something?"
Draco scoffed. "Harry, you might not remember this, but you were a baby. What the bloody hell could you have done? It would make more sense for the heir to try to recruit you or something. But considering how badly you use a wand… How many pillows have you shredded with the freezing charm again?"
"Fourteen," Harry replied with a wince. "And the last two exploded. I'm getting the hang of it though!"
Harry had, for the most part, practiced alone with Draco. Draco would levitate pillows and Harry would attempt to immobilize them without the extra step of extending his magic. The results had been disastrous.
"You can get it in class just fine," Draco said, trying to dab ink from his pillow before tossing his pillow off his bed, getting a new one from the floor. "I fail to see why you need me to continue to levitate pillows for you. I'm starting to suspect that you like to see them explode."
"It's my wand. I'm trying new ways of using it," Harry defended.
"It's a wand. I don't see what you mean," Draco said, shrugging. "But alright, I suppose." He reached into a bag for another inkpot and dipped his quill in again. "So, it would make sense for the heir to try and recruit you, or something."
"No one brings a monster to recruit someone, Draco," Harry said, sighing.
"Well, they could also be trying to intimidate you into joining them," Draco pointed out. "It's not like that's impossible. Speaking of which, Nott said he made a list of snakes or serpents that the monster could be. He said he'd be coming over soon."
"Well… I guess that would make sense," Harry said reasonably. "But that kind of makes it worse, doesn't it?"
"Don't look at me," Draco said, shrugging. "I'm just listing out all the possibilities."
"Speaking of possibilities," Nott's voice interrupted as he pulled the curtain open. "Here's a list of snakes. I didn't think that it could be a muggle snake so I left them out. So these are magical snakes who live for a long time and might have the ability to petrify."
"Runespoor," Harry said slowly. "And basilisk?"
"But runespoors and basilisks don't petrify," Draco said, leaning over to read the list Nott was offering. "Runespoor are highly venomous and basilisks kill with their gaze."
"Who is to say what would happen if the venom got onto someone's skin? Or if someone didn't look a basilisk in the eye?" Nott asked, shrugging. "I've never tried it, but then again, I don't think I want to. There's not enough information. So Harry, if you ever meet the snake, ask it."
"Is this before or after I get bit and die?" Harry asked, reading Nott's notes and paling dramatically.
"Potter, you're a parselmouth. It hardly takes a genius to know that you would be able to ask without actually looking at them," Nott said impatiently. "Which do you think is in the Chamber?"
Draco and Harry shared a look.
"If I were the heir, I'd want the more monstrous one," Draco said. "So I would say the basilisk."
"Really? But the basilisk is enormous right? How is such a big snake getting around Hogwarts without killing more people?" Harry asked, frowning a little. "I mean, it's massive by now. And it's somehow avoided teachers and people alike, only striking five victims? It seems unlikely."
"And runespoors have a habit of daydreaming. It's not as big as the basilisk, but it's also easier to spot with its bright orange pattern," Nott added. "However, the reason I put basilisk down was also because I heard a rumor." He sat on the bed and put the parchment down. "I heard that the gamekeeper's roosters have been killed. Obviously, the heir would want to kill them, as the crowing of a rooster is fatal to the basilisk."
"When did you hear that?" Harry asked, interested.
"This afternoon, while I was in the library. I heard Weasley talk about it to his sister," Nott said. "She seemed a little distraught about it too. It seemed a little strange to me, as she didn't seem to be doing any homework. Just sitting at the desk next to her brother, pale and fidgeting. She kept looking over at you and Draco's table."
Harry sighed. "I wonder why?"
Not shrugged, "Girls are weird. I wouldn't worry too much about it."
"Anyway," Draco said, trying to get back to the topic. "It's not like we can do much. Maybe try to cut corners a bit more carefully. Though now that we're being escorted everywhere, I doubt any of us will get attacked."
"Draco, if it was a basilisk, I doubt that it would give a flying pixie about how many people it has killed," Harry said softly. "I suppose we should bring a mirror with us though. Prevention is the key."
That, and the fact that a basilisk's gaze would go right through the wards.
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"Potter! Sit still!" Nott snarled at Harry under his breath.
Harry fidgeted, glanced at the clock, then fidgeted some more. Nott growled.
"I'm going to petrify you Potter, I swear…" Nott hissed. "If the snake doesn't get to you first—"
The bell rang and Harry was out of the door in a flash. Draco and Nott shared a look, bewildered.
"Okay… I know he hates Defense," Draco said, standing up. "But that was weird, even for him."
"Maybe he needed to use the loo?" Nott huffed. "I just wished he asked earlier instead of just fidget the entire class through."
"Maybe he was afraid of Lockhart escorting him to the loo," Draco said. "Merlin, I'd hate that."
"Okay, yeah," Nott relented. "If he's not back by dinner then we'll just bring him some."
Harry, meanwhile, had a flash of inspiration right before Defense Against Dark Arts had started. It had been over a month and with no further attacks, security had let up some. Harry needed to use this to his advantage to be able to get as much information as he could.
After all, who would know the castle better than ghosts who could scour the whole of it?
Harry waved down the Bloody Baron first. As the Slytherin Ghost, the Bloody Baron was most accommodating to his own house and often the most helpful out of all the ghosts in the castle. It was a bonus that he could get rid of Peeves.
The Bloody Baron watched Harry pant for breath before speaking.
"You wished to speak with me, child?" the Baron asked calmly.
"Can you tell me anything about when the Chamber was opened when Tom Riddle was a student?!" Harry gasped out.
Whatever the Bloody Baron had been expecting, it had quite obviously not been that. His silvery eyes widened and his jaw slackened, his arms falling limp to his sides. His face paled even more, becoming almost transparent in the dim lighting of the dungeons. Harry held his breath, mentally smacking himself for being so straightforward. Perhaps he should have been a little more subtle?
The Bloody Baron slowly raised his hands and placed them across his chest, as if he was suppressing a shudder. He gripped his own shoulders tightly and said, "You ask too much, child."
"Then," Harry struggled for an answer. He couldn't let the lead just die like this! "Then tell me someone who can help me! Please, Baron! Do you know what happened to the Gryffindor ghost? Do you know if there is a true Chamber of Secrets?"
The Bloody Baron paused and said, slowly, "Salazar Slytherin was before my time. I do not know for sure, as there are many places that have been blocked off to ghosts and magical beings. There is a room on the seventh floor I have never been able to enter and an area in the dungeons with similar wards. I cannot tell if they are the Chamber, or if they are something else."
Harry grasped for straws, desperate for more information.
"Is there someone who would know more? Anyone?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore would," The Bloody Baron said quietly. "In addition, I believe Myrtle was in Hogwarts the same time as Riddle. She might know." He looked at Harry and then at the ground. "As for what has happened to Nick, I do not know. His condition honestly frightens me. As a ghost, we are impervious to most magic. To have damaged a ghost like that is unheard of."
"Venom!" Harry gasped. "Does venom effect ghosts?!"
The Bloody Baron shook his head. "No. It does not," he said, "We are immune to venom, as we do not have a proper body for the venom to be injected into or to affect." He gave a puzzled look to Harry, but Harry plowed on.
"Then how will they restore Nick?" Harry asked.
"I would assume that there is a kind of restorative magic. I know that ghosts can be warded against. Therefore, there is some magic that still affects us," the Baron said, "I'm sure Dumbledore will find a way…"
"Thank you!" Harry rushed out, already sprinting his way to the second floor corridor in search of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
The bathroom was quiet, as most people were still at dinner. Harry skidded to a halt in front to catch his breath. Then he slowly walked in.
"Myrtle?" he asked, tentative.
The ghost popped her head through one of the stall doors and giggled. Then she floated out of the stall, right through the door and looked around. "That handsome young boy isn't with you?" she asked, her face flushing a silvery color.
"Er…" It took Harry a few seconds to remember that Draco had been with him the last time they were in this bathroom. Harry shook his head and said, "No. Not this time, sorry. I wanted to ask though. You went to school with Tom Riddle, didn't you?"
Myrtle blinked at him and slowly nodded. "I remember the Professors talking about him. Why?"
"What was he like?" Harry asked, the sensation of cold water splashing over him.
"I didn't know him personally. But the Professors all liked him. Clever, they called him. He was the Slytherin Prefect," Myrtle said calmly.
Harry looked at the ghost carefully, taking in her appearance. She appeared to be a young girl, fifteen at most by appearance. "How did you die?" he asked quietly.
Myrtle's whole demeanor changed at once.
"Ohhhhh, it was dreadful," she gushed, oddly accommodating to Harry's question. "It happened right in that stall." She pointed to the stall she had floated out of. "I was hiding because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. I was crying and then heard someone come in. So I opened the door to tell them to go away. And then… I died."
"Just like that?" Harry asked.
"Yes. I remember it was a boy who spoke and it was a strange hissing noise," Myrtle said calmly, pointing to the sink in front of the stall. "I saw a pair of great big yellow eyes over there."
Harry looked at the sink and walked closer to it, inspecting it, turning the facet. He looked up from where the sink connected with the piping and eyed the plumbing.
"The tap has never worked," Myrtle said brightly. Harry turned back to Myrtle.
"Have you… er… told Professor Dumbledore about this?" Harry asked Myrtle.
"Of course I did," Myrtle said. "He was the Transfiguration Professor at the time. He asked but said without me actually seeing who or what killed me, he couldn't accuse anyone."
Harry nodded and said, "Thank you, Myrtle…"
Myrtle looked shocked for half a second before beaming. "You're welcome."
Harry hurried out to the Great Hall to tell Draco and Nott what he had learned.
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"It's definitely a basilisk then," Draco said.
"And you said it's been moving around in the plumbing?" Nott asked. "Well, that's reassuring. All the toilets are essentially death traps then?" He eyed Harry and added, "How sure are you about this?"
"Pretty sure," Harry said. "I heard the voice move in the wall during Hallow's Eve."
"Okay, so what do we do?" Draco asked, flopping down on his bed, causing the springs to creak lightly. "I guess we could carry mirrors with us everywhere or something."
"What can we do? It's a massive snake," Nott said reasonably. "It's not like it's going to stop and we don't exactly have any means to stop a basilisk. Except maybe to strap roosters on our heads, but if the snake looks into the eyes of the rooster before it actually crows, you're dead meat."
"I doubt the heir of Slytherin would attack us anyway," Draco said dismissively. "We are Slytherins and purebloods. Except Harry, but you're half-blood. You're not exactly prime target for the heir to attack."
Harry gave Draco a frown, but didn't reply. Nott leaned forward on Draco's bed, his voice lowering to a whisper.
"Harry, why don't you try getting into the Chamber of Secrets?" Nott asked.
Both Draco and Harry gave Nott a shocked look.
"No, hear me out!" Nott said before Draco or Harry could shoot down his idea. "You know where the entrance is and you're a parselmouth. Perhaps you can ask the basilisk who the heir is. That way, we can report them and they'll get locked in Azkaban."
"Azkaban?" Harry asked.
"The worse prison in the Wizarding World," Draco said. "Blimey, I keep forgetting you were raised by a foreigner. They have their own prison in Taiwan, don't they?"
"Yeah, Zuo Mong," Harry said, looking back at Nott.
"I mean, it's only dumb luck that no pureblood or half-blood has run across the basilisk so far," Nott continued, as if Harry hadn't asked a question. "And I'd hate to be taking a piss, only to die because the basilisk bursts out of the plumbing."
"You'd think that the heir would be a little more careful than that," Draco said, raising an eyebrow at Nott.
"He has attacked next to the Great Hall and next to the Library so far," Nott said. "Both of which are packed with people. Snakes have no eyelids, as far as I know, so it's kind of hard not to look into their eyes when you're not expecting a basilisk. What if you needed to use the loo that day when the mudbloods were attacked in front of the library, Draco? You could have easily been the one petrified, or worse, dead."
Draco winced. "Okay. Point taken. But won't that put us on the Slytherin heir's hit list if we try to turn him in?"
"Maybe. But it might be better than getting killed," Nott replied. "So Harry? What do you think?"
"I think you're nuts," Harry declared. "Absolutely bonkers."
Nott grinned. "We'll even go with you."
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Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.
"Another attack?" Harry murmured to Draco and Nott. It was the very next day and classes had been canceled due to an emergency. Harry had overheard the Weasley brothers speculate about how Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber.
"But Weasleys are pureblood. The heir has to have made a mistake," Draco kept saying. They were tagging along in the back of the line, having been dismissed from Charms half an hour early.
"Draco, the Weasleys are also blood-traitors," Nott said calmly. "Maybe the heir didn't like that. I don't know why you're so distressed about it. It's not like they can't pop out a new baby or anything…"
"Theo," Harry said sharply, his eyes narrowed at him. Nott shrugged, apparently unconcerned.
"It's not that!" Draco said. "There are so few purebloods left! Even if they are blood traitors, they're still pure! Why would the heir attack her like that? Wouldn't it be better to imperio her or something?"
Harry sighed as they made their way back to the dorms. Suddenly, a red spell flew through the air, hitting Draco on the shoulder. Draco staggered, his wand ripped away from his sleeve and sailing through the air. It landed on the floor with a clatter, out of sight.
Nott and Harry stared at him before looking in the direction of where the wand had flown. Draco swore viciously, his eyes narrowed.
"What the—"
Harry looked at the tiny Professor Flitwick, whose head was bobbing in and out of sight, before looking back at Draco. "Should we tell Flitwick?"
"I'll just grab it really quick," Draco said, walking down the hall and glancing around for his wand. "Hey? Where did it go?"
Harry and Nott followed Draco, looking a bit nervous. Draco paced in front of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, frowning, looking for his wand.
"Maybe it rolled in?" Nott suggested, pointing.
Draco sighed and walked into the bathroom before stopping dead.
"Harry…?" Draco asked, looking back at him.
Harry walked in as well before gasping. Nott's mouth opened and closed, resembling a fish.
The Chamber of Secrets was open. The sinks had moved aside, revealing a large stone slide that seemed to dive right into the depths of the school. A hooded, cloaked figure, holding Draco's wand, jumped in as soon as they came into sight.
"Hey! That's my wand!" Draco snarled, but stopping short of entering the tunnel himself.
"Should we tell a Professor?" Nott asked, finding his voice, though it sounded like he was being strangled.
"And lose them along with my wand? I don't think so!" Draco snapped, leaping onto the slide. He vanished in the darkness, a scowl on his face.
Harry swore and jumped after him. Nott hesitated a moment longer, but then the Chamber started to close, the sinks shifting, and he jumped in as well.
The slide was dark and musty. It seemed to travel deep into the ground and the temperature cooled. The air stank of mold and water with a steady drip coming from the ceiling. Harry slowly stood and moved forward, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder.
"There's only one way to go now," he said calmly, though he sounded far more confident than he felt. "Nott? Can you alert a teacher somehow?"
"I suppose I could try…" Nott said calmly. Harry turned to Draco.
"Let's go get your wand then…" Harry said calmly, sighing deeply. "Just remember… any sign of movement… close your eyes."
"You don't need to tell me that," Draco huffed.
They headed deeper into the tunnel, carefully treading on the wet stone. Draco gripped Harry's shoulder to help himself balance, the echoes of water droplets breaking the silence. There was a hiss and Draco gasped, leaping backwards.
"Draco—what are you-?!" Harry started, but there was a slow rumble throughout the tunnel. Harry threw his arms up to protect his face, his bag swinging against his hip. Large chunks of rock fell from the ceiling, smashing into the stone floor, separating Draco from Harry.
"Something pulled me!" Draco called out, panicked. "Harry! Help!"
"Draco!" Harry touched the rocks, trying to shift them, but they were much too heavy. "Draco, stand back! I'm going to try to levitate them aside."
"No!" Draco said, "Don't! If you do that, then you might cause the ceiling to collapse more. Can you go fetch my wand? I'll go to see how Theo is doing in calling someone. I'll bring the Professor down here. They'll be able to shift this rock."
"Don't you think it's… dangerous for me to go alone?" Harry asked.
"Please, Harry? I'm pretty much useless without my wand. I don't exactly have fancy wards or wandless magic," Draco pleaded. Harry winced.
"Alright," he said finally. "But you so owe me for this."
"Thank you!" Draco called back. Harry nodded and slowly made his way into the heart of the Chamber.
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The first thing Harry saw when he entered was the diary. It was sitting on the floor, right next to Draco's wand. Harry scrambled forward to grab the wand, but it levitated out of his reach.
Harry whipped around. There was a young man with black hair and black eyes, gazing coolly at him, holding a wand with his right hand. The boy reached for Draco's wand and caught it, having summoned it to him.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, frowning.
"Tom Riddle. Don't you remember me? You wrote to me," Riddle said. Harry didn't recognize the wand he was holding, but for some reason, Riddle was wearing a Gryffindor tie with his Hogwarts robes.
"You were in Gryffindor?!" Harry blurted. Riddle's eyes narrowed.
"No," he hissed, evidently not pleased.
"But, you're wearing the tie," Harry pointed out, his hand shaking a little. For a fifty year old man, Riddle didn't look a day over sixteen.
Riddle's eyebrow twitched in irritation. He purposefully turned away from Harry, pocketing the two wands. "I've been waiting to meet you for a long time, Harry Potter."
Harry frowned and refrained from correcting Riddle. Instead, he said, "Why?"
"Well, how is it, that a no-talent like you, was able to defeat the greatest sorcerer in the world?" Riddle asked. "How is it that you managed to survive Lord Voldemort? The longer you talk…" Riddle turned and pointed the unknown wand at Harry. "The longer you stay alive."
"I don't know," Harry said exasperated. "What does it matter?! Please give me Draco's wand. I need to return it to him before the basilisk comes and we all die."
"It won't come until it's called," Riddle said, twirling the unknown wand in his hands. "It matters because…" Riddle raised the wand and wrote out the words 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'. Then he waved his wand and the letters rearranged to 'I am Lord Voldemort'. "You see? Voldemort is my past, my present, and my future."
"I still can't tell you," Harry replied, thinking over his suspicions and cursing the fact that he wasn't more careful. He wordlessly activated the wards on his bag, in case Riddle tried something like cursing him. "It's not like I would know anyway. I was a baby at the time. What do you think I remember from that night?!"
Riddle sneered at Harry, his tone mocking. "Useless. Very well, you are of no more use to me. I sincerely hope you've done your research on the basilisk." He raised his hands and hissed out in parseltongue, "Come to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four!"
Harry whipped around to see a giant stone head's mouth open. Horrorstruck, Harry instantly averted his eyes, pointing his wand at the place he was sure the basilisk would slide out of. He reached his magic out and waited until he heard the basilisk's scales slide across the stone floor. Then he shrieked, "Everte Statum!"
The spell hit the basilisk, but the basilisk shook it off. It hissed in fury, lashing out with its fangs, which Harry just barely dodged.
"Kill the boy!" Riddle hissed out, pointing. The basilisk didn't seem to need prompting, as it was already going after Harry. Harry jumped wildly, trying to avoid the basilisk's thick green tail and not look at it directly in the eyes at the same time. He slipped on the wet stone, his shoulder slamming hard into the ground.
"You're dead, Potter!" Riddle laughed out. Harry grasped around, trying to find something—anything that would help him blind the basilisk. His hand rested on his wand and he shouted out, blindly, just as the serpent was posing to strike, "EXPELLIARMUS!"
There was a tremendous BANG that shook the Chamber. The basilisk reared back, spitting in agony, as the uncontrolled explosive magic slammed into its face. Harry's head slammed against the stone as the backlash hit him, making him see stars.
"Kill him! You can smell him, can't you?!" Riddle roared at the blinded basilisk. Harry peeked up, blinking the white out of his vision, to see the charred head of the basilisk, its great yellow eyes blackened in the explosion.
The basilisk, furious, struck. Harry felt the tongue flick against his cheek as the basilisk bit his bag. There was a terrible hissing coming from his bag, but Harry barely noticed. He pointed his wand in the snake's mouth, and bellowed "EXPELLIARMUS!"
The basilisk's head exploded violently. Blood and brain matter showered Harry, the body of the great beast writhing for a few seconds. Then it lay still.
Harry gasped for breath, adrenaline still coursing through him. Now that he took a good look at the serpent, it had to be over sixty feet long. Harry raised his wand and pointed it at Riddle.
"I'll kill you!" Harry snarled out.
Riddle smirked, his dark eyes burning with hate as he raised his wand as well. "You are welcome to try. But I can assure you, I am the better duelist."
"I don't need to duel to kill you!" Harry panted. His wand shook in his hand, and Harry did his best to focus.
Riddle laughed. "Expelliarmus!" he said sharply.
Harry felt his wand being ripped out of his hand. He growled lowly, scrambling to grab a weapon. His hand brushed the basilisk's fang still buried in his bag. He ripped it out and threw it at Riddle.
Riddle didn't seem to expect a fang to come flying at him. It scraped against his cheek, drawing blood and poisoning him at the same time. His eyes widened and his jaw slackened.
"You—You fool!" Riddle screamed out, panicked. "What have you done?!" He raised his wand and made a slashing motion shooting a suspiciously green spell at him, which Harry barely managed to dodge by rolling to the side. Riddle screamed as he slumped to the ground, starting to convulse as the poison worked its way through his body.
Harry stared at Riddle in horror as the poison cause Riddle to foam at the mouth, twitching and gasping. He scrambled forward to grab his fallen wand, his hands shaking badly as he watched Riddle suffer under the effects of basilisk venom.
It seemed like an eternity, but eventually, Riddle slumped. His form became misty and vanished, leaving the body of a dead first-year, Ginny Weasley.