A Young Wizard's Journey - The Chamber of Secrets

Revenge

They were standing at the end of a very long and faintly lit chamber. Countless pillars spiralled away into the non-visible ceiling covered in carvings of intertwining and coiling serpents, and the entire room seemed to shimmer a faint green

'Knows his aesthetic, doesn't he? Old Salazar,' muttered Y/N as he and Harry began moving forward, wands drawn.

There was no sign of... well, anything, as the two advanced further into the chamber. No snake, no Ginny, no one. Their footsteps echoed loudly, and Y/N had the eery feeling that they were being watched. Which wasn't helped by the fact that the eyes of the snakes seemed to be following him.

Finally, the two of them appeared in line with the last set of pillars and the chamber expanded into a large opening which supported a massive statue, so large it was almost completely out of view. It was of an old looking human, with a long beard that fell almost all the way to the floor. They barely broke past the statue's shoes. And lying on the floor between the two feet, facedown, was a figure with bright red hair.

'Ginny,' muttered Harry, and he went sprinting off towards her. Y/N jogged along following him but keeping his eyes peeled. Harry reached her and dropped to his knees, rolling her over and checking her over. 'Please don't be dead,' he was muttering, Y/N was about to start looking too when he saw something move and turned to face the figure walking slowly towards them.

'Who are you?' he yelled, Harry snapped up and span to face the figure too, his own wand drawn.

'She won't wake,' said the figure as he came into view. He was a tall boy, almost as tall as Y/N, with black hair and a rather pale face with very dark eyes, and he seemed to have an odd shimmer to him, almost as though he was a reflection. Y/N didn't recognise him, but apparently Harry did.

'Tom? Tom Riddle?' Harry asked.

Riddle nodded, staring directly at Harry.

'What do you mean 'Tom Riddle'?' asked Y/N. 'You were meant to be at school here fifty years ago weren't you?'

'And what do you mean she won't wake?' added Harry desperately, 'She's not-?'

'She's still alive,' Riddle responded, ignoring Y/N, 'But only just.'

'Answer my question,' snarled Y/N, stepping forward.

'I am a memory, preserved in a diary for fifty years,' Riddle responded, finally turning his eyes off Harry and onto Y/N and pointing near the statue's feet. Y/N glanced over his shoulder to see the now very familiar black diary. The feeling of dread was oddly vacant from it now however, Y/N closed his eyes and felt outwards. The feeling was still there... but where was it?

'You've got to help us, Tom!' called Harry, 'We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk, we don't know where it is but it could be here at any point,' Harry had dropped to his knees again and began fussing over Ginny, his wand abandoned.

Y/N's eyes shot open.

'You absolute bastard,' Y/N said, his fist clenching around his own wand.

'Figured it out have you, L/N? Much faster than Mr Potter here.'

'Harry, get up, where's your wand?' Y/N said, glancing backwards at Harry.

'It's right-' began Harry, but Y/N could already tell, from the way he'd stopped, where it was. His eyes went back to Riddle, who was now twirling it between his fingers.

'Oh, thanks Tom,' said Harry and he held out his hand for it, but Riddle did not move. He simply continued spinning the wand.

'Expelliarmus!' yelled Y/N, but the jet of red light soared straight through Riddle and collided with the wall behind him. 'Brilliant' he added angrily. Riddles smile widened.