𝐀 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞

Chapter 1: Back to the Chamber

"What's happening to me?" I asked myself when I looked in the mirror. My skin had gone really pale and my eyes had a reddish tint to them. My head was throbbing so hard I wanted to vomit. 

I was currently in the bathroom of the Slytherin common room. Dumbledore said that I was allowed to stay at Hogwarts as I wasn't exactly welcome at the orphanage and I didn't want to stay in the musty rooms of The Leakey Cauldron. The fact that I killed someone still stays strong to this day.

It was around a week until the first day of school for Hogwarts. The book that Tom Riddle gave me was sitting on my bed right now, open to the Legilimency and Occlumency. Over the course of one and a half months, I had held the Mandrake leaf in my mouth from full moon to full moon and I had also gathered all the ingredients for the potion. All I was doing now was waiting for a natural electrical storm.

I walked out of the bathroom clutching my head as I went to consult the only person I knew who could help me. Tom Riddle. I had this twisted idea that maybe the younger version of Voldemort would actually care about me even if the real Voldemort just wanted to use me. Oh how wrong I was.

"Open," I said to the sink on the second floor girls lavatory. I dove into the Chamber of Secrets to the all familiar scent of snake skin and bones.

I opened the door to the chamber using Parseltongue and I walked into the main cavern. The chamber was exactly as I remember. The snake heads lining a walkway with a large stone statue of Salazar Slytherin.

"Come," I said in Parseltongue. The statue's mouth opened and a large slithering mass of scales flowed out of it. Her name was Bas the basilisk. 

Bas bowed her head to me. Being the heir of Slytherin has its perks. "Where is Tom?" I asked Bas. The basilisk opened its mouth to respond but she was cut off by a male voice.

"Right here," Tom Riddle said, appearing out of nowhere. Tom looked... different. His features were more in focus and his once blurred Hogwarts uniform was fully in focus. He had a sinister smirk plastered on his face. "What is it, Y/N?"

"Could you tell me what the hell is wrong with me?" I said while pointing at my face. Tom's smirk widened.

"Maybe you should look it up in your book," Tom suggested.

I nodded and took out the black book with a snake-like chain wrapped around it. It had a large green emerald right in the middle of the cover.

As I turned the pages, I saw a very peculiar sight. My healthy finger nails, were turning gray in front of my eyes. I was dying.

The realization suddenly dawned on me. I had only started to look and feel horrible when I got the book. I glanced back at Tom whose features seemed to be getting even more focused. A scowl found its way onto my face.

I threw the book at Tom, hitting him right in the jaw. He stumbled back a few steps, clutching his chin. "You're using me," I seethed. Tom's smirk returned.

"Of course I was," Tom replied. "You think that I'd seriously want to help you? You're nothing but a shadow of my greatness. You're worthless."

I recoiled at the venom in his voice as tears threatened to stream down my face. I practically swallowed my sadness and pointed my black yew wand at the book that was on the floor.

"Incendio!" I said. A plume of fire erupted out of my wand and scorched the book's yellow pages.

"No!" Tom screeched. A bright light shone from his chest as I sprinted out of the chamber with a stony expression.

I opened the chamber door with the flick of my wand when I heard Tom command Bas, "Kill the stupid boy!"

I took a look back at Bas. She looked conflicted. Well, as conflicted as a giant snake can look. Bas simply gave out a weak cry and slithered back into the statue of Salazar Slytherin.