The Legacy of Salazar

The Heir of Slytherin

That was an understatement, in Merlin's humble opinion, but he was too stunned to say it. His mind frantically tried to piece together what had just happened to no avail. He watched this—apparition? Whatever he was— of Tom Riddle as he bent down and picked up Ginny's still glowing wand. He twirled it between semi-translucent fingers, a hungry gleam in his gaze. It set Merlin's teeth on edge. He knew one day those eyes would shine crimson, and the features of Riddle's face would become something from a nightmare—the future Tom Riddle would shape for himself.

Merlin stuffed his Whomping Willow stick back into his robes. No need for pretence now. "I had a feeling you were behind this Tom."

"Did you now?" Riddle seemed oddly delighted. "Though I confess I did not see you coming."

"I have that effect." Merlin glanced at Ginny. She hadn't been possessed in the same way as Quirrell. As far as he could tell, Riddle had come out of her pocket—so why did she remain unconscious? He lifted his eyes back to Riddle. "So, what are you? A ghost?"

"A memory, preserved in a diary for fifty years." Riddle glanced down at Ginny as well. "You see, little Ginny here found me in one of her second-hand textbooks and has been writing to me all year. All her worries and woes, her secrets, her deepest desires—" his eyes travelled over Merlin's face, "All about the kind Parselmouth in Slytherin."

He threw back his head and laughed, a high cold sound that pricked the hairs on Merlin's arms. "To see into someone's heart is powerful magic, as I'm sure you are aware. With each new confession, I grew stronger and stronger—stronger than the foolish girl pouring her soul out to me. Until one day, I was able to pour a little of myself back into her."

"You possessed her," Merlin said, his fist clenching and unclenching at his side. "You made her write that message on the wall on Samhain, and open the Chamber of Secrets. So what, you've been controlling her ever since?"

"Only when I needed to. I was not yet powerful enough to leave my pages, and each new incident brought her back to me with more secrets. Though, if it's your secret that you are concerned about, you will be happy to know that I'm the one who followed you down here."

Merlin gave a stiff nod, "And no one is coming," he finished. The dead smile Riddle gave was all the answer he needed.

"It wasn't long before Ginny began to suspect what she must have been doing during her blackout. She is more clever than her brothers give her credit for." He chuckled and Merlin clenched his teeth. "I knew it was only a matter of time before she told someone, so I encouraged her to tell you."

"And why on earth would you do that?" Merlin said through gritted teeth. "Wanted to make it easy for me?"

"I thought you might be someone I'd missed when I was tracing Slytherin's family tree, some small bud that history had overlooked. I had Ginny tell me everything she knew. An orphan boy who kept everyone on their toes pretended to fail his first year at Hogwarts only to face his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in a duel and come face-to-face with the most feared wizard in a century and come out on top. I gather my future self still has no idea how cleverly you've hidden what you really are."

"He and I didn't exactly part on the best of terms," Merlin said with a careless shrug. Riddle had noticeably lost some of his transparency now, and Merlin had a sinking feeling that only meant bad news for the young Gryffindor. It wouldn't be good to let this drag on for too long.

"But we don't have to buy into some millennia-old feud," Riddle went on, taking a step toward him. "We can work together, just like you and Slytherin once did. I would work with you. There is nothing that would stand in our way, once the world knew you were Merlin of Old, come to right the wrongs of the magical world."