"But I am curious, Harry," the newly named Tom continued, "do you know how you managed to defeat the greatest wizard in history?"
"Do you mean Merlin?" Harry asked in mock earnestness. "or Dumbledore? Oh, wait you could also mean Gandalf or Miracle Max!"
"Voldemort, you insolent twit!" Tom roared out. "You are as annoying as this stupid little girl always writing about mythical creatures. Her mind was so twisted it made it impossible to fully possess her. But soon she will be dead and I will have enough power to move about on my own!"
Harry resisted turning back to look at the unconscious witch. He glanced down to see a small book sitting on the floor near Tom's feet. He could read the writing on the front.
T.M. Riddle
'Writing about mythical creatures,' Harry thought.
"What are you?" he asked aloud.
"Me?" Tom responded with an evil smile. "I am a gift, an insurance policy if you will. So long as I exist Lord Voldemort shall never die. Soon our little witch's bones will be left to rot in this place along with yours. And then I shall seek out my elder part and see Lord Voldemort returned to his true place of power!"
"Don't you get it yet, my little wizard?" Tom mocked as he started to spell out his name in flames. Then he seemed to tap it and the letters rearranged themselves. As the words appeared Tom read it out.
"I AM LORD VOLDEMORT!"
"You were bored in History of Magic too, weren't you?"
Tom Riddle continued speaking as though Harry never spoke. "The crazy little bint was never supposed to get my diary. Lucius shall pay for that error. The Weasley brat is the seventh child and first daughter born in seven generations. Sacrificing her soul while absorbing her magic would have been enough to give me life of my own. Now I must re-join my elder for life."
"Was I supposed to understand any of that?" Harry asked. "You're monologueing. That is what the bad guy does just before everything usually goes to shite."
"Silence, fool! Enough of your foolish arrogance - I tire of this place and you. Now you shall meet your death!" Tom turned and faced the statue. "Speak to me, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"
Harry didn't wait to see what happened. He pointed his wand at Tom and yelled out, "Expelliarmus!"
The pulse of magical energy passed cleanly through Tom's body. He turned to Harry with a grin. "Sorry, I don't have a body yet. And once I do it will be far too late for both of you, hero."
Harry was shocked. How was he supposed to fight this?
A slight movement caught Harry's eye and almost caused him to go into shock again. A gigantic snake was emerging from the statue's mouth. This wasn't good.
"As the Heir of your Master, I order you to kill this intruder!" Tom demanded with an odd hiss to his voice.
"Yes, master," the snake responded.
"Stop!" Harry yelled back at the snake.
The snake paused a moment and it seemed… unsure. "Two masters?"
"How do you speak the Tongue of the Serpents?" Tom demanded. "You are not of the line of Slytherin!"
Harry hadn't even realized he had been speaking Paseltongue. After the way everyone freaked out in the Great Hall, it hadn't been something he'd experimented with- it just sounded like English to him after all. Although he knew now how stupid he was not to realize after the snakes in the bathroom and the doors responded to him.
Harry ignored Tom's question to focus on the snake. "Don't bite me," he commanded. "Go back to your nest."
The snake's tongue flickered in the air a couple times as it seemed to consider. "You are not of the True Master's line. I must follow the commands of the True Master's line." The snake turned its head to stare at Harry. He felt some force pass by him and shivered.
"Of course, a Paselmouth is immune to a basilisk's gaze," Tom commented aloud. "Bite him!"
"Master."
The snake continued out of the statue's mouth as Harry tried not to panic. He'd read about basilisks but their gaze was supposed to kill, not petrify. Only seeing its reflection was supposed to reduce the effect but they had ten students and a cat petrified. Chance might have allowed one to be petrified instead of killed but all of them? Something to think about later.
"You haven't a chance, boy," Tom taunted. "Your schoolboy spells can do nothing against the magnificence of the basilisk!"
Harry ignored him as he dropped his school robe. In an instant he went from a small wizard standing still to a large black werewolf moving flat out.
"What the Hell?" Tom yelped in shock.
The coiled basilisk shot forward in an attempt to catch its prey but the werewolf dodged. The snake smacked into one of the pillars with a jarring crash. Harry used the moment to start running through the pillars, weaving in and out.
The basilisk chased its prey but was not able to launch a strike stretched out like it was.
After five pillars, Harry suddenly doubled back. The basilisk tried to turn with him but the turn was too tight. In an instant Harry was on the monster's back his nails digging into the tough hide.
Harry tried to slash the basilisk with his claws but his strikes just scratched the surface. The basilisk started to twitch and roll in attempt to get the attacker off of it. Harry held on but was bucked off and smashed against the chamber wall. He'd felt at least one rib crack from the force of the hit. He could feel the healing start but didn't know if he'd have time.
.....
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