Snape and Lily's daughter

The Heir

The chamber was long and poorly lit. There were several stone columns in the shape of snakes. Harry and Grace drew their wands and continued walking. They walked until they reached the last pair of columns and saw that at the bottom there was a tall statue, taller than the others. In front of the statue was Ginny, unconscious.

"Ginny!" Harry and Grace murmured, running over to their friend.

"Ginny — don't be dead — please don't be dead —" Harry said, dropping his wand and holding Ginny. The girl's face was white and cold, her eyes closed.

"Ginny, please wake up." Grace murmured, shaking Ginny's body.

"She won't wake," another voice spoke.

They both turned round, still kneeling beside Ginny. It was a tall boy with black hair, he was different, he looked a bit blurry.

"Tom — Tom Riddle?" Harry asked.

He nodded without taking his eyes off Harry.

"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Grace asked desperately. "She's not — she's not — ?"

"She's still alive," he was still looking at Harry. "But only just."

"Are you a ghost?" Harry asked.

"A memory," Riddle said quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

He pointed to a black diary on the floor.

"You've got to help us, Tom," Harry said. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk... I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment... Please, help me —"

Harry went to pick his wand, but it wasn't there anymore.

"Did you see — ?" Harry asked.

Riddle had Harry's wand in hand.

"Thanks," Harry said, stretching out his hand to get the wand.

But Riddle didn't give him back.

"Listen," Harry said urgently. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes —"

"It won't come until it is called," Riddle said calmly.

"What d'you mean?" Harry said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it —"

"You won't be needing it," Riddle said.

"What d'you mean, I won't be — ?"

"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," Riddle said. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."

"Look," Harry said impatiently. "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later —"

"We're going to talk now," Riddle said, smiling.

"How did Ginny get like this?" Grace asked slowly, she was getting suspicious.

"Well, that's an interesting question," Riddle said pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger. And who are you?"

"I'm Grace. Grace Snape. And what are you talking about?"

"The diary," Riddle said. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes — how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her..."

Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face.

"It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom... I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in... It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket..."

Riddle laughed and then went on. "If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted... I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her..."

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" Riddle said. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat."

"No," Harry whispered.

"Yes," Riddle said calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries... far more interesting, they became..."

Grace's mouth was open, and Harry's fists were clenched. Riddle continued.

"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," Riddle said. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you came in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet..."

"Well, you haven't finished it," Harry said. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again —"

"Haven't I already told you," Riddle said quietly. "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been — you. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter."

"Like what?" Harry spat.

"Well," Riddle said, smiling pleasantly. "how is it that you — a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent — managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

"Why do you care how I escaped?" Harry said slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."

Riddle took Harry's wand from his pocket began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT