Hermione and Harry: Riddle in Time (Tomione/Harmione) UNEDITED

Chapter 30 (Part 2)

He was now looking at yet another memory. Harry, it seems, is looking at a hallway wall, he looked and saw the writing, ‘The chamber of Secrets has been opened, Enemies of the Heir, Beware.’ Not long after more students came, the students whispered and murmured to themselves. Then, Draco Malfoy shouted, “Enemies of the Heir, Beware? YOU’LL BE NEXT, MUDBLOOD!”

Tom was confused, who opened the Chamber? He was the only living heir of Slytherin, yes Harry can speak Parseltongue, but he would never.

The memory flash and he saw victims, a Gryffindor boy holding a camera, a Hufflepuff boy, Nearly Headless Nick, a Ravenclaw Prefect, and Hermione. Then Harry walked to the wall, and there’s writing. ‘Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever’.

Harry was with Ronald and the new Defense Professor, they pushed him and he fell in the entrance to the chamber. Tom watched as Harry got separated by the explosion caused by the rebounding memory charm. He watched as Harry ran to Ginny, she was unconscious. Then, he saw himself. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though he were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him.

"Tom "” Tom Riddle?"

Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face.

"What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. “She’s not, she’s not?”

"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just."

"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly.

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

He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary, Tom recognized it. He still has it. It was given to every child in the orphanage. Even though it was given to him by those muggles, he still kept it. In the diary he wrote all about Hermione, the first few hidden words, sentences were about him being a ‘Dark Lord’, he even tried to have a new name by jumbling the letters of his own. The results are horrid such as; ‘Mortal Dildo Mover’, ‘Mild Doormat Lover’, ‘Odd Immortal Lover’, and the best so far was, ‘I Am Lord Voldemort’.

"Look, give me my wand, I might need it.”

Riddle's smile broadened.

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

Harry stared at him.

"What d'you mean, I won't be?”

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

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

"We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand.

"How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly.

"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle 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."

"What are you talking about?" said Harry.

"The diary," said Riddle. "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” Riddle's eyes glinted “how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her.”

All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them.

"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, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made Tom want to smack him.

"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?" said Harry.
"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly. "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.

The memory seems to be mute when Tom zoned out. How did he do it? Did he succeed in making himself immortal? Did he finish his research on Horcruxes? Is the Diary a Horcrux? Is that the reason why he didn’t die? Is that why he seems different? Did it go wron and he didn’t notice?

He had so many questions but he was brought back to the memory when a long, dreadful, piercing scream erupted. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then, he had gone. Tom looked around, he noticed the basilisk, and it was dead. He couldn’t believe it! Harry Potter at age twelve killed a fully grown Basilisk! Of course he knew that the basilisk was kill in his time, but Dumbledore did all the work there.

The memory changed, it showed him Harry’s third year, Sirius Black, Professor Lupin, the dementors and Peter Pettigrew. Harry also showed him how he battled hundreds of dementors, which he knew he just wanted to show off.

The Fourth year, he watched as Harry’s name was called, he was a Hogwarts Champion. Harry also showed him his memories about him, the visions. He watched Harry battle a dragon. He was really impressed on Harry’s flying skills. Then, he was underwater, watching as Harry saved two instead of just one. Then he was in a maze, he saw Harry running to the cup, but he helped Cedric Diggory, and they were both transported to a graveyard. He recognized it. It was the graveyard near his father’s house. He went there; he was trying to plan how to kill them. Then, Cedric Diggory fell, dead. He watched as he was resurrected. He looked whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils. He looked ugly. He can’t believe what he was seeing. What happened to his looks? Was it because he used the wrong servant? He just wants Harry to kill Voldemort right now! How could he be so stupid?

He watched as Harry was tortured. He couldn’t watch. Yes, he wasn’t that close to Harry, but he suffered too much. How could he – no Voldemort – not see that?

He heaved a sigh when Harry escaped.

The next year wasn’t any better. Sirius Black, the loyal, honest and Harry’s godfather was killed. He felt Harry’s pain. He just wants Voldemort to die. How could he do it all? All the pain he has caused them all. He felt guilty. Yes, he keeps telling himself that he didn’t do it, but he did. He caused it all.

He watched as Harry learned all about him. He watched as he poisoned an innocent boy to do his bidding. He made him kill Dumbledore. He watched as Harry destroys his Horcrux. He watched as Ron left them. He watched but everything made him hate himself. It was his fault.

He was pulled back, Harry was there. Tom fell to his knees. He was trying not to cry. He couldn’t believe it. He hates himself. He caused them too much pain.

“Sorry. I’m so sorry.” He whispered.

“It’s okay To---”
“It’s not okay! How could you stand to be in the same room as me? I killed them! I killed them all! You should hate me! I tried to kill you!” he cried.

“But you didn’t. You fixed it, you fixed everything.” Harry said softly.

“I didn’t. You did.” He said.

“No, Tom. You did. Do you think I could’ve done it if you didn’t love Hermione?”

Tom looked down; he was still in his knees.