Harry entered a long chamber, the unseen ceiling supported by pillars carved with snakes.  He peered into the greenish gloom that permeated the place, trying to see.  Slowly, he moved forward, wand at ready.  As he neared the opposite end of the chamber, he saw a huge, towering statue.  Between its feet lay a still figure in black robes with flaming-red hair.

“Gin!”

Harry ran forward and fell to his knees at her side, setting down his wand so he could pull her up into his lap.  He patted her cheek and said, “Gin?  C’mon, Gin, wake up.”  She was a cold as one of the ghosts to the touch but he could still see her chest rising and falling.  Feebly.

“C’mon, Ginny, m’girl.  Wake up.”

“She won’t wake.”

Harry snapped his head up to narrow his eyes at a tall, black-haired boy leaning casually against a nearby pillar.  He was blurry along the edges but there was no mistaking him –

“Tom Riddle.”

Riddle smiled and bowed mockingly.

“What do ye mean she woan wake?”

“Oh, she’s still alive.  But only just.”

Harry narrowed his eyes and snarled, “What ‘ave ye done ter her?”

Riddle simply smiled at him.

“Yer na a ghost.”

“No.  A memory – preserved in a diary for fifty years.”

Harry glance over at the statue’s feet where the little diary Niamh had found lay.  He looked from it to Ginny then to Riddle as everything snapped together.

“Ginny found i’.  Ginny found yer diary an’ she’s been writing in i’.”

“Oh, how clever you are,” said Riddle.  “Yes, little Ginny found my diary.  It was quite boring to listen to an eleven-year-old girl’s troubles but I did.  I was sympathetic.  Ginny simply loved me.  She poured her soul out to me and I grew stronger.  Strong enough to start feeding some of my soul into her…”

Harry suddenly noticed that Riddle was twirling his wand between his fingers.  Damn, he thought but said, “Ginny did i’.  Opened the Chamber, strangled ‘Agrid’s roosters, everything.  ‘Cause o’ you.”

“Yesssss,” hissed Riddle, snake-like.  “You truly are clever, Harry Potter.  Unfortunately, little Ginny found out what I was doing and tried to dispose of my diary.  But then, your little friend Niamh found it and led me to you, the very person I wanted to meet.”

“You see, Ginny told me all about you.  Your whole fascinating history.  I simply had to meet you.  So I showed you my capture of that oaf Hagrid.”

“Ye framed ‘im.  I thought ye might’ve made a mistake but ye did’n.”

“No, I’m afraid not,” said Riddle.  “Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, suspected Hagrid might be innocent.  He persuaded Dippet to keep him on and train him as gamekeeper.  And, of course, he kept a close eye on me after that.  So I preserved my sixteen-year-old self in a diary, leaving it behind so that one day I would be able to complete Salazar Slytherin’s noble work.”

“Ye ‘aven’t finished i’.  No one’s died.  And soon the Restorative Draught will be ready and they will be righ’ again.”

Riddle laughed, high and coldly.  It didn’t sound right coming from him.  And it sounded oddly familiar to Harry.

“Killing Mudbloods doesn’t matter to me anymore, Harry.  My target over these last few months has been you.”

“Tha’s why ye attacked Hermione and Niamh.  Ye knew I’d find a way to ge’ down ‘ere after that.”

“Yes,” hissed Riddle.  “And I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall just to make sure you would come.  I have many questions for you.”

“Like wha’?”

“Such as, how did you – a street rat with no extraordinary talent – defeat the greatest wizard of all time?  How did you escape with nothing but a scar while Lord Voldemort’s powers were destroyed?”

“Wha’ do ye care?” spat Harry.

“Because,” said Riddle, an odd red gleam in his eyes.  “Voldemort is my past, present, and future.”

Riddle lifted Harry’s wand and traced three shimmering words into the air.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand and the letters rearranged themselves.  But Harry already knew what they would read.  A part of him had known what was really in the diary the moment he has seen it.

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

“You see?  I already used the name at Hogwarts – to my most intimate of friends only.  I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself from my mother, could hardly be expected to keep the name of a foul, common Muggle who abandoned me before I even saw light.  No, Harry – I fashioned myself a new name, one wizards everywhere would fear when I became the greatest sorcerer in the world!”

Red hot anger flooded through Harry as he started at the boy who would – and had – become the man who had murdered his mother and the man he had thought was his father.

“Yer na.”

“Beg pardon?”

“Yer na the greatest sorcerer in the world.  Albus Dumbledore is.  Even when ye were strong, ye did’n try ter take Hogwarts.  ‘E frightened ye then an’ ‘e still frightens ye now, wherever ye are hidin’.”

Riddle’s face turned stony and cruel.

“Dumbledore has been driven out of this castle by the memory of me!”

“‘E’s na as gone as ye thin’!” yelled Harry.

Riddle froze.

A crimson bird had appeared at the top of the chamber, singing an unearthly song.  It spiraled down towards Harry, tail gleaming a golden color as it streamed out behind the swan-sized bird.  A ragged bundle was held in its golden talons as it swooped down, dropping the bundle at Harry’s feet before landing on his shoulder.  Harry looked into the intelligent black eyes over the golden beak and felt a shock of recognition.

“That’s a phoenix…” breathed Riddle.

“Fawkes?” breathed Harry.

< Aye, > said the phoenix, turning baleful eyes onto Riddle.

“And that,” spat Riddle, “is the old school Sorting Hat…”  He began to laugh suddenly, the sound echoing throughout the chamber.

“This is what Dumbledore sends his defender!  A songbird and an old hat!  Do you feel brave now, Harry Potter?”

Harry sneered.

“Now, to business.  Twice – in my future, your past – we have met and you have defeated me.  How?  The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive.”

Harry snorted at the threat and snarled, “No one knows why ye lost yer powers.  Na even me.  But ye could’n kill me because me mother – me common Muggle-born mother – died ter save me.  She stopped ye from killin’ me.  An’ yer worse than de’ now.  Yer barely alive.”

Riddle’s face contorted in rage.

“So, your mother died to save you.  There is nothing special about you.  I’ve wondered…  There are strange likenesses between you and I.  Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggle’s.  Probably the only two Parselmouth’s at Hogwarts since Slytherin himself.  And we both are Slytherin.  We even look somewhat alike.  (Harry snorted here)  But…it was truly only chance that saved you from me.  That is all I wanted to know.”

Harry’s blood boiled as he waited for Riddle to do something besides talk.  Already he could see the other boy becoming more solid, more real.  Which meant more life was being taken out of Ginny.

“Now, Harry, let me teach you a little lesson.  We shall match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Albus Dumbledore can give him…”

To Harry’s surprise, Riddle turned and walked away.  When he turned back around and opened his mouth, Harry had a good feeling of what was about to happen next.  He rose from Ginny’s side carefully, keeping his eyes on Riddle.

“Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four.”

Harry turned to look up at the statue.  High above him, Slytherin’s stone face was moving, its mouth opening wider and wider.

And then something stirred in the black depths.

Harry ran, eyes shut tight.  He felt Fawkes wing brush his cheek as the phoenix took flight.  Harry dove for the floor as something hit the floor of the chamber.  He knew what was happening.

“Kill him,” hissed Riddle.

Harry heard the basilisk begin to slither across the floor towards him.  He scrambled to his feet and ran, blindly, arms stretched out before him.  He could hear the basilisk behind him.

“Ooophf!”

Harry fell, his hands stinging as they hit the ground before his body did.  He sensed something hurtling down at him from above and rolled, eyes still clenched shut.

Suddenly there was the mad hissing of the basilisk coming from his right.  Harry opened his eyes to a bare slit and saw the basilisk high up in the air, its blunt head lunging at the creature that was distracting it.  Gleaming fangs the size of sabers snapped at the phoenix as Fawkes distracted the huge serpent.  As the basilisk turned, he saw that Fawkes golden beak and sharp talons, which were flecked with scarlet blood now, had punctured its huge yellow eyes.

Riddle screamed, “LEAVE THE BIRD!  GET THE BOY!  HE’S BEHIND YOU!  KILL HIM!”

The basilisk spun and Harry rolled out of the way again, sweeping up something soft as he did.  When he finally stopped against a pillar, he scrambled behind it and started at the Sorting Hat for a moment.  A second later he jammed it onto his head and thought, If you have anything that could help me, it would be bloody useful right about now!

No voice answered him and Harry cursed as he sprinted to the other side of the chamber as the basilisk smashed his pillar to ash.

Suddenly the hat contracted and something heavy thumped against Harry’s head.  Harry rolled as the basilisk came at him again, cursing fluently, ripping the Sorting Hat off his head as he went.  He stuffed his hand into it and his fingers touched cold metal.  Grasping it, he pulled a sword from the hat with a flourish.  An emerald-colored cat’s eye stone gleamed up at him from the center of the crossbar as the silver blade gave off a misty sort of green light.  He whirled as the basilisk came at him again.

“KILL HIM, KILL HIM, KILL HIM!”

The basilisk dove, its aim true despite its blindness.  Harry snarled in pure rage and met the huge head halfway, driving the blade of the sword deep into the serpent’s mouth and up into its brain.  Hot blood spurted over him as he felt one of the basilisk’s razor fangs bite into his arm.

As the basilisk keeled over dead, the fang broke, leaving it buried in Harry’s arm.  He slumped against the wall, vision blurring as the poison took hold.  In one last effort of will, he grabbed the fang and wrenched it out of his arm.  His blurry eyes spotted Riddle’s diary; it was lying just a few feet away.

‘I preserved my sixteen-year-old self in my diary…’

“NO!!” screamed Riddle as he realized what Harry was doing.

Harry met Riddle’s eyes hard, his eyes gleaming as cold and as fierce as the cat’s eye emerald in the swords hilt.  He spat, “Go to hell, ye bloody bastard.”  He dove for the diary as Riddle did, making it there first.  With all the force he had, he drove the basilisk fang deep into the diary.

A long, piercing scream filled the chamber as ink flood out of the book onto Harry’s hand.  Riddle screamed, twisting as his form slowly faded and then was gone.

Harry collapsed onto the floor, his vision going black as the poison spread through his body.  He vaguely sensed something landing besides him and drops of liquid falling onto his arm.  As quickly as the darkness had fallen, it began to lift.  Harry blinked at the now once again visible Chamber then heard the warm, amused voice echo though his head.

< There you are, youngling.  I was afraid I was too late. >

Harry turned his head to look at Fawkes, who was sitting on the floor beside him.  He nodded in thanks to the phoenix than rose shakily to his feet.  Fawkes uttered a quavering note and he steadied.  Smiling at the fiery bird, he staggered over the basilisk and retrieved the sword from its gaping jaws.  He then gathered up his wand and the Sorting Hat, tucking the latter into his belt and the former into its holster.  A sudden moan from the opposite end of the chamber set him whirling around, the sword lifting up then dropping as he saw…

“Gin!”

Ginny blinked at him then began to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Oh, Harry – it was me – I didn’t mean to – Riddle made me – oh God they’re going to expel me…”

Harry rushed to her side and swept her up into a one-armed embrace.  He set down the sword so he could run a hand through her hair then over her tear-streaked face.

“Shhh.  I’ was’n yer fault, Gin.  Riddle controlled ye.  They can’na expel ye fer somethin’ ye had na control over.”

“Is he…?”

“De’?  Yeh.  C’mon now.  Le’s ge’ out o’ here, kay?  Le’s go home?”

“Home?” said Ginny in confusion.

“Hogwarts o’ course!  Anyone tha’ calls this ‘ome is absolutely batty.”

Ginny smiled and laughed softly.

“Definitely.”

Harry smiled down at her and said, “C’mon then.  Up ye get.”

The two of them staggered to their feet.  Harry grabbed the diary and the sword before they stepped over the green coils of the basilisk and out into the corridor.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“Ron!  Mika!”

“Harry!”

Mika’s dirt-smeared face appeared in the hole he and Ron had made in the rock wall.  Harry pushed Ginny through first then came in after him in time to see Ron sweep her up into a bear hug.

“Oh, Gin.  I was so worried!  I’ve been such a git this year.”  Ron looked down at his younger sister and pleaded, “Forgive me?”

Ginny looked up at him fro a moment then made a sniffling noise, nodding.  She then flung her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt.  Mika turned from them to Harry and his dark eyes widened.

“What happened to you?  And where did you get that sword?”

“Long story,” muttered Harry.  “Where’s Lock’art?”

“Uh, back at the pipe.  Like I said, my da’s a paranoid old Auror, so he charmed my wand to only work for me.  Pity Lockhart didn’t try to hex us.  That would have been much more amusing.”

Harry snorted and nodded in agreement before saying, “Le’s ge’ out o’ ‘ere.”

The four of them set off, led by Fawkes’ faintly glowing wings and the greenish glow from the sword to the pipe.  Lockhart was sitting there on a large piece of stone from a toppled pillar.  He beamed brightly at them as he spotted them.

“Oh, hello there.  Interesting place here.”

Harry looked at Ron, who twirled a finger about his ear with his free hand as his other was wrapped about Ginny’s shoulders.

“Yeh.  Interestin’.”

Mika peered up the long pip and said, “And now the Question of the Day: how are we going to get back up there?”

Harry blinked as something landed on his shoulder.  He turned to look at Fawkes, who was watching him closely and waving his tail feathers.

< Grab hold, > said the phoenix.

“He looks like he wants you to grab a hold.  But you’re much too heavy for him to carry,” said Mika.

“Fawkes is na an ordinary bird,” said Harry.

< Most certainly not, > said the phoenix proudly, dark eyes glittering.  Harry smiled slightly then said, “We’ve go’ ter ‘old on ter each other.  Ginny, you ‘old on ter Ron.  Mika, you ‘old on ter Ginny and Lock’art…”

“That’s you,” said Mika sharply to Lockhart.

“…ye ‘old on ter Mika.”

They situated themselves and Harry tucked the sword into his belt with the hat.  Fawkes launched himself off his shoulder and he grabbed the golden tail feathers tightly.  A moment later they were flying up the pipe.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

“Ooophf!”

“Get your foot out of my face!”

“My foot?  That’s Lockhart’s foot!”

“Arrgh!”

After much pushing and shoving the five of them separated themselves and saw Myrtle goggling at them.

“Your alive.”

“Yer surprised,” said Harry blandly, brushing one hand back through his long hair and coming up with slime and basilisk blood.

“Bleh,” remarked Mika, taking a step back.

Myrtle gave a little humpf and disappeared into her toilet.  Lockhart stared in wonder.

“Where to now?” asked Ron, his arm tightening about Ginny as she began to cry again.

Harry looked at Fawkes, who had perched at the top of one of the stalls.

< Follow me, > said the phoenix and spread his wings.

And so they did.