'What's with you?' Tom asked as he appeared beside Harry without Salazaria. The snake had fled the castle to explore the grounds for her own breakfast rather than to remain in the company of her humans and their “disgusting” food.

'Nothing.' Harry mumbled.

'Sure.' Tom rolled his eyes as he sat across from Harry. He waited for an answer before he bothered to try and read the other boy's mind.

'I'm just...well, it's not fair.' Harry grunted as he continued to rest his chin on the surface of the Slytherin table.

'I...' He glanced at Tom. 'I mean, we don't have the family that others do.' He frowned with a huff of irritation. 'Why did we have to be orphans?'

'The other me was the one who made you an orphan. I don't think I'm the best person to ask.' Tom shrugged and Harry cast him a glare of annoyance.

'Thanks. That makes me feel so much better.' Harry grumbled.

'I wasn't trying to.' Tom rolled his eyes and thought for a moment. 'Actually, we do have something that the others don't.'

'Oh yeah, what's that?' Harry glanced at him curiously.

Tom smirked and stood to his feet. 'Come on...I'll show you.' He turned and headed out of the Great Hall. Harry sighed but decided to follow after his friend.

--

'Where are we going?' Harry inquired for a second time as they had been walking for over ten minutes.

'You'll see.' Tom replied and turned a corner.

'Uh...' Harry frowned and glanced around. 'Why are we in a girl's bathroom?' He failed to see how this had anything to do with what they had that others didn't, if anything.

'Watch.' Tom stepped towards one of the sinks and smirked at it. '[Open up.]' He said in parseltongue. The sinks began to move and the front one lowered to reveal a large, dark tunnel.

'Whoa.' Harry stepped back a little. 'Where does that go?' He shivered and wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

'To a place only we can access.' Tom revealed. 'It's called: The Chamber of Secrets. Now come on, there's someone I want you to meet.'

'Uh, you sure?' Harry eyed the blackened and seemingly endless tunnel.

'Suit yourself.' Tom shrugged and jumped down. Seeing no choice, Harry slid down after him and yelled the entire way through the tunnel until they stumbled into a pit of bird bones.

'Urgh, yuck!' Harry recoiled while Tom crinkled his nose and dusted off his robes.

'Come on.' Tom encouraged. 'He's probably asleep.'

'Who?' Harry glanced around nervously and couldn't imagine anyone living down there. 'What's down here, Tom?'

'Have you ever heard of a basilisk?' Tom asked but didn't wait for a reply. 'It's a giant snake with killer eyes, literally. If you look at it in the eyes than you'll die.'

'And we're here...why?' Harry gulped.

'Because he'll obey me.' Tom said. 'It only follows the orders of the heir of Slytherin, which is to say someone from Salazar's bloodline who can speak parseltongue. You can speak it because my older self transferred some of his powers to you, so I'm sure I can convince the basilisk to obey you as well.'

They entered the main chamber and Harry stared around at it all with amazement because it was so grand and was clearly a very Slytherin domain.

'Stare at the ground while I call him.' Tom instructed. 'He will obey me so neither of us will be harmed unless we look at him.'

'Okay.' Harry croaked and stared nervously at his feet while Tom did the same.

'[Come to me, my great snake.]' Tom said loudly.

There was silence for a moment and than a rumble of movement until a massive burst of water sprayed the boys to an unpleasant degree.

An even larger shadow cast down upon them and Harry was starting to lose feeling in his legs although he somehow managed to remain upright.

'[Close your eyes until I tell you to open them.]' Tom instructed while the giant snake hissed with annoyance. '[That is an order!]'

'Yessss.' The Snake said deeply and Harry shivered at the sound. Slowly he glanced up and his eyes widened at the size of the basilisk that towered over them. He stepped backwards anxiously before he regained his composure and was able to admire the beast.

'How long has he been down here?' Harry wondered.

'About a thousand years, I think.' Tom shrugged.

'What's his name?' Harry stepped closer to the Snake and eyed it carefully in case it reacted but Tom instructed it to remain still and it obeyed. Cautiously, Harry reached out a hand and touched the rough, scaly skin of the enormous snake.

'He's so cold.' Harry shivered although he had relaxed and quite liked the snake now.

'He doesn't have a name that I know of.' Tom answered.

'We could call him Basil.' Harry suggested and glanced up at the snake. '[Can we name you Basil?]'

'Yess.' The snake answered in its deep hissing voice that sounded more like a spray of thunder than anything else.

'Massster did not name me.'

'Basil it is.' Harry grinned while Tom rolled his eyes but didn't object.

'You're way too soft, Harry.' Tom said as they stared up at Basil who continued to hover like a cobra with his eyes closed. 'I bring you to meet a basilisk and you name him.'

Harry glanced at Tom and couldn't understand what was wrong with that so he just shrugged it off and returned to feeling the snake's large scales.

Tom was right about one thing though...this was certainly something that no one else at Hogwarts had.

After spending an hour in the chamber, Tom showed Harry a shortcut out of there that led them back near the dungeons.

After stepping out from behind the portrait, they headed to their dormitory to shower and change as they prepared to go to lunch.

'There you are!' Draco spotted Harry as he sat beside him. 'About time you got here, Potter. Where were you?'

'If I told you than he'd have to kill you.' Harry said without thinking as he pondered on Basil's existence.

'Who?' Draco asked rather seriously.

'Exactly.' Harry smirked at his friend and reached for an apple. 'Are you looking forward to flying lessons this afternoon?'

'I suppose.' Draco shrugged and let the previous comment drop. 'Although, it's not as though I need the lessons, to be honest.'

'I know, but since we can't have our own broom than at least we do get the chance to ride them at some point, right?' Harry munched on his fruit and glanced around the Great Hall with fleeting interest.

He felt a lot better after meeting Basil because while he and Tom were still orphans, that doesn't meant that they entirely had less than anyone else. He was also beginning to understand that some things could be changed simply by interpreting them differently.

The boys fell into a casual silence as they ate and than left the Great Hall alongside the other first years as they made their way outside where broomsticks were lined up on the ground. Madam Hooch was already there waiting for them.

Tom eyed the other students somewhat enviously as they went about learning how to ride their brooms. He found amusement in Neville's bad luck and joined the other Slytherins at laughing at him. Harry distracted Draco so that the boy wouldn't make things worst because the Gryffindors appeared to be quite angry with them.

Draco glanced around their group of students and realized something. He turned towards Harry with an accusing and almost distrustful glance.

'Where's Thomas?' He questioned. 'I know he's a first year here so if he's not in Slytherin than where was he sorted? He's not here at all! Did something happen?'

'I want to tell him.' Harry confessed to Tom who was busy glaring at Draco for having noticed his absence.

'No!' Tom snapped. 'No one is to know.'

Harry scowled at Tom as he forced himself to shrug at Draco and did the best he could to avoid lying to his friend.

'I can't really say.' He admitted and Draco didn't appear convinced but dropped the subject anyway.

'Why can't you trust him?' Harry asked Tom. 'He won't tell.'

'You don't know that.' Tom shook his head. 'Besides, I never trust anyone.'

'Draco is my friend, just as you are.' Harry reminded him. 'I trust him. That's what friendships are all about, trusting people.'

Tom said nothing else other than to constantly refuse Harry's desire to tell Draco. He became rather moody from then onwards as he frequently ignored Harry and gave him advice only to scowl at him half a second later.

--

Even by dinner it hadn't worn off and Harry was beginning to wonder if Tom's moodiness was actually a part of him but he had previously nulled it down a bit; the unpredictable transition from anger to casualness was so smooth and unknowingly fast that it had to have happened before to get to that point.

A part of Harry also began to become worried that it was a trait Voldemort has retained.

--

Later that night Harry sat awake on his bed and glanced towards where Tom was sitting on the floor and watching Salazaria eat a mouse she had found and brought to their room to consume it.

'That's gross.' Harry frowned as he leaned over the side of the bed to watch for a moment and wondered what Basil ate because surely a mouse of such a size would not satisfy his hunger.

Than he remembered the bird bones at the end of the tunnel and realized the giant snake must leave the chamber to eat.

He turned to Tom and wasn't sure what to think as his friend appeared to be greatly amused by the meal taking place in front of him.

'Tom?' Harry asked. 'I want to find a way for Basil not to kill by sight.' He revealed his thoughts to his friend, although he had an odd feeling that Tom could tell what he was thinking most of the time anyway.

'What?' Tom snarled and instantly jerked his attention towards Harry. 'Why?!' He was clearly outraged by the mere suggestion.

'Tom!' Harry scowled back. 'He KILLS by looking at something! What if one day he accidentally looks at us? What if one of my friends walk by when he'd feeding and is seen? Anyone could be killed without warning, without even realizing what it was that had killed them. I don't like it, and it's scary to even consider going to see him when such a thing could happen by accident.' He explained. 'Please?'

Tom frowned as he considered the “death by sight” to be a very crucial weapon that Basil had and was slightly regretting showing Harry the snake now.

Although, as irritating as it was, there was a strong fact in the matter; they too were potential targets and while he was always careful, he was a bit concerned that Harry would not be; without Harry, Tom may cease to exist as well.

Besides, it was still a giant snake with deadly venom, therefore it wouldn't be entirely useless without it's primary ability.

'Fine.' Tom grumbled as he gave in to the request. 'There is a potion we can make Basil drink that will render his sight non-fatal.'

'Thanks!' Harry grinned with obvious relief. 'How long will it take?' He still didn't like the idea of such a creature slithering around the school.

'We can begin tomorrow. Or rather, I shall brew it while you're in class. Everything I require should be in Snape's private storage.' Tom nodded.

--

And the following morning, he did exactly that. While the students were in their Potions class, Tom snuck out and easily searched through the storage cupboard (he made quick work of a few spells in place since he retained most of his older self's knowledge as well as having his ability to simply vanish when need be. He had done the same in the library an hour previous.

The potion was designed to create blindness and than heal it; it was an effective method of destroying any magical properties about a persons sight. It was perfect and infallible if brewed correctly.

It was a very complicated potion and the boy started work on it right after lunch inside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where they were sure to go undiscovered. Ironically, it was also right by the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets where Basil remained slumbering down below.

'It needs to sit for three hours.' Tom sighed as he placed it in one of the sinks and endured that it was concealed and protected.

'Alright, come on.' Harry nodded. 'I know a way we can pass the time.'

Tom raises a suspicious eyebrow at the other boy but decides to follow him anyway as his curiosity was too much to ignore.

--

They walked through the castle and out onto the grounds. Harry wouldn't answer Tom's questions until they arrived at the Quidditch Pitch were Draco was obviously waiting for them.

'Well?' Draco glanced around as though he was looking for something – or someone – and Tom got a shiver of dread.

'You said you'd explain where Thomas is?'

'Promise you won't tell?' Harry checked seriously. 'If anyone finds out, we'll all be in for it.'

'Yeah, you have my word.' Draco nodded. 'Now where is he?'

'Come on, Tom. Please?' Harry turned to his angry friend who stood beside him. 'Draco's my friend and I really want to share this with him.'

Tom glared at Harry but did not want either of their reputations ruined by Draco thinking Harry was crazy. Sighing with frustration, he went along with it and revealed himself.

Draco stared with shock once he realized that the other boy hadn't been wearing an invisibility cloak or anything...he'd quite simply, appeared.

While Harry launched into explanations, Tom just stood there and stared at Draco to analyze every reaction, tone and expression.

'Tom Riddle?' Draco whispered. 'As in...You Know Who?' He gulped.

'Exactly.' Tom replied. 'Hence my desire for secrecy. Should my older self discover my existence...the consequences are not to be admired.'

'Yeah, I bet.' Draco muttered as he swallowed and thought for a long moment. He understood the huge risk Harry was taking by trusting him so he decided he should be thankful for that and considered it to be a privilege.

As planned, Harry and Draco stole a few school brooms to ride around on (which is why the meeting was at the pitch, obviously).

They convinced Tom to join them and the trio flew around, playing Quidditch-based games like throwing balls through the goalposts or trying to beat each other to one of the flying ones. Draco had a set of balls for playing with that were a little like the real ones used in the sport and was now pleased to share them.

During that time, Tom finds out what he quite loves flying and he's even really good at the games they played. He had a newfound hobby, which was something he enjoyed a great deal...something his older self had never experienced in such a way.

In fact, younger Tom was learning a lot of things his older self knew nothing of; such as negotiation without pure gain, the beginnings of friendship and most recently...trust.