The next few days were incredibly tense. Most professors were incensed by the moronic actions of the governors. Although they added some security, it was only making matters worst. They weren't even actively looking for anything, just locking down the castle to make it look like they'd be able to stop whatever was happening. Honestly, if they wanted to help they should have just added the security and left Dumbledore, but no, the idiots had to be blackmailed or are so pathetic that they couldn't report Lucius threatening them. Honestly. It's kind of sad.
During this time, I was observing the movements from Harry, Ron and Ginny. The two boys went ahead and headed into the forbidden forest to meet Aragog. I actually followed them in my eagle form to make sure they wouldn't get eaten by spiders, but the Ford Angelica they had crashed at the beginning of the school year saved them as written. This meant they now knew Hagrid wasn't guilty for sure and that something else was responsible for what happened 50 years ago. Although Ron was completely horrified of the spiders, he still did better than I thought he would and instead of completely losing his wits, he was able to very nervously stand his ground.
To the great relief of the student body, it was finally announced that the Mandrake Draught was finally going to be ready and that everyone would be cured of their petrification shortly.
I watched and waited.
I saw that the boys finally went to the infirmary, but as they finally get the answer they were looking for from their petrified friend, 'Ginny' had finally moved. The new and most frightening message for everyone had been written.
'HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER'.
I had to take charge and make the students return to their dorms for safety reasons alongside the prefects. My own friends had become worried about this, but I couldn't inform them. Yes they were strong, and getting stronger, but that is only relative to students. They would want to go after the beast, but they would die and I couldn't let that happen. I could only train them more and once they've grown, then we will fight together.
As I returned to my map, I finally saw the Harry, Ron and Lockhart head to the girls bathroom together. I knew I wouldn't be able to see when they reach the chamber of secrets, but I asked Sol to keep an eyes on Fawkes and bring me to him after he'd left. An easy, efficient and downright fantastic way to make an entrance.
But I knew what should happen. Even if Ron has been better, it is still completely reasonable to get distracted by a humongous snakeskin. And soon Lockhart would destroy his own memories. On that note, I've already told the Herald to run my two articles. The one about how Lockhart 'achieved' so much, and how Lucius blackmailed and threatened the school Governors. I was going to get rid of half of those embezzling bastards, and that was what Lucius has on the blackmail victims. These people were talking away the money meant to educate the magical children of Britain. This will really hurt their authority. Honestly, only maybe three of the governors are actually interested in having the school run properly.
'I don't care about Lockhart anymore because he isn't a problem now, i just want people to realize what kind of man he is. But it will be fun to watch Lucius squirm, especially since as a result of his actions, a girl was almost immediately taken into the Chamber.' I thought to myself with the devils smile in excitement.
Then I was broken out of my thoughts by Sol's appearance in my room.
'It's about time. Let's see what a Tom Riddle a year older than me can do.' My smile widened even further at the thought.
"Let's go." I said to Sol as she grabbed my raised forearm and flamed me to the chamber of secrets.
-Chamber of Secret, a few moments.
"Voldemort, is my past, present and future." Said the still handsome 16 year old Tom Riddle as he showed the origins of his future name.
"You think I would keep my filthy muggle father's name forever? I, in whose vains runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? Did you think i would keep a filthy muggle who abandoned me before I was born, just because he found out my mother was a witch? No, I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, as I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world." He proudly said to Harry.
It did truly shock him when he had heard of Voldemort's true origins. Abandoned in an orphanage, to grow up to be his parents and so many others killer.
"You're not." Harry said quietly as anger raged in him.
"Not what!" Snapped an annoyed Riddle.
"You're not the greatest wizard in the world. Sorry to disappoint you, but the strongest in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try to take over Hogwarts. He saw through you in school. And even now he frightens you, wherever you're hiding these days-" Harry responded with bravado, but was interrupted.
"Dumbledore was driven out by the mere memory of me!" Hissed the future dark lord in anger.
"Not as gone as you might think!" Hoped Harry as he yelled.
Before Tom could respond, the musical call of Fawkes resounded as he flew into the room and dropped the sorting hat at Harry's feat. Harry felt like he was no longer alone, even if he didn't know how the two could help, he felt braver. But Tom began laughing.
"So this is what Dumbledore sends his greatest defender? A songbird and an old hat." He said in ridicule, but stopped quickly as a bright light suddenly burst out in the chamber and flames appeared out of nowhere, startling the two boys.
Out of it walked a tall teen, wearing nicely tailored school robes perfectly showing is warriors physique, long ethereal silver hair hanging loosely to his hips, a pair of flame like eyes which almost seemed like true fire, and an aura of a predator and true nobility forming a feeling of absolute awe.
Aedan had arrived.
"Not only those two little lordling. He trusted me!" He declared with authority.
-Back to True POV
"Aedan! You've got to help! Ginny's going to die! That's Voldemort! He's the one responsible for what happened this year and to Hagrid!" He yelled out in great hurry.
"We already knew he was responsible, only how was the question. But we'll talk about that later Harry." I said calmly to the boy.
"You! How are you here?" Asked a very surprised Tom.
"Right, you're here too." I said plainly like I forgot about the guy. I mean it always fun to ignore people who always see themselves as the most important or best thing since sliced bread.
"How dare you ignore my presence. The heir of Salazar Slytherin. The greatest wizard who ever lived!" He hissed on predictable rage.
"Pretty easily considering you're quite delusional for a soul fragment. Can you even use that wand you took from Harry properly?" I simply mock the over inflated teens ego with a grin, getting Harry's jaw to drop.
I didn't even get a response since he was feeling too humiliated and decided to fire a severing charm straight at me, which I just dodged.
"Oh, is little Voldy not capable of shooting real spells in this form?" I say in a motherly tone, getting more spells thrown at me.
"Aww that's adorable. He doesn't know how to fight properly." I keep dodging as I mock him.
"No proper aim, sloppy technique, no power, boring combinations. No wonder the only thing you're good at is the dark arts nowadays. It's the only thing that made you any good at magic." I say, completely enraging the guy. It was pretty funny since I'm just dodging casually and he seemed to have forgotten about the Basilisk in his rage.
"Look at you, not even able to think properly and you call yourself the greatest. I'm a year younger than this version of you Tommy boy and I'm still far above you." I add as he suddenly pauses and turns towards the great statue of Salazars face.
"Harry, he's about to bring his little pet out, so can you pull out that sword shining from the hat on the floor please. You'll also need to stand behind me and not peak ok? I'll take care of everything." I ask the boy nicely as he quickly does as I said, grabbing The Sword of Gryffindor and then running to stand behind me.
Just in time as the Basilisks finally exits the mouth of the statue and Tom gains control of it through his parseltongue. I simply close my eyes and feel everything in the entire chamber in clear detail. To me, the world simply lost all color, retaining only the details I drew in my mind. Basically a black world were everything is drawn in a white pen, a reverse manga if you will.
"Ha! Potter won't be able to save you now! It only obeys me! Shiver in fear at Salazar Slytherin's mighty creature!" He yelled out proudly, with some madness in his voice.
"You do know i came down here knowing it was here right? And that I'm not stupid like you?" I asked with a mocking grin.
"You dare mock me! You insult his great legacy! And you think closing your eyes will protect you?" He spat out in rage at my indifference and words.
"Sigh. You're really pathetic you know that? 50 years and nothing new or different to show for it. I know your a piece of soul preserved in the journal from that time, but I was still hoping for some form of progress. Also, how did you go from looking like that to a moldy egg? You honestly look ridiculous nowadays. Well whatever. Lumos." I simply said as an all encompassing light somehow burned Tom's eyes and caused the Basilisk to reel back in pain.
'As I thought. A creature hibernating for 800 years, only being let out at night and never seen any light level more than its underground chamber would be very sensitive to it. But Tom's a soul, so how does that work?' I thought with a smile as the question popped into my head.
And as everyone was distracted, I finally used my enchanted dagger and shot it right into the mouth of the thrashing creature, immediately making it shoot through its brain, rattle around and killing it. I made it fly back into its sheath in the blink of an eye as any fluid stayed behind due to its great speed and a loud crash could be heard as the basilisks body collapsed with its mouth still open in pain.
"Harry I need you to stab the now dead Basilisk in the roof of its mouth. You need to coat the blade with poison to destroy the diary. That should save Ginny and get ride of Volderling over there." I instructed calmly.
It took him some time to process what happened. Understandable since the terrifying and extremely dangerous Basilisk, was dead in mere moments in front of me. But he still nodded and ran towards it resolutely.
"Nooooooo! How dare you! How dare you kill Salazar's beast! I will kill you, you filthy half-breed!" He shouted in absolute hate as he stared at the snake.
He shot spell after spell, trying in vain to hit me as I could see through him immediately.
'I doubt this was his actual strength as a student, it's far too low to get the best grades ever before I came along. And it also seems that it did hamper him a lot to not learn proper dueling during his time at the school. But let's finish this farce.' I thought to myself. I did want to see how I actually measured against Tom when he was in school. I knew it wouldn't actually be a challenge because of all my gifts, but I wanted to see his magical skills. And I had. Now it's over.
"That's funny coming out of the mouth of the son of a muggle and a squib." I say with a chuckle, making him freeze at what I just said. One of his darkest secrets. Easily letting me disarm him.
"Well that was easy. Thanks for showing me what your were in school. It gives me a benchmark." I say with a grin.
"How did you... how dare you!" He started to yell, but in that moment Harry pieces the sword of Gryffindor through the diary. "Aaarrgh!!! Noooo!!!!" He then screamed out in horror and pain as his form collapsed and the diary spirit was no more.
After a few moments Ginny woke up and started confessing and profusely apologizing for everything she'd had done. Harry not being poisoned was just there in a daze as the young girl cried in his arms.
"Hug her and make her feel safe you dunderhead." I whispered to the boy as I borrowed Snape's favorite word.
He did so with some embarrassment, but he was soon getting the hang of it. I then turned my attention to the Basilisk corpse and approached it. Taking out my specially prepared vials I took all the venom the creature had in it, filling up over thirty of the things. I then took out my knife and very carefully extracted its eyes, avoiding any damage on them.
'I timed my appearance perfectly to not let Fawkes ruin these beauties. Not letting them go~' I thought while doing the work.
"Um, Aedan what are you doing?" Asked Harry, surprised at my actions.
"Don't you know how rare this stuff is! I'll be able to do so many fun experiments with this!" I say with a lot of excitement, something Harry has actually gotten use to during his summer visits. He knows how I am around new things.
I finished getting the urgent parts and back away from it's corpse.
'I'll come back for you later.' I thought with a smile. I then cleaned my robes thoroughly and turned to the two kids.
"Let's get Ron and head on out of here shall we. I'm sure Dumbledore will have returned to the castle by now." I say with a bright smile and happy tone.