Revised: May 15, 2022

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This had to be the creepiest slide Harry had ever been on — not that he had ever really been on one to begin with. No, Dudley had made sure Harry never got to have fun on the playground.

He landed on damp floor and stood, wincing and shaking the slime off his shoes. No amount of magic would be able to wipe the reek for decades.

Snape lit the tip of his wand. "Stay close to me."

"Right," said Harry, "and remember, any sign of movement, close your eyes immediately."

They walked over animal bones and came across a giant snake skin. Snape took a moment to stare at it in mingled awe and fear before continuing on.

The next obstacle they came across was a wall with serpents carved into it. Harry hissed, and they parted.

Ginny was lying at the end of the tunnel facedown. She looked so small, so helpless... Harry hurried to her side and turned her over.

"Professor, what do we do?" he asked frantically.

Snape knelt down next to the inert body. "Is she alive?"

"She is," said a new voice. "But only just."

Snape and Harry whirled around. A tall, black haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded. "And what are you?" He couldn't be a ghost.

"Tom Riddle," the boy answered, eyes fixated on Harry. He didn't even spare Snape a glance. "And I'm a memory. Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was a little black diary. Harry recalled seeing Ginny with it and wondered briefly how it got here.

Snape was staring at Riddle suspiciously. "How did she get like this?"

"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 this time, his eyes had never left Harry's, not even when addressing Snape.

Harry listened in horror as Riddle went on to explain how Ginny had opened the Chamber, releasing the basilisk.

"You used her," Harry whispered. He glanced down at Ginny again. She was only a year younger than he was, she didn't deserve this.

"It was her own fault for being a stupid little girl," said Riddle, and Harry clenched his fists. "I have many questions for you, Harry Potter."

"Like what?" Harry spat.

"Well, 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?" There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.

Red eyes... Harry felt himself shiver.

"You're him," Snape whispered.

Riddle finally removed his gaze from Harry and let it settle on Snape for the first time. "You must be Professor Snape," he said softly. "Yes, Ginny has spoken of you."

Harry finally caught on. "Voldemort."

Riddle nodded once, eyes back on Harry.

Music suddenly filled the air, causing a rush of warmth to rush through Harry. A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle.

A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder, gazing up at Riddle.

"That's a phoenix," said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it. "And that —" he eyed the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat —"

Way to point out the obvious, Harry thought.

Riddle laughed. "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"

Harry didn't answer.

"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "How did you survive that night? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

Harry assessed the situation. He had Snape with him for backup, but if Riddle called for the basilisk, they'd be at a disadvantage.

"You'd be better off asking my mum," he said finally. "I was only a baby. Something about her dying for me."

"I see." Riddle sneered. "Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful counter charm. I can see now... there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike... But after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him..."

Riddle turned to the area between two pillars. "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

Snape took out his wand. "Get out of here," he said to Harry. He shot a hex at Riddle, not knowing whether it would have any effect on him or not.

Regardless, Riddle conjured a shield using Harry's wand, and the two wizards began battling.

Meanwhile, the basilisk struck the wall where Harry had been just a second ago. It reared back, poised to make another attack. At that moment, the phoenix dived at it, gouging at its eyes.

"NO!" Riddle screamed, looking up momentarily from his duel with Snape. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM. KILL HIM!"

Harry saw the Sorting Hat and instinctively reached for it. He felt something hard inside and pulled out a gleaming silver sword.

The basilisk lunged at Harry, who drove the sword into its mouth. One of its fangs pierced his arm, making Harry shout in pain.

He pulled the fang out and slumped on the floor. Snape was by his side in an instant, forgetting about Riddle. "Harry..."

"You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above them. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."

Indeed, the phoenix was leaning over Harry, fat, pearly tears dripping onto the puncture in Harry's arm.

"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him — I said, get away!"

Harry blinked. The wound had vanished.

"Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course... healing powers... I forgot..."

The phoenix came back and dropped the diary into Harry's hands. Without thinking, he took the Basilisk fang and slammed it into the diary.

There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. 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 was gone.

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Eh, not quite as different as before. Just less... cringy, I guess? I don't know, but I'm more satisfied with this version and that's what counts at the end of the day.

Anyway, my stance on Ginny is that she is a victim and should not be blamed when full-grown adults have been swayed by Tom's charm. Should Ginny have been suspicious of a book that wrote back? Perhaps, but it's magical! Who knows how Tom enthralled her? He's so creepy... *shudders*