The Chamber of Secrets was heavy with tension. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Rufus Scrimgeour, and the rest of their group faced a chilling reality as they stood in the grand, shadowy chamber. The imposing statue of Salazar Slytherin loomed over them, casting long shadows across the cold stone floor.

Lockhart, still covered in grime, struggled to regain his composure, but the gravity of the situation had effectively drained his usual bravado. The entrance to the chamber had revealed a scene of profound importance and danger.

And then, from the darkness, stepped a young figure—the boy who would become Lord Voldemort. Tom Riddle, holding Ginny Weasley’s wand with a cold smile, faced them with an unsettling sense of purpose.

“Who are you?” demanded one of the Aurors, his wand at the ready. His voice was firm, but there was an undercurrent of uncertainty.

Riddle’s eyes glinted with a mix of amusement and malice. “Me? I’m Tom Riddle,” he replied smoothly. “I’ve waited a long time for this. For the chance to see you all. To speak to you.”

His gaze locked onto Harry, ignoring the others entirely. Riddle’s smile was almost affectionate as he looked at Harry. The rest of the group, prepared to act, hesitated as Rufus Scrimgeour gave them a subtle signal to hold their ground.

“Look,” Harry said, his voice taut with frustration, “I don’t think you understand. We’re in the Chamber of Secrets. We need to deal with this situation now.”

“We’re going to talk now,” Riddle insisted, still smiling broadly. He pocketed Ginny’s wand with a flick of his wrist, his eyes never leaving Harry’s face. “It’s important that you understand a few things.”

Dumbledore stepped forward, his presence exuding calm authority. “Harry, let’s hear him out. But be on guard.”

Riddle’s eyes glittered with a dark, twisted satisfaction. “How did Ginny Weasley get like this?” Dumbledore asked slowly, his voice calm but laced with concern.

Riddle chuckled softly. “Well, that’s an interesting question, and quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny’s like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger.”

Harry’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“The diary,” Riddle said, his smile widening. “My diary. Little Ginny’s been writing in it for months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes: how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with second-hand robes and books, how… how she didn’t think the famous Harry Potter would ever like her…”

Riddle’s gaze remained fixed on Harry, his hunger almost palpable. “It was quite dull listening to the trivial troubles of an eleven-year-old girl, but I was patient. I wrote back, I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny loved me. She thought of me as a friend, someone who understood her.”

He laughed, a high, cold sound that made Harry’s skin crawl. “If I say so myself, I’ve always had a way with people. Ginny poured out her soul to me, and that was exactly what I needed. Her deepest fears, her darkest secrets—they made me stronger.”

Riddle continued, his voice low and menacing. “I grew more powerful on a diet of her fear and sorrow. Strong enough to start feeding her some of my own secrets, to start pouring a bit of my soul into her…”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Harry’s face was contorted with anger. “What are you saying?”

Riddle’s eyes gleamed with malice. “Haven’t you guessed yet? Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She attacked the school roosters, daubed threatening messages on the walls, and set the serpent of Slytherin on Mudbloods and the Squib’s cat.”

“No,” Harry whispered, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Yes,” Riddle said calmly. “Ginny didn’t know what she was doing at first. It was quite amusing to see her confusion. Her diary entries became more frantic. ‘Dear Tom,’ she wrote, ‘I think I’m losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes…’”

Riddle recited some of Ginny’s desperate entries with a twisted sense of satisfaction, making Harry’s fists clench tighter. The truth of Ginny’s plight and Riddle’s manipulation was almost too much to bear.

“I expected the Ministry to be incompetent,” Riddle continued. “But they arrived sooner than I anticipated. I had to speed up my plans. I took control of Ginny and lured all of you here.”

Rufus Scrimgeour, his face set in grim determination, stepped forward. “Did you now? And why are you telling us this now?”

Riddle’s smile widened. “I’ve been waiting for this moment. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter.”

“Like what?” Harry spat, his anger barely contained.

Riddle’s eyes gleamed with dark curiosity. “How is it that a baby with no extraordinary magical talent managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Voldemort’s powers were destroyed?”

Harry’s mind raced, trying to understand the implications. “Why do you care how I escaped? Voldemort was after your time.”

“Voldemort,” Riddle said softly, “is my past, present, and future.”

He pulled Harry’s wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air. The wand’s light illuminated the words he inscribed:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

With a wave, the letters rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

“You see?” Riddle whispered, his voice dripping with pride. “It was a name I adopted even during my time at Hogwarts, known only to my most intimate friends. I was not going to keep my Muggle father’s name. No, I fashioned a name that wizards everywhere would one day fear.”

Harry stared at Riddle, the boy who would become the dark lord who killed his parents. “You’re not the greatest sorcerer in the world,” Harry said, his voice filled with contempt. “The greatest wizard is Albus Dumbledore.”

Riddle’s expression darkened. “Albus Dumbledore will die today,” he declared.

At that moment, the ground trembled as the Basilisk made its appearance, slithering into view from the shadows. The enormous serpent, its scales gleaming in the dim light, was the final piece of Riddle’s malevolent plan.

As the creature loomed closer, the group prepared for the confrontation. The Chamber of Secrets was no longer just a place of dark secrets but a battleground where the past and future would collide.

The battle for Ginny’s life and the fate of the wizarding world was about to begin.