𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐄 | ᴇʟɪᴢᴀʙᴇᴛʜ ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ

023~ᴋɪʟʟ... ᴋɪʟʟ... ᴋɪʟʟ

Her eyes fluttered open, groggily adjusting to the harsh fluorescent light that pierced through her skull. A pounding headache assaulted her, making her wince. As her gaze swept the familiar room, she realized she was in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. What was she doing here? Memories began to flood back: the strange voice whispering in the darkness, Riddle standing before the bloody message scrawled on the wall...then, nothing. But who had brought her here? She'd been alone in the corridors. Well, Riddle had been there, but he wouldn't...no, that was impossible. Shaking her head, she tried to clear the haze of confusion and fear.

Madam Pomfrey emerged from behind a white curtain, her kind face a welcome sight. "This should do it, Mr. Riddle. Just take that potion and your hand will be fine," the healer said, handing him a small vial. 

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Riddle replied, his emotionless eyes flicking to the girl before he exited the hospital wing with a swish of his black robes. Madam Pomfrey turned to the young witch, concern etched on her features.

"Oh, Miss Potter, you're awake." "Madam Pomfrey, do you know who brought me here?" Elizabeth asked, her voice hoarse from sleep. 

"I'm sorry, dear, but I don't know. You were already lying on the hospital bed, when I found you," the woman replied kindly, giving Elizabeth a healing potion. "Well, let's get you recovered, now that you're awake."

"Ellie!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst into the hospital wing, relief washing over their faces. 

"Ellie, what were you thinking?" Harry scolded, raking a hand through his messy hair. "Never go anywhere alone. You could have gotten yourself killed." 

"I'm fine, Harry. I just heard this voice again. I had to follow it. I wanted to find out who or what was behind all this. And then I saw..." she trailed off, Riddle's piercing gaze flashing before her eyes, "the bloody writing again...and...and I just fainted. I guess I'm kinda sensitive to voices."
 She managed a weak smile, trying to downplay the incident. 

Ron and Hermione exchanged a confused glance. "Wait, you guys... hear voices?" Ron asked, baffled.

~~~

"Could I have your attention, please? Right, now, today, we will be transforming animals into water goblets," Professor McGonagall announced in Transfiguration class. She demonstrated the charm on a bird, "One, two, three, Vera Verto." A stream of silver magic flowed from her wand, and the rabbit became a gleaming goblet. 

"Now it's your turn. Who would like to go first?" She approached Ron, who looked nervous. "Ah! Mr. Weasley." Ron hesitantly tapped his wand against Scabbers three times. "Vera Verto." 

His wand caused Scabbers to transform into a goblet with a twitching tail and squeaking mouth. "That wand needs replacing, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said dryly as Ron picked up the goblet, looking sheepish. 

Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Ms. Granger?" "Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." 

The classroom fell silent by the sound of that name. McGonagall glanced around, seeing the students' interest. "Very well. You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Three of the founders coexisted quite harmoniously. One did not. Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. In other words, pure-bloods. Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. Now, according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Well, shortly before departing, he sealed it, until that time when his own true heir returned to the school. The Heir alone would be able to open the Chamber, and unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic." 

"Muggle-borns," Hermione said, and McGonagall nodded. 

"Well, naturally the school has been searched many times. No such Chamber has been found." She walked back to her desk. 

"Professor, what exactly does legend tell us lies within the Chamber?" Hermione pressed further.

 "Well, the Chamber is said to be home to something that only the Heir of Slytherin can control. It is said to be the home of a monster." 

Elizabeth felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. She turned to face Mattheo Riddle, who was already staring at her, a smirk on his face.

As Elizabeth hurriedly exited the Transfiguration classroom, she could sense Riddle's piercing gaze fixed upon her.

~~~

'Why is Potions homework always so difficult?' An exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she placed her completed Potions essay delicately upon her bed and leaned back, closing her eyes. Once again, the voice whispered to her.

'Come... come... come to me.'

Her eyes fell upon the diary resting on her nightstand. Since the last time she placed it there, she had not dared to touch it. However, she felt compelled to investigate the enigma shrouding its pages. Could it somehow relate to the mysterious Chamber of Secrets? Elizabeth rose from her bed, taking hold of the diary once more. She settled back down and gingerly opened it, searching the yellowed pages for any elusive clues. But the pages yielded nothing. She closed the book just as the voice inside her head grew louder. 

It was then she noticed the golden letters engraved upon the back cover of the diary. Her fingers traced the inscription, reading the name 'Tom' silently to herself. So, this must be Tom's diary. 
However, there was no last name. Why was the diary devoid of any entries? The young girl picked up a feather and an ink stain blemished the aged page. 'Damn it, now it's ruined,' she thought. Suddenly, the ink vanished, and the girl's eyes widened. The words, she heard, the words that sent a shiver down her spine every time, appeared on the paper.

'Kill... kill... kill.'

Her vision blurred, and darkness consumed her surroundings.

~~~

Gradually, Elizabeth regained consciousness, finding herself lying on the cold stone floor. The obscurity enveloped her, barely allowing her to perceive her surroundings. As she lifted herself upright, she noticed her hand pressed against the wet surface. Uttering a quick 'Lumos', she conjured a faint light in her palm. Shock overwhelmed her as she beheld a grievous scene. Her hair was drenched, her clothes dripping with both water and bloodstains. Crimson stains adorned her hands. What could she possibly be doing here?

Panic and confusion gripped her as her gaze darted around the dimness. An icy shiver coursed down her spine, causing her to tremble uncontrollably in the piercing cold. And then she looked beside her and discovered the diary, lying innocuously. A wave of unease washed over her as she examined it once more. Instinct took hold, infusing her veins with adrenaline, compelling her to flee. She ran, sprinting through the desolate corridors, her frantic breath echoing through the empty halls. And the voice followed her.

'Come... come... come to me. Let me rip them apart... Let me kill them. Kill... kill... kill.'

She ran away and it followed. It seemed like a shadow hovering over her, drowning her, suffocating her, killing her. And she ran faster and faster. Away from the voice, away from the diary, away from the darkness. But could she ever escape? 

As she leaped through the portrait hole, reaching the Gryffindor common room, she collapsed on the floor, exhausted. She fell to her knees, a desperate attempt to regain composure. Then she ascended the stairs with haste, slipping into her dormitory ever so quietly. Ginny and Hermione were already asleep. Elizabeth swiftly retrieved her wand from the drawer, using its magic to clean her clothes and remove the bloodstains of her hands with a flick of her wrist, before finally slipping into her warm and comforting bed.

A whirlwind of thoughts stormed through her mind. What was happening to her? What did it all mean? Was she somehow connected to the Chamber of Secrets? Who is Mattheo Riddle and what is the secret behind his dark eyes? Could the prophecies haunting her last year be coming to reality? Was this the dawning of her dark destiny? She fell asleep, the moonlight caressing her face with a ghostly touch, but this time it wasn't strong enough to guard her against the shadows that haunted her dreams.