The Parselmouth and the Basilisk {Jade Book 2}

Chapter 14

"Voldemort," Tom said softly, "is my past, present and future, Harry Potter..."

He took Harry's wand out of his pocket and began to trace it through the air, and words appeared:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

He waved the wand and the letters rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

Uh-oh.

This was not going to go well.

Harry had evaded Voldemort last year, but to do it again would be extremely difficult.

"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name for ever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry. I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

Oddly enough, I was reminded of my conversation with Harry last year, when I had told him that Dumbledore was the greatest wizard in the world, not Voldemort.

It seemed like ages ago.

"You're not," Harry said, his voice filled with hatred.

"Not what?" Tom snapped.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world. Sorry to disappoint you, and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw right through you when you were at school, and he still frightens you, wherever you're hiding these days."

Tom looked extremely angry now.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed.

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted.

Where did he get that comment from?

It almost certainly wasn't true, so –

I could hear music. It was strange music. Very strange.

That wasn't all. A large crimson-coloured bird appeared. It had a very long tail and gleaming golden talons.

It was carrying something, I noticed. It looked rather ragged, and was black. The bird dropped it at Harry's feet.

The bird landed on Harry's shoulder.

"That's a phoenix..." Tom commented.

"Fawkes?" Harry breathed.

The name was unfamiliar to me.

"And that – " Tom said, looking at the thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old Sorting Hat."

Tom laughed. Extremely loudly.

It was quite annoying, actually.

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

Then Tom asked him how he had managed to beat him, and Harry explained.

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