Harry was sitting in his bedroom at the Dursley's. It was one o' clock in the morning and Harry was doing his homework for the summer holidays; as always in stealth. Suddenly the door of his bedroom burst open. He tried his best to tuck the books, quill and his inkpot under his pillow. But the cover of the book got stuck in the pillow cover. As he was trying to push it under the pillow, a large man, who happened to be his Uncle, appeared.
"What are you doing, son?" he asked in an unusually polite voice.
"U-uncle Vernon, I—I was just—"Harry stuttered.
"Ah, don't worry, dear boy, I won't take them away. You can do your homework by all means." He said with a smile. He had a familiar twinkle in his eyes.
Harry's eyes widened as he recognized the smile and the accent of speaking; it was Albus Dumbledore's. But how come Uncle Vernon was speaking like him?
"Come here, my boy, I have a surprise for your birthday." Uncle Vernon said.
Birthday; it was his birthday today? He didn't remember. But what surprise would Uncle Vernon have for his birthday? He never got any present from the Dursley's. He didn't argue though, for he knew better than to do that. He walked behind Uncle Vernon into a room which he didn't know the house had. It was large and almost like a hall. As he looked around the room, he saw shackles were hanging from the walls. He skipped a heartbeat and looked up at Uncle Vernon. He had a smile that matched with Dumbledore, and the same familiar twinkle in the eyes. His throat went dry and he licked his lips nervously.
"This is your new room from now on, okay? Did you like it, dear Harry?" Uncle Vernon asked.
Harry grimaced at the sweet tone as it awfully sounded like Mrs. Weasley. He looked confused at the face.
The next moment, he found himself tied to the walls with the same iron shackle. As he looked around the room once again, he found every person that has betrayed him present there with a wide sadistic grin on their faces. They were all pointing their wands at him. Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, Percy, Dumbledore.
"Hello, dear Harry, we hope you like your birthday present." Ron said grinning.
"Crucio!" he heard all of them shout as five rays of red light connected to his chest.
His body felt as though it was set on fire. As though was being burned alive. He tried to scream but no voice came out of his throat. His throat felt numb and dysfunctional. After about two minutes the curse lifted and he slumped down, releasing his full weight on the iron shackles. But he couldn't relax more. His numb feeling was replaced with the searing pain all over his body as he felt blood soaking through his clothes. He felt his breath knocked out of his lungs. He tried to breathe through his mouth, but he felt like a fish out of water. Then he tried to scream. Once again, his throat betrayed him; he couldn't scream as the cutting curses wreaked havoc over his body.
"Harry," he felt as though someone was shaking his body. But he didn't respond as he kept trying to scream and let out some agony though it.
"Harry!" he felt another shake. "Harry, wake up!" he opened his eyes and tried to take in his surrounding once again.
"Harry, wake up! Open your eyes; breathe!" somebody demanded shaking him.
He jolted up in a sitting position; breathing heavily through his mouth. He stared around the dorm with wide eyes, full of fear and tears. He saw that he was encircled by several boys and girls. He realized that it was his dorm. He was having a nightmare.
"What happened?" Harry asked to the boy sitting next to him; Draco. He immediately winced at the pain in his throat.
"You were shouting and screaming like anything. Did you have a nightmare?" he asked. Draco had a deep frown of concern on his face.
"Harry, are you alright?" Dominique asked in a similar concerned tone.
"Yeah," Harry choked out lowly for both the questions.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Dominique asked. Harry just shook his head and lay back on his bed, pretending to be sleepy. He pulled the cover over his head to block the faces from his view and closed his eyes. Instantly the images from the nightmare floated up into his view. But he lay still, feeling everybody leave his side one by one. After almost twenty minutes, when he felt the last person had left, he slowly pulled the cover down to check the dorm. It was dark again. He could see the silhouettes of the boys on their beds; sleeping soundly again. He knew that it was impossible for him to sleep now. He sat up slowly; his face in his palms. He felt few tears roll down his cheeks. He wiped them away with the back of his hand. He felt so defeated; even more than the time he had found out the betrayal of the people he loved. He felt as if all happiness of his life has been sucked away from him. He suddenly shot up and frantically looked around the room, finding any sign of the dreadful creatures in the dorm; the dementors. But all he saw was darkness. He contemplated for a minute before he got up from the bed, trying to avoid any squeaky sound of the bed. He reached for his glasses and his wand on the bed side table and padded away out of the dorm.
Tom saw the shadow of Harry walk out of the dorm. He had never seen a person so powerful yet so vulnerable in his life. He knew that he must have had a nightmare about his torture from the muggles. He had woken up with a jolt when he had first heard his blood curdling scream. He felt as if he himself was being tortured by those cruel and vile people. But the screams held a familiarity in them. However repulsive the thought may sound, but he had heard him scream like this before. He—yes; that was it. He had screamed like this when he had accidentally used the Cruciatus curse on him. His eyes went wide. Had he been the victim of the Cruciatus curse before? Had he been tortured with the curse? He bolted up from his bed and did a simple wordless Accio wand and walked out of the dorm in the same direction Harry had gone. He frantically searched for the boy, and his eyes fell on the thin line of light seeping from under the door of the boys' bathroom. He walked toward the light. As he neared the door, he heard muffled sniffling sounds from inside. It must be Harry. He tapped on the door gently.
"Harry?" he called. He heard the sniffles turned into heavy shaky breathing. "Harry?" he called again.
Harry didn't answer. Tom's heart beat was getting faster by the second. After hesitating for a second, he chose the convenient path.
"Alohomora," he muttered. But the door didn't open. Tom's breathing became heavier.
"Silencio," he muttered casting a silencing charm around him. Then he pointed his wand at the lock and muttered, "Confringo," the lock broke away with a loud snap and the door click open. He barged into the bathroom and gasped.
"Harry!" he whispered and ran to him. He was sitting in a pool of blood, and was pointing his wand at him.
"I cannot bloody cast a patronus anymore! I can't even cast the killing curse! I'm useless!" Harry sobbed into his hands.
"Harry, why do you need to cast a patronus or a killing curse now?" Tom asked crouching down to his side.
"Because I feel like I'm surrounded with an army of dementors! Because I want to bloody die!" he said raising his voice a bit. "Avada Ked—"
Before Harry could finish his wand flew out off his hand and landed on Tom's palm. "Harry, you'll not kill yourself! And what have you done to yourself?" Tom said pulling Harry's left hand out from between his knees.
Harry snatched out his hand from Tom. "Please leave me alone, Tom. It's not like you will be able to stop me forever." Harry said calmly.
"Yes I can stop you, and I'll stop you; forever." Tom growled. His dark features were flickering in his eyes. "And remember, I get what I want." He said dangerously.
Harry laughed a bit. "Tom, you are talking as if I don't know you all well! I know that you get what you want; but not this time." Harry said shaking his head and sniffing.
Tom frowned at his comment. But he didn't want to ask any question right now. "Harry, come with me." He said standing up and pulling Harry's arm.
"I don't want to go with you anywhere! Leave me alone, Tom!" Harry sneered.
"No, you told me that you'll come with me when I do this. You can't go back with your words now." Tom tugged to his hand again.
Harry frowned. "What—you want to open the chamber of secrets now?" Harry's eyes went wide.
"Yes, and you have told me that you'll be on my side when I do this." Tom said. Tom actually didn't know any other way to distract Harry from his 'killing himself' mission. This was the only way he could think of.
Harry looked at him with wide eyes. His guts were twisting inside his stomach painfully. "But—right now? You mean this moment?" he asked.
"Yes, right now. And I hope you remember that I have promised you that I'll not summon the basilisk?" Tom said tilting his head.
Harry nodded, but his breath was heavy and slow with nervousness.
"Harry, I'm going right now, and if you don't come with me, then—"
"No, I'll come with you!" Harry said quickly and got up. He winced as his hand brushed with the rough wall.
"Give me your hand," Tom said forwarding one of his own.
"No it's f—"he couldn't finish as Ton grabbed his hand and started healing it. It wasn't much, but the throbbing pain reduced to a slight pulse.
"Now come with me," Tom demanded.
"No, I need to get some things first; from the dorm and Dumbledore's office." Harry said.
"Dumbledore's office; what would you need from there?" Tom asked.
"The sorting hat; just wait for me here," Harry said.
Tom realized what Harry would need the sorting hat for. He didn't trust him completely. Tom sighed and nodded.
After half an hour Harry came back to the same spot. He looked around for a moment. "I need you to promise that you won't tell about anything or product you see with me today; will you?" Harry asked looking at Tom with raised eyebrows.
Tom frowned but nodded. "Okay,"
Harry took out two things from under his jumper; the invisibility cloak and the marauder's map. He stretched the invisibility cloak over him. "Come under this." Harry gestured Tom.
"What is this?" Tom frowned in confusion.
Harry took a deep breath and spoke up. "The invisibility cloak,"
Harry saw Tom's eyes widen. "One of the deathly hallows!" Tom breathed out.
"Yes, that's the exact reason I don't want you to tell anybody about this. If somehow Dumbledore comes to know about this, then I'll be in mortal peril." Harry said.
"Where did you get this from; do you have the—"
"No; I don't have the elder wand, or the resurrection stone." Harry could see the tinge of greed flickering in Tom's blue eyes. Harry instantly started regretting the decision of revealing his possession. Harry shook his head slowly and took a few steps back from him. "No; it was a mistake. I shouldn't have shown it to you." Harry said getting away from him.
Tom frowned at his reaction. "Harry, I won't tell anybody." Tom said reaching a hand out toward Harry.
Harry flinched away. "Tom, I swear I don't have the other two hallows. I just have this. But, in any case or reason I'm not handing it over to you." Harry said warningly.
Tom shook his head. "Harry, you are getting me wrong; I don't want it from you." Tom tried calmly.
But it was in vain. "I won't even allow you to hand it over to Dumbledore. No Tom, I—"
"Harry! What is wrong with you?" Tom raised his voice a bit. "I told you that I won't tell anyone about this and neither will I take it myself!" Tom said in a frustrated voice.
Harry was snapped out by Tom's tone and volume. Harry looked at him for a moment then turned to his feet. "I'm sorry. For a minute I thought that you will..." Harry trailed off.
Tom reached him and put a hand around his shoulder. "Let's go," he muttered.
Harry nodded. "Do you know where the entrance is?" Harry asked.
Tom shook his head. "I didn't find it in any book. I have searched for it." Tom explained.
Harry just smiled and thanked Merlin in his mind that his research was unsuccessful. "You don't find everything in book, do you?" Harry said jokingly.
Tom rolled his eyes. "Most of the knowledge you gain from books and written documents." He deadpanned.
"And the rest you get from wandering in the castle at night aimlessly." Harry said smirking.
"Yeah, whatever," Tom said dismissing the topic. His brows creased as a thought crossed his mind. "Harry, have you been ever tortured magically? I mean, with the torture curse?" Tom asked turning to Harry.
Harry's face turned blank. He turned to Tom and noted his expression. "No, I haven't been tortured magically." He said shaking his head.
Tom sighed. "Yeah, you are not lying, but you are not telling the truth either; again." Tom said looking into Harry's eyes.
Harry frowned; but didn't say anything. "Let's go," Harry said taking out the map.
"What is this parchment?" Tom asked.
"A map," Harry said taking out his wand. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." Harry whispered, which was barely audible to Tom.
"Pardon me? I didn't—"Tom stopped as his eyes fell on the parchment. The parchment has started to fill up with web of inks and was spreading over the whole paper.
What the...
"It tells you about every possible pathway, and everybody present in Hogwarts. It tells you what the people are doing, where they are which direction they are heading, etc. But there are only two things missing here; the Chamber of Secrets and The Room of Requirements." Harry explained.
"Room of Requirements; what's that?" Tom asked frowning.
Harry looked up to find a confused Tom and smiled. "You didn't know about the room?" Harry asked sceptically.
Tom shook his head. "Come on," Harry said, pulling at Tom's hand.
After a few minutes, they reached a girl's bathroom. "The entrance is from here?" Tom asked raising an eyebrow.
Harry just nodded and entered the bathroom. It was weird not to be met with a crying Myrtle. He looked around the place. It looked more stable and in use. "This way," he said pulling of the cloak from them.
The two students headed to the very end of the bathroom and inside the last stall. "So... where is the entrance?" Tom said looking around the stall.
"Here," Harry pointed at a basin and moved towards it. As Tom neared the basin, he saw Harry pointing at the tap.
He leaned closer to have a better look; when it caught his eyes; the snake. "How does this work?" Tom said looking up at Harry.
Harry didn't answer; instead he leaned over and hissed, "Open".
Tom and Harry stepped back, as the basin started to shift. It continue, until there was a just a big entrance, enough for one man to pass at a time. "After you," Harry said gesturing to Tom.
Tom and Harry landed with a thud on the ground. "Well, where from here?" Tom asked dusting his pants.
"We just have to follow the path straight ahead." Harry replied taking in a deep breath. He felt a bit of tightness in his chest. But he ignored the feeling as he saw Tom walking forward.
They walked for like half an hour, after which they reached the desired area.