The Anger.

Riddle just smiled and said, "I suppose I can tell you. After all, you and your friend like little Ginny - will not be leaving this Chamber, ever again. It's called a horcrux, Harry."

"Thank you," Harry said. "To answer your first question, no one really knows. It is suspected my mother performed an illegal blood ritual, which was powered up by the sacrifice of her life. Then, when you tried to kill me, your curse backfired on you, killing you."

Before Riddle could say anything else, Harry said, "My turn. How many of these horcruxes did you plan on making?"

"Seven," said Riddle, proudly. "The most powerful number in magic, for the most powerful wizard in the world." "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore," drawled Harry. "Everyone says so. Even when you were at the height of your powers, you didn't dare try to attack him directly. On the few occasions he was able to find you, you fled in terror."

The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

"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. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle; wishing, rather than believing, it to be true.

Riddle opened his mouth, but froze.

Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size.

Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

Fawkes appeared, piping his weird music to the vaulted ceiling. Within his talons he was 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.

The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle.

"That's a phoenix," said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it. "Fawkes?" breathed Harry, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently

"And that..." said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "... is the old school Sorting Hat."

So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet.

Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once. "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. He didn't see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but his courage was mounting.

"To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice - in your past, in my future - we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive."

"Nope," replied Harry. "I know everything I need to know now. You've no longer anything to bargain with."

Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile. "So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful countercharm. 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."

Harry stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazaar Slytherin..." "You're not," interrupted Harry.

"What?" stuttered Riddle, thrown off balance.

"I said, you're not," replied Harry.

"Not what?" asked Riddle, annoyed.

"You are neither a Lord nor the Heir of Slytherin," replied Harry.

Angrily Riddle snarled, "I did my research, Potter. I traced my bloodline all the way back." "I don't doubt it," shrugged Harry. "However, you got yourself dead. By law and by magic the Heirship passed on. You knowthis." With a smirk of his own, he asked, "Do you want to know to whom?"

Riddle just stood there, almost trembling in rage. After a few moments he snarled, "Yes!"

After a few moments hesitation, enjoying Riddle's ire, Harry smirked, "Me."

Riddle glared back. His face, a mask of fury. Without another word, he strode away to stop between the high pillars and looked up into the stone face of Salazaar Slytherin, high above in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed, §Speak to me, Slytherin; greatest of the Hogwarts Four.§

Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder. Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horror-struck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

"Here it comes, Neville," he said to the other boy, where he kneeled next to the girl. "The basilisk!"

"Neville!" called Harry. "Leave her, for now. Get away from the statue and over here behind the pillars!"

Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and saw Neville get up and come running over. Just before he reached and took cover behind another pillar, himself, he felt Fawkes's wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but, what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents?

Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder. He knew what was happening. He could sense it. He could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth.

Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice, §Kill him.§

"Neville!" called Harry, to his friend. "It's coming for me! Got your block ready?"

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