Harry shot out of the pipe to land in a heap on the stone floor. He lay there for a second and tried to verify that he was a) still alive, b) none of his bones were broken, and c) no monster was waiting to attack him at any moment. The pain coming from his back told Harry he wasn't dead and some subtle movements seemed to confirm nothing major was broken. Carefully, he glanced around. The monster's scent was stronger but was a couple hours old.
Harry stood up and looked around. The pipe opened up into a natural looking cave with a sandy floor. The sand was actually warm to the touch. Magical torches burned in sconces a regular intervals lighting the way further down the cave. Some kind of material that looked like canvas was lumped in several places in the cave. Further down Harry could just make out a pair of doors.
He glanced back towards the pipe he had just slid down. If he had known that he wasn't going to be killed on the way down the ride would have been fun. The pipe had branched off several times on the way down. Harry assumed the pipe had other openings in the school or its grounds. He hoped there was another way out because he sure couldn't climb out.
The 'canvas' turned out to be some kind of snake-skin. His medusa comparison was coming back to haunt him.
The doors were adorned with snakes and the Slytherin crest. The snakes were whispering to each other.
'Guess I'm in the right place,' Harry thought. "Open" he commanded. The two snakes glanced at him before the doors silently swung open. The air that hit him was warm and humid. That matched with what he'd read about snakes. They might hibernate in cool, dark caves in winter, but needed external heat if they were going to be very active.
More of the skins littered the floor as Harry moved down the hall silently. He was careful to look for traps or signs of an ambush. He held his wand at the ready just in case.
The hallway opened up into a vast cavern. Against one side of the cavern was a large pool of water with a huge statue of a really ugly man looming over it. Then he noticed the small lump of black cloth near the edge of the pool. Luna.
Harry moved quickly over to her and rolled the girl over carefully. The blonde Ravenclaw was breathing shallowly but her heartbeat was steady.
"She won't wake up you know," a voice announced. "Thank Salazar. Always writing about mythical creatures no one's ever heard of. Stupid little twit."
Harry stood up quickly to face the newcomer. He hadn't heard anything approaching and even now he couldn't pick up a scent.
The newcomer was an older boy roughly Sixth year in Slytherin robes. He was meticulously groomed and stood with a confident, almost arrogant, posture.
"Who are you?" the boy asked.
"Harry Potter. And you would be the Heir?"
The boy smiled widely at that. "You are a clever one. I have so wanted to meet you. The great Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Defeater of Voldemort! What an honour!"
"Wonderful, a fanboy," Harry mocked. The older boy's eyes flared briefly. Then it was gone and the boy smiled charmingly.
"Where are my manners? I am Tom Marvolo Riddle. And as you guessed, I am the Heir to the great Salazar Slytherin!
"But I am curious, Harry," the newly named Tom continued, "do you know how you managed to defeat the greatest wizard in history?"
"Do you mean Merlin?" Harry asked in mock earnestness. "or Dumbledore? Oh, wait you could also mean Gandalf or Miracle Max!"
"Voldemort, you insolent twit!" Tom roared out. "You are as annoying as this stupid little girl always writing about mythical creatures. Her mind was so twisted it made it impossible to fully possess her. But soon she will be dead and I will have enough power to move about on my own!"
Harry resisted turning back to look at the unconscious witch. He glanced down to see a small book sitting on the floor near Tom's feet. He could read the writing on the front.
T.M. Riddle
'Writing about mythical creatures,' Harry thought.
...
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