The descent into the Chamber of Secrets was colder than I expected. Moisture clung to the air, making the stone steps slick beneath our feet as we moved deeper into the bowels of Hogwarts. Each step echoed into the darkness, swallowed by the walls that seemed to pulse with secrets and ancient magic.
Tom walked ahead of me, his robes sweeping behind him like shadows. His posture was confident, shoulders straight, head held high but I didn't miss the way his pace slowed every now and then, as though gauging my reaction. He wanted me to be impressed. He needed me to be.
The path narrowed, then opened into a massive corridor lined with colossal serpent statues. Their emerald eyes gleamed dimly in the dark, watching with silent menace. I took my time observing them, my footsteps slow and deliberate.
"This way," Tom said, voice reverberating slightly as he gestured me forward. He stopped at the end of the hall, in front of a towering stone door carved with intertwining serpents. The serpents' eyes glowed faintly as Tom stepped closer.
He turned to me, his expression calm but edged with something sharp—expectation, perhaps. Then he smirked, eyes gleaming in the low light. "Well? Impressed yet?"
I tilted my head, biting back a smirk. "It's... okay."
His smirk faltered. "Okay?"
I laughed softly, letting my voice echo a little too loud in the still chamber. "What? You expected me to fall at your feet because you have a secret snake room under the school?"
His eyes narrowed. "This is Salazar Slytherin's legacy. This place this chamber was hidden from everyone for centuries."
"Impressive," I admitted, circling one of the massive serpent statues. "But you know what would really impress me?"
He folded his arms, wariness creeping into his posture. "Do tell."
I turned, stepping closer until I was just in front of him, my voice low and teasing. "Didn't they say Slytherin left something more than just a fancy underground lair? Something... dangerous? Something meant to cleanse the school?"
His eyes flashed, a subtle tightening of his jaw giving away his surprise. "You've done your reading."
"Of course," I said, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder. "I don't like walking into things blind."
Tom studied me carefully, eyes boring into mine like he was trying to read every secret I had. I didn't flinch. I merely smiled, placing my arm around his waist, pressing against him ever so slightly as I leaned in.
"If you really want to impress me," I whispered, "then show me what Slytherin left behind."
His breath caught for half a second only someone watching as closely as I was would have noticed. He stepped out of my hold, moving toward the statue of Salazar Slytherin himself. The massive face carved into the wall loomed with regal disdain, as if judging all who stood before it.
Tom stood still for a moment, then hissed something in Parseltongue.
The stone groaned, grinding against itself as the statue's mouth slowly opened, revealing a dark tunnel beyond.
He turned back to me, his face lit by the greenish glow spilling from the depths. "Don't look it in the eyes. It can petrify you."
I blinked, slightly caught off guard by the sudden seriousness in his tone. "What are you talking about?"
"I'll protect you," he said, then without warning, swept me onto his back with surprising strength. "Just keep your eyes closed until I say."
I couldn't help it I laughed softly, letting my head rest against his back as I closed my eyes. "You know, this isn't the most traditional way of showing a girl around."
"Not a traditional girl, are you?" he replied, his voice low and amused.
The air turned colder as he stepped into the darkness. I could hear something moving slithering against the stone floor. There was a hissing sound, and I opened my eyes just slightly.
The Basilisk was immense. Its scales shimmered with an unnatural sheen, its body coiled with deadly grace. I watched, unblinking, as Tom spoke to it in Parseltongue, the guttural words sounding like ancient magic reborn. The serpent shifted, its enormous head swaying toward us, tongue flickering in the air.
Another command from Tom, and the creature hissed in reluctant obedience, retreating back into the shadows from which it came.
Tom turned back to me, gently setting me down.
"Interesting," I said, brushing off my skirt. "Very dramatic. Petrification, Parseltongue, a murderous giant snake… You certainly don't do things halfway."
He arched a brow. "I expected more fear."
"I'm not easily frightened," I replied, stepping closer, my tone light. "Besides… we both know now who killed Myrtle Warren, don't we?"
His expression cracked. Just for a moment.
"You're clever," he said quietly, but his tone had turned dangerous.
"Thank you," I replied sweetly.
And then he moved.
Before I could react, I was slammed into the cold stone wall behind me. His hand pressed firmly against my shoulder, holding me in place. The weight of him caging me in was electric.
His eyes were alight with fury, but it was tightly controlled lethal and precise. "You should watch what you say."
I didn't flinch. Instead, I reached up slowly, trailing my fingers across his chest. I let my touch linger, teasing, then hooked my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him closer.
"Don't worry," I whispered, my breath brushing against his ear. "Your secret is safe with me. I don't care about that girl."
My lips grazed the shell of his ear. "If you killed her, so what? It doesn't affect me."
He pulled back, eyes wide, searching mine for deception. I met his gaze steadily, letting him see the truth or what I wanted him to believe.
Then he smirked. That same slow, calculated smirk I'd seen earlier but this time, darker. "It's good," he said, his voice silk and steel, "that we're on the same side."
"Of course," I said, lifting a hand to touch his face. His skin was cool beneath my fingers, his expression frozen in a perfect mask of intrigue and curiosity.
"I can be your greatest ally," I murmured. "Or your worst enemy."
He leaned in slowly, the tension between us crackling like a live wire. "You're dangerous."
I smiled, tilting my chin up. "Only if you disappoint me."
His mouth hovered over mine, breath hot and sharp. I didn't close the distance neither did he. We waited, suspended in that thin sliver of tension between restraint and desire, between power and surrender.
Then Tom dipped his head the rest of the way.
The kiss was not soft. It was a clash of wills, a contest of control. His lips were demanding, and I met him with equal intensity, matching him breath for breath. His hand slid from my shoulder to my waist, pulling me tighter against him, while my fingers curled into the back of his collar, anchoring myself to him.
The chamber seemed to hum around us, the ancient magic alive with awareness of what was transpiring within its walls.
When he finally pulled back, his breathing was shallow, his eyes still locked on mine.
"We could do great things together," he said quietly.
I let my fingers drift down his jaw, brushing across his lips. "Oh, Tom. We will."
And deep in the shadows of the Chamber of Secrets, with a Basilisk slithering just beyond our reach and ancient power pulsing in the walls, I knew this was only the beginning of our dangerous game.