I Just Want You to Know Who I Am

Chapter 3: Inside the Cell

I miss life
I miss the colors of the world
Can anyone tell where I am

'Cause now again I've found myself
So far down, away from the sun
That shines into the darkest place
I'm so far down, away from the sun again
Away from the sun again

-- "Away From the Sun", by 3 Doors Down

The first thing Harry felt upon stopping was relief, and he could tell he wasn't he only one. It had felt like Flooing, Portkeying, and Apparating all at the same time, multiplied by a hundred. Suffice it to say; it looked like even those used to wizarding transportation didn't like this experience very much, and it had also caused Harry's high to begin to ebb.

Once everyone had recovered from the jarring trip, the students took in their surroundings. There was no ground, yet they didn't appear to be falling; there was no source of light, yet there was no sign of darkness, either. Everything was a strange swirling grey, save the trespassers.

"Well, fuck-up, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, nor are we in Hogwarts," sneered Blaise Zabini. Our drugged-up hero hazily wondered how a pureblood knew of a Muggle movie. At Harry's questioning look, he said, "My younger sister has an odd fascination with Muggles. Mother and Father figure letting her see how boring, stupid, and primitive Muggles are will help her grow out of it. That's why I know of 'The Wizard of Oz', Potter, so you can stop looking at me like that."

"Lookie here, we have out own rendition of 'The Wizard of Oz'!" he giggled. "We have a scared li'l Dorothy," pointing at a shaking Pansy Parkinson, "looking for a way home. We have two Scarecrows," indicating a confused Crabbe and Goyle, "in desperate need of some brains. A Tinman," now looking at Snape, "who's so sad and heartless. A Cowardly Lion," returning to Mr. Zabini, "who wants some courage. And we have the honor of getting the new character, the Albino Ferret," approaching Draco in a drunkenly friendly manner, and putting his hand on the other boy's shoulder, "who is severely lacking any semblance of balls." Harry had said all this with a straight face, and then dissolved into a fit of maniacal laughter.

"While that was quite amusing, Mister Potter, I do believe we should attempt to get out of here on time for your detention encore," came the silkily sarcastic voice of Professor Snape.

"Whatever you say, Sevvy," was the inebriated reply. Well, not entirely inebriated, only half in-the-bag, but Harry had always wanted to sass Snape, and this was truly the best opportunity.

"Mister Potter, you are lucky that you are three sheets to the wind, as well as the fact that I have no idea what kind of effect this place will have on my magic, or I would do some truly unspeakable things. I have dealt with the incompetence of you and your classmates for six years, and this situation is grating on my last nerve. I am very, very close to using the Unforgivables on you so hard you'll be thrown to Uzbekistan and back by the sheer force of it."

"Hehe. You said 'Uzbekistan'."

Severus sighed. "This is going to be a long day. Come along, children. We need to find out where in the nine Hells we are."

"We're in Hell? Nooooo!" and then started rambling and gibbering about being dead and not repenting.

Hermione cut off Harry by magically silencing him.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said, "But you were getting awfully annoying."

"Thank you, Miss Granger, for doing what I have wanted to do for the past six years. Now that we know that there's no issue with magic, I will go find out what this place is. Touch. Nothing. I don't want to have to explain why one of you is dead when we return. It may ruin my tenure."

Once left alone, the students were buzzing with ideas, theories, and general bullshit about where they were.

"We're in space!"

"We're not in space, idiot. If we were, we'd be dead by now from lack of oxygen."

"I bet Snape set this up so he could sell our souls to You-Know-Who."

"Please. That's ludicrous. It's obvious we really are in Hell, seeing as we'll be stuck with you Gryffin-dorks for all eternity."

Malfoy snorted; though Harry, jarred back to sanity by his silencing, noticed it was dignified. Or as dignified as a snort can be, at least.

"Please, Nott, do you really think we'd be placed in Hell? Surely you don't think any of us Slytherins have earned eternal damnation? In fact, the only ones who really should be in Hell are the blood-traitors and the Mudbloods."

At that Harry gave a pleading look to Hermione, begging her with his eyes to free him so he could hex Malfoy to the real Hell, or at least retaliate with an insult of his own. After silently agreeing to Hermione's clause of sanity and no Unforgivables, she allowed him to speak again.

"Hm. I always thought that it was the bigots and the supporters of genocide that went to Hell, rather than the promoters of equality. Oh, well, if you're the type who goes to Heaven, I suppose I don't want to go there after all. Besides, I figure Hell will be more fun. Much better parties, I guess."

"Of course you'd think that, you Satan-worshipping Mudblood-fucker!"

"Satan-worshipper? Me? You do know that the Bible condemns ALL magic, right? As in, if Heaven and Hell do exist, you're going down with me? Not to mention I'm not the one who approves of killing people because of who their parents are rather than because of who they are. Though in your case, I might make an exception."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, your parents are as much assholes as you are, so why not use them as a reason to torture you before giving you the slow, painful death you deserve?"

"You're a disgrace to wizardkind."

"Oh, honestly. You need a new song and dance; these are old enough to make the Charleston seem brand new."

"The what?"

"Never mind...you're too thick to get it anyway, if you're anything like your thugs."

Draco could take insults about his family, as he wasn't that fond of them either, but insinuating that his intelligence is equivalent to Crabbe and Goyle's...that was crossing the line. He drew his wand and said, "Furnunculus!" thus began a wizarding duel which involved such ruthless tactics as deception (Draco gasped and stuttered, "A-a-a-a-a...a d-d-d-d-dem-dem-deme-DEMENTOR!!!!" in an immature and unsuccessful attempt to get Harry to look away) to nearly dropping their wands and fist-fight, at least once it became apparent that this duel was not to be quick, nor was it going to be painless. However, they kept the mayhem purely magical, and after what seemed like days, Draco had become tired and annoyed at Potter for being so damn unbeatable, and said the two most fearsome words in any wizard or witches' life --

"Avada Kedavra!"

Harry ducked out of the way, and the flash of green light hit a giant blob the same swirling grey as the rest of their surroundings. When the place, wherever it was, started to tremble as if they were experiencing an earthquake, it dawned on them all that this was something epic.

Draco's eyes became as wide as...well, Harry had never seen anything that wide; and he muttered, "Oh, sh--"

He never got to finish the sentence, because he, and everyone else they knew and loved, disappeared.

***

The "thing" Draco had killed was the Y-chromosome of one Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort. That means that Mister Riddle now became Miss Riddle.

But what does that have to do with the rest of them?

Well, you see, Voldemort's fate is tied to that of the wizarding world. If something major changes in his life, the world will change accordingly, so as not to throw off the needed balance.

In short, if something changes in Voldemort's life, it affects the past, present, and future of the wizarding world.

***

"It's a girl!"

"A girl?" thought Mrs. Riddle. "I had wanted to name it after the father. Hm. Well, I'll just feminize the name. But to what? What girl's name can you make from Tom? All I can think of is Tomya. I suppose that will do."

"Mrs. Riddle? What shall we name this beautiful little girl of yours?"

"Tomya. Tomya Mavola Riddle."

And with that, our story truly begins.