My first big bang contribution, I'm so proud! This was so much fun to write and I hope you all enjoy! Check out the fantastic art done by nephsech for this piece on their tumblr (nephsech dot tumblr dot com) or the tommary big bang tumblr! Seriously guys it's phenomenal!

Tom Riddle always knew he was different. Ever since he could remember he knew there was something separating him from the other children in the orphanage. Something inside him that made him different, made him do things.

They called him a demon child. A monster. A freak.

There had to be someone like him out there. People like him who could do things just by thinking them. People who could kill with just a look and a flash of green light. He couldn't be the only one. He just couldn't.

When Albus Dumbledore visited the orphanage, Tom felt underwhelmed. He was happy, yes, to learn about the Wizarding World and the others like him. Except they weren't like him. Not really. They didn't hear the whisper of trees and the earth. Didn't hear the burst of song that came from a death.

He was still a freak, still a monster, and Dumbledore made sure to remind him of that. No matter where he turned those blue eyes followed him, boring into his very soul. He'd managed to charm everyone else, how did Dumbledore stay immune?

"Speak to me, Greatest of the Hogwarts Four!" He would finally see it, Slytherin's monster, figuratively of course. He'd read that it might be a basilisk. A mighty snake that could kill with just a look. Just like him. He quickly closed his eyes, not wanting to fall prey to the basilisk's deadly gaze. He heard the sound of something grand sliding from the stone mouth. A large serpent that reeked of power and water.

"Who are you Speaker?" The hissing was so close he was sure the basilisk was right before him.

"I am Lord Voldemort. Though my birth name is Tom Riddle." He wasn't sure why he told the snake his birth name. There was no need. He was not Tom Riddle, not here.

"Lord Voldemort? How fitting." Her hissing laughter echoed through the chamber and Tom frowned. He got the distinct impression that she was laughing at him. "You may open your eyes, little Death. I will not harm you."

Tom shook his head. He was no fool. A basilisk could kill with just a look and he had no desire to be murdered.

"Your gaze-" The basilisk cut him off, weariness evident in her voice.

"Will not harm you. Our master would not permit it." Tom tensed at that, ignoring the excited whispers in the back of his mind.

"I have no master!" The basilisk laughed again, whole body shaking in mirth and suddenly Tom realized that his eyes were open. He was gazing upon the basilisk and he was not dead yet. Her eyes turned to him and Tom felt his breath hitch but nothing happened.

"But you do, little Death. And you will meet him when you least expect it."

"Master will be displeased." Tom glared at the snake next to him. She was staring down at the dead body before them, a Ravenclaw from her tie. He thought her name might be Myrtle?

He hadn't meant to kill her, honestly. He'd wanted to show the basilisk the Forbidden Forest, where she could hunt at her leisure and feel the power of the earth. She'd promised to show him how to truly unite himself with the elements as Salazar Slytherin had done and Tom couldn't hold in his excitement. He hadn't been paying attention, too excited to think straight, and Myrtle had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He'd looked at her when her sniffles startled him, eyes flashing momentarily red, and she'd collapsed.

He hadn't meant to hurt her.

Now he and the basilisk gazed at her still body and Tom felt something tight coil in his gut at the snake's words. He did not want his mysterious master to be mad at him. He hadn't meant to do anything wrong!

Tom huffed, silencing the part of him that called out for his master. He was Lord Voldemort. He had no master.

A horcrux. Immortality.

This was it. This was what he was meant for. He would make himself immortal and become the greatest wizard to ever live. The basilisk had laughed when he told her but she didn't understand. He wasn't immortal like her no matter what she said. She didn't understand humans.

This would make sure that no one stood in his path. Not Grindelwald, not Dumbledore, not even his master could stop him if he were immortal.

Voldemort paced his study, steps even and precise despite the storm that raged inside him. A prophecy. A damned prophecy!

He hadn't heard all of it, only what Snape had been able to overhear but that was enough.

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...

He would not be defeated. He would not let them destroy him. He would kill them first, when they were a baby and defenseless. Then his victory would be assured.

The air was singing around him. Lily Evans's song was such a sweet tune that Voldemort had to take a moment to appreciate it. When the song began to fade he looked over at the crib that held his adversary. Harry Potter. The prophecy child.

Tonight Harry Potter would die.

Voldemort peered into the crib, smug smirk etched onto his face. He was sure to win once he killed this infant.

The man paused and for a second the whole world seemed to melt away as the part of him he had suppressed for so long suddenly sprang to life.

"Master." He hadn't realized he'd spoken until emerald green eyes gazed up at him, unafraid. This couldn't be. It had to be a mistake. He was Lord Voldemort, he had no master.

Yet even as he thought the phrase he had repeated to himself for years he felt unsure.

There was such power in this boy, unlike anything he'd ever felt. It reminded him of the basilisk and death song and the screech the universe had given when he'd split his soul the first time. This was his master. The only one who could control him. The only one who could stop him.

With a shakinghand Voldemort raised his yew wand and pointed it at Harry Potter. When the curse backfired on him and bathed him in green light all he could think was that he hoped his master would forgive him.

I'm thinking of making this into a series with the lovely Pexie who is amazing in every way. Hopefully, that'll give me the chance to give the smaller story lines some focus without overwhelming the fic.

Thank you again for reading this, it means so much to me!