As the door slowly closes behind them, Harry and (Y/N) climb down the ladder and walk down the corridor. Looking ahead, they see Ginny lying motionless at the end of the Chamber. "Ginny!" (Y/N) said as they run to her, drop their wands and get on their knees. "Oh Ginny. No, Ginny. Please don't be dead. Wake up. Wake up! Please wake up." (Y/N) begged. Suddenly, Tom Riddle walks out of a nearby doorway. "She won't wake." (Y/N) recognizes his voice and turns toward him. Riddle walks to her. "Tom? Tom Riddle?" She asked. "Yes. And you're (Y/N) (L/N). I must say, you're even prettier in person." He smirked, causing (Y/N) to blush slightly at the comment and Harry to glare at him a little. "What do you mean she won't wake? She's not...?" Harry asked, avoiding the last topic. "She's still alive, but only just." Tom said. "Are you a ghost?" (Y/N) asked. "A memory, preserved in a diary for fifty years." Tom said. (Y/N) reaches out and touches Ginny. "She's as cold as ice. Ginny, please don't be dead. Wake up." While they're not looking, Riddle bends down and picks up their wands from where they left them. "You've got to help us, Tom. There's a Basilisk." Harry said. "It won't come until it's called." Harry and (Y/N) look up to see Riddle holding their wands and stand up. "Give us our wands, Tom." Harry said. "You won't be needing them." He said.
"Listen, we've got to go. We've got to save her!" (Y/N) shouted. "I'm afraid I can't do that, (Y/N). You see, as poor Ginny grows weaker, I grow stronger." Harry and (Y/N) look at him, confused. "Yes, you two. It was Ginny Weasley who opened the Chamber of Secrets." Tom said. "No. She couldn't. She wouldn't." Harry denied. "It was Ginny who set the Basilisk on the Mudbloods and Filch's cat, Ginny who wrote the threatening messages on the walls." Tom continued. "But why?" (Y/N) asked. "Because I told her to. You'll find I can be very persuasive. Not that she knew what she was doing. She was, shall we say, in a kind of trance. Still, the power of the diary began to scare her. And she tried to dispose of it in the girls' bathroom. And then, who should find it but you two? The very people I was most anxious to meet." Tom said. "And why did you want to meet us?" Harry asked. "I knew I had to talk to you both, meet you two if I could. So I decided to show you my capture of that brainless oaf Hagrid to gain your trust." Tom said. "Hagrid's our friend! And you framed him, didn't you?" (Y/N) asked. "It was my word against Hagrid's. Only Dumbledore seemed to think he was innocent." Tom said. Harry smirks at him. "I'll bet Dumbledore saw right through you." He said.
"He certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after that." Tom walks around (Y/N) and Harry as he speaks. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school, so I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, I would be able to lead another, to finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work." Tom said. "Well, you haven't finished it this time. In a few hours, the Mandrake draught will be ready. And everyone who was Petrified will be all right again." (Y/N) said. Tom smiles maliciously. "Haven't I told you? Killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore. For many months now, my new target has been you two." Tom said. Harry and (Y/N) look at him in surprise. "(Y/N) (L/N), the most powerful wizard in the world, the only one left of her kind. Her power is even greater than mine and Dumbledore's alone. But together, we could be the greatest wizards in the world. Everyone would fear us. We would be in control of the entire wizarding world. With (Y/N) by my side we'd be unstoppable. And as for you, how is it that a baby with no extraordinary magical talent was able to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape," he pushes Harry's hair aside with his wand to see his scar. "With nothing but a scar while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" Tom asked.
"Why do you care how I escaped? Voldemort was after your time." Harry said. But (Y/N) suddenly came to a realization. "Uh... Harry?" She asked. Harry turns to her. "What?" He asked. Tom smirked at her. "You figured it out, haven't you, (Y/N)?" He turns toward the statue and uses Harry's wand to write his full name in flaming letters; after writing the "E", he flicks the wand, and the letters rearrange themselves to say "I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. "You. You're the Heir of Slytherin. [Riddle stares evilly at Harry] You're Voldemort." Harry said. "Surely, you didn't think I was going to keep my filthy Muggle father's name? No. I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak when I became the greatest sorcerer in the world!" Tom said. "Albus Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world!" (Y/N) shouted. "Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" Tom shouted. "He'll never be gone! Not as long as those who remain are loyal to him!" Harry and Riddle glare at each other; a musical sound is heard nearby; (Y/N), Harry and Riddle look down the corridor to see Fawkes flying towards them, carrying something. "Fawkes?" (Y/N) asked. Fawkes drops a bundled-up object into Harry's hands as he flies over and around them, then back down the corridor; (Y/N) and Harry unroll the object, which turns out to be the Sorting Hat. "So this is what Dumbledore sends his great defenders: A songbird and an old hat." Tom backs away from them as he continues examining the Sorting Hat, then walks toward the Slytherin statue and extends his left hand. "Shearhas- Samnathas- Sélithaeine."
The two turn to face the statue of Salazar Slytherin as a rumbling begins; Tom turns around to face him as the statue's mouth starts to open. "Let's match the power of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against the famous Harry Potter and (Y/N) and (L/N)." Tom said. Harry gulps and they turn toward the statue again as they hear an ominous snarling that appears to be coming from inside the statue and hyperventilates; Tom turns to face the statue's mouth as the Basilisk shrieks "Hungry!" from within the statue. The stone slab concealing the statue's mouth stops descending; a split second afterwards, the Basilisk emerges from the darkness and starts to come into the light, growling menacingly. Harry throws the Sorting Hat onto the floor in front of Ginny and the two race back towards the door to the Chamber as the Basilisk's head comes out of the statue's mouth and its snake-like body lowers into the surrounding water; Tom, immune to the Basilisk's lethal gaze, watches the creature. "Sethae- He- This!" Tom turns his attention to the fleeing Harry and (Y/N) as the Basilisk's body curves to its right behind it. "Parseltongue won't save you two now." The Basilisk's tail drops into the water behind them. "It only obeys me!" The Basilisk slithers after them with a ferocious growl. Harry and (Y/N) race down the corridor as fast as they can while the Basilisk is in hot pursuit; unfortunately, (Y/N) loses her footing on the slippery floor and trips, allowing the Basilisk to catch up with them. "(Y/N)!" Harry drops down beside her. "Are you okay?" He asked, before realizing the Basilisk is right above them and covers his head with his hands. Just as the Basilisk is about to attack them, Fawkes emits his cry, getting their attention. Fawkes swoops down, going directly for the Basilisk, and attacks the colossal snake, pecking at it, with them observing their fight by watching their shadows on the wall.
"No! Your bird may have blinded the Basilisk, but it can still hear you." Tom said. Harry and (Y/N) turn around to see that the Basilisk's yellow eyes are bloody. The Basilisk thrashes around furiously as Fawkes flies off; Harry helps (Y/N) get to her feet, and steps backwards, stepping into something slimy, causing a splattering sound; Harry looks down to see what he stepped in. At the same time, the Basilisk stops thrashing about and blindly glares at the two, who look up again and make a run for a passageway to their right. The Basilisk lunges at them, nearly getting them. Harry and (Y/N), breathing heavily, ru as fast as they can, into a tunnel just to their left as the Basilisk lunges at them again, smashing through a stalactite. The duo run through the tunnel, looking back to see if the Basilisk is still behind them; they turn left into an alcove, only to find their path blocked by a grate. Harry struggles to move it, but turns around upon hearing the Basilisk coming into the tunnel. They step back against the grate, as the Basilisk comes to their position. The Basilisk hisses at them and approaches them with its mouth open. (Y/N) trembles, and hugs Harry in fear, who hugs her back. Harry then picks up a rock at his feet and throws it; the sound of the rock distracts the Basilisk, who slithers off into another passageway. Harry and (Y/N) race back into the Chamber where Tom and Ginny are. "Yes, (L/N). The process is nearly complete." (Y/N) puts her hand on Ginny's hand again. "In a few minutes, Ginny Weasley will be dead, and I will cease to be a memory." (Y/N) looks up at him. "Lord Voldemort will return... very... much... alive. (Y/N) glances at Ginny again. "Ginny..." she said. The Basilisk bursts out of the water surrounding the Slytherin statue and thrashes about; Harry and (Y/N) turn toward the Sorting Hat, where two swords magically appear. Harry and (Y/N) without hesitation, grab the swords and hold it up defensively as the Basilisk slithers toward them. The two race for the statue and begin to climb it; the Basilisk blindly follows their movements, using its tongue to track their location and lifts its body off the floor. The Basilisk uses its tongue again to find their current position directly in front of it; Harry swings the sword at the Basilisk; it lunges directly at him, he dodges, and it smashes right into the statue. Harry and (Y/N) climb higher as the Basilisk lunges at them again, missing again; Harry and (Y/N) climb onto the top of the statue's head, the Basilisk lunges at them repeatedly as Harry swings the sword wildly at the creature. Eventually, the Basilisk sends them rolling down the side of the statue, causing him to lose the swords.
(Y/N) hurries to retrieve her sword; the Basilisk lunges right at Harry once more. (Y/N) stops the sword just in time, and rams it right through the Basilisk's upper jaw. The Basilisk bellows in pain until (Y/N) pulls the sword out. She screams in pain as one of the Basilisk's venomous fangs just fell into his arm; "(Y/N)!" Harry shouted. She pulls the fang out, unfortunately, the venom is already in her bloodstream. Harry quickly rushes to her. The Basilisk thrashes around, roaring and bellowing in pain, collapsing under its weight, and falls backwards to the floor, dead, splashing water everywhere; Tom stares at the Basilisk's corpse in disbelief. Harry carries (Y/N) past the Basilisk's corpse, and, dropping her and falling to his knees, (Y/N) crawls towards Ginny once more as Tom walks toward them. "isn't it? How quickly the venom of the Basilisk penetrates the body. I guess you have little more than a minute to live. You'll be with your dear parents soon, (Y/N)." Tom said. (Y/N) extends her left hand to Ginny's again. "Funny... the damage a silly little book can do... especially in the hands of a silly little girl." Harry looks to the diary in Ginny's arm and carefully pulls it out, placing it on the floor between her and the Basilisk fang. "What are you doing?" Harry picks up the Basilisk fang and holds it up while staring at Tom, who immediately realizes what Harry is about to do.
"Stop. No!" Harry stabs one of the diary's pages with the fang as Tom steps forward to try and stop him; Riddle's body crumbles and gives a discharge of yellow light; ink starts to ooze from the diary, Tom recoils and growls with rage; Harry pries the fang out. Tom attempts to attack, but Harry stabs the other page, crippling Tom, and causing him to crumble further; Harry closes the diary and stabs the cover with the Basilisk fang; Tom screams in agony and disintegrates into yellow particles; shortly after Tom's demise, Ginny awakens, hyperventilating, and sits up. "Ginny!" (Y/N) quickly hugs her. "(Y/N), it was me. But, I swear, I didn't mean to... Riddle made me. And..." she notices (Y/N)'s injury. "(Y/N)... you're hurt." She said. (Y/N) quickly covers her injury. "Don't worry. Ginny, you need to get yourself out. Follow the Chamber, and you'll find Ron." She said. Fawkes emits his song again; (Y/N), Harry and Ginny look down the corridor to see him flying towards them; he swoops around the Basilisk's body, and lands in between them, then steps over to (Y/N). "You were brilliant, Fawkes. I just wasn't quick enough." (Y/N) said. Fawkes emits a soft grunt, then lowers his head to her wound, and cries on it; the wound miraculously disappears; Ginny stares in amazement. "Of course!" She lifts her healed arm. "Phoenix tears have healing powers." She said. Fawkes grunts affirmatively as (Y/N) glances at him. "Thanks." She looks at Ginny. "It's all right, Ginny. It's over. It's just a memory." She smiles. Fawkes then flies Lockhart, (Y/N), Ron, Harry, and Ginny out of the Chamber of Secrets. "Amazing! This is just like magic!" Lockhart said, causing (Y/N) to laugh. Fawkes carries the five of them up towards the opening of a cave as the moon can be seen above them.
(Y/N), Harry and Ron stand before Professor Dumbledore in his office, with Fawkes on his perch, and the swords and Sorting Hat resting on the desk. "You three realize, of course, that in the past few hours, you have broken, perhaps, a dozen school rules." Dumbledore said. "Yes, sir." (Y/N), Harry and Ron said. "And there is sufficient evidence to have you three expelled." He added. "Yes, sir." The trio said again. "Therefore, it is only fitting..." (Y/N), Harry and Ron look up. "That you three receive special awards for services to the school." (Y/N), Harry and Ron look at each other with smiles, then back at Dumbledore again. "Thanks, sir." Ron said. Professor Dumbledore smiles at the three, then stands up while handing some papers to Ron. "And now, Mr. Weasley, if you would, have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban. I believe we... we want our gamekeeper back." He turns to Harry and (Y/N) as Ron leaves the room. "Harry... (Y/N), first, I want to thank you two. You must've shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could've called Fawkes to you. And, second... I sense something is troubling you. Am I right, Harry?" He asked. (Y/N) turned and looked at him. "You see, sir. I couldn't help but notice certain things... certain... certain similarities between... Tom Riddle and me." Harry said. "I see. Well, you can speak Parseltongue, Harry. Why? Because, Lord Voldemort can speak Parseltongue. If I'm not mistaken, Harry, he transferred some of his powers to you the night he gave you that scar." Dumbledore said. "Voldemort transferred some of his powers... to Harry?" (Y/N) asked. "Uh-huh. Not intentionally. But yes." Dumbledore said. "So, the Sorting Hat was right; I should be in Slytherin." Harry said.
"It's true, Harry. You possess many of the qualities that Voldemort himself prizes: Determination, resourcefulness, and if I may so, a certain disregard for the rules. Why then, did the Sorting Hat place you in Gryffindor?" Dumbledore asked. Harry glances at the Sorting Hat. "Because I asked it to." He answered. "Exactly, Harry, exactly. Which makes you different from Voldemort. It is not our abilities that show what we truly are, it is our choices. If you want proof why you belong in Gryffindor, then I suggest you look more closely," he picks up the sword "at this." Harry takes the sword by the blade with his left hand, and its hilt with his right. "Be careful." Harry and (Y/N) examine the sword and see the name "Godric Gryffindor" on the Basilisk venom-coated blade. "Godric Gryffindor." (Y/N) said. "Ah. It would take a true Gryffindor to pull that out of the hat." Dumbledore said. (Y/N) smiles at him. The door to the office opens, Dumbledore glances past the two, who turn around; Lucius Malfoy steps in to the office, standing behind him is Dobby. "Dobby! So this is your master. The family you serve is the Malfoys." Harry said. "Oh! Is he the house elf you told me about?" (Y/N) asked curiously. Harry nods. Dobby fearfully glances up at Lucius. "I'll deal with you later." Dobby cowers and whimpers; Lucius pulls out his walking stick and walks toward Dumbledore's desk, followed by Dobby; as he walks up the steps, he coldly uses the stick to push Harry aside and (Y/N) quickly steps back. "Out of my way, Potter. So... it's true. You have returned." Lucius said. "When the governors learned that Arthur Weasley's daughter was taken into the Chamber, they saw fit to summon me back." Dumbledore said. "Ridiculous!" Lucius said angrily.
"Curiously, Lucius, several of them were under the impression that you would curse their family if they did not agree to suspend me in the first place." Dumbledore said. "How dare you!" Lucius shouted. "Beg your pardon?" Dumbledore asked. "My sole concern has always been and will always be the welfare of this school and of course its students." He glances at (Y/N) for a moment, before turning to Dumbledore. "The culprit has been identified, I presume?" "Oh, yes." "And? Who was it?" Dumbledore looked at (Y/N) for a moment. "Voldemort." Mr. Malfoy nodded. "Ah." "Only this time he chose to act through somebody else by means of this." He lifted the diary. "I see." Dobby tugged (Y/N)'s shirt and whimpered. "Fortunately, our young Mr. Potter and Ms. (L/N) discovered it. One hopes that no more of Voldemort's old school things should find their way into innocent hands. The consequences for the one responsible will be severe." Dumbledore said. "Well, let us hope that Mr. Potter and Ms. (L/N) will always be around to save the day." He glares at the two, but more at Harry. "Don't worry. We will be." Harry said. Mr. Malfoy nodded at Dumbledore. "Dumbledore." He then turned around. "Come, Dobby. We're leaving." He then kicked Dobby and hit him with his cane when he got up. (Y/N) felt pity for the elf, and turns to Dumbledore. "Sir? I was wondering if I could have that." She said.
"Mr. Malfoy!" (Y/N) called, as she ran after him. Mr. Malfoy turns around. "Ah, Ms. (L/N). What is it?" He asked. "I have something of yours." She hands him the diary. He scoffed. "Mine? I don't know what you're talking about." "Oh I think you do sir, I think you slipped the diary into Ginny Weasley's cauldron that day at Diagon Alley." "You do, do you?" He handed the diary to Dobby and leaned over her. "Why don't you prove it?" He scoffed again. "Come, Dobby." The girl looks down at the elf. "Open it." She said softly. Dobby opens it and his eyes widened. "Dobby!" Mr. Malfoy yelled. "Master has given Dobby a sock!" Dobby said happily. Mr. Malfoy quickly turns around. "What? I didn't give-" "Master has presented Dobby with clothes! Dobby is free!" Mr. Malfoy looked at (Y/N) who pulled her robes aside to show him she was missing a sock and he glares at her. "You've lost me my servant!" He yelled and pulled out his wand and began walking towards her. Dobby stepped in front of her. "You shall not harm (Y/N) (L/N)!" He exclaimed, holding a hand out. Mr. Malfoy hissed. Dobby then released some magic which sent Mr. Malfoy backwards. Dobby crossed his arms and scoffed. Mr. Malfoy stood up and put his wand back. "Mark my words, you'll pay for this, (L/N)." Mr. Malfoy walks away.
Time Skip
(Y/N) and the boys were in the Great Hall, getting ready for the End of Term feast. "(Y/N)! It's Hermione!" Neville shouted as he nods at the door. (Y/N) and the boys look over at the door and sure enough, there stood Hermione, alive and well. (Y/N) and the boys smile as the three stood up and Hermione runs towards them. She runs and hugs Harry then hugs Ron. She goes to hug (Y/N) but they stop. (Y/N) stutters then holds out her hand towards her. She takes it and shakes her hand. "Welcome back, Hermione." She said. "It's good to be back." She smiles. "Congratulations! I can't believe you solved it." "Well we had loads of help from you. We couldn't have done it without you." Harry said. "Thanks." Hermione said. Then they hear the clinking of a glass. "Can I have your attention, please?" They take their seats as Dumbledore stands. "Before we begin, let us have a round of applause for Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey, whose Mandrake juice has been so successfully administered to all who had been petrified." said Dumbledore and there was a round of applause as Sprout and Pomfrey smile. "Also, in light of the recent events as a school treat all exams have been canceled." He said and there was a big round of applause and cheering. Just then the doors to the hall opens and there stood the towering image of Hagrid. "Sorry I'm late." He said once the applause died down. He begins to walk along the hall and said. "The owl that delivered my letter got all lost and confused. Some ruddy bird called Errol." Ron whinced and looks down for a second before he looks over at Dumbledore. (Y/N) chuckles as Hagrid walks in front of the quartet. "I'd just like to say that if it hadn't been for you, (Y/N), Harry and Ron and Hermione, of course....I....uh.....I would still be you-know-where...so I'd just like to say thanks." Hagrid said. "There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid." (Y/N) said. Hagrid shurgs and (Y/N) hugs him. Hagrid pats her shoulder as Dumbledore stand up and begin to clap. Hagrid looks over at him then (Y/N) backs away from the hug and begins to clap. Harry stands up and clap as well and Ron and Hermione follow suit. Soon everybody begins to applaud Hagrid and then they begin to cheer and whistle.