After reuniting with Ron and Lockhart, who was still in a bad way, they were finally able to leave the Chamber behind them. They went first thing to Professor McGonagall's office, with poor Ginny still trembling and sniffing as she climbed up the steps.

When Harry opened McGonagall's door, they were met with a stunned silence and four pairs of eyes staring owlishly at them. Then, there was a scream of delight and Mrs. Weasley rose from her chair by the fireplace. "Ginny!"

She and Mr. Weasley squeezed their daughter in a bone-crushing hug. Not a moment later, (Y/N) found herself swept up between Harry and Ron in Mrs. Weasley's embrace.

"You saved her!" she cried. "You saved her! How did you do it?"

(Y/N) felt flustered, for she'd never been hugged so fiercely before. She wanted to hug Mrs. Weasley back, but with Harry and Ron pressed on either side of her arms, she couldn't move.

"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall, still pressing a hand to her chest. She looked as though she was trying to catch her breath. Beside her was Professor Dumbledore, looking no worse for wear after his excursion. (Y/N) was relieved to see him back.

Once Mrs. Weasley let them go, Harry explained everything from the beginning. The voices, the spiders, Hermione's notes. About Moaning Myrtle being the victim and guessing the Chamber entrance must've been in the bathroom. Even when he was done talking nearly half an hour later, McGonagall still had questions remaining.

"So you found out where the entrance was – breaking a hundred school rules to pieces along the way, I might add –" (Y/N) didn't see how that was relevant. "But how on earth did you get out of there alive?"

"Well," said Harry, voice hoarse from all the talking. "I owe it all to (Y/N) and Fawkes, really. They saved my life."

He began again, explaining how Fawkes arrived with the Sorting Hat and the sword, how he used the sword to kill the basilisk, and how (Y/N) destroyed the diary, killing Riddle and waking Ginny.

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled. "Am I correct in saying that diary is what Lord Voldemort used to enchant Ginny?"

"W-What's that?" Mr. Weasley sputtered. "You-Know-Who? En-Enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not – she hasn't been... Has she...?"

(Y/N) passed the diary to her headmaster. "It's here. He said he preserved his memory here when he was sixteen."

Dumbledore took it and observed it keenly. "Brilliant," he mused. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen. Very few people know Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school... traveled far and wide... sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"But what's our Ginny got to do with him?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

With her bright brown eyes welling with tears, Ginny wailed, "His diary! I-I've been writing in it and he's been writing back all year—"

"Ginny! Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you don't know where its brain is!" Mr. Weasley said. "Why didn't you show the diary to me or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic—"

"I d-didn't know!" cried Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it—"

"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away." Dumbledore cut in. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He opened the door. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," Dumbledore smiled. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice—I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

Ron's face brightened. "So Hermione's okay!"

"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," Dumbledore assured her.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ushered Ginny out of the room, still looking quite shaken.

"You know, Minerva," Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall. "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

"Right, I'll leave you to deal with Potter, Weasley, and (L/N), shall I?" With that said, Professor McGonagall gave the second years one final look -- (Y/N) could have sworn she looked relieved -- and then, she left the room.

When the door shut, (Y/N) couldn't help but feel the slightest bit anxious. Deal with them? Sure, she and her friends broke countless rules and made Lockhart lose his memory (really, it could be argued Lockhart did it to himself) but they had saved countless students as a result. Surely they wouldn't be punished...

"You all realize, of course, that in the past few hours, you have broken perhaps a dozen school rules?" Dumbledore questioned, peering over his half-moon glasses.

"Yes, sir," the second years said in unison.

"And there is sufficient evidence to have you each expelled."

"Yes, sir," they said dully.

"Therefore, it is only fitting that you each receive Special Awards for Services to the School and — let me see — yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

(Y/N) could not believe it. Just when she thought they were going to be expelled! She couldn't find the words, but Ron had no trouble.

"Thanks, sir!" he said, beaming.

Dumbledore smiled fondly. "And now, Mr. Weasley, if you would, have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban?" Dumbledore handed a letter to Ron. "I believe we want our gamekeeper back."

"Hagrid!" said (Y/N) as Ron took the letter. "He'll be released?"

"Certainly," Dumbledore nodded. "Now that we know this was Lord Voldemort's doing, it's our duty to clear his name, yes? Go on, Mr. Weasley."

And Ron left, still smiling to himself.

There was a moment's pause before Dumbledore spoke. (Y/N) suddenly felt incredibly nervous.

"First... I want to thank you both. You must've shown me real loyalty down in the chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you. And, second..." He gave them each appraising looks. "I sense that something is troubling you."

(Y/N) felt her blood run cold.

For the first time in her life, she began to have an inkling of understanding as to why her name was whispered behind hands in Knockturn Alley. When the Dark Lord himself knew (Y/N)'s name, going so far as to call her famous, her assumptions were confirmed that there was a grand secret about herself she did not know. Only then was she coming to realize how grim and dark the secret had to be. If she was famous to Voldemort – as eager to be known as Harry Potter – there must have been something evil about her.

She thought of what Ron said in their first year: that every Slytherin ended up going bad, and how her entire family before her had been in Slytherin. She thought of Firenze in the Forbidden Forest, and how he looked at her like she was dangerous. She thought of Harry standing beside her, and what he might think of her if she mentioned she thought something might be wrong to Dumbledore.

It didn't matter. Harry spoke before she could decide.

"It's just... You see, sir," he glanced at (Y/N) out of the corner of his eye. "I-I couldn't help but notice certain things – certain similarities between Tom Riddle and me."

(Y/N) blinked in surprise, understanding at once why he looked so nervous. He was worried what she'd think of him.

"Well, you can speak Parseltongue, Harry." Said Dumbledore. "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."

(Y/N) felt just as shocked as Harry looked. "Voldemort transferred some of his powers... to me?"

"Not intentionally, but yes."

"So the Sorting Hat was right! I should be in Slytherin."

(Y/N) could not believe what she was hearing. Harry, the bravest, most selfless boy she knew, in Slytherin? She tried to hide her surprise, for Harry's own nerves.

"It's true, Harry. You possess many of the qualities that Voldemort himself prizes." Dumbledore nodded. "Determination, resourcefulness, and if I may say so, a certain disregard for the rules." He smiled. "Why then did the Sorting Hat place you in Gryffindor?"

"Because I asked it to," Harry said.

"Exactly, Harry! Exactly! Which makes you different from Voldemort. It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices."

"But I asked to be in Slytherin." (Y/N) blurted. "And it sounded like it wanted to put me in it! So why did it put me in Gryffindor?"

"Ah," Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Curious, indeed. Perhaps there are other things at play."

(Y/N)'s eyes widened. "That's what the hat said! But—"

"Miss (L/N), this came to you." Dumbledore reached for the sword laid out across the desk. "If you want proof you belong in Gryffindor, then I suggest that you look more closely at this." He passed it along to her gently. "Be careful."

She looked the hilt of the sword. Just at the bottom, below the glistening rubies, was a name engraved in the silver.

"Godric Gryffindor," Harry read softly from over (Y/N)'s shoulder.

"Ah- it would take a true Gryffindor to pull that out of the hat."

"But, sir." Said (Y/N). "I didn't pull it out of the hat. Harry did. He was the one who was loyal to you, he was the brave one. I just..."

"Stood up to Voldemort!" Harry said at once, gazing at (Y/N) intently. "You were the one who destroyed his diary. You were the one to kill him!"

"Yes, but..." (Y/N) didn't have the courage to say she only acted once she was certain of her success. She didn't want Harry to know how she close was to giving up in that Chamber.

Dumbledore regarded (Y/N) with kind blue eyes. "What you did, Miss (L/N) takes bravery, incredible bravery. I know people much older than you who couldn't do what you did. Lest we forget, this is not the first time Hogwarts is indebted to you because of your courage." He smiled gently. "Don't doubt yourself, (Y/N). You're as true a Gryffindor as they come,"

She felt a great sense of relief spying the sincerity behind his half-moon glasses. Even Harry was beaming beside her, nodding along with Dumbledore. If they believed it, she could, too.

"Thanks," she said softly.

There was a loud bang as the office door slammed open. Everyone looked to see Lucius Malfoy storming into the room with an air of utmost importance. (Y/N) wished she could disappear and even briefly entertained the idea of hiding behind her headmaster, but the piercing stare of her godfather held her in her spot.

She rushed to apologize. "Father–"

"Quiet," he hissed. (Y/N) felt her eyes sting.

From behind Lucius, a tiny little thing with big green eyes poked out his head. His eyes fell on (Y/N) and a look of great relief crossed his pointed features.

"Dobby!" exclaimed Harry. "So this is your master! The family you serve is the Malfoys."

(Y/N) couldn't find her voice to ask how Harry knew Dobby, but she remembered him saying something about a house elf stealing his letters over the summer. If it was Dobby, she thought he might've at least given Harry her letters.

Lucius' cold eyes looked down at the house elf with evident disdain. "I'll deal with you later," he spat.

He swept forward briskly, nearly knocking Harry over, and pulled (Y/N) beside him with a harsh yank of her arm. "So it's true," said Lucius, glaring at Dumbledore down the bridge of his nose. "You have returned."

Dumbledore did not look threatened, nor impressed. He simply inclined his head and rather serenely explained, "When the governors learned that Arthur Weasley's daughter was taken into the Chamber, they saw fit to summon me back."

(Y/N) hadn't ever seen her godfather so furious. "Ridiculous!" he spat.

"Curiously, Lucius," Dumbledore went on. "Several of them were under the impression that you would curse their families, if they did not agree to suspend me in the first place."

(Y/N) looked at her godfather to see if it was true. His cold eyes met with hers for just short of a moment before he was mad all over again. "How dare you?" he demanded. "Filling my daughter's head with such nonsense."

"I beg your pardon?"

"My sole concern has always been, and always will be, the welfare of this school and, of course," he gave Harry an appraising look. What he found disappointed him. "It's students."

He took a moment to collect himself, then Lucius asked. "The culprit has been identified, I presume?"

"Oh, yes." Dumbledore nodded.

"And?" he said sharply. "Who is it?"

"Voldemort,"

The silence that followed was telling, but even more so was the way (Y/N)'s godfather tensed beside her. "Ah,"

"Only, this time, he chose to act through somebody else, by means of this." Dumbledore held up Tom Riddle's diary, with the large hole straight through the center. He studied Lucius intently.

"I see," was all he gave.

"Fortunately, your daughter, and her friend, Harry, discovered it," Dumbledore said. (Y/N) felt sick all over again. She tried to ignore Lucius' disapproving stare. "One hopes that no more of Lord Voldemort's old school things should find their way into innocent hands. The consequences for the one responsible would be severe."

"Well," Lucius said slowly, turning his gaze on Harry. "Let us hope that Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day."

"Don't worry," said Harry, bravely holding his gaze. "I will be."

And something about that made (Y/N) feel loads better.

But Lucius Malfoy was enraged. Trying to save face, he gave a curt goodbye to the headmaster – "Dumbledore," – and turned on his heel. "Come, Dobby. We're leaving. And (Y/N)," he stopped in the doorway. "I'd like a word with you outside."

She nodded stiffly, shared an apprehensive look with Harry, and then hurried out of the room.

The door had barely shut behind her when Lucius turned and started in on her. "What on earth were you thinking? Going into the Chamber – all to save that stupid little girl!"

"Ginny's not stupid," (Y/N) said without thinking. "She was tricked,"

He continued on as though she hadn't said a word. "This is why I told you to keep away from Potter – the Weasley boy – they bring nothing but trouble and one day you're going to get yourself killed!" He kept his voice low, but even still, venom punctuated every syllable. "What then? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

(Y/N) tried to apologize again, but he cut her off just as she started to speak.

"Your mother was set to tears when she received the owl. She was certain you'd die in that Chamber and imagine my horror when I realized it'd be my—" He stopped himself, still looking furious. He couldn't think of anything to say.

(Y/N) felt stunned. "You were worried?" she asked.

He stared harshly at her before answering. "Of course we were worried. Why else would I have come all this way?"

"To see Dumbledore," (Y/N) answered softly.

It was a subtle difference, but she could see the shock in his silver stare. "No," he said. The harshness in his voice had gone away. It was rare for him to address her so softly, but it reminded her of when she was young. "We thought we'd never see you again." He regarded (Y/N) for a long moment. "Don't you know we care about you?"

She wasn't sure how to answer.

"I just..." (Y/N)'d always known that they cared about her some, otherwise, they wouldn't have taken her in or kept her around. But, she never imagined they'd care enough to cry over her safety, or to make the journey all the way to Hogwarts to see if she was alright. Draco, perhaps, but never her.

She decided to take the easiest way out, even if it meant lying. "Yeah," she nodded. "I know."

Lucius regarded her for a moment, looking like he wanted to say more. However, before he could, Harry came hurrying out of McGonagall's office, holding out the destroyed diary.

"I have something of yours," he said boldly. Harry offered the diary to Lucius.

He stared disapprovingly at the boy. "Mine? I don't know what you're talking about."

(Y/N) knew her godfather's tone well, best off all, when he was lying. She felt an awful twist in her stomach; he had given Ginny the diary. But maybe he hadn't known how dangerous the diary was! (Y/N) told herself. Maybe it was just supposed to be a trick, and while cruel, it was far better than the alternative.

"Oh, I think you do, sir," Harry continued. "I think you slipped the diary into Ginny Weasley's cauldron that day in Diagon Alley."

(Y/N) found her voice, although small and lacking nerve. "Harry, please,"

She could feel him looking at her, and from the corner of her eye saw the surprise cross his expression.

"Not to worry, (Y/N)," said Lucius, smile evident in his voice. He ripped the diary from Harry's hands and thrust the book at Dobby. "Potter has no proof – only his assumptions based on poor judgement."

She wanted to say something – anything to defend Harry, but her godfather's cold eyes fell on her and she knew better than to speak. She dropped her gaze to her dirty shoes, feeling like crying.

"Now, I must be going. Your mother will be relieved to know you're alright." With one last meaningful look at (Y/N), Lucius turned and began to walk down the hall. "Come, Dobby,"

But Dobby hesitated. Seeing this, Harry gave an encouraging nod and motioned toward the diary clutched in his hands.

He opened it up and his eyes widened in delight. Dobby gave a gentle gasp as his little fingers reached for the small black cloth tucked between the pages.

"Master has given Dobby a sock!" he exclaimed brightly.

(Y/N) felt her little heart stop. Her eyes fell on her godfather just as he turned. "What?" he looked appalled. "I didn't give–"

"Master has presented Dobby with clothes! Dobby is free!" He raised the sock proudly.

But there was hardly time to celebrate, for once again, Lucius was outrage. He reached for his wand, eyes vicious with murder. "You've lost me my servant!"

(Y/N) moved, without thinking, in front of Harry, and Lucius seemed to only grow more upset. He did not lower his wand.

"You shall not harm (Y/N) or Harry Potter!" Dobby said firmly, standing as tall as he could.

That was the last straw. He readied his wand and began to say what sounded like a nasty curse. Before he could finish, however, Lucius was thrown backward, all the way to the end off the hall.

(Y/N) watched, still scared, as Lucius quickly got to his feet, smoothing out his robes and looking beyond furious. His cold eyes looked past Dobby, past (Y/N), at Harry. "Your parents were meddlesome fools, too," he spat. "Mark my words, Potter. One day soon, you're going to meet the same sticky end."

He looked at (Y/N) next, and he looked like he wanted to start in on her, but thought better of it at the last second. Then, Lucius Malfoy turned on his heel and stormed off, robes billowing behind him like black smoke.