The trio sat worriedly around Hermione, staring at her in silence as Madam Pomfrey replaced the flowers with fresh ones. Y/N had fallen asleep, his head buried in his arms on the side of Hermione's pillows. He had been exhausted from their trip.

"What's that?" Ron questioned Harry rather loudly, waking Y/N up.

Y/N stirred awake to see Harry with a piece of parchment that had been scrunched up.

"Y/N, Ron. Hermione is more of a genius than I thought. Come on!" Harry exclaimed before running off.

Y/N yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before following. He lead the other two through the halls before slowing down and reading the page.

"Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land... none is more deadly than the basilisk. Capable of living for hundreds of years... instant death awaits any who meet this giant serpent's eyes." Harry read out.

"'Spiders flee before it.' This is it. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk. That's why I can hear it speak. It's a snake."

"But if it kills by looking people in eye, why is it no one's dead?" Ron questioned, making a silence fall between the three.

Y/N suddenly jerked up, rummaging through his enchanted pocket to find Hermione's mirror.

"It was indirect." Y/N exclaimed, looking through the mirror.

"Mrs. Norris must have seen it through the puddles. Collin had his camera, Hermione, her mirror."

"I bet you anything she was using it to look around corners in case it came along!" Harry added, finally catching on.

Harry lead them to a lantern, burning brightly to light up the page once more.

"'Spiders flee before it.' It all fits." Harry said.

"How's a basilisk been getting around?" Ron scrunched up his face.

Y/N swore Ron looked older and older, gaining many wrinkles from all the times he did that.

"A dirty, great snake. Someone would have seen it!"

"Granger's answered that too." Y/N mumbled upon seeing her handwriting on the corner of the page.

"Pipes? It's using the plumbing?!" Ron questioned looking around him.

"Remember what Aragog said about that girl 50 years ago?" Harry spoke up.

"She died in a bathroom? What if she never left?"

"Myrtle?" Y/N tilted his head.

"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once." McGonagall's voice rang out through the halls.

"All teachers to the second-floor corridor immediately."

The three instantly ran towards the corridor instead of their own dormitories, sneaking behind the pillars.

"A student has been taken by the monster into the Chamber itself." They overheard McGonagall.

"The students must be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts."

Y/N furrowed his eyebrows, this can't be the end. Hogwarts felt more like home than his empty manor did.

"So sorry. Dozed off. What have I missed?" Lockhart walked up to the rest of the professors.

"A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last." Snape told him.

"My moment?" Lockhart stuttered.

"Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" Snape called out his bluff.

Lockhart went silent, clearly he didn't.

"That's settled. We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy." McGonagall said after a moment of thinking.

"Your skills, after all, are legend."

"Very well." He grinned.

"Uh- I'll just be in my office getting... Getting ready."

He then walked off, looking rather smug.

"Who is it that the monster's taken, Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Ginny Weasley." She answered, sighing.

Ron's mouth instantly dropped at the news as the professor's left, revealing the note to the boys.

"Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever." Ron read out, his voice shaky.

"Ginny."

"Ginny? That little girl Harry and I met at the train station on our first year?" Y/N finally remembered who she was.

"We have to go." Harry pulled the other two behind him towards Lockhart's classroom.

"Lockhart may be useless, but he's going to try and get into the Chamber." He said as they ran.

"I highly doubt that coward is actually going to though-" Y/N shouted as they ran into the room to find Lockhart packing all his things.

"Are you going somewhere?" Harry spat at Lockhart who stood there like a deer in headlights.

"Well- yes. Urgent call. Unavoidable. Got to go." Lockhart stuttered before continuing to pack his belongings.

"What about my sister?!" Ron fumed.

"Well... As to that, most unfortunate. No one regrets more than I." Lockhart stammered, his voice in a bit of a panic.

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! You can't go now!" Ron argued, raising his voice.

"Well I must say, when I took the job, there was nothing in the description-"

"So you've finally shown your true colours?" Y/N cut Lockhart off, standing in front of the door and crossing his arms.

"After all that stuff you did in your books?" Harry added.

"You couldn't have possibly believed those books, could you, Harry?" Y/N raised an eyebrow, leaning into the door.

"He's a phony."

"My books wouldn't have sold as well if people didn't think I'd done those things!" Lockhart shouted at them as if it could defend his actions.

"Is there anything you can do?" Ron questioned Lockhart who stood in front of them with a scowl.

"Yes, now that you mention it. I'm rather gifted with Memory Charms. Otherwise you see, all those wizards that actually did all those things would have gone blabbing. I'd never have sold another book." Lockhart pulled out his wand and pointed it at the boys.

"In fact, I'm going to have to do the same to you."

Y/N instantly drew his wand, pointing it at Lockhart before he could do anything.

"Shall we see who's faster, Professor?" Y/N glared at him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Who's there?" Myrtle hissed as the group walked into the bathroom.

Y/N pointed his wand behind Lockhart, making sure he didn't have a chance of escaping.

"Oh. Hello, Harry." She blushed upon seeing him.

"What do you want?" 

"To ask you how you died." Harry ignored her odd flirting.

"Oh. It was dreadful." She cried.

"It happened right here in this very cubicle. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in."

"Who was it, Myrtle?" Harry questioned her.

"I don't know. I was distraught!" She snapped, her eyes filling with tears once more.

"But they said something funny, a kind of made-up language. And I realized it was a boy, so I unlocked the door to tell him to go away and... I died."

"Just like that? How?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

"I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes... over there by that sink." She pointed to one of the sinks before flying away.

Harry inspected the sink, touching in every place he could to see if something would happen. He twisted the knob but water didn't come out. He noticed a snake emblem on it, making him back up slightly.

"This is it. I think this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets." Harry said.

"Well, go on, Y/N. Open it." Ron shoved the boy slightly in front of him.

"I told you before, Ronald. I don't know how." Y/N grumbled, turning around to face Harry.

"Try telling it to open in Parseltongue."

Harry squinted at it, thinking very hard before speaking in Parseltongue. They heard a click before the top of the sinks lifted itself and then splitting up to reveal a giant hole. It was so deep they couldn't even see the bottom.

"Oh god, not again." Y/N groaned remembering their first year.

"Excellent, boys. Good work. Well, then, I'll just be-" Lockhart was cut off by Y/N pushing him into the hole.

They heard him scream all the way down before hearing a loud thud which must have been his landing.

"It's really quite filthy down here." Lockhart called out from below, signaling that it was safe.

"See you down there." Y/N said before jumping down.

The hole ended up being like a slide, moving at fast speeds. Y/N could hear Ron's screams from behind him, coming closer. He must have been moving faster due to being heavier than Y/N, must be because of all the food he eats. Y/N suddenly perked up, trying to move faster but to no avail. As soon as he landed into the Chambers, Ron fell on him.

"Ow! Ronald you really have to stop eating less!" Y/N pushed him off, dusting himself off while stretching.

"Sorry." Ron mumbled, aiming his wand at Lockhart once more.

"Now, remember: Any sign of movement, close your eyes straight away." Harry instructed before going through one of the tunnels.

"Come on." Y/N pushed his wand into Lockhart's back, making him follow behind Ron.

"This way." Harry made them follow through a cave.

"What's this?" Ron questioned the strange material on the floor.

"It looks like a snake." Lockhart inspected it.

"Snake shedding." Y/N replied, poking it slightly with his wand.

"Bloody hell! Whatever shed this must be 60 feet long. Or more." Ron gasped.

Lockhart collapsed, making Y/N jump back slightly so he wouldn't get squashed again.

"Heart of a lion, this one." Ron teased, bending down to inspect Lockhart.

Lockhart quickly shot back up, grabbing Ron's wand before pointing it at the boys.

"The adventure ends here, boys. But don't fret." Lockhart threatened, swapping his aim between the three boys.

"The world will know our story. How I was too late to save the girl. How you three tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body. So... you first, Mr. Malfoy. Say goodbye to your memories."

Y/N stared at the taped up wand before shrugging dramatically.

"Please don't, sir. Your powerful magic is too strong!" Y/N acted, forcing his eyes to water up.

"Obliviate!" Lockhart casted proudly and powerfully due to Y/N's cunning idea, making him fly back due to the power he put into the spell.

The impact Lockhart made with the wall made the caves crumble, splitting Y/N, Harry, Ron and Lockhart up. Y/N leaped out of the rubble due to him being in the middle, falling to the ground on Harry's side just as a large rock fell where he once stood.

"You alright?" Harry lend his hand to Y/N who gladly took it to stand up.

The two of them coughed at the dust the rocks had left before running towards where Ron was.

"Ron! Are you okay?!" Harry shouted through the rocks.

"I'm fine!" Ron shouted back.

"This situation feels oddly nostalgic." Y/N mumbled.

"Lockhart's Memory Charm backfire! He hasn't got a clue who he is!" Ron explained the situation to the other two boys.

Y/N and Harry peeked through a hole to see Ron knocking Lockhart out with a rock, making them wince slightly.

"What do I do now?!"

"Wait here and try and shift some of these rocks so we can get back through. Y/N and I will go on and find Ginny." Harry instructed, pulling Y/N behind him.

"Do we actually have a plan on what to do if we run across the Basilisk?" Y/N questioned the boy, pulling his wand out.

"We'll have to improvise." Harry muttered as they came across what seemed to be a vault door, decorated with snakes.

Harry stared at it before speaking in Parseltongue once more, making the snakes slither around, unlocking the locks before opening revealing the chambers. Harry walked in first, wand drawn with Y/N following closely behind. They climbed down a small rusty ladder and inspected the snake decorations that stood around a path. The path was surrounded by water that the decorations hovered over, leading to a giant statue of a face.

Y/N noticed the small girl on the ground, laying there motionless. The two boys instantly ran towards her.

"Ginny! Oh, Ginny, please don't be dead. Wake up, wake up." Harry stuttered, hovering over the small ginger girl.

Y/N pressed two fingers onto her neck, feeling her pulse.

"She's alive." Y/N spoke up, sighing of relief.

"She won't wake though." A voice said from the shadows, making the two boy's look over.

"Tom. Tom Riddle. What do you mean, she won't wake?" Harry identified the man who walked towards them.

Y/N noticed he had the air of a Slytherin, he walked proudly and spoke very formally, making him suspicious.

"She's still alive, like Y/N Malfoy said, but only just." Tom said, standing in front of the two boys kneeling on the ground.

"Are you a ghost?" Harry questioned.

"A memory... preserved in a diary for 50 years." Tom explained.

He had dark hair that was neat, he looked to be a 5th-6th year, wearing old Hogwart's robes that was not up to date. Y/N noticed the Slytherin prefect badge on his robes.

"She's cold as ice. Ginny, please don't be dead. Wake up." Harry held her hand as Y/N eyed Tom suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" Y/N questioned the man, pointing his wand at him as he picked up Harrys' wand.

"You've got to help us, Tom. There's a basilisk." Harry pleaded innocently.

"It won't come until it's called." Tom reassured.

"Give him his wand, Tom." Y/N helped Harry stand.

"You won't be needing it." Tom fiddled with Harry's wand, ignoring Y/N's drawn wand.

"Listen, we've got to go. We've got to save her!" Harry exclaimed looking towards Ginny.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Harry." Tom replied gently.

"You see, as poor Ginny grows weaker, I grow stronger. Yes, Harry it was Ginny Weasley who opened the Chamber of Secrets." He spat, glaring at the two boys.

"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 declared.

"But why?" Harry questioned.

"Because I told her to." Tom scoffed.

"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."

"...You're the heir." Y/N pieced together, refusing to lower his wand.

"You're very smart, Y/N. You'd make a great heir one day." Tom praised his intelect.

"Still, the power of the diary began to scare her. She tried to dispose of it in the girls' bathroom. And then who should find it but you?"

Tom Riddle began to circle the two boys.

"The very people I was most anxious to meet."

"And why did you want to meet us?" Harry glared at him.

"I knew I had to talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my capture of that brainless oaf Hagrid... to gain your trust." Tom spat, circling the boys once more.

"Hagrid's my friend!" Harry exclaimed, defending the friendly giant.

"And you framed him, didn't you?"

"It was my word against Hagrid's. Only Dumbledore seemed to think he was innocent." Tom glared back at Harry.

"I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was at school so I decided to leave behind a diary preserving my 16-year-old self in it's pages so that one day I would be able to lead another to finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."

"Well, you haven't finished it this time." Harry argued.

"In a few hours, the Mandrake Draught will be ready. And everyone who was Petrified will be alright again."

"Haven't I told you?" Tom spat.

"Killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore. For many months now, my new target has been you. The two twins with a twisted faith, one destined to follow the dark lord and the other to aid the Chosen One. And as for you, Harry. 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 with nothing but a scar... while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?!"

"Why do you care how I escaped? Voldemort was after your time!" Harry argued, backing up slightly.

"Voldemort is my past, present and future." Tom said before using Harry's wand to write magical words in the air.

He wrote his name, Tom Marvolo Riddle in the air before spinning them around to spell "I Am Lord Voldemort.".

"Was the 'I Am' really necessary?" Y/N tilted his head, mocking the memory of Tom.

Tom turned back to glare at Y/N, making the boy gulp.

"You're Voldemort..." Harry gasped.

"Surely you didn't think I was going to keep my filthy Muggle father's name?" Tom spat, his voice getting angrier and more evil by each word.

"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."

"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world!" Harry argued with him, shaking all of his fear off.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by a mere memory of me!" Tom insisited.

"He'll never be gone. Not as long as those who remain are loyal to him!" Harry shouted.

Y/N stayed out of the fight, instead choosing to back Harry up shall he ever need his help. Suddenly, two birds interrupted Harry and Tom's verbal fight, flying towards Y/N and Harry. It was Dumbledore's phoenix along with Y/N's phoenix.

"Fawkes?" Harry questioned the bird.

"Kai!" Y/N called out as the bird landed next to him.

Kai was too big to stay on Y/N's shoulder now. Fawkes dropped Harry the sorting hat before flying off once more. Harry quickly tried to search the hat but found nothing in it.

"So this is what Dumbledore sends his great defenders. Two songbirds and an old hat." Tom mocked.

"To be fair." Y/N spoke up, annoyed of Tom's arrogance.

"I am not Dumbledore's defender. I simply want to prove my worth."

Y/N did not want to be a hero like Harry or the others. He just wanted to be different from his brother. To prove to his father that he can be his own person and be successful.

"Then perhaps, you can join my army." Tom laughed at Y/N's ambition.

Y/N watched as Tom started speaking Parseltongue at the statue, making it's mouth open.

"Let's match the power of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin against the fated twin and the famous Harry Potter."

The mouth of the statue opened to reveal the basilisk. Y/N and Harry didn't wait before running across the path, trying to get a head-start from the basilisk.

"Parseltongue won't save you now, Potter. It only obeys me!" Tom shouted as the basilisk chased after them.

"Harry!" Y/N yelled as Harry slipped on the ground, falling over and dropping his glasses.

"Kai!" Y/N ordered, making Kai fly towards the basilisk, attacking it with his flames.

Y/N quickly picked up Harry's glasses for him, helping him put it on before running off once more.

"No!" Tom yelled as Fawkes arrived, helping Kai peck at the basilisk's eyes.

Y/N and Harry could only watch through the shadows.

"Your birds may have blinded the basilisk, but it can still hear you."

"This way!" Harry pulled Y/N, leading him towards an entrance in the many giant pipings.

The basilisk quickly took after them, following the sound of their footsteps. They quickly reached a dead end, covered by bars. Y/N shushed Harry as the basilisk arrived, sniffing at the air, getting close to the two who were backed up, trying to get down. Harry picked up a rock, throwing it another way, making the basilisk back up, following the noise.

The two boys couldn't share a word, afraid of getting caught. They moved through the random pipes, arriving back to Tom and Ginny. Harry dropped to his knees at Ginny's side while Y/N kept watch, aiming his wand at the many entrances the basilisk could arrive from.

"Yes, Potter. The process is nearly complete." Tom taunted.

"In a few minutes, Ginny Weasley will be dead, and I will cease to be a memory. Lord Voldemort will return... very much alive."

"Ginny?" Harry ignored Tom, grabbing Ginny's hands when the basilisk emerged from the water.

Y/N shot a few blue flames at the basilisk, leading it away from the wandless Harry.

"Over here, you smelly old snake!" Y/N yelled, running around the statues.

"Y/N!" Harry yelled, chasing after Y/N and the basilisk with a sword in his hand.

"If you can bind him down, I can finish him!"

"As if I'd know how to do that!" Y/N yelled, searching his brain for any spell that could help their situation.

Y/N quickly summoned his book, skimming through the pages as Harry distracted the snake, swinging mindlessly with the sword to defend himself.

"This will do."

Y/N held the book in one hand, drawing his wand with the other.

"Harry, let it come towards me!" Y/N yelled, letting Harry run towards Y/N with the basilisk behind him.

"I hope this works."

Y/N held the book in his hand, aiming his wand at the basilisk before closing his eyes. He had managed to memorize the incantation by reading it once. Y/N concentrated, feeling the energy from the book go into his wand. Electricity seemed to flow from the book into it, making sparks fly around him. Y/N opened his eyes, letting a small burst of lightning fly around him as Harry arrived in front of him.

"Caerula Vincula!" Y/N casted, causing the lightning to dart towards the basilisk, wrapping it as if it was a chain, holding it in place.

Y/N seemed to struggle, moving his wand around, controlling the lightning chains as the basilisk tried to wiggle through it.

"Harry, hurry! I can't hold it for long!" Y/N felt himself weaken upon using the spell for the first time.

Harry wasted no time in running towards the wiggling basilisk, putting the sword through it's mouth, destroying it's brain but the basilisk managed to bite him, leaving a fang with Harry.

Y/N could finally let go of his spell, panting at the energy he lost from it. Weakly, he ran towards Harry who now stood near Tom, limping from the bite.

"Harry!" Y/N yelled as the boy fell over, in front of Ginny.

Y/N ran beside him, inspecting the bite.

"Remarkable, isn't it... how quickly the venom of the basilisk penetrates the body?" Tom ridiculed, walking up to the boys.

"I'd guess you have little more than a minute to live. You'll be with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry. And I hope you will start listening to your father, Y/N."

Harry grabbed Ginny's cold hand, ignoring his own pains.

"Funny, the damage a silly little book can do... especially in the hands of a silly little girl." 

Y/N had an idea, he grabbed the basilisk fang from Harry's shaky hands before grabbing the book, opening it on the floor.

"What are you doing?!"

Y/N stared up at him before clenching the basilisk tooth, aiming at the book.

"Stop. No!"

Y/N stabbed it, making black ink burst out of it as Tom's form began to slowly vanish in a bright light. Y/N stabbed it over and over until Tom fully disappeared with a scream. Ginny instantly woke up, panting.

"Weasley." Y/N called out, ripping a part of his robes and wrapping it around Harry's wound to try and stop the blood.

"Y/N? Harry?" She whispered, getting up from the ground, sitting in front of the two boys.

"It was me. But I swear, I didn't mean to. Riddle made me, and..."

"It's alright, we know." Y/N comforted her, tightening his grip on Harry's wound.

"Ginny, you need to get yourself out." He instructed.

"Follow the Chamber and you'll find Ronald."

Kai appeared once more, landing in front of Harry, staring at him. Kai was much bigger than Fawkes, though Y/N didn't understand why, it must be a power difference.

"Kai, please help Harry." Y/N pleaded to his bird.

As if he understood, Kai rubbed at Harry's wound, removing their makeshift bandage before crying onto the wound. As soon as the tears dripped onto it, his wound healed instantly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Amazing! This is just like magic!" Lockhart exclaimed, being carried by Fawkes with the others hanging onto him.

Y/N flew with Kai, hugging onto him tight. Kai helped Harry due to Y/N's request but refused to carry any of them with him. His loyalty remained with Y/N and Y/N only.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"You three realized, of course, that in the past few hours, you have broken perhaps a dozen school rules." Dumbledore scolded the three boys.

The three boys were still dirty and their robes were all tattered, Y/N's being the most damaged.

"Yes, sir." They replied in sync.

"There is sufficient evidence to have you three expelled-" Dumbledore continued.

"Oh god, I'm doomed." Y/N mumbled, imagining the looks on his mother's face if he were to be expelled.

His father would be delighted for him to be expelled, he could finally send Y/N up to Durmstrang where he would be forced to be obedient. Their headmaster was not as forgiving as Dumbledore, Y/N would be shaped to be the perfect son he had wanted, like Draco.

"Therefore, it is only fitting that you three receive Special Awards for Services to the School." Dumbledore said, making the three boy's faces light up.

"Now, Mr. Weasley. If you would, have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban. I believe we want our gamekeeper back."

Harry and Y/N remained in their spots as Ron left.

"First, I want to thank you, Harry. You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you. Second, Y/N. I'm very proud of you, for carving your own path through the one-way street your father carved for you since the day you were born. If only your brother was as brave as you." Dumbledore commended the two.

"But I sense something is troubling the two of you."

"I couldn't help but notice certain similarities between Tom Riddle and me." Harry whispered.

"I see. Well, you can speak Parseltongue, Harry. Why?" Dumbledore asked him.

"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."

"Voldemort transferred some of his powers... to me?" Harry tilted his head.

"Not intentionally." Dumbledore shrugged.

"...but yes."

"So the Sorting Hat was right. I should be in Slytherin!" Harry exclaimed as Dumbledore took a seat back on his desk.

"It's true, Harry. You possess many of the qualities that Voldemort himself prizes." Dumbledore said.

"Determination, resourcefulness... and if I may say so, a certain disregard for the rules. Why, then, did the Sorting Hat place you in Gryffindor?"

"Because I asked it to." Harry replied, looking at the tattered hat.

"Exactly, Harry. Exactly." Dumbledore applauded.

"The same way Y/N had asked the hat to sort him into Slytherin though he possessed many traits that could place him in any of the other hats. That's what 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 at this." He handed Harry the sword that he used to kill the basilisk.

"It belonged to no other than Gordic Gryffindor himself. It would take a true Gryffindor to pull that out of the hat. And what seems to be troubling you, Y/N?"

"There's something that I thought of while speaking to Tom Riddle." Y/N began.

"I was put in Slytherin because I had wanted to. To make my mother proud. But I'm afraid of becoming just like my father. Like Draco."

"Well. Why, then, did you decide to become friends with Miss Granger?" Dumbledore questioned the boy.

"Because she was the only one to match my intellect. At first I hated her. I was annoyed by the mere thought of her but the more I spent time with her, the more I admired her. For a Muggle-born, she's strong and not like what my father had described at all. I feel that being with her made me want to become a better person." Y/N explained, turning red at all of his words.

"I see, you and Miss Granger must be very close." Dumbledore teased the boy.

"Do you fancy Miss Granger?"

"No! No!" Y/N denied, turning even redder.

"Of course not! She is simply my best friend!"

"I'm only joking." Dumbledore chuckled.

"By becoming friends with a Muggle-born that your family despises, you're already making a path for yourself, far from what your father wants you to become. Take pride in who you are and continue down that path and someday you should learn for yourself, that actions, though you think they may be small. Will hold the highest influences in your life."

Y/N nodded before they heard the door open and footsteps approached.

"Father? Dobby?" Y/N recognized the man who walked into the room.

"What happened to your robes?!" Lucius exclaimed, worried about his son's beat up appearance.

"Nevermind, I'll talk to you later." He said, patting Y/N on the shoulder and pushing Harry out of the way before walking towards Dumbledore.

"So it's true. You have returned."

"When the governors learned that Arthur Weasley's daughter was taken into the Chamber, they saw fit to summon me back." Dumbledore explained.

"Ridiculous!" Lucius cursed.

"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 suspected.

"How dare you!" Lucius exclaimed.

"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore leaned closer.

"My sole concern has always been and will always be... the welfare of this school... and, of course, it's students." He said, looking towards Harry and Y/N.

"The culprit has been identified, I presume?"

"Yes." Dumbledore confirmed.

"And?" Lucius pressed on.

"Who was it?"

"Voldemort." Dumbledore answered after thinking.

"Only this time, he chose to act through somebody else... by means of this." Dumbledore brought the book up to show Lucius.

Y/N saw his father's face seemingly turn into one of guilt, making him suspicious of him.

"I see." Lucius replied.

"Fortunately, our young Mr. Potter and your very own son, Y/N have discovered it." Dumbledore praised the two boys.

"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, let us hope... that Mr. Potter and my son will always be around to save the day..." Lucius spat, glaring at Harry.

"Come, Dobby. We're leaving." He kicked Dobby down the stairs before pushing him with his cane.

"Sir? I wonder if I could have that?" Harry pointed to the book.

Dumbledore agreed, giving the book to Harry before the two boys rushed out the door. Harry quickly took off his sock and hid it in the book.

"Are you sure it's alright if we set Dobby free, Y/N?" Harry asked him as he put his shoe back on.

"Yeah, my father treats him absolutely horribly, anyways." Y/N replied, taking the book from Harry before they ran out to follow him.

"Father!" Y/N yelled running towards him.

"Yes, dear boy." Lucius turned around, scowling when he saw Harry behind his son.

He knew Y/N would tell his wife should he scold Y/N for being friends with Harry. She believed that it was simply a phase and that Y/N would follow on with their beliefs as soon as he is old enough to, always taking Y/N's side over her husband's.

"Harry said this was yours." Y/N said, handing the book to him.

"Mine? I don't know what he's talking about." 

"I think you do, sir." Harry replied, catching up next to Y/N.

"I think you slipped the diary into Ginny Weasley's cauldron... that day at Diagon Alley."

"Is this true, father?" Y/N questioned him.

"This boy is delusional. He has no proof." Lucius defended himself, refusing to say anything in front of Harry, passing the book over to Dobby.

"Come, Dobby."

"Open it." Y/N whispered, making the small elf gasp at the sock.

"Master has given Dobby a sock." Dobby whispered, staring at it.

"What? I didn't give-" Lucius turned around.

"Y/N?!" 

"I didn't do it." Y/N shrugged, pointing to the book.

"Master has presented Dobby with clothes!" Dobby exclaimed.

"Dobby is free."

Lucius looked down at Harry foot to see his missing sock.

"You lost me my servant!" He exclaimed, pulling his wand out.

Y/N instantly drew his own wand, pointing it at his father.

"You dare draw your wand at your own father?!" Lucius exclaimed, walking towards Y/N.

Y/N held his ground, staring his father straight in the eyes.

"Father, you know I love you but harming my friends is something I cannot look past." Y/N glared at him.

"We have given you far too much freedom! Why couldn't you be more like Draco?! If only your mother hadn't let you do as you want!" Lucius yelled at him, clearly unable to attack his own son.

"Maybe mother really cared for me far more than you ever have! You've only ever cared about Draco!" Y/N shouted back.

"Let mother know that due to your actions now, I will not be going home this break!"

"Won't be going home-" Lucius was taken aback.

"Silly boy, there is nowhere for you to stay! Hogwarts doesn't allow students to stay during year breaks!" He scoffed, of course Y/N had to go home.

"See for yourself, I will not be there with Draco." Y/N glared at him, launching a spell at Lucius to send him backwards.

Lucius still couldn't bring himself to harm Y/N. He believed Y/N would still come home to them and he could scold him then. He instantly turned away and started walking, his mind filled with excuses on what he'd tell his wife if Y/N really didn't come home.

"Harry Potter and Master Y/N freed Dobby. How can Dobby ever repay them?" Dobby turned towards the two as Y/N pocketed his wand.

"Just promise me something." Harry spoke up.

"Anything, sir." Dobby smiled.

"Never try to save my life again."

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"Are you sure, Y/N? You're really not coming home?" Draco questioned his brother as they walked through the halls on their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Father has gone too far. I really won't come home." Y/N replied sternly, refusing to meet his brothers eyes.

"You didn't have to defend Potter. Just come home, talk to father." Draco pleaded.

"I won't." Y/N stood his ground, refusing to deal with his father.

"Where will you stay then?" Draco continued on.

"I've got plenty of money, I'll find a place." Y/N replied.

Draco sighed, knowing he couldn't convince his brother. They split off, Draco went towards the Slytherin table and Y/N went towards the Gryffindor table, presumably to ask Harry and Ron about any news of Hermione.

"Y/N!" He looked up to see the girl he was looking for.

"Granger?!" Y/N looked back, frozen in place as the girl smiled at him from the end of the hall, standing with Harry and Ron.

Y/N closed his mouth, his eyes got watery as he ran towards the bushy haired girl. Upon embracing the girl, he lifted her making her giggle as he spun her around.

"Miss me that much, Malfoy?" She teased, hiding her blush by burying her face into his chest.

"No! I was simply bored of Weasley's empty brain, there's no one else who can hold a proper conversation with me!" Y/N blurted yet his arms remained around her neck, holding her tight.

Their embrace was cut short by Harry and Ron clearing their throats. Hermione's blush faded quickly, getting used to Y/N's touch while Y/N didn't blush at all. He had a sort of cheeky look on his face.

"Thought you didn't like hugs?" Ron raised his eyebrow at the boy.

"There was a bug! Right there under Hermione I was simply saving her!" Y/N bluffed, trying to hide the big smile on his face.

"Y/N, are you really not going home this break?" Harry questioned the boy.

"Nope." Y/N shook his head.

"Harry told me all about it. You could stay with my family." Hermione suggested.

Y/N was taken aback. He had no idea how Muggle families lived, this was either a good opportunity or his worst nightmare. Hermione seemed to notice the look on Y/N's face.

"It'll be fine. My parents would allow it and besides, I can teach you about the Muggle world that your father had talked badly about."

"I'll be in your care then, Hermione." Y/N was ecstatic to see how wrong his father must have been.

"Could I have your attention, please?" McGonagall called out.

"Gotta go. Don't miss me too much, Granger." Y/N winked before walking towards the Slytherin table.

Before Y/N could get far, Hermione tried to kick him under the knee which Y/N easily dodged, poking a tongue at her and running off to his table, sitting next to his friends.

"Before we begin the feast... 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." Dumbledore praised, making the students cheer loudly.

"Also, in light of the recent events... as a school treat... all exams have been cancelled."

Everyone except Y/N and Hermione cheered. The two of them had been looking forward to the exams, Y/N had been proudly boasting to Hermione that he'd top her grades this time.

The doors opened to reveal Hagrid.

"Sorry I'm late." He muttered after his big entrance.

"The owl that delivered my release papers got all lost and confused."

Y/N chuckled, remembering the trouble Ron's owl gets into. Hagrid stopped to talk to the other three but Y/N couldn't hear. After a minute of speaking to them, Hagrid looked towards Y/N, shooting him a thumbs up which Y/N returned. The students began to crowd around Hagrid, applauding him.

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"Do you like Hermione?" Ron asked Y/N.

They were now on the Hogwarts express with Hermione asleep on Y/N's shoulder. Y/N studied her sleeping face and couldn't help but chuckle at her cuteness. Hermione had sent an owl to her parents previously and they had allowed Y/N to stay over for the holidays.

"No way." Y/N chuckled at Ron's question though deep inside, even he didn't believe his answer.

Y/N found himself drawn to Hermione. He wasn't sure if this meant that he had a crush on her or if he simply would love to be by her side as her friend due to the fun he has with her but even he had noticed how protective he had gotten for his self-proclaimed best friend.

Y/N noticed Harry and Ron had also dozed off, leaning on each other's heads, bumping into each other each time the train got bumpy making him chuckle. He turned his attention back to Hermione who slept so soundly on his shoulder. The two of them had gotten used to each other's touch by now, they really were close friends.

Y/N put his robes over her, using it as a make-shift blanket before tucking a strand of her hand behind her ear. He then pulled out a small box with a bracelet inside, carefully placing it around Hermione's hand which woke her up slightly.

"You sure you haven't fallen for me?" Hermione teased the boy at the sight of the bracelet, her voice was raspy due to just waking up.

"You wish." Y/N chuckled, turning his head towards the window.

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A/N: Another book over (I think this was the longest chapter with 6300+ words) and finally we get to book three which will get into Y/N and Hermione's relationship better! Thanks for staying until now!