I do not own Harry Potter. Italics are direct quotes from the book.


For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's case) blood. Then there was a scream. "Ginny!" It was Mrs. Weasley, and she and Mr. Weasley flung themselves on their daughter.

Lily was right behind them, throwing her arms around her son. James half sank, half collapsed into a chair near the fire.

After a short minute, Lily pulled back, keeping her hands on Harry's shoulders and looking him up and down. "Is all this blood yours?" she demanded, almost angrily.

"Some of it," said Harry, and Lily paled. James got to his feet. "But I'm fine," Harry added, hastily.

"Glad to hear it," said James, sounding a little choked and giving him a hug. "What happened?" he said, pulling back.

Before he could answer, Mrs. Weasley was hugging him and Ron. "You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall, from where she was standing next to Professor Dumbledore.

Harry went over to the desk and laid the sorting hat, the sword, and Riddle's diary on it. Then he talked, telling them everything. James and Lily knew a lot, but there were some things Harry had left out of his letters, and of course, they knew nothing of discovery what the monster was, or the entrance to the chamber, or any of what happened there.

He explained that Voldemort had enchanted Ginny through the diary, and Dumbledore said that there would be no punishment. He sent Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to take Ginny to the hospital wing, Professor McGonagall to alert the kitchens for a school feast, and Ron to take Lockhart to the hospital wing as well. This left the Potter's alone with the headmaster.

"Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry sat, his parents on either side of him.

"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you." He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. "And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you… " Lily and James exchanged a glance over Harry's head that he did not notice.

"Professor Dumbledore... Riddle said I'm like him. Strange Likenesses, he said..."

"Don't listen to him, Harry!" James insisted, making as if to rise from his chair before thinking better of it.

"You are nothing like him," Lily agreed, vehemently.

"What do you think, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't think I'm like him," Harry said. "But," he hesitated. He had never told anyone what the sorting hat had said. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd – I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while... because I can speak Parseltongue..."

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "Because Lord Voldemort, who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin, can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure."

"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunder-struck.

(the whole conversation about choices and Gryffindor is the same as in the book up until…)

"We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"

"Don't worry, professor," said James as he got to his feet. "I've got a recommendation for that position."

Just then the door burst open and Lucius Malfoy entered, trailed by Dobby. (which follows just like in the book)


Author's note: I realize this chapter is a little disjointed and mostly just rehashing what happened in the book. I'm pretty swamped at the moment, so I didn't have the time to update it. I do promise that this won't happen again.

Thank you to everyone still reading this fanfiction! After Thanksgiving, we'll start Prisoner of Azkaban, which I am really excited about. We'll get more about James' thoughts on Sirius and a Marauder reunion (minus Peter). From book 3 on, I will have more scenes (rather than just letters) as well, which will be fun. Happy Thanksgiving!