Harry and Ron both hid in the closet of the teacher's lounge, listening in after finding out who the Monster of Slytherin was; a Basilisk.

"Who was taken, Minerva?" Pomfrey asked in concern and fear. McGonagall looked at her, her eyes tearing up.

"It was Brooklyn, the monster took him into the Chamber," she whispered in a tear strained voice. Pomfrey gave a small gasp of horror, a hand over her mouth at the idea of their gargoyle guardian being taken by this Monster of Slytherin!

Harry felt himself going numb and trembling. His big brother was gone!

He then slumped against the back of the closet in his daze, tears coming out of his own eyes. Ron took his hand. "We will find him, Harry. Everything will be okay."

After the teachers left, Harry and Ron had stormed into Lockhart's office after reading the new message on the wall that had sickened Harry's heart, who had ended up revealing himself as a fraud, and forced him to take them to the girl's bathroom.

Myrtle revealed how she died, and Harry opened up the chamber with Parseltongue.

The group slid down the dark slide, landing in a dark tunnel. They walked in for a time, until coming across the Basilisk skin. But that's when Lockhart turned the tables on them, trying to use Ron's defected wand to use a memory spell, but it backfired, wiping out most of Lockhart's memories, and making the ceiling collapse, separating Harry from the others.

Harry proceeded onward, dreading what he was going to find, opening another door, and finally climbing down the ladder into the chamber.

I'm coming, Brooklyn, I'm coming! Harry thought in determination, as his foot at last touched the ground of the Chamber of Secrets.

He stared in awe and fear at the chamber's design, the walkway lined with sinister snake heads, all leading to the foreboding statue of Slytherin. Harry was unprepared for who lay unmoving at Slytherin's feet though. For it was...

"Brooklyn!" Harry exclaimed in terror, running to his brother, and dropping his wand, kneeling beside him.

"No, Brook! Don't do this!" he sobbed, beginning to shake him desperately. Brooklyn was pale and cold, a small frown on his face, eyes closed. He was holding the black diary in his hands, and he wondered how it got into Brooklyn's possession. All his head did was move limply from side to side, like a rag doll. This scared Harry. If he was gone...

"Don't be dead. I need you, Brooklyn! Wake up! Please wake up!"

"He won't wake," a voice called. Harry looked up, seeing a young teenager with dark hair wearing Hogwarts robes stepping out of the shadows. His features were blurred, but he looked familiar…

"Tom? Tom Riddle? What do you mean, he won't wake? He's-he's not-."

Tom came closer, smiling. "Not to fear, your special winged friend is still alive, but only just I'm afraid," he replied. Harry was just in utter confusion. How did Brooklyn end up this way, and how was Tom Riddle still alive?

"Are you a ghost?" he asked.

"A memory, preserved in a diary for 50 years," Tom corrected Harry, pointing to the diary Brooklyn held.

Harry kept trying his best to wake up Brooklyn, to still no success, he remained unconscious and unresponsive. Harry would hate himself if Brooklyn had ended up dying alone down here before he could save him!

Unbeknownst to Harry, Tom had picked up his wand that he dropped.

Desperate, Harry looked up at Tom for help. "You've got to help me, Tom! There's a Basilisk!" He just stood there, smiling calmly. "It won't come until it is called."

Something was definitely wrong here. Why did he take his wand? He stood up, holding out his hand. "Give me my wand, Tom."

Tom just twiddled it in his fingers, enjoying seeing this scene. "You won't be needing it."

Harry was getting impatient. "Listen, we've got to go! We've got to save him!"

Tom shook his head, his smirk growing wider. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Harry. As your poor gargoyle brother grows weaker, I grow stronger."

Harry narrowed his eyes, still not getting what Tom was saying.

"Yes, Harry. It was Brooklyn who opened the Chamber of Secrets!" Tom announced, his eyes burning with cold triumph and glee. Harry's mouth fell open, his heart bursting with a mix of betrayal and disbelief.

"No! That isn't true! He couldn't! He wouldn't!" He gasped, legs trembling. Tom continued to eye Harry closely.

"It was Brooklyn, who set the Basilisk on the Mudbloods and Filch's cat. Brooklyn, who wrote the threatening messages on the walls and strangled the school roosters!"

"Why?" Harry snapped, hands clenched, feeling more angry at Tom then at Brooklyn. Whatever Tom did to him to make him look this way, it wasn't good.

Tom smiled sickeningly. "Why, do you ask, Potter? Because I told him to. It was so easy, the idiot gargoyle found me very persuasive indeed. Most of the time he didn't know what he was doing, like he was under a trance. All because of him writing in my diary since Hogwarts day one. Brooklyn wrote nonstop to me, not even telling his close friends who I was, this book being his own secret little diary where his darkest secrets have been held."

Harry stared back and forth from Brooklyn to Tom, not sure how to take all this. He then recalled Brooklyn trying to tell him something twice, first before going to see Hagrid, then at breakfast. He felt like hitting himself, for his brother must've been trying to tell him about Tom!

"But how? How did you convince him to do these things and put him under? He would be too stubborn to listen to anybody that way!" He demanded. Tom smirked again.

"I had simply pretended to be his friend, listening to all of his troubles, how he worries about protecting the school and such. He thought I was very sympathetic and understanding, which why it was so easy to entrance him. After Brooklyn did a task, he wakes with a memory black out, all my doing. As this went on, Brooklyn fell even further under my power, because of him pouring his heart into my pages, making me stronger, which was the result of him understanding you speaking Parseltongue during the Dueling Club."

"His entries over time grew even more interesting, which amused me, saying how he is unable to protect the victims from attacks whenever he blacked out, still not aware he was really the one doing so, making him lose faith in his abilities to protect the innocent."

"After a while, he began to realize what was going on, and what I had been doing to him, growing scared of my control. So Brooklyn tried to destroy my diary in the girl's bathroom. But as luck would have it, you picked it up, Potter."

"How did Brooklyn steal it back, though? Why would he?"

"Oh, it was so simple. When he saw you with the diary on Valentine's Day," He looked disgusted at the idea of the holiday. "The gargoyle panicked. He was scared of losing your trust as his brother and getting thrown onto the streets or in Azkaban. Remember that morning when he told you that he was going to 'lie in?' That wasn't the case. Once you left, the foolish beast ransacked your area, until he finally got it back."

"When I saw that Brooklyn was writing to me again, I was nothing but furious. After your Mudblood was petrified, I threatened Brooklyn that if he tried to pull away from my control, I'd make him kill you. In the end, I made him write his own farewell message, then brought him down here to die. He struggled for a time though to live with what little strength he possessed, but it was futile, for I grew strong enough to leave the diary's pages..."

"I was growing impatient for Brooklyn to die and for you to find him, Potter, because you were the one I wanted to meet the most, for I have many questions for you," Tom said, a hungry gleam starting along with his eyes turning red.

Harry growled, angry at this monster for tormenting his brother for so long! "And why did you want to meet me?"

"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 while you were writing in the diary that time to gain your trust."

"Hagrid's my friend!" Harry shouted. "And you framed him, didn't you?"

But Tom just smirked. "It was my word against Hagrid's. Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think he was innocent."

"Bet Dumbledore saw right through you," Harry proclaimed hotly.

"He certainly kept an annoyingly close watch after that. I knew it wouldn't be safe to reopen the Chamber again while I was still at school, so I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my 16-year-old self in its pages so that one day, I would be able to lead another to finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work. Such a pity it was your precious gargoyle brother that did my dirty work," sneered Tom, nudging Brooklyn's lifeless form with his foot.

"Well, you haven't finished it this time! In a couple of hours, the mandrake draft will be ready. And everyone who has been petrified will be alright again!" Harry snapped.

Tom shook his head. "Haven't I told you? Killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore. For many months now, my new target has been you. Brooklyn here, was quite generous with providing info about how you survived, with nothing but a scar. Along with that, he told me informative tales about his little family back in Manhattan, every little thing about them. I say it is rather stupid of him."

Harry's anger rose, nails digging deeper into his palms from it. "My brother isn't stupid! And why would you bother caring how I escaped? Voldemort was after your time!"

Tom smiled evilly. "Voldemort is, my past, present, and future, Potter." Drawing Harry's wand, he traced letters in the air.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE.

He swished the wand, and the name rearranged itself:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

Harry's blood turned cold. No… it couldn't be! "You! You're the Heir of Slytherin!"

"Surely, you didn't think I'd keep my filthy Muggle father's name? No. I fashioned myself a new name; a name I knew wizards would one day fear to speak when I became the greatest sorcerer in the world!" Tom growled, looking menacing.

"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest Sorcerer in the world, not you!" Harry bellowed, eyes flashing furiously.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this school by the mere memory of me!" he snarled.

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

Then, there was a harmonious bird's cry that sounded like chamber music, and a swan-sized golden red bird flew into the chamber, carrying something in his claws. A Phoenix. It dropped the thing into Harry's hands and landed next to Brooklyn, giving a sad cooing sound at his unmoving form.

Harry unraveled the thing, which revealed the Sorting Hat. Tom smiled leeringly. "So, this is what Dumbledore sends, his great defender. A songbird, and an old hat!"

Harry himself didn't know how this would help him. But somewhere inside him was the knowledge that Brooklyn was somehow still alive in there, fighting to live.

He heard Tom speak Parseltongue to the statue, which opened up to reveal the Basilisk emerging. Harry backed away from it as it hissed viciously.

"Parseltongue won't save you now, Potter! It only obeys me!" Tom hissed that almost sounded like the Basilisk.

The Basilisk charged. Harry ran after looking back once more at his brother lying there, heart aching.

Please fight, Brooklyn! Be strong in there!

Brooklyn's mind

Brooklyn was in suffocating merciless darkness all around him, pressing hard against his body and unable to move. He shut his eyes again, but he wondered what good that would do when it was dark with his eyes open.

Voldemort appeared before him, his evil red eyes glinting menacingly as he watched Brooklyn suffer.

"Your soul is almost mine, weak one. Potter is at this very moment fighting my Basilisk, but he won't last long. It is a pity."

This sparked anger in Brooklyn. Voldemort dared to set that dirty serpent on his little brother! But it was still hard for him to move, because of what Voldemort was attempting to do to him.

"You'll never escape me, Brooklyn. Never." Voldemort leered.

Brooklyn panicked, trying now to move any limbs. But then, Voldemort suddenly grabbed his arm, and Brooklyn hissed from the pressure.

"I see you're still trying to resist me. It won't last though, like Potter..."

Brooklyn growled, eyes flashing in anger, then grimacing as a painful tingling feeling began to flow into him. "Get... off... me..." he grunted fiercely, trying to fight him again, but still unable to move.

"Give into Death, Brooklyn. Stop fighting against it..." purred Voldemort, as he used his terrible magic on Brooklyn's body, pulling out his remaining life force into his own.

Brooklyn continued struggling, panting as more strength began to leave him. It was getting even harder to resist this dark magic.

He's too strong... can't stop him... Brooklyn thought weakly, his movements slowing down, muscles weakening, until familiar voices sounded in his head.

Don't give up, please! pleaded the voice of Angela.

Huh? Brooklyn thought, maybe he was hallucinating.

You are strong to beat him, Lad, we have faith in you... Hudson's voice said next. Brooklyn's muscles grew even more weak the more he fought.

You can't let him take you! We still miss you! Lex begged desperately. Brooklyn's eyes closed, tears falling down his face at hearing them again.

Come on, Brook! Beat up the demon man! I know you can do it! Broadway encouraged enthusiastically.

"Fight, Brooklyn! You must fight him!" Goliath's voice then at last triggered strength inside the young gargoyle. No, no way he was gonna let this maniac take his life force! His eyes opened and glowed brightly. This guy was gonna pay for everything!

Letting loose a huge snarl, Brooklyn was able to break his invisible shackles, soaring into the air, and landing on all fours in a defensive position.

"Ah, so you are somehow able to push me back, but I will soon fix that," Voldemort said in a somewhat surprised voice, but then he appeared in his Tom Riddle form. "You wouldn't hurt your best friend?" he mocked.

Brooklyn wouldn't be fooled. "You were never my friend! You tricked me!" he growled and charged. But Voldemort simply held out his hand, and Brooklyn felt himself rising in the air, then he was thrown to the floor, his head spinning.

"Did you really believe you were still a match for me?" taunted Voldemort, putting a foot on Brooklyn's chest hard and pressing. Brooklyn gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed as his tail whipped through the air, taking hold of Voldemort's leg, and yanking him flat onto his back.

Brooklyn stood up, placing his hands on his hips and he smirked. "Yeah, nose-less freak. You picked the wrong gargoyle to mess with!" He announced boldly, spreading out his wings in their full length. He then knew this wasn't the real Voldemort, merely a fragment of him. And Brooklyn was ready to take on this thing! He just prayed his brother could survive that Basilisk!

Harry

Harry was running from the now blind Basilisk, his eyes gouged out by Fawkes, who had saved him at the last minute. He ran into the sewers, only to find himself at a dead end!

The Basilisk, still able to smell Harry, hissed dangerously as it slithered very close to him. Harry flinched, but then picked up a rock and threw it, where the serpent was distracted by the sound. As it left, he ran back out, and back to Brooklyn's body, who still didn't wake up.

Tom smiled triumphantly. "Yes, Potter. The process is nearly complete! In a few minutes, Brooklyn will be dead, despite the fight he is putting up within. I will cease to be a memory. Lord Voldemort will return, very much alive!"

Harry felt the tears coming, as he took Brooklyn's arm. "Brooklyn, please, I love you..." he whispered. Suddenly, the snake reappeared, bursting through the water, hissing furiously from being tricked.

Then Harry spotted something appearing in the Sorting Hat, a sword handle with glittering rubies on the handle…

Brooklyn's mind

Voldemort and Brooklyn pressed on with their fight, the gargoyle continued to dodge his rival's attacks by ducking, or soaring high out of reach with his wings. He landed, as Voldemort watched him with amusement.

"You're quite a fighter," sneered Voldemort, as Brooklyn stood there on all fours, arching his back, growling defensively. "But soon you will lose."

"I won't give in to darkness, for I will always fight back!" Brooklyn roared in retaliation. He then decided that since this was his mind, he could conjure up something to defend himself, like armor and weapons. He shut his eyes. In a flash, golden armor appeared on his body, Voldemort staring in fury at this sudden upgrade from his enemy.

Brooklyn's eyes reopened, glowing white, and to his surprise, a glittering silver sword with rubies the size of chicken eggs on the handle appeared in his right hand, too. Brooklyn's mouth fell open at the sight of the magnificent claymore in his hand.

Wow, this sword was unexpected, even for me! Brooklyn thought to himself, staring at the name on the handle, Godric Gryffindor.

Voldemort growled, drawing his wand. "Most impressive."

"Well, you haven't seen anything yet, Voldy!"

His enemy shouted a spell out of anger from his wand, a blast of green light coming from it, straight towards Brooklyn. He flinched, raising the sword, the only defense he had with him, not expecting it to do much, until it surprised him by bouncing off the blade, not touching him at all! Brooklyn was shocked that it was able to have that ability to block spells. But apparently it was conveniently a magic sword that appeared without him even thinking about it, so why not?

And it got him thinking. That if this sword appeared, there could be one just like it right now in the waking world! Because it had Gryffindor's name right on the blade! This strange appearance had to happen somewhere!

His feet went into a fighting stance, eyes narrowed as he grinned in a tough way.

"Come on, you can do better than this!" Brooklyn called out to Voldemort, irritating his rival as he twirled the claymore in his hands. Yelling in rage, Voldemort pressed his attack. Brooklyn continued using the sword to counter each spell attack, praying he could hold up as long as he could.

Harry

Harry had stabbed the Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor, but with a price, a fang stabbed into his arm, and he had collapsed to the ground in pain next to Brooklyn. Tom was looking triumphant.

"Remarkable, isn't it? How quickly the venom of the Basilisk penetrates the body? You'll be with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Potter."

Harry trembled, as he put a shaking hand on the gargoyle's shoulder, then taking the diary.

"Funny, how much damage a silly little book can do, especially in the hands of a weak, lovesick gargoyle," sneered Tom, looking over to Brooklyn again.

Harry glared, as he opened the diary. He then knew what he had to do to save his brother from Tom Riddle. He raised the fang gripped tight in his hands.

"Stop! No!" Tom roared, right as Harry stabbed the page of the diary, ink spurting from its pages like blood, and Tom screaming as holes appeared in his body, Harry repeatedly stabbing the pages until at last, Tom Riddle exploded in gold sparks.

Though Tom Riddle was gone, Brooklyn was still unconscious. Harry's eyes filled up with tears, ignoring the pain of the Basilisk venom, giving him a hug.

"Try coming back to me, Brooklyn! Tom's gone now, you're safe..." he said in a shaky voice, unaware that Brooklyn's chest had begun to move...

Brooklyn's mind

Voldemort closed in, growling as he continued to try and destroy this pest of a gargoyle, still holding the Sword of Gryffindor in his hands and using it to defend himself. How on earth this sword can do this, Voldemort couldn't figure out. It seemed impossible!

But then, Brooklyn gave a gasp as the sword slipped out of his grasp, the toll of Voldemort's draining magic beginning to take effect once again, despite trying to fight against it before as he sank to his hands and knees.

Voldemort noticed him falter, and his form began to show even more, almost looking solid, while Brooklyn began to fade.

"Ah, at last!" He said triumphantly, smirking. Brooklyn grimaced, wondering what was wrong with him now, until he held up his hand, and saw with fear it was fading!

Oh no, not good! He thought in fright, looking up as Voldemort towered over him, pointing his wand. "Your resistance was most charming. But like I said in our first encounter, I always win in the end," Voldemort taunted, red eyes gleaming in triumph.

But Brooklyn wouldn't say anything, just glaring coldly back and breathing heavily, he couldn't say any words to describe how angry he was at the dark one.

"What's wrong? No retaliation this time? Such a pity," Voldemort sneered, readying to finish Brooklyn off for good, but Brooklyn himself wasn't afraid this time like before, getting himself ready...

But then, the unexpected happened. Voldemort suddenly gave a cry as a hole appeared in his chest, then his face. Brooklyn just stared in bewilderment, eyes round.

Now that's not a pretty sight, He thought, grimacing as at last, Voldemort's spirit burst into gold sparks, gone forever!

He trembled, giving a sigh of relief, the control finally being removed from his shoulders, and his body not looking transparent anymore. He sat down, shutting his eyes, feeling himself relax at last after everything.

Harry… he thought in happiness. Harry had saved him once again from being lost, and his clan helped him, too. Brooklyn began to slowly return to consciousness.

...

He revived, eyes opening, his heart once more beating, finding himself still in the chamber lying on the stone floor, feeling Harry hugging him.

"L-little brother?" he whispered, holding up a weak hand onto Harry's shoulder. Harry gasped a bit at this sudden revival, pulling back and allowing Brooklyn to sit up. The gargoyle noticed the dead Basilisk, and the sword. Instantly, his shame began to spill out into words, feeling ready to cry out the pain he felt in the past months from it all.

"Harry, I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I wanted to tell you that it had been me at breakfast. I hurt them, Harry, but I was too cowardly to say anything, and thought I could stop him myself! He made me do it, Harry, he made me! I should've known he was another Demona!" he sobbed, face in his hands.

Harry pulled Brooklyn's hands down before he gasped slightly in pain, holding his arm.

"You're hurt!" Brooklyn exclaimed, reaching out for him. But Harry shook his head, and the gargoyle saw that there was forgiveness in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter now, Brooklyn. It wasn't your fault. But you need to get yourself out. Follow the chamber, and you will find Ron!"

Brooklyn felt some of his stubbornness taking him over. "No, no way in hell am I leaving you here!" he snapped.

Before any more arguing occurred, Fawkes suddenly appeared, cooing happily at seeing Brooklyn awake, rubbing himself against him. Brooklyn smiled, stroking Fawkes.

But then, Fawkes noticed Harry's hurt arm, tilting his head.

"You were brilliant, Fawkes. I just wasn't quick enough," Harry murmured.

That's when the gargoyle witnessed a miracle in magic. Fawkes moved his head down above Harry's wound, some of his tears falling onto it, clearing the wound in mere seconds. Brooklyn couldn't say anything at first. It was just incredible!

"Of course! Phoenix tears have healing powers!" Harry exclaimed, holding up his arm. "Thanks!" Then Harry looked over and smiled at Brooklyn, who had a relieved look on his face.

"It's okay, Brook. It's all over. It's just a memory."

The two brothers stood up and hugged one another before journeying out, coming across Ron, who was moving boulders aside.

Ron was open mouthed, and happy at seeing Brooklyn again. He was about to ask questions, but Brooklyn shook his head, saying that they will explain later.

He even spotted Lockhart there, humming merrily to himself. Raising his brow, he asked what had happened to him, with Ron explaining about Lockhart being a fraud ("I knew it!" Brooklyn exclaimed in triumph) and nearly erasing his and Harry's memories earlier.

Lockhart greeted them all cheerfully.

"Hello! Odd sort of place, isn't it? Do you live here?"

Harry and Ron both looked at one another while Brooklyn began laughing, holding a hand over his mouth.

He had been given the honor of knocking Lockhart out on the head and tossed him over his shoulder to carry out with them.

Fawkes landed near them, holding out his tail feathers, chittering at them.

"Uh, what's up with the bird?" Brooklyn asked in confusion. Harry then understood. "It looks like he wants you to grab hold…"

Okay, this is weird, but I'll do it. He took hold of Fawkes's tail, which felt warm, and didn't burn him at all. He told Harry and Ron to grab onto each other while holding onto his foot. Fawkes raised his wings and began to fly. Brooklyn gave a yelp as he felt himself rising from the ground.

This is one strong bird! He admired silently in amazement, as Fawkes flew them all out of the chamber, which closed behind them.

They landed in the girl's bathroom and began to trudge up to Dumbledore's office, covered in dirt, slime, and blood, but Brooklyn could care less. They were back home! The group approached the gargoyle statue, Harry giving the password, and they all stepped inside.