A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter, but it has been a busy couple of months with the kids back to school.

This chapter is a flashback with the purpose of helping you to understand Harry's decisions. There will be a couple of more flashback chapters in this story, so hopefully you will love this one.

Thanks to Arnel for the positive comments and correcting all my silly mistakes as always!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor have I ever owned Harry Potter.

HP&GW

May – June 1993…

"There's no one to help you now, Harry Potter."

Harry ignored the taunting words of Tom Riddle as he stumbled towards where Ginny lay. He could only hope that he could figure out a way to save her before the Basilisk venom finally killed him. His mind was swirling, and his vision was foggy, but he managed to reach Ginny, collapsing beside her.

"Harry Potter, brother of the Boy Who Lived, left to die alone and no one will ever know."

Harry knew what Riddle said wasn't true. His own father and brother may have forgotten about him, but his godfather had not. He could only hope that Sirius knew how much Harry loved him, how much he appreciated everything he had done for him, how he had been there for him when his own father had not. The only thing Harry would regret was the fact he would not be able to pass on the information he had learned from Tom Riddle.

"… and all because little Ginny decided to write in my diary," Riddle finished saying, not realising Harry had not been listening.

Looking towards Ginny, hating himself for not being able to save her, Harry noticed the diary. Within seconds, everything seemed to suddenly fall into place for him. The diary was at the centre of everything that had happened over the course of the school year – it needed to be destroyed. He may not be able to save himself, but perhaps by destroying the diary, he could save Ginny. However, he was feeling weaker and weaker by the minute, leaving him with no strength to get to the diary and no idea how he could.

Just as Harry closed his eyes, ignoring the maniacal laughter of Tom Riddle, he felt something drop into his lap. He opened his eyes and looked down to see the diary there and Fawkes standing in front of him, nudging the hand that still held the Basilisk fang he'd pulled from his arm.

"NO!" Riddle screamed as he realised what Harry was about to do.

Looking between the diary and the fang, Harry knew what he needed to do. With what little strength he had left, Harry brought the fang up and quickly plunged it deep into the diary.

A scream pierced the air as ink began to spurt from the book and into his lap. Harry watched in fascination as the shade of Tom Riddle fought his destruction. Within seconds, Tom Riddle was gone, and Harry's eyes had slipped shut out of exhaustion and from the venom that had him close to death.

Wishing with all his heart that his godfather, brother and father would be able to move forward and finish Voldemort for good, Harry gave in and waited for death to take him. The dizziness and the exhaustion ebbed away, allowing Harry to open his eyes for, what he thought would be, one last glance at the youngest Weasley. However, he discovered his vision and mind were both clearer and that his strength and energy were quickly returning to his body.

Looking down at his arm, Harry was shocked to find no sign of where it had been pierced by the fang. He realised, remembering what he had learnt about Phoenixes when he was younger, that Fawkes must have cried into the wound and healed him.

"Thank you, Fawkes," he whispered in awe.

A slight groan caused Harry to look away and towards Ginny. Noticing her beginning to wake up, he quickly jumped up, tucked the diary away in his robes and collected the sword from where he had dropped it. He then walked over to Ginny, wishing he could keep his part in this secret, but knowing that it might not be possible.

Ginny shot up straight and looked around wildly as though she was looking for something or someone.

"Where's Tom?" she asked, though not realising at that moment who her rescuer was.

Harry crouched beside the scared young girl, ready to answer her question, only for her to look at him for a split second before she collapsed into his arms, exhausted from her ordeal.

"Fawkes?" Harry called, looking over at the Phoenix. "Can you take me and Ginny to the hospital wing, please?"

The Phoenix spread its wings and took flight. It circled the two children a couple of times before swooping down nearby and picking up the Sorting Hat in its beak. By the time Fawkes had flown back to them, Harry had a comfortable hold on Ginny and the sword. Grabbing hold of Harry's shoulder with his feet, Fawkes flashed them away from the Chamber, directly to the hospital wing.

HP&GW

Half an hour later, Harry was back in the Gryffindor tower, having been flashed directly back to the second-year boys' dormitory. He had managed to get Ginny onto a bed and sneak out of the hospital wing without Madam Pomfrey being alerted. He had been just metres from the door when Fawkes had reappeared, without the Sorting Hat, and had grabbed hold of him before flashing him away from the corridor.

Knowing it was risk to reappear in the common room, where most of the house had gathered waiting for news of any potential rescue of Ginny, Harry had preceded to take a shower and hide any evidence of him having been down in the Chamber of Secrets. He now sat on his bed, the curtains closed, studying the diary that he had destroyed.

Something about it bothered him. How could a memory preserved in a diary have enough power within it to possess the user and force them to set a Basilisk on the inhabitants of the school? It didn't make sense to him; it didn't appear possible. There had to be more to this diary than it just containing a memory. The fact it had originally belonged to a teenaged Lord Voldemort was enough to tell him there was something much Darker at play and he knew, therefore, he needed to send the diary to Sirius so he could investigate it further for him.

Deciding the diary was better off hidden until he could get it sent off to Sirius, Harry climbed off the bed and opened his trunk. He carefully placed the diary at the bottom, next to the Sword of Gryffindor that was still in his possession, before casting a spell Sirius had taught him that would hide items he did not want found and would alert him if they were. Once he had taken out some spare parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink, he closed his trunk and climbed back into bed again to begin writing his letter to Sirius.

HP&GW

Dear Sirius,

Before I explain the book that has been enclosed with this letter and the events surrounding it being in my possession, I need you to promise not to tell my dad or Professor Dumbledore. You will understand once you read what has happened, but Dad will probably go ballistic if he finds out that I ended up involved with things he wants me away from. As for Dumbledore, I have some worries and suspicions about Matt and I and I would rather he not know anything until we have confirmed my idea either way.

Last night, though I suspect you may be aware of this already, Ginny Weasley was taken down into the Chamber of Secrets. I tried to stay away and not get involved, but everything suddenly made sense after I heard she was gone. Everything that has bothered me, from me being able to speak Parseltongue, to always being found at the scene of the crime every time someone had been petrified, it all suddenly clicked.

The monster that was hidden in the Chamber was a SNAKE!

If you haven't figured it out yet, then I will hold my hands up and admit that I was the one to rescue Ginny. (Don't worry, I made sure to be included in the head count when the Prefects were asked to check if anyone else was missing.) Once I realised what was Petrifying the students and why I was able to hear it, I just knew I had to be one the rescue her. If none of the teachers could find the Chamber, then it made sense that even if they found the entrance to it, they probably wouldn't be able to open it. I was right – you needed to be a Parselmouth in order to gain entry.

I won't go into too much detail of everything that happened down there, but I managed to kill the Basilisk (yes, that is what it was) and destroy the diary.

Ginny was the one to open the Chamber and release the Basilisk on the students. She isn't to blame, though. She was being controlled by the diary she had been writing in – a diary that belonged to a former student by the name of Tom Riddle. He had managed to form a physical presence outside of the diary, having placed his memory inside the diary and using Ginny's soul to gain strength. Have you ever heard of a memory having that sort of power? I doubt it.

However, this is where it gets disturbing. Tom Riddle is the real name of Lord Voldemort! We both know how powerful he was, so who is to say that diary is much Darker magic than most people are even aware of. You need to investigate it, Sirius, because I think this diary may hold the key to destroying Voldemort properly. And if this is of any help for discovering more about Voldemort, his full name is Tom Marvolo Riddle and he grew up in an orphanage.

As for my worries and suspicions about me and Matt, well… I think everyone is wrong about who is the Boy Who Lived. Tom felt the need to talk about a lot of things, but he seemed obsessed with the events of Halloween 1981 and how a baby managed to destroy his older self. I know you and Dad sat me and Matt down and told us why and how Mum died, but you never mentioned how you knew Matt was the one to survive the Killing Curse. I know we both have scars, but Matt's doesn't cause him pain like mine does. Why is that?

On top of that, why am I able to speak to snakes and Matt doesn't? Before you ask if I am sure he cannot, wouldn't Matt also have heard the voice I had heard, found the victims and the chamber like I did? We know there are no known Parselmouths in the Potter family, so is it possible that, somehow, I gained the ability the night Voldemort attacked? Therefore, is it possible that I am, in fact, the Boy Who Lived?

Many things just don't add up, Sirius, and that makes me nervous. Dad was already angry about me being found consistently at the site of the attacks and he has made it clear he doesn't want me getting involved with everything. If I am right about my suspicions, Dad will refuse to believe it. So, please, help me find out the truth!

Love, Harry

P.S. I promise I will try to talk to Dad about this if we find out my suspicions are correct.

HP&GW

"I need you to take this to Uncle Sirius," Harry explained to his faithful owl, Hedwig, as he tied the package to her leg. "However, I need you to make sure he is alone or at least not with my dad when you deliver it. This is important, so do not let anyone but Sirius take the parcel from you."

Just minutes later, Hedwig was flying over the grounds of Hogwarts, making her way towards London. Harry watched until she was out of sight before he made his way out of the Owlery and began to head back to the Gryffindor common room.

As he walked along the corridor, Harry became lost in thought about Ginny and how she was doing following her ordeal. He was not even aware of how long it had taken for Madam Pomfrey to become aware that Ginny was in the hospital wing and for McGonagall to be notified. He knew from the presence of Professor Dumbledore at breakfast though, that it happened at some point during the night. He only wished now that he could find out what had happened since he had left Ginny asleep in the hospital wing and without anyone else finding out about his involvement.

"So, you are telling me that no one, not even the professors, have any idea how Ginny came to be in the hospital wing?"

Harry looked up, startled to hear someone, who he thought to be Hermione Granger, ask that question. Looking up and down the corridor he was walking down, there was no sign of anyone.

"Ginny doesn't even know how she ended up there. She told Dumbledore and our parents that the last thing she remembers was being in the Chamber of Secrets before she woke up in the hospital wing."

Realising that the person responding to the original question was Ron Weasley, Harry knew his brother would be there as well. Torn between not wanting to listen in to what was obviously meant to be a private conversation and his need to know what had happened, Harry knew he needed to make a quick decision to avoid being caught by anyone.

"For once, I can honestly say I had nothing to do with it."

Hearing his brother's voice, Harry quickly and quietly moved towards the door from which the voices were coming and positioned himself just inside a small alcove nearby that would allow him to remain hidden.

"I don't understand," Hermione responded, confused about what had happened while she had been Petrified. "Are you telling me you were unable to figure out where the Chamber was? I know you found the slip of paper that was in my hand before I Petrified."

Harry was not remotely surprised to hear that the trio had been trying to figure out the mystery. After the events of last year with the Philosopher's Stone, he knew Matt would not have been able to let this mystery go until he solved it.

"Of course, we found it, Hermione," Ron said defensively, "but it wasn't enough for us to figure out where the entrance to Chamber was. You only told us what you believed was the monster that Slytherin had left inside the Chamber!"

"All we know is that someone managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together," Matt explained, "and managed to rescue Ginny. If she does know anything, it may be some time before we find out, because she is refusing to say what happened down in the Chamber or how she ended up being taken down there."

Harry quietly breathed a sigh of relief at knowing his involvement was not known to anyone. Though, he had to admit he was intrigued as to why Ginny hadn't said anything. She had to know that the diary was behind what had happened to her, so he was confused as to why she hadn't at least given her parents and Professor Dumbledore the basic story of what had happened over this past school year.

"Do you think that she is protecting whoever rescued her?" Hermione asked, desperate for answers that were not going to be forthcoming anytime soon. "Or perhaps she is protecting herself?"

Harry had a sneaking suspicion as to what Hermione was hinting at. It had been bad enough that he had been accused of being the Heir of Slytherin, based solely on the fact he had been found at the scene after each attack, but to suggest Ginny had willingly attacked anyone seemed just a step too far for Harry.

"Are you suggesting my sister had something to do with all of those attacks?"

"That's not what Hermione is suggesting, Ron!" Matt said forcefully, which Harry suspected included a glare at Hermione for even making that sort of accusation. "Look, we can't give you anymore answers, right now, and standing here, discussing it is not going to get us those answers. Our best option is to just drop it and be grateful that Ginny is safe and that everyone who was Petrified has been woken up."

Realising there was a good chance of being found by the trio if he didn't move soon, Harry quietly slipped out of the alcove and quickly moved as far away from the area as he could.

Once he felt he was far enough away and that Matt, Ron and Hermione had not walked in the same direction as he had, Harry slipped into another small alcove. Taking a deep breath as he leaned back against the wall, his thoughts wandered back to what he had overheard. While he was grateful that his involvement remained unknown, he was still concerned as to why Ginny had not revealed anything. Was she concerned that she would be accused of being the Heir of Slytherin, just like he had earlier on in the year? Considering he now had possession of the diary, he couldn't help but think that Ginny may have thought no one would believe her without evidence to back up her claims. While he knew he was not the Heir of Slytherin, knowing he could account for where he was before discovering each of the attacks, it didn't mean that there was not doubt still lingering there. However, having somehow pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat had dulled some of that doubt.

Without even thinking about the possibility of bumping into his brother and his friends, Harry slipped back out of the alcove and started in the direction of the library. He needed to know more about the sword and why it had come to him in his hour of need. Perhaps, while he was there, he could see if he could begin to piece together just what the diary truly was.

HP&GW

As he entered the Great Hall for dinner, Harry's mind was still awash with thoughts of all the information he had discovered from his time spent in the library. He was starving as a result of the amount of time he had spent with his head buried in a multitude of books, forgetting to attend lunch due to his desperation to discover as much as he could before he returned home for the summer.

Information on the Sword of Gryffindor had been easy to find, even if it was basic at best. Harry had been surprised to discover that, despite it not having been seen in centuries, the sword would always come to a true Gryffindor in times of need. Any doubts that had still lingered about where he had been sorted had immediately been banished by that knowledge. Though, he had been troubled to discover that the sword, due to it being Goblin-made, would only imbibe what made it stronger. Knowing that Basilisk venom, having double-checked it in another book, could only be cured through Phoenix tears, he knew that the sword would have imbibed it. This meant he needed to be careful with the sword in his possession. With it safely tucked away in his trunk, hidden by spells, Harry felt that was a problem that could wait to be dealt with until he arrived back at home.

Sadly, Harry had struggled to dig up anything on what the diary could be. He had not been tempted to try and search the Restricted Section, knowing he had no good reason to explain his presence there. However, he had stuck to researching ways of people being possessed. Much of what he had discovered only served to prove that there was something much Darker about the diary than anything he could find within the library. He was hopeful, though, that Sirius would have more luck, even if it did take a bit of time to find the exact answer.

Shaking the thoughts from his head to allow himself to concentrate on eating dinner, he could only hope that his godfather would take his concerns and requests to heart.

HP&GW

Reading through the letter once more that he had received that morning, Harry felt relieved to know that Sirius understood what his fears were regarding the diary and who was the Boy Who Lived. His godfather's promise to also begin researching the magic behind the diary and to keep what Harry had revealed in his letter from his father and headmaster lifted the weight from his shoulders. He had been worried that Sirius would refuse his requests and, instead, follow his father's lead by trying to keep Harry away from anything to do with Voldemort.

Harry, however, was surprised to learn something new about the aftermath of the night his mother was killed. He had thought that he and Matt had been told the everything from the night and why it was believed Matt was destined to be the one to vanquish the Dark Lord, but based on what Sirius had written, they had only been given the basic outline of what had happened. To learn, therefore, that neither his or Matt's scars had received medical attention spoke volumes to Harry and only served to strengthen his suspicions about who truly was the Boy Who Lived. Considering Matt's scar had faded slightly over the years, whereas Harry's had remained the same for as long as he could remember, this piece of knowledge Sirius had provided was intriguing, but not enough to prove anything.

Harry was distracted from his thoughts as he spotted a head of long, red hair amongst the group of students who had just walked into the Gryffindor common room. He couldn't help but watch her as she looked around as she decided what she wanted to do. It wasn't hard to see that none of her brothers were making the effort to check on her, speak to her or interact with her in any way. He would have thought, given how concerned Ron had sounded the day before, that they would have been wanting to make sure she was okay and comfortable. Yet, not one of them approached her and it broke Harry's heart to see the look on Ginny's face as she took a seat in the corner of the room, where, he knew, people would leave her alone.

Feeling torn between staying where he was and approaching the youngest Weasley, Harry tried to decide what to do. Since he had started Hogwarts, he had always been careful to remain in the background and out of the spotlight. He could admit that he had not made any true friends, except for Neville Longbottom and that was tentative at best. Still, he knew he felt lonely because of the decision he had willingly chosen, and he expected that Ginny felt the same as he did, right now. The difference between them, however, was he had chosen to be in this position, out of fear for people using him to get close to his twin brother, whereas Ginny had been forced into it because of that damn diary. He knew, therefore, he couldn't leave her by herself and that he needed to reach out to her, even if it meant risking Ginny realising he had been the one to save her.

Taking a deep breath as he stood, Harry suddenly had the feeling that this one decision was going to dramatically change his life. The idea, however, didn't scare him as it had in the past. He wasn't quite sure why, but he suspected it might be, even if he was the only one to know it, that they had shared the experience of what happened down in the Chamber of Secrets. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he walked across the common room to where Ginny was sitting.

"Um … hi, Ginny," Harry nervously said.

Ginny looked up; shock evident across her face.

"I was wondering if you fancied a game of Exploding Snap," Harry said, pulling a fresh pack of cards of one of the pockets of his robes.

Ginny's mouth dropped open.

With no answer forthcoming, Harry went to turn, apologising as he did so, "I am sorry. I'm sure you just want to be …"

"I would love to play," Ginny quietly interrupted.

With a small smile on his face, Harry turned back round and took a seat opposite her. As he began to deal the cards out, he was surprised to hear two words he had not been expecting.

"Thank you," Ginny said with a genuine sincerity.

Harry looked up, confused to what she was saying thank you for. He wondered if she knew he had been one to rescue him; something in her eyes suggested perhaps she did. However, he didn't want to bring up the Chamber right now, preferring to keep the game fun and relaxed for her.

Realising he had not responded, he quickly replied, "You're welcome."

Seeing the small smile appear across Ginny's face at his response made Harry's heart flutter for just a second and a feeling of happiness that he had helped put that smile there.