Harry couldn't do much in the present moment. It was all he could do to breathe as Ginny pulled back to collect herself. He was alive… but he'd been dead, Sasuke had told him with absolute confidence that he was dead, and that he held life and death in his hand.

Oh God, he'd died!

His breath came hard. The young wizard was faintly aware of a cold sweat breaking out in his body, and his heart beat faster and faster. One might've likened it to a panic attack if they'd seen him, but there was only Ginny down here. He felt like he was choking, and he seemed so out of his own body that he could swear he still was. He was also painfully aware of the sluggishly bleeding wounds in his arm.

A scream rose in his throat and, despite all his efforts to internalize his pain, it ripped through the Chamber as the sheer depth of his death and resurrection experience shook his world down to its foundations.

"Why me?! Why?! Why did you resurrect only me?! Why me Sasuke?! What's different about me versus my mum or dad?! Why didn't you let me die and see my parents?!"

Drip.

Harry's new red eyes blazed uncontrollably as he was brought to earth by a gentle touch.

Ginny resisted his thrashing protest and laid her hand on his bloody cheek, her own tears matching those of blood falling from his left eye and the natural tears from his right. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't push her away. And her soft voice cut through the pounding of his traitorous heart.

"Because the living need you. I need you, so please… stay with me Harry."

Somehow he knew it was the truth. Somehow he knew Ginny did believe she needed him, that no one could lie before him now. Just what were these eyes?

Speaking of his eyes, his vision shifted. Now he saw in black and white, but inside Ginny's form was a disturbed, wounded but warm aura. Harry blinked and his vision returned to normal. Strange.

The distraction brought him down from his bout of hysteria and left him sullen. But still, he rose to his feet and took Ginny's hand for her comfort, pausing only to collect his wand, the Basilisk fang, the sword and the diary's remains. He tucked them into his robes. It wasn't in his own comfort zone to allow another to touch him but he knew that Ginny needed to feel the touch of another person, the reassurance that he was alive and safe with her, keeping her safe in turn. His own comfort, his own state of being was meaningless in comparison to Ginny's needs.

"Let's get out of here." Harry offered, helping Ginny to her feet.

Ginny nodded in agreement, gravitating closer to him. Harry bit down his edging reflex to flinch away and allowed the redhead girl to come closer to him than Ron and Hermione had ever been except under the Invisibility Cloak. She was practically huddled to his side as they walked to the entrance of the Chamber. But Ginny's need came first, he was irrelevant.

The moment they left the Chamber, the Parseltongue door sealed with a serpentine hiss. Ignoring the urge to roll his neck for some reason, Harry led Ginny down the tunnel to the collapsed point, where he'd left Ron to clear it out.

Harry's voice was quiet, but still audible when he called. "Ron."

"Ginny! Harry! You guys okay?" Ron's voice echoed down from the other side of then tap in the rocks, reaching the pair who were together in the gloomy tunnel.

The sound of his friend's voice reminded him that he was still breathing, that he was alive. Harry shared a glance with Ginny, easily conveying that neither of them were anything resembling 'okay' to the other. Instead, he settled for,

"It's finished."

Ron's flame red head of hair popped through a gap in the rocks. "Sorry mate, I couldn't shift enough of this rock without my wand."

"Move aside. I'll do it."

Ron backed away and Harry aimed his wand at the blockage.

"Wingardium Leviosa Multa."

Several key boulders rose and Harry ushered Ginny through, following closely and lowering the rocks once more. However, the spell took its toll on Harry himself, and he felt severely drained from it. Multa variants of spells, like the Maxima versions, were far more taxing than the base ones.

"Bloody hell! Harry, you're a right mess! What'd you do, fight the Basilisk?" Ron remarked. Ginny held his hand all the tighter.

"Something like that."

Harry's apathetic gaze fell on the Obliviated Lockhart. A jolt of contempt ran through him, but Harry pushed it down and settled for a cold glare. "Ron, take Lockhart and keep him from getting himself killed."

The redhead complied and began dragging the empty-headed excuse for a man along as they came to the tunnel the trio had entered through.

On a hunch, Harry imagined a writhing snake and spoke in a hiss again.

"Stairs."

From the wall, a set of stairs opened up.

"Let's go."

The stairs happened to exit through the wall of the bathroom they'd found and opened the secret entrance. Moaning Myrtle was floating in the air, staring goggle-eyed at him. Probably for good reason.

"You're alive."

Harry didn't bother to acknowledge her, just led the way to McGonagall's office. The silver sword felt heavy in his hand now as he walked. He was loosing strength fast. But he pushed on, and opened the door.

Inside the room was Professor McGonagall and the Weasley parents, and surprisingly Dumbledore too. The sound of the door alerted them to his presence, and he saw a phantom of each of the adults foreshadow their movements in slow motion, a step ahead of the solid forms of them. He could see their movements before they happened, and Harry knew to brace himself for the bone-crushing hug Mrs Weasley wrapped him and Ginny up in.

"Thank Merlin! You're all alright!" The red haired woman sobbed, almost suffocating the pair of them.

Wincing from the searing pain all of his body, the backlash of the Basilisk venom after his resurrection Harry assumed, he closed his eyes. When he reopened them again, he no longer saw the future of people's movements. But he was still exhausted, beyond anything he ever had been before.

As such, he answered only the bare minimum of the questions he was asked and subtly refused to answer anything regarding how he 'survived' the Basilisk, even hiding his wounds as best he could. And when it was all over, he was told to report to the Hospital Wing with Ginny.

Harry and Ginny were about to head down, the blood loss getting to him, when Lucius Malfoy turned up in an outrage.

And with him was Dobby.

Struggling to handle the pain and blood loss as he was, Harry held Ginny in place gently after exiting the door. He had a plan, he didn't even know if it would work, but he would try regardless.

So when Malfoy Senior exited the office in a tantrum, Harry dared to stand in his way.

"Move boy!" Lucius barked.

"I believe this is yours sir." Harry stated coldly, allowing his contempt for the Malfoys to rise into his cold anger. He held up the diary contemptuously and the silver blonde man snatched it.

"You're mistaken, Mr Potter. I am not the owner of this blighted book."

"No, the owner is Voldemort, but you're the one who's had it all this time." Harry agreed in a dead voice. "You slipped this into Ginny's cauldron in Diagon Alley, don't deny it, I saw you."

Lucius Malfoy handed the book off to Dobby and stalked past Harry moodily. "Come Dobby!"

Harry took a quick glance at Dobby and mouthed for him to open the book. Within was Harry's school tie. And on cue, Malfoy Senior turned back around.

"Master has presented Dobby with clothes." Dobby exclaimed joyfully. "Dobby is free!"

At Lucius' enraged glare, Harry allowed himself an small smirk. He was vaguely aware of Ginny shrinking back behind him as the man drew his wand from his cane with the impression of a wounded snake, hissing furiously.

"You lost me my servant!"

Malfoy Senior sent a curse straight at Harry, but time seemed to slow down, and Harry could see the spell's path ahead of it, just like before. Tiredly, he raised the silver sword and let the jet of light reflect itself back on its caster as it rebounded off the blade. Malfoy blocked it with a Shield Charm, but he didn't sustain it long enough to repel Dobby's Banishing Charm.

"You will not harm Harry Potter!" The little elf commanded with the bravery of a Gryffindor.

His own elf against him, Lucius admitted defeated and stalked away.

"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" Dobby exclaimed happily, bouncing up and down in joy at his newfound freedom. Malfoy gone, Ginny returned to be beside him instead of behind. "But how did Harry Potter know how to free elves sir? Dobby has not been telling."

"I'm full of surprises."

The short answer seemed to satisfy Dobby. In fact, he seemed utterly happy. "Harry Potter is a great wizard in the making! Dobby owes you a great debt sir."

An idea struck Harry. Dumbledore had displayed a knowing look in regards to the sword he held right now, and probably would want to take it for inspection. But the blade itself seemed to reject that idea even as the thought echoed in his mind. Holding the silver sword out, Harry handed it to Dobby.

"Tell you what Dobby, keep this safe for me until I need it again and don't let anyone get hold of it, and also teleport me and Ginny to the Hospital Wing and I'll consider the debt paid." He told the 3 foot elf.

Dobby nodded with a wide smile. "Harry Potter is kind to trust Dobby with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. It will be done sir."

The house elf snapped his fingers and Harry and Ginny found themselves in the Hospital Wing in an instant, Dobby himself nowhere in sight.

Then Harry finally passed out.

The next thing Harry knew, he was standing in a dungeon of cold, dark stone, and for a ceiling there was a darkness that looked horrible, cold and deadly. This was a strange place. It was dark and lonely here. It also seemed like a dream, but he'd never had a dream this vivid before. He'd never felt this physically present in a dream before.

An echo came from the deepest depths, which looked so dark. A familiar sound that he couldn't quite remember. He wanted to know what it was. So he dared to venture into the darkness.

Harry found himself wandering down a pitch black tunnel. He then heard a faint voice.

"... go…"

Running into the black, he chased the voice until it drove him to his knees.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go…"

The faintest flash of his father's face appeared before his eyes as the voice got even further away, too far away to hear. There was a force blocking him, Harry couldn't move towards the fading voice.

"No! Mum, Dad come back!" Harry screamed into the darkness. "I need to see the rest!"

"Harry?"

"I need to know what happened! I need to know!" He cried out, trying his best to push past the invisible barrier that held him back from the memory of that night.

"Harry!"

And Harry bolted upright in the hospital bed, shocking Ginny as he turned and stared her straight in eyes, the abruptness of his awakening a shock in itself. She was sat on a chair beside his bed. But her gaze was on his eyes, not his face. He didn't know why.

"Harry, your eyes! They're red!" Ginny exclaimed with surprise.

"Are they?" Harry wondered. "Pass me that mirror would you Ginny."

The redhead passed him the hand mirror from Hermione's bedside and Harry held it up to his face, examining his eyes. And sure enough, his emerald eyes had turned red and now had what looked like a single comma around the pupils. It looked virtually identical to Sasuke Uchiha's eye except his was missing two commas out of the three.

Almost as soon as he'd fully examined the change, his eyes changed back to emerald again. Strange.

"Well they're normal now."

Hary placed the mirror down and that was the moment when Madame Pomfrey made her presence known. "Honestly Mr Potter, this the second time this year you've been in my care. Magical exhaustion, vanished bones, Basilisk fang wounds. Whatever next?"

Harry didn't even bother to answer that one. He had no idea.

"Well. Some good news." The matron declared after checking him over with her wand. "The Basilisk venom has done no permanent harm to your body thanks to the phoenix tears provided by Fawkes. The pains will fade within the week, but those puncture wounds will scar. You both may go, but try not to stress yourselves for the rest of today. Now shoo! The feast is in a few hours, don't miss it."

Madame Pomfrey shooed them out of the Hospital Wing with an eagerness. For Ginny's sake, Harry made light of it.

"I think that's the fastest she's ever gotten rid of me."

Ginny dared to crack a small, sweet smile. Success. And it stayed even as she shifted nervously, asking quietly, "So what now? There's still a few hours to the feast."

"Well I never thought I'd say this…" Harry commented neutrally. "... but I want to visit the library. I need to find out a few things."

Ginny drew closer to him and tentatively slipped her small hand into his bigger one. Harry didn't resist at all because he found himself wanting the physical contact as much as she did. It reminded him that he was alive again. The warmth it brought him was a dear and welcome comfort in his world that had been flipped on its head. He allowed their fingers to interweave and they found a comfortable pace that quickly took them to the library.

Now, ordinarily one would never catch Harry Potter dead in the Hogwarts Library unless he had been brought there by Hermione in her sisterly efforts to keep him on top of his classwork, which he very much appreciated even though he'd never said it yet. Or he was breaking into the Restricted Section as he had done for two years running now.

But this time was different. It was different, firstly, because he was not in the company of Ron and Hermione. Secondly, he was actually looking for something that neither of his friends were even faintly aware of. Thirdly, Ginny was helping him. She needed the distraction, he could tell.

The memory of a faint blush as the youngest Weasley holding his hand all the way to the library was lingering in his mind still, but he didn't let it distract him from his task.

It was an hour before they found anything.

The 12 year old Gryffindor turned the page of the seemingly ancient book he was reading, scanning for a particular word that had yet to pop up at all. Then he heard the welcomed soft and timid voice of his fire-haired companion.

"I think I found something."

Rounding the table, Harry peered over Ginny's shoulder down at her book, unintentionally resting his chin on her shoulder. She was presently reading Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy which basically listed all the magical families ever recorded. Curiously, he glanced from Ub to Uc and she started reading through.

"Among the least known of the pureblood families, believed to originate from before the earth divided into the continents of today, are the Uchiha."

Harry almost fell on his arse when he heard the passage. He read it himself to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Then he silently read the entirety of it.

Among the least known of the pureblood families, believed to originate from before the earth divided into the continents of today, are the Uchiha. They are the eldest of pureblood lines, rivalled only in age by their cousin family with whom they are believed to have a fierce blood feud dating back beyond recorded history; the Senju. This feud later extended to the branch family of the Senju, the Uzumaki. The Uchiha family was rendered extinct when no male scions were born to the last bearer of the Uchiha's noble name, recorded as Sasuke Uchiha.

Such a small passage! But it was at least a start. And it even mentioned Sasuke by name. It was more than he'd hoped for.

"Well done Ginny." Harry congratulated her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'd never had thought to look in this kind of book."

The only response he got was a smile, but it was bigger and happier than the last, so he called it a win. Harry looked up at the clock and noted the time. It seemed they didn't have much time left.

Shrugging, he called it a day and helped Ginny put the books they'd already looked through back where they got them from. He also noted down a title before he left; Power and Precision, a book on the fundamentals of magic itself. He had a strange feeling that it would come to be useful to him.

On their way through the corridors, a certain troublemaker ghost swung by.

"Lookie here, it's lil' Potty and his baby Weasel!" Peeves cackled.

Harry, deciding he didn't want to take any of Peeves' mischief and Ginny didn't need to, glared him right in the eyes venomously. "Beat it Peeves."

For some reason, the resident annoyance looked absolutely terrified and shot right off through a wall. It was then that he felt the flow of energy to his eyes, and realised he must have repeated what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets and the Hospital Wing because his vision was changed massively. It was far sharper in detail.

As they passed a mirror, he noticed the change in his eyes again. Harry stopped and stood in front of if, removing his glasses and, strangely, seeing perfectly without them for once. Weird.

Then his vision was overwritten by a scene he'd never witnessed.

"No clan feels deeper love than the Uchiha. And that's why they suppressed and sealed it away." A man dressed in blue battle armour and of spiky grey hair declared.

Tobirama Senju.

"What do mean?" Harry heard himself demand in Sasuke's voice.

"Once a member of the Uchiha comes to know love, it is as if all their previously checked emotions are released. Strong love and power exceeding even the Senju's awaken. Except that it is quite problematic. This great power hides within it the possibility of losing control. When an Uchiha has known love, then loses that deep love, it is replaced by an even stronger hate that changes them. I've seen it happen quite a few times. And that's when a special condition emerges."

"A special condition?"

"When an Uchiha writhes in agony over the loss of a great love, or from disappointment in themselves, a unique chakra is released in their brain and reacts with their optic nerves. Changes appear in that person's eyes, this phenomenon is called the Sharingan. Eyes that reflect the heart. The Sharingan taps into the power of that person's heart, rapidly increasing their strength, along with the power of their hate."

The strange flash of memory that didn't belong to him ended, and Harry was looking in the mirror again.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny inquired with concern. It was so strange to hear that for him.

Harry nodded. "Just lost in thought for a moment."

'So these eyes are called Sharingan.' He thought to himself. 'Well I have no idea where that memory came from, but it helps.'

Concentrating on the energy flow to his eyes, Harry tried to stop it. No effect. It seemed like he was stuck with these eyes, and he could already feel the drain they had. Well, he was tired from the Chamber already and the events after so it was eating up what strength he had left.

Concentrating, Harry tried again and, this time he viciously cut it and his new Sharingan faded back into his emerald eyes. He'd have to experiment later, but he had to get to the Great Hall with Ginny. He intended to break his little tradition from last year and sit next to her because he was determined not to leave her to deal with what had happened alone. God knew how he wasn't in the best way because he'd dealt with this stuff alone.

"Let's go, Harry." Ginny pushed gently. And this time, there wasn't a hint of sadness in her smile.

Albus Dumbledore, unseen by either Harry or Ginny Weasley, sat at the head table during the feast whilst he stared intently at the 12 year old. His eyes sparkled with curiosity behind his half-moon spectacles.

A little know talent he possessed was the ability to sense a person's magical aura, which allowed him many insights, such as the ability to gauge an individual's power, detect dishonesty and so on and so forth. Each person's magic was unique, it had a particular nature to it and also portrayed an aura.

And, curiously, young Harry's aura was not the same as before he had daringly braved the Chamber of Secrets. It was previously warm and open, a reflection of Harry himself, but now it was stronger and also… colder. His presence felt closed off, guarded, and he could no longer read Harry's intentions through it. The intent behind the power Harry held was now sharper and more precise, purposeful. He had only ever experienced such a presence once before, years ago, and it tickled his curiosities.

Regardless, he remained silent throughout the meal and after his final speech of the year left the Great Hall, pondering the change in Harry even as Minerva McGonagall approached him.

"How are they Albus?"

The twinkle returned to his eyes as Dumbledore replied with a joyful tone. "Miss Weasley is rested well, on the way to recovering from her ordeal, and Mr Potter is making his best efforts to be of comfort to her. I would dare to say that they will find themselves in good spirits soon enough."

"Are you sure?" The Transfiguration Professor questioned. "Such ordeals should not be so swiftly overlooked, they shape a person."

"I am aware, Minerva. Alas, none know the influence of Lord Voldemort better than Harry to my sorrow, and how to retain oneself through it. It seems he has the ability and the desire to comfort young Ginevra. He himself has been changed by the encounter in the Chamber, although for better or worse I cannot yet profess."

"Come on Harry!"

"Can't be late!"

"Or ickle Gin Gin will get lonely!"

"So if you're done gawking at the castle…"

"Move it Potter!" The twins shouted good-naturedly, ending off their twin speak with a chorus that told Harry to move it or lose it. He rolled his eyes and turned away from the castle that was like home to him, being yanked onto the train by Fred, who'd already had his trunk in hand. George proceeded to just as gently bringing Ginny along too, pulling her trunk as well.

"I'm coming." Harry grumbled. "No need to push."

Fred and George just laughed and kept pushing him around by his head. Between the twins, Harry and Ginny were escorted through the train and into the compartment Ron and Hermione had claimed for their group.

Harry went to put up his trunk onto the rack but Fred pushed him into a seat. "Oh no, Harry!"

"Madam Pomfrey told you not to stress yourself." George added with a grin.

"So no lifting for you!"

"Instead, you have to sit…"

"... and look pretty…"

"... with Ginny!"

George took that moment to shove Ginny at Harry, making him catch her. The youngest of the Weasleys waited until Harry had put her back on her feet to sit down next to him and glare halfheartedly at her brother, muttering,

"I hate you guys sometimes."

"And love us the others!" The twins chorused, sitting themselves down in the two empty seats left in the compartment, which happened to be the ones by the door. That had been deliberate, and everyone knew it. It was to prevent anyone from leaving without the twins' permission, which was unlikely to be granted considering the face-splitting grins on their mugs.

Despite the twins being their usual selves, Ginny still ended up comfortable enough resting her head tiredly on Harry's shoulder. And when Malfoy made his regular visit, he found the twins' wands in his face before he could even get out a word

Not that anyone was actually paying attention. Ron and Hermione were playing wizard's chess, Harry and Ginny were making a perfect imitation of sleeping while actually just resting comfortably, and the twins were, of course, observing the game of chess and offering comments whilst not even sparing Malfoy a glance. The only things directed at him were the two wands. And it was enough to send the Slytherin trio back out of the compartment and back to their lurking.

The rest of the journey was pleasant.

And when the time came to disembark at Platform 9¾, the twins took down all the trunks and moved them off the train, escorting the group off to their mother who greeted them on the platform with loving hugs. Even Harry and Hermione didn't escape the friendly greeting.

Together, the large group made their way out to the car park where Harry's happiness inevitably ended. Just as with last year, the Dursleys were waiting impatiently. Also there were Hermione's parents, who whisked her away after goodbyes. All the Weasleys glared disapprovingly at the Dursleys, knowing of Harry's treatment the previous summer. Ron and the twins especially.

"You're gonna write this summer, yeah?" Ron asked.

Harry allowed himself a small smile. "This time my mail won't be intercepted by a well-meaning house elf so yeah. I'll send one soon."

"Let us know if the muggles give you any trouble Harrikins." Fred told him sternly.

"Yeah, we know some ways to keep them in line without magic." George contributed with a wink.

Harry nodded with a small wink of his own. He merely shook hands with Percy, and got another crushing hug from Mrs Weasley.

"Keep out of trouble Harry, I mean it." The mother of seven said in a motherly way. No pun intended.

"No promises."

Last but definitely not least was Ginny.

There were no words at first. Ginny simply leapt sorrowfully at him, hugging Harry tight around the neck. His arms locked around her back, thankful for the contact he didn't have to fear. He dared to stand there for a while, longer than he should maybe, before pulling back enough to be face to face with Ginny.

"Whenever you need anything, for any reason, I'm only an owl away." Harry promised. "Stay safe Ginny."

A shaky but brave smile appeared on her tearful face. "That goes double for you too Harry."

He knew what went unsaid behind those words.

I wish you didn't have to leave, I need you close.

Hugging Ginny tight once more, Harry answered with a mournful heart.

"I know."