Harry wasn't even surprised at how easy Fawkes made the journey look, despite having three people clinging onto him, along with a heavy sword, a destroyed book and an old hat that could talk. But they were soon back in the proper halls of Hogwarts, the bird floating slowly in front of them, leading them through the corridors as if it already knew what their destination had to be. Ginny was still understandably shaken from the experience and required the continued support from the two students with her. Each step, and there were a lot of them, was difficult. Harry didn't really know what to say to soothe her troubled mind; it was clear to see that they weren't really the ones that could provide her any comfort.

Fawkes was leading them down a familiar path and it wasn't long before they were outside Dumbledore's office, or what had once been his office before his removal. The gargoyle moved aside instantly at their arrival and Harry wondered whether it automatically did that for the special bird or someone was waiting for their presence. As they ascended the spiralling staircase, it became apparent that it was likely the latter option, since voices could be heard coming from the room within. When they opened the door, there was a lot to take in. A pair of redheads swarmed past them in a whirr after a second's hesitation, the two unknown people taking Ginny from them and embracing her tearfully. Harry was faintly aware of Professor McGonagall's presence as she clutched her chest that was rising and falling rapidly, as well as Professor Dumbledore, who soon had Fawkes perched on his shoulder.

But his focus wasn't truly on them. It was on the other person in the room. Matthew sat on one of the armchairs, although he stood up to greet them, a large smile on his face. It was quite apparent that Hermione's gaze had found the same target as she was rushing on him with some force, running to hug him. As they connected, Matthew gently raised her and spun her around giddily, something that made even McGonagall crack a smile at. Harry didn't expect the same response from his friend when they parted but Matthew was soon hugging him too, though without the spinning because they were still boys .

"It seems that you two don't really need me," Matthew commented with a smirk. "Although I like to think I still managed to influence you. After all, would you really be reckless enough to go down into the Chamber of Secrets if you hadn't been around me for two years?"

"It's good to see that you haven't lost any of your cockiness since you've been asleep," Hermione replied, wiping away a few tears. Matthew gently lifted her chin and caught the last few with his thumb, and her eyes couldn't be torn away from his. "Don't think that being charming and tender is enough to get you out of trouble, mister. You have a lot of explaining to do!"

Matthew winced. "Do I not get a day off at least? Preferably until we're off the Express and I can escape to safety before you shout at me? I have just recovered from a basilisk attack." If he was looking for sympathy, he wasn't going to get much of it. Harry was still mulling over Riddle's words, making him doubt the intentions of his friend. But he was too relieved to see that he was okay to truly dwell on it. And having a family crying happily in the corner wasn't really the ideal setting to ask the desired questions.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Hermione said, poking him with every word to emphasise her frustration. "You could have gotten yourself killed. You went off on your own when you should have brought us along. What have I told you about you no longer having to do things on your own anymore? We're supposed to be a team."

"I guess old habits die hard. Although…" Matthew held out his hands defensively, knowing she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "...if I'd brought you along, then it's likely that you would have been petrified too and then where would we be? Not to mention that you could have gotten yourself killed in the chamber so you don't really have the moral high ground."

"He's right," one of the red heads said, wiping at her face. She was a middle aged woman, wrinkles creasing around her kind eyes. "You could have been killed. And yet you didn't even think about that in the hope of saving my Ginny." Her eyes began to well up again. "Oh, thank you! I don't know what we would have done without you today. Our little girl." She walked up to Harry, who eyed her tearful face warily. "I'm Molly Weasley. Obviously, I know who you are and you've definitely lived up to your name. Do you mind if I…give you a hug?"

Harry glanced at his friends briefly. Hermione looked just as concerned. Matthew was smirking at how uncomfortable he was. He'd barely begun to nod his head when she was embracing him, her portly figure bringing a lot more strength than he'd been expecting. At one point, Harry was definitely sure that she was trying to crush him. He thought of the times Hermione had hugged him, or even Matthew just then. This hug felt different. This was a hug from a mum . Of course, not his mum, but a mum all the same. There was an added warmth to it, a sense of safety that only a mum could provide. He couldn't remember the hugs his mum would have undoubtedly given him during his first year and it filled him with an overwhelming sadness. But he allowed himself to enjoy the hug, to kid himself for a second that this was his own mother.

When they broke apart, all eyes were on Harry and he shuffled his feet awkwardly. He'd got lost in his head for quite some time there. The other redhead, a similar age to Molly, evidently her husband, strided over with his arm outstretched. He shook Harry's hand vigorously, his cheeks unashamedly stained by tears.

"Arthur Weasley…I won't bang on about how wonderful it is to meet you because I reckon you've heard that enough in your short life."

Harry was surprised that someone other than his close circle of friends understood that principle. It was a breath of fresh air.

"So I'll say thank you," Arthur continued. "And I'll never be able to say thank you enough for what you've done today. We're indebted to you, for sure."

Harry didn't like the sound of that at all. "No, please. That's the last thing I want."

"I'm afraid you're not going to convince me otherwise! To think that I almost lost my only daughter today…if it hadn't been for you…and you, of course!" He turned towards Hermione, who looked rather displeased that the attention had shifted onto her. "Hermione Granger, if I'm not mistaken? You've come up in conversation before when our sons have spoken about school. How you're such good friends with Harry here - may I call you Harry, by the way?" He was shaking Hermione's hand with the same level of giddy relief whilst Harry dumbly nodded his head.

"Harry said that it was Hermione who really saved me," Ginny added to the conversation, looking at the other girl with something close to worship. Matthew was enjoying this far too much, and Hermione discreetly stood on his toes for his behaviour.

"And I told you that that's not necessarily accurate!" Hermione tried to protest but it was in vain.

"Whether it's accurate or not, I'd like to know why it was down to two students to save my Ginny," Molly Weasley said in a clipped tone, looking accusingly at the two professors. "And how they managed to do so."

It took a considerable amount of time to explain all the details. Everyone listened in rapt attention at the tale, including Matthew, who was keen to see how his friends had performed without him. McGonagall exclaimed at the mention of Lockhart's treachery and was sent to take care of him, whether he was still unconscious in his office or not. Harry's voice was growing hoarse by the time the story was reaching its end and he was faintly aware that Dumbledore's expression had barely shifted during the entire narrative. Once he'd finished, the Weasleys, including a tearful Ginny who had grown more emotional when her part in events was recounted, were sent to the Hospital Wing to make sure there were no lasting effects on her psyche. As they were leaving, Arthur paused as he passed the two boys, leaning down conspiratorially.

"One of my sons, Ron…you probably know him…he sent me a letter concerning a secret underground compartment in Malfoy Manor, which has unearthed quite a horde of dark magical artefacts. My discovery of this has led to an unexpected promotion and I was wondering…Ron said that he got the information from a source who didn't want to be known…you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Matthew tapped his nose at Harry with a wink, who was incredibly pleased to see that the Malfoy's had had some comeuppance at last. "Would it change anything if we did?"

Arthur grinned, knowing exactly what that answer meant. "I suppose it wouldn't. I hope to see you again sometime. It's been a pleasure."

His departure meant they were left with Dumbledore, who was stroking Fawkes' head softly. "I suppose I will have to search for another Defence Against the Dark Arts professor once more. We seem to be going through them alarmingly quickly."

"Not that it's a great loss," Matthew grumbled. "He's lucky that Professor McGonagall was sent to take care of him. If I got my hands on him after what he tried to do…" He didn't finish his sentence. The threat was plain to see.

"I can assure you that Professor McGonagall is perfectly capable of…how did you put it…take care of him. He won't be willing to return to Hogwarts for a long time afterwards, I would think. Perhaps they will come across Hagrid on his way up. I've just received news of his release from Azkaban in much happier news."

Hary and Matthew smiled in relief but Hermione was tapping her foot, looking at Matthew impatiently. "Are you going to explain yourself then? Why did you have the diary?"

Matthew's nose scrunched in discomfort. "Are you not going to give me any time to recover from my traumatic experience?" He waited for a response but all she did was fold her arms. "Fine." They picked up on the fact that he was occasionally glancing in the direction of the headmaster, as if for guidance. "That final detention I had here…it was after Professor Dumbledore had realised the truth behind the diary after he'd looked over it. He explained who Riddle was and it got me thinking. Things were falling into place but I just needed the last piece of the jigsaw. So…without him knowing…I took the diary to the library to help with my research. We'd come to the conclusion that the diary was linked to the monster so I thought I'd be able to bring it out of hiding. Obviously, with Voldemort being involved, the likelihood of the monster being of the serpent variety was incredibly high, which led me to the basilisk discovery. By then though, I'd taken my eye off the diary and that was where Ginny came in. I only had time to protect the only other student in the library with me but that meant I couldn't defend myself as much as I would have liked. Trust me…I would have come to get you both to help but there was barely any time between my realisation and my petrification."

Hermione didn't look totally convinced, looking over at Dumbledore. "And you had no part to play in this?"

Matthew and Harry looked shocked at how she'd spoken to the headmaster. The Hermione they'd first met wouldn't have dreamed of doing such a thing. Matthew quickly answered for the professor. "Only I'm responsible for what happened. Thankfully, you were smart enough to piece together the same clues."

She knew what he was doing. Attempting to flatter him so that she would stop questioning her. Hermione was insulted that he thought it would work. Whilst she continued to glare in Matthew's direction, Harry took it upon himself to bring up something that had been bugging him since he'd come face to face with Riddle, and probably way before that.

"Professor," he said and Dumbledore's attention snapped to him. "Riddle…I mean, Voldemort…he said he was fascinated by me. He was making it out as if we were linked and I'm concerned that…he might be right. Just look at my parseltongue abilities. Is it too much of a coincidence for us both to have that power?"

Dumbledore shuffled his hands awkwardly. "I'm wondering if this is a conversation that is best done in private."

Harry looked at Hermione and Matthew in time, who had put their little discussion to one side. "Whatever you tell me, I'll only break it to them later."

The headmaster smiled softly. "I'm not one to believe a great deal in coincidences, Harry. You can speak parseltongue because Lord Voldemort, as a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin, can do so. Unless I'm sorely mistaken, the night that Voldemort attacked your family, he somehow transferred some of his powers into you, along with that scar. I'm sure he didn't intend to do that but, alas, it was the end product of his actions."

Harry took a deep breath. "Voldemort put a bit of himself…into me?"

"It is only a theory at this time but, over my many years, my gut instincts have tended to be correct."

"So I should have been in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat…it wanted to put me into Slytherin because it must have seen those powers. Maybe I'm not so different from him after all."

"That's a load of nonsense," Matthew interjected.

"Mister Mormont is, as ever, correct, although a tad ineloquent," Dumbledore agreed. "The crucial part of the matter is that the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You certainly do possess many of the traits that are lauded in Slytherin. Resourcefulness, determination, a blatant disregard for the rules. Yet you ended up in Gryffindor…"

"Only because I asked the hat to put me there," Harry grumbled.

Dumbledore's eyes lit up. "Precisely! You chose to go to Gryffindor. You will find that, no matter how many similarities you share with the former Tom Riddle, it is your choices that set you apart from him. You must remember that." A bony finger traced the sword that was lying on his desk. "Frankly, I am surprised that such doubts remain after today's events. After all, for Godric Gryffindor's sword to be summoned, one must hold true the values he placed above all the rest."

Harry's mouth hung open. Hermione's eyes were wide, wondering how she had missed such an obvious detail. She guessed that's what happened when a basilisk was trying to eat you. But there it was, emblazoned just below the hilt. Godric Gryffindor . Harry sputtered in astonishment.

"This belonged to…Godric Gryffindor?"

"Meaning only a true Gryffindor could have produced it from the Sorting Hat. You should be very proud. Although I would recommend leaving it with me in here. It could cause quite a lot of damage and I would hate for Mister Malfoy to lose an ear in one of your many arguments, not only because of all the paperwork that would ensue."

It was as if the name had summoned him, as the doors to the office banged open. Dumbledore barely reacted, as if he'd somehow seen that it was about to happen, whilst the kids jumped in fright. Lucius Malfoy strode in, closely followed by a quivering creature by his feet. Dobby could barely meet their eyes as his owner fumed visibly. Matthew raised his eyebrows at his two friends as they finally got confirmation that their theory concerning the identity of Dobby's masters had been right. Malfoy sneered at the sight of them, but his attention was firmly on the headmaster.

"So it's true," he snapped. "You're back. Despite the wishes of all the governors, you have returned to Hogwarts."

Harry was sure that Dumbledore's unfazed demeanour was annoying Malfoy greatly. "It's an interesting story, Lucius. I was minding my own business, as a disgraced former headmaster could only do, when the other eleven governors contacted me. The news had reached them of Arthur Weasley's daughter supposedly being killed and desperately wished for me to come back. It seems that their attitudes have changed drastically, for they now see me as the best man for the job. There were murmurs of you threatening their families if they didn't agree to suspend me originally, but I have no doubt that such stories were just born out of the stress of the situation."

"Quite. You're awfully calm for someone under such stress . I suppose you've stopped the attacks then? And found the culprit?"

"I had a great deal of help but yes. And you'll be interested to know that the culprit was the same one as fifty years ago. But Lord Voldemort was using a conduit this time to enact his deadly plan. Through a simple object." Dumbledore raised the destroyed diary.

"How very fortunate that you discovered this in time. I would call it…miraculous."

Harry was confused. Not by the conversation but by Dobby, who was doing a strange gesture with his head, nodding it towards Malfoy, then the diary, and then back again in a cycle that was making him dizzy. It took a few goes for Harry to comprehend what the house elf was trying to convey.

"I'm sorry to hear about your news, Mister Malfoy," Harry said and he soon had a hooked nose pointed in his direction.

"News?"

"Yes…about how the Ministry found a stash of dark magical objects in your house after a second search. I have no idea how they would have thought to check a hidden room below your house but I guess that's just bad luck."

Malfoy looked furious. "I'm sure you have a point to your comment."

"It's just that a diary like this, possessing Voldemort's consciousness, would fit in perfectly with such a collection."

"What are you trying to say, boy?"

"Nothing that he can prove," Dumbledore answered, just to be safe. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. Although I would still advise you not to be giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's possessions in the future. With your new record, I'm sure it wouldn't be long before you were implicated."

Malfoy looked as if he wanted to say a lot of things but he bit his lip (so hard that Harry was sure that blood would be drawn). "Dobby! We're leaving!" The Malfoy patriarch kicked the house elf towards the door, the poor creature limping through the exit, giving them one last, pitiful look.

Matthew nudged Harry. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He gestured his head towards the burnt out book.

Harry's eyes sparkled. "Hermione, do you mind giving me a hand with something? Matthew shouldn't be involved after how close he got to being expelled last time."

Their friend was slowly catching on. "I'll do whatever you need."

"Oh, sure," Matthew complained. "Cut me out of the fun, why don't you? Just because you're scared you'll lose me again. I'm touched."

"Professor," Harry said, smirking at Matthew. "Could I borrow the diary for a second?"

Dumbledore slid the object over immediately with a knowing twinkle in his eye. "I'm going to pretend like I don't know what you're about to do."

With Hermione by his side, they raced out from the office, catching Malfoy and Dobby approaching the end of the corridor outside. The house elf's yelps were audible with every kick the wizard was giving him.

"Mister Malfoy!" Harry shouted. "You forgot this!"

Lucius Malfoy turned around slowly and angrily. "What are you talking about?" He was at a loss for words when Harry shoved the book into his spare hand. He glared down at the item. "What are you trying to do? Make a point? Be funny? It's this sort of behaviour that'll see you meet the same sticky end as your parents." He nonchalantly threw the diary at Dobby, who just about managed to catch it. "Come on, elf. I don't want to spend any more time here than strictly necessary."

The house elf didn't listen. Hermione was crouched down next to him, whispering into one of his large ears. He held the book open, where a grey, dirty sock had been pressed in between the pages. Dobby held it aloft, staring at it in wonderment. Malfoy's mouth hung open.

"Master has given Dobby clothes!" the creature sang. "Master threw it to me!"

"No…no! You little…you've cost me my servant!" Malfoy snapped, turning on the children.

Dobby held out his hand, empowered by the new freedom. "You shall not hurt Harry Potter or his friends!" With a click of his fingers, a bang echoed along the corridor and Malfoy was sent soaring through the air. He landed in an ungraceful heap, wanting to get back up to seek immediate revenge. But Dobby was unwavering, his glare as menacing as a creature his size could produce. With no other choice, Malfoy got to his feet and stomped away, his cloak billowing behind him. When he turned around the corner, Harry and Hermione burst out into delighted laughter.

"Harry!" she said, hugging him on instinct. "That was amazing! I can't believe it worked!"

Harry was too dumbfounded by the contact, which was happening a lot more regularly. Which allowed Dobby to join in on the act, embracing his leg. "You have freed Dobby!"

"I have to go and tell Matthew! He'll be so annoyed that he missed that show!" Hermione scarpered off, making the short run back up the stairs, only stopping short when she got to the door of Dumbledore's office. She could hear them speaking inside, and it definitely didn't seem like the most pleasant of conversations.

"Did you know that Voldemort was involved from the start?" It was Matthew, his voice seething. Hermione couldn't believe he'd talk in such a manner to the headmaster.

"Fifty years ago, I could never prove that Tom Riddle was behind the attacks," Dumbledore answered calmly. "The same was the case over this past year. I had my suspicions but nothing that could be acted upon. Not until the diary was brought to me."

"You should have known that something that dark was in the school. Don't you have wards in place for that sort of thing?"

"Alas, that is a capability that is beyond even your abilities."

Hermione frowned. What did he mean by that?

"I did everything I could once I knew the diary was a factor," Dumbledore pressed on. "I even allowed you to take it to try to stop the monster yourself. But you found that no wizard could defeat a basilisk on their own."

"Well…you know I'm not exactly a wizard, am I? I thought I'd stand a better chance."

Hermione's world seemed to crash and crumble around her. What was she hearing? How could Matthew not be a wizard? None of this was making any sense.

"We're incredibly indebted to your friends. They are truly remarkable people. I'm glad that you've been able to find them…after your ordeal."

"Yeah…me too."

The next thing Hermione knew, the door was being opened and she backed away quickly, coming face to face with Matthew. He gazed at her inquisitively for a second before his expression turned warm and he smiled at her. "Is everything okay? You look a bit pale. Did Malfoy do something? Where's Harry?"

Hermione didn't know how to act around him. "No…um…I was just about to get you. I think Dobby is still worshipping Harry like a god so I thought you might like…to see that."

"You know me so well," Matthew said with a grin as he walked past her.

Hermione watched him go for a second, thinking how, after what she'd heard, that couldn't have been further from the truth.