Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns the characters and the world of Harry Potter.

PROLOGUE

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Mister Weasley," Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, asked the dirty faced, ginger haired twelve-year-old boy. "If you would have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban. I believe we would very much like to have our gamekeeper back." He paused, then turned his attention on the remaining student; a green-eyed, bespectacled boy with untidy raven coloured hair. Other than a lightning bolt scar on his forehead above his right eye, there was wasn't really anything strange about his appearance. "I'd like a few more words with Harry…"

Ronald Weasley, 'Ron' to his friends, nodded an acknowledgement, then headed towards the door of the headmaster's office.

When Ron had left the office and the door was closed behind them, Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire.

"Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry Potter sat nervously in the facing chair.

"First of all," Dumbledore began pleasantly. "I must give you my thanks. You must have shown true loyalty to me down the Chamber of Secrets. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."

As if aware of the fact that he was being talked about, the red and gold feathered phoenix fluttered down from its perch to land on Dumbledore's knee. Harry smiled awkwardly. Dumbledore absently began stroking the bird as he watched Harry.

"And, so you met Tom Riddle," Dumbledore stated. "I can only imagine that he was very interested in you.

Harry frowned as he recalled the events that took place earlier in the evening. "Sir," Harry began then let his voice trail off as he thought how best to put it. "When I was down there, Riddle said I was like him. Strange likeness, he said…"

"Did he now…?" said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully under his thick silver eyebrows. He pushed his half-moon spectacles further up the bridge of his nose. "And, what do you think?"

"Me?" Harry said a little louder than he intended. "I'm nothing like him! I mean, I'm in Gryffindor, I'm…"

He let his voice trail off. In the back of his mind, Harry could feel a lingering doubt begin to push its way forward. "Professor," he started again after a moment. "Back at the start of my first year, the sorting hat said I'd do well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir… because I'm a Parseltongue…"

"Harry," Dumbledore answered. "You're a Parseltongue, because Lord Voldemort – the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin – is a Parseltongue. Now, unless I am very much mistaken, he transferred some of his powers to you the night he killed your parents and gave you that scar."

Harry was dumbfounded. "Voldemort transferred some of his powers to me?"

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "Not intentionally, I'm sure…"

Harry winced as he felt a sudden sharp pain in forehead. Instinctively, he raised his hand to the scar. And, then he heard a voice. It seemed distant, but it reverberated around his head all the same. He recognised the voice an instant later. It was Ginny Weasley's voice.

"No, don't hurt him!" Ginny's voice cried out as another sharp pain seemed sear across his scar. "Tom, he's never done anything to you."

"Harry," Dumbledore asked him suddenly from the opposing chair. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Harry tried to reassure him. "Just a bit of a headache."

He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them a minute later, he was no longer in Dumbledore's office…

Before him was the Chamber of Secrets. It was just as he knew it would be. Towering serpentine statues lined the long stone walkway that led to the far end where the giant oversized stone bust of Salazar Slytherin's head seemed to cast its evil gaze upon him. At the base of the sculpture lying sprawled on the ground was a bedraggled Ginny. She wasn't looking at the bust, but at a tall handsome dark-haired figure in Slytherin robes. It was the sixteen-year-old form of Lord Voldemort, back when he still went by his true name of Tom Riddle.

"You're wrong, Ginny Weasley," Riddle said mockingly. "Harry Potter has done a great deal of harm to me. Eleven years ago I used the Killing Curse on him. But, it rebounded. I want to know how he managed it."

Ginny laughed humourlessly. "Good luck finding out. He was just a year old when that happened. He doesn't even remember it."

"Don't mock me!" Riddle screamed as he kicked Ginny in the head. Harry winced, expecting her to cry out in pain as the foot connected with her head. It didn't. Instead, it seemed to pass right through her.

But, it didn't leave her unaffected. Ginny at that moment fell unconscious as Riddle sighed in pleasure. He smiled maliciously. "That's better," he said to himself as a stalked round Ginny. "Physical form."

Everything in Harry was telling him to run to Ginny's side and make sure she was alive, but he was rooted to the spot. Suddenly, he felt a presence beside him and he glanced to his right.

Standing beside him was Ginny. Harry blinked and looked back towards Slytherin's giant bust where Ginny was still lying unconscious. He turned his attention to the Ginny that stood beside him. What is this? He mentally screamed at himself.

"I was just about to ask that," Ginny beside him said. This Ginny was clean, as were her Gryffindor robes. "I was in the hospital wing, in one of the beds. Madam Pomfery had just given me one of her sleeping draughts…" Ginny's brow creased in thought. "I thought I was dreaming until you appeared."

"I appeared?" Harry asked, sounding confused. "It was you who suddenly appeared to me!"

"Harry," Ginny began trying to keep her temper down from Harry's outburst. "Think. Where were you before you appeared here?"

"In Dumbledore's office…" Harry trailed off. Behind him, he could hear the sound of metal grinding. Someone was entering the chamber. Harry couldn't explain it, but he had the distinct feeling if he turned around, he'd very shortly see himself come through the round, rust covered door. He refused to look back, even as Ginny, beside him, did. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Riddle.

Riddle looked startled. Almost as if he hadn't expected to hear the noise of the chamber's entrance opening up. He quickly moved off to the side out of sight of the entrance, his feet echoing in the vast chamber as he moved.

A moment later, Harry winced as a form passed through him and ran up to the unconscious Ginny. It almost, felt like the brief chill that was felt if one of the ghosts passed through you. It was himself. It looked like he'd been through hell. His face was dirty and covered in sweat. His permanently messed up hair was matted to his head. "This isn't real," Harry quietly commented. "He was completely unaware we were standing here."

Instinctively, he and the Ginny beside him followed the other Harry up the walkway to where the unconscious Ginny lay.

"Ginny!" the other Harry cried out as he dropped to his knees. It was a strange feeling, almost like Deja-vu, knowing what was about to be said before it was even said. "Ginny! Don't be dead! Please don't be dead!" Harry winced as he watched himself toss aside his wand.

Harry shook his head. That was stupid. I shouldn't have disarmed myself. Beside me, I could feel Ginny's silent agreement. The other Harry grasped the unconscious Ginny's shoulders as he mildly shook her, hoping she'd wake up. She didn't, just as Harry knew she wouldn't. He could distinctly remember just how cold she felt when he'd taken one of her hands in his; cold and clammy…

He watched himself do just that. Then something happened that he didn't remember.

He barely noticed it at first, but then he saw them. Two bluish vapour-like orbs of light emerged from the other Harry's chest. Both glowed brightly yet cast no light on the surroundings, one seemingly more radiant than the other. At the same time, a third much larger very similar vapour-like orb, but golden in colour, emerged from the other Ginny's chest and rose to join the first two a few feet off the stone floor.

Riddle had now emerged from where he'd been hiding, and both he and the other Harry were exchanging words. He now held other Harry's wand. But, Harry wasn't really watching what was going on. He already knew what Riddle was telling the other Harry.

The three orbs were circling around one another like they were participating in some bizarre dance. And, then they weren't. The brighter of the two bluish orbs and the larger golden orb suddenly flew straight at one another before commingling into a single even larger orb that seemed to be simultaneously blue and golden in colour. The slightly dimmer orb continued its regular orbit…

"Wow," Ginny murmured from Harry's side. "Beautiful. Do you know what this means?"

Harry frowned. He definitely had no idea. All he knew was that this was something he was going to have to ask Dumbledore about. But, he suddenly realised, he was going to make sure Ginny was with him when he did ask. "Harry, watch!" Ginny said sharply beside him.

Turning his gaze back on the orbs, he watched as the now mixed blue and golden orb split into two slightly smaller orbs. Slowly, the two orbs drifted back down and merged into the other Harry and Ginny. When they'd completely merged, a strange thought occurred to Harry. Both orbs were still equally bluish and golden in colour.

Still floating above the other Harry and Ginny the remaining orb suddenly seemed flare brightly and spasm, growing suddenly larger and then smaller before returning to its original size. It slowly started to drift down.

Harry shivered. He suddenly didn't want to watch anymore, so he turned his gaze on Ginny. She was watching him as much as he was watching her and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. Somehow, he just knew she wanted to kiss him too. He also realised in that moment, that the crush Ginny had on him back in August had nothing to do with it.

He reached out to her at the same time she began reaching out for him, ready to take each other into the others arms. Tilting his head down, Harry held Ginny against himself and kissed her on the lips.

Suddenly, Ginny broke the kiss. But, it wasn't for a need of air. She was wincing in pain and was holding her hand to her forehead. "Ginny," Harry asked. "What's wrong?"

Backing up a couple of steps, Harry watched her carefully. It was Ginny's right hand that she had placed on her forehead, and it wasn't completely covering her forehead either. The left half was still exposed.

Harry had a very bad feeling about this. When his own scar hurt, that was exactly what he did. "Ginny," he said carefully, not wanting to say what he was about to say. "Lower your hand."

She shook her head.

"Lower your hand," Harry repeated, trying to put a bit more force into his words.

Ginny did so.

Harry groaned inwardly.

"Harry," Ginny asked him worriedly. "What do you see?"

"Ginny," Harry said sadly. "You've got one too."

Reaching out to her, Harry pulled Ginny into a hug and kissed her again

Harry could say nothing more. He just closed his eyes as he thought about what he'd just seen. Ginny Weasley's forehead now bore a lightning bolt scar, just like his own.