Why did Harry Potter save Ginny Weasley from the basilisk?
He was trying to find and stop whoever was petrifying people at Hogwarts (a first-year student, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Nearly- Headless Nick, Hermione and a Ravenclaw girl). He comes to learn that a basilisk is involved, and is in the chamber of secrets. Before he can do anything, he learns that Ginny Weasley has been taken into the chamber. In the chamber, Harry meets a younger Tom Riddle (a/k/a Lord Voldemort), and learns that Tom has been enchanting Ginny through his journal. Tom summons a basilisk to kill Harry, and Harry is defending himself and kills the basilisk. He then destoys the journal, which destroys Tom, and awakens Ginny. (You learn in later novels that the diary is a Horcrux).
