Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is the second story I've posted in two days - aren't you proud of me? :P Anyway, this takes place during the Terrible Trio's second year at Hogwarts, and Ginny's first.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor do I own bits of the dialogue.

Tom Riddle's (diary) Point of View

I like him, but he never notices me and I can't talk around him.

His name is Harry Potter.

Every time she writes in this diary, emotions blast me. Something wells up in my throat… It cannot be explained by mere words. It's much greater than that. I don't understand it.

I feel things like annoyance and pride for her, even anguish sometimes.

I don't even know her name.

That's why I brought her down to the Chamber. I wanted to meet her in person. First, though, I had to make sure that she killed the roosters. I didn't want my beautiful serpent dying because I was careless.

The first time I saw her, I made her return to the surface and write her death confirmation in blood on the wall. She was too beautiful for me to let go.

Her mind was wonderful, thoughtful, but she herself was breathtaking. Though she was a child of only eleven, there was a huge lack of innocence in her pale, pretty blue eyes. From far away, she looked exactly like young Lily Evans. As she came closer, though, I saw differences – freckles, and those eyes. She was stunning, even as a first year.

Harry Potter had it good.

When she was within speaking distance, I asked her name.

"Ginny Weasley," she said, eyes sparkling and brilliant red hair shining in the dim light of the Chamber.

I couldn't bring myself to hate her for her parentage. Molly did have such a sweet personality – her daughter had adopted it.

We talked for hours. Ginny grew minutely weaker every other moment. I wanted her to last longer, but I didn't know how to stop it.

Eventually, her blue eyes dulled and she laid her head on my shoulder. As we sat silently side by side on the outcropping of stone, she yawned. "Tommy, I'm afraid to sleep," she said quietly.

"Why?" I asked quickly. I could feel her consciousness slipping away.

"I'm… I'm afraid you won't be here when I wake up."

"Why?"

"You're the only person I've ever talked to about Harry, or anything really."

I sighed and curled a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sleep, Ginny. I promise you I'll be here."

She wrapped her little arms around my waist and whispered a "good night." I placed a kiss on the top of her head and laid her on the floor of the Chamber. I was about to go searching for a blanket when I heard a shout behind me.

Spinning around, I saw a raven-haired boy sprinting toward me. He was yelling for Ginny, pleading with her to awake. I saw Lily's green eyes and James's hair in him. Instinctively – though I do not know why it would be instinct; the Gryffindors were all friends – I moved to protect Ginny from him. I was quite shocked when he ran straight through me.

Of course. He couldn't see me unless I let him.

He was on his hands and knees now, shaking her tiny form. "Ginny, please wake up," he whispered.

I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I knew how to do – be menacing. I leaned against the pillar behind me. "She won't wake," I hissed.

Our conversation lasted, he talking desperately, I smirking and speaking calmly, until I, in a fit of impatience, summoned my gorgeous basilisk.

She had grown in recent years. She was a beautiful green, her eyes a lovely amber. My pet slithered forward as the boy ran.

I hated him. He brought danger to Ginny and I.

"Kill him," I shouted in Parseltongue.

And then I saw the phoenix flying toward her. Fawkes and the Sorting Hat had arrived during our little chat earlier. I watched in horror as the bird ripped out my basilisk's eyes. He ripped out her eyes!

"NO!" I screamed in anguish. My pet… Harry Potter had to die – now. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!"

She whipped her head around and focused directly on the Potter boy. I heard him begging for help –

– and then my snake swept the Sorting Hat into Potter's hands. He stuck the hat on his head. Then he nearly collapsed – it looked like something had clocked him on the top of the head.

Indeed, when he pulled the Sorting Hat off of his head, Godric Gryffindor's sword fell out of it.

I began to panic. "KILL THE BOY!" I yelled hoarsely. "LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! SNIFF – SMELL HIM!"

Harry ran. My serpent slipped after him – on the first of two lunges, she missed. On the second, she did not. Though Potter had driven the sword through the roof of her mouth, he had not had a clean path. One of the fangs had pierced his arm. I refrained from my victory dance.

I knew what happened when you were injected with basilisk venom – you died in minutes. It was very painful. The phoenix had saved me when my serpent had bitten me the first time.

Looking down, I suddenly saw Fawkes sitting by him. "Get away, bird," I said. "Get away from him – I said, get away –"

Potter looked up at me and I begrudgingly glared at him. I told him, though I was mostly scolding myself, that I'd forgotten about phoenix tears. I pointed Potter's own wand in his face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter… you and me…"

And then Dumbledore's phoenix came back. I stared as he dropped the diary in Potter's lap and Potter raised my pet's beautiful, slightly curved fang… And thrust it though the cover of my diary.

Then pain. Excruciating agony. White-hot fire traveled up and down my body.

Then peace as I watched Ginny wake up. Harry helped her to sit up. He really did handle her so gently – he was better for her than I was, by far.

As I dissolved back into light, I heard Ginny asking for me – there was fear in her voice.

I'd forgotten my promise to her.

But then again, I would have had to beat Harry to be here when she woke up. And if Harry hadn't killed me, she wouldn't have woken at all.

I sighed, and left altogether.

At least I hadn't completely broken my promise to her – because I think I might love her.