Little One...
Ok this is a Gin 'n' Tonic, that is to say, this is a fan fiction in which the main characters are Virginia (Ginny) Weasly and the former Tom Riddle known as Lord Voldemort. If you don't like it then tough I am not forcing you to read it you are the one controlling the cursor and deciding what pages you visit. I will let you know that I love any type of reviews even flames because flames mean I finally have something to toast my marshmallows over
Now in this chapter I will give more of a background to Ginny, don't worry this is NOT focused on the chamber. The chamber is a major event but I won't spend long on it, maybe a couple paragraphs in this chap. and of course references later on. I had to add in some stuff and make adjustments here and there to make Ginny into a full person with her own past and all since the H.P series does very little with her.
DISCLAIMERas much as it pains me to say this I do NOT own Harry Potter or any thing referenced from it(sob)it all belongs to J.K. Rowling and all those people. However Boken is my own creation and this is my fan fiction.Oh and I don't own anything referenced from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory either!
There was once a family by the name of Weasley, a large but poor family who were blessed with their love for one another. There was a loving but sometimes overprotective mother, a father who loved muggles but was a little absentminded and of course their seven children; the oldest, Bill grew up to become a code breaker for Gringots bank in Egypt, the next oldest was Charlie who grew up to study dragons in Romania, Percy worked at the Ministry of Magic, the Twins Fred and George opened a joke shop called Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, the youngest son however was still at school and currently in his sixth year his name was Ron and he was the best friend of Harry Potter who happened to be the savior of the Wizarding world and their friend Hermione Granger was known as the smartest one in the school. The Weasleys had another child though, her name was Virginia and she was not only the youngest but the only girl. Ginny was a lonely child, she was hardly ever able to join in her brothers games because of all the 'no girls allowed' nonsense little boys come up with and the fact that their home in the English countryside had very few people around so there were no neighbors to play with. Though Ron was closest to her in age, they were only a year apart, the twins were the ones who always were nice to her and she reviewed pranks for them giving them tips on what kinds of things might be cool to see so they in turn never played their pranks on her instead focusing on the ultra serious Percy. Occasionally, they gave her stuff to test out and her favorite test subject was always Ron. But even the twins still weren't able to be the friend she needed, they were already so close to each other that she was very much excluded and that can hurt a person even if it is unintentional. She respected her brothers Bill and Charlie very much but they were so much older than her there was really no way to become to close, so while she loved her family very much she was still very much alone.
From an early age she was a lover of nature, with all the wooded areas around their home teeming with all sorts of life how could she not be? When ever her brothers ran off to play quidditch, climb trees and splash through the streams she snuck off through the trees. She watched nature and learned much about life. She saw birds hatching their young, fox kits chasing butterflies with their parents watching not far away. She even saw hunters search out their pray and could under stand the necessity of this act. When she was about seven she had gone too far on one of her hikes and came out near the muggle town some miles away. It was only noon and her curiosity got the better of her so she decided to stay for about and hour or so. It wasn't difficult to blend in; she simply watched the people around her and saw the way they behaved. It was amazing the things the muggles had come up with, of course her father had described many of them to her but seeing them with her own eyes they seemed to make more sense and she wasn't really that awestruck by the telephones and parking meters. Even the televisions in shop windows made very little impact on her as she saw them simply as normal Wizarding pictures with plays instead of a specific person. She looked through the many shop windows lining the street and came across one that made caught her attention. It was a shop called Forte, it was a music shop and in the window was beautiful display of instruments. She gazed through the window to see many instruments she had only ever dreamed of playing, a flute lay gleaming in a cushion on a beautiful piano of dark mahogany polished to perfection and even a guitar painted to look like the most serene of oceans. Entranced she walked in and found the store of her dreams. Sitting down at a polished ebony piano she laid reverent hands across the keys and pushed down. She loved the sound, as horrible as it may have sounded to others she loved it, the ability to create something great no matter if it was beautiful or ugly but the fact that she could create it. At the noise the owner came out from the back room smiling. "Ahh I see we have an aspiring musician in our midst," he laughed surprising her. She quickly spun around blushing, " Ssorry, I... I mean... I was just." "It's ok little one, here I'll show you something." he said sitting on the bench beside her. He positioned her fingers on the keyboard and pressed down," This is the C key and this black key is Csharp..." Ginny came back nearly every day after that, Jean Baptiste, the owner, taught her all sorts of musical things. Within a year she could play every instrument in the store and understood some of the more complex parts of musical theory. She had even begun to compose her own music; writing songs complete with lyrics and was even able to sing. Mr. Baptiste said she reminded him so much of his own daughter who had grown up and moved to Japan with her husband some years ago, she still wrote to him and he visited her a month every summer, but she had never shared his passion for music and he had no one to share his knowledge with. He taught Ginny much of the Japanese and French cultures since his own wife had been Japanese and he grew up in France. Once more Ginny was entranced, she learned French and Japanese and most languages of the world as he was quite well traveled and every year on her birthday in February, he gave her a gift. Always some expensive books that she told him he shouldn't have but loved and treasured, one year he gave her an entire hardcover set of language dictionaries so she could learn to speak many languages by studying them at home, another year she received a large set of books on Japanese mythology and so on, every year he took her to see a movie in the muggle theater as well. She loved them but her favorites were of course movies based on fantasy especially Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Mr. Baptiste taught her many interesting things but most of all he taught her patience, understanding, courage, persistence, and most importantly of all love. He was the greatest friend she could ever ask and that taught her how to love another unconditionally, with family it is different but to meet a stranger and love them more than yourself, that was an amazing thing. Ginny was very careful not to let her family know where she disappeared to each day by simply saying she had found a nest of newly hatched birds, or a fox den or a stream or on occasion when she was late that she had simply gotten lost. In this way she could simply convince her family that she was just a daydreamer who loved nature to much and continue going to town to keep learning. On the other end she was sure to uphold the statute of secrecy and never told her new friend of her lineage or indeed anything of the Wizarding world, always brushing of questions of where she lived by pointing in the general direction of her home and simply saying, "Just through the forests, in the hills in the countryside." sensing she didn't want her home to be known Mr.Baptiste never pressed her, by her clothes it was obvious she was poor and he thought she was ashamed of that. That was part of the reason he gave her those expensive gifts she had always simply hidden her presents under floorboards she had dug out in her bedroom. This little girl reminded him so much of himself, he wanted to give her that happy child hood he never had, with her talent she had a brilliant future ahead of her but for now she was a kid in need of a friend and so he treated her like the grandchild he would never know. So she was happy to receive the gifts, though she hated lying to her family and keeping the truth from her friend it was quite necessary. She depended on Mr. Baptiste for her sanity and couldn't stand to lose that. The year before she went to Hogwarts she had spent as much time as possible out of her house since she and her parents were the only left at home.
On the day of her birthday she was really exited, she couldn't wait to go see her dear friend but instead her dad had taken the morning off and they celebrated her birthday with a special lunch and she got owls from all of her brothers wishing her a happy eleventh birthday. After lunch at last she was able to escape, her dad had gone back to work and her mom was busy cleaning. So Ginny was quickly able to excuse her self and raced off to town, her pounding feet beat the path she herself had worn. In her joy she hopped along, dodging branches as little creatures peered out at her along the way. With her slight form she was able to make her way through the dense underbrush without many signs. Years of exploration in these woods had given her the experience and knowledge to avoid gnome dens and various other creatures deserving of caution. In the past couple of months though, she had become increasingly aware of the foxes diminishing numbers. When she was younger there had been dozens of dens in this forest. Every where she turned she tripped over yet another new friend watching her with critical eyes. Ever since she had returned from the train station that previous summer, her fox friends seemed a little wary. At first she assumed it had to do with some muggle constructions, but in all her years they had never left, not even when they built that new 'mall' thing a few miles outside of town. Most of the birds had been scared off but they came back within a month or so, but the foxes had been vanishing since the last summer, come to think of it she hadn't seen a single fox in over a week. It worried her but she cleared her mind and continued her race, something was nagging at the back of her mind and she knew that if she dug too deeply she would find an answer but not likely one that comfort her. Stepping up her pace she burst forth from the woods and turned down towards the main street. In her haste she nearly knocked over a man, he was wearing a large jacket and seemed unusually agitated; he was clutching onto a large duffel bag and had oddly dark stains on his front. Their eyes met for a moment and Ginny was a little confused, this man's face showed a wild desperation and she just couldn't imagine what could do that to a person. Forte was still a few blocks away, it took a few minutes but feeling as though her lungs would burst Ginny continued on. Reaching the door she swung it open and hid her worries with a smile. "Old man I'm here!" Instead of the usual mock scowl and gruff response she was greeted with silence. Still a little lightheaded from a lack of air she entered slowly. "Hey what happened to the valve oil?" she stared at the puddle that had formed near the counter. A whole display of valve oil had been knocked over on the dark blue carpeting. But it was strange, this stain was far to dark... and how could it turn the rug...purple? She tried thinking what could be wrong, but for some reason her mind was numb. All she could think was that...something was...off. But where was Baptiste? He would never leave his shop unattended and he certainly wouldn't leave a mess like this out. Approaching the register she noted that it was open, and...empty. What in the world was going on? She was moving slowly now and she carefully stepped over the puddle, the sheer size made it difficult but, she didn't want to touch it. Finally she looked over...she wasn't prepared for this though.
Rushing forward she knelt by her dear friend, he was alive, barely. "Little one..." he gasped out as she rested his head on her lap," get out...I can't let you see all of this..." She smirked holding her tears, " See all what, I'm gonna get you help and it's all gonna be ok old man." His hand clasped over hers, "You're sweet little one but..."he stopped as pain shot through his body, she tried her best to make him more comfortable but he stopped her," thanks little on but...I am dying" " NO! You're gonna be fine!" She insisted," And later on we're gonna laugh all this off 'cause you aren't gonna leave me alone! Not like this!" she knew she was just selfish and later she would hate herself for it but at that moment she expressed her thoughts. "I won't let you! I won't be alone! NO! I refuse to let any of this bloody bullshit take away what I care about!" her anger was boiling over, "Where is that bloody bastard! I won't let him get away with this! I will make sure he pays dearly!" cough "No little one! Don't let your soul become corrupted...I am old, it is better that you continue on is your life...cough...remember the good things and keep them in your heart...don't hate...it will only corrupt you and turn you into what you most hate. cough Always be compassionate and even when you feel you cannot forgive...do..not ..ever hate. My little one...my time is nearcough...take care...ahhhhh." and with that last rattling sigh her one and only friend was gone. Ginny sat there completely numb as flashing lights quickly filled the store, Baptiste had pushed the silent alarm and only now were the police arriving...typical no better than those Ministry of Magic lunkheads. A couple of officers came rushing up and looked at this small girl clinging to the bloody remains of an old man. There was an almost poetic thing about it but through this travesty and gore, all the officers could do was shift a downcast look and get the girl away as soon as they could. Ginny hardly noticed as she was pulled away the officers had trouble prying her hands from the body and when at last she was free one of the younger officers, a rookie on the scene, took her outside to a waiting ambulance. With all the blood it had appeared she too had been injured but after the paramedics gave her the once over and found nothing wrong it was decided for her to remain there so that the police could simply take her report and she could get home much faster. Through all this Ginny remained silent, the rookie who had taken her out now sat her on the back trunk of a police cruiser and wrapped her in a blanket. "Now there lil girl, you ready to talk?" She simply stared blankly at him," Can I go home?" He looked at her with pity, "In a bit, firs' I need ya to tell me wot 'appened 'ere." She told him about finding him there and about how the register had been empty." Now I want ya teh think 'ard an' try teh remember if yeh saw anyone strange 'round 'ere." "No," she replied, "I had just come into town, today is my birthday you know, and I went into Forte. It is kind of a tradition of mine. I just went in and found the place like that, with Mr.Baptiste...with him...dead, he was just dead." Here was something the officer had never expected when he started the force, he had never wanted to see anything like this and this little girl gave him the creeps. Her eyes were cold and almost black, she didn't even cry and her clothes were covered in blood." Well I'm gon' need yer name and address then an' we can git yeh home." She was kind of surprised at that and thought quickly; she tried to remember what her dad had told her about addresses and the postal service. "Ummm...Ok my name is Jenny Brisby, J-e-n-n-y B-r-i-s-b-y and I live at 27 Delaney way." "Ok then and yer phone number?" "Ohh...well we don't really, that is to say we can't really pay..." "Oh I see yeh don' have a phone then." he replied kindly. "Yeah." she sighed, thankful. "Ok then 'ats 'bout all we need. Do yeh need a ride home then Jenny?" "N-no I'll mange fine. "He eyed her carefully, "Well Ok I guess, I gotta go talk to my boss but I'll be right back. Stay here Jenny." She nodded mutely pulling the blanket the paramedics had given her closer. The sun was still out and she could see a small group of on lookers crowding around by some yellow tape and a couple of police keeping them away from the store front. Another officer came up to her holding a book. "'scuse me Jenny? I think you forgot this, we saw your picture inside so it must be yours" He handed her the book which she accepted mystified. The book was black leather and embossed in silver on the cover was a saying she had learned from her favorite muggle movie and was always quoting, it annoyed Baptiste so much that she used the oompa loompa songs as a warm up before she played anything, the cover read 'We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.' Then above that in the top right corner was the Japanese character for music and in the bottom left corner was the character for dream. This must have been the gift he had intended for her this year, this book. She couldn't open it, not yet, not here. "Thank you." she whispered. The officer must have thought it was directed to him and said, "Well yer welcome missy an' yer free teh go home anytime now." She silently nodded and got off the car. Pulling the blanket around her like a cloak she walked away, knowing she wouldn't return. When she reached the forest edge she broke into a sprint, her pounding feet took her deep into the forest until she reached a fast flowing stream. She set the book gently on the bank and plunged into the cold water.
Her breath was instantly taken away and she brought her head up swimming against the current. The blanket had slipped from around her shoulders but she continued to swim. She was glad for once that the winter ice had thawed but the stream was still so cold. She had to get the blood off of her; it had to go away her friend's blood. Her dead friend and she would never know who...then the thought struck her. That man! The one she had seen running! That desperate look in his eyes...It was most definitely him! And she had let him by, she had seen him but she was in to much of a rush. He must have just robbed him at that point and she saw him! At that point she vowed one day she would find him, when she graduated from Hogwarts she would use every spell and incantation at her disposal and hunt him down and make him feel her wrath. Mr. Baptiste's last words still remained intact in her mind she closed her eyes and swam back to shore. As she sat there shivering on the bank she looked out across the water. There, there was a fox! She hadn't seen one in ages, and this one looked like one of the older ones, a few years old by her guess. It was one of the ones she had long since played with. Looking across into its eyes she could see...fear? It was afraid of what? She moved her arm, about to reach out but it ran. The fox was afraid...of her! N-no this couldn't be! Why would her friends fear her? She looked down at herself, the blood was gone but her memory still remained. Her friend's words came back to her, she tried to keep the hate from her heart but she knew it was tainted and she knew she would not be able to follow her friend's advice. Still shivering she picked up her book and head home. Much more slowly this time. Stashing the book in a tree exactly as the twins had shown her she went inside. Her mom immediately set up a fuss and she simply said she had been playing when she fell into the river. She rushed into some dry clothes and her mom set her in front of the hearth with a large thick blanket. As warm as the fire was Ginny was still numb with cold inside, and no amount of heat would help that. Her mom continued to cluck about her carelessness and fluttered around her making Ginny force down hot soup. Ginny just kind of sat there allowing her mom to do this she smiled, a smile that couldn't quite reach her eyes, and ate the soup. Molly was too preoccupied to notice though; she figured Ginny was just sick. Unfortunatly for both of them though, she didn't know her own daughter as well as she though she did. Ginny was truly alone inside and she had only this shell to link her to the outside world. Molly was truly loving mother but after raising her sons she failed to see the difference, it never occurred to her that Ginny had always been alone. Watching her mom trying to take care of her, Ginny went through the motions of being ok, inside though she delved deeply into her dream world. She couldn't cope with what was happening so she escaped, some other kids would have been able to but Ginny wasn't as strong as she pretended. So day after day she went through the motions of being ok. The next day she left as soon as possible, she got the book from where she had left it and ran to the stream. Perching in a nearby tree she looked out across the water, there was no sign of any of the friends she once knew. Aside from the stream there was silence...a silence she had never once heard before. Looking at the gift she breathed deeply. She had to do this; after all he wanted her to appreciate his gift. Opening the cover she found a note inside along with a picture of her and Mr. Baptiste when he had first begun to teach her to play, a much happier time. She was so little then as he placed her fingers over the keyboard on the grand piano. She had been ecstatic to play an actual song on a real instrument, in fact being as clumsy as she was when she had gotten up she had tripped over the stool edge and flew headlong into the sheet music shelves. They had laughed long and loud that day, she was fine but the music was a different matter. Coming back to the present she looked at the note in her hand:
Little one,
In all my years I have never had a student as gifted as you,
or indeed as stubborn. In music you have surpassed me
and I have had the pleasure of watching you become a
wonderful person. Don't change the way you are for anyone
and remember to always believe in yourself and in the music.
I believe in my heart of hearts that you will continue to
make me proud and that you will never surrender who you are.
His signature was scrawled across the bottom in his usual untidy way, this was one promise she was sad to say she wouldn't be keeping and she silently asked forgiveness. The book it turned out was sort of an artist's journal. The binding was filled with paper many of which were old compositions Baptiste had transfer into here for her, there were many blank sheets of staff paper and unlined paper. It was different from parchment but she was used to that by now. The book even had special compartments where she could put quills and ink, or those muggle pens and pencils. This was truly a great book, as much room as there was there was space to add in more papers for her compositions and lyrics. Why she could even use it for her drawings and there was a stretchy little strap she could slide around the whole thing to keep it closed so everything wouldn't fall out. She hugged the book closer to her; she would truly treasure it for a long time.
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That's all for now please reveiw!
