Written for:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)
Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Season 6, Semi-Finals
Monthly Challenges for All
Term 10 - Assignment 2 - Anatomy & Physiology Task 3: Write about someone trying to control something or someone.
Team: Wigtown Wanderers
Position: Chaser 3
Prompt: Vikings: If I Had a Heart — Fever Ray
Additional Prompts:
[Quote] 'Maybe that's part of the nightmare, having just enough freedom thrown at you to tempt you, knowing it's an illusion.' — Grace & Fury, Tracy Banghart
[Word] Distance
[Word] Circumstance
Representation: Ginny Weasley; Magic; Possession; Manipulated; Bullied; Standing Up To Bullies; Tom Riddle; Manipulator; Possessor; Confidence Inducer; Twisted Sweet Talker
Bonus Challenges: Head of Perseus; Most Human Bean; Second Verse (Not a Lamp; Ladylike - Aggressive; Mouth of Babes; Lock & Key; Creature Feature; Casper's House; Under the Bridge)
Word Count: (Per Google Docs) 2,970
Beta(s): Angel, Bailey, Gab
Author's Note: I suppose this is a preview of sorts to a multichapter piece that just will not leave me alone now. How did I get sucked into Gin n' Tonic? I have no idea, I also have no idea when I will get to actually writing this in its entirety, either. Alas, it will be done in time. Enjoy!
Summary: Tom bided his time, falling dormant for several years waiting for his chance to strike. When he was awoken, he could not have asked for a better host to carry out his malicious plans. He just had to learn how to handle her was all.
The Black Sea
.oOo.
Maybe that's part of the nightmare, having just enough freedom thrown at you to tempt you, knowing it's an illusion.
— Grace & Fury; Tracy Banghart
.oOo.
School was something Ginny Weasley was unusually nervous about attending, not because of the school itself, but because of her peers. She wasn't used to much female interaction; it showed, and they noticed. It was no secret that she was a Weasley, and she knew that her brothers have all endured varying levels of bullying because of their name alone, so she was ready for it. Or at least she thought she was.
She was prepared for the taunts and insults at her family's poverty and name, but she wasn't anticipating the girls to mock her appearance, tease her about the few friends she did have, and everything in between. Girls were meaner than boys; they used anything and everything to tear down their victims.
It was a reason why she distanced herself from them.
I hate them.
Ginny wrote aggressively in the diary one night.
I hate them, too, for hurting you like this, Tom wrote back. But distancing yourself from the problem is not going to give you the outcome you wish, Ginny. It only delays it.
The words vanished, and Ginny felt like he had more to write but was hesitant.
If only I could be with you when you were in these situations. At least then you wouldn't be alone, and I could be of more help to you and change the situation.
She tilted her head at the statement, wondering what he meant.
I carry you with me everywhere. You are always with me, she reminded him.
I know.
Then what do you mean?
The words melted away and Ginny could almost feel Tom struggling to respond through the book cradled in her hand. This sensation of seeming to feel his emotions had grown gradually in the weeks since she started writing to him. It was strange, but she didn't think much of it until she started confiding to him about the ruthless bullying. The surge of anger that came through his words overwhelmed her in an unusual way, and she couldn't find a way to ask or describe the circumstance to him, so she didn't. Tom wasn't angry at her, though, he was angry for her. It made her feel appreciated for a change that someone not related to her cared about her wellbeing.
Ginny…
The way he wrote her name made her heart flutter. It was written slowly and she watched every stroke of ink that formed her name with a smile on her lips.
I wish you could see how powerful you are like I can. If we could remove the obstacles holding you back, your problems with those other students would no longer be an issue.
Tom liked to tell her about power and magic. That respect was earned by skill and confidence, and not necessarily by wealth or a family name. Though they certainly helped, people knew when to leave the powerful ones alone. Sometimes he would say things that twinged a little fear in her, but the intrigue of his eloquent words quickly drowned it out. It would be nice to show the bullies that she wasn't to be messed with, but her nobility kept her from handling them the way it was needed to be done, according to Tom.
I could help you with all of it if I weren't confined within this book, Tom finally stated.
Ginny moved her hands away from the leather cover, feeling a strange sensation seep from it. She had already dug in the school public records of the Hogwarts alumni looking for remnants of a Tom Riddle, hoping to find something about him there, but she'd only found his name with no face to go with it.
Are you saying that I… that we could… see each other somehow?
This thought delighted but frightened her. The warning signs her mind sent her about sentient objects with no visible heart or brain were long since ignored. The circumstances of what she was getting into wasn't something she considered the second she learned about Tom, and it wasn't one she was going to heed now.
She wasn't the only one who wanted more.
I am but only a shadow of who I was, but I am still more than just a book, Tom confirmed. If I told you that I know a way to show you what I looked like, would you believe me?
The quill tip hovered over the page, hesitant to confess that she may have developed sort of a crush on him without even knowing what he looked like – what he sounded like. She dismissed the thought, but tried not to giggle at the new idea that formed.
Are you going to draw yourself for me?
No. She could almost hear the laugh behind the word. I can actually show you.
Place your hand on the page and close your eyes.
The words lingered on the top of the page for a long time. Ginny stalled, her hand hovered over the words before she decided to respond.
Will it hurt you? Or… or me?
She pulled her hand away when Tom replied.
No. Trust me, Ginny. I would never hurt you. I… I have been wishing to see what you look like since we first met. The loneliness you chase away... He paused a moment to quickly swipe all the words away. If you touch the pages, I can make it so we will be able to see each other. It is the only way I know how to show you that I'm really here, and that I can help you more than you realize.
She always liked how he wrote her name, how the faint whisper behind it sounded when it appeared on the pages. She laid the quill down and took a deep, shaky breath. Of course she trusted him, she confided in him things not even her own mother knew, and he didn't mock her for it. If he knew how to close the distance between them, why should she deny it?
She wanted more.
Her fingertips brushed the page below the words and she felt a gentle pull on her magic. Closing her eyes, Ginny pressed her palm onto the page.
Her mind plunged into an inky pool of darkness. She felt her magic being pulled by the books own magical tendrils, intertwining them together.
A calm male voice spoke to her then. "Open your eyes."
Ginny obeyed, and the darkness was replaced with a pale grey green background of what looked like the corridor in the Hogwarts dungeon. She saw a boy standing in front of her. He was much older than her, but the soft smile on his face told her that he didn't seem to mind this. Tom reached for a lock of her hair, and she felt her cheeks flush at the gesture.
"You're as beautiful as I imagined and more."
She dropped her gaze and bit her lip at the compliment.
"There is no need to be shy, Ginny."
"You're just… a lot older than I thought you were," she confessed. She should've known based on how mature he sounded on parchment.
Tom tilted his head when she had the courage to meet his eyes again. "Should that matter?"
"I– I don't know." Ginny swallowed hard, unable to look away from his beautiful face a second time. "This is what you really look like? You're so…"
She blushed again, and if he was able to notice, he didn't comment on it. Her head started to feel a little fuzzy, and assumed it was just the sudden rush of emotions. He was so handsome, it put her crush on Harry to shame. It felt a little wrong since he was much older than her, but as he said, did it matter? He was just a book, it was harmless to crush on someone who wasn't really real, right?
"I am glad that I am able to finally see you, Ginny," Tom said, continuing to twirl the stand of her hair around his finger. "Knowing what you look like will really help keep the loneliness away. Being able to see the girl that possesses such untapped potential and magical skill is a blessing in and of itself."
Ginny didn't know what to say to that, but as he closed the small distance between them, a foggy feeling started clouding her mind. Whatever connection he made with her, it was quickly becoming overwhelming. She could feel something gently pull on her magical core a little at a time. It reached further out from there, her mental state felt the darkness carefully wrap around her mind, heart, and soul.
"I can finally offer you the tools to aid you in breaking your barriers, Ginny…"
His voice was like silk, and she couldn't help but smile at the gentle brush of his hand on her cheek. It kept the cold chill that warned her of danger at bay, but the weariness grew stronger from it.
"Tom… I don't feel..."
The next thing Ginny knew was that she was jostled awake by sheer fear only to find herself back in the physical world. She blinked back the ebbing darkness as she registered where she was. Her head was killing her. The diary lay closed beside her on the bed. She felt it when she moved her hand and her fingers brushed against its leather before resting on her forehead. The dark finger-like tendrils gripped her mind from the contact and it made her head hurt even more.
Every signal her body could send her screamed there was danger. The hair on the back of her neck rose from it, but Ginny wasn't sure what she should be scared of. She looked at the diary and almost flinched at the sight of it, but her need to know what happened overrode the fear. She didn't want to weigh the circumstances with what just happened to something Tom did, but she had to.
Ginny flipped it open to the middle of the book and re-inked the quill.
Tom? What happened? I don't feel so well and… I think I blacked out… Was it… Was it because you touched me?
Her sloppy writing slowly melted away. Ginny knew by now that it meant he was carefully considering her words before responding.
Are you hurt?
She swallowed hard, feeling her hand shake some as she wrote. My head hurts, but I am fine. Tired, maybe, and hungry. But what happened?
This time it took him a little longer to respond, and the cold that set in around Ginny had her start to shiver uncontrollably. If she had to describe it, it felt like the very life had been pulled from her being. Was Tom the cause of this terrible feeling she now felt? She really hoped not.
I had to fuse some of your magic with mine to make the connection work, but you are strong Ginny, and I knew you could handle it, and you did. But there were a lot of emotions you suddenly experienced, and it must have severed it. I hope you are not upset.
That explained it, and the shiver down her back tried to tell her that it was wrong, that she needed to distance herself from the diary, that it was dangerous, but she didn't care. She needed him.
I'll be more careful next time, she wrote. It was really nice to see you, Tom.
Next time? he replied slowly, You want to see me again?
Of course. You're my only real friend here, why wouldn't I?
Ginny felt strange the following morning, but chalked it up to getting to sleep late. All she dreamed about was Tom. Not wanting to be late for her next class, she quickly closed the distance with a brisk pace down to the dungeons.
"There's the Weaslette." Pansy sneered as Ginny turned the corner.
She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist over the strap of her school bag as she passed the older students leaving the potions classroom. Ginny tried to ignore the other witch as best as she could, but she was one of the crueler ones. She was too caught up in her mind to hear the whispered spell come her way.
The spell connected, and Ginny found herself falling to the floor from the hex. Her face hit the hard stone beneath her, and she saw red. Not because of the blood that now dripped from her nose, or the color of the school book that fell out of her bag, but because she was furious. Those strange ink-like tendrils gripped her consciousness in that moment, she could still see, hear, and speak, but it was like she lost all control of herself.
The diary slid across the floor right toward Pansy, and before she could bend down to grab it, Ginny had her wand expertly trained on her in a heartbeat.
"I dare you to touch it, wench," she growled, eyes flashing. The blood dripping into the crease of her lip made her more menacing.
Pansy's own glare narrowed, and her posse slowly shuffled away from her to avoid being hit by rogue spells and to not miss their next class. They clearly weren't interested in terrorizing so early in the day.
"Since when did you get confrontational?"
Ginny's hand gripped the yew wand tighter, the spark at her fingertips eager to be unleashed. "Since now."
The spells that filtered through her mind were unfamiliar, and she wondered how she suddenly knew so many hexes and curses. 'Tom? I–Is that you?'
'I told you I could be here with you at all times,' Tom reminded. 'Allow me to handle this, Ginny.'
Pansy's smirk only grew, taunting Ginny as her manicured nails brushed against the black leather. "Is this your lil' diary?" she said in a mockingly squeaky tone. "How cute that you carry it with you. I remember when I was seven, too. I wonder what secrets you have in it."
Ginny tried to fight Tom for control on her wand arm before he moved it and a silent hex she did not know surged from her wand. The yellow orb hit Pansy's hand. With a yelp, she recoiled from the dairy, cradling her limp arm against her chest.
"How dare you!"
"Don't tempt me to do it again," Ginny snarled, her eyes piercing the other girl with silent warning.
'Please don't, Tom. This isn't right,' Ginny pleaded.
She sensed that he wanted more.
'It won't harm her to know her place, Ginny,' Tom reasoned, but released his control on Ginny's magic. 'I only encourage you to defend yourself.'
The feeling he left behind was a little exhilarating, seeing Pansy squirm under her glare. Ginny closed the distance on the other girl. Wand still trained on her, she kneeled to pick up the diary. A smug smile formed on her lips when Pansy backed away. Without a word, Ginny wiped the drying blood off her face with a sleeve before turning around to proceed to the potions classroom. This time when Pansy attempted to trip her for a second time, Ginny was ready.
'Do it. Show her you are not to be trifled with.'
A spell settled in her mind, it left her lips with a flourish of her wand arm, and Ginny laughed while she ran from the corridor that quickly filled with bats. She did it all by herself, uncaring of the potential circumstances of her actions, and it felt great.
Class drawled on, Ginny could feel the diary pressed against her side in her school bag seep with delight. She could hear the whisper stronger than ever in her ear as if Tom was sitting right beside her. It made her shudder in that cold chill of danger as she listened to him guide her through the lesson before Professor Snape sent her to the hospital wing to fix her nose.
'Walked into a door?' Tom chuckled at her excuse.
'I don't want to get in trouble!' Ginny scolded.
Tom's presence made her very hungry when it was time for lunch, and she ate more than she ever had before while absently listening to her brothers and their friends talk about the incident with Pansy. Though no one seemed to know who exactly attacked the horrible witch, her twin brothers caught her attention and gave her a thumbs up and knowing winks. It made her stomach churn with guilt and pride all at once.
'Don't be ashamed, Ginny,' Tom assured her, and she flinched at his silky voice.
He made her weary when the day was finally over and she drug herself up to her dorm room. The diary lay on her bed as she finished her evening routine before she crawled over to it and flipped it open.
How did you do that? she wrote, fighting sleep in order to write to Tom.
I thought you'd be happy, Ginny. I only wished to help you.
He knew how to sway her emotions. Even if it made her feel strange and not herself by the end of the day, she did like having him embedded in her conscience.
I'm not mad, just tired. Today has been a strange day. She twirled her quill a little in thought. I like the sound of your voice. Could I … could I see you again?
Tom swiped the words away quickly. Ginny could sense a smirk behind his words, she misinterpreted it into thinking he wanted to see her again, too.
I would like that as well, Ginny. But you need your rest.
He wanted more.
Winter Bingo 2018: B4 (Cold)
Insane House Challenge (R): 590. [Item] Diary
365 Prompts: 210. [Word] Powerful
Scavenger Hunt - Writing: Write a fic using inspiration from a song. (If I Had A Heart – Fever Ray)
Writing Club
Assorted Appreciation - 11. Write a song-fic based on your all-time favourite song (or something you've listened to a lot recently) - If I Had A Heart - Fever Ray
Disney Challenge - 2. Esmeralda - Write about a strong female character.
Showtime - 16. Meant to Be Yours: (emotion) obsession
Amber's Attic - 11. Sinestro: Write about manipulating someone.
Angel's Arcade -Soundtrack - 6. Refusal to Die by Zeus: write about an immortal
Winter Seasonal
Winter Prompt: [Word] Shiver
Flower - Camellia - (character) Pansy Parkinson
Slytherin Challenge: [Character] Tom Riddle Jr.; [Trait] Cunning
Bath Bomb
28. Coconut Cream (Pansy Parkinson) and 46. Dead Sea Salt (I used Tom Riddle Jr.)