Ginny Weasley was beginning to get lonely. She understood it was difficult at work for her husband these days, but she was starting to feel like it wasn't all that was going on on Harry's mind.
They had always made time for dating, talk about their days and all the sappy things she didn't like before she started dating Harry.
The irony was, she missed it now that Harry just came home a bit after her, showered, had dinner, and went straight to bed.
To sleep, exclusively, like there was no(one)thing else to do.
It was time to go to bed, and the kids were off at Hogwarts... she'd try something to relieve her husband's stress and have some release herself; she was inspired tonight, too; after all these years, she still got butterflies in her stomach whenever she and Harry...
-Ginny... I'm not feeling well, can we do this tomorrow?
Apparently, the butterflies just died in a blizzard.
-Sure, I wish I could do something to make you feel...
But he snored mid-sentence.
The full-body mirror didn't blame her appearance, nor did her concience her words and actions, but she didn't want to blame Harry either, although she was disappointed and sad.
Harry didn't sound well, that was true, but it was still frustrating. It wouldn't be such a big mystery if he hadn't been so distant for the past few weeks to everyone around him; she'd heard of so many marriages that grew apart, but even Ron had complained about Harry's current demeanor to him.
Tough there seemed to be an exception to that rule. He had been hanging around Draco Malfoy a lot lately; it all started when Harry decided to invite him to have dinner at their place after he and his former enemy had talked some bullcrap about their sons, their lives, etc. a few months back, and found they had too much in common.
Ginny couldn't make it that day, because some surprise extra work was thrown at her at the Daily Prophet. Work seems to always get in the way these days, but that had never been an obstacle before in the personal sphere of their lives.
She'd talk to him when he was feeling better, either way.
As Ginny closed her eyes, some old fears decided to revisit her mind:
Would this turn into one of those boring marriages that went along with life because of the children?
What was really going on with Harry? It wasn't just work, there was something he didn't want to tell her so she didn't get involved with some gruesome crime, like had happened before... but why was he meeting up with Draco so often, yet not with her anymore?
Did it have to do with work, or was it more of a special..?
Oh stop it, Ginny, leave it to teenage girls to worry about that kind of stuff; -she told herself- you know what you have had with Harry all these years is special as well, and even if Draco could have always had a thing for Harry, he'd been unamused about his constant presence throughout the years, and avoided him most of the time.
Until now.
Shut up.
Ginny turned over within the duvet and swallowed her musings until she fell asleep.
It started to get cold, and she felt the mattress was suddenly too hard. She realized she was lying on a stone floor similar to the ones at Hogwarts instead of her usually warm bed. Why was she out of it?
Ginny stood up and realized she had her second-hand school uniform. It didn't look like Gryffindor tower, but it was definetly a school dormitory... she'd seen this before, but maybe in a pensieve or... someone else's memory?
Given the colors, it must be the Slytherin dorm. She didn't remember how she got there, but she should get out. So she went down the stairs to the empty common room. Lit by a green, flickering fire and overlayed by moving shadows on the floor, which were cast by the giant squid that swam by the window, her red hair seemed out of place in the silent, green room.
As she opened the exit, she ended up in a room she didn't want to remember because she nearly died there:
The chamber of secrets. Feeling the blood run out of her face and her vision blur, she turned back to the now locked Slytherin common room.
She called, but nobody answered. Not where she wanted them to.
Can't remember the password?
A familiar voice that belonged to a young man made her turn toward the chamber again.
The chamber's dim torches shut down before she could actually see him.
Poor Ginny, helpless again after so much time of tough-fronting your life out... maybe you're still the little eleven-year-old Miss Weasley I met, deep inside.
Even well into adulthood, Ginny still didn't like it when she couldn't see the origin of a voice. She extended her arms to at least prove to herself he was solid to the touch, but all she could see and was that her pointer finger had a ring she used all the time when she was 18, and her hands looked way younger.
The voice, whose owner's footsteps couldn't be heard, had already changed positions to her back as it spoke,
I'm not showing myself until I want to, Ginny.
There was no mistake it was him now that the silky voice was behind her. It whispered in her ear,
You know who it is, don't you?
As the voice whispered in her ear, she felt around herself for a chance to grab its owner again; no success. A quiet, malicious laugh.
Have a guess?
His breath tickled her ear, as she sweated cold.
-Tom Riddle... You're dead!
-I'm not dead, since I live in your memory... or is the muggle saying different?
He let out a loud, cold laugh as Ginny ran up to a torch to grab it, but it was way up the wall; panicking, she searched her robes for her wand, but found nothing.
Meanwhile, Tom Riddle's footsteps got louder and echoed as his invisible self crossed the chamber toward her. She managed a wandless incantation to light one torch, but it was dimming fast.
Little by little, his face was materializing onto her sight, as handsome as she remembered him, with those cold eyes that didn't match his other features.
She found herself at a dead end in the chamber, clawing and hitting the wall soon.
Hearing him come behind her as she searched for a crack, a code, or anything on the dry wall for her to get away, but there wasn't.
-Harry! -she called, hoping against hope that he, or anyone, would show up; for some reason she felt defenseless, even if she was almost as tall as Riddle now, and they were both unarmed.
She turned around, and ended up mere centimeters from him. The light went out again as she froze in her place.
Tell me, how does it feel when all of your fears come true?
He grinned. It seemed Riddle was becoming more solid, because Ginny could now hear even his clothes ruffling and smell a clean human essence she couldn't help but like.
The air moved along when he walked over to her side... there was no denying he was there. As if she wasn't cornered already, with her face to a wall and her eyes shutting tight in hopes it is all a dream, she felt a pair of hands slithering onto her waist. She couldn't move although he wasn't using any strenght to hold her.
Riddle continued,
-I know you won't move... it's like old times in which I got complete control over you. I bet you don't know how I got you to get here back then, even now.
One hand slid slowly down Ginny's waist, feeling the curves of her outer tigh with a feather-like touch. She was getting chills, and feeling her face grow hot.
So you married the kid who killed me, but he can't save you from me here, Ginny. -that voice she was scared of since she was 11 spoke to her in a different tone than back then... instead of intimidating or soothing her like before, it made her pulse race and her face hot; the sound she made in response to his actions wasn't one of a scared person
He can't come in here no matter if he tries or not.
She felt his lips brushing up and down against her ear, and regretted how good it felt. She bit back a sigh, but still couldn't move
He won't try though, he doesn't have to know your little secret...
He ran a hand on her hip and began to brush her neck with his lips.
Or would you tell him what you desire just now?
Ginny didn't know what to do; she needed to get out, she couldn't let him pleasure her like this; not when she had Harry... she arched herself toward him involuntarily.
Do you think Potter would even listen, though? He's too busy, and you know it's not just work; you just don't want to admit it to yourself.
Part of Ginny was begging Tom Riddle to stop teasing her and already kiss her neck, or bite it, hard, even! She placed her head back on his shoulder, blaming neck pain. On the other hand, she was disgusted at herself, that instead of trying to escape, her head was getting more and more clouded with a desire she had forgotten she could feel.
Or does he come to your aid when it has nothing to do with darkness?
He covered her eyes with a lock of her hair despite the already dim light,
You hear out every one of his needs, but only I used to hear yours, right?
A little bite on her earlobe, a hand moving her breast, then chuckling against her nape of the neck... this inhuman wizard, was he doing this for real to her?
Out of all the men you've been with, was there any other who listened like I did?
Ginny's eyes flew open and the lock of hair fell off her eyes. Tom Riddle finally began kissing and sucking at her neck, and as he held her tighter unto him she couldn't repress moaning any more. The hand on her hip began to travel under her skirt
-Please don't... you only listened to use me.
He grinned into her now bare shoulder
-Not listening and not... "using" you doesn't cut it either, it seems!
He laughed that cold, sinister laugh of his as he toyed with the side string of her underpants.
-Stop! -Ginny called, sounding really aroused despite herself. She couldn't deny she used to have a crush on Tom back then even if she liked Harry more, but at age 11 she hadn't really pictured any of this... that is, until much later, only in her darkest fantasies she never wanted to admit, maybe...
Tom continued kissing her jawline, traced her lips with one finger and held her body still by squeezing the inner tigh. She might as well never get out of here, and she probably had no choice... so she opened her legs a little bit and leaned into the touch... she couldn't take it anymore and finally turned her head to kiss him fiercelly on the lips.
He was so surprised he even moaned as her hands started wandering his body before kissing back.
He was led to the wall and pressed against it by her; he took off her half-unbuttoned blouse; later they were tangled on the floor, lost in each other on top of their discarded clothes, paying no mind to the cold, hard stone floor when-
The alarm clock sounded and Ginny opened her eyes. Her cheeks burned.
Harry sat on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands.
They needed to talk now.
-Harry, my love... -she felt like a hypocrite at the term of endearment- I have been missing you... I know work is tough right now but I feel like there is something going on that isn't related to work... I would like to let be in on it, and if I can, help you.
- I'm sorry about that Ginny, I...
Harry hesitated, and grabbed his forehead tighter
- I'll be there for you, just tell me where.
It's been a while, but dark activity has skyrocketed this month, and for the past few weeks I... Draco and I have been...
Ginny wanted to scream, shake him, just for him to tell her already!
Draco has...
Just tell me, I'll deal.
- In short, my scar has been hurting like when Voldemort was alive. And today it's especially bad.