His Daughter

Ginny stood with the entire school population at Hogwarts' entrance, excitedly awaiting the arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students.

She had been surprised when Dumbledore had informed the school populace that there was to be a Triwizard tournament held at Hogwarts this year, but surprise had given way to a building excitement.

''Imagine, we're going to meet people from different countries! All those different cultures!'' She had exclaimed to Hermione a few hours after the announcement.

Now here she stood awaiting the students from the other two competing schools, the anticipation was fairly killing her, looking around she could tell she wasn't the only one feeling this way.

Colin Creevey's brother was jumping up and down on the spot , and Parvati was talking animatedly with Lavender about the attractiveness of the competing school's boys.

Ginny rolled her eyes at this, boys in her opinion were not to be trusted, first her brothers playing pranks on her and then…and then Tom Riddle, she shivered mentally. 'She had trusted his handsome charming face and where had it got her? Nearly dead that's where!' her thoughts were angry and depressed as they always were when it came to him.

Her train of thought was interrupted when she felt a hand poking her side rather sharply.

''What?'' she practically growled it out, and almost died of mortification upon finding it was Harry who had poked her.

''uh.. Nothing it's just the Beauxbaton people are here and Durmstrang is coming up in the lake'' He said this in a slightly bewildered tone, he was surprised at Ginny's sudden aggression. She gave him an apologising smile and stood on tiptoe to see above the sea of heads.

She could see what she suspected to be the Beauxbaton students vacating a large carriage pulled by giant winged palomino horses, they were shivering and looking around in awe at the Hogwarts Castle.

A loud bubbling sound to the right of Ginny caught her attention, she looked towards the lake just in time to see the Durmstrang ship emerging from it's murky depths, the ship itself was rather skeletal looking as though it were a wreck brought up from the sea, it was creepy.

She watched as a large plank was settled onto the shore allowing the students inside to leave the ghostly ship. Unlike the students of Beauxbaton's, Durmstrang students wore thick cloaks made of fur which gave them the comical look of heads to small for their bodies.

The redhead's attention was again captured by Harry who told her they were to go back into the school hall.

She luxuriated in the warmth as she walked into the great hall, she sat herself next to Harry and looked around interested as to where the competing students would sit. Ginny watched with disappointment as the Durmstrang students sat at the Slytherin table, she had always wanted to meet Russian and German people. She found the Beauxbaton students sitting at Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's table.

She noticed most of the Beauxbaton student's seemed to be avoiding a short black haired girl, but the Slytherin's were practically on top of her in their haste to be near her. She couldn't see the other girl's face but Ginny could tell that she was tense, her back was ramrod straight and her steps while unhurried had an angry edge to them, for some reason the girl reminded her of Crookshanks when she had once dislodged him from her lap. What also grabbed Ginny's attention was the way nearly all the students were staring at her and whispering frantically to each other.

She was brought out of her observations by Colin Creevey who had jumped down next to her, she was about to ask him if he knew what was going on when he started blabbering about 'You Know Who'.

Ginny's patience broke after a few minutes of unintelligible babble, ''What in Merlin's name are you talking about? And what about 'You Know Who'?'' she snapped at him.

He looked taken aback for a moment before speaking slowly in a fearful surprised voice. '' 'You Know Who's' daughter is here!''.

She gave Colin an incredulous look and he hastened to explain.

''She goes to Durmstrang, her name's Alexisandranya Marvolo. One of the Beauxbaton boy's told me he said to keep out of her way and to tell everyone.'' By the time he had finished speaking he was slightly was breathless, and his eyes held a fearful excited spark.

Ginny frowned, her small nose crinkled in thought. 'It couldn't be true, could it? Would they have a female version of Tom on their hands? Or would she be different?' were Ginny's confused and startled thoughts.

Feeling Harry's tension she guessed he must have overheard her and Colin's conversation, she turned to him wanting to talk about it but found him staring at the Slytherin table, his usually bright green eyes were glazed and there was a reddish tinge across his cheekbones. Ginny searched the Slytherin table for what had captured Harry's attention.

Then she saw her, and she knew without a shred of doubt that this was indeed Tom's child. Though the girl was tiny almost fragile looking she had an aura of innate strength about her, she knew what she was capable of and revelled in it, just like Tom. The way she held herself was arrogant but rightful arrogance, she was smarter and more powerful than her peers and she not only knew it but so no point in hiding it. Her eyes were a bright blue, the same sapphire blue as Tom's. They held the same coldness, and malicious intent she had seen in Tom's eyes, but only when it was almost to late. This girl cared for nothing and no one but herself, at least she didn't try and hide it as Tom had done, he had covered everything up with a charming smile a voice like melted chocolate. She was pale almost white as though she didn't go out into the sun much, it made her look like a porcelain doll, especially with her black rioting curls which were tamed in a pony tail.

Her nose was a smaller more feminine version of Tom's, delicate and dainty making you think of little children, and she had Tom's full mouth which seemed to be permanently quirked in a cynical half smile, as though her surroundings amused her somehow. Ginny's view was interrupted when Alexis's hand brought a goblet to her lips, Ginny's eyes rover over the other girls face and a shot of embarrassment went through her when she found Alexis's eyes on her. The other girl's eyebrow was quirked as if she were some how mocking Ginny, never to turn down a challenge she stared right back and almost froze in the iciness of the other girl's eyes, this girl was cold and Ginny wanted nothing to do with her.

It's a pity we don't always get what we want in life as Ginny later found out that week.