Ginny Weasley: The Dark Lady
A/N: I've rewritten this chapter after some comments and self-evaluation and I have to say - I love you all for reviewing and pointing out my mistakes etc. Special thanks to pop-pop-banans and SCW for your reviews! Enjoy
Disclaimer: Why do people even bother with these things?
"Oh my gosh, what the crap?" Ginny Weasley whispered hoarsely, as she lay on her tiny bed, staring at the waist-length blonde hair messily sprawled across her pillow.
Next, her attention was transferred to the colossal pile of gifts at the side of the door. Ginny's eyes grew wide and her face lit up instantly. Today was her seventeenth birthday, the day that she became of age.
Her joy lasted only a few minutes though, before her maniac grin turned upside-down into a frown. The mystery of the Barbie-blonde hair was yet to be solved.
"Hm…" Ginny muttered to herself, using her elbows to push her body up so that she was sitting upright. She ran her slim fingers through the loose blonde curls. Pursing her lips, Ginny flung herself off the bed and walked towards her mirror.
When she saw her reflection, she gave a little scream of shock, and then covered her mouth with her hand. The reflection, standing in the mirror, was definitely not Ginny Weasley.
The girl was about 5'9", with long, curly blonde hair and grayish-blue eyes. Ginny looked down. It was her. Her chest was larger, and fuller, while her legs were longer and skinny, but not too much so. Her curves were perfect and well defined, and her skin was lightly tanned. Ginny decided that she looked like a model.
What in the name of Merlin is going on? Ginny thought, her eyes still wide and her right hand tugging on her new blonde hair, a nervous habit that she'd always had.
Her face bore several expressions, most of it being shock, with a dash of excitement and a pinch of anxiousness. What would her family do when they saw her?
Molly, as Ginny now referred to her, would probably flip, and then search through any resource she could find for a counter-spell, Dad would be at work, Charlie would say she looked great, George would probably crack a joke or two, Harry would say that she didn't have to do that to impress him (gosh, he had a big ego), Ron would get all angry and rant about how his baby sister would not look like this and Hermione would be too busy reading.
Ginny sighed and changed into a loose, comfortable T-shirt that had been passed down from Bill to Fred and then ended up with her. She picked up a pair of skinny-leg jeans and jumped into those as well. Then she wriggled her feet into some really comfortable shoes those muggles called Converses, without bothering to do the laces.
She looked into the mirror again. Her legs filled out the jeans way better than they used to, but the oversized shirt still left much to the imagination. Ginny looked down. There wasn't too much she could say about the shoes though.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny threw herself at her bedroom door, which was so old and rusty that she had to literally throw herself at it for it to move ever so slightly, and prayed that no one would see her on the staircase.
The portraits were all still asleep. She accused them of being lazy gits, although she was glad that she was able to walk down in peace.
When she finally reached the landing on the bottom floor, she took another deep breath before opening the door into the kitchen, where her family was seated.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, is this some kind of teenage rebellion?" Molly shrieked as she stood and surveyed Ginny in fury.
"Hey Gin," George said brightly, looking up from his toasted crumpet. "Happy birthday. Wow. You look hot."
Ginny shrugged. "How did you know it was me and not some Death Eater wanting to get revenge on you?" she asked Molly nonchalantly. "Thanks George, but being told by your older brother that you look hot is just a bit on the verge of disturbing." Ginny grinned. George did the same.
"Listen, young lady," Molly said darkly, "I've put up with you for years and I can recognize your posture and attitude in any body you disguise yourself in. So care to elaborate?"
Looking at Molly innocently, Ginny pointed at a regal bird flying towards the Burrow whom she recognized as Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes. "Over there, perhaps?" Ginny suggested, arching a perfect eyebrow.
As Molly turned around to face in the direction of the window, Fawkes flew in and dropped an elegant envelope into Ginny's outstretched hand.
"Protego," Ginny muttered reflexively, casting a shield charm around herself so that she could read the letter, presumably from Dumbledore, in peace. She opened it carefully.
'Dear Miss Weasley,'it read.
'Firstly, I would like to wish you a happy birthday. As I am sure you are aware, today is the day you become of age in the wizarding world. Today, however, is also the day that the protection given to you at birth is broken.
'You have noticed, by now, I am certain, that your appearance has changed. This is your true appearance. Your resemblance to the Weasley family was nothing more than a disillusionment charm for your protection.'
Ginny looked up. So that was why she could never gain or lose weight like other girls. She continued reading. 'As you also may have realized, you are not actually a member of the Weasley family. Your real name is Atlanta Mignonette Riddle and your true father was actually none other than Tom Riddle, who you may know better as Lord Voldemort.'
Ginny looked up again, but this time, there was a tiny glint of moisture in her eye that never came out. Instead, she started laughing manically. She laughed so hard and loud that the whole table, even the Golden Trio, actually looked at her and moved their chairs away from her slightly.
The laughing fit continued for a few minutes, until Ginny regained control over her body.
"Um, Gin, are you okay?" Charlie asked nervously.
"Of course I am!" Ginny said, as though nothing had ever happened. "But you won't believe this. Let me finish reading it before I tell you. I'm scared you guys might all put the AK or the Cruciatus on me at once." She smiled before reading again.
'Now that you know of your father's identity, I am sure you are prepared for more surprises. Your mother was one of Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange, but as you know, Molly killed Bellatrix during the final battle.
'When you tell the Weasleys of the contents of this letter, which I request more than anything else, I believe that some of the inhabitants of the Burrow will no longer wish for you to reside there.
'I have already arranged for you to floo over to Malfoy Manor for the rest of the holidays and for your safety, you will be known as Atlanta Mignonette Rideau at Hogwarts.
'Please arrive at Malfoy Manor within one hour of receiving this letter, or Lucius will come to the Burrow to look for you himself. The Malfoys already know of your real identity. Best of luck.
'Yours sincerely,
'Albus Dumbledore.'
Ginny folded the letter and put it in her pocket. After checking that her shield charm was as powerful as it was when she cast it, she walked over to the fireplace.
"Accio my stuff," Ginny said, praying that all her belongings would come down. She wasn't too sure what the general term for all of her stuff was, so she was hoping that it had worked. It did. All her Hogwarts gear, clothes, pets and her broomstick came zooming down the stairs to form a neat pile in front of her feet.
"Reducio," Ginny then said. The pile before her shrunk down to the size of a pea, which she pocketed.
"So," Ginny exhaled, turning towards her family. "As you guys might just be aware, it is my birthday today." The Weasleys, Potter and the mudblood Granger just stared. Ginny sighed.
"I am not a Weasley. My name is Atlanta Mignonette Riddle, and yes," Ginny said, looking over towards the Golden Trio who had their mouths open distastefully, "Please shut your mouths, you'll catch flies.
'Anyway, yes, I am the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort." That seemed to trigger the reaction she expected.
"You're related to the Dark Lord?!"
"Is this the way you really look?"
"So you're not one of us!"
"Does that mean the Weasleys are yet to have another girl in the family tree?"
"Gin, what about Hogwarts?"
"All of you, be quiet," Molly demanded. "Now, Atlanta dearest, I'm afraid you are no longer one of us. You belong to the enemy. Please remove yourself from my house."
"Mum!" George protested. "You can't do that! You've raised her for her entire life, you loved her, you doted on her, and now that you find out who she really is, you disown her? That's crazy, mum. That's really, really low."
"Nonsense, Georgie," Molly said. "Both her mother and father were maniacs. It's no doubt she'll be the same. Some things you can't change with a good upbringing. It's as certain as anything that she'll go down that path. We wouldn't want that ruining our family now, would we?"
George looked defeated.
"It's fine, George. I know you really care for me. But as she said, I'll turn out to be a maniac and you wouldn't want a madwoman in your family now, would you?"
He sighed. "Just know that Charlie and I love you. We'll owl you, we promise."
With that, Ginny turned around, smiled to hersef, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, stepped into the fireplace and yelled "Malfoy Manor!"
A/N : YEEOW! So, what do you think? Please R&R... Constructive critism and ideas for plot embraced with open arms : D Well thanks for reading it anyway; extra kudos if you do review! Aww.. I like writing this so i'm uber uber happy now... : DDDDD SMILE!