Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Prologue:

Enigma

I returned from Diagon Alley, that fateful day, ashamed and upset. I avoided my mother's gaze as I hurried to my room, scuttling past my brothers and… him.

I had been humiliated, in public, in front of the object of my affections. The Malfoy boy, an enemy I knew, had used me as a taunt to torment the boy I liked. How he must despise me now. To be taunted about being his girlfriend, something I knew I would never be (yet persisted to hope I may someday achieve). He was kind about it though. He'd been embarrassed, but when he looked at me, his eyes had been full of worry about the comment upsetting me.

I was thinking about that gaze, his eyes shining like emeralds in my rose-tinted memory (and my own wishful thinking persisted in replacing the pity with love), whilst I flicked through my books.

Almost all my "new" schoolbooks were in fact second-hand. Only the ones that Harry (how quickly my mind falls on him once more!) had given me were in perfect condition. My Transfiguration text was particularly shabby, the spine cracking and the pages stained. It smelled of dust and decay. This was probably the reason that Malfoy senior had chosen it to examine closer and disdain. I remembered the sneer on his face, and his implication that my father did me a disservice in forcing me to own such a book. It was true that I had often regretted my family's lack of finances, and in my darker moments of envy of others I resented my father for it. But I knew, even as I thought it when I was younger, that such thoughts were unfair. My father loved us and did what he could and what he loved. We had enough. To hear another say it, and honestly believe it, made my blood boil with hate at his materialistic and condescending attitude. How dare he accuse my father of being a bad parent?

I decided, mainly based on a desire to prove that man wrong, that this book would do very well. It was still perfectly legible, and that was all I needed to learn.

I flicked through the book, making sure that none of the stains obscured the text when I noticed another, much slimmer, volume secreted in the middle of it. Had that been there when we bought it? Or was it another of my school books, that got wedged in when my new (once again, "new") cauldron was being heaved around?

Curious, I pulled it out and inspected it. I certainly had never seen it before. It was slim and black, with few adornments on the cover. It had no title.

I flipped open the cover, trying to find a clue as to what it was about. Instead I found a name and a date. It was a diary. I smiled. Mum must have bought it for me. It was second-hand (as was indicated by the name) but a quick flick through it assured me that the rest of it was blank. The paper inside was untouched and unstained, except perhaps by age. I checked the date, and was shocked to discover that the diary was fifty years old. It was in excellent condition, despite its yellowing pages.

I looked at the name again. Tom Marvolo Riddle. A curious name, certainly. Tom was a very common name, and Riddle was nothing remarkable, but Marvolo sounded much older and more exciting.

Why had this person, this Tom Riddle, not written in his diary, after bothering to purchase it? It was a very odd thing to do, I felt, after bothering to spend the money. But then, I considered ruefully, not everyone had to be as careful with their money as my family.

It was a mystery to me, nonetheless. A riddle wrapped in an enigma, I thought to myself, amused.

"Ginny!" called someone – Ron – impatiently from outside my room. "Dinner is ready! We called you twice, already."

"Sorry!" I called, irritated. I quickly shoved my new diary into a drawer and rushed down to dinner.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Taster chapter. Please tell me what you think! If I get enough positive feedback (or feedback, period! I'd greatly appreciate any criticism that's in any way constructive!) I'll continue (because it was fun ^_^) with a hopefully longer chapter. It's in your hands people!