A/N: This is the prequel to Blood, Guts and Chocolate Cake.

Little Ginny had fallen asleep on her desk again, her cheek pressed into the heel of her hand and her lips slightly parted. Her diary was still open; the pages were blank except for the thin spots of ink dripping from the quill she was holding. Every now and then the ink would shine brightly on the paper, then vanish as though being sucked into the page.

I watched her from the corner of the room. She was so beautiful when she was asleep. Her features were much softer, the lines that usually creased her brow gone. Serenity was plastered across her angelic face. She made gentle snuffling noises, her chest rising and falling in regular movements.

Those steady breaths, those steady heartbeats… So fucking beautiful.

I moved stealthily toward her and made her sit on my lap. She leaned against my chest, a deep sigh escaping her parted lips. I ran my fingers through her long hair. She must have been exhausted, it had been a long day.

Roosters are sneaky creatures. They had wrestled out of her hold, flapping their fat wings furiously. The memory was delicious. She glared down at them, beads of perspiration glistening on her brow. Her hair looked like a blazing fire in the beaming sun, and for a brief instant, I thought she looked intimidating. Then out of nowhere, a dark rooster let out a high pitch shrill, before launching at her and clawing her arm. Her face contorted. Blood trickled down her wrist. She drew her lower lip between her teeth, her eyes flooding with tears.

Poor Little Ginny. I couldn't let her get hurt.

In a swift move, I grabbed her offender and throttled him. The dark rooster struggled against my grip. I made him look me in the eyes, I wanted to see his soul. He made a faint noise halfway between a whimper and a sob. An exhilarating shiver ran through my spine as I licked my lips. I couldn't help but grin at the sight of this wretched creature going limp between my hands. It was the most pleasurable sensation.

I felt her trembling behind me. Little Ginny was gripping the back of my shirt.

"Make it stop. Please, make it stop," she begged.

The roosters grew alarmed around us, squeaking at the top of their lungs. We heard bursts of high, cold laughter in the distance, then we saw what appeared to be a dozen ghost horses, each ridden by a headless horseman, making their way up to the castle.

She let out a terrified cry. "Please, Tom!" She urged.

I looked down at the limp rooster in my hands. "He won't hurt you anymore," I promised, then snapped the filthy creature's neck.

She had cried then, fat ugly tears running down her cheeks and soaking her robes. I kneeled next to her and tilted her chin up. She starred right back at me, her lower lip quivering. Her nose was running - no matter how much she tried to sniffle, it ran faster than a waterfall. After a while, she grew impatient and wiped it with her hand. I chuckled.

"I hurt him," she said with a croaky voice.

"But he hurt you first," I reminded her. I leaned closer and tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear. "I won't let anyone hurt you, Little Ginny. I will always be there to protect you."

This made her tears welled again. She flung her arms around me and buried her face into the crook of my neck. I let out a deep sigh and patiently rocked her, my nails combing against her scalp. She clung to me as you would cling to dear life, and I understood this feeling all too well.

"You're my only friend, Tom," she cried on my shoulder. "I'm so glad I've got you."

I tightened my arms around her as my mouth curved into a smile. Satisfied, I rubbed my nose against her hair and gently kissed her temple. She shivered in my grip. "I will never let you go," I whispered into her ear.

She drew back. A line appeared between her brows. "Promise?" She asked, the knot of worry evident in her voice.

My eyes traveled over her lovely face, meeting her bright brown eyes, moving over the smattering of freckles on her nose… and ending on her chest. I caressed her soft breast, feeling the soft that-thump of her heart under my hand. My smile morphed into a full grin. "I promise."

Little Ginny shifted on my lap. I looked down at her, she had cried herself to sleep tonight. I hated it when she got emotional. But this didn't happen too often, my Little Ginny wasn't a weepy mess like that Myrtle girl.

I liked her best when she came completely undone. Her pupils would dilate, a sweet flush creeping on her cheeks and her mouth opening with a quiet gasp. Her struggled breaths delighted my ears. The sight of her sweat clad chest heaving with need made my body throb. I was the only one who could reduce her to that. No one else.

I caressed her hip, slowly dragging my fingernails over her warm skin. She moaned in her sleep. My mouth twitched into a satisfied grin.

I was her best friend. The only one who could understand her, the only one who would always be there for her. She was mine. Her body, her heart, her soul, they all belonged to me. And soon I would be able to pour a little of my soul back into her for we belonged together. There were no Ginny Weasley without Tom Riddle.

"Sleep tight, Little Ginny," I whispered into her hair before kissing her good night.