Ginny's fair skinned hand trembled slightly as she closed the letter she had just recently opened. Quickly her fingers tore it up in a frenzy of parchment, and she deposited the waste in a basket by her bed. Her bright eyes scanned the bedroom for intruders before she started to think; lately her mind had become sharper and more aware, leading to slight paranoia. Sometimes, Ginny mused, it wasn't even safe to think.
When she had gotten the letter, she had been afraid to open it, so it sat there, staring at her, for a little more than an hour before she dared touch it. As a habit of hers, she immediately scanned her eyes to the bottom of the letter, to see who had sent it. Her tense figure relaxed a little when she glimpsed the casual signature at the end of the note. "Tom".
Ginny now sat silently on her bed, recalling everything it said, exactly word for word, detail for detail, to the last iota. It ran through her mind, burning her head more than her fiery hair. The idea it introduced seemed a little far-fetched, a little too much for her to do. But then her mind traipsed back to the days of her first year at Hogwarts. Look at the things I was able to do, she thought with a sudden burst of confidence. This is nothing…This is nothing…
She quickly lifted her pillow and glanced under it, finding herself gazing at a small little diary. She was glad that they had given her back Tom. It was all she really wanted. A smile graced her ripe lips, although it was not a smile that her friends would have relished. It was a smirk, an evil grin of all sorts. Her hand then carefully touched a patch of skin on her arm that wasn't its natural white. Inscribed on that little spot was the dark mark, and as she touched it she let out a little laugh.
Of course she could lure Draco to Voldemort. If anyone could, it was she. The sultry Slytherin wouldn't answer his father's letters about joining, and she was the only death eater at Hogwarts. What an honor, she grinned, recruiting already. With that she sent off the black eagle owl that had delivered the letter, and prepared to get ready for breakfast. All the while her mind thought of endless ways to lure Draco in for Tom, to make him proud. Endless ways not to fail. Endless ways…
The great hall was filled with bright light, as the enchanted ceiling was clear of clouds and only showed the sun emanating vivid illumination. The shine made Ginny's hair almost glow as she stepped out from a crowd of Gryffindor 5th years, carrying a large plate of breakfast food. Her first step was to get noticed. It didn't matter whether Draco noticed her in a good, or a bad way, just as long as he had her in his mind.
Her plan was simple. It was something that she would never have dreamed of in her earlier years, a plan that would have gone against everything that she stood for most of her life. But, she thought with a terrible grin, I am no longer like I was most of my life. Most of my life I was good. Most of the life I didn't have the dark mark on my arm. She was going to lure Draco into liking her, even loving her is she had the time. Then he would be prone to do whatever she asked. She would be able to control his mind. She couldn't help but be proud at her devise. It was much like how Tom had controlled her, got her to trust him in order to get what he wanted. In the back of her mind, the very back, she thanked him.
Her figure, laden with the heavy plate, made its way past the Gryffindor table, past the Hufflepuff, as if she was aiming for the Ravenclaw table at the other end of the hall. She made eye contact with one of her friends from the house, as if she was heading over to have a quick talk with her. While in the corner of her vision she could see Draco's blond head, and she slanted towards him.
He was standing at the edge of the table, talking over to a row of interested Slytherins. Ginny caught snippets of phrases his low drawl was emanating, none to quietly.
"Potter…ratface…Weasley…Racing broom…Father bought me…Shove their faces in rubbish..." All expressions trademark of the Slytherin. Ginny almost laughed inwardly at how he could get away with all the same jokes every single year…
Meanwhile she meandered towards the table, still keeping eye contact with the Ravenclaw. She even waved over to that side of the room. When push came to shove, she was actually quite the convincing little actress. All the time she was getting dangerously close to the small ball of people gathered around Draco.
Suddenly she collided with the boy, her plate stacked with pastry smashing right in his face and tumbling over his robes. She put on a mock air of sincerity.
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry. What have I done…I wasn't looking where I was going…Are you okay."
Draco had been knocked to the floor on impact, and was now angrily getting up, wiping some pudding from his eyes. Color had risen to his pale cheeks. Ginny offered a hand to help him up, but he ignored it.
"Who in bloody hell ran into me!" he screeched rather unpleasantly, still attempting to clear his mouth of the muffins that had been shoved into it. He then, finally clearing the vanilla out of his eyes, was able to view the flaming red hair and tell tale freckles.
"Weasley! A bloody Weasley ran into me!" He didn't seem too happy about it.
"I'm sorry, I really am…I'll make it up to you if you'd like…" Ginny appeared to be on the verge of tears, but inwardly was laughing viscously.
Draco's eyes seared of irritation, partly from the pudding, but mostly from his rage. After a moment of silent, yet infuriated, reflection on his state of wear, he realized that the blueberry stain on his trouser wasn't going to come out without a thorough cleansing charm, and he'd have to take them off for that. So, he turned on his heel, and without much addressing, made his way to his room.
He called back over his shoulder. "You'll pay for this Weasley!" his voice turned to mumblings as he hurried off. "Filthy muggle lover…family…"
Ginny, her cheeks slightly red, though not from embarrassment, picked up her spilled plate and wended a curved path back to the Gryffindor table. She held the plate to her chest, as if it was the journal that held her secret friend. And in her eye, behind a cloud of honesty and shame, she smirked.
He was planning vengeance. This was almost too good. Not only would he think of her now, but he would remember her.
When she got to the Gryffindor table, she decided not to sit down, but instead to go back to the Gryffindor tower. Seeing her morning meal spilled all over Draco had taken away her appetite, and she needed to plan. The next stage of her arrangement called for even more preparation, and she would need the time.
Voldemort must need Draco very badly. Ginny thought intensely. For such an urgent recruit. But in all reality, she didn't mind. Anything for Tom. But then again, as she thought back on it…The look on Draco's face when his mouth was full of pastry was a little cute. The anger in his eyes…She shook her head, what was she saying…
The echo of her footsteps died as she exited the great hall.
