Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my own wild imagination!
Summary: Tormented by a memory that was never really forgotten, Ginny Weasley is determined to be reunited with the young sociopathic Dark Lord and plagues herself with the foolish idea of forever changing the course of time. How far can love take you? Can it make you steal… or even kill? Takes place in Ginny's seventh year. Rating might change in later chapters for possible mature themes. Story will not be fully compliant with HBP and DH.
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Chapter 2
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"Well, Miss Mallette, I truly am sorry for your losses and I hope that Hogwarts will be able to provide you with a home until your graduation. You said you were homeschooled, yes?" Armando Dippet asked, inquisitively scanning the contents of the letter the redhead had provided him with.
"Yes sir," Ginevra replied meekly, keeping her eyes averted from the old headmaster.
"Hmm, we will have to test your magical capabilities of course, but if I am to judge, I'd say you are a 7th year, correct?"
Brown eyes slowly lifted and Ginny frowned. "If you are referring to my age, then yes, I am seventeen years of age."
"Good. We shall sort you into the appropriate house based on your character. I shall then meet with you to determine the level of your knowledge. I trust you find this appropriate?"
She eagerly nodded, smiling. "It means a lot to me, Headmaster, sir. My papa did tell me that Hogwarts rarely accepts transfers or homeschooled students, but he has always spoken of this school in such a high regard that I felt I'd do his memory injustice if I didn't at least try and attempt to register myself. As well, I thought my situation rather special, and I hoped I'd be taken in kindly. I'm glad I made the trip here tonight to speak with you."
Dippet smiled warmly, pushing away from his desk. "Hogwarts is home to anyone and everyone, never forget that, Miss Mallette! You did well in coming here; you shall be looked after."
"Thank you sir, I will forever be indebted to your gratitude," she murmured quietly, lowering her head in respect.
"No need. Come now, let us get you sorted so that you may retire for the night. No doubt your trip was tiring."
She followed silently, highly anticipating her sorting. She was positive that no other house would have her apart from Slytherin. Her first sorting into Gryffindor had clearly been a mistake. There was nothing Gryffindor about her.
Proudly walking forth towards the stool Dippet had kindly provided, she felt the cool, leathery material of the old hat touch the top of her head. She shuddered, overtaken by the eerie sensation of someone's fingers skimming over her memories, her thoughts and her deepest, darkest desires. Hello hat, we meet again, I see. I trust you will not repeat past, or should I say, future mistakes.
Well dear, you are an enigma. Granted, you have Slytherin talents, but you also possess the intelligence of a Ravenclaw and the bravery of a Gryffindor.
At this remark, Ginny snorted silently and rolled her eyes inwardly.
However, I concur with you, young one. Your Slytherin ambition and cunning surpass all…even time itself! Salazar himself would be proud of you. I am sorry for misplacing you in your first year. I hope you will forgive me when your reign shall come. For now, my apologies can manifest only by sorting you properly: "SLYTHERIN!"
Content, Ginny allowed the headmaster to remove the hat and stood up, promptly following Dippet out of his office.
"The Slytherin common room is down in the dungeons. It is late into the night and no doubt all the professors are sleeping, so I will take it upon myself to show you there. Tomorrow is Sunday, so you may dress to your leisure. A uniform will be bought for you and left in your dorm for Monday, along with a list of your classes and the required books. Professor Slughorn is your head of house, so should you have any problems you may report them either to him, or myself."
Ginny nodded, seemingly fascinated with her surroundings. In truth, she knew the dungeons probably better than Slughorn himself did. Many a times she had snuck down to retrieve various potions ingredients from Snape's supply cupboard and even more than once she had used the dungeon niches and hidden rooms as means to evade her annoying brother, Ron, or a lovesick Harry Potter.
Sighing at the thought, she abruptly stopped, nearly colliding with the back of the headmaster. Looking about her, she noted the portrait of Salazar Slytherin regally resting upon the stone wall, sneering down at them. Averting her gaze, she chanced a glance at Armando Dippet and watched as he frowned.
"Hm, yes, the password…what was it again? Oh yes, yes! Caedes! Remember this, Miss Mallette, for it is required to gain access to your common room."
She nodded, watching as the portrait swung open ungraciously, and silently stepped behind the old man into the Slytherin common room.
A low fire burned in one of the many grand fireplaces. Plush, green sofas lined the expanse of the room, and richly polished wood floors reflected the glowing, green flames that still burned from the torches. For once in a long time, Ginny felt at home.
"Miss Mallette, follow me please," the headmaster whispered quietly and ushered Ginny down one of the corridors. "You will be sharing your room with one other person from your year and since we've agreed that you are most likely a 7th year, I shall treat you as such until you are proven to be otherwise. Quietly now!" he said, and Ginny followed silently.
They entered one of the many rooms that spanned along the narrow hallway and Dippet promptly shut the door behind them. Quickly adjusting to the dimmed lights, Ginny looked at the headmaster.
"Rest for tonight, and tomorrow we will meet again to determine your abilities. As from now on, the Slytherin head of house will assist you with whatever you shall need."
She nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster, for everything."
"My pleasure, Miss Mallette, I assure you," he said, inclining his head in her direction and curtly biding her good night.
When he was well gone, Ginny removed the shrunken trunk from her pocket and enlarged it to its original size. Pulling out a set of clean pajamas, she quickly changed out of her clothes and stuffed them down into her trunk, along with the time turner, which she craftily hid in a loose hole at the bottom.
Satisfied with the day's events, she walked to her bed and pulled the covers off, slipping in between the cool sheets and easing off into a restful sleep.
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Morning came too soon for Ginny, and she found herself rudely awakened by the sound of the shower taps going off in the adjacent room. Chancing a look at her roommate's bed, she found it empty, the covers messily pushed to the side.
With a resonated sigh, she lazily struggled into a sitting position, stretching her legs over the edge of the bed and reaching for her wand. With a swift flick and a murmured spell, her hair pulled itself away from her face to rest neatly against her back.
Yawning, she pushed away from the bed and trudged to her trunk, pulling it open and removing a skirt and a shirt. She was just about to change when the door to the bathroom was yanked open and a voice interrupted her.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
Smirking, Ginny turned around. "Why, I'm your new roommate."
Absently towel drying her hair, the blonde girl eyed Ginny suspiciously. "Are you a mudblood?"
Ginny laughed, throwing her head back. Inwardly she itched to smack the superior look straight off the other girl's face. "What, no pleasantries?" she inquired, eyeing the stoic pose of the other girl airily. "Heaven forbid if I was a mudblood! I am a Mallette!"
The blonde shrugged, seemingly more relaxed and threw down the towel upon her bed. "Never heard of them," she commented drily.
"Of course you haven't. My family is all dead," Ginny said seriously.
"Oh. I see." Ginny nodded. "Well I am Anastasia Malfoy."
"Ginevra Mallette, but I prefer Ginny," the redhead replied, proceeding to discard her nightclothes and change into the outfit she had chosen moments before.
"Did you transfer here?" Anastasia casually asked her, spell casting her hair dry.
"You could say that."
"Well no matter, so far as you are not a mudblood, you seem of good character. If you'd like, it would be my pleasure to show you around Hogwarts. You know, to make up for my earlier rudeness. "
Ginny smiled. Well if she wanted to befriend Riddle, she couldn't very well be an outcast. And befriending a Malfoy was bound to have its benefits. "That would be convenient."
"Give me a moment to dress as well, and then I will show you where we take breakfast and such." Anastasia added pleasantly, disappearing back into the adjacent bathroom.
Ginny sighed, pulling on her clothes and rounding on the mirror to check her reflection. The mirror smirked back at her and seductively pursued its lips. "Hello love, are we ready?"
The redhead chuckled, "Yes." Footsteps shuffled behind her and Ginny looked over at the blonde Malfoy.
"All done?" she asked Ginny who answered with a nod. "Alright, follow me, and don't worry about the rest of the Slytherins, they don't bite hard," she said laughingly.
"Worry not, they wouldn't get close enough to bite at all," Ginny replied.
"Well said. I feel you and I will get on splendidly." Ginny nodded and remained quiet. For your sake you best be right, Malfoy.
Once in the common room, Ginny was surprised to find that it was mostly empty. Compared to her former Gryffindor quarters, which around this particular time was always bustling with activity, the Slytherin Commons were eerily silent. Ginny welcomed the peace and solitude greedily.
Another thing Ginny was grateful for was the fact that Slytherins did not seem keen to pry into the affairs of others. Naturally they tried their best to know everything and anything about everyone, but they came to terms that at certain times things were best left alone. This came to the redhead's advantaged for Anastasia had thankfully walked her to the Great Hall entrance silently and had not yet bothered to ask any personal questions Ginny would be forced to coolly turn down.
Pushing the doors open, the blonde glanced sideways at her companion. "This is the Great Hall where we eat. Each house has its own table. The Slytherin one is the farthest away, near the wall. We highly treasure our privacy."
Forcing a look of awe, Ginny followed Anastasia down the length of the table towards an area of empty seats. She quickly sat down, trying to tune out the annoying stares and gossip that almost immediately started oozing from around her.
"7th year students usually sit here. Hogwarts almost never accepts transfer students, and the fact that you are in 7th year and a transfer seems to cause quite the reaction."
Ginny rolled her eyes and poured herself a cup of tea. "They'll get over it."
Anastasia laughed. "So tell me where you're from again?"
The redhead momentarily stiffened, before composing herself and dropping two sugar cubes into her tea to stir around aimlessly. "I was born in France. My mother was English and had me homeschooled."
"How lovely! France is a beautiful country. My family owns a house in the south of France and it is such a pleasure to spend the summers there."
Ginny nodded, reaching for a croissant. "The summers there are beautiful indeed."
Anastasia was just about to ask her another, in Ginny's opinion, seemingly boring question, when the shadow of two people fell across her bent head.
"Ana, how many times must I repeat myself that I am never in the mood for your conniving gossiper friends in the morning?"
The blond girl flushed and angrily looked up.
Ginny looked up as well, alluringly allowing a lock of her hair to messily fall across her eyes. "Conniving gossiper? Why, I don't remember ever giving anyone that bad of a first impression!"
Across from her, a tall, handsome boy with messy blond hair that had just sat down, uncomfortably looked at her. "I'm sorry, I thought—"
"You thought I was one of them," Ginny interrupted, gesturing down the table at a group of giggling girls which were currently looking their way. "Sorry to disappoint," she added with a laugh and sipped her tea.
"Again, I must apologize," the blonde said, a devilish grin adoring his lips.
Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to dazzle everyone you meet Abraxas. Maybe then you wouldn't have a fan club running around after you. This is my roommate, Ginevra Mallette. She is a transfer student. Ginny this is my brother, Abraxas." Ginny could've laughed. Malfoy's efforts were valiant but they were as good as wasted on her since her heart only belonged to Tom.
"I thought Hogwarts did not receive transfer students," Tom Riddle interrupted, and for the first time Ginny noted his presence. Her heart sped erratically and her breath left her lungs painfully.
Attempting to keep her cool, Ginny smirked and turned to face him. "You will find that if the ambition is strong enough, anything can be accomplished, regardless of the rules," she whispered, the double meaning of her words strongly pronounced. Tom frowned and kept her gaze level, tentatively reaching for her mind. It came unexpected to him when he felt the brute force of her mental wall, strongly barricading whatever secretes she was hiding. Smirking yet again, she looked away and addressed Abraxas. "I had always wished to attend Hogwarts."
"It's a fine enough school, overlooking a few foolhardy teachers," he added casually and the redhead pleasantly smiled. "I would be more than glad to show you around the place when Anastasia isn't present. Now if you're interested in the history of the place, Tom here is the best for that sort of thing. He probably wouldn't mind giving you a lesson or two."
Brown eyes slowly reverted to the beautiful face Ginny knew oh-so-well. "I believe that's his offer to make," she said breathily.
Tom looked at her and curtly nodded. "It would be my pleasure," he told her politely.
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The rest of the day passed by quickly. Anastasia showed Ginny into the library where the redhead had spent a good time browsing the bookshelves she knew off by heart. Lunch time found Ginny walking beside Abraxas and his twin sister in the direction of the Great Hall.
Suddenly, a voice from behind them startled Ginny and she stopped and turned. "Miss Mallette?"
"Yes?"
A breathless, round man in his early forties ran up to her. "Headmaster Dippet sent me. He is unable to meet with you to test your magical skill, but he has tasked me with this feat. I am your head of House, Professor Slughorn. If you would follow me, I'd like to begin promptly."
"Of course Professor." Ginny looked back at her companions and shrugged. "I have to go. I'll meet you in the common room later on if I can find my way."
Anastasia laughed. "I have faith in you."
"Don't do too well on this test of yours, or else you'll be forced to join his Slug Club." Abraxas shuddered, looking somber.
Ginny smiled. "I'll see what I can do."
"Miss Mallette?"
"Coming Professor!" she called walking towards him. With a backward glance she waved at the two Malfoys. "See you this evening."
"This way," Slughorn gestured, and they turned away into his classroom. "Okay, before you get started, I want you take notice that each desk has been appropriately set up for a particular test designed to probe your knowledge of N.E.W.T required courses. I will be taking notes on your ability of adequately performing these tests. Shall I find you have successfully completed the tasks to my expectations you shall remain a 7th year as assigned. Should you fail, I will bring this matter to discuss with the Headmaster and appropriately place you in the year matching your level of knowledge. Any questions?" Ginny shook her head, bored with the man's lengthy speech. "Good, good! Begin!"
Ginny examined the desks before her. There was a set-up for transfiguring a clock into a cat, another desk strewn with potion's ingredients and a couple of other desk on which various items awaited for Ginny to do Merlin only knew what. With a sigh, Ginny stepped forward and began dicing the ingredients for the potion she had been assigned.
Three hours later, Ginny was sitting down across from Professor Slughorn's desk, lazily watching him as he made his way around the room and inspected the various tests she had finished, jotting down notes as he went. A little while later, he walked around behind his desk, a proud smile on his face. "Welcome to 7th year in the Slytherin House Miss Mallette." He beamed.
"Thank you Professor," she answered politely, "May I be excused?"
"Just one moment Miss Mallette! Would you be interested to join the Slug Club? You skills are outstanding. We would all be proud to have you."
Ginny shook her head. "Thank you Professor, but I am afraid I will have to decline. Maybe after I adjust to Hogwarts a little more, you may make me this proposal again. Until such a time, I am afraid I will be distracted by clubs and the sort."
"I understand Miss Mallette. Have a pleasant evening."
"You as well, Professor." With a quick smile, Ginny spun around and stepped out the door. Holding back yawn as she made her swift escape, Ginny did a double take as she felt her heart rate rapidly speed up. Across from her, Tom Riddle casually leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest, his coal black eyes boring into hers.
"Hello Tom," she greeted, noting the way his dark hair beautifully contrasted with his alabaster skin. Her heart fluttered within her ribcage at his acknowledging nod and she watched as he removed himself away from wall and purposefully walked over to her.
"Ginevra, walk with me to dinner?" he asked.
"I was going to go back to the common room, but dinner sounds good." He glanced at her and nodded but otherwise remained silent, choosing instead to examine her as she fell into step beside him.
"Where did you say you were from?" he asked lightly.
Behind lowered lashes, Ginny narrowed her eyes. Very well, if he wanted to play, she would beat him to it. "I didn't say."
His head snapped around in her direction and she could've sworn she saw a look of annoyance and anger flash across his face. However, the moment had been so brief, she might've very well have imagined the whole thing. "Indulge me."
She laughed and Tom was strangely reminded of a sound that rang like tinkling bells, melodious and beautiful. It was mesmerizing. He found himself puzzled by this emotion. "I was born in France to a Parisian father and an English mother."
"What school did you attend back home?"
"I was homeschooled," she replied simply, admiring his masculine profile, and the way the torch flames danced high on his cheekbones.
"Why Hogwarts?"
"Am I being interrogated?" she joked, stopping at the foot of a statue and looking up at him searchingly.
"I'm just curious," he lied smoothly, his face impassive.
She smirked. "Curiosity killed the cat you know." He did not reply. His silence was making her uncomfortable, and despite her earlier burst of confidence and foolish bravery, she gave a small shudder. "Thanks for the walk Tom, but I fear I am no longer hungry."
Having said that, Ginny gave him a brief once over and turned to leave but just as she was about to walk away from him, his hand flew and caught her wrist, pulling her back. Black eyes burned into brown shining orbs, and Tom gripped her wrist harder, desperately seeking a loose end in the carefully woven protective barrier of her mind.
"Let go of me!" she demanded sharply, pulling her wrist away.
Defeated, Tom broke their gaze and watched confusedly as she turned and ran away from him. Angry with himself and her, he shoved his hands in the pocket of his robes and walked in the opposite direction. Whatever she was hiding, whatever secrets she had, he would eventually find them out. He would break her and enjoy charming her around his little finger to do with as he pleased.
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A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but I was really busy…moving to the States and all! Thanks to all who reviewed and I promise to try and update sooner!
Let me know what you think!
Leah
