Disclaimer: I own nothing. I've taken some excerpts from the HP books- but please don't sue. I am but a poor fanfiction writer.

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Previously:

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the Slytherin table.

Or more specifically, Draco Malfoy.

A Lingering Memory
Chapter Four: The Malfoys

"Funny, the damage a silly little book can do, especially in the hands of a silly little girl."

Watching the reflection of Draco Malfoy leaving the Great Hall in her shining goblet, Ginny excused herself quickly and carefully casually followed the blonde.

She walked with unusual stealth and grace, and had followed him through several corridors before he noticed her presence.

"Well, if it isn't another Weasley," he drawled. "Your family seems to populate half this castle. Well, in case you were too dim to have realized, you're going in the wrong direction."

"That would depend on where I'm going," Ginny replied casually.

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, I don't bloody care where you're going, just as long as you don't ever speak to me again. This place is filthy enough without people like you polluting my breathing space."

Shrugging, Ginny replied slyly, "Okay, fine. Anyway, I was just sent to tell you that Dumbledore wants to meet with you."

Draco's smirk faltered. In a voice slightly higher than normal, he asked slowly, "Dumbledore wants to see me?"

"Yeah. Immediately," Ginny added, "He said something about a book… and a Chamber…"

Draco's face lost all remaining color. Dumbledore was the one wizard he had been raised in fear of. The Leader of the Light, defeater of Grindelwald, and Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"What? No - " he protested "I swear - my father didn't tell me- I didn't know anything about a diary - " then, realizing that he was incriminating family, switched tactics, "You can't do anything to me- I'm Draco Malfoy!"

"Oh, you are?" She said in an innocent voice. "I'm terribly sorry. This message is for Daniel Richards," she said, looking mortified at having made such a mistake. Her face was the epitome of innocence and naïveté. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" she asked politely.

The Slytherin shook his head blankly. Of course he didn't know where Daniel Richards was. There was no such student at Hogwarts.

But Draco did not know this. He was torn between pissing his pants in relief that he didn't have to face Dumbledore and crying from having to face this little girl who made him so terribly nervous. To his credit, he did neither.

"Oh, all right then. Have a nice day, Draco Malfoy," Ginny said simply, walking away in search of "Daniel Richards".

Draco stood in the empty corridor as he watched the redhead turn the corner and disappear. He was confused and scared out of his mind. Two things a Malfoy was not allowed to be.

Not knowing what to do for perhaps the first in his life, Draco did what he had been instructed to do on the rare occasion that money or empty threats didn't solve the problem.

He cursed the first student he saw into oblivion, and went to the Owlery to send a letter to his father. Yes, the Malfoys were experts at problem-solving.

/\\

Ginny was on her way to Dumbledore's office. A tedious journey, yes, but one that had to be made all the same. It wouldn't do for the Headmaster to be suspicious of her.

She was approaching the Headmaster's office when suddenly she heard footsteps and voices. Instincts taking over, she hid in the shadows and listened…

"You've lost me my servant, boy!" roared a loud, menacing voice.

"You shall not harm Harry Potter!" squeaked a creature in a high pitched tone, followed by a loud bang.

Moments later, a blonde, disheveled figure stormed past her, who she recognized to be Lucius Malfoy.

She noticed the familiar leather bound notebook in his hand, and she decided what to do in a split second. Change of plans; Dumbledore could wait.

She strode up behind Lucius and called out, "Mr. Malfoy, do you think I could have my diary back now?"

He spun around, glaring menacingly. In his tightly clenched fist, he gripped his wand so hard it was shaking. He maintained a distance of 5 feet of her of course - he didn't want to be contaminated by her blood-traitor disease after all.

"Here," he growled, practically throwing the diary at her. "I only hope it's got some dark magic left in it."

He was too busy fuming to hear the Ginny whisper wistfully as she held the diary close to her chest,

"Me too."

/\\

The Hogwarts feast was quite unusual, even for a Hogwarts feast. And while Dumbledore is Headmaster, that's saying something. The students were all in their pajamas, but no one seemed to be going to bed.

Everyone was eating and gossiping about how Harry Potter had saved Ginny Weasley from 100 fire-breathing dragons. And an entire army of Inferi. And even a few dozen dementors.

And of course, no one believed the silly rumor about a book and a snake.

They didn't believe everything they heard, you know; just everything that wasn't true.

It made Ginny sick.

But throughout the feast, Ginny acted like a perfect little Gryffindor. She knew Dumbledore would be watching her every move.

So she made a point to give Hagrid a friendly hug when he returned, even though he was a filthy half-breed. She cheered when Gryffindor won the House Cup, and welcomed Hermione back from the Hospital Wing, and why, yes, of course Ginny she had visited the Hospital Wing while she was petrified…

Her smile never faltered, and her acting soon paid off. At the end of the feast, she caught Dumbledore's twinkling eyes and knew she was safe.

Everyone else, however, was not.

/\\

Ginny didn't dare do anything with the diary for the rest of the term. And honestly, she was not sure what to do with it either.

The pages no longer absorbed her ink written words, and there was no kind, sympathetic reply. Even though the diary wasn't functioning anymore, Ginny held onto it as a reminder of what Harry Potter had done to Tom Riddle.

And one day, he would pay for it.

Tom Riddle had been the one person who had cared for her. He asked about her day, he gave her advice, and told her stories about his days at Hogwarts.

But, most importantly, he listened to her.

Nobody ever listened to Ginny Weasley. Not her friends, not her teachers, and certainly not her family.

It was difficult to grow up as the youngest child – and only girl - in a family of nine.

She hated her brothers for making her life miserable, she hated her parents for ignoring her, she hated her house, she hated being poor.

She was always the victim of Fred and George's pranks, and the butt of every immature joke. She had been pushed aside far too many times.

Until there was Tom. He was attentive, polite, thoughtful … everything her family wasn't. And she missed him. A lot.

Occasionally, when she was sure no one was there, she would dig the diary out of her trunk, run her fingers over the singed pages and around the hole from the basilisks' fang, and put it away without a word.

It became a daily ritual; the diary became a reminder of Tom.

Tom Riddle was not gone, you see. And Ginny was going to find him.

But he was much closer to her than she realized.

/\\

Meanwhile, in the Malfoy Manor, Lucius Malfoy sat in his study reading a certain letter…

Dear Father,

I regret to inform you that Dumbledore is back in office, and the petrified mud bloods will soon be awakened by the Mandrake Potion. It's a pity, I enjoyed their absences.

However, that is not the primary reason for this letter. The Weasley girl- Ginny, I believe, has been acting very strangely. There are rumors going around Slytherin that she was on less-than-Gryffindor behavior in the Chamber of Secrets. Normally, I would dismiss these rumors as gossip, but I had an interesting encounter with her that proved suspicious, and I thought it wise to inform you.

Your Son,

Draco Malfoy

Lucius tossed the letter in the fireplace after reading it. This was an interesting development. Hadn't she been the same girl to ask for the diary back?

Lucius couldn't imagine what use she would have for the diary. Sentimental reasons, he supposed. Foolish Gryffindors.

But why would Ginny want the diary? Now that she knew what it was, why would she keep a former Dark Magic artifact near her?

It appeared there was more to Ginny Weasley than he had realized.

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AN: Longest chapter I've ever written in my life. I hope it was long enough!

Happy birthday to Harry and JKR. The two most influential people in my life, and I'll never meet either one!

And happy birthday to ME, tomorrow! 15 years!

I'm going on vacation for a while, but when I come back look forward to more chapters.

Thanks to:

Sweety gal, Nevermore Burning, bandgsecurtiyaw, duj, Norbert, SeekerGirl17, Dooki, Lukina Starhopper, Anakin Riddle, and Nocturnal007!

July 31th is Harry's birthday,

So I have this one thing to say:

That Horcrux quest, I wish him the best,

Good luck with Ginny, by the way.