Despite how uncomfortable he was, when the night fell, Ed managed to fall asleep. That night, he had a dream.
He was in a very old building, with very thick stone could have been a church, or a castle. In front of him was a wooden door. Behind the door, he heard someone sobbing. He decided to try and discover what was going on, and silently pushed the door. He was now in a large room. Regarding the number of sinks and the cabins on the side, he understood he was certainly in a toilet room. The cries were coming from the other side of the sinks. He carefully got closer, and discovered a little girl with fiery red hair.
"Hello..." He said.
The girl jolted, and tried to get as far away as she could. That's when he noticed the dagger in her hand, against her wrist. He lifted his hands immediately.
"Don't be scared!" He said quickly. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Who are you? Are you a ghost?"
"No. I'm just a dream."
"How can you be a dream? I'm not sleeping!"
"No. I'm the one who dreams. My name is Edmund. What about you?"
"G... Ginny Weasley."
He sat in front of her, and crossed his leg, like they were having a nice chat.
"What is that?" He asked in a calm voice, pointing at the dagger.
Ginny's eyes filled with tears, and she pressed the dagger a little bit harder on her skin.
"Don't." Ed said. "Talk to me."
"I did something terrible!" She cried. "Because of me, many people nearly died, and the best friend of the boy I love has been petrified! And if anyone learns it's all my fault, my family will hate me, and I'll be expelled from school! I don't want it to happen! I didn't want any of this!"
"What happened? I won't tell. It will be our secret."
"Do you promise?"
"I promise. Beside, dreams are always secrets, aren't they?"
The girl seemed to think for a moment, and then wiped her eyes.
"I... I set a monster free on the castle, and it attacked people. But... but I didn't want to do it, I swear! Tom made me do it!"
"Who's Tom?"
She pointed at a small leather book on the ground. Ed got up, and looked at the book. On the side was a name. Tom Riddle. He understood what it was.
"It's a boy who's locked up in this diary. I found it in my school stuff, and I spent the year talking to him. I thought he was my friend... but he was not. He used me to do things... Horrible things! And I can't even tell anyone!"
"Listen to me, Ginny. I can help you. But first, I want you to give me your dagger. And then, we will talk. Okay?"
Ginny hesitated, but finally gave him the knife. He took it gently, precociously, and then put it in his pocket.
"Good. Now, listen to me. First, there is one thing I want you to understand. None of this is your fault. Tom tricked you, and tried to corrupt you, but this is never gonna be your fault. So, you are allowed to talk to an adult. No one will blame you."
"No! I can't! I'll be expelled! And I don't want Harry to know..."
"Alright. Okay. Then find someone you can talk to, and tell him everything. This is an advice, not an order. It really helps. Now, about this diary. This is a very powerful object. We can't afford to let anyone have it. But a good friend of mine can destroy it. So, here's what you're gonna do. Is there someone you can trust completely?"
"My... my brothers..."
"Great. Then, you're gonna go to your brothers, you're gonna give them the diary, and you're gonna tell them to hide it away, until I come back to take it from you. I promise I'll come. Alright?"
She nodded. He smiled.
"You're a very brave girl, Ginny. I'm gonna have to go, now. I'm starting to wake up."
And indeed, as the sledge bumped on the road, Ed woke up.