Chapter One.
Ginevra (Ginny) Weasley woke up in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hospital Wing after aging ten years in ten months. Her head was aching; a pounding so intense she could barely open her eyes. Squinting, she tried to lift her arm to her head and paused. Her arm felt like it weighed a tonne. She frowned as she registered bone deep fatigue. Slowly, memories started coming back. Her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ten months after starting her first year and she was almost a murderer. Her first year of school and she had become Hogwarts greatest evil.
Ginny didn't realise she was crying until she tried to breathe in and caught a sob. Tears were streaming down her face. She didn't realise she had curled into a ball and continued to cry, her whole petite body shaking. She tried to stop the memories. All the memories she didn't have were now playing on loop, in colour and loud.
Colin. Flash. Tom. Camera. Flash. Mrs Norris. Blood. Words. Harry. Tom. Blood. Fangs. Tom. Myrtle. Harry. Tom. Tom. Tom. Tom. Diary.
Ginny sobbed hard. Her vision blurred and her head felt like it was exploding.
"Miss Weasley," a soft and rough voice interrupt her sobs. Ginny curled harder into herself. She felt ashamed and scared and angry all at once.
"Miss Weasley, calm yourself." The rough voice was familiar, however Ginny couldn't see through her tears.
She tried to calm down. She tried hard. She tried to take deep breaths, slowing down her sobs. She concentrated on slowing down her body, her thoughts, everything. She gripped the sheets tighter.
Slowly, very slowly, Ginny's breathing became regular. Deep breaths without sobs. She lifted her heavy arm to wipe the tears away to clear her vision.
Sitting next to her bed, in a large conjured arm chair, was Professor Snape, the feared Potions Master. He was tall, strong, and seemed dark in clothing, hair, eyes, and nature.
Ginny sniffled and sat up straighter in bed. "Professor Snape, Sir. I – I – I didn't, I didn't know, I didn't mean, I didn't-" She couldn't get any more words out, her throat felt like it was closing up.
Professor Snape shifted forward, leaning his arms onto his knees as he studied the child in front of him. She was pale, and thin. She looked exhausted, with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks. Professor Snape had a brief flash of disappointment in her family. She had a number of brothers at this school, they were clearly useless in looking out for her wellbeing and safety. She looked like she spent half the year wasting away. She was so very thin.
"Miss Weasley, calm down please," Professor Snape tried to soften his voice, knowing his usual drawl was not comforting. He also stifled some impatience. He had a reason for sitting next to her bed right now. He needed to assess the danger of the youngest Weasley. At this time, the semi-retired spy who had known his tyrant Master was coming back, considered Miss Weasley as his biggest lead. After all, no one else had spent ten months sharing a mind and soul with the most dangerous evil Professor Snape knew of.
Ginny turned wide scared eyes to the most feared Professor at Hogwarts. Professor Snape studied the young girl in front of him. Ginny felt like he was trying to peer into her mind. That thought triggered another memory, one she didn't want to see.
Hidden under her blankets, Ginny tried to understand what Tom was saying. She wrote her reply, "You mean strong Wizards can read my mind?" Tom replied, "Yes. There are some wizards who are Legiliems. They can see whats on your mind, what you're thinking of." Ginny frowned, she believed Tom but it was hard to understand, "How?" Tom replied straight away in his clear print, "Any strong wizard that looks into your eyes, might be trying to see inside all your secrets. Remember, don't look at them directly."
Ginny unfroze and dropped her gaze from Professor Snape immediately. She didn't want him peering into any of her thoughts. Of course, Professor Snape noticed the unsubtle body tension and the sudden avoidance.
Curious, Professor Snape tilted his head. "What did you just remember, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny couldn't answer him, and couldn't look at him. She didn't know what to do or look at. Professor Snape obviously know she was uncomfortable.
Softening his voice even further, Professor Snape said, "Miss Weasley, I wish only to help you. I wish to understand everything that happened, and please know you can trust me."
Ginny started to reply and then remembered something else. Her eyes impossibly large, she breathed it out, speaking too quickly, "You're his. He knows you. I can't tell you. But you can read it, in my mind, can't you? Oh god, oh god."
Ginny watched Professor Snape sit back and blink in surprise. He was clearly shocked. The youngest Weasley and the most feared Professor of Hogwarts watched each other in silence. The air was cautious and charged.
Then Professor Snape moved. Professor Snape made a split second, gut-based, calculated decision to place some tentative trust in this petite human being who had gone through a traumatic first year. Professor Snape was counting on her experience changing her and also taking the slightest risk.
"Miss Weasley, I am going to tell you something that only two people on this earth know. One of which is the Headmaster. I am going to tell you this because I think I can trust you, and I think we should trust each other."
Ginny didn't even blink. She was scared, but so exhausted she felt paralysed.
"Miss Weasley, listen to me closely. I am not his." Professor Snape sat back with a perfectly blank expression.
Ginny swallowed loudly, unsure about anything. "Tom said, Tom told me about his loyal ones. He said,"
Professor Snape interrupted Ginny with a soft and dangerous voice, "Miss Wealsey. I can only imagine the things he told you, and I hope one day you trust me enough to share that. However, right now, you need to know I am not his. In any way."
Ginny stared at her Professor. Stared at him and tried to understand what he was saying. She didn't have a lot of memories of Professor Snape outside of Tom's influence. She frowned. Except one.
Ginny was walking down a long, cold and deserted hallway. She was lost. It was her third day at school, she was trying to get to the Great Hall and she was absolutely lost. She told her big brothers, all of them, to leave her alone this morning. Fred had followed her around and she was frustrated. She wrote a letter to Charlie, her favourite brother and how she wanted a break from her brothers. Charlie laughed and told her she would have to tell the boys what to do. Charlie reminded her that her brothers loved her, and were scared of her. So they left her alone after breakfast. And now she was lost. The hallway was so long, and cold, and dark. She started to feel nervous. Ginny told herself to not be silly. This was Hogwarts, the safest place ever. She was being silly. She heard a noise from behind her, like shuffles, maybe footsteps. Then, "Weasel! You're the twins little sister."
Ginny cringed. That sounded bad. She didn't know where they were. She turned a corner and standing in front of her were two old Slytherins and a Ravenclaw. She didn't know them, but they clearly knew her.
"Pardon?" Ginny heard her voice was shaking.
"Your big twin brothers stupid games caused us to have a month of detention."
Ginny backed up a step, "What does that have to do with me?"
Before anyone could blink, a drawling voice came from behind the group, "Indeed."
The two Slytherin and Ravenclaw spun to voice Professor Snape. "Sir-" The biggest Slytherin started.
Professor Snape continued, "Mr Dawlish, please tell me what exactly you think you are doing?"
"Nothing, Sir."
Professor Snape stared them down and drawled, "Indeed."
Ginny laughed out of the memory. Ginny looked at this Professor sitting next to her hospital bed, and decided to go with her instincts, because looking back over the last year, her instincts were always there.
"So you changed sides?" Ginny asked her Professor.
Professor Snape sat forward and handed over a goblet of water. He seemed to breathe deeper.
"That, Miss Weasley is a simple question with a complicated answer." Ginny didn't hear any judgement in his voice.
Tilting her head, Ginny frowned, "You said only two people know this information. So, that means it's a secret," Ginny paused, "Why would you not tell everyone that?"
Professor Snape sat there with a quiet air and didn't offer any answers.
Ginny frowned and guessed, "The Headmaster wanted it kept quiet, because he was protecting you from punishment."
Professor Snape continued to sit there in silence. Ginny assumed that meant she was wrong.
"So if the Headmaster wasn't trying to protect you by hiding that knowledge, maybe he was trying to keep it from Tom, except," Ginny stopped herself and shook her head, "That doesn't make sense because he isn't alive anymore."
Ginny's last year flicked through her mind and she jumped to a terrifying conclusion. Ginny started to breath hard as she locked eyes with Professor Snape.
Ginny whispered, "But he isn't dead, is he?"
Professor Snape sat comfortably in his chair and had a very faint smirk as he replied, "That Miss Weasley is a simple question with a complicated answer."
Ginny just stared at him and slowly put this together.
"He can't be dead. The Journal. His memories. So that means he doesn't know about you. He does know about you though. In the beginning, he would have seen you in my memories." Ginny noticed Professor Snape sit up.
Professor Snape asked quietly, "Do you remember what he saw?"
Ginny nodded, "Yes, after the beginning, when we sort of, linked, he could see everything for about a month. He saw you in class mainly."
Professor Snape thought through all their interactions in her first four months at school. He remembered nothing else outside his normal classroom behaviour. Professor Snape relaxed, then focused back on this teenager, almost child before him. Professor Snape had many questions for her, however, one was the most pressing and the rest could wait.
"And after about two months?"
Ginny ducked her head. How was she supposed to explain this. She didn't even know if she completely understood it. But she knew it.
"He didn't see anything but direct thoughts after the first month."
Professor Snape just waited again, and Ginny took that as an invitation to explain. "I don't know how to make you believe this, but, when I realised how far inside my mind, inside me he was, I started to wake up, and I could control it."
Ginny looked at Professor Snape with a resigned expression, waiting for him to argue, or tell her she was silly to think she had any control against the powerful Tom Riddle.
"Miss Weasley, let me be completely clear. I believe everything you tell me about Tom Riddle. Everything. I know this has changed you in a way no one could possibly understand. I think we will continue to see this over the next six years. I know without a doubt, that I believe you and in you. This is something completely unique. But it will be okay."
And with that sentence, showing more emotion than Professor Snape ever had, Ginny saw a safe place for her, something she could trust and rely on forever. So a friendship was forged between the youngest Weasley and the most hated Professor of Hogwarts history, that would change both their lives, the lives of their loved ones and the lives of the entire wizardry world.