A/N: Tom's entries
will be in bold and Ginny's will be in italics to keep them straight. Remember, Ginny is just eleven years old, so
there will be some intentional grammar mistakes made in her entries. Nothing too horrid, I promise. If anyone is curious about the date, I took
Nearly Headless Nick's death date, added 500 to it and came up with the year
1992 (yes, folks I can add with the help of my trusty calculator!) So fifty years ago would be 1942, which is
interesting since I can see (as a History buff) so many parallels between World
War II and the Harry Potter world. Ok,
here's the next chapter.
Disclaimer: All characters and plot and everything else
under the sun belong to J.K Rowling, author of Harry Potter and the Chamber
of Secrets. London: Bloomsbury
Publishing, 1998. I am merely retelling
the story from another character's point of view. All text taken directly from Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets will be noted by **text**.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the day was miserable for Ginny. No one talked much, dinner was disastrous as
her mum could not let up about the fight in the shop, and frankly, Ginny didn't
want to think about it anymore. That
man was really evil, him and his son. She could still see their snarling faces,
still hear the nasal tones in their voices.
Getting up from dinner, she went up to her bedroom.
She took out the things she got from Diagon Alley and
examined them, making sure they weren't in any worse condition than they were
before they got scattered about. She
picked up her copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, to thumb
through it, hoping to learn how to transfigure herself into
something…anything. A tiny book fell
from the pages. It was small, thin, and
had a shabby black leather cover.
Examining it closely, there was a date printed on the back, along with
the name of the bookstore where it must have came from: Vauxhall Road, London 1942. Ginny blinked. That was fifty years ago, and wasn't Vauxhall Road in the Muggle
part of London? She opened the diary,
looking to see if anyone had written in it.
The name T.M Riddle was written in faded, smudged ink on the
inside cover. Every single page was
blank.
Maybe they forgot it was in there, she thought. What sort of book is this? She didn't want to throw it away, someone
had obviously wanted it enough to keep it safe by hiding it in an old copy of a
book. Maybe she could use it for
something. Her brow furrowed as she
thought about what she could do with it.
She couldn't draw in it, the pages were too old and small for any sort
of serious drawing. It might make a
nice diary, although she had never thought about keeping one. It would be too easy for her brothers to
find it and then they'd never stop teasing her. It might be nice to keep a diary, especially
with all the new events happening in her life right now, it would be lovely
years later on to look back and remember how she was right now.
Taking a new quill and pot of ink from her supply bag, she
opened both and began to write.
As quickly as the ink touched the paper, it faded away.
Ginny blinked. She
tried again, writing the date down.
It disappeared.
Then, amazingly, words appeared on the paper, words that
Ginny did not write.
Hello? Is anyone
there?
Ginny's jaw dropped open.
Was it talking to her?
Hello?
Ginny quickly dipped her quill in the ink pot and wrote.
My name is Ginny Weasley. Who are you?
Hello, Ginny Weasley.
My name is Tom Riddle. How did
you come by my diary?
I found it. Inside
a book, "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration." How is this your diary? And how are you able
to write to me?
It's a magic diary.
I used it to write in while I was at Hogwarts.
I'm starting Hogwarts this year! When were you there?
Ginny was excited and scared at the same time. Her parents had always said never to trust
something if you couldn't see where you kept its brain, but this was a magic
diary. What harm could come from a
book?
I was there a long time ago. How old are you Ginny?
I'm eleven. Did
you like Hogwarts?
Yes, I did. Tell
me about yourself, Ginny. I haven't had
anyone to talk to and have been very lonely.
Ginny knew the feeling.
She didn't have anyone to talk to either.
Well, lets see. I
have six brothers: Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George (twins), and Ron. My dad works at the Ministry of Magic. I don't have anyone to talk to either,
Tom. Everyone ignores me or teases me
here.
You have a large family.
I was an orphan. It must be nice
to have so many people to look after you.
I guess so. I
mean I love them because I have to and sometimes they aren't so bad, but they
do tease me a lot. I'm sorry you are an
orphan, Tom. I bet you are lonely.
Thanks, Ginny. You
sound really sweet. Tell me more.
No one had ever been interested in Ginny. Ever.
No one had ever asked her to talk about herself. Ginny thought for a moment about what to
say.
Well, I have really bright red hair, we all do, but my
hair is the most reddest of all. I like
to draw, I love animals, I'm excited about learning to be a witch, my favorite
color is blue, and I love to read. Oh,
and guess who is staying with us this summer?
Who? Blue is my favorite color too.
Really? Wow. Oh, Harry Potter is staying with us. He's my
brother Ron's best friend.
Who is Harry Potter?
Ginny blinked. Who didn't know the name
Harry Potter? Then she thought about
it, Tom wouldn't know who Harry is if he hadn't spoken to anyone in years. This diary was fifty years old.
I'm sorry Tom. I forgot
you haven't spoken to anyone in such a long time. Harry Potter is the name of the Boy Who Lived. When he was only a baby, he defeated
You-Know-Who! You know who You-Know-Who
is, don't you?
No, tell me,
please. It sounds amazing that a boy
could defeat someone as a baby.
Oh, it is! No one knows how he did it! He doesn't even remember doing it, Ron asked
him. He has a scar in the shape of a
lightning bolt in the center of his forehead from where You-Know-Who tried to
kill him with a curse, but it backfired and turned on him.
But who is
You-Know-Who?
Sorry, I got exited.
I never have met anyone who didn't already know the story by heart. You-Know-Who is the name we use to refer to
the Dark Lord…oh, I don't know if I can even write it down…ok, here it is,
You-Know-Who's name was Voldemort.
Ginny looked around in
fear, hoping that nothing bad would come from writing his name down. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited. Nothing happened.
That's very
interesting, Ginny. And no one knows
how he did it?
No one.
And what was
You-Know-Who before he died? A Dark Wizard?
Oh, Tom! He was the meanest, most evilest, awfulest
person that ever lived! He was really
evil! He's killed thousands of wizards and Muggles for over a decade. People said there was only one wizard he was
afraid of: Albus Dumbledore. Do you
know who he is?
Albus Dumbledore? He was Professor of Transfiguration while I
was at Hogwarts.
He's Headmaster now.
The best Headmaster that ever lived, although I've never met him. He looks to be a really nice man though, I
saw him when Bill and Charlie graduated from Hogwarts.
Tell me more about
Harry Potter, please.
Delighted to tell someone all she knew about what was becoming her favorite
subject, Ginny launched into the story.
He's an orphan like you Tom. His parents were James and Lily Potter. They were both very powerful.
You-Know-Who was after them, no one isn't too sure why, but at any rate,
he went to their house in Godric's Hollow and killed them both. He tried to kill Harry, who was only a year
old at the time, but he just couldn't do it.
He's dead, everyone believes. No
one has seen or heard from him since.
Harry has really black hair that sticks up in all directions, he's
really cute. He has the most beautiful
pair of green eyes you have ever seen, he's sort of short, well, compared to my
brothers at least. He's thin, but
that's just because those horrible Muggles he lives with starve him and are
really mean to him. He's very nice to
me, he doesn't laugh when my brothers tease me or join in their jokes.
How very fascinating,
Ginny. Does he go to Hogwarts, too?
Yes, he does! He's a second year student along with Ron.
He's in Gryffindor House with the rest of my brothers. All my family has been in Gryffindor and dad
says I'll be placed in there as well.
What house were you in, Tom?
Slytherin.
Ginny paused for a
second. She had heard tons and tons of
things about people from Slytherin.
They were all bad, according to her brothers, really mean and rotten
people. She even overheard her father
saying that there wasn't one of You-Know-Who's supporters who were not in
Slytherin. But Tom had obviously never
heard of You-Know-Who, that was before his time. So maybe they weren't all bad.
And besides, Tom seemed really interested in her.
Ginny? Are you still
there?
I'm here. I was
just thinking. I'm sorry. Explain more to me about this diary, please.
When I was sixteen, I
created this diary, that would trap my memories of Hogwarts in here.
So you are trapped inside this?
I guess you could say
that.
Is there something I can do? Can't you be set free?
I might be able to
think of a way, but it will take some time.
Tell me more about yourself, and Harry Potter.
For one brief second,
Ginny wondered why he was so interested in Harry, but since she had grown up
hearing his name and could recite the story of him from memory, she supposed
that if she had never heard of him before, she'd be awfully curious too.
Harry's staying with us this summer. He's so very nice! I haven't been able to
speak to him much because I get so shy around him, but he's ever so polite to
us all.
Why shouldn't he be?
You are a very sweet girl.
Thank you, Tom.
Oh, it's so nice to have someone to talk to. My family never lets me talk, well, they let me talk, they just
never listen. Except for my father, of
course. My daddy is the best, he lets
me help him work with some of his Muggle artifacts sometimes.
Muggle artifacts? Is your family Muggle-born?
No, but dad's just nuts about Muggles. He's so fascinated with how they live and
all.
So your family's pure
blood then?
Yes. We go back a
really long time, and all Weasley's have been in Gryffindor.
And Harry Potter? You mentioned that he lived with Muggles?
Oh, but they are awful people. They made him sleep in a broom cupboard and starve him. There's also his Muggle cousin who is always
mean to him. I think his mother was
Muggle-born, it's her sister's family that he lives with now.
This is all very
interesting, Ginny. Thank you for
telling me.
Isn't it? Harry's the most interesting person I
know. I'm so glad to have someone to
talk to Tom, you can't imagine how happy I am to have found this diary. I can talk to you whenever I want, can't I?
You sure can,
Ginny. I'm glad you found this diary
too. It's nice to have someone to talk
to, someone like you.
Ginny blushed at his
comment. Before she could think of what
to write next, some more words appeared on the page.
You said your brothers
tease you. That doesn't sound very
nice.
They're mean to me.
Well, not all the time. I do
love them, but Mum said it was because they were "at that age" whatever that
meant, and the best thing for me to do is leave them alone. Even Ron, who was so close to me growing up,
he's only a year older than I am, ignores me and he and Harry go off and play
Quidditch and stuff. They snap at me
and tell me to go away if I try to follow them.
I'm sorry. Anytime you feel lonely, you can always come
talk to me.
Thank you, Tom. I
will, now that I know about this diary.
It's getting really late here, I need to go to bed.
Write me tomorrow
then?
I will. Goodnight, Tom.
Goodnight, sweet
Ginny.
Ginny blushed again and
closed the book shut. Her hand was
cramping from writing so much. She
carefully laid the diary on her bedside table and blew out the candles.
Ginny had a hard time
falling asleep. So many things had
happened that day, and the faces of Lucius and Draco Malfoy kept coming into
focus in her mind's eye. They were
sneering, laughing evilly at her and her family, calling them Muggle
lovers. She lit a candle and wondered about writing to Tom again. A glance at the bedside clock said three
thirty am. It might be a bit rude to
wake him, and he might think she was silly for not being able to sleep. Not wanting to lose the only friend she had
ever made, Ginny got up from her bed and went downstairs, thinking a cup of hot
chocolate might help her.
She wasn't the only
Weasley awake. As she entered the
kitchen, she saw the figure of her dad already sitting at the table, his head
in his hands.
"Daddy? Is something
wrong?" she asked softly.
Her father jumped,
surprised to find her awake at this hour.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Couldn't sleep either?" he asked her.
She nodded. "I wanted to make me some hot
chocolate. I keep on seeing that bad
man that hit you today." Her dad
scooted his chair back from the table and held out his hand to her. Taking the hint quickly, Ginny hopped up into
her father's lap and snuggled against
him as he conjured another mug of hot chocolate with his wand. Checking to see that he had made it with
extra marshmallows, Ginny took a tiny sip.
She looked up into her
father's face, noticing the cut lip and the bluish bruise forming on his
cheek. "Why did that man hurt you,
Daddy?" she asked.
He sighed, taking a sip
from his own mug. "Well, pumpkin, its
not so easy to explain. There are some wizards who think that only those from
pure blood families, like ours, should be allowed into the wizarding
world. That we shouldn't accept those
from half-blood or Muggle parentage. These people think they are better than
everyone else because they are pure bloods. Do you understand?"
Ginny slowly nodded,
biting her lip. Tom had asked her about
whether or not she and Harry Potter were pure-bloods. She didn't think much about it, just thought he was being
curious, but now she made a mental note to ask him what he thought about being
pure-blood versus half-blood.
"Then," her father
continued, "There are some wizards who believe that it doesn't matter who you
are, as long as you possess magical ability."
"Daddy, but Harry Potter
defeated the Dark Lord and he's half blood.
How can people say bad stuff about him?"
"You know, I think in
Harry's case, people tend to forget who
his parents were in light of what happened to him," her dad replied.
"That mean boy today was
saying bad things to him. I wanted to hit him, but I was too scared," she
murmured into her hot chocolate.
Her dad gently placed a
finger under her chin and turned her face up to his, looking into her
eyes. "I shouldn't have lost my temper
today, not in front of you and the boys.
I'm sorry. Fighting is never the
answer to settling matters. Remember that. 'The pen is mightier than the sword.' A Muggle once said that. Do you know what that means?"
She thought for a
moment. "That we should fight with
words instead of fists?"
"Exactly. Never do what I did today, which was lose
control. Understand?"
She nodded. Then she remembered something Ron told
her. "Ron said that that man was one
of You-Know-Who's supporters and that he just pretended to be back on our side. Is that true?"
"Yes," her dad said
slowly. "But that's not something you
should say outside this house. Lucius
Malfoy was one of the Dark Lord's supporters and I do think that he still
secretly supports the dark arts.
You-Know-Who was one of those wizards who believe in being pure-blood,
although no one knows who exactly his family was or where he came from
period. All of his supporters believed
in that as well."
"But he's dead now,
right? Harry killed him when he was a baby," Ginny said.
Her father stared at her
for a minute, obviously debating over her words. "No one knows for sure if he's dead or not. There wasn't much human in him left. They say he was after immortality, he wanted
to be immortal. He might have almost
succeeded. No one knows. You'll learn all about this in Defense
Against The Dark Arts in school."
Ginny frowned. "That man that smiles too much in the
bookstore's gonna teach it."
Her daddy laughed. "Yes, well…sometimes I have to wonder about
who Dumbledore picks for that position.
I'm sure he'll be harmless."
"I don't like him. Mum does though."
Her dad made a face. "Yes, well…it's about time for you to get
back to bed."
"Can I have the rest of
your marshmallows? All mine are gone."
"Go ahead, pumpkin."
Ginny quickly ate the
rest of the marshmallows and gave her dad a very sticky kiss goodnight on the
cheek and went back upstairs, her belly full and her mind at peace from her
daddy's talk. He could always make her
feel better.
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A/N: Next chapter, Ginny goes to Hogwarts. Thanks for reading!
