Chapter One: The Diary of Tom Riddle



Ginny Weasley raced up the stairs to her room despite the weight of her cauldron, heavy with books. Panting excitedly, she closed the door behind her as she always did. When you're the youngest of seven children, and the only girl, sometimes a closed door is necessary for keeping nosy, and often pestering, brothers at bay. She dumped the heavy load onto her bed, and walked to her window to let in some fresh air before diving into her second-hand schoolbooks.

Ginny had the most perfect view of the paddock that lay beyond the gardens of the Burrow. She could see that the boys had wasted no time at all, running there immediately upon coming back from Diagon Alley to play Quidditch again.

Her twin brothers, Fred and George, were Beaters on the Gryffindor house team at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the secondary school she would be attending. They were playing against her youngest brother, Ron, only a year ahead of her himself, and his best friend, Harry.

"Ah, Harry Potter."

Ginny watched Harry race around on his Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick, sighing dreamily at the sight of him. From the moment she saw him at King's Cross Station one year ago, when Ron began his first year at Hogwarts, she knew that he was special. And then when Fred and George had found out who he was, she became even more enamored of him.

That whole year, Ginny begged her brothers to send owls from school, passing on any and all information about the young wizard. What luck that he had become Ron's best friend. She even insisted on picking out the emerald green wool for the jumper that their mother made him as a Christmas gift, to match his beautiful green eyes.

Two weeks ago Harry came to stay at the Burrow for the rest of the summer. Ever since, she had done nothing but make a fool of herself in front of him, knocking things over, tripping and falling over herself and every other thing she came in contact with. She had decided to stay in her room as often as she could to lessen the embarrassment.

Ginny walked back across the room, flopping down on her soft bed and began to look through her first year school books. She first flipped through her Potions book, and then for her Transfiguration book, still in the cauldron. As she pulled it out, a small black book fell from of it. Ginny picked it up, looking at it curiously. At first, she thought she had one of her brother's books by mistake, but the strange thing was, it wasn't a schoolbook at all.

It was obviously a very old book, noting the faded gold embossed numbers and scrolling about the edges of the book. Ginny realized it must have fallen into her cauldron during the brawl between her father and Lucius Malfoy in Flourish and Blotts earlier that afternoon. When she opened the book, there was nothing written inside, only dated pages, so it had to be an old diary that no one had ever used. Upon opening the inside cover, she made out the name T. M. Riddle in old smudged ink.

Ginny wondered why anyone would ever want to throw away an unused diary. She often composed poems, drew pictures and wrote random thoughts on bits of parchment that her father gave her, but she had never had a whole diary to keep them all in before. The thought of having this book all to herself thrilled her and she scrambled about for a quill and some ink.

Excitedly, she dipped the quill in the ink and wrote, "Dear Diary, My name is Ginny Weasley". To her surprise, the words faded from the page as quickly as she had written them, and in their place, new words appeared before her.

"Hello Ginny Weasley. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?"

In horror, Ginny snapped the book shut and jumped away from the bed, leaving the book. She looked around her room in a panic. Were Fred and George playing some kind of trick on her again? Were they watching and waiting for her to scream loudly, so that they could laugh hysterically at her silliness?

Ginny kept very quiet for a moment, listening for them to come around the corner laughing. All she could hear was the bustling of her mother making supper in the kitchen and grumbling about her father's irresponsibility for getting into a fight with Mr. Malfoy earlier. Ginny dashed to her window overlooking the paddock. The boys were still playing Quidditch. She watched a moment as Ron swooped down and caught the Quaffle before George could score.

Ginny turned from the window and looked back at her bed, still suspicious of the twins. If she played along, what would the diary do to her, spray her with ink? She thought back over her day, was there any time at all that the twins had access to her books, to slip in the diary? None that she could think of. So was this really an enchanted diary?

Ginny walked back to her bed and picked up the quill again. She would play along for now. "It seems harmless enough, doesn't it?" she thought. "I mean, how could it possibly do anything horrible to me, really?"

She opened up the diary and began writing again. "I found this diary inside one of my schoolbooks. I'm sorry Mr. Riddle, it's just that I'm rather surprised to see an enchanted diary talking back to me."

"I understand. I'm sure it was quite a bit of a shock for you. After all, most diaries usually don't talk back to their owners. You said you found me in a schoolbook, may I ask which school you are attending?"

"I will be starting my first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a few weeks. I'm very excited!"
"Ah, Hogwarts! I was a student there myself long ago, where I learned many things. I'm sure you will love it there as well. Tell me, are you the first of your family to attend Hogwarts?"

"Oh no! I come from a rather large family of wizards and witches. I have six older brothers, an four of them still attend Hogwarts. And my mum and dad were students there too."

"Ginny!" called a voice from the kitchen below. It was her mother.

"Yes Mum?"

"Would you please be a dear and go fetch the boys, supper will be ready soon."

"Yes Mum," Ginny said unenthusiastically, rolling her eyes, and huffing to herself in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Riddle, but I must go now and fetch my brothers for supper."

"All right then, enjoy your supper Ginny Weasley. I do hope that you write to me again. I so enjoyed the company. And one more thing…"

The diary paused for a moment. Ginny waited for the ink to come squirting out, and she flinched slightly to avoid it. Instead, more words appeared.

"…please call me Tom."

Ginny smiled to herself and closed the book. Perhaps it wasn't a trick after all. She decided to find out once and for all.

Ginny came downstairs to the wonderful smell of beef stew cooking on the stove and fresh bread cooling on the shelf above it. Her mother was setting the table for eight, still clicking her tongue to herself, while her father was looking over some parchments from work, nursing his fat lip with some ice in a cloth.

"All right there Dad?" Ginny said, walking over to him and kissing the uninjured side of his face.

"I'm fine Ginny, really. Now don't make a big deal in front of your mother," he said quietly to her, trying not to draw attention from his wife.

Ginny giggled and kissed him again on the cheek. "Well, we all know who really got the brunt of that fight now don't we?" she whispered in his ear, pulling away and winking at him.

Her dad smiled warmly at her. "Thanks. Now go fetch your brothers for supper."
Ginny walked through the gardens to the paddock behind the house, smoothing her hair back, and straightening her clothes. She felt like a wreck, she wanted to look half-way decent in front of Harry.

As she reached the field, Fred was the first to notice her. He flew over to her shouting "Oy! Ginny! What's up?" as he slowed and hovered just above the ground near her.

"Mum sent me to fetch you all for supper," she said glancing at Harry, as he shot across the other side of the field.

Fred turned away and shouted "SUPPER!" as he tipped his broomstick and touched down on the ground. One by one, they flew back to the edge of the paddock where they stood waiting for them.

"Great, I'm starving! How 'bout you Harry?" Ron said as he immediately started for the house.

Yeah, me too!" Harry said, walking past Ginny and Fred. He smiled at her.

Ginny smiled weakly back as she started for the house behind him, but quickly stubbed her toe on a boulder and would have fallen if it hadn't been for George, who caught her just in time.

George patted her on the head. "Don't worry Ginny, I don't think he noticed."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said nonchalantly. Somehow, his remark didn't make her feel any better.

"George, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Did you and Fred slip a diary in one of my schoolbooks?"

"No, why?" he said absentmindedly.

"Oh," Ginny paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I found one in my Transfiguration book. I thought maybe you two were playing a trick on me or something."

"Why, did it squirt ink on you or something?" he chuckled to himself at the thought.

"Something like that."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea. Maybe we could try something like that on Perce later, he has been writing an awful lot of owls lately."

They walked on to the house. Ginny quickly ate her supper and went back upstairs to have another look at the diary.

She closed the door and stared at the diary, still laying on her bed. She wasn't sure what to make of it. She walked back to the bed, picked up the quill once again and opened the diary.

"Dear Tom, I thought that you were just a silly trick being played by my brothers, but I realize now that you're not. Please tell me, what are you? What is your purpose?"

"Ginny, this diary is not a trick to amuse your brothers. It is merely an enchanted diary, keeping the small collection of memories from my school years, nothing more. Yet, I still feel incomplete."

"Why is that?"

"I still have many pages unfilled. I was made to be a companion, a confidant of secrets if you will, and it has been far too long since I've been used in that manner. It is indeed a lonely existence when one no longer has a purpose. I ask of you, Ginny Weasley, will you use me as your confidant, as I was meant to be used?"

Ginny didn't have to think much on her decision. She had never really had any friends to talk to, never having gone to school. All she ever had was her brothers and parents, who lately were not much comfort either. There were things they just didn't understand, and her brothers often teased her.

"Tom, I would love to share my secrets with you!"

"Thank you! I can't tell you how much this means to me! This is wonderful! Now come, tell me your secrets! I want to know everything!"

Ginny could only think of one secret, her biggest Her love for the boy named Harry Potter.

"Well you see, there is this boy I like, his name is Harry Potter. He is just the most wonderful boy in the entire world! He's my brother's best friend. They met on the train to Hogwarts. He has messy black hair and bright green eyes, behind round spectacles. He is so handsome! And not only that, but he's one of the most famous people in the wizarding world!"

"How intriguing. Tell me, how would a lad so young be so famous?"

"He defeated the darkest wizard of our time. His name is…"

Ginny hesitated for a moment. As with nearly everyone in the wizarding world, she feared to even speak his name. Even to write it down on paper seemed frightening. But this was her diary now. No one would ever see it. It couldn't harm her to tell Tom about it.
"…Lord Voldemort. Have you heard of him?"

For only a fraction of a second, Ginny thought the diary paused to answer, but the thought quickly passed from her mind as new words appeared.

"My, that is interesting. I do not know of this dark wizard. So how is it that this Harry Potter defeated him?"

"It's legend really. He was only a baby when it happened. And from what Ron has told me, Harry doesn't even remember it. It seems that Voldemort came to his house and murdered his parents. But when he tried to kill Harry too, his spell backfired or something, because he disappeared. Harry was left with nothing but a lightening-shaped scar on his forehead. He was sent to live with his Muggle aunt and uncle, who are very mean, they didn't want him to go to Hogwarts, or even be a wizard! Ron, Fred and George just broke him out of his family's house just a couple of weeks ago, because they were not going to let Harry go back."

"How extraordinary. So what happened to this Lord Voldemort? How did he disappear?"

"That's the strange thing. No one really knows for sure. Many say that he is dead, but many more believe that he is still alive, and are even afraid to speak his name. We just call him You-know-who."

By now, it was getting dark at the Burrow. The sun had set over the trees and the warm summer air was beginning to cool. Ginny grabbed a jumper from the end of her bed and slipped it on while she waited for the diary to reply.

"Well I can see that this Harry Potter fellow is indeed an amazing young man. I can understand your interest in him."

"That's the problem Tom, he never even notices me! I wish I could muster up the courage to talk to him, but every time I do try, I end up doing something foolish! He's just so wonderful. I just don't know how he could ever like a girl like me. For instance, I did say something this afternoon at Flourish and Blotts. Draco Malfoy, this mean boy in Ron's year, was teasing Harry about having his picture taken with this famous writer, Gilderoy Lockhart. Harry didn't really want to have his picture taken, I could tell, he didn't even smile, but Mr. Lockhart insisted. . He even gave Harry his entire book collection. That Malfoy boy was so mean to Harry, he didn't deserve it, and I told Malfoy so. But then he said something implying I was Harry's girlfriend and embarrassed me. And Harry had given me all his books from Lockhart to me, wasn't that sweet!"

"Yes, that was quite kind of him."

Ginny smiled at the thought of Harry smiling at her today at the paddock. She suddenly felt a bit tired, although it was still quite early in the evening. The thought of a good sleep sounded absolutely wonderful.
"Tom, I could go on and on about Harry all night, honestly I could. But it has been quite a long day and I think that I might turn in early tonight. I'm really glad I found you today. I can't wait to share more with you. Goodbye for now."

"I am glad that you have found me as well. Goodnight Ginny Weasley."

Ginny closed the diary and set it on her bedside table, next to her ink and quill. She slipped into her nightgown and pulled her favorite quilt up over her, snuggling between it and her soft pillow. She quickly drifted off to sleep as happy thoughts of Harry Potter and her new friend Tom filled her mind.