A Bond of Trust Forged
Chapter Two- "Ginny's Friends and Family"
8/20
After breakfast the next morning, Ginny ran up the stairs and into her room, grabbing her new diary, a quill, and a bottle of ink. "Mum, I'm going outside to play!" She yelled as she hurried back down the stairs and out the door.
"All right, Ginny dear. Make sure you're back in time for lunch!" Her mother replied.
Ginny didn't answer as she walked to the cool shade underneath a tree nearby and sat down. "Let's have another chat, shall we?" She murmured under her breath. "This time though, I want some answers, Tom." Ginny dipped the quill into her ink bottle and wrote, "Hello, Tom."
Soon, Tom replied, "Good morning, Ginny! How are you today?"
"I'm fine, thank you. However," Ginny continued, "last night you fed me some junk about 'hearing from Hogwarts students'. I need something much more believable than that, or you will be in the the trash faster than you can say 'Wait, Ginny!' Now, tell me the truth, Tom."
"The truth about what?" Tom's innocent answer came back.
"The truth about why you are stuck in a diary, of course!"
When no answer came back for several minutes, Ginny smiled smugly at the blank page. * I knew- * But before she got a chance to gloat further, Tom's words appeared. "Ginny, all I can really say is that the reason I preserved myself as a memory was because my life was difficult. I wasn't seriously thinking about what I was doing. If it is all right with you, I'd rather not discuss this topic. It's a bit too personal for me to share."
"And?" Ginny asked.
"And, what?"
"Surely there must be another explanation. You can't expect me to believe that," Ginny wrote, raising her eyebrow.
"Ginny, I'm telling you the truth! Why don't you believe me? Just because I'm a memory doesn't mean I'm any less worthy of your trust!" Tom wrote angrily. "If I was standing next to you, would you believe me?"
Trusting by nature, Ginny instantly believed him. "I'm sorry, Tom. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
"Don't upset yourself, Ginny dearest. I just wish to not discuss it."
Still feeling badly, Ginny changed the subject. "Tom, you would not believe who is staying in this house at this very moment!"
"Who?"
"Harry Potter!"
"Who is Harry Potter? I don't remember him from school," said Tom.
Ginny was astonished. "Where have you been? He's the most famous wizard in the world!"
"Stuck in a diary," Tom reminded her.
"True," Ginny agreed. "You see, Harry defeated You-Know-Who when he was a baby."
"Ah. And who is this You-Know-Who?" Tom answered.
"A very strong and powerful dark wizard."
"Why do you call him You-Know-Who? What was his name?" Tom said after a moment.
"I don't know why. We just do. His name was- Voldemort," Ginny wrote. Despite the warm summer day, she shivered.
Tom was silent for so long that Ginny became worried. "Are you all right, Tom?" she asked.
"And how did a young boy like Harry manage to escape such a powerful wizard?"
Ginny responded quickly. "No one really knows what happened that night. All we know is that You-Know-Who killed Harry's parents, and then tried to kill Harry, but somehow the curse rebounded on You-Know-Who and he almost died."
"Where is Voldemort now?" Tom asked.
"Don't say his name! Some people think he died, but most of us think he's out there somewhere."
"Why can't I say his name?" Tom asked curiously.
"You just can't," Ginny insisted.
There was a long moment of silence between Ginny and Tom. Nervously, she changed the subject. "Do you have any siblings?" Ginny asked.
"No, I don't. What about you?"
"Well, my family is rather large. There's Mum and Dad, and then Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and me."
"You have a very large family." Tom commented.
Ginny laughed, startling a bird nearby, and wrote, "Yes, I certainly do! And with Harry here, it's even bigger!"
Ginny paused. With Harry at the Burrow and a new friend in Tom, this summer had just become brighter.
Chapter Two- "Ginny's Friends and Family"
8/20
After breakfast the next morning, Ginny ran up the stairs and into her room, grabbing her new diary, a quill, and a bottle of ink. "Mum, I'm going outside to play!" She yelled as she hurried back down the stairs and out the door.
"All right, Ginny dear. Make sure you're back in time for lunch!" Her mother replied.
Ginny didn't answer as she walked to the cool shade underneath a tree nearby and sat down. "Let's have another chat, shall we?" She murmured under her breath. "This time though, I want some answers, Tom." Ginny dipped the quill into her ink bottle and wrote, "Hello, Tom."
Soon, Tom replied, "Good morning, Ginny! How are you today?"
"I'm fine, thank you. However," Ginny continued, "last night you fed me some junk about 'hearing from Hogwarts students'. I need something much more believable than that, or you will be in the the trash faster than you can say 'Wait, Ginny!' Now, tell me the truth, Tom."
"The truth about what?" Tom's innocent answer came back.
"The truth about why you are stuck in a diary, of course!"
When no answer came back for several minutes, Ginny smiled smugly at the blank page. * I knew- * But before she got a chance to gloat further, Tom's words appeared. "Ginny, all I can really say is that the reason I preserved myself as a memory was because my life was difficult. I wasn't seriously thinking about what I was doing. If it is all right with you, I'd rather not discuss this topic. It's a bit too personal for me to share."
"And?" Ginny asked.
"And, what?"
"Surely there must be another explanation. You can't expect me to believe that," Ginny wrote, raising her eyebrow.
"Ginny, I'm telling you the truth! Why don't you believe me? Just because I'm a memory doesn't mean I'm any less worthy of your trust!" Tom wrote angrily. "If I was standing next to you, would you believe me?"
Trusting by nature, Ginny instantly believed him. "I'm sorry, Tom. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
"Don't upset yourself, Ginny dearest. I just wish to not discuss it."
Still feeling badly, Ginny changed the subject. "Tom, you would not believe who is staying in this house at this very moment!"
"Who?"
"Harry Potter!"
"Who is Harry Potter? I don't remember him from school," said Tom.
Ginny was astonished. "Where have you been? He's the most famous wizard in the world!"
"Stuck in a diary," Tom reminded her.
"True," Ginny agreed. "You see, Harry defeated You-Know-Who when he was a baby."
"Ah. And who is this You-Know-Who?" Tom answered.
"A very strong and powerful dark wizard."
"Why do you call him You-Know-Who? What was his name?" Tom said after a moment.
"I don't know why. We just do. His name was- Voldemort," Ginny wrote. Despite the warm summer day, she shivered.
Tom was silent for so long that Ginny became worried. "Are you all right, Tom?" she asked.
"And how did a young boy like Harry manage to escape such a powerful wizard?"
Ginny responded quickly. "No one really knows what happened that night. All we know is that You-Know-Who killed Harry's parents, and then tried to kill Harry, but somehow the curse rebounded on You-Know-Who and he almost died."
"Where is Voldemort now?" Tom asked.
"Don't say his name! Some people think he died, but most of us think he's out there somewhere."
"Why can't I say his name?" Tom asked curiously.
"You just can't," Ginny insisted.
There was a long moment of silence between Ginny and Tom. Nervously, she changed the subject. "Do you have any siblings?" Ginny asked.
"No, I don't. What about you?"
"Well, my family is rather large. There's Mum and Dad, and then Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and me."
"You have a very large family." Tom commented.
Ginny laughed, startling a bird nearby, and wrote, "Yes, I certainly do! And with Harry here, it's even bigger!"
Ginny paused. With Harry at the Burrow and a new friend in Tom, this summer had just become brighter.
