by #Nea
A little bit of every discomfort
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Of course, that is if the time traveling was prompted by a past event.
Even if it wasn't, the past already happened, you can't... well... change it, because even though for the person's timeline, it happened later, for the "greater timeline", it happened earlier.
Maybe it was even the butterfly that created the storm in Japan.
Of course, Ginny knew the theoretical logic of all of this; she wasn't stupid. But humans have just as much animal urge and impulsiveness as... well... animals. And she wanted to see Tom just one more time.
And time, being such a sticky thing, allowed her to, without Hermione or Ron or Harry suspecting. After all, for the "greater timeline", there was no hiatus to her existence. Just like how the Trio saved Sirius: People, like Dumbledore, knew, but nobody noticed.
The particular time-turner that Hermione had was made quite recently, in 1986 or so. However, its age was estimated to be around 27 years because of its repeated existence in the same period of time. Ginny managed to "borrow" Hermione's time turner sometime during her second year, went forwards a couple of years (with all the research she has done), gave it to her older, sixth year self, her older self came back about two seconds later, gave it back to her and she came back to Hermione's room and put it back right where she found it.
Now, all she had to do was wait until she was a sixth year. After all, Tom wasn't going to notice her awkward second year body. It did, though gave her something to look forward to. She was pretty sure that Tom wrote in his diary in the middle of sixth year.
So, all she had to do was arrive at the beginning of sixth year, of course.
And she waited, as she watched the Trio's excitement. And fun. And wonderful (or quite not wonderful) adventures.
She watched them sit together at the middle section of the Gryffindor table - watched all her other brothers surrounding the Trio, talking to them like family, while she sat and watched.
And each time, each little thing, was a reminder of why she was going back in time to see Tom.
It was to get away from the Trio.
It was to meet with somebody who actually noticed her.
And if she was lucky, Voldemort would never have risen, and then there would be no Trio. They would simply be like normal people.
Then came her sixth year. With some more research, she was able find some spells so that the time turner would carry her back in time after six months if she has not gone back already. It was only to see Tom again.
And she arrived back in time.
The only reason that she could think which would explain why Professor Dippet didn't question her arrival was that his list of students magically updated to include her on it, even though she managed to arrive in the middle of the school year with a trunk containing some of her grandma's robes.
And as is usual, the Sorting Hat was placed on her.
"Hmm..." Ginny heard the sorting hat mumble. "Virginia Weasley, you're quite clever and have done many things. And you are not afraid to use your cunning and resources... I think I will put you in SLYTHERIN!"
After a slight gape, she walked over to the Slytherin table, and with her heart thumping loudly in excitement, she noticed the dark, curly hair, and the bottomless, endless eyes of Tom, the friendly smile he was giving to everybody, and all the girls clamoring around him. And the head boy badge on his robe.
Inwardly, she cringed at her stupidity, or rather, inability to even maneuver a time-turner accurately. Outwardly, though, she smiled and waved and sat down in an empty seat about two seats away from Tom as some other Slytherin girls bombarded her with questions.
"Where are you from?" One of them asked her.
But before Ginny could formulate a plausible answer, another one asked her if she thought Tom was cute, with his curly hair and dark eyes and mysterious demeanor. "Oh, and the prefect is Tom," the girl added, thinking that Ginny didn't know who he was.
Ginny took this chance to study him for a moment before answering Penny, as she found out that was the girl's name. "I think, well, he's ok, I guess. I mean, he looks tall and tan and certainly not ugly. And he seems to be quite nice. I heard that he... uh... saved the school by getting Hagrid... um... expelled." And then stopped talking hastily, because she wasn't sure if that even happened yet, and she certainly didn't want to give Tom the idea.
However, Penny didn't seem fazed at all, and continued chatting about how Hogwarts had the best food of anywhere she had been too. And halfway during the conversation, Ginny decided to scan around the Great Hall again to see who was who. She knew that there was at least one other Weasley here. And maybe a Potter was in the lot somewhere too.
And then she saw Tom looking directly at her; his piercing gaze seemed intent on seeing through her and knowing every single one of her secrets.
"Veritas," Ginny heard somebody say vaguely before turning around in the Slytherin common room. It was halfway through dinner and nobody was there before he arrived.
She turned around to see Tom, pointing his wand at her. She knew, sort of detatchedly, that she was the one he used the illegal curse on.
"And I would like to know what you are doing," she stated quite simply, because it was the truth.
However, Tom started walking up to her, a casual, happy walk, but there was that glint of red in his dark eyes that made Ginny back up until she was successfully cornered. He ignored her question. "What do you know about Hagrid and I?"
"Uh... he was a Gryffindor and you are a Slytherin...?"
"And..."
"And... he was expelled and you are the prefect..." Here, Ginny started thinking fast about everything she could use to discourage his interest.
"Tell me everything you know about me," Tom stated.
Against every instinct, Ginny declined. After all, it wasn't asked in the form of a question.
"Alright, then, what are all the things you know about me?"
"Uh... You are Tom Marvolo Riddle, born in 1927, in Little Hangleton. Your mother was a witch, who fell in love with your muggle father. However, she revealed that she was a witch when she was pregnant with you in 1926. Your father, Tom Riddle, did not want anything to do with magical people and abandoned your mother, who died giving birth to you. And you were left in the muggle orphanage, and you hated muggles ever since.
"During your first year, in 1938, you studies Dark Arts and learned about the chamber of secrets. In fifth year, 1942, you opened the Chamber of Secrets and released the basilisk. However, people were becoming suspicious and you decided to stage the capture of Hagrid and Aragog. Then, you decided to write a diary to encase your memories to finish the work later."
Here, Ginny finally realized that she was already knowing more than she should. Quickly, she told herself, that this Tom Riddle is not Voldemort yet and nobody knows who he is going to turn into and therefore she should not tell him about his future, but the knowledge of him before now are steadily spilling out of her.
She continued, because she had to, "And you named yourself Lord Voldemort, after discovering that Tom Marvolo Riddle can spell 'I am Lord Voldemort'. Recently, people have begun calling you that in private, people you have gathered as followers. Finally, this summer you killed your father and your paternal grandparents." And she took a deep breath trying to prepare for the Unforgivable Curse that would follow, for surely, a person who knew this much about him wouldn't be allowed to live freely.
But he continued the interrogation. "And why haven't you told anybody?"
Ginny gaped a little at him for the question. Surely, her feelings wouldn't matter. Then, with a pang, she realized that this was so that Tom could see which way would be the best to manipulate her. And she remembered that she had to answer the question. Instead, she tried biting on her lip to stop answering.
But there was a reason that the Veritas curse was illegal: certainly, it infringed on people's rights, but it was also powerful. So, Ginny looked to the floor with burning cheeks and answered his question.
"Because I love you," she muttered, perhaps hoping he wouldn't hear.
Then, Tom spun around and walked away. Ginny was a bit appalled that that was all he did, and started getting the wand out to cast the Finite Incantatum on herself, but Tom managed to turn around at the door and beat her to it.
"Finite Incantatum," he said, and added, "Obliviate."