This Is My Time
A/N: THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! Even though I only got five.... looks sad Oh well, I'll take what I got!
Hold-Your-Hippogriffs - Thanks, Sara! I'm really glad you enjoyed this. Yeah, everybody says I am a remarkable writer, but sometimes, I don't think I'm that awesome. LOL, must be the humble person in me, LOL. I think we have a newspaper at our school, but I haven't heard anything about it. I'll ask somebody, though! Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
wordwiz8121 - Hey, your name seems familiar.... Oh yeah, you've reviewed every single one of my stories! Thanks for being such a faithful fan. I'm glad you find this story interesting and I hope you'll keep reading it, LOL!
Black Cherrie - Thanks for your positive review! Every single time I see a review, I close my eyes and go ' Oh no, I just know it's gonna be a bad review!' Thanks for reading this and hope you like this chapter!
Gee-Unit - Hi! I'm glad that ' you like, you like' LOL. I hope you aren't expecting some more heavy angst, because I am going to make it much more ' fluffier'. But I will have SOME angst in it. I enjoy angst. I seriously hope you are a boy if you want to marry me, LOL. I'm so flattered!
Princess Pheonix Tears- I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I hope you like this chapter! Love your name!
Chapter 2: Somebody Else
When Ginny woke up the next morning, she shifted sleepily and realized with shock that she had fallen asleep in Ron's arms. She stared at her older brother, and bit back a laugh at the sight of him.
His mouth was open and his head was leaning sideways. Small snores were coming out of his mouth and his legs were cross legged lazily on the floor. This was the guy that Hermione had a crush on?
She carefully got out of Ron's arms and walked out of his room and quietly shut his door. When she was safely in the hallway, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
She felt light and free, like a huge burden had just been released from her shoulders. The bright sunlight burned her shoulders, but she hardly noticed. She let the warmth wash over her, such a different feeling than the cold guilt she had been carrying the whole summer.
And for the first time since, a small smile came on her face.
Ginny wandered into the kitchen and saw her mother preparing breakfast for her children. Ginny grinned and hugged her mother from behind. " Morning, Mum!" she said cheerfully.
Mrs. Weasley jumped in shock and stared at Ginny in surprise. " Morning,..... Ginny?"
Ginny hummed to herself as she set out several plates and forks. She looked up at her mum and smiled brightly. Mrs. Weasley's eyes blurred with tears as she saw the usually blank and sad eyes lighting up with hope and happiness.
She coughed discreetly, and turned back to making the bacon. Whatever Ron had done, she had to say that it was genius.
Ginny finished putting the last plate down and went up to the staircase and yelled loudly, " BRREEAAKKKFASSST!"
She laughed as she heard doors slammed and scuffles over fighting to get down the stairs. Suddenly, to Ginny, everything seemed so brighter and funnier. Like she was discovering the world again.
Bill was first to come down, dignified. He kissed Ginny on the cheek and whispered in her ear, " Morning, Gin-Gin." She hugged him tightly and he sat down next to Mrs. Weasley, talking in hushed voices.
Charlie was next and he stared at Ginny for a long time until breaking out into a smile. " Welcome back, lil sis!" He picked up Ginny and swung her around and she squealed in delight. " CHARLIE!"
He lightly dropped her and sat down at the end of the table and grinned at Bill.
There was a knock on the door and Ginny rushed off to answer it. " I'LL GET IT!"
Fred and George looked at each other in shock. " It's like she's-"
" A new girl." George finished. Ron was smiling smugly next to them, trying hard not to brag that he was the one who comforted her and made everything okay.
Ginny opened the door and said, " He- Oh.... Tom...."
Harry Potter stood in the doorway, emerald green eyes staring at her, a confused frown on his face. " Tom? I'm Harry, Ginny."
Ginny just stared at him, shaking slightly. Tom.... he was back....
She let out a soft shriek and ran away from him. " GINNY!" Harry yelled and raced after her.
Ginny heard Tom yell after her, and she ran faster. How could he just invade her home like that? And why wasn't he attacking her family?
She tried to get in her room, but Harry had grabbed her. She tried to bite him, but he firmly held on. " Ginny, what the bloody hell is going on?"
" GET AWAY FROM ME!" she shrieked. " LEAVE ME ALONE, TOM!"
Harry shook her. " I'm Harry!" he shouted. His emerald green eyes bore into hers, but she didn't see green. Brown eyes... staring at her, mocking her.... Laughing at her weakness in the chamber...
Cold laughter reached her ears and she screamed. " STOP!"
Tom's face appeared in front of hers and stared at her, smirking. " Weak little Ginny... Wonder where the Hero Harry is?"
Tears slipped down Ginny's cheeks and she limped into Harry's arms, a dead faint.
" Ginny!" yelled Harry, shaking her in his arms. He panicked. What would it look like if Ron came up right now, seeing him hold his little sister who had fainted?
He drew out his wand and pointed it at her. " Revivo," he muttered, but she didn't move. Her arm raised feebly up, but flopped back down.
" HELP!"
Harry sat in the kitchen, trying hard to ignore Ron's mutterings and Hermione's soft words to comfort them both. He felt like it was all his fault. He WAS the one who had made her faint. But why had she called him Tom? Who was Tom anyway?
Then it struck him. Tom Riddle. His breath caught in his throat and he felt dizzy for a moment. When his head had cleared, he tried to sort out why she would think he was Voldemort's younger self.
He had a fleeting memory of a twelve year old him looking at Tom Riddle in a diary. Hadn't he said to himself that he looked a little bit like Tom? Tom had even told him that.
" Ron," whispered Harry. " Did Ginny act alright this summer?"
Ron stared at him, eyes tired. " No. She kept on having nightmares at night and was really frail looking. We were all terrified about her."
" Then why was she so cheerful this morning when she answered the door?"
Ron turned a little red. " Well, last night I... uh, kinda comforted her. We had gotten into a big fight and she had slapped me. She came up to apologize and then started crying horribly, I had to hold her to calm her down-"
Ron was saying more, but Harry tuned him out. It was making sense. Something had happened to Ginny earlier this year, and Tom was visiting her again. Her nerves were probably on overdrive and even the slightest resemblance that Harry had to Riddle had set her off.
He jumped up, ignoring Hermione's protesting questions. He walked out of the room and hurried up the stairs to tell Dumbledore this, but stopped when he heard him and Mrs. Weasley talking.
" How long has Miss Weasley been like this?" came Dumbledore's unusally grave voice.
" A-All s-s-summer," choked out Mrs. Weasley, trying to hold back her tears.
" Who was the last person who talked to her?"
" Harry, I guess," she said, sounding a little confused. " She answered the door when he rang and suddenly, I heard shouts but thought maybe they were playing a little game Harry blushed slightly at this but then I heard Harry shout for help and saw my Ginny in his arms, unconcious."
She sniffled and coughed to hide her blubbering.
Harry could pratically see Dumbledore's light blue eyes gazing thoughtfully at her and nodding. " Where is the boy, I ask?"
" Downstairs with Ron and Hermione, I -"
" I'm right here," said Harry tonelessly and climbed up the last two steps.
Dumbledore gazed at him, not coldly but not friendly either. " Mr. Potter, could I have a word with you? If, of course, you don't mind, Mrs. Weasley."
Mrs. Weasley jumped and murmured, " Of course not, I better go see what my children are up to."
And with that said, she hurried down the stairs, not taking one look back at the two of them.
There was an akward silence between the Professor and the student. Finally, Dumbledore broke it. " What happened?"
Harry explained how he had rang the doorbell and Ginny had panicked, thinking he was Tom. He proceeded to tell him how he had chased her up the stairs and tried to ask what was going on and then she screamed at him, then fainted.
" - I think I know why she thought I was Tom, Professor."
Dumbledore nodded and said softly, " Yes?"
" Well, remember that one time when I was in my second year and I was asking you if I should have been put in Slytherin, saying how much Tom Riddle and I are alike?"
Dumbledore nodded.
" I mentioned how much we looked alike. I think something is going on with Ginny and her nerves exploded when she saw me, thinking I was Riddle."
Dumbledore's eyes lit up and he murmured, " That explains a lot...."
" Huh?"
" Never mind, Mr. Potter. Would you kindly go downstairs while I have a chat with Ginny?"
" She's awake?"
" She certainly is. And I bet she is feeling a bit embarrased about all this, so later on, try to talk to her?"
Harry nodded and went downstairs.
A/N: Okay, end for Chap 2! I actually liked how well this chapter came out. Yes, it was as just as angsty as the last one, and no, I do not apologize. It might not be the fluffiness I promised you, but there will be humor and happiness later on.
What color are Tom's eyes? I'm sorry if I got the wrong, but I can't remember.