He cradled the crying girl closer to him, as though through his arms,
he could shelter her from the rest of the world. Her sobs were heart-
rending, and he wished he could do something to take her anguish from her.
But alas, there was nothing he could do but hold and comfort her. He bent
his head down and pressed his lips against the top of her head in a gentle
kiss.
Eventually, Ginny's outburst drew to a close and she sat back and wiped her sleeve against her nose in a rather un-ladylike fashion. She tried to wipe the remnants of her tears off with the backs of her hands. Realizing she had made a fool out of herself, in front of the Dark Lord no less, he lowered her head and suddenly found the floor to be fascinating. A blush crept to her cheeks and she braced herself for his reaction. To her surprise, he brought his fingers under her chin and tilted her head back up. Gently, he wiped away the tears that still fell from her eyes.
"Ah, angel, what have they done to you? No matter, it shall not happen again. I'll see to that. Do you feel better now?"
Ginny's head was slightly reeling. Tom was still before her, gentleness still shining in his eyes. Was he really different from what he was? His actions seemed to say that he was, but she remembered that he was quite capable of trickery. How did she know this wasn't just an act? A part of her that she thought had died a long time ago reawakened from its long slumber and spoke in her mind. 'Trust him', it seemed to say. She cocked her head to the side in wonderment. She still had trust left in her? Funny, she thought that had perished long ago. Could she trust him? More over, could she stand it if she did trust him, and he broke that trust? She'd surely die this time.
'But what is the point in living if you can't love or trust another?' her mind said. Good point. She hadn't really been living. She was just a shell, something that wondered from day to day simply existing in a void. She couldn't really remember the last time she laughed or smiled. Giving in, she decided to try and trust one more time. If it didn't work out, she could always throw herself from the Astronomy Tower.
"You've got one week Tom. Please don't blow it; I don't think I could take it if you did. How will you stay here without anyone noticing you?"
Tom hugged her to him again, deciding that he could quite comfortably spend the rest of his life with her in his embrace. "Simple, I'll re- register myself. It isn't that hard. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Speaking of tricks, you need a better lock on your door. It didn't even take an Alohamora to open your door. Try this," he said, as he waived his wand in a pattern that Ginny hadn't seen before. "Lochevius Restornum." The door slammed shut and Ginny heard several clicking sounds. Looking up, she saw what appeared to be lions pacing around the door, and red and gold bands had worked into the wood and were acting as barriers. "They'll get a nasty surprise if they ever manage to get through your door again. Don't worry, they won't hurt you," he told her, putting his wand back in his robes.
"How will you get registered? Won't you need to be resorted? If you do, you'll go back into Slytherin won't you?" Tom winked at her, a sly grin appearing on his face. "Oh, I have my ways," he replied, then sobered. "There is absolutely no way I will allow you to fend for yourself in Gryffindor, one way or another, I'm going to be wearing red and gold. Ginny's mouth formed an O in surprise. Tom Riddle, was going to become a Gryffindor for her? He hated Gryffindors.
Tom interrupted her chain of thought by lifting her up in his arms. "Since it's almost morning, what say you to getting ready for breakfast? Remember, I still get to fix you up." If possible, Ginny's face became paler than it already was. Tom Riddle hugging her was one thing, but having him do her hair and put make up on her was too much. She managed to stumble her way into the hall and to the bathroom. By the time she had finished showering, most of the other students were arriving. A few of them had that glint in their eyes, as though they were planning something. Her stomach immediately tightened into a knot and her forehead broke out in a cold sweat. She'd have to be on the lookout the rest of the day. She finished up and hurried back to her room before anyone got a chance to bother her.
Tom looked up as his angel ran back into the room. Something was wrong, he could sense it. He stood and went to her, and she flung herself at him. A part of him was giddy, she'd initiated the contact this time, maybe she was starting to trust him. "What happened?"
"I was leaving to bathroom when the other girls started filing in. Some of them were staring at me funny. You know that look a shark gets when it sees its prey. There going to do something, I can tell." Tom tightened his hold on her slender frame as his mind became clouded with anger. No one would hurt his angel!
"They won't touch you, I promise. I'll take care of it. Now, let me fix you up, you've got an entrance to make." Why did Ginny feel as though she was Cinderella all of the sudden? Tom said he'd protect her. she'd see how that worked out. But then he came towards her with his wand and a bottle of purple goop she backed away.
"What? Don't you think I can do hair?" Ginny shook her head. "Well, it just so happens that I can. You don't spend a few years in an orphanage without learning a few things," he said, winking at her. "Let's get started shall we?"
30 minutes later.
Tom finished putting lip gloss on her and enchanted it so it wouldn't come off when she ate. "There we go, all done now." He brought up a mirror to her and Ginny screamed. He immediately took her hands in his. "What's wrong angel? What did I do? I can change it back!" She shook her head, and brought the mirror closer. She seemed to do a great deal of inspection. "This-This is me?" Her hair had been cut to just below shoulder length, and whatever Tom had put in it had made it full and bouncy again. Her face no longer looked sallow and sickly. She seemed to have a tan almost and whatever he'd done to her eyes had improved them a great deal. She could still see sorrow in them, but she didn't look like she was about to cry constantly. Her pale lips were now a shiny shade of pink. She looked.pretty. "Tom, how did you do this? I don't look like this, I never have." She looked downward, embarrassment ripping into her.
"Angel, you've always been beautiful, it's just that no one ever gave you the chance. Come now, finished getting dressed so I can escort the most beautiful lady in the world to breakfast. I'll get sorted later today."
Soon, Ginny was ready to go to the Great Hall. Tom walked for both of them, as Ginny tried to stop and turn around at least five times. The knot in her stomach had tightened painfully and was excruciating as the finally reached to wood double doors. She took a deep breath and held it as Tom squeezed her hand in assurance and opened the doors.
Eventually, Ginny's outburst drew to a close and she sat back and wiped her sleeve against her nose in a rather un-ladylike fashion. She tried to wipe the remnants of her tears off with the backs of her hands. Realizing she had made a fool out of herself, in front of the Dark Lord no less, he lowered her head and suddenly found the floor to be fascinating. A blush crept to her cheeks and she braced herself for his reaction. To her surprise, he brought his fingers under her chin and tilted her head back up. Gently, he wiped away the tears that still fell from her eyes.
"Ah, angel, what have they done to you? No matter, it shall not happen again. I'll see to that. Do you feel better now?"
Ginny's head was slightly reeling. Tom was still before her, gentleness still shining in his eyes. Was he really different from what he was? His actions seemed to say that he was, but she remembered that he was quite capable of trickery. How did she know this wasn't just an act? A part of her that she thought had died a long time ago reawakened from its long slumber and spoke in her mind. 'Trust him', it seemed to say. She cocked her head to the side in wonderment. She still had trust left in her? Funny, she thought that had perished long ago. Could she trust him? More over, could she stand it if she did trust him, and he broke that trust? She'd surely die this time.
'But what is the point in living if you can't love or trust another?' her mind said. Good point. She hadn't really been living. She was just a shell, something that wondered from day to day simply existing in a void. She couldn't really remember the last time she laughed or smiled. Giving in, she decided to try and trust one more time. If it didn't work out, she could always throw herself from the Astronomy Tower.
"You've got one week Tom. Please don't blow it; I don't think I could take it if you did. How will you stay here without anyone noticing you?"
Tom hugged her to him again, deciding that he could quite comfortably spend the rest of his life with her in his embrace. "Simple, I'll re- register myself. It isn't that hard. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Speaking of tricks, you need a better lock on your door. It didn't even take an Alohamora to open your door. Try this," he said, as he waived his wand in a pattern that Ginny hadn't seen before. "Lochevius Restornum." The door slammed shut and Ginny heard several clicking sounds. Looking up, she saw what appeared to be lions pacing around the door, and red and gold bands had worked into the wood and were acting as barriers. "They'll get a nasty surprise if they ever manage to get through your door again. Don't worry, they won't hurt you," he told her, putting his wand back in his robes.
"How will you get registered? Won't you need to be resorted? If you do, you'll go back into Slytherin won't you?" Tom winked at her, a sly grin appearing on his face. "Oh, I have my ways," he replied, then sobered. "There is absolutely no way I will allow you to fend for yourself in Gryffindor, one way or another, I'm going to be wearing red and gold. Ginny's mouth formed an O in surprise. Tom Riddle, was going to become a Gryffindor for her? He hated Gryffindors.
Tom interrupted her chain of thought by lifting her up in his arms. "Since it's almost morning, what say you to getting ready for breakfast? Remember, I still get to fix you up." If possible, Ginny's face became paler than it already was. Tom Riddle hugging her was one thing, but having him do her hair and put make up on her was too much. She managed to stumble her way into the hall and to the bathroom. By the time she had finished showering, most of the other students were arriving. A few of them had that glint in their eyes, as though they were planning something. Her stomach immediately tightened into a knot and her forehead broke out in a cold sweat. She'd have to be on the lookout the rest of the day. She finished up and hurried back to her room before anyone got a chance to bother her.
Tom looked up as his angel ran back into the room. Something was wrong, he could sense it. He stood and went to her, and she flung herself at him. A part of him was giddy, she'd initiated the contact this time, maybe she was starting to trust him. "What happened?"
"I was leaving to bathroom when the other girls started filing in. Some of them were staring at me funny. You know that look a shark gets when it sees its prey. There going to do something, I can tell." Tom tightened his hold on her slender frame as his mind became clouded with anger. No one would hurt his angel!
"They won't touch you, I promise. I'll take care of it. Now, let me fix you up, you've got an entrance to make." Why did Ginny feel as though she was Cinderella all of the sudden? Tom said he'd protect her. she'd see how that worked out. But then he came towards her with his wand and a bottle of purple goop she backed away.
"What? Don't you think I can do hair?" Ginny shook her head. "Well, it just so happens that I can. You don't spend a few years in an orphanage without learning a few things," he said, winking at her. "Let's get started shall we?"
30 minutes later.
Tom finished putting lip gloss on her and enchanted it so it wouldn't come off when she ate. "There we go, all done now." He brought up a mirror to her and Ginny screamed. He immediately took her hands in his. "What's wrong angel? What did I do? I can change it back!" She shook her head, and brought the mirror closer. She seemed to do a great deal of inspection. "This-This is me?" Her hair had been cut to just below shoulder length, and whatever Tom had put in it had made it full and bouncy again. Her face no longer looked sallow and sickly. She seemed to have a tan almost and whatever he'd done to her eyes had improved them a great deal. She could still see sorrow in them, but she didn't look like she was about to cry constantly. Her pale lips were now a shiny shade of pink. She looked.pretty. "Tom, how did you do this? I don't look like this, I never have." She looked downward, embarrassment ripping into her.
"Angel, you've always been beautiful, it's just that no one ever gave you the chance. Come now, finished getting dressed so I can escort the most beautiful lady in the world to breakfast. I'll get sorted later today."
Soon, Ginny was ready to go to the Great Hall. Tom walked for both of them, as Ginny tried to stop and turn around at least five times. The knot in her stomach had tightened painfully and was excruciating as the finally reached to wood double doors. She took a deep breath and held it as Tom squeezed her hand in assurance and opened the doors.