Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters. They all belong to J. K. Rowling.
A.N.: So far I've had a lot of fun writing this. I mean, come on! A five-year-old Tom Riddle sitting in your lap? How can you resist snuggling him? Heh... Never mind, ignore that thought. So anyway I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it. I'll post the second chapter in a week or so.
On with it!
The Five Year Old Dark Lord and Me
Chapter One: Shock
The fluttering of owl wings filled the air as hundreds of the winged creatures flew into the Great Hall. A beautiful, black hawk-owl circled the tables, searching for the youngest member of the Weasley family. Once the graceful creature spotted the girl, it flew to her. She looked up when she felt the breeze made by the bird's wings. The hawk-owl landed on the stacks of books in front of her and waited for her to untie the message it was to give her. After snatching a bit of toast from her plate, it flew off.
Ginny stared after the bird in till if was out of her sight. She glanced down at the letter before carefully opening it. When nothing jumped out at her, she pulled out the letter and began to read. After reading the message two times, she stared long and hard at the piece of paper, hoping the text would change and say that this was some sort of a joke gone wrong. She should've known that she wasn't going to get that lucky. So she did the only thing she could think of.
For the first time in almost three years, Ginevra Weasley fell into a dead faint.
She woke up to the sound of a child's voice asking if she would ever wake up. The left side of the hospital bed sunk as a small child forced their self onto the bed. Ginny opened her eyes and looked over. A miniature version of Tom Riddle stared back at her.
He seemed so young right then, as he sat there. His hair fell into his eyes and contrasted sharply with his overly pale skin. He blinked at her before he looked down at his hands. It was as if he was scared. A short "hem hem" caused them to jump. Umbridge walked closer as Tom shifted away. That confirmed that the letter wasn't lying, at lest for now.
"Tom," her voice sounded strange to her ears. "Come here..." Umbridge's sickeningly sweet smile faltered suddenly. The small boy crawled into her lap and hugged her. He smiled up at her childishly. She half smiled back at the young boy. The door opened and Dumbledore and Malfoy Sr. walked in. Malfoy raised an eyebrow in surprise at the scene before him.
The younger version of the Dark Lord was basking in the female Weasley's attention. Umbridge seemed just as shocked as he was. Dumbledore, on the other hand, had a twinkle in his eyes.
"Good afternoon Miss Weasley, Mr. Riddle." Ginny returned the greeting and Tom just looked at him oddly. The five-year-old was happily snuggled against Ginny, his eyes half closed when Dumbledore began explaining to Ginny what had happened. Malfoy and Umbridge exchanged glances as Dumbledore told her that she would be taking care of the boy.
"I suppose that I don't have much of a choice, do I?" She sighed as she absentmindedly stroked Tom's hair. He yawned and snuggled closer. He seems so small...
"He'll grow up a year every week or so. You'll only have to take care of him for five or so weeks. Then the potion that reverses the spell will be ready. The other professors and I will decide his fate then." Dumbledore continued as if Ginny had never spoken. The Gryffindor listened while she combed her fingers through Tom's hair.
"Headmaster, may I remind you of what happened in Miss Weasley's first year?" Malfoy stepped forwards, sending a look of distain at Ginny. The five-year-old sitting in her lap returned the look darkly. No one noticed except Malfoy and Umbridge.
"I'm sure I can manage, Mr. Malfoy. After all, I am a fourteen-year-old." Ginny's tone remained calm and polite but he still felt unnerved. Tom beamed at her and she smiled back. Maybe this isn't going to be as bad as I thought.