Summary: Tom Riddle is back in power and he's ready to meet up with old acquaintances. Where does Ginny fit in all of this? Well, she's the reason the Vampires won't cooperate with Tom's evil plans. Join Ginny as she is slowly manipulated by the Dark Lord into the perfect tool of evil. Will she ever get out unscratched? Maybe not or maybe so, but the scars will forever mark her soul!

Disclaimer: If you notice that the characters aren't mine you're probably right because they all belong to J.K Rowling.

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Chapter 4 –Attitude change

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A big picture of Tom Riddle was draped on the front page of the daily Prophet. Underneath it, neat, black letters appeared, forming the following words:

Due to the recent attack on Hogwarts, witnesses that wish to remain anonymous admit to have spotted young Tom Marvolo Riddle's body. The MoM is enforcing a warning to everyone on this individual, claiming from live evidence that Mr. Riddle is Lord Voldemort.

"Ginny, have you seen the paper?" Ron asked just as Ginny sat down at the breakfast table, already grabbing a warm piece of toast.

"Hmm?" she spread some butter on the brown bread, pouring some tea into a cup and taking a sip.

"Just give her the paper Ron. It's better that she sees it with her own eyes." Hermione commented and without any further patience for a reply, yanked the Daily Prophet out of Ron's hand and handed it to Ginny, who begun reading it right away.

"What? I didn't tell anyone!" Ginny half yelled after scanning the paper, standing up and casting the Daily Prophet on the floor. "Oh bloody blazes, he's going to kill me now!" Ginny whimpered, biting hard on her lip and almost drawing blood with her sharp teeth.

"Calm down Gin," Harry said gently, lightly touching her arm. "Who's going to kill you?"

Ginny turned her wide and scared eyes toward him, casting a horrified look in the trio's direction before giving a small yelp as her eyes made contact with silver orbs, and she bolted out of the Great Hall without another word.

Ginny's mind was reeling. He would surely kill her although she hadn't even breathed a word about Him, never mind tell Dumbledore or the Daily Prophet reporters. Oh, she would surely go mad this year. First off, the strange dreams and now this! It was as though she was a magnet for bad things waiting to happen.

Malfoy's deadly stare hadn't helped improve her mood either. Even though he hadn't followed her outside, his gazed promised something bad was going to happen, to her more exactly. Ginny ran to the only place where she ever felt safe, in her dorm, underneath the covers. The feel of the soft silky material draped over her body gave her the ghost impression that it was a shield and nothing was going to happen to her. Although these were just silly childish beliefs, they were the only thing that might've calmed her down. The common room was almost empty, scant a few first years that were just then heading to breakfast. Nobody asked any question as Ginny hurriedly rushed up the stairs to the 6th year girl dorms and lunged herself on the bed, plunging her body underneath the neat red covers.

Her heartbeat pounded rapidly against her ribcage and Ginny thought it would burst out through her bones if it kept the pace any longer. However after her breath evened out and her heart slowed to a normal rate, Ginny was just about to push the covers aside and rejoin the world when a panicked scream froze her hand in mid air. Paralyzed for a couple of moments, Ginny held her breath waiting and just as she was getting ready to resume her previous action and blame her imagination, another sound made itself audible.

Ginny closed her eyes to block out the noise and what might take place on the other side of the covers, just then feeling a breeze of cold air brush her legs gently. Her eyes snapped open, searching the room widely for the voice.

"Ginevra…"

Ginny could curse all her bad luck, because it seemed that the last couple of days had been plentiful of that, for it was Him that was calling her out. Nobody called her Ginevra except Him and He was probably mad about the article in the papers. He had come to take it out all on her and even if she screamed nobody would hear her. He would kill her, slowly and painfully, and no matter how loud she would scream, no one would be around to hear. They were all down in the Great Hall, stuffing their faces with food while she suffered.

"Ginevra…"

Ginny got off the bed, running towards the door that locked itself just as she was halfway across the room. The redhead whimpered, biting her lip as it was her habit when she was in trouble but quite suddenly, her mind took an 180 degrees turn and Ginny walked towards the door boldly, taking her wand out of the pocket of her robes.

It seemed that Alohomora wasn't going to work on the door and Ginny didn't know any other door-opening spells. With a sigh, she turned around but nearly died of terror as she saw Tom's reflection in the mirror in front of her. Quickly glancing behind her, she scanned thin air. He wasn't there!

Just as hastily as she had turned around, Ginny returned her eyes to rest on the mirror, which Tom Riddle currently occupied. Ginny drew in a breath of shock as she watched a mirror reflection of her lying dead or unconscious, the redhead couldn't tell, at His feet. With a cruel smile, he reached down and grasped her hair violently, harshly pulling the girl to her feet.

The mirror Ginny screamed in pain, struggling against Tom as he slowly encircled his hand around her slim pale neck, squeezing lightly. Apparently she wasn't dead, but what was more horrifying then watching herself be tortured in the mirror, was that Ginny felt the small pressure against her own neck.

"You've been a bad, bad girl Ginny and do you know what I do to bad girls like you?" Tom asked slowly from the mirror and not bothering to await her reply, transferred some memories from his mind to Ginny's.

Ginny's mind went blank as she saw, through his eyes, visions of Bellatrix Lesterange Crucioed in front of Him. Alexandra Malfoy, another Death Eater whose body had been found not even a couple of moths ago and whose death was uncertain, lay pleading in front of him, crying her blue eyes off. Ginny felt rather than saw Tom remove a knife out of his pocket and handing it to Lucius Malfoy, who willingly killed her, all the while He watched.

"They were being very bad girls, now you know what I do to people who act like that. You Virginia did the same. You betrayed me!" He said his grip on her neck increasing.

"I was never loyal to you in the first place! I hate you Riddle, body and soul!" Ginny yelled, choking on the last words as the pain around her neck intensified making it hard for her to catch her breath.

His eyes flashed between red and black and his brows furrowed angrily. "A near death experience should be enough to buy your loyalty, if not, at least your ruthless courage. Besides, I can't kill you from where I'm now."

Her lungs were hot against her back and her face was growing warmer and warmer by ever moment that she spent without air filling her body. Falling to the floor, Ginny grabbed a nearby vase and flung it at the mirror. Both the objects shattered, the vase falling nosily to the floor with pieces of shattered glass.

Right then and then Ginny decided that air was one of the most precious things present on earth. Breathing in a mouthful of air she stood up, stepping over the broken glass.

"Tsk, tsk Virginia. That's going to be seven years bad luck!" Tom Riddle said from another dresser mirror.

"I don't give a damn. Do you think I consider meeting you again good luck? I've had bad luck ever since I came to this retched school."

Ginny saw him laughing, an expression that was strange on his face and probably very akin to him. "You amuse me pet."

"I'm not your pet Riddle!" Ginny said through clenched teeth, narrowing her eyes.

He shrugged and cast his eyes towards the door that he unlocked with a wave of his wand. "Well, it looks like I got to get going. Till next time princess," He blew her a kiss innocently before conjuring up the mirror reflection of herself and kissing her softly.

Ginny backed away from the mirror, wiping her lips but to futile attempts. She could still feel his kiss and the feelings it aroused didn't approve to Ginny's mind at all.

The door opened and when Ginny looked at the mirror, Tom was gone. Letting out a breath of relief she hadn't been aware she had been holding inside her, Ginny turned towards the door, where she spotted Hermione, a worried Hermione.

"Ginny, are you feeling all right?" Hermione asked slowly, walking in the room, her eyes sweeping up the shattered glass and the broken base. "Ginny, what happened here?" Hermione asked again, and the redhead saw Ron's head poking through the doorway, a wired expression etched onto his face.

"I came in to get my book bag and there was huge spider on the mirror, a grabbed a vase and threw it at the spider. I killed the bloody thing but I broke the mirror as well," Ginny said, eyes scanning the floor. "Then I tried to rid the room of the dead spider with my wand and I was just about to repair the mirror when you came in."

"Good job Ginny! Servers those wretched insects right!" Ron said, pushing the door some more and entering the dorm.

Hermione stared at the redhead for another couple of long seconds before finally accepting the lie as the truth. "Alright, let me help you clean up. You do the vase, I'll fix the mirror." The brunette said with a smile, taking her wand out and already whispering a spell that pulled together all the shattered pieces of glass and rebuilt the mirror.

Ginny nodded, finishing the vase with the same spell the muggle-born had used. "Thanks 'Mione. It would've taken me longer and I would've been late for class." Ginny said as they walked out of the Gryffindor tower.

"No problem, I'm always there to help a friend." Hermione said with a smile, her eyes landing on some ugly brow bruises on her neck. "What are those?"

For once Ginny could say that she was in luck that Harry and Ron had already left for their Divinination class and she and Hermione were alone. "Umm…I have Advanced Potions with the Slytherins and Ravenclaws and Snape will behead me if I'm late. I'll talk to you later." Ginny said hastily and ran around the corner, leaving behind a puzzled Hermione.

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"Miss Weasley, so nice of you to join us, five points from Gryffindor, take a seat beside Zabini." Snape said in his usual bored and disgusted tone that suggested he was eating dung for breakfast or something equally unpleasant.

Ginny nodded, walking with her head held high towards the Slytherin side and sitting down beside the brown haired boy whom was consider by most of the female population of Hogwarts to be a heartthrob. To Ginny, he looked like an empty headed jerk that had one thing on his mind. And everyone knew what boys around seventeen-years-old always thought about apart from food and in his case, serving the Dark Lord.

He smiled at her, revealing a set of pearly white teeth which Ginny quite suddenly, strongly felt like relieving him of with a swift punch. To her misfortune, Malfoy and Parkinson sat in front of her, thankfully with their backs turned which Ginny knew almost to precession that they would turn the minute Snape wasn't looking.

"Today, we will be learning a potion that is used almost in every wizard hospital by medi-wizards and witches. It used on cases where the patient runs out of blood or is in urgent need of blood donation. The potion is called Water Metamorphous 213. The number at the end is a code for there are many Water Metamorphous potions that depending on the code mean different liquids they will turn into. For example, Water Metamorphous 68 turns the water into wine while the potion we will be learning today turns water into blood." Snape paused and Ginny visibly paled, for she knew her new weakness to blood and she seriously didn't want Dumbledore to do some more of his snooping around her case and that stupid prophecy which she had recently started to believe she was part of.

"Now, I have written the ingredients on the board so I'll expect you to get to work right away. Only one person from your desk will come when called to retrieve the ingredients." Snape said, walking towards his desk and sitting himself in a big black chair, in front of an open book that contained the names of the students that had been accepted into the Advanced 6th and 7th year Potions. "Oh, and your partners are the people sitting right beside you." A couple of groans were made audible and Snape sharply looked up. Once the room was quite once again, he begun calling names up and students came to collect the ingredients need to brew the potion.

When it was their turn, Blaise stood up without a comment, heading for Snape's storage room to get the ingredients. A few minutes later he returned with a handful of vials, all of which had different colours, and some dried up weeds as well as toad legs and a small amount of red, crushed dust. He sat down with a sigh, putting the ingredients down and facing Ginny.

"Once you have your ingredients you may begin, don't just stand there like idiotic dolts." Snape said with a sneer and Ginny quickly glanced at the board to check the order the ingredients went into the cauldron which was already boiling hot.

"Let's get something straight Zabini, I don't like working with you and I think the feeling's mutual on your behalf, so why don't we talk as less as possible and try to concentrate on the potion at hand to get the grades and be done with it." Ginny said out of the blue, her pale hand reaching for the first ingredient and dunking into the boiling water of their cauldron.

"Weasley, what makes you think I hate you so?" Blaise asked innocently and Ginny glared at him in response, reaching for the second ingredient.

"Fine then Zabini, let's be friends!" She smiled a sickly sweetening smile that Blaise gave a shudder of disgust at and poured the dried selldyweed in. "See, it just won't work so you might as well help with this potion and keep your bloody trap shut." She ordered sternly.

"Nice choice of words for a lady," Draco said turning around to smirk at the redhead, who briefly looked up, a sneer upon her lips. "Learned them from your mother no doubt," he paused as though pondering deeply on something. His taunts were so corny, Ginny didn't even bother to acknowledge them. "Tell me Weaslette, do you kiss her with that mouth?" when Ginny ignored him yet again, he persisted, "She probably wouldn't even mind, keeping in check the dirt family you come from."

Ginny looked up sharply, the corner of her lip lifting into a sneer that would've made Snape a run for his money, a slim but oddly long fang revealed in the pale light of the dungeons. "Stuff it Malfoy before it gets serious." She said threatingly and Draco laughed, oblivious to Blaise who was staring at them with interest, but at the same time signalling his friend to drop the subject.

"Ooo, I'm scared. Big bad Weasel is going to come after my blood!" he said mockingly, faking a frightened state. Beside him, Pansy emitted a small laugh, congratulating him on his acting kills.

Casting a brief glance at Snape's turned back andbefore she could stop herself, Ginny had reached across the desk, grabbing the front of Malfoy's robes harshly and dragging him to her eyelevel. "Be careful of what you wish, I just might do that if you annoy me." She said with a growl that was strangely animalistic.

"Weasley, why don't you leave Malfoy for now," he chuckled nervously, "and concentrate on our potion." Blaise said from beside her and Ginny released Malfoy, who instantly pulled his chair as far away from her as possible.

"Oh and Malfoy," she called, "I'll be needing my book back." She said flatly and returned to her previous actions, those of brewing the potion.

Once it was done Ginny had to keep herself from fainting. Everywhere in the classroom, everywhere she looked, there were cauldrons with fresh blood. It was terrifying but she couldn't bring herself to admit that maybe she was the heir of Desdemona and that maybe thus her strange newly acquired thirst for blood. Maybe she was truly a vampire! No, Ginny shook her head, her lips turning from a red-peachy color to a dead pale white.

"Professor," Ginny called, raising her hand up. "May I be excused? I don't feel well and I want to go to the Hospital Wing for a bit."

Snape turned around swiftly, taking in the redhead's pale, trembling figure. "Go Miss Weasley. I trust your potion is finished though."

Ginny gave a small nod and collected her books, bolting out the door as if staying in the room a minute longer would have killed her. In truth, it might've done just that.

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Instead of heading towards the Hospital Wing Ginny wandered outside onto the green grounds of Hogwarts. Stepping outside she sharply inhaled the fresh musky scent of the grass mingled with the water that still remained from a couple of hours ago when a violent storm had broken about.

Malfoy had her book and that stopped the redhead from finding more about the prophecy that she had now started to believe she was part of. Of course she couldn't let Dumbledore know about it, he would most likely lock her in a room for safekeeping until Voldemort died and she posed a threat no more.

Come to think of it, Ginny mused silently to herself as she sat down at the base of an oak tree, if the time came she would rather pick the dark side than the crummy light. What had they to offer her? A crown and the title of hero? Big deal, Harry Potter already possessed, having save the world countless times.

As for the dark side, Ginny was sure she would easily get faithful allies and loyal servants. She could be great, she could be…the Dark Lady!

No! Ginny shook her head, a smile curving her red lips, Tom wouldn't share his "throne" with anyone else. She would just have to take it from him then!

With a smirk she stood up, dusting her robes in the process. Old Tommy wasn't even going to know what bit him in the arse when the time came…or maybe he would! In any case, it would be a vampire!

Nearing the edge of the cliff that overlooked the Great Lake, she pushed her luck and her feet were halfway off the edge. If someone were to push her right then she would fall and tumble, most likely end up dead when the sharp rocks jabbed into her. Vampire or not, she was still mortal until she regained her throne, or should she say, the royal family's throne.

But that didn't scare her. Instead she felt the thrill of adrenaline rush and spread throughout her body, making her blood flow swifter and her heart beat faster.

One step and she could be touching the air. One step and she could be flying. One step and she could be dead! Such beautiful things all crammed up together.

Not knowing what had urged her and without contemplating the consequences of her actions, Ginny took the last final step, allowing the air to wash her away as she fell slowly toward the sharp rocks of the shore. Her hair flew around her and the wind fluttered carelessly at her robe, making the redhead feel light-headed by the pleasure of it. In all, if one was to observe her right then they would think she was a beautiful china doll, falling without a care from the racks of the expensive porcelain store.

Quite suddenly, as she was falling nearer and nearer to the rocks, her right hand snapped up catching a fairly wide piece of rock that stuck out from the cliff wall. With great agility she hoisted her body upon it, reaching for the nearest stone that could be used to climb up the cliff.

When she was back at the top, Ginny glanced down into the lake, a half smile-half smirk curving her lips softly. Such a long fall but such a pleasant ride, she though fleetingly. If given the chance she would do it again, Ginny realised with a sigh of pleasure.

What the redhead didn't realise was that the vampire side of her was already forming, reflexes and strength alike, as well as a powerful mind and extreme cunning along with a thirst for blood and adventure.

Walking back inside the castle, Ginny took no notice of the brown haired man that watched her closely from behind a tall and stuffy bush.

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Ginny woke up from the painful dream, this time cursing loudly as a low noise rolled in her stomach. It was the third time she had dreamed the odd dream and with it a strange hunger for blood always hit Ginny at the oddest times in the night. With a sigh, she touched the blood soaked sheets with adoration and stood up, grabbing her nearby cloak which she later on, as she made her way out of the common room, slung over her delicate shoulders and tied it protectively around herself.

The halls were chilly and dark, the fire of the torches that lit them hours ago long by burned out. Despite herself, Ginny felt a shiver of unknown feelings rush over her. Although bathed in complete darkness, the redhead felt no need to cast a light charm for she could almost see perfectly as though it were day.

So, Ginny thought with a smile, being a vampire has its perks too! Dumbledore was seriously crazy, for the redhead couldn't see the downside of being a "blood sucking creature", as some of the books on her "people" called them. Blood was good and tasted amazingly good and who wouldn't want to be immortal or half great reflexes and eye vision. It was amazing.

Ginny tickled the pear from the painting with a long nail, the portrait sliding to the side and revealing the entrance to the kitchens.

"What can Tinky get you Missus? A small elf with a dirty shirt and a half ripped sock asked cheerily, happy to be able to serve a student face to face.

"May I have a fairly done beef stake…in blood?" Ginny asked, sitting down at one of the small tables.

"Yes Missus, right away Missus!" she said hastily and cast a weary look in her direction before disappearing nearing a door, from where Ginny heard some odd sounds coming from.

A few minutes later, soaked in blood, a generous slice of barely cooked beef was presented in front of the redhead on a clean white plate now stained with the animal's blood. Ginny mumbled a small 'Thank you' before picking up her eating utensils and cutting up the stake, which she hungrily consumed.

Tinky watched Ginny with her big, elfin eyes, a fearful look deep behind the glassy cover of them. "what/' Ginny inquired lightly, brushing a napkin over her lips.

The elf shook her head, backing up slightly. "Tinky is sorry for staring Missus. Tinky will walk on hot coals if Missus wishes as punishment, but Tinky could not help but notice that Missus eats like master."

"Like who?" Ginny inquired, pushing the empty plate away, and watching as Tinky drew closer upon her beckoning, sitting on a nearby table and drawing her small feet underneath her.

"Tinky's master Missus. Tinky used to serve a great family and she still does, but only the youngest of their family. Missus Adeline has finished Hogwarts about ten years ago, but master still attends here. Missus eats like him, with the same savage hunger."

"Who's your master?"

"Tinky cannot say, Tinky will have to walk on hot coals for being so foolish. Tinky is sorry Missus, for detaining you!" the elf said, jumping down from the chair, and making to take the dirty dish and go back inside the cooking area.

Ginny on the other hand, had other plans. Carelessly and effortlessly as though the elf weighted nothing more or less than a feather, she grabbed Tinky's shirt and dragged her in front of her.

"Tinky, tell me, or I'll do something to you that will be even worse than walking on hot coals." Ginny said threatingly, a jab of sharp pain spreading through her gums as she did so.

"Tinky will tell Missus, but Tinky's afraid. Missus' like master! Missus' a vampire!" the elf said in a wavering, fearful tone.

Ginny rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Who's your master Tinky? This can be easy or hard!" she said lowly, her voice sustaining a sharp edge.

"Blaise Zabini!" the elf said with a squeak and Ginny released her hold on her.

True, the redhead had expected it to be a Slytherin…After all, Tinky had mentioned her master being of a "great family". But Ginny would've never have believed Blaise to be a vampire, he looked nothing like one. He had been totally unaffected by the blood potion they had learned a week ago. And another thing, Malfoy even, looked paler than him and Ginny would've imagined Malfoy sucking the blood out of people, not one of his best friends that looked totally harmless.

You thought Tom Riddle was harmless and look where that got you. Her mind argued sharply.

Ginny reckoned Draco didn't even know Blaise's nature, otherwise he wouldn't have been so daring when speaking so fearlessly in Potions about blood sucking.

With a lot to ponder on her way back to the Gryffindor common room, Ginny barely took note of the creeping shadow figure that loomed in the dark.

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TBC