A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! Thanks for all comments! Enjoy the chappie:-D

Chapter 8:

The next two months after the disposal of the diary were nothing short of bliss. Ginny was in heaven- guilt-free(as long as she stayed away from the hospital wing) and in the true position of a Malfoy, intimidating Mudbloods, infuriating Weasleys, and boasting about her family's money. The only bad part of the situation was that she wasn't taken very seriously- people were coining her as a mini-me of her brother, which annoyed him even more than it annoyed her. One morning, several days before Valentines Day, this became evident to the entire school at breakfast.

Ginny had left her table for a moment to say hello to Draco, who had apparently just broken up with Pansy, according to the scene unfolding before her. "Why are you so obsessed with me? You were more like a stalker than a girlfriend! My God, Pansy; get a life!" Pansy was in hysterics, and Ginny raised an eyebrow at the girl in superiority.

"WHAT IS THAT LOOK FOR, MALFOY?" screeched Pansy. Ginny exchanged glances with Trista. "YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO ACT LIKE A MALFOY, YOU HALF-BLOOD LOVING GRYFFINDOR!" Ginny's heart pounded for a moment; did everyone know she fancied Harry? But those worries were quenched with the next words.

"She's right, you know!" shouted Eira angrily. This was the first Eira had spoken to Ginny since they ended their friendship, at the beginning of term. The entire Great Hall was looking at the Slytherin table, watching Ginny get yelled at, and Draco get yelled at, which seemed to amuse everyone. "The people you hang out with!" she continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if you even have one of those signed photos from Potter…"

"Don't you DARE talk to me like that!" yelled Ginny.

"Yeah," yelled Draco. "NEVER speak that way to a Malfoy… but Ginny, she has a bloody point!"

"I AM A MALFOY AND I DO NOT NEED STUPID FRIENDS LIKE YOU DUMBASS SLYTHERINS! AT LEAST THE PEOPLE IN MY HOUSE ARE BRAVE- YOU ARE ALL BLOODY COWARDS WHO ARE AFRAID OF THE DARK LORD! I AM INDEPENDENT AND WILL CHOOSE MY OWN FRIENDS, WHOM I DEEM WORTHY! AND I'LL HAVE REAL FRIENDS, NOT THICK-SKULLED LACKEYS! I HATE YOU, DRACO LYSANDER MALFOY!" Ginny then turned on her heel and stomped back to her table, leaving a dumb-struck brother and friends.

Without warning, the entire Gryffindor table burst into applause. Ginny blushed deeply to see Harry Potter among those cheering. Even some Slytherins were cheering, and Ravenclaws! No Hufflepuffs, though… well, good. Hufflepuffs weren't at all worthy of a Malfoy's consideration. She smiled at Trista appreciatively before taking her seat (directly across from Harry Potter!) in between Maeve and Ceridwen. "That was brilliant, Ginny!" congratulated Harry. His friends Ron and Hermione nodded slowly. Ceridwen squealed with excitement.

"Genevieve Malfoy! Where did you learn to tell off your brother like that?" Ginny shrugged.

"I suppose I have a bit of a temper…" Fred and George, sitting a few seats down, snorted loudly.

"Listen, Ginny- the only people I've seen with a temper that bad are Wealseys… doesn't her temper seem familiar, Fred? Ron? Perce?" Percy shook his head, scowling. Ron looked pensive for a moment and then returned to his food. Fred however, nodded in agreement.

"Wouldn't want to get on the bad side of that one… the only one I've seen yell like her is Mum." Ginny was slightly chilled. Why would she remind them of their Mum? That was slightly frightening… She looked up to see Dumbledore looking at her thoughtfully from the Head table. Uh-oh. Her thoughts began to race- did he suspect her? But he looked quickly away as Maeve spoke.

"I wonder when you'll get your howler?" she asked casually. Ginny frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ginny, Ginny, Ginny. By this time tomorrow, everyone in Britain will know about you disgracing the name of a Malfoy. So how do you get punished? Surely you will be, if your parents are half as strict as most others of decent Pure-blooded families…"

"Shut up, Maeve… I won't be in trouble. Draco had all that crap coming to him for being so stupid the last few weeks. Okay?" Maeve rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say, Gin…"

The next week passed with amazing speed (not bringing any punishment, thankfully, though the more she thought about it the more she was dreading summer), and soon it was Valentines Day. Several girls in her dorm were giggling loudly as Jaclyn's alarm went off, singing a Muggle love song. Bloody Muggles and their music, she thought groggily. "What's so funny?" she asked, yawing.

Jaclyn and Kayla began giggling again. "It's Valentines Day, you dolt," said Ceridwen sleepily.

"I know, but what's the b-b-big deal?" asked Ginny, sitting up finally, still annoyed.

"Professor Lockhart," began Maeve in a dreamy voice, "said there was a special surprise today for the students!"

"Probably a book signing," grumbled Ginny. "Or a photograph of him banishing some Mermaid was stapled onto our homework…" Jaclyn rolled her eyes.

"I, for one, am very excited. Maybe we'll be asked out today! If you ask me, Ginny, Aidan has had his eye on you…"

"No, he's had his eye on me," corrected Maeve. "Bloody hell, he already asked me out."

"He what?" gasped everyone, including Ginny. Maeve nodded proudly.

"Yes, it's true. We're a couple now." After Ginny was showered she headed down to the Great Hall with Ceridwen. When they arrived, they both gasped. Everything was pink. Everything. Little cupids were flying around, and Lockhart was smiling as if he was king of the world. He made some announcement about delivering valentines, and Ginny giggled seeing the looks on every other Professor's face.

The day passed slowly, and all of the boys acted as if they were being tortured, while the girls were all immensely enjoying the décor. At lunch, Ceridwen created a Valentine to send to Harry Potter. "I know he'll never like me, but he's so cute!" Ginny inwardly agreed, but she put on a face as Ceridwen sent the letter. It was anonymous, so Harry would never know it was Ceridwen. Hopefully, if he did know, he wouldn't fancy her! It was only a matter of time before Ginny asked him out herself… right? Not right, she thought pessimistically.

Unfortunately, Ginny happened to be in the same corridor as Potter when his Valentine arrived. Ugh, she thought, as the crowd watched Harry fighting off his cupid interestedly, just what I needed… Momentarily, the card was forced upon Harry.

"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, his hair is as dark as a blackboard… He sure is divine, how I wish he were mine, the hero who conquered the Dark Lord!" The corridor erupted into laughter. Her brother looked particularly delighted as Harry bent down to pick up some books that had spilled. Oh, great. Now Draco was here!

Draco taunted Harry a bit as Ginny pushed through the crowd. When she reached her brother and Potter, Draco was holding out of reach a book. Suddenly her heart stopped.

The diary. Tom! What if Tom told Harry that she was behind the attacks? Or how she fancied him? How did he get the diary?

"Give it here, Malfoy," said Harry threateningly. Draco opened the book and laughed. Things seemed to be going in slow motion. She needed the diary. But if Draco took it-

"Give him the book!" yelled Ginny to her brother. Draco laughed coldly.

"I don't think Potter liked your Valentine, sis…"

"Shut up!" yelled Ginny as the Prefect Percy sauntered down the corridor.

"What's all this confusion about?" he asked pompously. "Move aside, I'm a Prefect! What is the meaning of this, Harry? Malfoy?"

"He has my book," said Harry angrily. Malfoy then threw it at his feet as Percy dissipated the crowd.

That night, while Harry was out of the dormitory, Ginny sneaked upstairs and found his trunk, throwing the room apart. She finally found the diary, and she left as quickly as was possible, hoping that nobody saw her.

She ran straight to her room, pulled the curtains around her bed, lit her wand, and opened the book frantically.

Tom. It's me, Ginny. Did you tell Harry anything?

Ginny? Long time not talk… No, I didn't betray any of your secrets. How did I come to be in a toilet?

Er… well, my friend found you and threw you, and then a Professor came and I had to get to class, and when I returned you were gone…

Do not lie to me Ginevra. I always know when I am being lied to. How did you get me back from Potter?

I- I saw you with Harry, and I thought-

You thought I would tell him about you. About you opening the Chamber, right? Maybe it's all in your mind, Ginny. There hasn't been an attack lately, has there?

No…

Good. Now start talking. What have you been doing the past weeks? Did you not miss me, Ginevra? You couldn't manage without me. You did something stupid. Potter told me all about it. Now you tell me. I can help you not make these mistakes, Ginny.

Ginny was afraid. What had he told Harry? How did he know when she lied? She shivered and began writing. She didn't want to write, but Tom was scaring her. He said if she didn't write, then something bad would happen to her. She needed him. Ginny became severely upset once more. People noticed- Draco apologized to her and reminded her that she was his baby sister and he loved her, and if she needed help, she could come to him. Potter asked what was wrong. The Weasley twins asked what was wrong. Ceridwen demanded to know what was wrong. But she lied to all of them, as Tom had instructed her to do.

It was just a day later when things took another sharp turn for the worst. She was on her way to a Quidditch match and blacked out- when she awoke, she was covered in slime and was as white as a sheet, collapsed in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She shakily stood up and rushed to a shower before daring to ask somebody- anybody- what was wrong. When she arrived in the Gryffindor Tower, the Weasleys and Potter and almost everyone the year ahead of her looked horror-stricken. Nobody needed to tell her there had been another attack.

"Who was it?" she asked blankly as she sat beside Ceridwen and Jaclyn on the floor of the Common Room.

"Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater," said Maeve sadly. Ginny looked uncomfortably over at the Weasleys and Harry. Percy looked absolutely shocked. "I suppose he didn't think Prefects could be Petrified," said Maeve appraisingly. "Where were you, anyway? Why weren't you at the match?"

Ginny shrugged. "I- I fell in the mud outside and needed a quick shower before going out." Maeve and Ceridwen nodded. An hour later, Harry and Ron left the Common Room for the dormitory. Then Ginny later noticed that the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open when nobody was entering or leaving. She had seen Potter's invisibility cloak last night finding the diary- they must be under it.

Ginny stayed awake, looking out the window, long after everyone went to bed. She was in a bit of a daze, vaguely wondering whether she should write to Tom, when something caught her attention. Her father- yes, that was him- was walking briskly towards Hagrid's cabin. He went inside after knocking just once. Ginny was wide awake by this time. What on earth? About twenty minutes later, he, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and the Minister of Magic exited the cabin! Hagrid then yelled something and all four men left the grounds. Ginny watched her father, wide-eyed, wondering if he had the slightest idea that his own daughter was watching him at that moment. Ginny went to bed a minute later, feeling homesick and curious to no end.

The next morning came the announcement that Dumbledore had stepped down. This made Ginny's stomach lurch with foreboding. If Dumbledore was gone, what was stopping her? Most of the school, however, seemed convinced that Hagrid was the culprit. Ginny wished desperately that they were right- but she knew they weren't. Something made her want to confess- but Tom told her not to again and again. Tom would do something horrible to her- something awful would happen- if she confessed. Right?

But after several days something raised her hopes dramatically. The Mandrakes were nearly ready! The attacked people would awaken! But what if it was her who attacked them? Would they wake up and tell everyone that Ginny Malfoy had been behind the attacks? Ginny decided to write to Tom at her first break.

Guess what, Tom?

What?

The Mandrakes are ready! In a few days, the people who were attacked will be revived! Isn't that wonderful? Tom?

Yes. Quite. They'll be revived, you say?

Aren't you happy?

Yes… of course. Ginny, you would sacrifice anything for your diary, right? Right?

Ginny snapped the book shut with dread and fear. Tom was going to do something to her. Something horrible- another attack, maybe. What if Tom was behind the attacks? He had to be- he had to be! She ran as fast as she could to the Great Hall, where lunch was being served.

"Harry? Ron?" she asked worriedly, rocking back and forth before the only people she was sure could be trusted.

"Yes? Spit it out, Malfoy," said Ron hurriedly, wolfing down his lunch.

"I- er… Um."

"Have you seen something?" asked Harry. "Something to do with the Chamber? DO you know who's behind the attacks?" Suddenly Ginny jumped in fright as Percy sat down beside her, and she ran away, to her dorm, and grabbed her diary. Then she put it down, and picked it up, and put it down…. Then all she was aware of was walking, in a trance, to the wall outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Her Skeleton will Lie in the Chamber Forever. Forever… forever… forever… I'm coming, Tom. Ginny slid down a pipe she somehow opened. She ended up in a heap in the Chamber of Secrets, and something was possessing her, guiding her to a room deep inside. Before she knew it, Tom was coming out of the diary.

"Hello, Ginevra," he said sinisterly. The next hour seemed to be a blur. Crying, pleading, begging. Ginny didn't know where her soul was. And then- Harry Potter was sitting above her. But how could it be?

"Harry?" she whispered, sitting up. "W-w-where's T-Tom? He was coming out of the d-d-diary… I'm g-g-g-going to be expelled…" Ginny began crying hysterically, and seeing the diary with a fang pierced through it and a dead massive serpent in the room only made her cry harder. "Why- h-how did you c-c-come?" she asked as Harry helped her to her feet.

"Shhh," he soothed. "It'll be all right…" Ginny let Harry guide her from the Chamber, feeling as if she'd been hit on the head by a rock. They soon reached Ron and Professor Lockhart, who seemed as dazed and confused as Ginny felt.

"What-" began Ron immediately, but quieted as Harry nodded towards Ginny. Then a bird was pulling the group up the pipe… Ginny allowed herself to be carried by Ron to the staff room, allowing the Phoenix song work its wonders on her.

She was then sitting in Professor McGonagall's office, surrounded by her father and mother, Dumbledore, Ron, Harry, Lockhart, and for some reason Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, a mug of hot cocoa in her hand and a blanket around her shoulders. She listened as Harry told the story. She could barely manage to look at her parents. Lucius looked horrified when Harry came to the part about the diary having been in Ginny's possession.

"Ginny! Where on earth did you get that?" he demanded. Ginny shivered as Narcissa placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"I- it was in my school t-things, F-Father, and I-I didn't think that it… I'm so sorry!" She then began sobbing loudly.

"Shh, darling," said her father coldly. "It will be all right."

"So then the clock must have malfunctioned," said Mr. Weasley thoughtfully after the story was finished and Ginny was dismissed to the hospital wing. She was so grateful not to be expelled… so happy Tom was gone! She barely listened as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley continued amongst themselves. "It must have put Ron's mortal peril under the wrong face."

"Think we should get rid of it? It was stupid to rush to the school like this… Oh, Arthur! We knew she wasn't coming back! Why did we come?"

"It's all right, Molly… There, there… But that Malfoy girl looks so familiar, don't you think?" Ginny hurried away to the hospital wing, not caring about the Weasleys and their problems.

Quite soon school was coming to a close. The victims had been revived, and exams cancelled. And Gryffindor won the House Cup! The year ended with Ginny on good terms with pretty much everyone… which was definitely how Ginny liked it.

Two years later, Ginny sat in the same spot- only not so filled with joy as she went home for summer. The Triwizard Tournament had ended, with a terribly tragic ending. Dark times were certainly speeding ever closer… and there were quite a few questions Ginny had concerning her identity when she arrived home. She had five main questions, all written down neatly on a sheet of parchment she was hiding from Ceridwen at the moment:

1. Why is my hair bright red unless I use Malfoy shampoo?

2. Why am I a Gryffindor?

3. Why don't I look at all like either parent?

4. Where is Ginevra Weasley, kidnapped the day I was born?

5. Why did Fred and George Weasley cut off a lock of my hair to bring to Magical DNA Incorporated?

Ginny studied her list and added one more.

6. What will happen if they are right?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()-!-!!-!

A/N: Please review!!!!

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