Free at Last - Chapter 3

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ooo - Under the Weeping Willow - ooo

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How she ended up walking across the castle grounds on the arm of the future enemy of the world, Ginny didn't know. But she did know that Tom Riddle loved to talk about schoolwork, Wizard Chess, and Quidditch. Being the best of the group in her opinion, Ginny chose to discuss Quidditch.

"So are you on the Slytherin team?"

"Afraid not," said Tom. Ginny was still pondering the sprinting away option. But Tom Riddle had his arm hooked firmly around hers, and she was trapped until the conversation was finished. "Too busy."

"With what?" Ginny asked as Tom began to lead her down the grounds and toward the Greenhouses.

"Oh, you know," he said. "Prefect work, schoolwork. Meetings. Clubs. I organize a lot of meetings. But I like to play Quidditch in my off time. I like to play Chaser or Keeper."

"Me too," said Ginny. "Chaser and Seeker, though. I'm not too fond of playing Keeper." Tom looked at her, surprised.

"But you're a girl."

"So?" Ginny asked. Her brow furrowed, and her eyes narrowed defensively.

"Girls don't play Quidditch," said Tom, in the same tone one would use if they were speaking to a toddler. "They sew… and garden… and they keep house."

"Of course they do play Quidditch," said Ginny. "And I'm a damn good Seeker. But I prefer Chaser. More action."

"Really, now?" Tom said, and Ginny knew he wasn't listening. This wasn't the time or the place to discuss her feminist beliefs, anyhow. Tom began to lead her down a path to the left of the one to the Greenhouses. She had never seen it before. Perhaps it wasn't there in the future. Well, it didn't lead into the forest – that was good.

"Where are we going?" asked Ginny. The corner of Tom's lip curled up again. He looked at her.

"You must be joking," he said. Ginny stayed silent. The narrow path was shaded by trees and bushes. They turned a corner, and the path opened up into a small clearing with a weeping willow tree in the middle, making a curtain of silvery-green vines around a bench that sat near its trunk. Tom let go of Ginny's arm.

"I come here when I need privacy," said Tom, holding the curtain of vines open for Ginny to proceed through. She hesitated – this was her only chance to run away. But he was close enough to pull her back anyway. She ducked through the vines and sat down on the bench. Tom sat beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She already had a boyfriend. Well, kind of. She and Dean were always flirting tremendously, but they hadn't had the chance to go on an actual date yet. Today was supposed to be the first day back, after all.

Before she could react, Tom leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. Ginny blanched, and, appalled, she pushed him away.

"Excuse me," she said, the pitch of her voice high. "You met me how long ago – maybe a half an hour? And now you're trying to make out with me?" She frowned.

"Make out?" Tom echoed. He cocked an eyebrow. "If that means shag, then I suppose so." Ginny's cheeks went as red as her hair.

"Get away from me!" Ginny said, jumping to her feet. "I'm not that type of girl!" She mimicked one of Hermione's famous snotty 'looks'. "Now if you don't mind, I'll be going now." With one final glare, she started to walk quickly away. She made it halfway up the path when she heard a voice far behind her.

"Accio!"

It was a strange feeling. Ginny felt herself rushing backwards, and no matter how she tried her shoes wouldn't quite touch the ground. She let out a shriek of shock and rage and seconds later ended up right next to a very amused-looking Tom.

"I apologize, Ginerva," he said coolly. He paused for a moment. "I mean Ginny."

Ginny glared at him. "I said my friends call me Ginny," she hissed. Her voice was as cold as she could make it sound. If he could look into her soul, he would find that she was truly terrified. "And when did we become friends? We're not on first name terms."

"You're right," said Tom. "But I would like to be your friend­­ –" he paused "– Miss Weasley. Please give me another chance. I won't try anything. I promise."

"Why should I?" said Ginny, her ears growing redder by the second.

Tom grinned. "Because I'll just keep summoning you back."

Infuriated, Ginny sat down on the bench again. She folded her arms and crossed her legs.

"I assume you are from a pure-blood family," said Tom. Ginny gave a short nod.

It shocked her how his mannerisms so resembled Draco Malfoy's. The way he smirked – the way his cold blue eyes glittered when he had a clever thought – they could have been brothers despite the obvious differences in appearance.

It was only Tom Riddle's voice that truly set him apart. Ginny remembered it so well from when he would pull her into his memories. It was nothing like Draco Malfoy's monotonous drawl. Tom's voice was clear and unquestionable – he knew all the right things to say at all times. It was the voice of an honest man. Like Harry's.

"You're half Muggle, aren't you?" asked Ginny. She said this purely to annoy him, so that he wouldn't try to keep her there with him.

"Unfortunately, yes," he said. He didn't seem as annoyed as she'd presumed he would be. Instead, he seemed surprised. He did not, of course, seem to keen on the subject, and changed it quickly. "Where are you from?"

"England."

Tom laughed. "I assumed that," he said. "Your accent. But what city?"

"Not in a city," she said curtly. "Outside of one."

He seemed to give up on that subject. "Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked.

Ginny was about to give the automatic response of 'no', but realized that she did, in fact, have some sort of boyfriend. And this would work to her advantage. "Yes," she replied, trying not to smile.

Tom did not seem the least bit discouraged. "Who?" he asked, casually flashing a charming smile.

"Dean," she said. Afraid he might ask what House Dean was in, she added, "He's not at this school with us." It was the truth – he was at future Hogwarts, not this one. Tom seemed to accept this.

Tom smiled. "Then he really wouldn't mind so much, would he?"

Before Ginny could register what he said, his hand crept to her waist and he pressed his lips to hers. He did it so smoothly that she didn't even realize what was going on. She froze for a few seconds, enough time for him to push her back and pin her to the bench. She was even more startled when he kissed her neck and she felt something like a butterfly in her stomach.

"Geroff!" she grunted, shoving him away. He fell off the bench as she struggled out from under him. She suddenly felt sick – Lord Voldemort's tongue had been in her mouth. She wiped the saliva from her neck and lips, and she spat on the ground near the bench. Tom got to his feet, and Ginny took this opportunity to smack him hard across the cheek.

Flabbergasted, Tom put his hand to the spot on his cheek that was quickly turning red. The rest of his face turned slightly gray. "Filthy whore!" he spat. Ginny's eyes narrowed. She wanted so badly to kick him.

"Filthy half-breed!" Ginny's voice was shrill, and it seemed to echo in both of their minds for a few seconds. Tom's nostrils flared and Ginny cowered for a moment under his glare and took a step back. He grabbed her arm and wrenched it, throwing her onto the grass. Within seconds she got to her feet, enraged.

Tom stepped forward. "How dare –"

"How dare I?" Ginny laughed wryly, taking a step forward also. "How dare I what? Tell the truth?" She felt a wave of adrenaline rush into her. Normally she would have felt bad for saying something so low, and indeed the hurt and outrage that glittered in his eyes sparked some guilt inside of her.

But she was not about to apologize to Lord Voldemort. No freaking way.

Ginny was surprised at her own willpower. She held her ground while the most powerful evil wizard in the world was trying to stare her down. Or maybe she was too frightened to move. Either way, it was working.

Tom's gaze was cool. "I may not have the blue blood that you do, Miss Weasley," he whispered, his face inches from hers, "but the blood that runs through my veins is worth more than all the other magic blood in the world."

Ginny withheld her frown. All the sympathy drained out of her. Well, someone's a Narcissist, she thought.

"Blood means nothing if there's no heart to pump it," she hissed. She turned on her heel, careful to whip him in the face with her hair, and sprinted away as fast as her legs would allow her.

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A/N: Review!!! Feel free to flame, if you wish. If you don't say something I'll have to sic Dudley on you. He'll sit on you until you review, and we don't want to have to resort to that, do we? Yeah. Thought you'd agree. Now REVIEW ALREADY.