Authors Note: Wow, this update has been a long time coming. Life has been kind of hectic. I'm (finally) a big bad senior in high school. My field hockey season kicked some serious ass and I am getting mail out the ass from college coaches. Hopefully a full ride is in order? This chapter is dedicated to my Pop Pop Joe. I know you wanted to make it until my graduation, but I understand that you had to go. I miss you more than words can say, and I won't let you down. This one's for you.
"The Daily Prophet," Dan rolled his eyes, "The owls that deliver the papers are never on time, and they come at the most inopportune moments. Last time my paper ended up in my nice, big bowl of tomato soup."
Almost immediately after Dan had finished his sentence the sound of flapping wings could be heard getting gradually louder. Hundreds of owls swooped into the Great Hall and dropped newspapers like small bombs. Dan caught his while Al's paper hit him right on the head. A lost paper landed next to Ginny on the table and she picked it up nonchalantly. Her eyes scanned the headlines for anything interesting to read, but it wasn't a large headline that caught her eye. It was a very small date printed in the upper right hand corner.
12 September, 1948
Ginny's eyes widened to the size of saucers. A light tap on her shoulder brought her out of her shock.
"Excuse me."
Ginny glanced over her shoulder; a tall boy was addressing her.
"I believe you have my paper."
Ginny jumped up, "Oh! I'm so sorry! It just kind of landed next to me; I thought it was an extra—"
If she thought that the date had been the biggest shock of the day, she was sorely mistaken. For there, standing in front of her, was the man who had haunted her dreams for so many years. Tom Riddle stared into her wide chestnut eyes. He was living, breathing, and just as devilishly handsome as he had been when she first met him and Ginny was petrified.
Chapter 6
Ginny looked like a deer caught in headlights. She wasn't moving, and she didn't even appear to be breathing. Tom looked perplexed and irate.
"Could I please have my paper?"
Ginny snapped back to reality, "Oh… yes, so sorry." Her hands shook so tremendously as she reached out to give The Daily Prophet to Tom that she dropped it midway and the sections scattered over the polished wood floor. "Oh God! Sorry, I'm sorry. So sorry!"
"It's alright." Tom said sternly.
He bent to pick his papers up, and Ginny stared on in complete shock. It was unnerving to see Tom Riddle, the evilest wizard of the century, bent before her picking up the sections of his paper as if he was just an ordinary being. Al let out a small cough that startled Ginny out of her reverie. He looked at her peculiarly. Dan was shooting a nasty glare at Tom who was finishing piecing his paper back together and stood.
"I'm so sorry." Ginny squeaked again. She did not want to get on his bad side this soon.
"It's fine." He said to Ginny, then, "What are you looking at, Potter?"
"Nothing of any striking importance, I dare say." Dan shot back with hostility.
Tom smiled coldly sending shivers up Ginny's spine, "That's what I thought." He sauntered off back to the Slytherin table where anxious eyes had watched the whole scene.
Ginny watched him go and noticed an extremely familiar face at the Slytherin table. A much younger Lucius Malfoy stared at Ginny with a burning gaze. That might have bothered Ginny had she not been so absolutely shocked at how much Draco resembled him; and at the realization of just how old he is in her time.
"Mina?" Dan asked her. "Do you know him?" He motioned towards Lucius.
"Oh!" Ginny blushed. "No, I just know someone who looks a lot like him where I came from."
"Those Slytherins over there are downright nasty people." Al started in, "And that Tom Riddle, he's the worst."
Ginny realized she needed to feign innocence here and pretend she had no idea who Tom Riddle was, "Which one is Tom Riddle?"
"He's the one who came over here demanding his paper. He's one bloody little bastard I tell you. Thinks the entire world owes him something because of his bad childhood or something like that. Complete madness I tell you, but all of the teachers are so hoodwinked by him... it's rather annoying…" Al was cut off by Dan.
"You mean all of the teachers except Dumbledore."
"Well, yea, naturally. I don't think Dumbledore could be hoodwinked by anyone." Al corrected himself.
"Albus Dumbledore!" Ginny exclaimed with excitement before she could stop herself.
Al looked perplexed, "Yes, how do you know him?"
"Oh, it's just that my parents always spoke of him and how great he was. I've wanted to meet him for a long time. That's all." Ginny said without missing a beat.
"Well, you'll get to; hopefully you're in our classes. What is your schedule, by the way?" Dan asked.
Ginny rummaged through her messenger bag for the schedule Dippet had given her and handed it to Dan.
"Yea, it looks like we have every class together!" Dan exclaimed.
Ginny couldn't help but smile, he was already reminding her of Harry. "So, what's first?" She asked.
The smile was replaced with a grimace on Dan's handsome face, "Double potions with the Slytherins."
Ginny sighed as Dan handed her schedule back to her and couldn't help but wonder if there was some Hogwarts rule that said the Gryffindors must be subjected to the torture that is double potions with the Slytherins first thing in the morning, every year.
Back in 2003, a very freaked out Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Colin were dashing to Dumbledore's office.
"LEMON DROPS!" Harry all but screamed at the Phoenix statue.
The Phoenix began to move and the quartet ran up the stairs almost faster than they were appearing. Dumbledore's desk was littered with parchment and he was bent over them in concentration. He looked up and peered at the quartet over his half moon spectacles.
"Professor…" Harry was breathing heavily from running so much. Hermione was crying. Ron looked as though he wanted to punch something, and Colin just looked confused.
Dumbledore looked concerned at the group in front of him, "Harry, what on earth is going on?"
"It's Ginny. She's gone back in time. Hermione left her time turner in the common room and Ginny was running to catch up with her, she had the necklace around her neck and ran into Colin and tumbled down the stairs. The only things we can find at the bottom of the stairs are glass shards, sand grains, and a few drops of blood. We think… we think it broke in the fall…" Harry trailed off and Hermione sobbed harder.
Dumbledore put the quill and parchment he was holding down and looked at the group seriously. He was quiet for a few minutes and then he spoke quietly. "I'm not going to give this to you with a dose of sugar; Ginny could be in serious danger. We don't even know where she is in time right now, and if the time turner is broken as you think, she might not have a way back for quite some time." Dumbledore looked pained as these words left his lips, "I know you want an answer, to hear that everything will be alright; but this is something I can't do anything about.
Harry's face froze in shock. This couldn't be happening; Dumbledore always had an answer or at least wise knowledge when something awful happened, but this time there wasn't anything. Hermione managed to speak through her tears.
"Professor? How are we going to find her?"
Dumbledore's eyes glazed over. "I'm afraid it's like looking for a needle in a haystack Miss Granger. Ron, would you please stay while I summon your parents. Harry, Hermione, Colin, if you don't mind, a bit of privacy please."
Ron watched the trio go with an unreadable expression on his long face. Dumbledore spoke.
"Sit down, Ron."
Ron sat stiffly in a cushy chair.
Dumbledore pulled out a large and dusty book. He opened it and upon finding the page he was looking for, tapped it lightly with his wand. He promptly closed the book and placed it back under his desk. Within moments Molly and Arthur Weasley were present. Mrs. Weasley immediately honed in on Ron.
"Ronald Weasley! What trouble have you caused now? Why, if you have done anything serious to endanger your completion of this school year I'll—"
"Molly," Dumbledore interrupted her small rampage. "Ron has done nothing wrong. Please, sit down." Mrs. Weasley, although perplexed, sat cautiously in a chair opposite Ron.
"Well," Mr. Weasley cleared his throat, "If Ron has done nothing wrong, then what were we summoned for? Surely Ginny isn't causing any trouble."
"Ginny has done nothing wrong; however, it is Ginny I called you here about." Dumbledore took his glasses off and placed them on his desk. He looked at the Weasleys very gravely.
Mrs. Weasley instantly gripped the arm rest of her chair.
"Ginny is missing. She went to take Hermione Granger her time turner and was in quite a hurry from what I understand. Before she could reach Miss Granger she collided with Colin Creevy and tumbled down the stairs. In the process the sands in the time turner shifted and she was sent back in time. We don't know which time period she may be in, and we suspect that the time turner was crushed in the fall, leaving her with no way to get back."
Mrs. Weasley sat very still; she did not even appear to be breathing. Then, in about two seconds, she went from very calm to hysterical. This was the second time she had been summoned to Dumbledore's office only to be told that Ginny was in danger yet again and she was not taking it well. She rushed over to Ron and held onto him for dear life; as if holding him until his eyes bulged out of his head would make Ginny reappear.
Mr. Weasley gathered his composure and spoke. "How… how are we going to find her?"
"I am going to alert my allies in the past that I maintain a close touch with. I will personally be keeping an eye out for any odd happenings; sudden new memories, odd dreams of memories that were never there before, indicators such as that. The entire Hogwarts staff will be put on alert."
"And the students?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"They will be told the basics – and to come forward if they should experience anything odd that could be of use."
"I want my baby back." Mrs. Weasley spoke, her face pale and her lips trembling.
"We'll find her, Molly." Mr. Weasley embraced her and stroked her hair lightly.
The usually dreary potions dungeon was a much different place in 1948. The walls lacked the grime Ginny was accustomed to and sunlight actually peeked through the tiny, barred windows. She entered the familiar place with Dan and Al, and took a seat at a round table with them. The Slytherins entered in a large gang, much the same way that the Slytherins Ginny knew did. She couldn't help but wonder if all Slytherins in any decade did this, and if it were some sort of degenerate disease passed down from one Slytherin to the next. Her thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of a quite large and seemingly very jolly man.
"Good morning my bright young pupils!" The man boomed.
Al grinned and leaned over to Ginny. "I love this guy! His name is Professor Laivoj. He makes having potions with the Slytherins so much easier."
"I see we have a new face! And a beautiful one at that!" Professor Laivoj smiled. "Please, stand up and give us a small introduction, if you don't mind."
Ginny turned a vivid red, the same shade as her fiery hair, and stood slowly.
"Hello everyone—" She began meekly.
"Do speak up!" Professor Laivoj boomed.
Ginny sighed; public speaking was never her area of proficiency.
"Hello!" She smiled brightly, "I'm Mina DuBoir, and I've just transferred here." Feeling that her small introduction was adequate, she began to sit down.
"That's it?" Professor Laivoj questioned. "You don't have anything interesting about yourself you'd like to share with us?"
Ginny smiled and thought to herself, "Not unless the fact that I am from the new millennium and this is a complete mistake interests anyone." Instead, she stood and offered this as interesting, "I love to play quidditch… I'm a seeker usually. I read, write, and sing quite badly in the shower." She took her seat again and glanced at her new professor, almost expecting him to ask her something else, but the look on his face made her feel quite odd. Almost as if he instantly knew something of her past – or rather – future. He stared at her with a most curious look before beginning the lesson.
When the time came for them to pair up, Professor Laivoj looked directly at Ginny and spoke. "One of my rules in this classroom is that you are not allowed to pair up with anyone from your house." Ginny's heart immediately sank into her stomach. "The point of this is to promote school unity, not simply house unity."
"Yes, sir."
Ginny observed as many Gryffindor students moped around trying to find a suitable Slytherin, all of which were sitting with very hostile body language in their seats across the room. In seconds all of the promising looking candidates had partners, the selection was growing sparse quite fast; and that's when Ginny noticed him. Tom Riddle sat in the back of the potions classroom, partner less and with an unreadable expression on his handsome features. That same immobilizing fear threatened to take Ginny over but she fought it back. He was just another student, and if she wanted to change her time, she needed to get over the fear of just breathing the same air as him. Ginny studied him momentarily and almost recognized the look on his face as the same look a child has when they are picked last for kickball. In that moment, Ginny made up her mind that she was going to take the first step to saving Tom's soul. She picked her books up and marched to the table where Tom was seated in silent agony.
"Would you mind if I was your partner?" She tried to stop her voice from shaking. Dan and Al stared on in shock.
Tom surveyed her with his vivid green eyes. "Not at all," He said without emotion.
Ginny, still shaking slightly, sat down opposite him, with only a cauldron separating them. She opened her book to the page instructed on the board and began reading the directions silently. With the first step memorized, she reached for the ingredients in the middle of the table. Tom saw her movement and pulled them out of her reach swiftly. Ginny looked at him, bewildered.
"Let's get one thing straight. I have good marks in this class; and I would like to keep it that way. So from now on, I will do the work and you can sit there and look pretty." Tom sneered.
Ginny's face hardened and before she could stop it her temper flared. "Well, I'll make sure to write that in a letter, send it to myself, and then toss it out the window once it returns. So, let's get one thing straight. You said you have good marks in this class? Well, I had the highest marks where I came from and I would like to continue that pattern. So here's the happy medium, we'll work together. That is the definition of partner, is it not? Two people who help each other and work on things together. As for sitting here and looking pretty, well, I can assure you that I will not stop being pretty simply because I have a brain to go with it." Ginny smiled politely and snatched the ingredients she had wanted in the first place.
At the next table over, Al and Dan sat with their partners. They had heard the entire exchange and were stunned at Ginny's sharpness and quick wit.
Tom looked less than amused. Ginny wasn't quite sure how to decipher his expression. His face was contorted into a mixture of astonishment and anger that someone would dare speak to him that way and awed that someone would have the nerve to speak to him in such a way. He immediately recognized the fire in Ginny, and was intrigued by it.
"Alright then, duly noted." Ginny looked up at his words, shocked that he was not yelling Advada Kedavra at her already.
Tom reached his hand across the table, "I'm Thomas Marvolo Riddle. Call me Tom."
Ginny stared at his pale, outstretched hand for a moment, unsure of whether or not to shake it.
She grasped his somewhat large hand with her petite fairy hand. "Wilhelmina DuBoir. Call me Mina. Pleased to meet you, and sorry about the paper incident this morning."
Tom shrugged. "My owl does a simply awful job with aiming. It was his mistake. He's old and easily confused. In fact, I'm not sure if he can even see any more."
Ginny was slightly surprised; he was speaking like a normal person. She almost detected a hint of sympathy for the owl in his voice. It was strange and exciting at the same time. At that moment, Ginny knew she was meant to be here, and her tumble down the stairs and the apprehension that followed were only natural, but the situation as a whole, well, it was something of a divine nature.
I hope you liked it! I looooved writing this chapter, especially this last scene. It's really hard to take a character like Tom Riddle and try to write him as a person with feelings and problems while still keeping that slightly evil aura about him. I hope I'm doing okay so far. I'm not trying to take him completely out of character.
PLEASE REVIEW!
Love you guys!
Eiez