PRE-CHAPTER NOTES: I'm usually not big on writing huge author's notes at the beginning of a chapter. And I usually don't answer people's reviews, because mostly they're just 'good job!' or something along those lines. And quite frankly, those aren't worth responding to. However, I was re-reading my reviews, and I decided that I'd be answer one that I received wayyyyy back in pastland of 2005. It was left as a review to chapter two (this chapter) before it was edited and extended. Kind of awkward to anyone who hasn't read the unedited chapter, but oh well. And I quote:
okay i do not like mary sues much why do you make her know every thing it s stupid plus if harry found out he would kill her you are one weird chickmonk. plus its okay long as she does not know everything so write on and plus tom killed his father just to let you know so toodles and update soon and please dont make her know every thing its anoying.! toodels
So naturally, I felt the urge to defend my story:
Ginny is not a Mary-Sue in my story, and she definitely does not know everything. I figure she'd be well-informed because she's part of DA, and because she hangs around her brother, Harry, and Hermione enough. Granted, she's very OOC, but she will remain IC to my story with her OOC attitude. That's just the way it it's going to be. If you don't like it, then don't read my story. No one's forcing you to. And I didn't say that Tom didn't kill his father.
If you feel the need to flame me, go for it. But please, flame me with style.
Also, if you haven't read my edited version of chapter one, it'd be a good idea to. I've made some changes that may or may not be significant later. ;P
Oh yeah. This story's in a C2. Why am I in a C2? I never asked to be in a C2. And it's a darkfic C2, to boot. This isn't a darkfic! BAH. I have no idea how C2's work, anyway.
-
-
4 September 1997
I have it.
I have Tom Riddle's diary. I've just received it a minute ago. I'm afraid to open it… I'm afraid to write in it. It has a few holes in it, but they're all pretty shallow and not very wide. Even so, I know that there's a chance that Tom could take control over me again. But I can handle this. I can handle him... Right?
Ginny set her quill down, closing her diary (as opposed to Tom's). Tom's diary sat next to hers, wrapped in parchment and tied with twine. Because she was in the common room, anyone could see it - including Harry. If Harry saw it, she was done for. He knew what Tom's diary looked like. He did, after all, save her in her first year. She just hoped that she wouldn't need saving again.
"Ron, what time is it?"
"Half past," he said, not looking up from Quidditch Through the Ages: Quidditch of the New Age, the latest and greatest Quidditch book on the market. It was a present from Hermione for his last birthday, and Ron had read it over a hundred times since then. Hermione's 'must-read-until-memorized' habit must have rubbed off on him.
She stared at him, blinking slowly. She let out an aggravated sigh, "Half past what, Ronnie?"
"Five," he replied without hesitation. He still hadn't looked up from his book — not that she really cared, anyway. The rest of her dorm mates wouldn't be back until after supper. Even then, they'd end up knocking about in the common room until nearly ten, like they always did.
Grabbing her diary, Tom's diary, and a few quills, she retreated to the sixth year girls' dorm room. She dropped her belongings on the bed, and then climbed on top. Ginny sat with her back against the wall, cross-legged. Her pulse quickened as she stared at Tom's diary.
Blink.
'I should probably open it, then.'
Blink.
The hands on the clock seemed louder than usual. Their ticking taunted her, reminding her that every second that she sat staring and blinking was a second closer to when her dorm mates would be back.
Tick, tick, tick.
'Yep, I'm going to open it now.'
Blink.
She didn't move. Somehow, Ginny couldn't seem to gather enough courage to unwrap Tom's diary.
Tick, tick, tick.
Blink.
Tick, tick, tick.
"Oh bloody hell," she grumbled, reaching with a shaky hand for the tattered diary. She hastily tore the twine and parchment off, and flung the diary open.
Ginny picked up a quill with her right hand (as she was left-handed) and dipped it in an open bottle of ink.
'I'm a Gryffindor for a reason,' she told herself, hesitantly bringing the quill to the paper.
'Hello,' she wrote. Her writing looked like it belonged to a four-year-old. She skipped around a few holes while she wrote. 'I was told that I wasn't supposed to write in you, because you could write back. Who are you?'
'Hello. My name is Tom Riddle. Who are you?' The words appeared almost out of nowhere.
'Yeah, he's still in there,' she thought.
A drop of ink splattered onto the page, and it slowly faded and disappeared. Ginny switched the quill to her left hand, and wrote again. 'I'm sure you bloody well know who this is.'
She began to stab the diary page with her quill, then picked said diary up and threw it across the room. Various messages appeared, but she only caught 'what the hell, Ginevra!' before the diary was too far away to read. It hit the wall loudly, bouncing off and hitting the headboard of another bed before landing on the floor.
Ginny picked the diary back up and bit the corner as hard as she could. She twisted around and used the force of her entire body to chuck the diary (which was still in her mouth when she did so) back to the other side of the room. The diary bounced off of the wall and lay open near her bed. The momentum of twisting around caused Ginny to lose her footing and fall forward. She caught herself with her hands and crawled over to the diary. She reached on top of her bed, feeling for the ink and a quill. Ink splattered all over the diary (all of which sunk in and disappeared) as she slammed the quill down on the page. Ginny dipped her quill into the ink and scribbled down her next message:
'You had that coming.'
'Ginevra Weasley, I will get you back for that. Without a doubt.'
'Oh, I'm real scared. Big bad talking diary, watch out!'
'The big bad talking diary got you before.'
Ginny paused. Ink rolled off of her quill and dripped onto the diary.
'Damn
it, Tom!' she finally wrote. 'I don't understand you. I don't suppose anyone does. I bet you
probably don't even understand yourself. What do you plan to accomplish by
destroying the world? You'll destroy yourself with it. You're human. Even if on
the outside you look like a stupid reptile thing, you're still human on the
inside. You'll still die. If you want to commit suicide that bad, taking
everyone else with you isn't the best way to go about it.'
No response.
'Hey Tom?'
'Hey Ginny?'
She paused. 'I missed you.'
She regretted writing it afterward. But even if she hadn't, Tom still would have known. Tom had a way with knowing everything.
Tom did not reply.
Ginny continued writing. 'Why did you want to kill me? You're bloody brilliant, Tom. I know you are. There had to have been another way. Why do you have to be so sadistic? Are you really saying that two people made you become such a bitch about life? As for your father –'
'You know nothing about my father' appeared on the page before she could continue writing.
'I know a lot about your father. He was a Muggle. You were named after him. He left your mother when he found out she was a witch — or so, that's what you've been told. Do you know it's the truth? Did you ever try to contact your father and find out his point of view? Maybe you have the story wrong. Maybe everyone has the story wrong.'
'My father didn't care about me, just like he didn't care about my mother. My mother was so depressed over him leaving that no Draft of Peace, no Wit-Sharpening Potion, no Perbeatus Draught would work on her. And then, I was left in an orphanage — A Muggle orphanage. He didn't even have the decency to raise his own son.'
Ginny scoffed. 'And how do you know
this? Your mother died giving birth to you. What you know about her is strictly
hearsay. And anyway, your father was a sodding Muggle — who has long since been dead thanks to your future self, I might
add. That's no reason to murder yourself and the rest of the world.'
He didn't answer. She smiled, thinking that she was making sense to him. But
the thought disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. Her, make sense to
Tom Riddle — Lord Voldemort?
'Get real, Ginny,' she thought.
'Well Ginevra, then I withdrawal my objections.'
Her heart skipped a beat with excitement. 'Really?'she scrawled happily.
'No,' came his reply, almost instantly. She sighed.
'You know, I'm sure there's a way to get revenge on the wasted Muggle population without bringing the entire world down into darkness and chaos...'
'I'm sure,' he responded. Ginny could practically hear the sarcasm in his voice. She rolled her eyes. Ink dripped off her quill as she paused, rubbing her temples. She contemplated how to phrase the things running through her mind.
'Tom, I'm going to be truthful. I want to
help you become the Dark Lord — you, not this pathetic "Fear-Me-I-Look-Like-A-Snake"
Lord Voldemort running around now. Seriously Tom, if you want to take on a new
form, or even a second form… Or a third or fourth form… Looking like a snake is
not scary. It's just stupid.'
'I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Do
you think the Death Eaters would mind a diary as a second form? Do you find
that frightening enough?'
'Ha, ha.' She wrote sarcastically,
but couldn't help but stifle a small laugh. 'I
have a plan to get you out of the diary. I've got the whole thing planned out…
It's sick, it's twisted, and, of course, it's incredibly dangerous, but I think
I can pull it off. I need your cooperation with this, though... I need to reopen
the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, again... But I'm afraid that I've forgotten how.
After all, you possessed me
when I first opened it. And is that Basilisk still around? It could prove to be
quite helpful...'
'Your saviour killed her, and even if it
were alive, it wouldn't listen to you. You aren't a Parselmouth or the Heir of
Slytherin. Anyway, the Chamber of Secrets is pretty much destroyed.'
'Oh well, it'll just need a little
fixer-upper, now won't it? I remember it being salvageable when I left. It'll
be a lot of work, but with the right spells and a bit of elbow grease I can get
it done. Also, I have a cute little Crup puppy right now, and with any luck I
will be able to lure a few Red Caps out of the
Forbidden
Forest…
I've owled Mr. Borgin and a few other shop owners, offering quite a purse to
the first person to get their hands on a Basilisk egg for me.
'I'll be visiting Charlie in Romania over Christmas break, as well... I've told you that he works with dragons, right? Well, a dragon egg would be nice. And maybe I'll come in contact with a vampire or two. It's not uncommon, but last time I tried to have a conversation with one my whole family "came to the rescue,"' she scribbled quickly before Tom could get a word in.
'I take it you've had this planned for quite some time.'
'More or less. But, eh… Can you teach me Parseltongue?' Ginny bit her lip, her heartbeat quickening anxiously for his response.
'It cannot be taught.' Her heart sunk.
'Tom, you have to try. How the hell am I
supposed to open the Chamber of Secrets and control a Basilisk while waiting
for you to return? And think, you'd be the first wizard ever in history to perform
such a great deed.'
As an afterthought, she wrote 'Tom, I am
helping you out of my own free will. There'll be no Harry Potter or anyone else
to save me this time. But if you plan on killing me — and I will gladly die for
your cause, Tom — please do it after you've kicked your older self off his
rocker (and hopefully kill him, too) and become the new Lord Voldemort.'
Two minutes later, a message rolled across the page. It read, 'Alright Ginevra, but you're setting yourself up for disappointment.'
-
---
-
Ginny sat cross-legged on her bed, hiding under her covers with her wand lit and Tom's diary open. He was writing Parseltongue words phonetically in English for her to learn. Ginny had allowed him to enter her mind so he could teach her.
"Ssssss. Ssssssh. Ssssssheshhhsha…Shashlashhh… Shloppa bo boppa, banana ramma fo foppa, mi my mo moppa, shloppa!"
'Cracking jokes isn't going to make you learn Parseltongue. Do it again!' Tom growled inside her head. Ginny had allowed him to 'possess' her again, but this time he wasn't controlling her; she was doing favours for him out of her own free will.
"Ssssheshhhhhhaa. Ssssssh — Blast it! Can't you just open the Chamber for me?"
'You wanted to learn Parseltongue, and you will learn it or admit defeat! Now, do it again!'
"Heshhhhhassssssseeee — Tom, I –"
'Again!'
"Shhhhheeesssssaaaa… I really –"
'Do not just read the words! Do not think that you're talking in another language; to you it should sound like English! Parseltongue is not like any other foreign language you've learned.'
'Well, then maybe you should try another tactic, rather than spelling out words for me phonetically,' Ginny grumbled.
"Go to sleep, Ginny," Janis Davies mumbled sleepily from across the room. Ginny paled visibly.
'Great job, Ginevra. Forget to put up a silencing charm around your bed so your dorm mates will know all about the evil things you're planning!' Tom growled, his voice echoing through her head.
Ginny slammed Tom's diary shut and crawled out from under her covers. Grabbing her wand from atop the small, nightstand-like cabinet next to her bed, she tiptoed quietly around the room. She cast Obliviate on each of her dorm mates individually before returning to her bed.
'I hope you're experienced with your memory charms, girl. You'd better hope that you didn't turn them all completely nutters.'
'Lucky for us, I'm the top in my class,' Ginny boasted, climbing into bed and letting sleep overcome her.
-
---
-
The next morning, when all of her dorm mates (and nearly all of the rest of the school) were down in the Great Hall eating breakfast, Ginny remained in her dorm. She sat on the ledge of the open window directly opposite the door to the staircase leading to the common room, gazing out at the vast Hogwarts grounds. Ginny took a long drag of what Muggles called a 'cigrit' or a 'cirget' or whatever. A few blobs of colour could be distinguished down by the lake. Ginny assumed that they were students whom had also chosen to skip breakfast.
'That's a disgusting, filthy habit, I'll have you know,' Tom griped.
Ginny shrugged, taking another drag. "So I've been told."
'As long as I'm sharing your body, I will not allow you to… To 'smoke,' as Muggles call it.'
"I'll quit after this packet."
'You're lying.'
"Yeah, well." Ginny put the cigarette out on the side of the castle below her, then flicked the butt out the window. She climbed off the windowsill and grabbed her rucksack, stuffing parchment, quills, and the books she'd need for the day into it. She slung it over her shoulder, heading down to the common room.
To Ginny's surprise, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat on the sofa instead of being at breakfast like she had anticipated. They were looking at sheets of parchment scribbled with notes, no doubt written by Hermione.
"Bloody Nora, you're studying already? It's the first day of school!" Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Word has it that Snape's planning a pop quiz to see what people remember from last year. This is crucial for us Seventh Years; we have to start studying for the N.E.W.T.s in June."
"That's naff, y'know that?" Ginny said as she crossed toward the portrait hole.
"Oh Merlin, Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed as Ginny passed her, bringing a hand to her nose. Ginny turned to face her, annoyed.
"What's up, 'Mione?"
"You smell like you've been smoking fags! Don't you know about the health risks! You could get lung cancer or –"
"Well then good thing medical witches can fix that sort of thing, eh?" Ginny snapped before storming out of the common room. She heard Ron mumble "what's a fag?" before the Fat Lady swung shut behind her.
"My, my. I haven't heard of a Gryffindor smoking since the seventies!" the Fat Lady chirped as Ginny stomped down the corridor.
'I told you it was a bad habit.'
"Bugger off, Tom!"
"Last I heard talking to yourself was enough to get you locked away at St. Mungo's. I'd be careful, if I were you."
Ginny nearly jumped a foot in the air. She spun around, seeing Draco leaning coolly against the wall. Somehow she had walked right past him without seeing him. "Oh, fuck me! Draco, what the hell are you doing pissing around in the Gryffindor corridor!"
"Waiting for you, ol' buddy, ol' pal," he said jokingly, pushing off the wall, taking long strides towards her.
'What a tosser,' Tom remarked.
"You're ridiculous. Tom thinks so, too," Ginny said, walking away. Draco followed her.
"I've decided what I want as my favour!" he called. Ginny stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn to face him. She could feel him come up behind her.
"Go with me to Hogsmeade next Saturday," he continued in a low voice, placing his hands on her shoulders.
Ginny laughed, looking at him over her shoulder. "You're off your trolley! No. I won't do it. Pick another favour."
"You said anything."
'He really is a tosser.'
"Put a sock in it, Tom!"
"I think you're the one off your trolley, mate."
"I won't do it!" She shrugged out of Draco's grasp. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to Charms."
As Ginny walked away, Draco replayed the past events in his mind. He had never been turned down for a date to Hogsmeade before… However, that wasn't what bothered him the most: it was the fact that when she wasn't talking to herself — she was talking to Tom.
Ginny Weasley had been repossessed.
-
-
POST-CHAPTER NOTES: Janis Davies is an original character. I really wanted to not use any OC's in this story, and only use canon characters… But the only Gryffindors in Ginny's year that are mentioned in the books are Ginny and Colin Creevy. Therefore, I will have to invent all of her dorm mates.
And by the way, I actually do like Hermione. But with the way I portray Ginny, it'd just make things more fun if Hermione was totally icky towards her.
