Notes: The story very much earns it's M rating. There will be smut, but I do not enjoy shoehorning it into every chapter because I feel it bogs down the plot. So, some chapters will be smut heavy, while others, especially the first few as I set things up, will have little to no smut.
The story will be a Complete AU, focusing on the wider wizarding world instead of just events at Hogwarts. There will be politics and intrigue, betrayal and drama, and sizzling smut and romances. If you need a comp, think GOT.
Chapter 1: The Many Faces of Tom Marvolo Riddle
The first time Harry faced the man once known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, he was but a baby. He had no memory of that terrible night. The only souvenirs that remained were flashes of green and a horrible scream that haunted his nightmares well into adulthood, and a lightning-shaped gash across his forehead that refused to heal, no matter what the many healers his godfather summoned from all over Europe tried.
He didn't have the Potter cottage anymore. The dilapidated ruins of the house in Godric's Hollow his parents had once called home had been declared a National Heritage Monument and taken over by the Ministry. His parents' graves had suffered the same fate, although he still got to visit them on every anniversary of their death. Given the crowds their tombstones attracted, Sirius had to take him to visit at midnight every year, not that he was complaining. He was happy with anything that helped him feel close to the people he felt he only really knew through his godfather's stories.
His godfather hadn't been the one to rescue him. That had been Rubeus Hagrid, a gentle giant he had long considered to be his friend. He never quite understood why Hagrid had been instructed by the man thought to be the wisest and most powerful wizard in all of Britain to drop him off at the house of a couple he had nicknamed the Terrible Duo. That had been until Sirius had explained that he had been so consumed by a desire for vengeance against the men who had betrayed his parents, that he had nearly abandoned his only godson to the unkind graces of his Aunt and Uncle.
"What changed your mind?" He had once asked Sirius as they retooled the kitchen in Number 12, Grimmauld Place. (Turning his godfather's ancestral home from a deathtrap to someplace livable had taken nearly the first fifteen years of his life. No small task.)
"You," Sirius had replied simply, wiping his face with a greasy washcloth. "I took a look at you, all swaddled up in Hagrid's arms, looking up at me with your father's smile and your mother's beautiful eyes and I realized that there was no one… nothing more important than you."
He had gone to bed with a huge smile on his face that day.
The only time he was happier had been the day he got his Hogwarts Acceptance Letter, confirming his place in the school.
The next time he faced Tom Riddle, the Dark Lord was nothing more than a grotesque remnant of his once powerful self. Half-spirit and half-man, he had been reduced to sharing a body with Quirinus Quirrell, forced to drink unicorn blood regularly to prolong his cursed existence.
He had reached the final part of the maze constructed to protect the Philosopher's Stone with the aid of his friends. There, thanks in part to the foresight of his godfather in training him for an eventuality that most did not think would come to pass, and the fact that his very touch seemed anathema to Lord Voldemort, he had narrowly prevailed.
Questions remained, namely, that of Lord Voldemort's survival. For Harry swore he had seen the spirit of the Dark Lord escape Quirell's disintegrating body.
How someone could survive not one, but two deaths was confounding. If the Headmaster had any answers, he was not forthcoming with them.
Sirius had not pushed the man, but come summer, he decided his godson would start his training in earnest, despite the protestations of Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster of Hogwarts wanted Harry to lead a normal life, but there had never been anything normal about him. Their fight had been the first time in his life he had seen Sirius raise his voice.
What had once been fun exercises and learning opportunities became a matter of survival.
No amount of training could have prepared him for his next confrontation with Lord Voldemort. That was because neither his godfather nor the friends and tutors he had employed to aid in his education had ever foreseen a situation in which Harry would have to face off against a sixty-foot monster armed with a stare that could kill and venom that had no known cure.
He had barely prevailed against the Basilisk with a combination of luck and timely intervention by the Headmaster in sending his phoenix and the Sorting Hat. Despite his heroics, the snake managed to sink its venomous fang into his arm even as Harry struck the killing blow with the sword he had pulled out of the Hat.
Harry had stumbled back into the cavernous chamber where Lord Voldemort stood, not as a Dark Lord, but in the form of his younger self. As Tom Marvolo Riddle. He had begged for Ginny's life even as he lay dying, only to be rebuffed with cruel laughter.
Ginny's soul, Tom explained, was adrift. She had poured too much of herself into the diary, and he would soon bind her to himself as a thrall, draining her soul of its vitality. He would live once more, and she would be nothing more than his mindless puppet.
In an act of desperation, he had threatened to stab the diary with the fang he had pulled out of his arm if Riddle didn't relinquish his hold on Ginny. Riddle laughed, but Harry could see the fear in his eyes, clear as day.
Even if he killed him, Riddle informed Harry, Ginny was too far gone. The only options left for the redhead were a never-ending sleep or life as someone's thrall. Even in defeat, Riddle screamed as Harry stabbed the diary, he would win.
Fawkes' tears had healed his mortal injury, but there was nothing the phoenix could do about Ginny. Left with no choice, Harry had done the only thing he could think of. He bound Ginny Weasley to himself.
"What're you doing?"
Harry turned at the sound of Sirius' voice, grinning at the sight of his godfather leaning against the open door of his bedroom. He was wearing a flour-covered 'Kiss The Chef' apron but was otherwise dressed as he usually was, in a simple gray t-shirt and ripped jeans.
"You remember how we found some of mum's diaries in the boxes the Ministry finally surrendered to us?"
Sirius snorted. "Yeah, only took them fifteen years to return stuff that you legally own back to you. No wonder those incompetent bastards let so many Death Eaters escape."
Harry chuckled. Sirius had never minced his words, nor did he shy away from foul language except in the presence of Professor McGonagall. "Well, yeah. Anyways, I was going through one of them, and mum wrote that journaling really helped her organize her thoughts and de-stress at the end of the day. So I thought I'd give it a try."
"He's writing everything in the third person. It's actually turning out to be a really interesting story," Ginny spoke up from where she was kneeling on the thick rug next to Harry's chair. Her head was in his lap and Harry was running his fingers through her long red hair as he wrote.
Harry blushed and slammed the diary shut before Sirius could take a peek. Ginny reading it was one thing, but he had no desire for Sirius to do the same. Especially since the man delighted in sharing embarrassing stories from his childhood with each and every one of his friends.
"You thinking about publishing your adventures?" Sirius asked, wiping his hands clean on the apron. "What'll you call the first one? The Time I Nearly Died Because My Headmaster Came Up With The Silliest Way To Protect Something?"
"That's a mouthful, don't you think?" Harry replied with a grin. "How about, 'The Time My Teacher Was a Two-Faced Bastard?'"
"Bingo." Sirius winked. "Anyways," he continued, "you can finish your literary masterpiece later. Dinner's ready."
"I'm not really hungry. I'll come down in a bit."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Harry lied, giving his godfather a reassuring smile. The idea of having to spend an entire day with his Aunt, Uncle, and disgusting cousin had effectively killed his appetite.
"What about you, Red?" Sirius asked, turning to Ginny.
Ginny didn't reply, silently looking up at her master for permission.
Harry simply bent and kissed her softly, "Go. I'll be down after I shower, alright? Just don't let Sirius eat all the Treacle Tart."
"Don't worry. He won't touch it. He's got a date with Amelia Bones tomorrow, and he's been dieting all week," Ginny teased, pouting when Harry pulled away after the all-too-brief kiss. "You're still not going to fit into those leather pants, Mr. Black," she snarked as she passed Sirius.
"Call me Sirius! Mr. Black was my altogether unpleasant father." Sirius shouted after her, before turning to look at Harry with a fond smile.
"What?" Harry asked, suddenly self-conscious.
"You remind me of the original Red a lot, you know? Your mother."
"Oh? Are my eyes extra sparkly and green today?" Harry asked teasingly. He pulled open the enchanted top drawer of his desk, making a mental note to have the wards recognize Ginny's hand along with his. He dropped the diary in it and slammed it shut before picking up the book Sirius had bought for him.
"Actually, it's her unfailing kindness that's on full display today," Sirius said, walking up to stand behind Harry. He grasped his shoulder, gently squeezing it. "Most young men would let the fact that they have a gorgeous woman magically bound to obey their every command easily get to their head."
"Ginny is still a person, Padfoot. She has feelings, and a mind of her own. Only someone as depraved as Voldemort would reduce her to a puppet."
"That's not true, but I'm glad you still assume the best in people. That's something else that you get from your mother."
"She's my responsibility," Harry said softly, changing the subject. He flipped through the pages of the book, trying to find the paragraph he had been reading. He ignored the guilt gnawing at the back of his mind. Focusing on his parents, or on Ginny's new life didn't help anyone.
"That she is. I'm glad you're taking this seriously. How is the book working out for you?"
"It's been a massive help," Harry replied, opening the chapter on Rules and Punishments and finally locating the paragraph he had been searching for. Learning to be an entirely new lifestyle, taking care of Ginny in ways that went well beyond a normal relationship was infinitely tougher than anything else Sirius had put him through. "Thank you."
"Anything for you, kid." Sirius gave his shoulder one last squeeze before he withdrew.
Harry shut the book after trying to read the same line three times, realizing his mind was too preoccupied and worried about his visit to the Dursleys to concentrate on anything productive. Going alone was bad enough, but having to take Ginny…
She can hold her own, Harry reminded himself, pushing the chair away from the table. He grabbed his pajamas from his cupboard, smiling at the still unpacked boxes of Ginny's things that lay scattered around the bed and the closet.
We'll need a bigger room soon, he thought, padding into the bathroom. He had no idea how Marriage Contracts were supposed to work considering every time he brought the subject up with Sirius these days his godfather devolved to crude humor about having the 'special attention' of two absolutely gorgeous women, and he'd never thought of bringing it up with Daphne.
He made a mental note to make sure to ask if she wanted to share a room with him or expected to continue the traditional Pureblood practice of maintaining separate living quarters after marriage in his next letter as he stripped off his clothes and stepped into the bathroom.
"Fuck," he swore, the memory of Daphne Greengrass' gorgeous gray eyes and the pretty blush on her porcelain cheeks every time they stole glances across the Potions classroom causing an unfortunate reaction to a certain, rather excitable part of his. He groaned, then flicked the shower knob to cold.
"Good news?" Harry asked, looking at the letter in Sirius' hands. He had quickly showered and changed into his pajamas before making his way down to the kitchen. He ran a towel through his damp hair, playfully sprinkling a giggling Ginny with water. She shrieked, then dipped her fingers in a glass of water, flicking the liquid back at Harry.
"Children. Children children children," Sirius said theatrically, seeing the beginnings of a food fight on the horizon. "Red put the glass down, Harry, do not whip Red with that wet towel. As much as I love to get wet and dirty, I have some good news."
"Good news?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. He sat down in the chair vacated by Ginny, pulling her into his lap.
"Well, good news and bad news."
"Never one without the other, aye?" Harry pulled the steaming bowl of soup that had been charmed to stay hot towards him. "Did you eat?" he asked, turning to Ginny.
She shook her head. "I was waiting for you," she said softly.
Harry kissed her cheek before bringing up a spoonful of soup to his lips and blowing on it. He held it out for her, repeating his actions till the entire bowl was empty.
Sirius watched in silence. The significance of the fact that Harry had chosen to make sure Ginny had eaten before taking a single bite himself wasn't lost on him.
His mother's son indeed.
"Well? Are you just going to sit there and watch me feed Gin with a creepy smile on your face, or are you actually going to tell us what's in those letters?" Harry waved the spoon in the direction of the two pieces of paper lying on the table.
And there's his bloody father, Sirius thought with a quiet snort.
"You want the good news first?" Sirius asked, tossing one of the letters into the fire roaring merrily in the ornate fireplace. He folded the other and slipped it into the pocket of his apron.
"Start with the bad. I'm presuming it's about the Dursleys?"
"Have you been secretly learning Legilimency?"
"No, but I have spent enough time at Number Four, Privet Drive to recognize my uncle's handwriting," Harry answered, pointing to the letter burning in the fireplace. He ignored Ginny's quiet growl at the mention of his only living blood relatives. Thralls were, by nature, protective of their masters, which was another reason taking her along for the day-long trip made him nervous. But she had flat-out refused his request not to come. It had been the first (and the only) time she had talked back to him.
"Thralls can't control their actions, right, Sirius?" Ginny asked, casually examining her nails. She turned slightly in Harry's lap, both to face Sirius and to allow him to eat more easily. "No thank you, sir, I'm done," she whispered, declining Harry's offer of dessert with a kiss to his jaw. There had been many surprising changes as she settled into her new life, but the most noticeable one had been her drastic decrease in appetite. Research into her condition had been stymied by the utter lack of material on the subject, with most books they came across simply describing the conditions for the creation of a thrall and nothing more.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure because there hasn't been one other than you for nearly three hundred years and I can't seem to find a definitive book on the subject, but yes, thralls are often known to act on instinct, especially when their master is involved."
"What if I were to…" Ginny started, a playful glint in her eyes, "hex Harry's aunt and uncle? We can say I couldn't help myself, that I thought my master was in danger from them."
"Gin," Harry said warningly, tightening his hold around her waist.
"It would've only been a Stinging Hex," Ginny mumbled, pouting.
"As much as we would all love to see you whip those useless lumps of flesh into shape, Red, we need them to continue tolerating Harry's annual visits till he's of age."
"What do the Blood Wards even do?" Ginny asked curiously. Harry had decided to concentrate on the treacle tart, its sugary goodness doing wonders to banish his dread about having to spend an entire day in the company of Dudley Dursley and his gang of street hooligans.
"I have no bloody clue, and Dumbledore isn't exactly forthcoming about… well, anything. The only thing he's told me is that they were the reason Quirrell turned to ash when Harry touched him, which I think is a crock of hippogriff dung. But, I don't have any evidence to the contrary, so I'd rather Harry tolerates his Aunt and Uncle for one day every year than risk the potentially nasty alternatives."
"Well, what pound of flesh does my uncle want for this visit?" Harry asked through a mouthful of treacle.
"Apparently his sister is in town for a visit. She'll be at the house tomorrow. They want you to be… civil with her."
Harry slowly turned to look at Sirius, a horrified expression on his face. "Not Aunt Marge?"
"That's what he wrote in the letter," Sirius said wryly.
"This day just went from bad to worse. Do I really have to?" Harry asked desperately. Getting murdered by Lord Voldemort was a more preferable fate to having to spend an entire day with Aunt Marge. He didn't even know why he called her that. She wasn't related to him, being his aunt's husband's sister.
"Is she really that bad?" Ginny asked softly.
"Marge Dursley is the devil's spawn," Harry said, moodily stabbing the caramel pudding with his fork.
"That, I think, is my cue to share the good news," Sirius said hastily. He shuddered as his mind traveled back to that fateful Halloween night, as it often did. One split-second decision on his part had saved his godson from a life of misery and abuse.
"Are you going to turn into a very large dog and eat her and the rest of them?" Harry asked, perking his head up hopefully. "Actually, don't. I'm certain they're all poisonous."
"Now, Now, Mister Potter. How would you feel if your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor went on murderous rampages?" Sirius asked, his eyes twinkling as he pulled out the letter from his apron's pocket. He unfolded it and turned the parchment towards the couple, finally allowing them to see the Hogwarts crest stamped at the very top followed by Dumbledore's neat cursive handwriting.
"You… uh… what?" Harry stammered, his eyes wide.
"Well, given everything that has happened over the past two years, I thought it was high time I took more of an interest in your formal education. There's only so much I can teach you during the summer."
"And Dumbledore agreed?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Well, I had to twist his arm a bit, but after I reminded him and the Board of Governors that the Headmaster's last two appointees had been incompetent and murderous fools and that no sane person was willing to come within ten feet of the job, they had no choice but to give it to me."
"You. Sirius Black."
"Me, Sirius Black," Sirius confirmed. "Well, I guess you will need to call me Professor Black, won't you? If I were you, I'd start practicing," Sirius teased.
"Professor Black."
"Professor Black indeed."
"Merlin help us and the entire school," Harry said with an exaggerated sigh, his grin matching the one on Sirius' face.
Ginny's character and appearance will be very different to how she is usually written because I want to explore a realistic aftermath of the diary's effect on her.
If you're curious what I'm basing her appearance on, I've posted a picture of her FC on my blog. It's also the place to stay updated about my Stories, see Character FCs and Art, and get in touch with me and read more of my work.
The link is in my bio!