Chapter Four: Sirius & Riddle

Morning was a trying affair. Ginny woke up just before dawn in a cold sweat, her blankets tangled around her legs. Her flaming red hair was a snarled mess. She stumbled into the bath in a generally bad mood. She'd remembered that she had forgotten to meet Tom Riddle at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets the night before. It wasn't that she wanted to meet him. It was that she hadn't met him or made up an excuse and she didn't know how he would respond. He wasn't the kind of dark wizard a young witch wanted to piss off.

Her attitude hadn't improved by the time she got out of the shower. She dragged a brush through her hair, winching as it caught on the tangles. Her timetable was written in bright green ink. First up was History of Magic, which was easily the most boring class.

She glanced at the other four beds in the room. Her roommates were all asleep and all new. She suppressed a snarl. Of course she had new roommates – her old ones were all probably ten years old and sitting at home with their parents. With a pang, she realized that the same fate had probably befallen Luna Lovegood, her best friend at the school.

Ginny was upset. She felt like someone had taken her world and scrambled it, but she was too proud to cry, so she figured she'd better just get on with it. At that moment one of her new roommates woke up. It was Lily Evans. This was a bit unexpected. Ginny kept thinking of Lily as Harry's dead mother and so seeing her stumble into the bathroom was a little disconcerting. Ginny decided she would be better off not sticking around so she dressed in her school uniform and headed towards the Common Room.

The school uniform was a bit different than before. It was a knee length charcoal grey skirt, a white blouse with a knit grey vest, a Gryffindor colored tie, and her usual black robes. Her robes and uniform bore the indicia of being second-hand, but she had gotten used to that ages ago.

Lupin was in a plush arm chair by the fire when she got downstairs. He had his History of Magic textbook balanced on the arm of the chair and was jotting down notes. Was there homework she didn't know about?

He looked up, smiling slightly and then returned to his notes. Ginny inched closer peering at the book. She tried to be discreet, but seeing as there was no one else in the large room, Lupin detected her almost immediately. He looked up again, this time a hint of a frown showing in his blue eyes. "Something I can help you with, Miss Weasley?" he asked coolly.

Ginny took the armchair across from him, tucking her legs underneath her. "Just wondering what you're doing, Lupin," she said. "Isn't it a little early in the term for homework?"

"It would seem that way," he agreed. "I prefer to get a jump on the set books though. I study better in the quiet." He fell silent. An unnatural stillness followed. Ginny was just about to leave when he spoke again. "Can I ask you a personal question, Miss Weasley?"

"Of course," she said a little too quickly. He'd always been one of her favorite professors. Probably because he'd never judged her about the Chamber of Secrets incident. Better than most people he knew what it was like to feel left out. It was because he was a werewolf. It was a secret that Snape had accidentally let slip to get Lupin sacked years into a future he wasn't going to have now. Or probably wouldn't have.

Lupin studied her thoughtfully. "Why did you kiss, Sirius?"

"Well, he is attractive," she said somewhat evasively. "And he was asking for it. Besides I wanted to show him that I'm not easily intimidated."

"I don't suppose you didn't consider that Sirius might consider it a challenge to make you repent?"

"Repent?"

He grimaced. "What I'm trying to suggest is that you apologize to him before class today, Miss Weasley. Preferably before he even leaves for breakfast. He won't forgive you outright but a bit of begging should –"

"Begging?"

Lupin looked pained. "Just a bit. And it'll be better for all of us in the end really. Sirius is –"

Ginny uncoiled from the armchair. "I'm going to breakfast now," she announced a bit louder and cooler than was polite. She walked away. She wasn't begging anyone.

A smattering of early rising students quietly ate breakfast. Ginny didn't see anyone she knew, but she decided to check anyway. At the Hufflepuff table she almost missed a familiar face because it looked so different. It was Nymphandora Tonks, a metamorphmagus who could transfigure parts of her body at will. Currently her hair was white blond and her eyes were ice blue.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Ginny asked. The last time she'd seen Tonks the auror had been dead. Murdered by Pius Thicknesse.

Tonks shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Ginny sat down. "I'm Ginny Weasley," she said introducing herself.

"I know," Tonks said. "We're in the same year, remember?" She twirled a lock of blond hair absently and it turned hot pink. "Ready for the term?"

"Not really," Ginny said.

Tonks stiffened. "There he is," she said under her breath, eyes fixated on the entrance. "Remus Lupin."

Lupin had entered with his friends. He nodded to Ginny and discreetly motioned with his gaze towards Sirius. He mouthed for her to talk with him, but Ginny deliberately looked away.

Tonks observed the exchange. She twirled her hair a bit tighter around her finger. "Seems you and Lupin are talkative this term," she noted. "That's my cousin, you know, sitting with him. Sirius Black. I could set up a meeting 'tween the two of you if you like."

Ginny blushed. "Not necessary. I'm not actually interested."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I'm not interested in Remus Lupin." She drained her juice and stood up. "I'm not saying I'd do it for free, mind you, but when you want to go out with him you talk to me. If you do me a favor I'll do you one." She walked away.

There wasn't time to dwell on that particular offer. The rest of the students were arriving in droves. The excitement of the first day of classes was everywhere. Students talked in small and large groups, swapping timetables and horror stories about professors. Ginny listened, trying to pick out as many details to possible to help her blend in.

Then it was time for class. She walked with Lily Evans, who wanted to apologize for snapping at her on the train the day before. "Potter just makes me so angry," she explained. "And I know that Severus has issues . . . but he is still my friend . . ."

"You should tell your friend to stop playing with the Dark Arts," Ginny said. "Before it gets you both killed." Her tone was icy. She still hadn't forgiven Snape for being a bad headmaster and murdering Dumbledore.

"Snape would never do anything like that," Lily assured her. "He might like studying the Dark Arts, but it's only so that he can understand it better for defense. He wouldn't actually use any of those spells on anyone."

Ginny didn't believe that for a heartbeat. She let the subject drop as they entered History of Magic. Professor Binns was still the teacher. But there was one very important difference between the Binns she knew and the Binns in class. This one was still alive.

Not that it made any difference. She settled herself into a seat by the window and watched her classmates file in. Surprise number one was that Charlie was really in her year. He sat at the back of the classroom and started doodling on his parchment almost immediately. There was something off with him, more than the fact that he was sixteen again. Ginny couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She didn't get much chance to ponder it either because the Marauders arrived. Sirius took the chair next to hers, shooting her a challenging smile, his black eyes burning with mischief. James sat behind her, stretching his legs out in front of him and grinning like the devil.

Throughout class, James kept flicking the tip of her ear with his quill. Ginny was quite annoyed. When Binns dismissed the class, both Marauders stood simultaneously, blocking her into her seat. "Need help?" Sirius asked.

She looked at him in confusion. "Help with what?"

"Finding the words," he said.

"To apologize," James added. "We know Remus talked with you so you might as well get it over. It can be difficult to start. I suggest 'please, please forgive me.'"

Ginny shoved her books into her bag and stood up so that her body was practically touching Sirius. She only came up to the middle of his chest, which meant that eye contact was out of the question. She wasn't going to crane her neck just to meet his eyes. She put her hand in the center of Sirius's chest and gave a push against solid muscle. He hardly budged.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get this over."

The room was almost empty and Binns was gone. For an almost dead guy he moved fast. Ginny moved fast too. She spun away from him, hoisting herself onto her seat and then desk with a couple of steps. Now they were the ones looking up at her. She hopped across a couple of desks, landing in a clear aisle. "I have to get to my next class," she said and then headed out the door without looking back.

Her next class was transfiguration. She took a seat closer to the door so that she couldn't be blocked by the Marauders. James ignored her completely this time and sat near Lily. Sirius ignored her too, choosing to sit in front of her. Throughout class James tried to pass Lily notes without McGonagall noticing. Sirius took copious notes and hardly looked around.

McGonagall paired them off at the half-way mark to practice transfiguring round hand mirrors into long-stem roses – something particularly difficult because of the extremely different shapes of the objects. Ginny was paired with Sirius, but to her surprise he didn't make any snide comments or try to make her apologize at all.

It turned out that he had a mind for transfiguration. He was lightyears ahead of almost everyone else in the class (the exception being James Potter, who seemed to have a knack for the subject). When Ginny's rose petals continued to show a reflection of the young witch, Sirius quietly directed her how to turn the petals red and non-reflective. By the end of class she had gotten the petals properly transfigured and she figured that whatever tiff she was having with Sirius was over.

But when McGonagall dismissed the class, Sirius leaned toward her and licked her lips before tucking his transfigured rose into her hair. "H-hey," she stammered.

His black eyes glinted at his success and while she was still sputtering, he kissed her softly on her lips. "More of that later, if you don't apologize," he told her. He went to talk to McGonagall, preventing her from responding.

Ginny left class in a hurry. The trouble was she wasn't sure if that was supposed to encourage her to apologize or not?

Lunch was its own disaster. She'd hardly gotten to the Great Hall when Tom Riddle captured her by her elbow and escorted her to a table filled with future (or maybe current?) death eaters. "Everyone this is Ginny Weasley," he said. "She's mine and not to be touched, understood?" His voice was smooth and hard as steel.

"She's a blood-traitor," a smarmy looking boy with dark blue eyes said.

Riddle glowered at him. "Watch your language, Crouch," he said. "I just told you that she is mine. Even blood-traitors can have pureblood babies." He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side and kissing her cheek.

There was rancorous laughter from the Death Eaters. Ginny gave them a pained smile and tried to get Riddle's arm away from her waist. In response his grip tightened, fingers digging into her rib cage with bruising force. He leaned toward her, whispering "If you know what is good for you you'll stop your pathetic attempts to . . . slither away." Her nipped her ear lobe for good measure, biting down hard enough to cause pain.

"Lord Vol –" Bellatrix said, voice quiet but forceful. "The Weasley girl is a nothing. There are others worthier." It was plain that she meant herself.

Riddle caught Ginny's chin with his free hand, forcing her to look at him. "There are those more beautiful and talented, but that's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a soulmate and Ginny's soul is just so . . . useful."

His eyes were like black buttons boring into her. With a start she realized that he was about to try to probe her mind. Which would be useless. In fact, she'd gone through some lengths to ensure that no one would ever be reading her mind or possessing her again. It was more than just occlumency skills, although she had taken private lessons with Dumbledore's permission from Snape from her Second Year until her Fifth. She'd also taken a page out of the Marauders book and dabbled with advanced magic. Potions. She'd located a complicated draught in her Fourth Year and brewed it in the Chamber of Secrets. The potion made it impossible for anyone to read her mind, or control her mind, or force her to tell the truth. It had a useful side effect too. It made created the illusion that whatever mind invasion was occurring was working.

Riddle smiled soothingly at her brushing her bangs from her eyes. "Don't be afraid, dear Ginny," he said. "I'm not going to rape you. Nothing that crude. You're going to surrender yourself to me. Body and soul." He went to kiss her. Unlike the kiss from Sirius, Riddle's kiss left her cold and feeling like she'd swallowed acid. His lips were soft and pliant, his tongue quick and warm. While he kissed her he dug his fingers in harder, making her squirm with pain.

The death eaters at the table stared, some in slack jawed amazement. Riddle had never shown any interest in girls before, and for him to take an interest in a Gryffindor blood-traitor instead of a loyal Slytherin like Bellatrix or Narcissa seemed incomprehensible.

Thankfully for Ginny, Bill chose that moment to arrive. When he saw her kissing Riddle he barely suppressed the urge to hex the Head Boy into Aruba. Instead he strolled over and wretched her out of his arms. She gasped in pain because Riddle had decided to grab and pinch her skin as she was pulled away. Bill didn't bother saying anything to Riddle. He just hauled her out of the Great Hall without a word.

They went to the Room of Requirement. "Wanna explain what was going on?" Bill asked.

Ginny looked pale and shaky. She first went and threw up in a bathroom (apparently she'd been thinking she needed a place to vomit when they were heading to the room). She threw up until there was nothing but bile and tears. Bill handed her a wet cloth and she scrubbed her face clean.

"Well?" he prompted.

"He told them that I was his and we were going to have babies. Lestrange, er, Bellatrix Black I guess, she started to call him Lord Voldemort." Her side hurt where Riddle had been clutching her. She lifted her shirt enough to see five perfect bruises in the shape of his fingers. "Bill, what are we going to do?"

He shook his head mutely. "I have no idea." He dragged his hands across his face. "I suppose we'll have to stick with the main plan. Stop everything that we know about his rise to power from happening. It seems like he's already got his Death Eaters lined up and like he might know about the Chamber of Secrets."

"Has he opened it yet?"

"No," Bill said. "I talked with Moaning Myrtle earlier today and she's alive. Still it seems likely that he's going to use the Chamber eventually."

"I remember how to get in," Ginny said. "Not that it helps much. Without parseltongue controlling the basilisk is impossible."

Bill looked thoughtful. "We don't have to control it," he said with a sly grin. "All we have to do is kill it."

Ginny thought he was joking and laughed, but when she realized he was serious she sputtered like Ron. "It'll be incredibly dangerous, Bill. You haven't seen this thing, it's huge. It's got fangs as long as am tall and thicker. If you make indirect eye contact you're petrified and if you make direct eye contact you're dead. Get it, dead!"

Bill nodded. "Yeah, I get it. I'll have to do some research on fighting basilisk. It's not like it's never been done before. I think we went over it in our N.E.W.T preparation my first time here. And Ben the Batty transfigured himself into a vampire bat so he could pluck out a basilisk's eyes using sonar."

"So the plan is to turn into bats?"

"The plan is to study the approach discreetly and then take action." He tapped her nose. "And you need to keep a lot of non-Death Eater attention on yourself. I'm thinking detentions would be a good start," he added, but only with the professors that like to keep you under their thumb throughout the detention, not with the professors that farm you out to Filch. It'd be too likely you'd get stuck in a dark room scrubbing trophies."

"Great. So I get to get frequent detentions and negative attention. Mum's gonna kill me."

"She'll be happy when we explain that Riddle was going to force himself on you or spell you to go with him."

"More like she'd just snipe that I should have gone to Madam Pomfrey for a chastity potion." Ginny paused, locking eyes with Bill. "Which I could still do."

He arched an eyebrow. "A chastity potion?"

"It makes it so you can't, you know, engage in those types of relations. It's wicked complicated, but I bet I could convince her to prescribe it."

Bill looked skeptical. "Let's do that in addition to my plan," he said. "Voldemort might want more than sex and there are ways to, ah, impregnate women without . . . those relations. Just steer clear of him and whatever you do try not to let him touch you, get his hands on any hairs, or put anything in your food or drink. Best take a page from Moody and drink from a hip flask and take your meals in the kitchen with the house elves."

Ginny agreed. Then, realizing that they were both late for their afternoon classes, the two siblings exited the Room of Requirement and hurried to their classes.