Chapter 5

It was when dinner was just about finishing up that Ginny found herself bidding goodbye to Evelyn and making her way to the greenhouses. She had spent a good portion of the day protesting about the unfairness of it all to her new Ravenclaw friend Evelyn. It provided her with no relief however as Evelyn seemed aghast at Ginny's explanation that night in the dormitories.

"You hexed him!?" She had exclaimed, uneaten chocolate frog squirming in her hand. "Why didn't you just find a teacher or prefect?"

Shaking her head at the memory Ginny exited the castle and followed the torchlight down the pathway. At least she had someone attempting to keep her in line during this time, Hermione would be glad.

She had made it to the greenhouses and saw Professor Trimble leaning against the glass panes waiting for her. In her hand was a large canvas sack looking quite full and a pair of thick gloves.

"Now Miss Fawcett," She began, "Tonight you'll be assisting me in rehoming a few of our nocturnal plants."

"Can't wait." Ginny mumbled under her breath following the professor through the greenhouse.

The detention itself was rather monotonous but it was a lot better than the few others Ginny had served. Nothing was as bad as scrubbing old cauldrons.

Professor Trimble worked beside her, repotting some of the more active plants and giving small explanations to Ginny of each of the plants they were working with. It seemed she couldn't stop herself. Ginny thought she was no Professor Sprout but her passion was infectious. If anything it also made the time go by slightly faster and before she knew it they had finished.

"I think that's quite enough for one night, don't you think Miss Fawcett."

Ginny gave a quick nod and began pulling off her gloves. "Definitely Professor." She grinned.

"Yes…well, don't let me catch you hexing any students again."

They began to make their way up to the castle, Trimble discussing the different plants the sixth years would be working with for tomorrow's class. Feeling slightly guilty for slandering the professor to Evelyn for the better half of the day, Ginny engaged with her giving small comments here and there. This professor didn't seem so bad after all.

Only after walking through the entrance and seeing the empty castle did the professor realise just how late it was.

"Goodness me Miss Fawcett. I was under the impression we'd only been out there for an hour!" She exclaimed. "It's past curfew, I'll have to take you to your dormitory."

"Oh it's not a problem Professor Trimble, I'll just explain what happened if anyone catches me."

Trimble looked a little wary. "I would feel better knowing you got to your dormitories safely-"

"I'll be fine Professor. Honest." Said the redhead attempting her most charming smile, usually only brought out when she attempted to evade chores at the burrow.

Trimble began to nod her head when something over Ginny's shoulder caught her attention.

"Oh Mr Riddle!"

Ginny heard the quiet tap of his footsteps against the stone as he made his way over to them, her shoulders tense.

"Good Evening Professor Trimble." His voice was like honey, sickly sweet, making Ginny wince. "Miss Fawcett." He was standing by them now, his full attention on the teacher.

Ginny peered at him from the corner of her eye. His school robes pressed immaculately, it seemed not even a hair was out of place. It was the small smile upon his face that was unsettling her the most. That minuscule upturn of his lips did not hold any sincerity. It was just an act.

Her lips curled as she noticed Trimble's reaction to the Head Boy. Looking slightly breathless the professor's large smile did nothing to mask her obvious fondness for him.

"Mr Riddle, how fortunate that we've bumped into you this evening." She raised her hand toward Ginny standing beside her. "Miss Fawcett and I lost track of the time while we were out at the greenhouses and I don't feel particularly comfortable leaving her unaccompanied as she makes her way to the Ravenclaw tower."

Before Riddle could respond Ginny blurted out. "It's not necessary Professor, like I was saying-"

"I'd be happy to escort Miss Fawcett to the tower." Riddle interjected smoothly, turning to face Ginny and giving, what on anyone else's face would have been, a charming smile.

Beaming Professor Trimble clasped her hands in front of her. "Oh thank you very much Mr Riddle, Headmaster Dippet certainly made the right choice for Head Boy this year."

He appeared bashful, glancing down at his feet before replying. "Thank you very much Professor, I will diligently try to live up to the great reputation Hogwarts holds."

Ginny felt the bile building up in the back of her throat. What a phony.

She interjected, desperately not wanting to be left alone with him. "Please!" They both snapped their heads toward her looking alarmed at her outburst. "I'll rush to the tower myself, I don't wish to inconvenience anyway."

"Miss Fawcett, you've been here but a week! The castle is quite large even I find myself getting lost from time to time!" Professor Trimble gasped. Ginny's opinion on the herbology professor began to sour.

"Please I insist." Riddle once again turned to smile at Ginny. "I'm heading up there now for my nightly rounds. It's certainly no inconvenience to me."

Still beaming Professor Trimble thanked him thoroughly before bidding them both good night and scurrying away. Not without flashing one more smile at the head boy.

They stood for a moment in silence. Ginny was mostly in shock thinking this was the last position she thought she'd be in this evening let alone her entire time here in the past.

Riddle, either ignoring her apparent discomfort or oblivious to it, had already began walking up the enchanted stairs and had paused on the first step to stare at her. He raised one eyebrow quizzically but stayed silent.

Bunching her hands into fists hidden within her robes, Ginny stepped forward to follow him all the way to the tower. She attempted to stay a few steps behind him just to maintain some distance and negate any of his endeavours to speak with her, knowing she would not react in the way a normal student would. It seemed though that Riddle was insistent on walking side by side as he slowed his pace.

Clenching her teeth at the now fourth time Riddle had slowed his pace to match her near snail-like one, Ginny realised at this rate she would be back at the common room in an hour. She told herself that he would not attempt anything dark while within the castle walls. Like a mantra she repeated He can't hurt you here, he can't hurt you here, and began walking at a normal pace beside him.

He had not attempted anything after the second corridor they walked down and Ginny felt calmer and more in control of her reactions. It was slightly eerie walking through the castle at night with only the light taps from their footsteps to be heard and quite suddenly the need to fill that void was all Ginny could think of.

"I'm fine you know," Ginny squeaked, instantly feeling the heat rising to her neck, "The professor's not here and I can manage on my own."

It seemed he was ignoring her as he did not say a word nor even glance in her direction once the words had left her lips. She tried to quell the anger at his ignoring but could not help but feel it throbbing through her veins. It was quite a sore spot for her, being underestimated. If anything she should be relieved he was not speaking to her, at least that's what she told herself when they began the trek up the staircase.

Glancing over at him she realised he did not look quite the same as he had when he had approached both herself and Trimble. The more she looked the easier it was to notice just what the difference was. That smile was gone, in fact his whole demeanour had changed. He did not exude his previous charming and perfect student pseudo act he had before, the act that everyone else seemed to fall for. Instead he seemed tired yet guarded. He must not try especially hard for those he assumes are unthreatening.

Ginny bristled at the thought of seeming unthreatening but once again tried to calm herself down. She studied his closed off face more but realised then that this also was just an act. The world would know the real Tom Riddle soon.

He turned and caught her watching him and like before, after the welcoming feast, their eyes locked and she struggled to pull away. She couldn't help the nerves coursing through her body. What was he going to do?

Suddenly that small fake smile returned to his face and he faced forward once more. "You don't need to worry about inconveniencing me. As I said it's on my way."

Thankful to be freed from his gaze she pondered what to say. Maybe she should wait just as he had. If his intent was to put her even more on edge he had succeeded, but no. He just thought she was a lowly new student. He probably hadn't given any thought to her embarrassing introduction after the feast.

What would Harry do? It sprung to her mind suddenly. Here she was next to the darkest wizard of all time who'd made everybody's lives miserable and she was just walking in silence letting him get away with everything.

Feeling that Gryffindor courage spark within her she felt determined to win back a bit of dignity. This was for her eleven year old self.

Unfortunately it was at that moment she overestimated her step up the stairs and felt herself stumble. She saw, almost in slow motion, Riddle reaching out for her arm to steady her, as if on instinct. When his hand grazed the edge of her sleeve she jerked to the side to avoid contact, cradling her arm to get away from him in the small space.

"I can look after myself!" It burst out before she could even attempt to rein it in, angry and sharp.

He jerked his hand back to his side, face taken aback. It was the most genuine reaction she had seen from him yet. Surprise lit in his eyes. He said nothing, just continued to walk beside her. They were close now.

"So head boy? That's quite an illustrious position." Still reeling she could not help the snarky tone behind the comment.

"Yes," He replied quietly. "It is an honour."

She could barely hold in the scoff but it seemed she needn't have bothered. Riddle was smirking at her attempt at discretion.

"Am I catching a hint of animosity from you?" There was humour laced within his words but Ginny could hear the underlying sharpness. His smirk was broader now.

Ginny balked, immediately regretting her words. What was she doing? Attempting to antagonise him? She quickly masked her features to portray indifference before replying.

"Not at all. I don't know the first thing about you."

"My mistake." The same smirk still present on his face but he kept his head down for the rest of the walk to the common room.

When they were in the vicinity of the common room entrance Ginny rushed forward and gave a quick nod of her head, thankful she had made it through.

She'd made it a few metres ahead when he called. "Have a good night Miss Fawcett."

If she didn't know any better she would have sworn he was chuckling to himself. Scowling she stomped forward and went up to her dormitories.

Thankfully most of the girls were already in bed. Ginny greeted Evelyn before unceremoniously flopping onto her bed and groaning into her pillow.

"I won't ask how detention went then." Evelyn laughed while Ginny just shook her head with her face still firmly hidden.

Thankfully Evelyn stayed true to her word and left her be, choosing instead to finish reading comfortably in bed. Ginny decided she definitely needed an early night after what she had just been through and pulled shut the curtains surrounding her bed.

Her head was still in a spin thinking about her late night walk through the castle. She was torn, half of her was beyond terrified that what she had said may cause ramifications. She of course was supposed to be staying under the radar, trying to stay unnoticed. The other half of her was tingling with pride. Even if it was in the smallest way possible, she had stood up for herself against the very definition of evil. She let him know that she didn't believe his phony act one bit. She was no longer that shy meek girl he could take advantage of like in first year.

One thing both halves agreed on though was that thankfully she should have no reason to be alone with him ever again.

-V-

Ginny pulled her thick dragon-hide gloves up to her elbows as she moved around the greenhouse before picking up a pot of hemlock for both herself and Evelyn to prune. She tactfully avoided the Venomous Tentacula sitting on the shelf beside the pots and returned to their work station.

They got to work, attempting to ignore the two Gryffindors sitting opposite them who were laughing at one of their fellow house mates who'd stepped a bit too close to the deadly plants.

"Boys." Ginny muttered before releasing an overly dramatic sigh causing Evelyn to chuckle and shrug her shoulders.

"Miss Fawcett," Professor Trimble had come to stand at the side of their station. "I hope yourself and Mr Riddle didn't run into any trouble."

Ginny saw from the corner of her eye Evelyn peer at her questioningly. "We made it just fine thanks Professor." She managed to say, noticing they also had the attention of the two Gryffindors.

"He's a fine wizard. I knew I left you in good hands." With that said she turned to assist some other students.

"What exactly have you been hiding from me Ginny?" Evelyn said accusingly, putting down her tools to face the now flushing witch.

"Ugh I begged her to let me go back to the dormitories by myself, but she insisted I be escorted." She groaned. "And… well …. Riddle happened to be there."

"Ooh la la," Evelyn laughed avoiding the manure Ginny playfully threw her way. "Still think he's a bit odd? No wonder you were in a right state when you got back to the dorms"

Just slightly red in the face Ginny replied. "Still don't know what the big fuss is about. He's such a fake." Gaining traction now she continued. "You should have seen the way he was sucking up to Professor Trimble!"

Evelyn frowned while focusing on the plant they were supposed to be working with. "Surely not, I think he was just being courteous." Ginny pulled a face. "It's a good thing to show respect to your teachers Ginny." She said playfully.

"There's a difference between courtesy and arse kissing!"

Evelyn let out a gasp. "I can't believe you just said that." She muttered looking scandalised and glancing around to see if anyone had heard her.

'Right, 1940s' Ginny scolded herself.

"I agree with her you know Evie." Ginny looked up, feeling embarrassed that someone had heard her. The Gryffindor boy on the opposite end of their station had spoken. "He's got such a big head."

Ginny couldn't hold back the slightly hysterical laugh that escaped her lips at the notion of someone calling Voldemort big-headed. Evelyn scowled her way but said nothing, instead choosing to begin pruning their abandoned plant.

The Gryffindor boy grinned in amusement. "Refreshing to know a witch around here who's not completely enamoured by him. I'm Ethan Harris."

"Ginevra Fawcett, but you can call me Ginny."

He had much longer hair than most of the boys from this time Ginny mused. His blonde locks fell to his chin and she thought him rather cute. She returned his smile before assisting Evelyn with their work.

Once class was over she was surprised when Ethan walked with them back to the castle chatting with them both amiably. He was on the Gryffindor quidditch team and loved to talk game. Ginny hadn't realised how much she had missed it and enthusiastically joined in the conversation. Evelyn didn't show as much enthusiasm for the sport but interjected with comments here and there.

Ginny couldn't help but smile. It was nice having more than one person to talk to. Even if she did have to watch what she said from time to time.

He was certainly a Gryffindor through and through. She could tell when he began telling them about what some of his friends got up to in classes reminding her of her brothers. It made Ginny feel home sick.

They'd made it up to the castle and were heading to the Great Hall for some lunch, Ethan midway through explaining why he thought beater was best position, when Riddle entered from the opposite end of the corridor.

Bothe Evelyn and Ethan hadn't noticed and Ginny hated herself for being the only one. Just as he was walking past he looked up at her. That same smirk from last night plastered on his face.

"Miss Fawcett." He did not say it loudly, and she swore she could hear the derision beneath his greeting, yet it caused Evelyn to trail off midsentence and slow down her step.

Ginny scowled and powerwalked ahead. Just what was he playing at? Last night was supposed to be it. No more! Was he trying to make fun of her?

She had just made it through the doors when she could hear Ethan's irritated voice "What was all that about?"

-V-

A/N: Chapter 5! Can't wait to get to the juicy parts. Hope you're all enjoying so far. I can't help but think maybe it's a bit too much Tom, Anyone else feeling that? Trying for natural but let's be honest, all the best bits have Tom in them and I'm just too eager for all of his parts!

Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter, I'd appreciate it. THANK YOU!