Today is… boring, Ginny thinks to herself as she packs for Hogwarts.
She checks her open dresser and, after much deliberation, pulls out a green shirt, two pairs of jeans and a knitted hat with Gryffindor stripes coloring it. She stuffs them into her case, which is already brimming with textbooks, clothing, and other necessities.
"Ginevra," Tom calls from the corner of her room. His eyes are trained on a large, leather-bound book propped up on a stool. "Turn this page, will you?"
This is what it has been like ever since Ginny arrived home from Diagon Alley. Tom would chose a book to read and Ginny, being an actual physical being (unlike Tom), would open the book, turn the pages, and shut and reshelf it when he tired of it.
During this time, occasionally, Tom would look up and start a conversation with Ginny. Yesterday it was her views on current Wizarding politics ("Even if Gradbies does get the head of Magical Defense behind him, there's no way the Wizarding community would allow weekly searching of Wizarding shops for Dark artifacts! It's outrageous, Tom!"). And the day before it was "Where in the name of Wizarding Purebloods did you get that horrid dress?" which had earned him a heel to the cheek.
At least it would have been a heel to the cheek, had he been an actual, physical person. However, Ginny knows it's the thought that counts.
She obediently turns the page for Tom, who only nods his head in thanks, without even looking at her.
And Ginny resumes her packing.
For having the Dark Lord and spawn of Satan sitting in my bedroom, Ginny thinks. It's actually a bit boring. Tom Riddle, as hard as it is to admit, is behaving himself quit well on Ginny's standards. He was quiet, sort of, hardly ever bothered her unless she was alone and could respond, and nearly never called her a stupid little girl in the last two days. Things were becoming peaceful and it wasn't too bad.
"Ginny, dinner!" her mother's voice calls from down stairs.
"Coming, Mum," Ginny calls out the door. She turns back to Tom. "I'm going to dinner, alright?"
"Hm." is his only reply.
"Pass the potatoes, Gin Bug; wonderful meal, Molly." Arthur Weasley says to his wife as Ginny hands him the large plate.
Her mother's cheeks color, ever so slightly. "Oh, thank you, Arthur."
Ginny goes back to pushing the meat around her plate, only bringing the fork to her lips once or twice.
"Well, well. Isn't this cozy?" a voice drawls from beside her like black velvet. Ginny tenses and, ever so discreetly, looks over to see Tom Riddle standing next her. Ginny tries her best to not let her eyes widen or suck in her breath; she's gotten a bit better at pretending Tom isn't there, standing right to her, whispering mocking words and teasing her cruelly when her family is only a few feet away. "Another family dinner at the Weasley abode. What is it you lot call this place again, Ginevra? Oh, yes, the Burrow. How…charming, naming your home after a rabbits little hidey-hole."
Ginny sucks in a deep breath and tries to calm down.
"Ginny, is something wrong?" her mother asks. She's giving her that look again, like she's trying to see what Ginny sees, like she doesn't understand, like… like Ginny's mad.
"Nothing, Mum, I'm just… not feeling well is all, really. I think I'll go to bed now, thanks." And Ginny rockets out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom before anyone can say anything.
Ginny's door shuts with a small 'click'.
"Why did you do that, Tom?" she asks, not turning around. She knows he is there because he is always there.
"Why?" Tom's smooth voice comes from behind her. "Well… because I wanted to, I suppose."
Ginny turns around and narrows her eyes. "I thought we had a deal, a truce, that you wouldn't do this anymore. What happened to that, Tom?"
He laughs. "Ginevra, Ginevra. Silly girl, I need to have a bit of fun, don't I? Not to mention, watching your family look at you like that- like you had a Welsh Green sticking out of the back of your head," he gives another amused chuckle. "It's too wonderful to pass up."
Hate wells up within Ginny. How dare he? She would not let him do this! She would go downstairs right now, and…and…
And what? Tell her family that Lord Voldemort, who was been killed months ago by Harry himself, was taking up residence inside her head?
"I'm not going to speak to you again, Tom." Ginny says briefly to him in a sort of cold anger, and then turns her back to him as she prepares for bed. She is silent.
Tom tsk-tsks. "Ginevra, come now. We both know you can't simply ignore me."
Ginny pulls back her bed's covers. She is still silent. She does not look at Tom.
Tom's eyes narrow and he takes a deep breath. Ginny knows he's becoming more and more aggravated and that isn't a good thing, but she continues to ignore him; he had crossed the line during dinner. Ginny doesn't care if it takes years to perfect but she is set on never acknowledging Tom Riddle again.
"Ginevra I suggest you answer me, now."
Ginny turns her head away from Tom and pulls the covers up to her neck. She closes her eyes.
Tom lets out a small yell of frustration and a stray book that's lying on the dresser flies across the room. Ginny tenses as it hits the wall above her head.
"Ginevra!" The sound of another object hitting the wall accompanies Tom's yelling. Ginny opens her eyes just long enough to see her wooden Muggle garden gnome fall to the floor. She shuts her eyes tight again. Papers fly off the nightstand and scatter on the floor. Ginny hears the rip of her favorite Twisted Sisters poster being ripped from the wall.
Ginny pulls her blanket over her head and squeezes her eyes shut. She doesn't make a sound, but she can hear her heart beating loudly in her throat, and she's sure Tom can, too. A stray something or other strikes Ginny in the back and she gives out a small yelp, but shuts her mouth tight.
She hears nothing but crashing and slamming and ripping and throwing on and on for who knows how long and then-
Ginny hears her bedroom door open and her mother, father, and brothers run in. Tom drops the lamp he had in mid-air and it fell to the floor with a crash!
"What in the name of Merlin's beard happened, Ginny?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide. The rest of her family stares on, the same question in their eyes.
"N-nothing," Ginny stammers. "I just…had a bad dream. I guess my Magic acted up…Sorry."
"Alright, you lot," Arthur motions to his sons. "Back to bed with you." And her brothers reluctantly returned to their beds, looking over their shoulders at Ginny, still staring.
"Ginny, dear," her mother starts. "You know we love you. We're worried about you. We-"
"Mum, I'm fine," Ginny cuts her off. "Really, I am. This-" she motions to the mess of broken items and ripped papers. "Was an accident, I swear. Just me getting all worked up in my sleep."
"Well, alright, dear." Her mother says. "But if there's anything wrong, anything-"
"I'll go to you and Dad first. I know." Ginny gives them a smile. If only I could, Mum… You don't know what it's been like and you wouldn't understand… or believe.
"Well, good." Her father says a bit loudly. He pulls out his wand and holds it in mid air for a moment, looking confused. "Molly," he turns to his wife. "What's that spell again? You know the one."
Her mother gently moves her husband to the side and waves her wand in the air, reciting "Abstergo!" Everything in Ginny's room raises itself into the air; the broken pieces of glass come back together to form her figurines and vases. The papers repair themselves and stack themselves neatly into a pile one her nightstand. Her Twisted Sister poster rises from the floor and sticks itself to the wall again.
"Good night, Ginny." Her mother says softly, lowering her wand.
"G'night, Gin Bug." Her dad smiles gently. "We love you."
"G'night, Mum, Dad." Ginny calls. "Love you, too."
Her parents shut out her light and slowly close the door, encasing Ginny in darkness.
A/N: Gah! More build up. Boring, boring, boring, mei non? Well, fear not, my little duckies, for next chapter we finally get aboard Hogwarts Express and, perhaps, even to the lovely castle itself! Huzzah! Possibly even, le gasp, PLOT? I know, plot points have been few and far between.
I'd like to thank all the reviewers for Chapter 5, nyxera, emma88, Seriana14, insanity75, and SoftlySpokenHeart! And, re-reading my last Authors' Note…I misspelled kingdom. *sigh* Really, self? KINGDOM? WHY? I was being all fancy adding that 'e' at the end. :/ I'm a weirdo.