Chapter 20: 1997
The room was empty when she woke up, the sun was beginning to rise through the window, and it was already Tuesday, July 1, if she hadn't lost consciousness for more than a day. She got up with difficulty, still dizzy from the curse that Snape had used.
She scrutinized the room; it was a novelty to her. The bed was spacious and comfortable, with yellow sheets, the wallpaper was a pastel green tone, with pink armchairs with gold tassels. A small red desk with various scrolls and pens was several books in a large bookcase.
There was a huge mirror in which you could see completely, underneath it was a beautiful dressing table full of creams and lotions. When she saw her reflection, she was a little surprised, she was wearing an elegant dark blue tunic, with a wide black skirt that reached her feet and a tight blouse with a sweetheart neckline of the same color as the tunic. Her hair was curly and she appeared to have makeup on her face. She immediately reached for her wand, the bracelet where she always kept it was gone, and in its place was a beautiful silver slave with a brilliant diamond crowning it. It was through the mirror that she saw the door open.
Ginny looked Voldemort in the eye without fear, no... she corrected herself mentally; to Tom. It was the first time she had seen him in person, fortunately, her visions had prepared her to see his face. He was so different from the 16-year-old Tom Riddle she had known and loved. She swallowed hard and nodded to him, making an inviting gesture and heading to the armchairs, taking a seat.
"Hi Tom, it's been a while." She said after a few seconds of silence, she rejoiced to see the look of surprise on that man's face, he thought she would be terrified.
"Ginevra, I assume you know everything and I hope your behavior continues to be impeccable when you become my wife," Tom said in a voice soft as silk.
"How do you know I'm going to marry you?" she asked, slightly amused, he couldn't see the future.
"I have the runes of your family, dear Ginevra, and without your father's consent, it will serve that of another man of your bloodline only using your runes, you will marry me whether you want to or not, I have your family in the palm of my hand and if you do not cooperate, they will pay the consequences." He said furiously when he saw the lack of fear of the arrogant girl.
"It seems that you don't know me well Tom, I would sacrifice everything to save myself, you know that without my consent you can't take me, it's one of the basic principles of Lucrecia Castitate," Ginny said with a calm smile, she got up and sat next to Tom, turning towards him to face him. "Let's stop pretending and put what do Muggles say? The cards on the table."
"I agree, my dear," he said, approaching her like a snake to its prey.
"We will make an agreement, a contract, backed by an unbreakable oath, I will not admit anything else, Tom, I will assure you of my loyalty, and in return, I want promises from you. I will put my skills in your hands and in return I want power, I will be loyal to you, and in return, I want absolute honesty. I will be your wife but I will not be an ornament." She said firmly, it was a key moment, she could not show weakness or she would lose everything without having gained anything.
"Why would I need your skills, my dear? The prophecy only says that I have to take your chastity." Tom asked mockingly, showing a frightful grimace in anyone's eyes.
"Because only then we can win the coming war," she replied carefully, erasing his smile.
"The war is almost over, with Dumbledore dead, the ministry will fall soon." He said almost mockingly.
"No Tom, what happened is just a quarrel between wizards, the most important war will soon come and if we don't lead the magic side the Muggles will wipe us off the face of the earth, it will be a new witch hunt, but this time they won't be hindered by religion and the Muggles have weapons they didn't have before." She was losing control for the first time, it was the first time she had told anyone this, she forced herself to stop for a few seconds and close her eyes, breathing deeply, she brought to her memory several memories of her visions, she felt the intrusion in her mind and allowed him to enter. She had long ago discovered that visions could not be distinguished from memories.
They both saw the alternative, Harry defeating the Dark Lord on May 2 of the following year, her marrying Harry, a naïve and kind new government, one that sought cooperation with Muggles and accepted all bloodlines, the error of the new millennium, the magic that was filmed and spread throughout the world, how the hunts began, entire Muggle governments who were unaware of the existence of magic, and their reaction to finding out. The revolts in India, where the largest wizarding community was and the extermination of Muggles there, the United States of America dropping a mushroom bomb on sub-Saharan Africa, China with its purges, the extermination of wizards and witches in America, the collapse of the United Kingdom initiated by the murder of the Royal Family by wizards in retaliation for the derailment of the Hogwarts express.
The total extermination of magic with those rare Muggle weapons, the fact that no one in the world was willing at first to use black magic, and how in the end there were too few for this to have an effect in the war. The defeat of the entire wizarding world.
Tom looked at her in surprise he had never expected anything like this. They both remained silent, only looking into each other's eyes, she with tears welling up and he with disbelief in his features.
"I must admit that I didn't expect this," he said in a tone he hadn't used in decades.
"I know, you're the first person to see this," she said, recovering from the visions, she had to make the deal at once. "That's why I'll cooperate with you, I don't want that future and you're the only one who can change it."
"Me? A savior?" he said in disbelief, as he closed his eyes.
"Not for Muggles, but for the wizarding world, we must start acting Tom, you are the only person who can do it and you can only do it with my support," Ginny said taking his hand in hers and squeezing it.
Tom took his hand away almost in fear while giving her an angry look: "I won't believe your lies, is this your little plan to save your precious Potter? You're stupid if you think I'll fall for this."
"You saw it! You saw what I've seen, don't be a coward and accept it Tom, you're terrified and that's why you accuse me, but it won't do any good, you need me to change this and you know it, something else drives you to believe me, something drove you to look for me and bring me before you. There is a reason for someone cold and pragmatic to believe in divination and prophecies."
He fell silent, then slowly withdrew his hand and left the room in silence.
Ginny was left alone, sobbing, really crying for the first time in 4 long years. She knew he would be back, but she hated wasting time.
o-o-o-o
Lord Voldemort returned almost reluctantly to that brat's room, he knew she was right and hated having to trust anyone. She asked for a marriage contract and she would have it, but he had to protect himself from that witch and her tricks, he would have to give in some aspects, but in others, she would do it. He had always known what would happen if wizards trusted Muggles, and he would never allow those filthy rats to corrupt and destroy the wizarding world.
When he walked in, she was still sitting in that damn pink armchair, Narcissa had such horrible taste. She didn't seem surprised to see him, she almost seemed to be waiting for him, as if she'd always known he'd come back. He advanced and sat down in front of her.
"We have to find a stone, a large one that I have seen in my dreams, if we consummate the marriage in it you will return to your original appearance." It was the first thing that came out of her mouth. Voldemort was surprised, what the hell was she talking about? Why would he want to look like his stupid Muggle father again? "It will be easier for the other magical communities to follow you with your old appearance, if you present yourself as a leader to others, they will not trust you because of how you look now."
"Which stone?" he finally asked, the only thing he liked about her was her pragmatism, she was direct and preferred what was best without any moral consideration, if she had to be his consort, he preferred her a thousand times over the whiny and finicky girl he had expected her to be.
"I don't know." He almost killed her at that moment because of her stupidity. "I have seen it under a throne, at the coronation of Kings and Queens whom I do not know. "
"The Stone of Scone," he said immediately, nodding to her, at least it would be easy to get.
"Do you know it?" she asked in surprise "I was reading but I didn't find anything about it, I thought it could be something Muggle, but since there have been kings in the wizarding world I thought maybe it was something from us."
"It is also called the stone of destiny, it is a stone that was used for the coronations of Scottish kings until King Edward I of England sacked Scone Abbey and appropriated it as spoils of war, installed it in Westminster Abbey for use in coronation ceremonies, even built it a specially designed chair, on which all British kings have since been crowned. The last I heard it's in Westminster Abbey." He said thinking to himself, it could be that it was a rune, the stone was very old and it could well be a Celtic rune, after all it was originally from the Highlands...
"We have to have it before July 3rd, the new moon in the early morning of July 4th will be the ideal moment for consummation." She said smiling, one step at a time would be enough. "Another matter before our marriage is your name. As you know, my surname will change to yours when we get married, it's not wise for me to become Mrs. Tom Riddle and everyone can see the record, they'll know your real name and I don't think your followers know your true origin."
"You're right, we'll have to change my name formally." He said it was something easy that he hadn't done before because he hadn't had a reason, but the magic was still tied to his old name. "I will have to change the name in the administrative registration department, that change will be enough, Pius Thicknesse will be able to do it without major problem."
"Will you use Voldemort as your surname Tom?" she asked curiously, he thought for a moment and then nodded, it would be ridiculous to use Lord as a name, he would have to keep the Tom... Thomas, only later, once he took control without puppets and surpassed the International Confederacy, could he claim the "Lord" as an official title, centuries had passed since they abolished nobility in the wizarding world, but as the son of the Gaunt, he would have the right to claim titles, despite being descended from his mother's side.
"We'll write the contract right away," he said, standing up, he had to call some subjects to send for the stone and change his name legally. "Prepare a draft, I'll be back in a couple of hours to review it and make a final version."
He left the room and went to the main hall, calling Severus and Lucius first who came immediately. At their master's order to bring the stone from Scone before dawn they both nodded, Lucius with panic on his face, evidently not knowing what his master was talking about, and Severus with a cold expression, he was of Muggle descent, surely, he would know about the stone.
When the men left, he called Pius, who appeared before him trembling, usually when he called them at that time it was to punish them. He simply ordered him to take him to the Ministry of Magic, at that time he would already be empty, before leaving he looked in the mirror and threw glamour charms on him until he made himself look half-human, not recognizable as Lord Voldemort.
They both appeared in London and entered the visitors' door, when he said his real name, Pius almost fainted, recognizing that his master's surname indicated that he was not a pure-blood. They went up to the second floor and Pius escorted him to the Administrative Registry Department, where they entered the Wizards and Witches Registry with Pius' authorization, it was all the place where births, marriages, and deaths were magically registered, so access was restricted.
Voldemort first saw the great archive that kept track of the people of the wizarding world. Just like at Hogwarts, a quill automatically wrote every time a magical child was born and kept track of every change in the lives of wizards and witches. He looked up his name in the big book that had his year of birth.
Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on December 31, 1926, in London, England, the legitimate son of Merope Cirse Riddle née Gaunt and Tom Fitzwilliam Riddle
"Change this name." He ordered Pius who nodded in fear and approached him, muttering a long and strange charm, the letters began to flutter, and then he took the magic pen and tilted it towards Voldemort, asking him to place his blood there. Once this was done, he went to the book and placed the point on the paper, looking towards his Master, waiting for his directions.
"Writes; Thomas Marvolo Voldemort born on December 31, 1926, in London, England, legitimate son of Merope Cirse Voldemort, née Gaunt, and… Arthur Marvolo Voldemort. " He ordered his servant, who did what he asked quickly, while he watched. If he used the name Merlin, it would be ridiculous. Once this was done, Pius turned to see if he approved of it, before his assent he muttered another spell and the letters ceased their movement, leaving that name on him. "Is any other register modified?"
"No, my Lord, this record is the main one, all magical information derives from it and changes automatically with it." He stared at him expressionlessly, terrifying the man, who tried to fill the silence. "Of course, it is not so easy to change the record of a name, it usually requires a trial before the Winzegamot, and one enters the room with the authorization of a few people, only 3 people, including me, can modify this record, every year the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement reviews the change log, fortunately, Ms. Bones just did it last month.
"Does the changelog mention the names that changed? " Pius' expression almost made him kill him, they had to erase that record too, stupid people surrounded him.
o-o-o-o
She finished the contract and revised it several times, it was just a draft, but at the time she hated writing so horribly, that Tom would have to write the final contract in his handwriting.
It covered the important things, with some minor clauses that she didn't care much about Tom changing, but that she would maintain a balance between what was erased and what stayed. Her family, her position as a wife and the power she would wield, her position as chief advisor, the plan of conquest. Everything was included there. Even the final clause on the silence of both parties on the very existence of the contract.
Tom came in suddenly, with a little fury. He looked at her and nodded as if to tell her that everything was resolved. She got up from her chair and invited him to sit in it so that he could review the contract comfortably.
"Your handwriting is very horrible Ginevra, I can hardly understand your scribbles," Tom said mockingly. "I'll clean it up once it's checked."
Ginny gave him a crooked smile, he almost seemed to be joking. She took a chair and sat down next to him, reading each clause next to him.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley will decide how to deal with her family members, no matter what offenses they commit, she will be in charge of their punishments, that will be changed, I imagine you were trying to say that you decided how to treat your parents and siblings, but as soon as we get married I will be your family and you will not order me, we'll change that sentence, you'll decide how to deal with the Weasleys, I won't interfere with it." The girl nodded with a smile, he had caught her on her first try...
o-o-o-o
The marriage ceremony was quickly prepared, in the blink of an eye Ginny found herself dressed in a white Celtic dress in front of a mirror. She admired her bright brown eyes from the overflowing emotion in her chest, after all that meticulous planning he had climbed the first big step towards his goal. The white dress had been Tom's idea, she wanted the green Celtic dress, but Tom had rather twisted Muggle ideas about the color white and the purity of a woman. A ridiculous idea that revealed the Muggle origin of her future husband.
It almost looked like a medieval costume, just getting married without a robe bothered her, but she had already gotten away with the contract and didn't want to tempt fate so soon. The pristine white dress only showed a sweetheart neckline, with long puffed sleeves attached to her arms with a golden ribbon tied to her arms ending in her middle fingers, with wider overlapping sleeves that hung down to her waist, it was closed at the back, tied in a compressive corset, the skirt fell to cover her feet. Her vibrant red hair was tied into a braid and twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck, a thin, almost transparent white veil covered her head to her shoulders and she had a golden tiara crowning her.
Seemed... her throat closed and her eyes burned at the thought of the dress she would have worn to her wedding to Harry if she had decided to stay by his side despite the consequences. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe and calm down, it was no use to her to have remorse or regrets, and she was not, could not be, the type of girl who complained and regretted her own decisions.
She would marry Tom, Lord Voldemort, and in her conscience, she could not allow for doubt.
When she opened her eyes, Professor Snape stood behind her, staring at her with his piercing dark eyes. She felt chills on her shoulders, despite everything, the teacher was quite intimidating.
"Your brother is here, Miss Weasley," said the man, slurring his words, as coldly as usual.
"Thank you, professor, can you let me in, sir?" Ginny turned from her dressing table and ordered her teacher with all the politeness; the man nodded with obvious annoyance and left the room. She let out a big sigh, promising herself that it would be the last of the day.
The door opened forcefully and someone threw a person from outside, then closed it. Ginny saw her adored brother dazed on the floor and hurriedly bent down and helped him loosen the shackles on his hands and feet.
"Sister," Percy said in disbelief when he recognized her, Ginny took her brother's hands and squeezed them, and then hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, she had to be quick in the explanation.
"Percy, please don't ask anything and listen, we don't have much time," Ginny said quickly while whispering in his ear, the ideal would be to cast an enchantment around them, but no, they still didn't return her wand, she covered her brother's mouth with one hand to prevent him from interrupting her. "I will marry Thomas Marvolo Voldemort and you will approve the marriage, as a Weasley man of my blood you can approve it with the family runes, Dad explained to you what the marriage ceremony is like, I'm sure."
Percy nodded at this, he was dying to ask her many things, but Ginny did not allow it, she spoke urgently. "You'll be the new Minister for Magic, Percy, Tom will appoint you, you'll be the face of us and I need you to support us and not question the decisions we make. Did you bring the ring?"
He nodded and took out the ring from the extender bracelet he always wore, the engagement ring that Harry had given to his sister, she had sent it to him a week ago with a detailed letter of instructions for an enchantment that he was to begin preparing in it. A container of memories.
"I have to marry Tom, Percy," Ginny repeated slowly as if trying to explain the situation to herself. "The future of the Wizarding World depends on this marriage uniting me with Tom and being one, there can be no doubt in my heart or my mind, that I must be completely devoted to Tom for it to work. For that to happen I have to erase from my mind the love for Harry, I will only leave my love and affection, also about the Horcruxes and about what will happen when the runes finally meet. The moment I say my wedding vows, an unbreakable oath I made to Tom, will remain active, and I will be forced to report all the threats that I know for sure. Will the memory charm you made work?
"Of course," Percy replied quickly and confidently, that kind of enchantment was at a higher level than N.E.W.T.s, but it didn't represent a difficulty to him. "You just have to do what I told you in the letter and I'll do the enchantment right now."
"Yes, brother, you must keep this ring very well, you will give it to me when the time comes if it comes," Ginny said in a whisper lower, then let go of him and began to focus on her memories, she wouldn't forget her history with Harry of course, she would only remove vital fragments for the Horcrux hunt as well as much of the love she felt for him (the part that loved him desperately and clung to the only thing that connected her to her children), She could not go on and give herself to another man if she remembered it so keenly, and another thing she must draw from her memories, the real reason for the action she would do tonight, and another action she would do in a few years, when she would be completely innocent of what would happen. She would not allow her wedding vows to bind her in such matters.
Soon, when they had finished the charm, Severus returned for them and they were ready to leave for the ceremony that would unite her with Tom.
Until death separates them.
Thanks for your comments: yes, Delphini definitely appears, I'm following the canon line as closely as possible, although I'm not a fan of the play. Now what I'll try to deal with is Tom's personality, as I don't want to take him out of character.
I'm glad you noticed the little things I put in the first chapters :3
And it also seems strange to me that in some fics Voldemort/Tom addresses Ginny by her nickname, it has always seemed super strange to me.