The Effects of a Riddle

---Prologue---

It was dawn on September 1^st and twelve-year old Ginevra Weasley sat on her bed at the Leaky Cauldron staring at her packed trunk. She was thinking about her first year at Hogwarts. It had been an experience that changed her drastically from the girl she used to be. Now she sat here and remembered how it all started...

Ginny was a shy first year, who was star struck by Harry Potter and fancied herself in love with him. She spent the first month of school following him around and trying to get him to notice her. Unfortunately, he was the pretty much the only one who didn't notice her affections. Even her thick-headed brother Ron noticed, and of course he didn't want his baby sister hanging out with him and his best friend. As she stalked Harry, she pretty much alienated any friends she could have had. The only person who would speak to her was Luna, who was an alright friend but not someone you want to talk to all the time.

By the time October came, Ginny still fancied Harry but was lonely and wanted someone to talk to. She remembered the journal that she had found among her school books and decided to start writing in it. She was surprised and excited when it wrote back. Now she had someone to talk to! And Tom Riddle was the best friend a girl could ever have.

After a while, Tom started teaching her things; things about life, as well as academic things like the basis of magic and how magic actually works, things they don't teach you at Hogwarts. He also fed her his ideas about pureblood supremacy (even though he is a half-blood; Go figure!) and his plans to destroy the muggle world. This, she knew she would never agree with but he didn't seem to care (later she realized that this was because he was planning on her being dead soon anyway). All year she learned from him, even while he used her to open the Chamber of Secrets. He made her understand that knowledge was important, that ignorance would get her nowhere.

Ginny soon started having blackouts, times when she couldn't remember what she had been doing. When she realized that they were probably due to Tom and that she was the one opening the Chamber of Secrets, she knew that she should tell someone but she couldn't. She was afraid that she would be in trouble and was also worried that she would have to tell her parents, and Professor Dumbledore, all that she had learned from Tom. She didn't want to do that. She felt that she finally had something for herself, after having to share everything all her life.

Ginny did consider telling someone, but then she realized that nobody, not even her own brothers, noticed anything wrong with her while she was being possessed by a dark wizard and was setting a basilisk on the school. That hurt, that they would be so oblivious to her wellbeing. It was then that she decided that if her brothers couldn't realize that their only sister was being possessed, and the great Albus Dumbledore couldn't discover a first year student was opening the Chamber of Secrets, then none of them deserved to know anything. And if they ever did find out about Tom and his diary, then she would just pretend that she had tried to tell someone but couldn't for some reason. She would cry and apologize and tell the worst of Tom Riddle. And that's what she did.

When Ginny woke up and saw a giant snake lying limp on the Chamber floor, Harry Potter covered in blood and grime, and the diary with a giant basilisk fang sticking out of it, she knew that Tom was gone and that her time to act was now. She immediately burst into tears and started claiming that she had tried to tell Harry everything at breakfast. She continued sobbing the whole way out of the Chamber as she tried to figure out how Harry and Ron could have possibly found her. She was especially surprised to see that Lockhart was there and had lost his memory, though secretly glad because he was a horrible teacher and Tom had told her that he was obviously a fraud. When they got up to McGonagall's office, she followed her plan exactly and they all lapped it up. Well actually, she barely had to do anything. Harry told most of the story and all she had to do was cry and make them believe that she was too naïve to realize that Lord Voldemort was possessing her.

The only mistake that Ginny made was when she was leaving McGonagall's office with her parents. She thought about all that she had done and the lies that she told, and realized that acting like a Slytherin was much more fun than being a Gryffindor. She smirked like a true Slytherin at this thought before she looked up and saw Draco Malfoy staring right at her from across the hall. Oops. Oh well she might as well go with it. She cocked her eyebrow at him before turning back to her mother to continue soaking her robes with fake tears.

Ginny had thought everything was great but then she had to go home and be treated like a baby by her family. Her mother wouldn't leave her alone, and she wasn't allowed to leave the house at all since Sirius Black escaped, even though Ron was. What, did her mother think that Black was on a personal crusade to get her? Here, in the middle of nowhere? Even her brothers treated her like she was fragile. Fred and George stopped playing pranks on her, and Percy kept lecturing her on the horrors of the world and how she had to be extra careful. She had to stop herself from laughing then. If only Percy knew the things that Tom showed her. He'd probably faint. But besides laughing at her families antics behind their backs, there was nothing for her to do at the Burrow anymore. All she wanted was to go back to Hogwarts so that she could be left alone and spend her time learning all she could about magic so that she could reach her magical potential and not be as ignorant of the world, as her brothers were. She also wanted to become a kind of Slytherin in Gryffindor robes and play up her Machiavellian side, since she never really felt at home in Gryffindor anyway. Maybe she would set out to capture Black herself, if the Aurors couldn't manage to do it, and find out what his real agenda was. She had overheard her parents talking to Dumbledore and knew that they thought Black was after Harry. Ah well, maybe, if she got around to it...

Ginny sighed and laid back down on the bed. There was no use getting up now, she would still have to wait until everyone else was ready before she could go to Kings Cross.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

On the same morning, miles away, Draco Malfoy stared in the mirror and contemplated his life...

He had lived thirteen long years, the last eight of them at the end of his abusive father's wand. When he was five his father used the cruciatus curse on him for the first time. He had made friends with a muggleborn boy during a trip to Diagon Alley and his father was furious. Lucius killed the poor boy and his parents that night, right in front of Draco. He then began turning his wand on his son whenever the boy made him angry.

Narcissa despised Lucius for what he was doing to Draco but was powerless to stop him. When Draco was seven, she began teaching him occlumency so that he could hide his thoughts from his father and then with the help of his godfather, Severus Snape, she guided him so that he would not believe his father's bigotry. Now he respects Severus as a father and occludes his mind from Lucius. He has had a difficult life and been forced to grow up fast but shows none of this to anyone but his mother, Severus, and his closest friends (though they only have a vague idea of what he has been through). To stay his father's wand, Draco pretends to believe his every word and he acts like a junior death eater at Hogwarts, though he can't resist pissing Lucius off, and also acts like an immature idiot as well.

Draco can't wait to get back to Hogwarts this year. His father has been much worse ever since the plot to bring back the Dark Lord through a diary given to Ginny Weasley, failed. Draco isn't quite convinced that it did fail though. He saw a truly Slytherin smirk on the Weaslette's face as her parents led her to the hospital wing, right after the diary had apparently been destroyed. In any case he knew that he would be keeping an eye on her this year...CRACK

Draco was brought out of his thoughts by their new house elf, Wopsy, popping in abruptly, "Master is sending Wopsy to tell Little Master that it is being time for breakfast. Wopsy begs Little Master to hurry or Master says Wopsy will be punished again." The elf says this fearfully and Draco can't help but pity her. By the time he is back from Hogwarts, Wopsy will know not to ask, Lucius will punish her no matter what she does. Nevertheless he hurried down to breakfast.

---Chapter 1---

Less than five minutes after Ginny lay down, she sat back up again. There is no way that she is just going to lie here for hours. She could read, but she has already read all her school books multiple times and learned the spells in them. So she must find new books to read. She thought of where she could find some interesting books... There is a library on Diagon Alley, but it wouldn't be open yet... Oh! Duh, she could just 'borrow' one of her brother's books.

But at that moment, from across the room, Hermione snored and rolled over. Wow she felt dumb. There was a bookworm asleep in the room with her, and a trunk full of books to choose from.

She ended up reading the third year potions book. She wanted to do extra well in potions this year because Tom had showed her how important they were. Also, she didn't ever want to get on Snape's bad side.

A few hours later, Hermione woke up. Ginny waited until she went to take a shower before putting the book back.

Breakfast was a quick affair that morning, and they were soon on their way to Kings Cross. Once they got there, Ginny hugged her parents, goodbye, and went to find a compartment to herself. Luna soon came in and sat down with her. They talked about their summers for a while and then Luna pulled out a Quibbler.

Ginny eventually got bored and decided to take a walk down the train. She stepped out of her compartment and turned left. Uh oh. There was the one person that she didn't want to see besides the golden trio, Draco Malfoy. She had yet to decide what to do about Malfoy since he found out... well, she wasn't sure exactly what he'd found out, just that he knew something was up and was undoubtedly curious.

Sure enough, when he looked up from his conversation with Pansy and saw Ginny, he cut off Pansy with a quick, "Sure Pansy, that sounds good. I'll, uh, see you later then," and started for Ginny. Pansy looked affronted. She glared at his retreating form and then stomped off.

Ginny hastily turned around and tried to escape the other way. She passed her compartment again and was making her way towards the girl's bathroom, while Malfoy was trying to get past the snack cart lady, to get to her. She was half-way to the bathroom when the train started slowing down and the lights flickered out. She welcomed the darkness as an opportunity to escape from Malfoy's pursuit, but wondered what was happening.

Ginny used the darkness as a cover and dove into a random compartment. When she realized it was the golden trio's compartment, she resisted the urge to turn around and find another one. She quickly made up a lie about looking for Ron and sat down, with some difficulty as there were a lot of people in this compartment for some reason.

Before she could find out who was all there or ask why the lights went out, it started to get cold and Ginny got a hollow feeling in her chest. The compartment door slid open and imposing cloaked figure stood in the doorway. Her vision clouded over, and someone was screaming.

There was a young boy, writhing on the floor in pain. Tom was standing over him laughing. 'No! She didn't want to see this, this dark side of her only friend.' "Tom, stop! Stop..."

And with a horrible sinking feeling, she realized what the blackouts meant. She was the one endangering students--setting a basilisk on her classmates...

"Why do you never prank Ginny anymore, and leave me alone for a bit!" "Oh dear brother, Ginny can't be pranked. She's too fragile." "Yeah, I'm not sure if we can ever prank her again. She just can't handle it..."

"I can't believe she would do something so stupid, Molly. I mean, writing in that book, not worrying about the fact that it was writing back. I know she's not the brightest but I thought she was smarter than that." "I know Arthur, but she is just a little girl. Maybe she isn't ready for Hogwarts. We should keep her here at home this year..."

"Harry! Harry! Wake up. Oh, please wake up!"

It was getting warmer, Ginny realized...

"Harry, mate, you've got to wake up, before Hermione explodes." She could hear Ron's voice, what...

"Ron! That isn't funny. Harry could be..."

She stopped listening. It was only Ron and Hermione bickering again. But, what happened to Harry? More importantly, what happened to her? She was sitting next to Harry when that thing came in, and she started remembered the horrid things Tom showed her, and a few other unhappy memories. Ah! Tom told her about them. They guard Azkaban and make you relive your worst memories. Now, what were they called...?

"...dementors of Azkaban..."

Oh, right, dementor, that was it. But, who just said that? It didn't sound like a student... She opened her eyes. Her pupils shrank rapidly. Ow! That was a bad idea. Obviously the lights were back on. She tried slower this time, looking down, away from the light.

As soon as Ginny got her sight back, she looked around. No one was paying any attention to her. Good. That meant no questions or looks of pity because she blacked out. Before Tom, the lack of concern would have upset her. Now she was grateful that everyone had their attention on someone else.

Harry had been seated next to her, though now it appeared he was on the floor. Next to him was Hermione, looking frantic, trying to wake him up. Across from her was Neville. He looked slightly haunted and wasn't paying attention to anybody, just staring vacantly out the window. Next to Neville was the source of the voice.

He looked about 40. His hair had flecks of gray in it and his robes were shabby. He didn't look much like a DADA professor, but what else could he be. Besides, Tom taught her to never assume that anything is exactly as it seems. The man, whoever he was, was alternating between breaking a large chocolate bar into pieces, and shooting anxious looks at Harry. What could that be about? He knew what dementors are, so he should know that Harry will be fine as long as it didn't kiss him. Unless there is some other reason that he is worried about Harry?

Next to Mr. Suspicious was Ron. He was looking relieved as Harry was finally awake and resuming his seat.

Seeing this, Mr. Suspicious started handing out chocolate, giving the largest piece to Harry and then handing out smaller pieces to the rest of us. Ginny noticed that she got a small piece, even though she passed out too. She was not complaining, but it was interesting that he either didn't notice or didn't care. Mr. Suspicious did seem to care a lot about Harry Potter's wellbeing though. He was still shooting him concerned looks.

It could be that he was one of the many who thought that Harry was destined to rise as a leader for the 'light' and do great things; just because Tom happened to 'die' in his vicinity. Though, of course Ginny knew that he didn't actually die. She knew all about his horcruxes. But, if Mr. Suspicious thought that Harry was someone kind of Godsend, he shouldn't worry that a single dementor encounter would do him in.

If he was not a hero-worshiper, maybe it's a personal connection... He could be gay. Perhaps Mr. Suspicious is really Mr. I-like-younger-men, and he thinks that Harry is hot. She nearly laughed out loud at that. Dumbledore sure knew how to pick'em. First was the schizophrenic, transvestite Fred and George told her about. Then the next one was possessed and couldn't speak with out stuttering, and the one after that was a narcissistic almost-squib. Now Dumbledore hired a pedophilic... uhhh... Well she's got all year to come up with another description, and also to confirm the first one.

As Ginny stepped off of the train and made her way to a carriage, she kept her eye open for Malfoy. Luckily, she managed to make it to a carriage unscathed. She silently wished that no one would join her and she could relax for a little while before the feast.

Alas, it was not meant to be. As soon as she rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes, she heard the door open. It was Amanda Wood, Taylor Spinnet, and one other girl that Ginny thought was named Lauren-something. They were all in Ginny's year, the first two shared Ginny's dorm and Lauren was a hufflepuff.

"Can you believe it?"

"I know! He is like, so powerful."

"And hot!"

"Yes, definitely hot!"

"And he like, doesn't even know it. It's like, so cute."

Ginny rested her head back down and closed her eyes. They hadn't even made it into the castle yet, and the three girls were already gossiping. What could have possibly happened already to make them so excitable, Ginny couldn't fathom. She assumed that they merely ran into one boy or another who had perhaps grown a bit over the summer. Merlin, she hoped they weren't talking about her brother. She'd get out of the carriage and walk up to the school, before listening to that.

"The way he just like, knew what to do..."

"It's like he didn't even like, feel the cold at all!"

"Yeah, I was like shaking in my shoes, but he like, wasn't afraid; he just like, stepped up and blasted that thing away like it was a flobberworm."

"I wonder if he's single?"

Woah! They are not talking about Mr. I-like-younger-men, because he is not 'hot'! That is just disgusting. He's probably in his forties, and a pedophile. Too bad he's gay or he'd be thrilled with all the preteen girls that are already willing to bed him. Well, if he could stand to hear them talk. Ginny cringed. But still, all because he managed to ward off one dementor, he's suddenly 'most eligible bachelor' at Hogwarts!

"Wow, I wish I had seen it. You two are like, so lucky to have been in his compartment! Why didn't you come find me?" Oh, come on! Now she felt bad for Lauren. The Hufflepuff girl couldn't tell that her 'friends' were lying to her.

Ginny opened her eyes. Amanda was looking with cool indifference at her perfectly manicured nails and lecturing Lauren on jealousy, which is a bit hypocritical of her

"Now don't be jealous Lauren. You would have been with us if you hadn't been chatting up Jeremy on the platfo--"

Ginny cleared her throat, and all three girls looked at her in shock. Honestly! It's not as if she was mute. Just because she wasn't very social last year doesn't mean she can't talk. Amanda was actually gaping at her as she began to speak.

"Don't be jealous. Now, that's good advice. You should take advantage of this great idea Amanda. You might not get another one for a while." Ginny turned to Lauren and said, "Your friends are lying to you. They weren't in his compartment. They're just trying to make you jealous and increase their own sense of self importance."

Lauren studied Ginny skeptically for a moment, before she glanced uncertainly at Amanda and Taylor. She returned her eyes to Ginny and asked, "How would you know?"

Ginny sighed and answered calmly, "Because I was in his compartment." To Ginny's surprise, the two girls didn't even try to deny it after this piece of information.

"You were in Harry Potter's compartment!"

"He lets you near him, even after you like, stalked him all last year?"

"Are you like, dating him or something?!"

Ginny couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. Of course they were talking about Harry. They weren't there, they didn't see what happened. So, naturally they assumed The-Boy-Who-Lived had struck again. And just because she was in his compartment, she had to be dating him. But the look on Amanda's face when Taylor suggested that only caused Ginny to laugh harder. She went from skeptical to worried, and then settled on glaring at Ginny. Taylor just looked like a journalist who may have just found the story of her career. Better crush this rumor before it starts.

"First of all, I am not dating Harry Potter, and I don't want to hear any rumors that I am." Ginny glared at them. Amanda glared back, obviously not believing her. Taylor just looked disappointed that she didn't have such a juicy story to start out the year with.

Ginny sighed, "Don't look so upset. I know you're a weed who just can't stop spreading rumors, reaching into every crack trying to destroy the very foundations of friendships and budding romances. I'll give you a story that's the truth, so you can't make a mess on the first day. I'll tell you what really happened with the dementor," excluding that Ginny herself passed out.

Not looking at all insulted, Taylor replied excitedly, "Really! You'll tell us what happened?"