Ginny Weasley and the Heir of Slytherin

"It's actually all a hoax," Luna Lovegood declared in the library the next day after the word about Colin's fate had sufficiently spread. "The Ministry of Magic has made it look like the Chamber of Secrets has been opened so they'll have an excuse to sack Dumbledore. And Lockhart is their agent."

"You shut up about Professor Lockhart!" snapped Fleeta Fleece.

"I'm sorry, Fleeta," said Luna sadly, "I know you like Lockhart, out of pity I suppose, but he only pretends to be a charmless idiot so we won't suspect him. He actually has a devious mind of unparalleled brilliance."

"He does not, you freak," Fleeta retorted. "You're just trying to steal him from me 'cause you're jealous of our relationship." Ginny snorted -- Fleeta thought she was just so great for having managed to become Lockhart's class pet, a position which was desired by many other girls in the school.

"All right," replied Luna, "but don't blame me when he starts torturing you and forcing you to do his dirty work. I just want you to get out of his clutches while you still can."

As Luna went on, explaining how Lockhart had used his peacock feather quill to Petrify Mrs. Norris and Colin, Ginny sat in silence. She was thinking about the way Percy had looked at her that morning and wondering if maybe he did know about Halloween. What if Percy suspected she was behind it all? What if he was bidding his time until he had enough evidence to use against her? Would he go so far as to report her just to get back at her for ruining his night with Penny? This was all Ginny needed -- something new to worry about!

Another new thing for her to worry about was Colin. Were they sure they could bring him back from being Petrified? How did it feel to be Petrified? Was it painful? She hoped he was comatose in that state because imagining him still being conscious while being helplessly frozen for months and months made her feel terrible. She considered that if she was the culprit, he might have even seen her as she Petrified him -- and not too long after she had yelled at him. He could be lying frozen in the infirmary right now wondering how much she must hate him to have done that to him. But she really, really didn't hate him. She had just lost her temper and said things she really, really hadn't meant at all.

The possibility that Ginny herself was the Heir of Slytherin was now more real and terrifying than ever. If it was her, was there any way she could stop herself? And why was this happening to her anyway? Had she simply gone mad? That was a scary thought, especially when she considered that being insane might prevent her from realizing it even if she wanted to. Would she have no choice but to hand herself in for the good of everyone else? Should she really even be around other people? What if she lost her memory and attacked someone right then and there? There were so many students in the library and at least some of them must be Muggle-born. Maybe Ginny should be keeping herself away from other people as much as possible.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to get any work done, Ginny gathered her things and began to walk dejectedly up to her dormitory. She wouldn't have even gotten out of bed that morning -- it was a Sunday -- if it weren't for Lorelei, who had once again decided to become upset about nothing. Kimmy, apparently in possession of infinite patience, always comforted her, but Ginny usually tried to be elsewhere whenever Lorelei became even more distraught than usual. Ginny didn't particularly dislike Lorelei or anything, but she did find her a little annoying -- not that she would ever say so, especially in front of someone so sensitive.

Much to Ginny's disappointment, Kimmy and Lorelei were still in the dormitory with Lorelei crying into Kimmy's rosy pullover. Even after more than two months at Hogwarts, Lorelei still looked oddly ill, resembling a rather fey waif, and slightly greenish.

"Do -- do you like me more than apples?" she choked. Lorelei tended to worry about very strange things.

"Yes, I like you much more," Kimmy assured her.

"It's okay if you like apples more," Lorelei said quickly. "They're nice and crunchy and they're very good for you. And they're not worthless like me."

"You're not worthless!" said Kimmy. "You're worth more than a thousand apples!" Lorelei became silent, staring up at Kimmy as though overwhelmed by the sheer number of apples she was worth. Apparently, it took her a few seconds to fully take it in.

"W-what about cauliflower?" she asked eventually.

Ginny sat down on her bed, trying to ignore Kimmy and Lorelei. It was rather ironic that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and a Muggle-born girl was comforting someone else when she really should be the one who was being comforted. Ginny thought of how bad she would feel if Kimmy were attacked next. Kimmy was just as happy and cheerful as Colin had been, but she could just as easily end up Petrified. And how would the constantly overwrought Lorelei get on without Kimmy?

Fortunately for Ginny, Kimmy decided that sunlight would do Lorelei some good and they left together. Ginny felt a bit relieved once they were gone as she didn't think it was a good idea for her to spend a lot of time around someone she knew was Muggle-born. But Kimmy was her dorm mate and Ginny had to sleep in the same room as her every night. If she lost her memory one night and attacked Kimmy, she wouldn't have had to walk any further than the other side of the room!

Ginny was shaking really hard now. She knew that if it was her and she got caught, she would be in big trouble. Normally when Ginny worried about getting in trouble it was a very painless kind of trouble such as getting sent to her room or being given detention. She would hate it, but her life would go on after the punishment ended. This would be a different kind of trouble -- an irreversible, ruin-her-life kind of trouble. It went without saying that she would be expelled for starters. Ginny didn't even want to think of where it would go after that.

At that very moment, Percy could have been piecing together the facts to realize it was her and setting her up for that very fate. Maybe he would even mean well, but Ginny doubted that would change the outcome. She needed to get herself out of this mess, but she didn't know what to do. Then she remembered that she had planned to ask Tom about it. She hadn't told him about the latest attack yet since Kimmy and Lorelei had been in the dormitory when Ginny woke up and she couldn't write to Tom in front of them. She pulled his diary out from under her mattress and found a quill.

"Dear Tom," she wrote, "Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me. Is it silly of me to think that? He would never think it was me, would he?"

"I highly doubt it, but I would prepare myself for that eventuality if I were you. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst, as they say."

"Tom, I know you really don't think I'm doing it, but there was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad. Each of the last three times I've lost my memory there was an attack. First it was one of Hagrid's roosters, then it was Filch's cat and now it's Colin. It can't be a coincidence. I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!"

"Calm down, Ginny. A young woman as rational and sensible as yourself could not possibly believe something so outrageous while in her right mind. Clearly you're letting your emotions get the better of you."

"But Tom," Ginny protested, "what else could possibly be happening to me? It's the only thing that makes sense. What if they catch me attacking someone and throw me out? What if they send me to Azkaban? What if someone dies next time? Oh Tom, I'm so scared and I don't know what to do! I need your help. You're the only one who can get me out of this."

"I understand what Hogwarts is going through right now is very scary. Fear can warp minds and it's warped yours into believing that you are personally responsible for all this. Think for a moment how ridiculous that would be -- you, Ginny Weasley, the Heir of Slytherin. See what I mean? If you think intelligently, you'll see through the tricks your mind is playing on you."

Ginny thought of how terrified everyone in the castle was by the attacks. This wasn't just affecting her, it was affecting everyone. And was she really that much more upset than any of the other first years? When she thought of it that way, it did seem a little silly of her to think that she must be the one behind it all. There were so many students in the school and so many more likely perpetrators than an eleven-year-old Gryffindor girl. Could all those lapses in her memory really just be tricks her mind was playing on her? When she thought of the particulars of each case, it didn't seem likely, but Tom had been pretty convinced and he had seemed to know what he was talking about.

Ginny so wanted to believe Tom for it would give her the freedom of knowing it wasn't her responsibility to do something about this, but she couldn't -- at least not completely. There was a nagging part of her mind which wouldn't let her regardless of how much she wanted to. It was simply impossible to ignore those memory lapses and now there were attacks happening at the same time! The whole thing was absolutely terrifying and she did not want to face it. She really, really wished she could just shut it out and pretend it wasn't happening.

But it was and what would her parents think if she were caught attacking Muggle-borns? What would Harry think? Ginny couldn't face that -- she simply had to stop this. This brought her right back to her original problem -- she had no idea what was happening to her or what to do about it. She needed someone to tell her what to do and she had thought Tom Riddle would be that person, but he didn't think her concern was justified. Well, maybe he was right, but what if he wasn't?

"Tom, I want to believe you," she wrote, "but this has already happened to me four times and now a person has been Petrified! I know you don't think it could be me, but the possibility seems too horrible to ignore. And you're the one who said to hope for the best and prepare for the worst."

"Ginny, I promise you that you're not doing this. You're just stressed because Hogwarts is going through a difficult time. There's no need to prepare yourself for an impossible eventuality."

Ginny didn't understand how Tom couldn't see her concern. He thought she was just being too emotional, but she thought she was being quite logical about the whole things or at least as logical as her troubled state of mind would allow her to be. Was he trying to shield her from such terrible thoughts? Surely if he really cared about her he would rather she think those thoughts than risk even the slightest possibility that she was right.

But did he care about her?

She knew next to nothing about Tom Riddle. She had told him everything there was to know about herself and in comparison he had told her very little about himself. Did she really know that he could be trusted? Her father had drilled into her head that she was not to trust anything that could think for itself if she couldn't see where it kept its brain for it would surely be full of Dark Magic. Was Tom Riddle's diary such an object? Was this diary, perhaps, the very thing causing her to commit these attacks?

But Tom wouldn't do that to her -- he loved her! He understood her every thought and feeling better than anyone she had ever known. In the short time she had been writing to him, he had become her closest friend in the whole world. He would never betray her like that -- how could she even think something so horrible about someone who loved her so dearly? Besides, the diary wasn't really thinking for itself. Tom just lived inside it. Or something.

Ginny looked down at the diary resting in her lap. She couldn't exactly just ask Tom Riddle if he was doing this to her. If he was, he would obviously lie. And if he wasn't, she would be so embarrassed and maybe he wouldn't like her anymore. She decided that Tom being behind this was pretty unlikely. So he didn't believe her -- that was hardly any reason for her to think it was him. In fact, it was really quite an overreaction on her part.

But she was convinced by now that something bad was happening to her. Maybe Tom Riddle was lying or maybe he was just wrong, but either way she was certain that this was definitely real. And she needed to do something about it. If Tom wouldn't help her, she would have to go to someone else and she couldn't think of anyone else. But she would have to think of someone else and tell them in a hurry -- while she still had her senses! And before someone else was Petrified or maybe even killed!

* * *

Over a month later, Ginny still hadn't told anyone. It made her feel so guilty and unclean to know that she might be dangerous and that she was keeping it hidden from everyone, but she just couldn't tell -- at least not without knowing that she would be able to prove she hadn't meant it. The fact that she hadn't told anyone made her look compliant, but she couldn't think of a way to explain why she hadn't mentioned this after Halloween -- surely that was when someone who truly was innocent would have said something.

Ginny had decided that of the people she could tell, Hermione was easily her best option. The fact that Hermione was Muggle-born made Ginny a little nervous, but Hermione would almost certainly be the most understanding and helpful of anyone she knew. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were probably making their own efforts to work out who the Heir of Slytherin was anyway -- maybe they had already found a piece of evidence which proved it couldn't be Ginny. While that would be a huge relief, Ginny couldn't help but think of how embarrassed it would make her feel. Hermione would no doubt think she was a very silly little girl to get so worked up by the idea that she was doing it. After all, Hermione was one person who just might not think Ginny was "too young" -- Ginny really did not want to wreck that by being stupid.

Nevertheless, Ginny had tried somewhat half-heartedly to tell Hermione about what was happening to her. It was difficult to catch Hermione on her own as she was nearly always with Harry and Ron. Ginny certainly wasn't going to talk about this in front of Harry -- in fact, she hardly deserved to be in the presence of someone so brave and noble. However, there were some instances she had come across Hermione without Harry and Ron. And Ginny still didn't tell. The words "Hermione, I have to tell you something" were even on the tip of her tongue a few times, but she was always too scared to let them out -- scared that Hermione would hate her for having allowed this to go on so long. But the longer she didn't tell, the longer she allowed it to go on for.

And then everything changed during a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Ginny was one of the first students to arrive, but she sat alone and kept quiet. She hardly talked to anyone anymore. As usual, Fleeta Fleece had already gone up to the front of the classroom as though she were Professor Lockhart's teaching aide rather than one of his students. Lockhart, of course, allowed this.

"You're my favorite teacher," Fleeta told him. "All the other teachers have only learned out of books, but you've really been out there and done real things."

"You know, Dumbledore defeated some Dark wizard named Grindlewald," pointed out Minos Lascasas. "It says so on his Chocolate Frog card."

"Yeah, that's so impressive next to everything Professor Lockhart has done," Fleeta replied sarcastically. "You know," she continued, turning back to Lockhart, "we're really lucky to have you here during this troubled time. I don't see how other kids can be so worried about the Chamber of Secrets when we have you here to protect us."

Except you wouldn't be worried about the Chamber anyway, thought Ginny bitterly. Because you only care about yourself.

"Well, I, uh, certainly hope to catch the Heir of Slytherin before he can attack another student," said Lockhart pompously. "It's only a matter of time, really. He may be powerful, but I'll bring him down -- just like that evil sorcerer I met in Algeria."

"You know, you should share your expertise with all the students," said Fleeta suddenly. "I'll bet no one would be worried about the Chamber of Secrets if they knew everything you did. Besides, a lady like me has to be able to defend herself in a dignified manner."

"That's actually not a bad idea!" Lockhart declared. "But I'd need an assistant."

"How about Professor Snape?" Fleeta suggested.

"Severus?" asked Lockhart. "But he's been... unfriendly to me all year."

"Exactly!" said Fleeta craftily. "And he's been giving me detentions all year just for putting on makeup instead of listening to his stupid lectures. You've got to humiliate him in front of the entire school for both our sakes! There's no way some greasy-haired Potions Master will be any match for the man who defeated the Wagga Wagga Werewolf."

"Yes, yes," said Lockhart, obviously liking this idea, "I'll teach that hook-nosed slimeball a lesson. After my first dueling class, everyone will know who the biggest idiot in the school is."

Pretty soon, the rest of the class filtered in and Lockhart set about reading from one of his books. Ginny could barely put forth the effort to listen as he described how he had saved a fourteen-year-old Russian girl named Dzhinni Uizli from possession by the evil Greek wizard Anton Hert. As always, Fleeta was called upon to play Dzhinni in the reenactments.

"But I don't even know if I did it!" said Fleeta, playing her part with barely concealed smug glee that she was right where so many other girls wished they could be. "There's just this big gap in my memory when my father died! Oh, I don't know what's happening to me! Am I losing my mind?"

Ginny almost fell out of her chair in shock.

"Not to worry, young lady," said Lockhart slyly, "blackouts such as that are a sure sign that you're being possessed by a bad Dark wizard. And I think I know which one -- that paragon of heinousness, that champion of injustice, that wicked foe who is the antithesis of goodness, rightness and hourly hair care regimens -- Anton Hert!" Fleeta gave an exaggerated gasp.

"Oh, it can't be true!" she declared. "You've got to stop him!"

"Oh, I shall!" said Lockhart earnestly. "I shall avenge you, the innocent young flower of girlhood he has desecrated in his sadistical evil badness! Do not worry!"

So that's what was happening to Ginny -- she was being possessed, no doubt by the real Heir of Slytherin! Her first reaction was guilt -- an emotion she was becoming quite accustomed to -- for this eliminated any hope she had left that she hadn't attacked Colin and Mrs. Norris. And the worst of it was that this all fit rather well with the idea she had gotten that Tom Riddle was doing this to her. Although even now she was far from certain that he was behind it, she had recently found herself feeling a little guilty after writing to him. But that hadn't stopped her -- Tom was her friend and she desperately needed a friend during this scary and confusing time. Besides, he made her feel good and she really needed to feel at least a little good just to get by even if it made her feel guilty afterwards.

Eventually, the bell rang and Lockhart announced their homework was to paint a watercolor depicted his rescue of Dzhinni Uizli. He allowed Fleeta to add in that Dzhinni should be painted to look like her. Ginny was considering giving Dzhinni devil horns.

Nowadays, most of the first years went around the school in packs. Of course, that was only the first years who had friends -- or at least friends who didn't live in books and were not possibly taking them over to attack other students. But they wouldn't be so terrified if it weren't for Ginny. First years, seventh years and even professors were scared and it was all her doing -- and knowing that scared her. This should have compelled her to tell, but instead it just made her want to hide her secret even deeper down inside herself.

Ginny spent a great deal of time walking around Hogwarts by herself, partly to get a better sense of the castle's layout so that it would be harder for her to get lost again and partly just to keep herself away from other people. Ginny really didn't like being around other people anymore, especially people who were Muggle-born -- it made her feel anxious and kind of dirty. She also tried to stop her mind from wandering, hoping it would prevent her from losing her memory. She doubted this would work, but she needed all the help she could get.

Ginny reached the third floor. She had already gone down the corridor to her right, but had she searched it thoroughly enough? If she saw that painting, would she automatically know where she was? She began walking down the hallway, her heart pounding for a reason she could not have explained. She thought she was acting very maturely, striding confidently down the corridor. Watching her, no one would see any evidence of the great war of emotions being waged within her.

Suddenly, what looked like a giant hairy monster leaped out at her from behind the statue of a humpbacked witch!

Ginny screamed and in seconds she was on the floor with the Lockhart books she had been carrying scattered all around her -- the dignity she had been carrying herself with a moment ago gone. It had only been out of shock that she had screamed and fallen over as she knew it was one of her twin brothers. They had taken to covering themselves in fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues, somehow always knowing where she would be. She couldn't believe they would take advantage of her when she was in such a fragile state! Not that they really understood what she was going through. If they did, surely even they would have left her alone.

George, who had been hiding behind the statue as well, stepped out and both of them began laughing and trying to make Ginny smile. Apparently, they thought she found this just as funny as they did, and were trying to convince her to show it. Ginny didn't have to resist. Keeping a very sour look on her face, she gathered her books, got up and began walking away as though nothing had happened.

"Oh c'mon, if you'd only seen your face!" George yelled after her. Ginny acted as though she could not hear.

"Forget it," she heard Fred mutter. "I think she's turning into Percy."

"I thought having one in the family was enough," George added.

Ginny decided to continue searching the third floor later and moved up to the fourth floor. She looked ahead to see students heading into the library. It was after the last class of the day, so they were conjugating there to study. She paused for a moment as she noticed Hermione was in there alone. Ginny wouldn't be able to tell Hermione her secret with so many people around, but she could easily enough tell Hermione that she wanted to speak to her in private. It wouldn't be that hard and she really had no other choice. After all, she had just found out for certain that it was her -- if she didn't do anything now and someone was attacked later, it would really be her fault!

Ginny walked on past the library, her feelings of guilt multiplying in the process. It was just too hard for her! She was eleven years old -- she shouldn't have to worry about things like this. She should be worrying about schoolwork, making friends and other things that normal eleven-year-old girls worried about while the teachers took care of horrible, horrible things like this.

Ginny suddenly realized what she was thinking -- for the first time in her life she thought she actually was too young for something. Did she really want to think that? All her life she had railed against being called "too young" -- did she really want to admit, even to herself, that maybe her family had been even a little right about that? Besides, what did age have to do with handling this? How would just being older make this any easier for her?

Tears were leaking out of her eyes, but she didn't let herself cry properly. She may have been small and young, but she thought she understood what was happening to her about as well as anyone in her place would. There was no reason she wasn't fully capable of handling it -- she just had to face the facts. Of course, the fact that she was being controlled by another person wasn't exactly comforting. In fact, it was hard for her to imagine anything scarier than not having control over her own body.

Was it Tom? It was really, really difficult for Ginny to think that it was. He seemed to truly love and care about her in a way she couldn't imagine being faked. How could she have possibly grown so close to someone who was nothing more than a facade? No one could be that good a liar. Perhaps, she thought in desperation, he did like her, but was doing this to her anyway. But that made no sense. If he truly loved her, he wouldn't put her through this -- it was as simple as that. Tom Riddle was either friend or fiend with no possible middle ground.

Ginny's tears had somehow made their way out of her eyes and onto her face without her noticing. She knew the evidence against Tom Riddle was mounting, but she simply couldn't believe her relationship with the best friend she had ever known was nothing more than a lie. Besides, there was still little more than a bit of circumstantial evidence against Tom anyway -- there was no real proof. However, just to be really, really, extra, extra careful, Ginny decided to write to Tom Riddle only when she felt like she really needed him.

She could manage that, couldn't she? She didn't need some invisible friend to get her through every day. The other first years managed just fine without one and how was she any different than they were? Was she somehow weaker than everyone else -- like her family thought she was? No, she didn't need Tom Riddle and she was perfectly capable of doing without him.

Wasn't she?