A Riddle or a Rhyme

Ginny Weasley sat alone in the common room, reading in front of the fire. She had been completely unaware of any of her surroundings, until she felt a small breeze sweep past her, and felt a chill creep up her spine. She looked around, checking to see if a window had been left open, or if there was anyone else in the room. All the windows were shut and locked, and the room was entirely deserted.

She returned to her book, deciding that it was just the wind, but was soon disrupted by a whisper. Someone, somewhere, she couldn't see them, was whispering her name. She looked around the room again, wide-eyed. She was startled to see a tall boy with black hair sitting in the chair next to hers, when she turned back around.

"Hello, Ginny. I see you've grown up since I last saw you," the boy said calmly.

Ginny stared at him, as though not believing what she saw right in front of her. She finally managed to choke out, "Tom...Tom, what?...how?"

Tom Riddle smiled and shook his head. "Ginny, you should know by now. Lord Voldemort always has a way to come back. There's always a back up plan, Ginny."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but he held a finger to her lips and said, "Shhh, don't speak. Now, Ginny, I'm going to be returning to Hogwarts this year. And what a coincidence, as I'm still preserved as a sixteen-year-old, I'll be in your year." He smiled.

"But...but...What about Dumbledore?" Ginny asked him.

"Ah, yes, Dumbledore. I managed to use a memory charm, just strong enough to make him forget what I looked like, as a student, so that I could return without suspicion."

"Tom...You can't be here. How did you come back...the diary was destroyed," said Ginny.

"Well, Ginny, in order to preserve myself in that diary, I needed a pensieve, which was for some reason kept. I'm not really sure how it happened, but one day, I simply left the pensieve to find myself in the Chamber of Secrets, and decided that this would be a perfect way to do something about bringing the present Lord Voldemort back. I soon found out that I was back, though, so I decided to help myself, and bring about the end of Hogwarts, by corrupting it from the inside." Tom gave an evil smirk.

Ginny simply stared at him, having no idea how to react to all of this. "Tom, I know this may sound stupid, but, you understand that I could now tell everyone what you've just told me?"

Tom smiled, shook his head again, and said, "Ginny, you think I have thought of that? Of course, I've told you everything, but you won't remember. I'm going to put a memory charm on you, too. And Harry Potter, as all three of you know what I look like. From now on, you, Potter, and Dumbledore, will simply think of the new boy who transferred from Durmstrang, to Slytherin. Now, if that's all, I really should be returning to my dormitory. I don't want to get caught after curfew, now do I?" With that, Tom took out his wand, pointed it at the still bewildered Ginny, and muttered a charm under his breath.

"Ginny," said a familiar voice. "Ginny, wake up!"

Ginny opened her eyes and saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron looking down at her. She was wrapped in a blanket, curled up in a chair in front of the fire, which had, by now, died out. They all looked rather worried about her.

"Gin, you feel okay?" Harry asked her.

"Yeah, Ginny, you look kinda sick," said her brother, Ron.

"Ginny, perhaps you should go to the hospital wing," Hermione added.

"Guys, I'm fine! Just a little groggy. I guess I just fell asleep here, reading," she told them.

After a few minutes, they finally left her alone and went to get breakfast. Ginny decided to wait a little while, but eventually made her way down to the Great Hall. She sat down at the Gryffindor House table, and was surprised to see a boy staring at her from the Slytherin table.

He looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't place a name with the face. She couldn't remember where she'd seen him. He had black hair and black eyes, and to Ginny he was just, well, handsome. The boy gave her a small smile, which she couldn't return. His piercing eyes mesmerized her, and she knew she'd gazed into them before. She needed to know who this boy was, and where he had come from.

Ginny finally returned her attention to her food, and finished eating quickly. She had brought a scarf and gloves to breakfast, so that she could go outside for a walk on the grounds. She stepped out the doors of the Entrance Hall, into the chill autumn air. She began walking toward the lake. She had a favorite spot under a tree, where she liked to sit and think.

She reached the tree and sat down. Staring out onto the lake, her mind wandered, and she was soon in a daydream, paying no attention to her surroundings. Eventually, she must have dozed off, because someone was tapping her and telling her to wake up.

"Sorry, what?" Ginny asked, still half asleep. She looked up to see who it was, and saw the boy she had seen at breakfast. He smiled at her.

"I was afraid you'd catch cold, out here. I didn't want to leave you. Plus, you don't look so great, are you okay?" he asked, with a kind smile.

"I'm fine, thanks, but maybe I should head back up to the castle," she replied.

"I'll walk with you, then," and held out a hand to help her up. She stood up and they started walking back to the castle.

"I'm sorry, what's your name? I'm Ginny Weasley," she said as they walked.

"Oh, I'm Tom Rhyme," he told her.

Somehow, walking back to the castle brought Ginny and Tom all over the school grounds. It was easy for them to talk. Tom was extremely understanding of everything Ginny had to say, and it was nice for her to have someone to talk to. It was like they'd already been friends for a long time.

"No one's ever listened to me like you do, Tom," Ginny found herself saying at some point.

Tom smiled slightly and said in a low voice, more to himself than to Ginny, "Where have I heard that before?" Ginny didn't quite understand, but she simply shrugged it off and forgot about the remark after that.

They eventually reached the doors to the Entrance Hall, and were saying goodbye when Tom said, "Ginny, you know next weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend, and I was, er, wondering...Would you like to come and spend the day with me?"

Ginny smiled at him and said, "Yes, of course. I'm looking forward to it."

With that, they said good-bye and went back to their common rooms.