The Deadly Flea Circus

Chapter One: Not Alone in This

Tom woke up, for the first time in years, to a series of pen marks on his diary's pages. They read: Dear diary, I know this is the first time I have written in you, but I already know that you are trustworthy. After all, you have no way of telling my secrets! Tom quickly picked up his silver and green quill and replied in jet black ink: Hello. My name is Tom Riddle. May I inquire as to who my owner is? Tom could feel the writer's excitement vibrating through the diary to him. He knew the manipulation would be easier than expected. A young girl with vivid red hair quickly dipped her red and purple quill into color-changing ink and replied in shaky writing: Tom? Who are you? How did you get in there? Did Voldemort trap you in there before his downfall? You can tell me, Tom.

***
Tom read this and wondered how much she (the writing looked feminine) knew about his modern self. If she knew about his downfall, he could see what was wrong and change it; after he came back into power of course. So he replied: I'm just a shadow of the past. Nothing more. "Oh, but I am," he muttered to himself. But please, what is your name? And who is this Voldemort you obviously fear?

Tom watched the words sink from his view and waited anxiously for a reply. He watched as words appeared to the surface of his diary.

I am Ginny Weasley and don't talk to me about Voldemort. I can never escape from that talk! Never! My friends never stop talking about him and that awful stone! Especially Harry...my Harry...Well, he's not really mine since he never notices me. Oh, I wish he would! To be lost in those dreamy emerald eyes! Oh...sorry, Tom. You must hate hearing me complaining about my love life.

"A weakness. This girl, Ginevra, has already begun giving her soul to me. Now I shall only have to wait to return the favor," Tom muttered and a rather sinister smile played about his lips.

Ginevra, (that is what Ginny is short for isn't it?) I don't mind listening to it at all! I've been in here so long that I'd take any news about the outside world. Anyway, tell me more about this Harry.

You'd want to? Tom, you're so sweet! Why can't Harry be like you? Harry, the one who saved the Sorcerer's stone! Harry, so brave and noble! Why won't he notice me?

He will notice you one day for one reason or another, I promise you that. "How little you know," Tom whispered and poured a potion onto the diary. He watched as it sank with a hiss into it. One more of these and he would be free of the diary forever. He began to transfer a bit of himself into Ginny.

Why is that, Tom?

If you are as beautiful as your writing, then you are far too beautiful to be ignored. Maybe you're too good for this Harry. Tom laughed a bit too hard at this. Tears of mirth landed onto the paper.

You're so sweet. You're even crying.

Go to sleep. You've had a long day and you need it.

Good night, Tom.

Good night. Pleasant dreams.

BAM!

Ginny bolted upright and tore her bed curtains aside. She did not notice the diary fall from her lap.

"What are you doing? I was trying to sleep!" Ginny screamed over the laughter of her room mates.

"Sorry Gin. We couldn't resist," Carla, a round and obnoxious girl, giggled.

"What have you done now? I've only been here for a few weeks and already I've had my pillows fighting themselves, my books quote Shakespeare, my dress robes doing a waltz, and WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Ginny yelled, flung herself out of bed, and grabbed her wand.

"Oh, come on Ginny. We were just having a bit of fun," Janet, a wispy blond, gasped through her tears of mirth.

"You talk too much in your sleep!" Carla screeched.

"PUT THEM RIGHT!" Ginny screamed. Two sets of her clothing looked like they had bodies in them...two certain bodies. It seemed like Harry and Ginny decided to occupy them and start fighting. "Ginny" was yelling at "Harry" to be like Tom. "Harry" was telling her that he didn't like her that way.

"I tried. I really tried. Think of it this way, it means they have nothing better to do with their time." Alicia, a tall and dark-haired girl, sighed and went back to her book "Muggle Methods of Torture." Ginny yelled something no one caught and Carla's hair fell from her head to the floor.

"I'm bald! BALD! How could you do that, Ginny?" the girl shrieked and ran to her trunk for a hat.

"Don't bother, Carla. Put my clothing right or you will have more missing," Ginny hissed. At this Alicia set down her book and muttered something. Carla's hair regrew almost instantaneously.

"I believe there is something you should do for Ginny," Alicia said calmly as Ginny stood there silently wondering how and why she did it. Carla quickly whipped out her wand and the clothing fell to the ground, once again lifeless.

"Obliviate!" Alicia muttered. For a moment Carla looked like a rag doll. Alicia quickly repeated the spell on Janet and Ginny. The three snapped back reality.

"Good morning, all!" Carla screeched and began to change.

"Good...morning," Ginny muttered, wondering why she felt something was wrong.

***
One month later:

Tom, oh Tom. I have been acting odd lately and I don't know why. Do you know? The words came to the pages of the diary just as Tom knew they would.

You know the pressures of school are getting to you. All you need is rest. Tom readied the potion that allowed him to channel himself into her.
Sometimes I can't even remember where I was five minutes ago! What would cause memory lapses, Tom? Pressure isn't enough. Am I sick?

Rest, dear girl, and you will remember all.

Promise?

I can't promise that, but I promise that you will feel better.

I love you, Tom. You're so understanding.

What about Harry?

I don't care about him anymore.

Really?

Yes. Do you love me, Tom?

Certainly.

"I love your body and the energy of your soul that I shall consume." Tom laughed and poured the pale green liquid into the diary. He watched the last drop vanish before letting out the breath he hadn't known he held. Now was the time.

Ginny collapsed on the floor as the final potion ran through her blood. She gasped as blinding pain became the only thing she was aware of.

"This has happened before. The first time I wrote to Tom. Why didn't I remember? Oh Tom, help me," Ginny gasped. The pain subsided and she used the little energy she had left to stand.

"Hello, Ginevra," a voice spoke. It echoed as if it had first been in her mind and then in the room.

"T-Tom? You c-can't have done this. Y-you're..." Ginny stammered.
"Just a diary? Just a small companion you can stick in your pocket? No, Ginerva, I am more," Tom said, now standing in front of her.

"Tom? How are you doing this?" Ginny went for her wand and realized Tom was twirling it in his fingers.

"Through you. I am no longer in the diary, but in you. You're mind is now mine to control. To do with as I see fit," Tom said and laughed at her growing anger.

"But if you're in my mind, then how can I see you?" Ginny inquired, her voice now steady and fearless.

"Your mind is projecting an image with the help of the potion that now runs permanently through your veins. An image I can control while still controlling you. An image others can see." Tom explained quickly and vanished.

"Tom! Why?" Ginny almost screamed but something stopped her. An invisible force had her jaw clamped shut.
"Silence is a virtue, dear Ginevra. You shall soon know all." Tom whispered in her mind.
Ginny soon felt herself walk to the dormitory door as if on her body's own accord. She felt herself walk down to the common room to the portrait hole.

"Ginny! Wait!" she heard someone yell from the chair near the fireplace. Ginny felt herself turn around.

"Yes, Hermione?" Ginny heard herself say. She tried to scream but Tom kept her silent.

"Harry's in detention with Professor Lockhart; there's no use going to look for him," Hermione said and gave her a knowing smile.

"I'm just going to do my potions homework," Tom quickly replied. Ginny strained against the force that kept her silent to no prevail as Tom took her to Moaning Myrtle's restroom. Ginny entered to find a distraught ghost floating near the sinks.

"Myrtle!" Tom hissed audibly.

"What, you've come to laugh at my death? You're not a ghost. You don't
know what it's like," Myrtle sobbed and floated closer.

"Silence! I'm not stupid enough to get myself killed; I have a right to laugh," Tom barked, trying his best to imitate Ginny's speech. Myrtle let out a howl and vanished into the toilet of her stall.

"Disgusting," Tom muttered. For once, Ginny had to agree. She walked over to the sink that didn't work. She bent over and hissed something. She heard Tom laugh at her amazement as a chute opened before her. She felt another hiss escape her lips and echo down the chute. She heard something move at the end of it. She strained to see but Tom forced her eyes closed. She gave a series of hisses and the chute closed. She waited a moment and Tom opened her eyes. Ginny hissed again and this time she heard a response emit from the walls.

"Ginevra, it's time to take a short stroll," Tom said and she felt herself grin evilly.

***

Ginny woke up the next morning feeling violated. She did not know why, all she knew was that she was writing to Tom and...She struggled to remember what she had done but received nothing.

Ginny sighed at this new memory gap and pulled her bed curtains aside. Carla and Janet were (thankfully) asleep, but Alicia was fully dressed and practicing spells on her tabby cat.

"Morning, Alicia," Ginny mumbled. Alicia looked at her with mild surprise. Ginny briefly wondered if she ever gave strong expressions.

"Ginny! You were out before I came in to practice levitating charms. Is everything alright?" Alicia asked with light concern. Ginny had the feeling she was lying but quickly slapped the idea away. Alicia had never given her a reason to disbelieve her.

"Fine. Though I don't remember what I did last night," Ginny sighed heavily.

"You've been stressed out lately. You can take it out on my cat if you wish; I'll fix him up afterwards and wipe his memory so there's no harm done." Alicia offered.
"I'm not hurting your cat."

"Simon won't even know. A small hex will relieve your tension. Trust me, I'd know. Except I usually take it out on Malfoy, " Alicia laughed. Ginny lightened up and went for her wand to find it missing.

"My wand! It's gone!" Ginny gasped. Alicia just gave a light laugh and shook her head, making her hair fall in her face.

"You'll find it. You can use mine." Alicia said and pulled out her wand for Ginny to try.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, remembering a certain incident that included her mother's hair on purple fire while her hand burned at the touch of the wand.

"Elm with a core of dragon heartstring," she said quite proudly.

"Um...I remember trying a wand of elm at Ollivander's...Didn't work too well."

"Try this one, you may like it," she insisted. Ginny gave a massive sigh and grabbed the wand. Anything to get this stress out. That's one thing Tom doesn't help, she thought.

"Go on, hex him," Alicia insisted and set the cat on the floor. It gave her a pitiful look that would have melted hearts, but she didn't care. All she wanted was her memory back.
"Incendio!" Ginny yelled. The cat promptly set on fire. It let out pitiful screams. Alicia grabbed the wand and muttered a spell that soundproofed the room. The other girls woke with shrieks of terror. They ripped their curtains down and watched the burning cat with horror.

Ginny watched and felt a huge surge of power followed by horror and guilt. She grabbed her washing basin and dumped the water on the writhing cat. It let out a moan, shuddered, and died. No one noticed Alicia smirking as she picked up the wand and locked the door.

"Obliviate!" Alicia screamed and weak Carla collapsed. Janet ran for it but was hit by a stunning spell. Ginny went for her wand only to remember it was gone. Her eyes widened as Alicia hit her with a stunning spell. Alicia quickly modified their memories. She then levitated them onto their individual beds and said, "It worked, Lucius. Ginny's already under Tom's constant influence. She can use my wand. Soon she will give him a body on her own free will," Alicia whispered to no one in particular. She took Ginny's wand out of her robes and placed it on Ginny's side table.

She waved her wand and the remains of her cat, her father, the Animagus, without his memory, vanished. She put the room back to its right state. She turned around to see Carla smiling stupidly at her, completely oblivious to what had just happened.