Written For:

Written for Em. Happy (very belated) birthday.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Roald Dahl Day
Tomacco - Write about Tom Riddle

The Musical Category Competition:
Sweeney Todd - Nellie Lovett - Write about someone enamoured by a dark character.

Hogwarts Life Challenge: Stage 4
Part 1 - Write something in the family and/or romance genre.

Warnings for dark!Ginny and character death.

xXx

In His Stead

Ginny doesn't talk about her first year. Everyone believes it's because she's traumatized. That isn't the reason, though.

Ginny liked Tom. It felt like he actually saw her for her. She wasn't Bill's tagalong sister. Or Percy's burden. She wasn't Ron's annoying sister. Or the one with a stalkerish crush on Harry Potter. She was just Ginny.

Of course, it might have been because Tom was using her, but Ginny doesn't believe that.

Everyone thinks Tom is gone. Dead because of the Basilisk fang Harry stabbed into the diary. They'd be wrong, though.

Tom is very much alive in her head.

And she doesn't just mean that figuratively. Ginny still hears Tom's voice. He has escaped death once again, and Ginny will never tell them her secret. She can't bear the thought of losing Tom for real. It's just too scary of an idea.

X

In second year, Tom is quiet. She doesn't know why. She can feel him, but he doesn't talk to her. It makes her lonely. She wishes to hear him once again.

X

'Ginny, I need your help,' Tom's voice is a mere whisper in her head in her third year. It's like he's weak, and that makes her scared. Tom shouldn't be weak. He's too strong to be weak.

"Anything," Ginny promises.

'I want to have my body back.'

Her heart quickens at the thought of Tom with a body and her next question comes easily. "What can I do?"

And that's when Ginny's true dissent into darkness starts.

X

All throughout her fourth year, Tom teaches her spells. Dangerous spells. He's a good teacher. She knows spells that are deadly. Spells that can torture. And kill.

The darker spells send a thrill down her spine. It makes her feel alive. Like she can do anything.

After she finishes her lessons, after Tom deems her as ready, strong enough, he tells her what to do.

X

It's fifth year, and Ginny doesn't think about what she's doing as wrong. After all, they tried to separate her from Tom. That was wrong of them. She's only trying to find her way back to him.

When she sneaks up behind Lavender Brown who's all alone, Ginny doesn't hesitate. With a quick slashing motion and a murmured spell, Lavender falls to the ground. Lifeless. Lavender is a air-headed gossip. No one will miss her. She collects the blood and puts it in a special urn.

The next one to fall to Ginny's wand is Ernie Macmillan. He's a pompous Hufflepuff. He'll be as missed as Lavender. Again, she collects the blood into an urn.

Then Cho Chang, a flighty Ravenclaw, falls. More blood goes into an urn.

More and more students fall. None of them are Slytherin. Ginny knows Tom wouldn't be pleased if she got rid of anyone from his house.

By the time she's done, six students are dead. Two from each house (except Slytherin of course).Even a Weasley is dead. (Ron was superfluous. He wasn't special. He doesn't deserve life, and if it brings back Tom, Ginny doesn't care.)

There's panic all though Hogwarts. Someone is killing students, but no one suspects little Ginny Weasley.

With Lucius Malfoy's help, a ritual is set up. Ginny watches, awed, as he expertly works the magic of the blood sacrifices, and before she knows it, a light comes out of her body, and it takes the form of a handsome man.

When the light fades, Tom Riddle stands tall and proud, a smirk on his face.

Ginny's breath catches. 'He's beautiful.'

"Ginny Weasley, it's nice to finally be face to face with you."

Ginny wordlessly nods.

"You've done a lot to help me."

"I'd do anything for you, Tom," she says. And in the deepest recesses of her heart, she knows she means it. She killed her own brother. If that doesn't show her loyalty, nothing will.

"And you've proven that." Tom walks to her and when he's close enough, he cups her cheek. "With your help, I'll rule the world."

The thought doesn't make Ginny panic like maybe it should. Instead, she feels excitement bubbling up. She places her hand on top of Tom's and leans into his touch. "What do you need me to do, Milord?"

Tom's smile sends shivers of anticipation down her spine. He leans closer, and she yearns to kiss him. "Do exactly what I say," he whispers.

And she will. She will.

xXx

(word count: 740)