Power Games-
I knew what Tom was almost at once. Darker than midnight. Darker than chocolate. When Dumbledore said that it wasn't my fault, that I was being manipulated-well, he didn't know much. I was not manipulated. I chose.
I am Tom Riddle, the diary said. Using his real name was a mistake. Hermione isn't the only one who can use a library. Riddle was quite popular at school. He entered politics briefly after leaving Hogwarts, and his picture was in many newspapers. Once he became the Dark Lord Voldemort, there was a period when people didn't fear him. His name and image appeared often for a few months.
I knew everything about Tom in a matter of days.
Hello, Tom. I'm Ginny. Ginny Westfield.
Names hold power. Names hold too much power to give up to a Dark Lord.
Growing up with six brothers lets you learn a lot about power games. What can't be named is no fun to tease others over. Boys get bored easily. Bored boys can cause trouble if not directed. I was very careful while playing power games with Tom. He never realized that I was the puppeteer holding his strings. Boredom, anger, frustration-his emotions were mine to control, all at the mercy of my quill.
Was I a sick, twisted person? Perhaps. Does it really matter? Is the torture of a torturer a disgrace or a heinous act? It doesn't change the facts. Tom was a game to me. The goal was to hurt him. Whether the morality in this was flawed is beyond me. He wasn't real; he was in a book.
I lied to him constantly. I was a modestly wealthy only daughter of a rather boring man who's sole interest lay in the stock market. My mother was a stern, bony woman, prone to fits of fatigue and melancholy. I was desperately in love with Harry Potter.
Harry was of great interest to Tom, as I knew he would be. Of course, I couldn't let on to that we'd met until after Hogwarts began. After that Tom was absolutely mine. I had the carrot and the stick. Tom did my bidding, and sometimes let knowledge slip. I learned a small amount of Dark Arts. No actual spells, but the theory. Gradually, I learned enough to craft my own curses. The Bat-Bogey Hex was the only curse I used in public, and even then only after another year or so after Tom was gone. Never doubt that I keep my secrets well.
The best Slytherins are in other houses. No truly cunning person would let themselves be labeled as such. Then blend in and keep the advantage of others' blindness. Camouflage rather than offensive or defensive skills. Subtlety.
Tom is not a real Slytherin. He doesn't cover himself well enough. Doesn't plan for different eventualities. The game was almost boring. How did he ever put the whole country in terror?
I think he didn't. Not on his own, at any rate. There is a power behind the throne. I should find out who it is. Then I might have a worthy opponent.
A/N: Please review!