Author's Notes: Thank you to Devin and Karl for beta-ing for me. I am currently looking for another beta so if anyone is interested please e-mail me. I want to thank everyone for their support on Portkey.
Chapter Two: The Wizard and I
Many years I have waited
For a gift like yours to appear
Why, I predict the Wizard
Could make you his
Magic Grand Vizier!
My dear, my dear
I'll write at once to the wizard-
Tell him of you in advance
With a talent like yours, dear
There is a defin-ish chance
If you work as you should
You'll be making good…
Did that really just happen?
Have I actually understood?
This weird quirk I've tried
To suppress or hide
Is a talent that could
Help me meet the wizard
If I make good
So I'll make good…
When I meet the wizard
Once I prove my worth
And then I meet the wizard
What I've waited for since- since birth!
And with all his wizard wisdom
By my looks he won't be blinded
Do you think the wizard is dumb?
Or like munchkins, so small minded?
No! He'll say to me:
'I see who you truly are
A girl on whom I can rely!'
And that's how we'll begin
The wizard and I…
Once I'm with the wizard
My whole life will change
Cause once you're with the wizard
No one thinks you're strange
No father is not proud of you
No sister acts ashamed
And all of Oz has to love you
When by the wizard, you're acclaimed
And this gift-or this curse-
I have inside
Maybe at last, I'll know why
When we are hand in hand
The wizard and I…
Unlimited
My future is unlimited
And I've just had a vision
Almost like a prophecy
I know-it sounds truly crazy
And true the vision's hazy
But I swear someday there'll be
A celebration throughout Oz
That's all to do with me!
And I'll stand there with the wizard
Feeling things I've never felt
And though I'd never show it
I'd be so happy I could melt
And so it will be
For the rest of my life
And I'll want nothing else
Till I die
Held in such high esteem
When people see me they will scream
For half of Oz's fav'rite team:
The Wizard
And I!
-The Wizard and I, Wicked
"Okay Draco," Lucius Malfoy said to his son. "The package has been placed in Miss Weasley's cauldron. It's now up to Dobby to distract Potter and Ron Weasley. Get on the train. Act like you know nothing."
"Yes, Father," Draco replied.
So Draco Malfoy got onto the Hogwarts' Express and Dobby sealed the barrier on his master's orders. Harry and I were forced to use my Father's flying car to get to school. When we arrived we were caught by Professor McGonagall who took us to see Professor Dumbledore immediately. He told us not to talk about our experience. He had his reasons. Dumbledore was a very intimidating man. He was very intelligent and had much power, though no one really knew why. He took a liking to Harry immediately. They met many times over the summer which Harry would only talk vaguely about.
I never trusted Dumbledore. There was something off about him. I wouldn't find out what it was until just after my 4th year at Hogwarts. My parents had always raised me to believe that Voldemort and his Death Eaters wanted to rid the world of muggles and muggle-borns and run the world with only the purebloods that agreed with them. I believed them. I had no reason to think otherwise.
Allow me to get back to Ginny. She was placed in Gryffindor although I heard it took the Sorting Hat a record-breaking long time to decide with her, but I didn't get to witness that. She had the diary and soon she began writing to it. When the diary started to write back, however, that's when she decided to come to me. She waited until a night came along when the common room was deserted and it was just the two of us. I can still remember what she said to me.
"Ron," she started. "I need to talk to you.
"What's the matter, Gin?"
"It's about my diary."
"I didn't read it, Gin. I didn't even know you had one."
"Ron. Please listen to me. This is important."
I stood there staring at her like she had four heads. All I can remember thinking about the situation was 'what could be important about a diary?'
"It's writing back to me."
"The diary is writing back to you?" It seemed that I answered my own question.
"Yes, Ron."
"What does it say?"
"It's Voldemort."
"YOUR DIARY IS VOLDEMORT! WE HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE!"
Harry, who tried to make me out to be a complete and utter pansy, said that I would shudder at his name. I had heard his name enough growing up to know that a name is just a name. Voldemort's was no different.
"Please, Ron, calm down. It's actually Tom Riddle, Voldemort when he was at school."
"Oh, well that makes it all better then."
"He said some interesting things to me: Some things about Harry and his parents, some things about our own parents and some things about Dumbledore."
"What did he say?"
"Voldemort isn't the bad guy. Dumbledore is. Think about it, Ron. How many bad guys did you ever hear of that were afraid of the good guy? They're always so cocky like no one in the world can bring them down. Dumbledore said it himself: 'the only wizard Voldemort was ever afraid of was Dumbledore.' And who's Dumbledore afraid of? No one."
"Fear is not enough to change my mind and make me think that Albus Dumbledore is the bad guy and Lord Voldemort is the good guy."
"He told me the truth. The truth is that Voldemort and his Dark Militia, that's what he called them, not Death Eaters, were fighting for a good cause. Dumbledore and his Order were trying to push magic into the mainstream. That could be horrible Ron! If muggles found out about us they would hunt us down and try to kill us! They're happy not knowing. Tom told me that the Dark Militia wanted to keep everything secret. Keep everyone in the dark. Keep our way of life, our traditions, secret. That's why he chose the word dark. Dumbledore's goal is to take over the muggle world. That's why he placed Harry with muggles. So he would be raised as a muggle child and would be able to help Dumbledore. Yes, Tom killed Harry's parents, but not like you thought. They invited him over. They were trying to play both sides. And then they got caught. They attacked Tom and Tom killed them in retaliation. Before his Mother died she told Tom that it didn't matter what he did to her, Harry would defeat him one day, and it was prophesized. I don't know what it means, Ron, Tom wasn't too clear. But he showed me. He showed me the day he killed his own father.
"Dumbledore knew how powerful Tom was and so he did the only thing he could think of to get him on his side. Dumbledore went to Tom's father. He told him all about our world and his Father flipped. When Tom came home after he graduated his father was waiting for him with some sort of muggle weapon. He tried to kill him. So Tom did the only thing he could. He defended himself and killed his own Father. Then he rounded up followers and swore his retaliation on Dumbledore. We need to help him, Ron."
"No. What we need to do is tell someone. Like Mum or Dad."
"No. We can't do that. Just try and believe what I said to you. Just try and keep your mouth shut. I'll try to find out more from Tom if I can and you just watch Harry."
And I listened to her. What else could I do? Ginny and I were always close and there she was begging me to open my mind and try to see things a different way. I only knew what I was told by my parents and to think there was another side to this story was an insane idea for me. But I listened to her.
Eventually things started to happen. The chamber of secrets was opened. And Ginny told me not to worry. No one would get hurt. Just watch Harry. And watch him I did. I was with him every step of the way. In retrospect I can honestly say that he really did think it was all about him all along. Lockhart, Harry and I really did go down into the chamber. And Lockhart really was a lying idiot. Then I realized he wasn't the only one. Harry always told me how much he trusted me. He told me I was like the brother he never had. And like an idiot, I believed him with all my heart. And he betrayed me. I knew Ginny was there. She told me she was going there. She also told me not to worry… Tom would be there to defend her.
I refused to believe that my sister was safe with the man I feared above all other people and a really fucking big ass deadly snake. That was not a logical thought to me and I HAD to save her. She's my sister. But when we arrived at the entrance to the chamber, Harry told me I had to stay back. He told me that it wasn't about me, that Voldemort would try and use me against my sister and that it was between Voldemort and himself. It had nothing to do with me. The wheels in my head really should have kicked into gear when he mentioned Voldemort. Ginny and I knew who was commanding the snake, but, as far as I knew, Harry didn't. I don't know how he found out. Or at least I didn't at the time. I was so pumped up that I let him walk all over me. When he went through the doorway, however, I realized I was an idiot and followed him without him knowing. I hid and I saw the entire thing. In the chamber, I found out that Ginny was right.
It should be important to note that I was not alone in my observations.
*****
Dearest Father,
Your plan is working. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. This can mean only one thing: The Weasley girl has caught the Dark Lord's eye.
When can I reveal myself to her, Father?
Your son,
Draco
Draco sent his owl off to his Father as soon as he learned the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. The next day at breakfast he received a response from him. He ran up to his room and opened it.
Draco,
Don't do anything premature. Do not approach the Weasley girl until you have a good idea as to what her reaction will be. Most people are humbled by the Dark Lord but, because of her upbringing, she may try to turn against him. Watch her from a distance for now.
Father
And that is exactly what Draco did. Ginny was far too immersed by Tom Riddle to notice that Draco Malfoy followed her almost everywhere. Every time she went into the Chamber of Secrets he was there watching her. He had become pretty accustomed to hiding and watching and had found the perfect place for observations.
I, on the other hand, needed no practice. Having Fred and George for older brothers had some good points. For instance, when I saw a spot I instantly knew what it was good for. However, had I paid more attention to Fred and George, I would have heard their warnings about making sure you were alone. I didn't and I found myself hiding in the perfect spot- right next to Draco Malfoy.
*****
"Weasley," he said to me as soon as I slid down next to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm watching my sister. Someone has to protect her."
"Someone is protecting her."
"You? You would hardly expect me to believe that a Malfoy would jump to the rescue of a Weasley."
"Of course I wouldn't. But Potter's there. Don't you two consider him some sort of a hero?"
"Harry keeps many secrets from me. I would rather be here to make sure Ginny comes out of this alright. What are you doing here, Malfoy?
"If you must know, I'm simply making observations of Ginny and the Dark Lord."
The way he said her name rubbed me the wrong way. It was almost as if he tasted it for the first time ever. It also looked as if he were enjoying the taste a little too much.
Luckily, not much more conversation was necessary. I heard Ginny scream and instantly turned around. I didn't notice Draco do the same.
"NO!!!! HARRY, STOP IT! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT!"
"If you stand with him then you stand against me, Ginny."
"HARRY! JUST LEAVE HERE!"
"No Ginny. Step out of the way. I don't want to hurt you."
"Ginny dear," Tom Riddle began. It was the first time I heard him speak. I completely understood why so many people feared him. "This is between me and Mr. Potter. I would hate for you to get caught in the middle and become hurt. Leave and get to safety, my dear."
And then the weirdest thing happened. Ginny left the chamber. In order for her to get out she had to pass by me and Draco. She ran so quickly toward the door she didn't even notice us. But when she reached the exit, she turned around and saw me and Draco. She stood there speechless for what seemed like hours. Then, something behind us caught her eye, and she ran back toward the man she trusted to save her, and the one trying to kill him.
Ginny pushed Tom out of the way and was hit with Harry's stunner. She was knocked out cold. Draco stopped me from running out after Harry, convincing me that she would wake up, it was only a stunner, and my running out there would cause more problems than there were already.
In Harry's memoir of his second year, he mentions that he found Ginny unconscious. That is not the truth. He was the cause of her unconsciousness. The rest of the story I will have to assume is true. When the basilisk was released from the chamber, Draco and I left. We knew that Tom Riddle would protect Ginny, but he had no idea who and where we were. I still find it hard to believe that Harry defeated the basilisk and Tom Riddle, but no one can prove otherwise. Ginny was warned by Tom to keep quiet about such matters or people would think her insane. She talked to me, of course, but couldn't tell me what she was not awake to see.
Harry thought he had won. He returned the diary to Lucius with a sock in it. Mr. Malfoy, of course, noticed this and gave the diary to Dobby. Harry wasn't fully aware of the laws of house elves. Not any piece of clothing would set them free. It had to be a piece of their master's clothing given to them directly by their master. This scenario did not fit these qualifications but Mr. Malfoy warned Dobby beforehand to play along with any tricks Harry might try. So Dobby pretended that he was very grateful that he had been freed by the great Harry Potter.
Harry was happy in his ignorance. Dobby was happy with his role as a double agent. I was happy knowing that my sister was safe. Draco was happy that he now knew the name of the girl he was falling in love with. Ginny was happy that Tom's diary was returned to its rightful owners.
That summer everything I thought I knew was turned upside down. My third year at Hogwarts was spent reevaluating all my friendships. I found out some interesting things. But most importantly, I had my sister, and she had me. We had our trust in each other and it could not be broken. No matter what happened.