Magical creatures, including wizards.
Their nerves are like conduits for the flow of magic.
Equivalent to the core of a wand.
586Please respect copyright.PENANA9YRhDNnecw
If a wand is broken, a wizard can only buy another one.
The magic conducted by the new wand can never be the same as the old one.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAhGT6kVLUVz
If we liken magic to electricity,
When Ginny's nerves are broken, it's like cutting a wire.
Any "healing effect" of electricity that comes into contact with the "wire" will be dispersed and absorbed.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAE9EeDCyltS
Wizards' healing magic cannot take effect, and muggles have no means to connect nerves nighter.
So Tom believes that Dumbledore also thought: Ginny is doomed.
586Please respect copyright.PENANADX2oMuW4fz
The cost of Horcrux to control the body is the soul of the possessed.
The more he uses Ginny's body, the faster and more thoroughly Ginny's consciousness will disappear.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAb6B2eH6Lms
Since Dumbledore "installed" him into this body, he knew that there was no return.
The Horcrux will gradually replace the places where the nerves should be connected.
And His soul will gradually replace Ginny's.
586Please respect copyright.PENANA9ICVHnjgH8
"Just as I planned from the beginning," Tom thought inwardly.
"Thanks to Grindelwald speaking so well of me in front of Dumbledore."
586Please respect copyright.PENANARQF6TpG6Sn
He tried not to be happy, but the feeling of relief was not fake.
He sat in his self-made prison for fifty years, even a bit longer than Mr. Grindelwald's time.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAN9KC6bLNOh
Unfortunately, Ginny doesn't know this.
She was deceived by Dumbledore's sweet words.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAaEGbupqaHx
The Weasley family, and even everyone he will meet in the future will never need to know at all as well.
Tom told himself, "From now on, I am Ginny Weasley."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAETDyJuWbPf
--
586Please respect copyright.PENANA5gD9XJSbyY
"Welcome back, Ginny!"
586Please respect copyright.PENANAQdBarO923O
On Sunday morning, he returned to Gryffindor Tower.
Her brothers adorned the common room with banners, making the place look like Christmas.
586Please respect copyright.PENANA3SIER36ohn
Ron, Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, even Percy.
Everyone was waiting here to celebrate for her.
586Please respect copyright.PENANALnF0FMBZsC
Percy was the first to apologize, "I'm sorry for misjudging you. I should have believed you."
Tom forced a smile and thought, "Your sister is already dead. What's the use of apologizing?"
586Please respect copyright.PENANAkJ5i9S0wYe
Ginny said in his mind, "Well, it's better than nothing."
Tom didn't respond because he had to concentrate hard on "daydreaming" to speak to Ginny.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAoy6PZGFk04
Ron said, "All those jerks are gone now. Don't keep all things to yourself. You don't act like this at home!"
He felt that as he often hung out with Harry, that caused him distant from Ginny.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAcMIWPU7rPc
Fred asked, "Are you still feeling unwell?"
George asked, "Why are you not speaking?"
586Please respect copyright.PENANAaD3tkc9yzp
Tom just had this subtle sense of empathy and guilt, feeling that all of this should belong to Ginny, not him.
He never had siblings or true human friends speak to him like that before.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAFxhIiB40ky
Tom said, "I just feel like so many students left because of me. They were students at our house too. Shouldn't we... be less happy?"
586Please respect copyright.PENANAM3dvuxj9M1
Hermione sighed, "You're thinking too much for others."
Harry said, "It's not your fault."
Ron said, "You didn't invite others to bully you."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAzpS3b8JEy4
Percy said, "Maybe you should be more assertive and tell others to come to pick on me instead."
Fred said, "Yeah, why do you always want to solve things on your own?"
George said, "When Bill and Charlie were here, they helped us out a lot."
Percy scolded, "You guys have the nerve to say that!"
Fred said, "The prefect is angry!"
George said, "How scary!"
586Please respect copyright.PENANA62dLm9qOaj
Then they all burst into laughter.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAK64grfWg6V
Tom remained silent, but they attributed it to Harry's presence, so he couldn't fully relax. Therefore, they grabbed him and told him many jokes and little things about their daily lives.
Every little detail sparkled like they were back at the Weasley's home. Tom was so moved that he felt like crying. "I need to go to the bathroom," Tom said.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAE3YvKsD288
When he left, Hermione said directly, "She was really bullied badly. Those girls forced her to move in with me. I should have spoken up earlier, but I didn't want Professor McGonagall to know, for I also wanted her to be my roommate."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAtcyFO972r9
Ron said, "She's acting so strange. She has never been this quiet before."
Fred said, "She's been like this ever since Harry came to our house."
George said, "She's always been a bit shy."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAe6CpMmR1Ul
Percy said, "Once she gets used to the environment, she'll be noisier than Ron."
Ron retorted, "You're the noisy one."
Percy rolled his eyes at him.
586Please respect copyright.PENANADAgkoYntkP
-----------
586Please respect copyright.PENANAVgQj7JAKWJ
On Monday, they resumed classes.
Daisy and Colin became partners, and both of them apologized to Ginny.
Luna, as usual, recognized Tom's true identity.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAIhWs7FnUn7
"Where's Ginny?" she asked.
Tom replied, "She needs some time to come back."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAKiNU2DLUHo
He didn't know how to break the news of her death. Should he cast a Memory Charm on Luna? But she would still sense that they were different people, right?
Curiously, Luna asked, "Are you 'you know who'?"
Tom asked back, "Who?"
But their conversation was interrupted by the teacher's cough.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAseQqEWJhks
Tom behaved like a good student and focused on the class. Luna fell asleep beside him, and they forgot about that topic after the class.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAevHozi5RgO
During his class with Ricky, he enthusiastically said, "Ginny! I heard they all got expelled! You must be relieved, right?"
Ricky genuinely rejoiced Ginny, thinking that she wouldn't be bullied in her own house anymore.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAJJvQZZgFBM
Tom, however, couldn't even force to smile.
If Ricky hadn't rushed to fight and lost, maybe Ginny wouldn't have died.
But as a beneficiary of that event, what right did he have to blame Ricky?
586Please respect copyright.PENANAsbknHBeFhX
"Wait, you're Tom, right?" Ricky finally recognized him from his silence.
Tom replied, "Yes, Ginny got hurt pretty badly. It will take some time for her to heal."
Ricky's joy was replaced with sadness, "Oh, I see. Sorry about that."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAlJtBRtxVCv
Ginny said in Tom's mind, "It's okay, it's not his fault. It's just my bad luck..."
Since the beginning of the school year, she has encountered attacks, accidents, and fights one after another. Without Tom, she wouldn't have made it this far.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAHQOuOoCP1W
Tom conveyed, "Ginny forgives you. But I hope you won't be so impulsive next time. If the enemy knows you'll retaliate immediately when provoked, you may easily fall into traps."
Ricky blinked and sighed, "You really are a Slytherin."
Tom took out stationery and books from his bag, ready to focus on class. Ricky, however, continued to watch him.
Tom couldn't help asking, "Is there anything else?"586Please respect copyright.PENANAJRl6s6NjBy
586Please respect copyright.PENANAKUZITo2zQu
Ricky glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to them and whispered, "Is 'You know who' related to you or not?"
Tom was puzzled.
Ginny explained in Tom's mind, "Because you changed your name to Voldemort and attached a curse definition to that term. So, people always call you 'You know who' instead."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAOC8WR6pyBo
Tom blinked and said, "I have no relation with him at all," lying to Ricky.
Slytherin was an ancient figure from a thousand years ago, and there were likely many far-away descendants. It would be normal for someone to awaken unexpected parseltongue talent without knowing the confusing bloodline at all.
586Please respect copyright.PENANA0FrRGzyK0U
Ricky felt relieved, "Oh... I see. That's good then."
He also wanted to ask where Tom had been last Friday, but the class had started.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAl0kyLFblY0
During dinner, Tom asked Ginny in his mind, "Do you feel lonely? Unable to chat with them anymore?"
Ginny replied, "I think of you. Before, You could only see the world through my eyes like that too, and I felt sorry for you."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAJXHxM5Vole
Tom realized that Ginny was exceptionally kind.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAerMARyhZIH
The guilt of stealing someone else's life kept growing inside him.
Quietly, Tom stuffed the steak into his mouth and said to Ginny, "We'll finish our homework as soon as possible, then research new healing methods."
Dark magic has limitless possibilities for an equivalent exchange, including bodies regenerated.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAy63zOEunNT
---
586Please respect copyright.PENANAIVIeIrCxB4
Those around Ginny felt that she became even quieter and colder.
Despite her academic achievements remaining at the top, she seemed more engrossed in studying extracurricular subjects.586Please respect copyright.PENANA0D023i8AWO
586Please respect copyright.PENANArQw0XefGzE
Daisy and Colin both tried to be friendly with Ginny multiple times, hoping to reconnect as friends, but Tom always expressed that he preferred solitude.586Please respect copyright.PENANAx0opFMAcJ6
Luna and Ricky knew that Tom was searching for a way to heal Ginny, but he refused to tell them what her injury was.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAQzMbReCXgY
Luna probably guessed it out, but she kept silent and wished him good luck without pressing further.
Ricky felt deeply guilty and didn't ask any more questions.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAbB0Kw6WuJG
Another person who observed Tom closely was Albus Dumbledore.
Since Tom entered Ginny's body, Dumbledore had not spoken to him again. 586Please respect copyright.PENANA7SCBCtKpeH
586Please respect copyright.PENANAobY8LumOO1
There was also no need to.
That day, he and Gellert were discussing how to design the second Chamber of Secrets event. Tom could hear them since Gellert's hand was pressed on the diary the whole time.
586Please respect copyright.PENANARIVzsACmyQ
Albus Dumbledore had long known that Harry was a Parseltongue. He was informed about the zoo but kept it secret.
Connected with what Tom said about Horcruxes, Dumbledore guessed that Harry's situation might be similar to Ginny's.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAitygevdDzp
If there was a protection spell that could exchange one life for another, how could only Lily Potter know how to cast it?
Lily's protection spell did work, but it was not enough to withstand the Killing Curse. It could only inflict some damage on Voldemort's fragmented soul.
This minor damage might not affect ordinary wizards, but Voldemort's soul was already too unstable.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAMGqXbxTi5E
Harry's near-death body attracted the fragmented pieces of Voldemort's soul, allowing the small baby to be resurrected.
But who was resurrected, Harry or the tiny Voldemort?
586Please respect copyright.PENANAVX7kGT0nUi
Dumbledore had found it odd at the time, so he went along with the flow and sent him to the Dursleys' house.
Now, it seemed that Tom's greatest enemy had always been himself.
586Please respect copyright.PENANA2g9Q1Dqbwp
---
586Please respect copyright.PENANA0u9QNHFQOJ
Ginny couldn't understand the dark magic books that Tom was reading.
He completed her homework much faster than she could keep up with.
She suspected that once she took back control of her body, she might never catch up with her peers again.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAxxjQEYPShX
"Tom," he was the only person she could talk to now.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Tom's surface was still reading the book, but he was engaged in their inner conversation.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAodN1f1nN0v
Ginny said, "What if I can never recover?"
They had never discussed this topic before.
Tom remained silent.
586Please respect copyright.PENANA7agwCmcBA4
Ginny continued, "My parents will notice if we go back home for Christmas."
Time flies and October was almost over. They were approaching Halloween.
586Please respect copyright.PENANA8jAHIyO51D
Tom said, "I can't say I'm Tom Riddle; it would implicate Dumbledore."
Although Dumbledore always asked him to do things against his will, he had indeed grown and benefited from those experiences.
586Please respect copyright.PENANACticZyvL9B
Ginny said, "Then let's find a plausible excuse for memory loss."
Tom thought, "Is she being too proactive? Does she suspect something?"
586Please respect copyright.PENANA2tv3UFJvqg
Tom said, "For example, I, the dark lord, possessed you and made you open the Chamber of Secrets. As a result, you suffered a mental breakdown and lost your memory. Luckily, Harry Potter appeared, defeated me, saved you, and unravelled the Malfoy plot."
586Please respect copyright.PENANA5SQCZP11w9
Ginny awkwardly replied, "So, you've already planned all this?"
Tom said, "Maybe I need to harm a few more classmates and some small animals."
Ginny asked, "They won't die, will they?"
Tom assured her, "We will be more careful this time."
Ginny asked, "We? You and Professor Dumbledore?"
Tom replied, "Yes."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAwgY2TsEvZL
Ginny thought, "When did they discuss all this without my knowledge?"
Lately, she had been feeling mentally unstable due to sleepiness. Occasionally, she would lose consciousness for several hours unwillingly.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAFH5D5jmMZe
Ginny said, "If I never wake up again, please take good care of my family. Protect them, especially Harry."
Tom remained silent.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAK214ddjgXd
Ginny said, "If my family finds out you're not me, don't admit it. Or, you can say you're my friend, and I gave you my body willingly."
This time, Tom asked, "Why are you so sure that this wasn't all planned by me and Dumbledore from the beginning?
Don't you think it's a bit too coincidental? Just when I needed a body, you became a vegetable.
Just when I left, you have been pushed.
I'm a seventeen-year-old Voldemort, and Dumbledore is Grindelwald's old flame.
We were most likely to conspire against you like we did with Harry from the start, wasn't it?"
586Please respect copyright.PENANAMdYvkjM3IY
Tom felt that the world seemed particularly malicious towards beautiful creatures. First, it was his mother, who gave him such a thoughtful name. Then it was Basilisk, and now Ginny.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAygjcEWDnOb
Ginny said, "I don't think you're a bad person, Tom. Even if you were, it's too late for me to scream and shout now."
Tom said seriously, "I can leave if you want."
He could talk to Dumbledore about this.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAXf3Y1qJ9LE
Ginny said, "I still trust you the most. You will surely defeat yourself."
Tom didn't say anything.
He closed his eyes, folded his hands on the table, and rested his forehead on top.
586Please respect copyright.PENANA1NBNxKCJET
If God existed in this world, he wished he had refused Dumbledore back then. 586Please respect copyright.PENANABhjdSvoKs6
He wanted to graduate smoothly, work for a while, save money, and then travel. He would keep waiting for a vacancy at Hogwarts while travelling.
And If he got a job at the school and worked with Dumbledore. On weekends, they would visit Hogsmeade and reminisce about the past like friends.
Maybe if he even sent the ring to Dumbledore in time, Grindelwald would have gotten married. So during summer vacation, he would visit their home and test the limits of magic together.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAj7uTdkFPQ3
If only there were so many ifs in this world.
The longer people lived, the more things they would feel guilty and regarded about.
586Please respect copyright.PENANAMWPm6uYGbw
Tom responded, "I will let Harry defeat me. If possible, I want to live with your name forever. I don't want to defeat myself. For I've killed so many people, I don't have the face to live on. Your family and friends miss you, not me. I'm just an unloved, jinxed person, wherever I go, someone dies."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAVNIqNzY2Wj
Ginny remained silent for a long time and said, "You're just very unlucky. Holding on for a little longer. Someone will love you eventually. My family and friends really like your type. Just look at Harry, my parents treat him like another son. Luna and Ricky both said you're great too."
586Please respect copyright.PENANAgU9DVOdapD
Tom rested his elbow on the table, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and knew that crying was useless. So he said with determination, "We have to start by dealing with Mrs. Norris."
586Please respect copyright.PENANACaPo3wLeda
Ginny didn't have much time left, and there was still too much Tom needed to take over.
Studying medical dark magic books every day now was unrealistic. It would be better to spend more time interacting and communicating with Ginny and truly becoming her doppelgänger.
ns216.73.216.0da2