Deep within the void of the Diary, Ethan began to feel the familiar pull of his connection with Ginny.
He focused on it, following the faint thread of magic until his consciousness reached her. Ginny's presence slowly came into focus, and Ethan could feel fragments of her thoughts and emotions passing through the connection.
He began to influence her mind.
Not enough to take control, but enough to gently push her thoughts in the direction he wanted.
Ethan needed Ginny to get close to Harry again.
At the same time, he began feeding her another emotion, the sadness she had felt after throwing the Diary away.
He found the guilt and regret hidden inside her and made them stronger. He reminded her of how lonely she had felt without him, how empty the world had seemed when the Diary was gone.
*****************************
Ginny sat quietly at the Gryffindor table the following morning, barely touching her breakfast.
The Great Hall was unusually noisy, but Ginny hardly noticed. Students were talking in low voices about the attacks, the Chamber of Secrets, and the growing rumours surrounding Harry. Now and then, someone glanced towards the Gryffindor table before quickly looking away.
Ginny kept her eyes on her plate.
She didn't want to listen.
She especially didn't want to hear someone talking badly about Harry.
But then Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down nearby, and Ginny couldn't help overhearing their conversation.
"It wasn't a spell," Harry said quietly, leaning in so close his glasses nearly brushed Ron's nose. "The diary answered me. Its name was Tom Riddle. He was a prefect fifty years ago... and he showed me what happened."
Ginny's heart began to pound.
The Diary.
They were talking about the Diary.
She slowly lowered her fork, trying not to look towards them.
Ginny's breathing became quick and shallow.
Harry had found it.
He had found the Diary and written in it.
Now he knew about Tom.
Her fingers began to tremble beneath the table.
What if Harry knew about her as well?
Ginny could not bear the thought of Harry looking at her differently.
Ginny's heart sank. Tom had shown Harry everything, or perhaps he had kept her secret. Either way, Ginny could not risk it. She had to get the Diary back.
The thought came so suddenly that she nearly jumped.
Get it back.
Ginny stared at her untouched breakfast, fingers tightening around the table's edge. She remembered holding the Diary, writing in it late at night, and reading Tom's answer from its pages. She remembered how safe she had felt, believing someone finally understood her.
Then she remembered throwing it away.
A heavy sadness settled over her, bringing back the hollow emptiness she had felt afterwards. She missed Tom. She missed the Diary.
And now Harry had it.
Ginny glanced towards him. She needed to retrieve it before he discovered the truth, asked questions, or realised what she had done.
*********************************
Ethan could feel Ginny's emotional state through their connection. It was fluctuating wildly; one moment she was stressed and frightened, and the next she was filled with determination.
It seemed his method of making Ginny aware that Harry had the Diary had worked. Now, all he needed was for her to retrieve it.
Harry had left the Diary in his room rather than taking it with him, so there was no better opportunity for Ginny to steal it back.
Ethan focused on the connection between them and gently pushed her emotions in the direction he wanted, amplifying her desperation to get the Diary back until the thought became almost impossible for her to ignore.
Then he simply waited.
**************************
Ginny waited until breakfast was nearly over before she slipped away from the Great Hall.
She kept her head down as she walked through the corridors, trying not to draw attention to herself, though every passing student made her heart beat faster.
The thought of going into Harry's dormitory should have frightened her enough to turn back, but the desperate need to get the Diary back had become stronger than her fear.
It felt as though something inside her was pulling her towards it, reminding her that the Diary belonged with her.
The Gryffindor common room was quieter than usual when Ginny entered. A few students were scattered around the sofas, talking amongst themselves.
Ginny paused just inside the portrait hole and glanced towards the staircase leading to the boys' dormitory.
She knew she should not go up there. If anyone saw her, she would have no good explanation for why she was wandering around the boys' staircase.
I have to get it back.
The thought pushed aside her hesitation.
Ginny hurried up the staircase, listening carefully for footsteps. When she reached the boys' dormitory, she found the door slightly open.
She pushed it wider and peered inside. The room was empty, the four-poster beds standing quietly beneath their red hangings, with the morning sunlight spilling through the windows and falling across the wooden floor.
Her eyes immediately went to Harry's bed.
Ginny crossed the room as quietly as she could. She pulled back the curtains and searched the bedside table first, but there was nothing there. Her heart began to race.
Where is it?
She checked beneath a few books, then opened the small drawer beside the bed. Nothing.
For one terrible moment, Ginny wondered if Harry had taken the Diary with him after all. Then she noticed the corner of something black beneath the pillow.
Her breath caught.
She pulled it out.
The Diary.
Ginny stared at it in her hands, and a strange mixture of relief and guilt washed over her
Ginny hugged the Diary against her chest for a moment before suddenly remembering where she was. She shoved it beneath her robes and quickly pulled the pillow back into place, making sure there was no sign that anyone had searched the bed.
Ginny waited another few seconds before the door as she listened for anyone coming; then she hurriedly slipped out of the dormitory.
She descended the stairs quickly and went directly to her room, where she slipped into her bed. She held the diary tightly in her hand.
Deep inside the Diary, Ethan felt the connection between them strengthen the moment Ginny touched it. Her emotions flooded through the bond: relief, fear, guilt, longing.
**************************
Ethan could feel the change in Ginny almost immediately. The panic that had been twisting through their connection began to fade, replaced first by uncertainty and then by a deep sense of relief.
She had been terrified that he was angry with her, and the moment Ethan assured her that he was not, he could almost feel the tension leaving her body.
He continued to reassure her, carefully choosing each thought and emotion he allowed through the connection.
He reminded her that he had never blamed her for throwing the Diary away and, more importantly, that he had told Harry nothing about her.
That last part brought the strongest reaction. Ginny's fear eased considerably, and in its place came gratitude and a faint sense of guilt. She had expected him to be furious with her, yet he was forgiving her instead.
Ethan let the connection grow quiet and encouraged her to rest. Ginny still felt shaken, but she was no longer overwhelmed by it.
She clutched the Diary close for a while, comforted by the knowledge that Tom was there and that he was not angry with her.
Eventually, Ethan allowed her to put the Diary away and continue with her day.
As Ginny left, Ethan remained deep within the darkness of the Diary, quietly observing the emotions still lingering in her mind. Fear was still there, as was guilt, but something else had become stronger than either of them.
Trust.
Ethan allowed himself a small smile.
The stronger connection also had the added benefit of allowing Ethan to regain some of the control he had been slowly losing over Ginny.
Now it was time to plan the third attack, and hopefully, this one would be enough to get Dumbledore out of Hogwarts.
Ethan considered Hermione to be a decent target. She was close to Harry, and if she were attacked, Harry would be even more determined to uncover the secrets of the Chamber.
And it would have the added advantage of keeping Hermione away from Harry when the final confrontation came.
After finally having some time to rest, Ethan decided to absorb and experience the rest of the memories he had taken from Harry.
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