Having filled her tummy with the most scrumptious meal in both of her lives, Ginny followed the other first-years being led by the new 5th year Prefect, Rhona MacLean to the seventh-floor. Rhona introduced to them the Fat Lady, the Gryffindor Common Room and the girls’ dormitory.

Ginny, accompanied by her two roommates, settled onto their respective beds. Intrigued, she scanned the room, her eyes lingering on the presence of only three beds. The current scarcity of magical children piqued her curiosity, leading her to wonder if Voldemort's reign of terror was the cause.

The thought held merit, she felt, as responsible parents would be hesitant to bring a child into a world engulfed in a war against possibly the cruellest Dark Lord Britain had ever witnessed. It was only logical that they would strive to shield their offspring from needless suffering during such perilous times. 

Conceiving a child was already a challenge for most magical families, making their little ones all the more cherished—an anomaly her own family exemplified.

Voldemort and his loyal followers showed no mercy, sparing not even the most defenceless child. And this, along with the unscrupulous use of the Unforgivables, was exactly why he was so feared. He would spare no one that went against him, no man, woman, elderly or child.

Interestingly, even Grindelwald, arguably the most formidable Dark Lord of the century, refrained from harming magical children. Such actions contradicted the very ideals he fought for - a world where Magicals dominate - providing a small comfort to parents who could at least trust that their children would not face an unjust fate at the hands of their enemies. This moral distinction was one of the reasons behind Grindelwald's charismatic allure - a Dark Lord with ambitions to rule, yet maintaining a scrap of morality: a spark of light amidst the overwhelming darkness.

 

Shaking her head to clear out her thoughts of Dark Lords, she focused her attention on the present moment, introducing herself to her roommates, who would be her companions for the next five years. 

 

Yes, five years. She had decided that she would graduate before then, as she wanted to establish herself as a genius for her future plans, even if the details of said plans were foggy at best. She was sure, however, that the Sorting Hat would have decidedly spared her from placement in Gryffindor, had it known about her fantasies.

 

“I-I’m Guendoloena Isolde, nice to meet you. You can just call me Gwen.” the nervous freckled girl introduced herself, her curly brown hair framing her face as her baby blue eyes darted to and from her roommates, with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

 

“My name Aileen MacLean, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” said the somewhat chubby girl that gave off the impression of an adorable chipmunk acting mature. She definitely did not know how obvious it was that she had rehearsed those lines, making it that much more adorable.

 

Ginny had to resist the urge to stretch out her evil hands and vigorously pat their heads.

 

Gwen queried rather curiously, “MacLean? Like the Prefect Ms. MacLean?”

 

“Yes!” the chipmunk - cough - Aileen nodded her little head proudly. “She’s my elder sister. She was also the best of her year in her third and fourth years!”

 

“So cool!” exclaimed Gwen.

 

‘So adorable!’ exclaimed Ginny, inwardly.

 

-x-x-x-

 

After engaging in lively banter for a while, the trio eventually decided to retire to their beds. Well, the other two did. Ginny’s day was not over just yet, because she finally had the chance to try something she had been dying to. 

 

As the night descended, Ginny stealthily crept out of the dormitory and the common room, following the Marauder's Map she’d stolen from her brothers… What? They don’t need it anyway, as evidenced by them giving it away to Harry in his third year. Besides, she had already thought of a way to repay them, even if it would take a while.

 

The Marauder's Map, being a nearly comprehensive guide, showed almost all of the routes,  passages and even the portraits' names if you focussed your magic on the lines that depict the walls.

 

Making sure there was no one in her way, she made her way to the Room of Requirements.

 

‘I need a place that isolates five senses and magic… I need a place that isolates five senses and magic… I need a place that isolates five senses and magic…’

 

She slipped into the Room of Requirement, not before complaining about wizards and their absolutely nonsensical whims.

 

Why anyone would want to teach trolls how to ballet was beyond her comprehension. He was Baranabas the Barmy for a reason.

 

Upon entering, she found herself greeted by warm, gentle lighting illuminating a cosy space furnished with a simple table and a remarkably comfortable-looking chair.

 

"Phew," Ginny exhaled, she exhaled a breath she didn’t know she was holding, before regaining an excited look. 

 

‘Status Screen.’ 

 

{

Name: Ginevra Molly Weasley

Race: Witch

 

Magic: 2.5

Body: 0.6

Spirit: 3.9 

 

Innate Abilities: Assimilate: 3/3 (regen: 1/year (Total: 7/decade))

 

Skills: Cooking Lv.3 (4/4000), Flying Lv.5 (121/16000)

 

Spells: Wand-Lighting Charm Lv.2 (22/200), Levitation Charm Lv.2 (12/200),...

}

 

This status screen was not the most special; she could not add points, she could not increase her skills and she could not gain experience. It could barely be an indicator of her progress.

 

No, this was not her cheat.

 

{Innate Abilities: Assimilate 3/3 (regen: 1/year (Total: 7/decade))}

 

This was.

 

Taking a deep breath, she took out an ordinary, black diary. On one if it’s corners the initials, T.M. Riddle was embossed.

 

A malevolent sneer appeared on Ginny’s face, one that should have no business appearing on a young child’s face. Here it was, nonetheless.

 

With a mocking laugh, she addressed the diary, her voice tinged with dark amusement. “Haha, isn’t it funny, Riddle? That the girl you were going to possess and use as a stepping stone now has your fate in her hands? That you are now, in fact, are about to be used as a stepping stone yourself? Ironic, eh?”

 

After mocking Riddle’s inert diary for a while, she reined in her emotions. Placing the diary on the table, she pressed her hands on it.

 

“Assimilate”

 

In that instant, a tremendous force of attraction erupted from her hands, seizing hold of the black diary. Its pages shuddered in response, unleashing a torrential surge of black mist, transforming into the embodiment of a handsome young man, bringing with it a wave of vast Magic that tinged the very air sense of immense malice, hatred and a violent storm of negative emotions. The sheer intensity of Riddle’s Magic would have rendered an ordinary wizard paralyzed with fear, unable to summon the courage to even raise their wand, let alone cast a spell.

 

Riddle’s manifestation lunged towards her, transforming into Voldemort’s likeness, his maw opening wide as if to swallow her whole.

Before he could do anything, however, the diary, along with the terrible presence dissipated into thin air, vanishing completely from existence. There was no trace left behind, except for a chilling echo that lingered in the air - a haunting cry of resistance, a testament to the unwilling departure of Magic most vile. 

Ginny, who witnessed the phenomenon with awe, suddenly felt an overwhelming torrent of knowledge rushing into her mind. Memories, experiences, and a profound comprehension of Magicks flooded into her like a rushing river.

Closing her eyes and savouring the feeling, she chanted: 

 

“Lumos!”

 

{Ding! Wand-Lighting Charm Lv3}

 

“Lumos!”

 

{Ding! Wand-Lighting Charm Lv4}

 

“Lumos!”

 

{Ding! Wand-Lighting Charm Lv5}

 

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

 

{Ding! Levitation Charm Charm Lv3}

 

.

.

.

 

After nearly an hour of intensive spell-casting, she was finally exhausted. 

 

“Status”

 

{

Name: Ginevra Molly Weasley

Race: Witch

 

Magic: 5.6

Body: 0.6

Spirit: 5.7 

 

Innate Abilities: Assimilate 2/3 (regen: 1/year (Total: 7/decade)), Parseltongue

 

Skills: Cooking Lv.3 (4/4000), Flying Lv.5 (121/16000)

 

Spells: Wand-Lighting Charm Lv.7 (5776/6400), Levitation Charm Lv.7 (4121/6400),...

}

Ginny examined the changes that had occurred within her. The most interesting part to her was obviously the tremendous increase in her Magic stat, now standing at an impressive 5.6.

"More than an adult's... fascinating," she mused, realising that her knowledge of this fact stemmed from the insights provided by the diary, courtesy of Riddle himself.

One might scoff at a mere five points, but Ginny knew for a fact that the growth of stat points was not linear but strongly exponential. In a nutshell, it meant that 5 points in Magic was far greater than merely five times the quantity of Magic.

After taking a moment to revel in her newfound capabilities, Ginny decided it was time to make her way back to the dormitory. Before she stepped out, an idea struck her mind. She pulled out her wand waving it in a spiral almost resembling an eye and tapped herself.

“Abscondere”

A peculiar sensation washed over her, as if an egg had cracked open and its contents were poured over her head, covering her in a film. She had successfully cast a disillusionment charm on herself, rendering her virtually invisible to others. 

She nodded in satisfaction after examining the hand that had disappeared.

The disillusionment was quite a convenient charm, Ginny decided.