Shadows

Chapter Three: Fire and Ice

A small family of large water birds, with three species regularly seen in the UK (two of which breed) plus one rare vagrant from northern Asia (the white-billed diver). There is another similar species (the Pacific loon) in North America.

All have long, slender bodies, moderately long necks and dagger-shaped bills, quite long but narrow wings and small legs (with long, lobed toes) set far back on the body.

They are expert swimmers and divers but unable to stand or walk on land. All are migratory, breeding on freshwater lakes and pools but moving to the sea coast in winter.

So it was true. Divers couldn't walk on land. But then how was it that Shikoba was able to follow her out from under the tree? And why was it the voice of Tom Riddle wanted her to know that her bird was so unusual? No, not the voice of Tom Riddle...her illusion of him.

"No, it's not an illusion," she whispered to herself as she placed the library book back onto the shelf. It couldn't be an illusion, because she hadn't known that divers couldn't walk on land. How could her mind have spoken to her of knowledge it didn't have?

But that only meant...

Ginny shivered. She hadn't been able to find much on the subject of voices, other than things about schizophrenia and such. Nothing magical. Nothing about a dead wizard invading someone's mind. Nothing about a ghost haunting a person's body. But now she knew it had to be something like that. The voice really was Tom Riddle.

So that was why he'd wanted her to know why Shikoba was strange. So she would know that she wasn't delusional, that it really was him who told her to leave Harry or that she was the Lady of Shalott.

Speaking of which, she'd read through a book about the poem, and now she was even more confused. One of the themes of the poem – at least as far as Ginny understood it – was that in order to really live, you have to be able to die. That wasn't an idea that Lord Voldemort seemed to be particularly fond of.

But Lord Voldemort is dead.

"So are you," she responded.

That was it, Ginny decided. She had to tell somebody. Even if they thought she was crazy, they'd look into what was happening to her. Maybe someone could discover something...

"Hey, Ginny," Hermione approached her, a pile of books in her arms. "I'm ready to check out. Are you?"

Tell her, she told herself. Just open your mouth and say it...'I hear Tom Riddle in my head'...

"Yes," Ginny said, picking up the two books she'd placed at her feet (one on 'real and fictional hauntings', and the other a book of quotes she wasn't even sure why she'd picked up). "I'm ready."

She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell anyone what she was hearing. They'd lock her up forever.

Oh, how much she wanted to cry.

"Great," Hermione said. "What do you say we visit my house afterward to read? My parents would like to meet some of my old school friends, and we could order some food."

Ginny nodded, forcing a smile. "I'd like that."

-

Her time at Hermione's had been fun, though not very productive. They'd ordered tons of food she'd never heard of or otherwise had never tried (shrimp coconut curry, edamame, pita bread and tzatziki and mousakka) and talked about their Hogwarts adventures and old friends, and how stupid boys were sometimes, and all sorts of things. Then they watched a movie (Ginny forgot the title, but it was funny and romantic and had something to do with 'computers', 'email' and books) and ate until they were stuffed full, and then had some dessert (baklava). They played Wizard Chess, talked to Hermione's parents (who were very nice) and then made brownies the Muggle way.