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💌 | Chamber of Contrasts

Magical Fables !
One Shot No. OO2 :
Chamber of Contrasts
[ How similar and different is Harry from Tom narrated from Ginny's perspective. ]

"Ginny." His dark hair fell over his glimmering eyes, which somehow seemed to hide malice in them. "You are perfect, girl. You don't have to make yourself any more perfect for him."

"But he doesn't like me. . ." I answered back earnestly. "Where are we?"

"That doesn't count,” he cut in, ignoring my question. “So what if he doesn't like you? It doesn't matter. You are unique in your own way, and I like you in my own unique way." His voice made my breath ragged. There was a hitch in his tone. He moved closer, licking his lips in a scary manner.

"T-Tom. . . you know that I consider you as another brother. . . right?" I squeaked. I did not like how my voice sounded like a dying rat. Tom merely shook his head.

"I don't want to be a plain old elder brother. I want to be more. Not friends either. I want your soul, Ginny. It'll help me out a lot, you know."

"What do you mean?!" I shouted indignantly, my arms over my chest.

"Merlin’s beard, you foolish girl. It's hard to believe I had to mingle with such a class." He shook his head, along with the trust I had in him. "You'll be giving the young, blooming energy of your soul, Ginevra! With that, I'll be able to become mortal once again!"

"I—what happened to you, Tom?" Tears stung my eyes. It was too hard to take, this feeling of being betrayed by the one you believed you could confide in. "I thought you were a good guy. . ."

"You dreamed! I'll show you how good of a guy I am when it comes to dark magic!" he screamed. With a dramatic leap, he snatched me by my hair. The next thing I knew, I landed face-first on the cold floor. With horror, I noticed my wand in his hand. A devilish smirk present on his face was the last thing I saw before I fell deep down into the abyss of guilt.

"Ginny." My eyes fluttered open to see a figure crouched over me. His dark hair fell over his glimmering eyes which did nothing to hide pure worry. "Are you okay? You’ve been unconscious for a while, I suppose."

"Oh! I-I swear I d-didn't do a-anything! It was T-Tom –" I stuttered, trying to be as earnest as I could in my current state. I was frigid, nearly freezing to death. My mind was frozen and still.

"Ginny, ssh. It's okay. He's gone. It's just a memory. Everything is fine now, Ginny." The way my name sounded on his lips made my heart skip a beat. He smiled the best he could in all the slime he was covered in, then scooted closer.

"H-Harry, a-are you h-hurt?" My voice was no better now. In fact, it was worse than a dying rat. Harry's heartwarming smile made sure of it.

He shook his head. "I'm okay. Let's get you out of here. Ron is waiting on the other side with Lockhart. Hopefully, his heart isn't locked with worry." He chuckled at his own joke. It was not funny, but he looked attractive.

"W-What do y–you mean?"

"Ah, my bad." Harry dropped his head. "I merely tried to joke but. . . oh well. Let's just get out of this damp place. I'm afraid it's affecting my senses." He stood up and I followed his lead. That was a mistake. My knees buckled with weakness as a tide of shivers ran up my spine.

"I'm a-a bit n-naked, I g-guess," I mumbled. His inquisitive stare made me wonder what I had blabbered. When the realization hit me like a tide, I turned as red as a rose. Covering my face with my hands, I shouted, "I m-meant knackered!" The feeling that this bloke was giving me was overwhelming.

"That's okay, Ginny. I understand that you are tired. Like I said, let us get to Ron, and then we can get you to the warmth of the Gryffindor common room. It's bound to warm you up. If you ask me, it sounds like a faraway dream," he said with a chuckle. With that, he picked up a sword, the damned diary, and the sorting hat. . . ? "Fawkes brought this down. It's a long story. I'll tell you later," he said when he noticed my stare.

Making a gesture to start moving, he walked away. I trundled along, hoping to not be left alone. Just walking by his side gave me an inexplicable warmth that drew a sharp line of contrast with Tom's presence. Perhaps I just needed a boost of strength.

As I looked back at the Chamber, I realized with shredding fear that the boost of strength would be overcoming the traumas. . .

Credits !
Author: marina_swampert
Editor: Anonymouscuzwhynot
Based on Idea by OliviaPotter2010

Next Up
[ Tom's take on the climax of
Chamber of Secrets ] 👉