Chapter 185: The Victim Of Catfishing
— — — — — —
After a few days of watching, Astoria realized Ginny’s movements were unpredictable. As a Slytherin, it wasn’t smart for her to stick too closely to the Gryffindors—too conspicuous.
So Tom’s mind sparked with another idea.
Can’t handle you, Ginny Weasley? Fine. I’ll deal with Luna instead.
Compared to Ginny, Luna was far easier to approach. She had no friends in her own house, and aside from sharing classes with Ginny, she was almost always alone.
Even today, after the match, Luna skipped her way back to the castle by herself.
Tom followed at a distance. When they passed the courtyard, he found a blind spot, easily knocked her out, cast a Disillusionment Charm to hide them both, and slipped straight into the Room of Requirement.
Once inside, he woke her up.
After all, he was only using her as bait. It wasn’t like the girl had actually done anything wrong, so he decided to at least be polite.
But to his surprise, Luna didn’t panic when she woke. She simply blinked her wide eyes, curiously scanning the room. Amusement welled up in Tom, and that was how the little scene just now had unfolded.
Even so, he still couldn’t detect a trace of fear from her.
"Riddle, you’ve noticed something’s off about Ginny too, haven’t you?"
Luna’s thin frame made her eyes look huge and bulging, like a goldfish.
"You know?" Tom froze, thrown off by her completely unexpected response.
The girl nodded slightly, her voice dreamy: "Since October, Ginny’s been different. Distracted. Her mind’s not in a good place. She carries a heavy weight inside. She hides away in corners to scribble things down, all on her own."
"And you don’t do anything?" Tom asked before he could stop himself.
"If Ginny wants to tell me, she will," Luna said as she wandered around the room. "Even friends shouldn’t meddle in each other’s lives."
Then she tilted her head. "Oh, Riddle, every time she hears your name, her expression changes. Does her secret have something to do with you?"
Tom: "..."
In that moment, he suddenly decided he hated Ravenclaws. Being friends with someone like this—no, even just being around them—wasn’t comfortable at all.
Although, that wasn’t entirely fair. Most Ravenclaws weren’t like Luna. Most were clever but greedy in certain ways. Quirrell and Lockhart had both come from Ravenclaw. Poor Professor Flitwick could hardly hold his head up because of students like them.
"You’re suspicious of me?" Luna asked curiously, sensing the unease coming from him.
"Yeah. No one likes being read so clearly," Tom admitted. Lying to her seemed pointless.
"That’s troubling," Luna murmured, frowning. "I can’t control it. It’s like... the aura around you. You don’t feel like a person. You’re more like a magical creature..."
"Stop. Enough." Tom’s eyelids twitched violently. He clapped a hand over her mouth. "You can’t control your instincts, fine. But you can control your mouth. From now on, if you notice something, keep it to yourself. Got it?"
Luna nodded silently, and only then did Tom free her. "Good. Now—tell me about Ginny."
This girl was uncanny. Not only did she have terrifying observational skills, her sensitivity to magical auras was downright abnormal. If she’d ever seen a Thunderbird or a dragon, she’d probably be able to name exactly what Tom was like.
"Lovegood, I suspect Ginny’s the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. She’s also the one who attacked your housemate, Penelope."
Tom threw the bombshell without hesitation, trying to seize back control of the conversation.
Sure enough, Luna’s face shifted. Shock, then doubt. "Ginny? That’s impossible. She would never..."
"That’s a question only she can answer. I brought you here to draw her out."
"I understand." Luna gave a small nod.
They didn’t have to wait long. Astoria had already taken Ginny down a few shortcuts and was leading her to the Seventh floor.
Ginny felt uneasy. Why would Ravenclaws bring Luna up here, of all places? This floor was dangerously close to the Headmaster’s office.
But Astoria knew better than to talk too much. She ran ahead breathlessly, never giving Ginny a chance to ask questions.
...
Astoria’s body was frail, and she wasn’t used to running. By the time they arrived, she was gasping for air. Seeing her so out of breath, Ginny’s suspicion melted away.
Tom had left the door open for them. Astoria pushed it wide, and Ginny followed without thinking.
The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
Luna was there, but she wasn’t hurt. And beside her wasn’t some Ravenclaw girl.
It was Tom Riddle.
Ginny’s face drained of color. She spun, ready to bolt—
Tom snapped his fingers. "Incarcerous."
Golden ropes whipped around Ginny’s feet, twisting and knotting in strange ways before she could even react.
Too bad she was only eleven. Nothing worth tying up. A waste of his skillful knotwork, really.
The ropes shot upward and hooked onto the wall, hoisting Ginny into the air. She dangled there, staring at Luna in disbelief.
"Luna, you betrayed me?!"
"No, Weasley. Luna’s here because I brought her," Tom said casually.
He conjured a chair for the wheezing Astoria and handed her a glass of water before turning back to face Ginny, eye to eye.
"Weasley, why did you try to run the second you saw me?"
Ginny averted her gaze. "Only an idiot wouldn’t run. This is clearly a trap."
"You’re pretty sharp." Tom chuckled. "So, since you’re that sharp, guess why I went through the trouble of setting one for you."
"I don’t know. Just let me down, this is really uncomfortable!"
She struggled, but the ropes only tightened, digging into awkward places.
"Smart people shouldn’t play dumb," Tom sighed. "Lovegood just told me—you always react strangely when you hear my name. We’ve never spoken before. Care to explain why?"
"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Riddle," Ginny snapped back, still putting on a brave face. "If you don’t let me go right now, I’ll tell Professor McGonagall. No matter how good your grades are, the school won’t allow you to bully first-years."
"You’re right," Tom nodded lightly. "But the school also won’t allow someone who can open the Chamber of Secrets to roam free, will they?"
Ginny’s face went white. She stared at him in horror.
Astoria and Luna exchanged a glance. That reaction told them everything: Ginny really was the Heir of Slytherin.
But why in Merlin’s name would Salazar Slytherin choose a Gryffindor as his heir?
"I didn’t do it!" Ginny burst into tears, thrashing as she cried hysterically. "It wasn’t me! I didn’t open the Chamber, I didn’t hurt Mrs. Norris or Clearwater! I don’t know anything!"
She sobbed harder. "I don’t know why I suddenly black out... why I wake up with blood on my hands. I don’t know what’s happening!"
"Tom Riddle—his name is the same as yours! But he’s not as terrifying as you!"
"That person?" Luna’s dreamy voice cut in. She stepped closer to Tom. "Riddle, let her down. She can’t take much more."
Tom didn’t refuse. With a flick of his wand, the ropes unraveled and Ginny collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Same name as Tom?" Astoria tilted her head, puzzled. "Weasley, is this someone you met outside school?"
"No... he’s not a person..." Ginny hiccupped through her tears. "He’s... a diary. Fifty years ago, there was another Tom Riddle at Hogwarts. He was Head Boy. Everyone said he was kind and understanding..."
Luna and Astoria exchanged startled looks.
"A sentient magical object," Luna muttered, frowning. "Those are always dangerous. Likely a Dark artifact."
Ginny just kept crying.
Tom crooked a finger, and a tattered black diary flew out of Ginny’s robe into his hand. It looked worn, unremarkable, like something you’d find in a secondhand shop.
But Astoria and Luna both stiffened. Astoria even blurted, "Tom, drop it! Give it to a professor!"
Tom smirked, shaking the book casually. "So that’s the truth. Technically, Ginny didn’t open the Chamber. The diary did."
He crouched in front of Ginny, who was still sniffling. "Enough crying. You sound awful. Tell me everything from the beginning, or... I’ll announce to the whole school that you’re the one behind the attacks."
Ginny hiccupped in shock. The tears stopped instantly, replaced with wide-eyed fear.
In her mind, Tom was already scarier than the Dark Lord himself. She’d cried her heart out, and he didn’t even flinch—not only that, he insulted her for it.
But the threat worked. If everyone believed she was the attacker, she’d never be able to show her face again. Trembling, she obeyed.
She explained how she’d stumbled across the diary in a pile of secondhand books, discovered it could write back, and thought it was just a clever trinket. At first, she used it for fun, scribbling now and then when she was bored.
But over time, "Tom Riddle" had seemed so kind, so patient, the perfect confidant. She started writing to him every day, carrying the diary everywhere, confiding all her troubles.
"You got catfished," Tom said flatly.
"Cat... fished?" Astoria blinked. "What’s that?"
"It’s when someone talks to a stranger—doesn’t know who they really are, what they look like, even if they’re a boy or girl—and convinces themselves that person is wonderful, trustworthy, even a soulmate. But in reality, it’s all a lie."
"There are people who can be tricked that easily?" Astoria was shocked.
Tom jerked his chin toward Ginny. "There’s one right here."
Ginny buried her face, cheeks burning with shame. She fought back fresh tears. Please, stop talking...
She didn’t know what "catfish" meant, but the way they described it was exactly what had happened to her. Put that way, she really was an idiot.
"So it really was the diary manipulating her into opening the Chamber?" Luna asked.
"I didn’t!" Ginny cried out. "I didn’t do any of it!"
"You just don’t remember," Tom replied coolly. With a flick of his wand, silver threads wrapped the diary, binding it tightly. "It’s like the Imperius Curse. Your memory was wiped, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t act."
"Then we should give it to Dumbledore immediately," Astoria insisted.
"No rush." Tom twirled the now-sealed diary in his hand, eyes glinting with amusement. "If there’s another Tom Riddle in this book, I’d like to play with him first. Then I’ll hand it to the Headmaster and let him deal with it."
"And... what about me?" Ginny whispered weakly.
"You?"
Tom’s eyes slid over her with a smirk. "Weasley, you don’t want anyone else knowing what you did, right? Then you’ll do exactly as I say. Consider your secret mine to keep."
Ginny’s face went ashen. She slumped against the floor, drained of all strength.
.
.
.