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edenfallingSummary: "Chamber of Secrets" from Ginny's point of view. In this chapter, tensions rise after Mrs. Norris is found Petrified, and neither her family nor Tom can soothe Ginny's anger and fear. Guest-starring Sir Vladislav the enchanted suit of armor!
I am sure there was a reason behind the chapter title back when I wrote this, but I don't remember what it was. Perhaps something to do with psychological defense mechanisms? Anyway, this is kind of a transitional chapter after the emotional wringer of Halloween. Ginny begins to push away her brothers as well as her housemates, leaving her even more dependent on Tom. On the other hand, Herbology continues to be a refuge and she meets Sir Vladislav the enchanted suit of armor (the last of my really important supporting OCs).
The opening scene has Ginny basically hiding from her housemates over the weekend, partly from guilt and fear but also because she's pissed off at the swirling rumors that Harry is the Heir. Her conversation with Ron is taken word-for-word from CoS, though you will notice I recast the reasoning behind her reactions. (I started doing that a lot more as the story progressed, since I needed Ginny to have a character arc instead of being a cardboard plot token.) Ron and Percy are both worried about Ginny, but they're both bad at expressing that concern in useful ways, which has the unfortunate side effect of making Ginny even less disposed to confide in them.
Tom feeds her a very sanitized version of the Chamber legend, and some more lies about Rose Winterbourne, carefully calculated to both elicit Ginny's sympathy and make her inclined to seek and accept his aid and advice. He's using her idealism against her while also feeding her prejudices. It's a nasty combination. (He also offers to give her some advanced tutoring, which, IIRC, he actually follows through on in the next few chapters.)
After some cursorily described lessons, the Gryffindor first years collectively decide to research the Chamber of Secrets; Ginny tags along because she's as curious as anyone else. Note this further evidence that her isolation is self-imposed; nobody objects to her presence! In fact, Susan seems more actively annoyed at Apple in this scene, at least until Ginny calls everyone stupid and storms off when they refuse to stop assuming Harry must be the Heir. Then we have a little moment of dramatic irony where Ginny complains to Apple about people being prejudiced toward Harry (which is exactly the same thing she's been doing to Daphne all year). To her credit, Apple doesn't snap and call Ginny a hypocritical dumbass, but I hope it's evident that she's aware of the irony.
The next scene is a little bit of a narrative cheat. Ginny wants to investigate the crime scene, but I couldn't have her interrogate Myrtle directly since there is no way on earth she wouldn't have remembered that and mentioned it to the Trio later on. So I had her eavesdrop while the Trio questioned Myrtle, after which it occurred to me that Hogwarts has so many living portraits and enchanted suits of armor that it would be very strange for one not to have been in place to see Ginny and the basilisk emerge from the bathroom. And thus Sir Vladislav was born. He became a lot more important to the plot and thematic/emotional arc than I ever would have guessed, considering he was a complete accident. (The argument Ginny overhears between Percy and Ron also cements her annoyance toward both of them; a useful side effect for my purposes!)
When Ginny tells Tom the story of the Chamber she learned from Hogwarts: A History, he does some quick damage control by explaining the source of Salazar Slytherin's dislike of Muggle-borns. I am inclined to think his story is more or less true, though it still doesn't justify a goddamn basilisk in a school. He also mentions that he's remembered a spell that may help him escape the diary. Ginny promtly agrees to perform it; her eagerness seems to surprise him. (Side note: Tom actually reminds Ginny that she dumped pumpkin juice on Daphne! So I hadn't yet forgotten that incident when writing this chapter.)
The final scene is Ginny's first time at Evening Herbology, aka Professor Sprout's extracurricular Herbology club. It's an inter-House deal -- anyone who likes and/or has a talent with plants is welcome. Ginny is a bit prickly about some Slytherins being present and winds up partnered with Neville. The rest of the scene is largely self-indulgent blather about imaginary magical plants. (I am quite fond of Siren's Hair -- carnivorous underwater ferns for the win!) However, Neville also gets to mention that he's worried about the Heir since people consider him nearly a Squib, and there's a subtle sense of paranoia as they pair up in the darkened grounds and castle corridors rather than head back to Gryffindor Tower on their own.
We end on yet another Ginny-and-Tom conversation, in which Tom plays his "best friend" role to the hilt and Ginny looks forward to casting the promised spell and getting him one step closer to freedom.
Tangentially, one thing I always found interesting about writing "Secrets" is that in many ways, Tom really was a good friend to Ginny. He prodded her to do schoolwork when she was feeling lazy, he taught her some advanced magical tricks, he treated her thoughts and feelings seriously, and he paid attention to her rather than to "the youngest Weasley" or "the Weasley girl." This does not in any way negate the fact that he was using her all along, saw her as a tool, and intended to kill her as soon as possible... but one consequence of making Ginny an active participant in her own story (rather than a helpless puppet) is that I had to give her reasons to like and trust Tom. Which in a way makes the eventual consequences even worse, since both her sense of complicity and her sense of betrayal are greater and much, much messier.
I dunno, maybe I like ethical conundrums too much, but I've always thought shades of gray make a more interesting story than stark black-and-white.
Bechdel Test = PASS
I am sure there was a reason behind the chapter title back when I wrote this, but I don't remember what it was. Perhaps something to do with psychological defense mechanisms? Anyway, this is kind of a transitional chapter after the emotional wringer of Halloween. Ginny begins to push away her brothers as well as her housemates, leaving her even more dependent on Tom. On the other hand, Herbology continues to be a refuge and she meets Sir Vladislav the enchanted suit of armor (the last of my really important supporting OCs).
The opening scene has Ginny basically hiding from her housemates over the weekend, partly from guilt and fear but also because she's pissed off at the swirling rumors that Harry is the Heir. Her conversation with Ron is taken word-for-word from CoS, though you will notice I recast the reasoning behind her reactions. (I started doing that a lot more as the story progressed, since I needed Ginny to have a character arc instead of being a cardboard plot token.) Ron and Percy are both worried about Ginny, but they're both bad at expressing that concern in useful ways, which has the unfortunate side effect of making Ginny even less disposed to confide in them.
Tom feeds her a very sanitized version of the Chamber legend, and some more lies about Rose Winterbourne, carefully calculated to both elicit Ginny's sympathy and make her inclined to seek and accept his aid and advice. He's using her idealism against her while also feeding her prejudices. It's a nasty combination. (He also offers to give her some advanced tutoring, which, IIRC, he actually follows through on in the next few chapters.)
After some cursorily described lessons, the Gryffindor first years collectively decide to research the Chamber of Secrets; Ginny tags along because she's as curious as anyone else. Note this further evidence that her isolation is self-imposed; nobody objects to her presence! In fact, Susan seems more actively annoyed at Apple in this scene, at least until Ginny calls everyone stupid and storms off when they refuse to stop assuming Harry must be the Heir. Then we have a little moment of dramatic irony where Ginny complains to Apple about people being prejudiced toward Harry (which is exactly the same thing she's been doing to Daphne all year). To her credit, Apple doesn't snap and call Ginny a hypocritical dumbass, but I hope it's evident that she's aware of the irony.
The next scene is a little bit of a narrative cheat. Ginny wants to investigate the crime scene, but I couldn't have her interrogate Myrtle directly since there is no way on earth she wouldn't have remembered that and mentioned it to the Trio later on. So I had her eavesdrop while the Trio questioned Myrtle, after which it occurred to me that Hogwarts has so many living portraits and enchanted suits of armor that it would be very strange for one not to have been in place to see Ginny and the basilisk emerge from the bathroom. And thus Sir Vladislav was born. He became a lot more important to the plot and thematic/emotional arc than I ever would have guessed, considering he was a complete accident. (The argument Ginny overhears between Percy and Ron also cements her annoyance toward both of them; a useful side effect for my purposes!)
When Ginny tells Tom the story of the Chamber she learned from Hogwarts: A History, he does some quick damage control by explaining the source of Salazar Slytherin's dislike of Muggle-borns. I am inclined to think his story is more or less true, though it still doesn't justify a goddamn basilisk in a school. He also mentions that he's remembered a spell that may help him escape the diary. Ginny promtly agrees to perform it; her eagerness seems to surprise him. (Side note: Tom actually reminds Ginny that she dumped pumpkin juice on Daphne! So I hadn't yet forgotten that incident when writing this chapter.)
The final scene is Ginny's first time at Evening Herbology, aka Professor Sprout's extracurricular Herbology club. It's an inter-House deal -- anyone who likes and/or has a talent with plants is welcome. Ginny is a bit prickly about some Slytherins being present and winds up partnered with Neville. The rest of the scene is largely self-indulgent blather about imaginary magical plants. (I am quite fond of Siren's Hair -- carnivorous underwater ferns for the win!) However, Neville also gets to mention that he's worried about the Heir since people consider him nearly a Squib, and there's a subtle sense of paranoia as they pair up in the darkened grounds and castle corridors rather than head back to Gryffindor Tower on their own.
We end on yet another Ginny-and-Tom conversation, in which Tom plays his "best friend" role to the hilt and Ginny looks forward to casting the promised spell and getting him one step closer to freedom.
Tangentially, one thing I always found interesting about writing "Secrets" is that in many ways, Tom really was a good friend to Ginny. He prodded her to do schoolwork when she was feeling lazy, he taught her some advanced magical tricks, he treated her thoughts and feelings seriously, and he paid attention to her rather than to "the youngest Weasley" or "the Weasley girl." This does not in any way negate the fact that he was using her all along, saw her as a tool, and intended to kill her as soon as possible... but one consequence of making Ginny an active participant in her own story (rather than a helpless puppet) is that I had to give her reasons to like and trust Tom. Which in a way makes the eventual consequences even worse, since both her sense of complicity and her sense of betrayal are greater and much, much messier.
I dunno, maybe I like ethical conundrums too much, but I've always thought shades of gray make a more interesting story than stark black-and-white.
Bechdel Test = PASS
