History FanFic / TheVerySecretDiary

* KuleshovEffect: A lot of the things Tom says are an excellent example of the written version of this. To Ginny, his lines sound friendly, empathetic, and sincere. To the audience, who has a ''much'' better idea of who Tom really is, they sound very, ''very'' different.

* MythologyGag: The story's title may be one to Chapter 13 of ''Chamber of Secrets'', also titled "The Very Secret Diary" where Harry first found Tom Riddle's diary.

Despite its ForegoneConclusion, The Very Secret Diary is able to draw out a lot of characterization, FridgeHorror, and suspense out of its subject. The story can be found [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/2345300/chapters/5171522 here]] and there is also a German translation that can be read [[http://www.fanfiktion.de/s/46b394cf00002d99067007d0/2/The-Very-Secret-Diary-by-Arabella here]]. Arabella also wrote a one-shot called ''[[http://www.sugarquill.net/read.php?storyid=1036&chapno=1 Disenchanted]]'', wherein Dumbledore talks to Ginny after the diary has been destroyed.

* VillainousBreakdown: On the moments where Ginny completely outsmart him, Riddle's response is dead silence, followed by violent threats.

* {{Sadist}}: Even by his own definition, Tom is ''evil''. While still pretending to be her friend, Tom tells her there is a difference between being "ruthless" (taking whatever action is necessary to accomplish your goals, but not being pointlessly cruel) and "evil" (taking pleasure in causing pain simply for the sake of it). Tom intending to make her participate in a massacre to punish her attempts to defy him, and the sheer ''joy'' he clearly takes in tormenting her even once he's established total control and neither needs to feed off her emotions nor break down her resistance makes it clear he simply relishes having a helpless victim. In the last chapter, when he is in total control of her mind and body and is just whiling away the time before she dies and Harry comes down and attempts a rescue, he continues to savour her terror and remorse, tell her that her fears of expulsion were groundless and going to Dumbledore early would have solved everything, make her pet the basilisk, mock her "unimaginative" choice of last meal, make fun of her IWantMyMommy moment and say he enjoys her begging, promise to tell Harry her embarrassing feelings for him and that everything's her fault so he dies hating her, and then have Ginny die being embraced by Harry's corpse in a perversion of her romantic dreams. Ginny's got no response beyond "You're... SICK".

* AintTooProudToBeg: Ginny, at the end. Tom finds it entertaining.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Ginny's change in behaviour is noticed by both the more concerned teachers and Percy, and they do their best to help, while having no idea what she's really dealing with.

** Guess. Tom frequently feeds lies and half-truths to Ginny, both to further his plan and just for kicks.

* EvilIsPetty: Tom claims to be using Ginny solely as a tool, but him intending to make her participate in a massacre to punish her attempts to defy him, and the sheer ''joy'' he clearly takes in tormenting her even once he's established total control and neither needs to feed off her emotions nor break down her resistance makes it clear he simply relishes having a helpless victim.

* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: Ginny gives a remarkable TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Tom, saying she simply can't work out what's wrong with him. When she's completely helpless and Tom chooses to pass the time until she dies by continuing to torment her (see {{Sadist}}) below she can give no response beyond "You're... SICK", still totally unable to wrap her mind around someone being so cruel purely for the pleasure of it.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Obviously Harry is this to Ginny, but this story is all about Ginny's heroic efforts in the background of Harry's own adventures.

''Ginny:''' I want... my mother...\\

* {{Sadist}}: Even by his own definition, Tom is ''evil''. While still pretending to be her friend, Tom tells her there is a difference between being "ruthless" (taking whatever action is necessary to accomplish your goals, but not being pointlessly cruel) and "evil" (taking pleasure in causing pain simply for the sake of it). Tom intending to make her participate in a massacre to punish her attempts to defy him, and the sheer ''joy'' he clearly takes in tormenting her even once he's established total control and neither needs to feed off her emotions nor break down her resistance makes it clear he simply relishes having a helpless victim. In the last chapter, when he is in total control of her mind and body and is just whiling away the time before she dies and Harry comes down and attempts a rescue, he continues to savour her terror and remorse, tell her that her fears of expulsion were groundless and going to Dumbledore early would have solved everything, make her pet the basilisk, mock her "unimaginative" choice of last meal, make fun of her IWantMyMommy moment and that he enjoys her begging, promise to tell Harry everything's her fault so he dies hating her, and then have Ginny die being embraced by Harry's corpse in a perversion of her romantic dreams. Ginny's got no response beyond "You're... SICK".

* AintTooProudToBeg: Ginny, at the end.

** Tom acts like a male version towards Ginny, accusing her of abandoning him every time she goes for too long without writing.

** Ironically, he claims ''Myrtle'' is one, to explain why Myrtle claims Ginny cursed at her and threatened her, when Ginny has no memory of doing such a thing (and, indeed, never would). Ginny buys it for awhile, but eventually catches on.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Tom comes off as very friendly and polite, but to the reader, who knows the truth about him, it's painfully transparent and insincere. Once Ginny finds out the truth, the mask comes crashing down, and Tom's clearly delighted at not having to pretend anymore.

** However, it's easier to read knowing the ending.

* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: Ginny gives a remarkable TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Tom, saying she simply can't work out what's wrong with him.
%% * GetOut: Tom's only response to the above.

* KickTheDog: Tom bullies, belittles, and insults Ginny well past the point where he's won. 'Cause he ''evil''.

''The Very Secret Diary'' is a fanfiction written by dramadragon and set during ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', made up solely of Ginny's written conversations with Tom Riddle's Diary.

''The Very Secret Diary'' is a fanfiction set during ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', made up solely of Ginny's written conversations with Tom Riddle's Diary.

* IllGirl: From April Ginny's health starts to be affected by Tom's growing influence and lack of sleep. This is not missed by Percy and the other girls in her year.

* CreepyMonotone: Ginny's writing voice is this while possessed by Tom, and near the end it starts to bleed into Ginny's conscious voice.

* AdultFear: Your eleven year old daughter makes a new friend she doesn't tell you about. They write back and forth for months, not meeting in person. She pours her heart out to this new friend. He is older than her, very possessive and controlling, and makes her feel isolated and alone without him. He presents himself as a benevolent ally, someone who wants to "teach" her things about the world, but slowly reveals himself to be a sadistic monster. When they finally properly meet, he shows his true colors, but by then, it's too late.

* SurvivalMantra: By April it's become a daily battle for Ginny to keep Tom at bay. After he forces her to stay awake for a whole week, she keeps herself going by telling herself that she only needs to hold on until the mandrakes are mature.

* SurvivalMantra: By April it's become a daily battle for Ginny to keep Tom at bay. After he forces her to stay awake for a whole week, Ginny keeps herself going by telling herself that she only needs to hold on until the mandrakes are mature.