Madison Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Chapter 17: The Riddle Who Is No Longer A Secret

Harry and I stood outside of Dumbledore's office at eight o'clock Monday night, ready for our lesson. Dumbledore opened the door after we knocked, looking very exhausted.

His hand was black and burnt still, but he smiled at us and gestured us over to the Pensieve.

"I've heard you both have had a busy time while I have been away," Dumbledore remarked. "Including Katie's accident."

I nodded. "How is she?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Still ill, but she is very lucky. She appears to have brushed the necklace with the smallest possible amount of skin: there was a tiny hole in her glove. Had she put it on, had she even held it in her ungloved hand, she would have died. Lucky Professor Snape was able to do enough to prevent a rapid spread of the curse-"

"Why him? Why not Madame Pomfrey?" Harry rudely asked.

"Harry!" I whisper yelled at him.

"Harry, Professor Snape knows much more about the Dark Arts than Madame Pomfrey."

No dip he does. He's the freaking DADA teacher and is a Death Eater.

"Where were you this weekend, sir?" Harry asked, pushing his luck.

"Harry! Stop being so rude!" I patronized him.

"Anyway, let's get on with the lesson."

Dumbledore poured in the silvery contents of the memory into the pensive. Inside of it there was a little old man with a lump of hair that covered his eyes completely.

"Yes, we acquired it in curious circumstances," the old man stated. "It was brought in by a young witch just before Christmas many years ago. She said she needed the gold badly, and that was obvious. Covered in rags and far along in her pregnancy. She said the locket had been Slytherin's. But heard that a lot- 'Oh, this was Merlins, his favorite teapot'- but this was the real deal! I gave her ten galleons for it!"

Dumbledore suddenly gave the Pensieve a horrendous shake and the man was gone.

"He only gave her ten galleons?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Burke was not known for generosity," Dumbledore wheezed. "So we know that, near the end of her pregnancy, Merope was alone in London and in desperate need of gold. She was desperate enough to sell her one and only valuable possession: the locker that was one of Marvolo's treasured family heirlooms."

"But she could do magic!" I cried out. "She could have got food and everything for herself by magic, right?"

"Ah," Dumbledore nodded, "perhaps she could have. But I believe that when her husband abandoned her, she stopped using magic. She didn't want to be witch any longer. Merope refused to raise her wand even when to save her own life."

"She wouldn't even stay alive for her son?" I blurted out.

Dumbledore looked at me curiously. "Could you... Possibly be feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?"

"No," I quickly replied, "but she had a choice! Not like my mom-"

"Your mom had a choice too," the old man informed me. "Yes, Merope chose death over her son, but judge her too harshly, Madison. She was weakened by long suffering and never had your mom's courage."

It was silent for a moment while the geezer put in a new memory.

Suddenly, my feet hit the ground. I was next to Harry and Dumbledore, standing in an old-fashioned street in London.

"There I am," Dumbledore brightly stayed, pointing to a fall figure.

It was the younger Albus Dumbledore, and his long hair and beard was neatly trimmed and it was auburn- just like my hair. He was wearing a flamboyant plum suit.

"Nice suit," Harry complimented. Dumbledore chuckled.

The three of us followed the younger Dumbledore and finally reached a building. It was an orphanage. Knocking once, the door opened up.

"Good afternoon. I have a meeting with Mrs. Cole, the matron."

"Oh," said the girl who opened it. "MRS. COLE!"

"Coming!"

"Come in, she's on her way."

A woman with a sharp face appeared.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am here to talk to Tom Riddle and the arrangements of his future."

"Are you family?" Mrs. Cole asked.

"No, I am a teacher. I have come to offer Tom a place at my school."

"What's this school called?"

"Hogwarts."

"And why are you interested in Tom?"

"He has all of the qualifications."

Within a few minutes, the three of us followed the younger headmaster to Tom Riddle's room.

Riddle didn't look like Merope's family. He looked like his father.

"How are you, Tom?" Dumbledore stuck out his hand. "I'm Professor Dumbledore."

"Professor? Is that like Doctor? What are you here for? Did she get you in to have a look at me?"

"No, no."

"I don't believe you," said Riddle. "She wants me looked at! Tell me the truth! Who are you?"

"I have told you. I'm Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. You have been accepted."

Riddle looked not very shocked. "Don't lie! The asylum, you're from there!"

"I'm no from the asylum," Dumbledore patiently said. "I am a teacher, and I will tell you about Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a school for people with special abilities-"

"I'm not mad!" Riddle defended himself.

"I know that. Hogwarts is a school of magic."

Riddle was frozen. "Magic?" He repeated in a whisper.

"That's right," said Dumbledore,

"It's magic... What can I do?"

"What is it that you can do?"

"A lot," Riddle breathed. "I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what j want them to, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt too.

"I knew I was different. I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something."

"Well, you're right. You are a wizard."

"Are you a wizard too?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Prove it," Riddle commanded.

Dumbledore raised his eye brows. "If, as I take it, you are accepting the offer?"

"Of course!"

"Then please address me as either Professor or sir."

"I'm sorry, sir. I meant... Please, Professor, could you show me-"

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and gave it a flick. The wardrobe burst into flames. He then put it out, the wardrobe not damaged at all.

"Do you like the name Tom?"

"There are a lot of Tom's," muttered Riddle. "Was my father a wizard? He was called Tom Riddle too. My mother can't have been magic, or she wouldn't have died."

Dumbledore was about to leave Tom's room, but Tom suddenly said:

"I can speak to snakes. Is that normal for a wizard?"

"It is unusual, but not unheard of."

Suddenly, Harry and I were sitting across from the present day Dumbledore.

I am truly sorry that I haven't been able to update as often as I have been in the past.

The last time I posted in actual chapter in this story was October 15, 2015 at 6:12am. And now it's what, November 24, 2015?

I have been a bit busy- I have had a lot of homework lately and finals are coming up REALLY soon.

I have finals on December 16, 17, and 18, 2015. That is in like two weeks or something. Ugh.

But I am on Thanksgiving Break!

I don't have school tomorrow (Wednesday) or Thursday which is Thanksgiving. I also don't have school on Friday. Yay!

I will update a Thanksgiving Special for my fellow Americans and I!

Have a safe Turkey Day!