Madison Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Chapter 18: I Feel Sorry For Riddle

Pavarti and Lavender were not at school this week. Apparently, something happened with Lavender's Aunt involving a Death Eater, and I will tell you right now: I didn't care.

Hermione and I decided to invite Ginny over on Friday night for a Girl's Night.

We locked the door and I put a silencing charm so nobody could listen in.

Sitting down on the floor across from Ginny and Hermione, I revealed something.

"I haven't talked to George in weeks," I said, looking down at the ground.

"Why?" Ginny asked, curious.

"Because last time I wrote to him, it got intercepted. I borrowed Hedwig from Harry and she came back in a fluster. Her wing was bruised. I didn't put any thing revealing in it though. I told him what was going on here and how Snape was being a git and that I loved your brother. The usual. I think he knows it got intercepted."

"That's horrible," Hermione frowned. "This has got to end."

I sighed. "I know, Hermione, but you- you, Ron and you too, Ginny- can't control it. Dumbledore can't control it."

"Well then who can?" Ginny asked me.

I looked them both right in the eye. "You-Know-Who."

It was silent for a minute. "How come you've been calling him that recently?" Ginny asked me.

I gave a grim smile. "I have a feeling that it's a taboo. Names have power (A/N: Chiron from PJO anyone?)."

"There's got to be someone besides him in control," Hermione noted.

I nodded. "There is. Harry and I. I think... I think that we can control what exactly happens sometimes- like with your dad and the snake Ginny."

It was silent again. "How was your lesson the other night?"

I shrugged at Hermione's question. "It was okay."

"Okay?" Ginny asked me, wanting more details.

So I told them every thing that happened, but I kept one thing out- the way Dumbledore asked wether or not I felt sorry for Voldieshorts. I knew that I had to tell them.

"This next part... This stays in this room," I seriously stated. "It will not reach anybody else's ears, okay?"

"Okay," Hermione and Ginny said in sync.

I took a deep breath and told them what happened...

"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?"

Once I finished telling them what happened, they looked at me, not knowing what to say. My green eyes were fixed on the wall across from me.

"This is the part where you don't tell anybody," I announced, my voice cracking.

Hermione and Ginny nodded.

"I told Dumbledore no. But I lied. Right then and there, I felt sorry for Riddle. I think... I think that the reason I feel sorry for him is because growing up I didn't have parents.

"Riddle was stuck with people who didn't care for him and he had no friends before Hogwarts. Harry and I were stuck with people who didn't care for us and had no friends before Hogwarts. And... And we can both talk to snakes, and... We had nothing from our parents.

"Harry and I only knew our names. We didn't know our parents names until Hagrid told us, you know.

"No parent should die willingly for their child. No parent should leave their child at birth.

"I know my parents were different, and they had a choice. They were brave and they died to protect us. Riddle's mom was selfish, because she could have stayed alive for him.

"And you know what I think? I think that maybe if Riddle's mother stayed alive and wasn't so selfish, we wouldn't be in the middle of a war.

"If his mom stayed alive, I'd have parents. So yeah, I feel a bit sorry for Riddle, and it's because he's like Harry and I.

"Harry and I faced the same risks that he did- we could have ended up just like him- having no nose and being cold and murderers, but we didn't make that choice because somewhere deep down Harry and I knew love. And Riddle never did."

They looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. I broke the eerie silence by bringing them even more bad news.

"And to add to that all, Albus fucking Dumbledore wants me to be a fucking spy."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked me.

"The geezer wants me to become a Death Eater."

Well, that was a bit of an intense chapter for you guys to read and for me to write!

It is probably really short, but I feel that this weekend is an updating spree!

Now, you all get a free car!

Nah, jk, I am not Oprah.

Anyway, I didn't originally plan on this chapter being in the book, and I already had the beginning of the original chapter 18 written.

But since I didn't like what I wrote, I deleted it and came up with a new chapter 18 instead. This one was very exciting for me to write, because it made me realize that things could have been VERY different if Merope wasn't so selfish.

And I think you guys will certainly like chapter 19, because there is going to be a lot of SASS! And sarcasm too.

Okay, so you guys probably didn't read this all, but what ever.

I will probably have Chapter 19 up soon, but not today.

See ya, pitches.