Title: Nature vs. nurture – The story of Tom Clarke
Summary: Trapped in the Room of Requirement, all hope seems to have left them, when Hermione brings up an old Muggle philiosophical question: Nature vs. nurture? Hypothetically speaking, would things have turned out differently if young Tom Riddle had grown up differently?
What seemed like a mere hypothetical discussion turns into something much more, when it is revealed that Professor McGonagall has been able to hold on to two timeturners…
Rating: T (for now, if anyone, at any point throughout the story feels that the rating is not appropriate, please do tell me, I'm rather bad at judging which category a story should belong in)
Main Characters: Professor McGonagall, Tom Riddle, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Albus Dumbledore
Pairings: you will have to read the story to find out
Disclaimer: I own no rights whatsoever, I write this story purely for personal pleasure. All the rights belong to the wonderful J. – if I were her, the series wouldn't have ended the way it did.
They were a small group sitting in the Room of Requirement that night. The mood in the room was tense. The excitement and enthusiasm from earlier on had vanished and had been replaced by a feeling of utter defeat and desperation. They were trapped, trapped inside this room and they had no way of knowing how long the room was able to hide them.
Things had seemed to go smoothly earlier on, they had been near ecstatic when Neville had managed to destroy Voldemort's last horcrux. Harry had been more determined than ever before in his young life, it seemed so unfair that when he had finally grown to accept the heavy burden he had struggled with all his life, he had failed.
So many dead, so many fates unknown. They knew they were doomed. They had to go out of the room sooner or later, hiding in there forever was just not an option. There would be an ultimate confrontation and all of them knew there was a slim to non-existent chance that they would succeed.
"I can't believe that bastard won in the end", mumbled Ginny quietly. Her voice was still hoarse from all the crying earlier on, but she had run out of tears a while ago. She hadn't meant for anyone to hear her, but Hermione had.
"I sometimes wonder whether things would have turned out differently if Tom Riddle had grown up differently", Hermione said contemplatively.
"You can't be serious. Voldemort was born evil, there's no shred of good in him", Ron added in.
"I don't think so", Hermione was quick to reply, eager to concentrate on their discussion. Anything was better than the deafening silence that had lasted for the last few hours, no one uttering a single word. Finally there was something she could occupy her mind with, something to distract her from their misery. "There's this old philosophical question: Nature vs. nurture."
"Never heard of that before", George cut in. Everyone was listening intently now, anything to take their minds of their current predicament.
"I actually would have been surprised if you had", Hermione said. "It's a muggle philosophical question, first coined by Francis Galton in the second half of the nineteenth century. There are two sides to the discussion. One is the belief that a person's character is shaped nearly completely by environmental influences, that is their 'nurture'. They call that 'tabula rasa'. In short, it means that no person is ever born with character traits, but that he develops them as a reaction to his circumstances. The other view of course is that a person is born with certain traits. People who believe in that theory often also believe in destiny as the ultimate key to life."
Hermione had switched into her lecturing mode without even realizing. Looking around, however, she noticed that each single person in the room was listening to her with apt attention.
"Of course people are shaped by the things around them", Luna's dreamy voice broke the silence. "For example, if you were surrounded by Hopplers in your early years, you would definitely have a heightened sense of appreciation for solitude."
No one had ever heard Luna mention Hopplers before, but they weren't about to start asking now. Hermione just slightly shook her head, she still thought the girl crazy at times.
"I still refuse to believe that Voldemort was ever anything other than an utter bastard", Ron interjected, and there was a nod of agreement from his sister.
"Well, most psychologists these days would tell you that it's actually neither", Hermione further explained, "but rather a combination of both. There are certain traits and tendencies we are born with, but your environment plays a huge part as well. I personally think, though, that most traits are developed in early years. I don't think there's ultimate good or evil in a person, I think each of us are born with a bit of both. I would say, for someone who has never experienced love himself, who has never been loved by anybody, it would be highly difficult to ever develop feelings for others. There are for instance studies that proof that if you were hit by your parents in your childhood, you are more likely to hit your own children than people who have never had to feel the back of a hand on them in their life."
"So, you're basically saying that if Voldemort didn't have a crappy childhood, he wouldn't have turned out to be the evil bastard that he is?", Ginny asked.
"In a way, yes", Hermione answered tentatively, the mood in the room had once again altered and she was afraid to say something wrong.
"So are we supposed to feel pity for that bastard now? Empathy even? Not bloody likely", Ron cut in angrily. "Well, what a pity that we're not able to go back about 60 bloody years in time to bloody save Voldemort's bloody soul."
"Ron", Hermione tried.
"I mean it, Hermione, how could you ever feel anything even close to empathy for the devil that killed your best friend?"
Hermione closed her eyes, breathing heavily. She shouldn't have brought the topic up, she should have known better. And really, she could understand why Ron was mad at her, she didn't understand herself how she could pity a creature like Voldemort. But there had to have been a time when he was just Tom Riddle, still innocent, not yet involved in anything dark.
"It might very well be our only chance", a tired McGonagall interjected suddenly, as if she just had an important realization. Hermione looked up at her professor worriedly, she had never seen the former so tired, so broken. She was about to ask her professor what she meant, when McGonagall pulled out something from within her cloak and Hermione gasped.
"What are those?", Neville asked, never having seen any before. Hermione was too shocked to say anything, so it was Luna who answered his question. "I believe those are two time-turners. Put it around your neck, spin it once and you should be able to go back an hour. Spin it twice and you're back two hours and so forth."
"Why didn't you mention you had them before, professor", Ginny said excitedly. "Sure, we could go back a few hours and prevent Harry from ever dying, we could…"
"We cannot", McGonagall interrupted the young girl's rambling, sad to have to crush her newfound hope. "Imagine what would happen if you ran into yourself, girl. Imagine you did something which caused your former self to be killed. Then you would have never been able to sit in this room, never been able to go back, so you would have never been killed, so you could have gone, so you would get yourself killed… Do you see where I am going with this, it would be a paradox, and you would have to forever live in that loop, never able to get out of it. Can you imagine living the last few hours over and over again?"
"But there would be no paradox if you went back for 60 years?", Neville asked.
"Well, I would be the only one who could run into herself", McGonagall provided. "And I daresay I wouldn't recognize my future self."
"I would never have suggested this", she further added. "There's so many unknown risks. We could very well destroy everything by meddling with time, but I think this is our last chance."
"But is there any way to manipulate that timeturner to take us back that far? I thought the maximum of hours was 24", Hermione questioned.
"I believe it is indeed possible", the Transfiguration professor told them. "I did a study on timeturners many, many years ago. See, there are no reports of people who ever tried to do anything of the kind. Then again, if someone managed to change time, they wouldn't make it public knowledge, would they? Imagine if anybody who hasn't content with their situation could just take a travel in time."
"So, do you think you can manipulate the timeturners enough?", Hermione asked openly.
"I'm not sure", Professor McGonagall sighed. "But I can at least try. It should be possible, I know that much."
"How do you even still have those?", Ron asked. "I thought they all got destroyed in the battle in the ministry two years ago."
"I had held on to Hermione's here", she pointed at one of them. "The other one is my own. I haven't used it in years, mind you, I originally got it for my research."
"But who of us would willingly go back and try to befriend Tom Riddle?", Ginny changed the topic back to the most pressing matter. "I don't think all of us could go anyway. For one, I don't think the timeturners could take us all, for another, it will be hard enough to come up with a coverstory for just two or three people."
"I think Professor McGonagall needs to go", Luna stated. Everyone looked at her surprised. "Well, I think it wouldn't help much if we were only to change him from his years in Hogwarts onwards. I believe the damage to his soul was done long before that."
"You're right, I think", McGonagall said. "He was in the year beneath me in school, and though he seemed pleasant enough, we cannot forget that he let loose the basilisk in his fifth year. No, I agree, if we want to make an impact on his life, we have to do that earlier on. But what exactly were you thinking of when you said that it'd have to be me to go back?"
"You would have to adopt young Tom Riddle of course", Luna said, as if that was the most logical thing in the world.
To everybody's surprise, it was Neville who first agreed with Luna. "It does sound plausible", he said. "I think you're our best chance, Professor."
"Very well then, Mr. Longbottom. I suppose Miss Lovegood is right." Professor McGonagall sighed. She was so tired of fighting, and yet she felt that she owed it to the people who had died for the cause to keep on trying. She owed it to Albus. "But I don't think it'll be enough. Tom, throughout his Hogwarts years, never had any friends. He had followers, yes, never friends though. So at least one other person would have to go back and try to befriend him."
Silence filled the room. It was a heavy decision indeed. "I think two of us could go back together with the second timeturner", Hermione offered, but didn't really know what else to say.
"What about finances? Paperwork?", George asked.
"Well, for finances, luck is on our side for once. There's a very old vault in Gringotts which belongs to the McGonagall family. For as long as it has existed, its refunds have never been touched. It was specifically set up for emergencies."
"But surely you couldn't live under your real name back then", Ginny said.
"That wouldn't be wise, I agree. However, to prove that you're the legal owner of a vault like that you have to prove your heritage by a blood sample. Goblins are secretive, so nobody would ever find out about it."
"I think I could help with the papers", Percy spoke up for the first time. "I know what they look like, I'm sure I could forge some, if you helped me", he said, questioningly glancing at George.
"Sure", George agreed. "Forging is a specialty of Fr…., mine", he finished. He hadn't had the time to deal with losing his twin yet, but thinking of him then filled him with a new air of determination. "So what else?"
"Do you really think any of us will be able to befriend Tom Riddle, knowing what he grew up to do?", Neville asked quietly. "I don't think I could do it", he added weakly.
"I don't think any of us could", Ginny reassured him.
"Well, I suppose there's only one solution to that problem, then", Hermione piqued up. "Whoever's going has to obliviate himself." She was struggling with her own words, she still remembered all too clearly how she had obliviated her own parents, yet she didn't see any other option.
"So Hermione has to go as well, then", Luna said. Realizing the questioning stares, she added "I don't think anyone but her and Professor McGonagall know how to cast an obliviate."
There was a murmur of agreement. "No", Ron shouted out though. "I couldn't stand losing my second best friend as well. Hermione, you don't have to do this."
Hermione had closed her eyes before, but she was now looking back up, meeting Ron's eyes. "But I have to", she said quietly. "For Harry. It's the only chance we've got left."
Ron was not happy with that reply, but truthfully, there was nothing left for him to say. "So two settled, one more to decide on", Percy noted. "The question is, who of us is most fit to befriend Tom Riddle."
"I'm sorry", Ginny said, "but I don't think I can do it. I – the Chamber of Secrets – I…."
"That's quite understandable", Hermione reassured the girl, pulling her in a hug. Ginny couldn't help it but still feel guilty.
"I'll go", Ron announced.
"Ron, you're wounded, you can't possibly go", Hermione said. It was true, Ron had been hit by quite a few nasty curses, all of them had, really, but he was by far the most severely wounded.
"I'll go with you", Luna declared. "I'm not sure how easy it will be for you to befriend him, there's always been tension between Slytherin and Gryffindor. So there should be at least one person from a different house."
"So, it's settled then", George concluded quietly. Nobody felt all that happy with the outcome, but they knew, it had to be done and they all understood Luna's point.
The next 24 hours were spent in hectic activity. Ron had joined his two brothers in forging all the relevant documentation. It was agreed upon that Professor McGonagall would go back to the year 1928, when young Tom Riddle was merely two years old, so her muggle birth certificate now read 1878. Though that was 23 years less than her biological age, they had to take a date that would look plausible to muggles, seeing that witches and wizards didn't age as fast as them. She also had another magical certificate that had 1855 as her year of birth. Her name had been changed to Cybele Clarke.
Hermione was busy going over all the spells and working out her and Luna's backup story. She didn't really know how to feel about going with the blond witch, she still thought of her as strange. She liked Luna, she was a nice enough girl, yet truthfully, if she could have picked anyone in the room, Luna would have been her last choice. Well, they would make it work somehow.
Luna and herself were going to change their names to Miranda and Haumeah Davies, cousins, who had moved to England from France. This was helped by the fact that both of them knew French quite well.
They also decided which glamours they were going to use, seeing that they were going to attend Hogwarts from fourth and third year, respectively, onwards. Hermione was glad to find that the younger witch was quite capable at glamour charms, so she had no doubts that they would be able to conceal their real age.
Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, had managed to manipulate the timeturners. She had obviously read a theory about it years ago, but had never dared to try it out, too fearful of the possible consequences if someone were to use that timeturner.
The noises outside the Room of Requirement had grown throughout the last day. Voldemort had obviously realized that at least some of the survivors had managed to flee there. Thus far, the room had protected them, but they knew that they were running out of time.
Eventually, everything was settled, and they were as prepared as possible. Professor McGonagall was the one to go first. For the first time in their lives, they saw their usual stern professor unsettled; she was obviously nervous and there were also slight tears in her eyes.
"I don't know what will happen, but I want to wish you all the best, all of you", she said, before pulling each of her former students into a tight hug.
"Good luck, professor", Neville murmured, as she began spinning the wheel, and within a few seconds she was gone.
"Our turn, I suppose", Hermione said nervously. She and Luna also started saying their goodbyes, and by the time she had reached Ron, she was in sobs. "I don't want you to go", Ron told her.
"But I have to", she said. "For Harry, for Fred, for Remus, for Tonks, for Sirius, for all of them. I have to."
"Take care", Ron said quietly. "I'm not ready to lose another one of my friends."
"I will", she said, giving him one last squeeze before moving over to Luna, putting the timeturner around both of their necks.
Would they ever be able to go back to the future? Would they be able to meddle with time without losing themselves along the way? Would she ever see the beloved faces of her friends?
Hermione did not know but she knew one thing for sure. This was their last chance.
She took one last calming breath, before she started turning the wheel and they started spinning, spinning into an unknown future.
A/N: Please leave me your thoughts, it's always nice to get some feedback. Constructive criticism is also very welcome, if you feel that things were off in this prologue feel free to tell me, it would be greatly appreciated.
