Thanks once again for the reviews Ai Star, Cassie-011, Skepticalfox and Elle Light!
Elle Light no, I haven't heard of the shadow effect before but I think you are absolutely right! That is exactly what Tom is facing. Cool connection!
skepticalfox that would be hilarious lol good idea for a comedic story
As always, all belongs to J.K. Rowling. Enjoy!
Lyra left Tom alone in the deserted corridor and made her way towards Dumbledore's office, her heart racing. What was she going to say? How would she get what she needed out of him without revealing too much?
Lyra stopped in her tracks, realizing she had forgotten all about the note Dumbledore had given her in the future. Lyra rummaged around in the pockets of her robe where she had placed the note this morning. She had had no reservations about giving it to him before, but now that she needed to get information out of him about Tom...Lyra shuddered to think of what would happen if the note said something about her trying to save Tom's life. Dumbledore would immediately distrust her if he knew to what great lengths she had gone to save him without breaking her vow.
I trust you not to try to read it...
Dumbledore had explicitly told her not to read the note. Lyra hesitated, feeling the parchment inside her robes. What if it was charmed to explode if she read it, or alert the Dumbledore of this time, or disappear, or burn her or-
No, Lyra thought. It's too big of a risk to just hand Dumbledore potential information about herself without first verifying it would not cause her immense grief. If Dumbledore found out she could travel through time, it could mess up her entire plan. If she were to be sent back to the future right now, she felt relatively certain that, now that she had saved Tom's life but failed to change his mind on anything substantial, she would be going back to a world ruled by Voldemort.
Sliding into an empty classroom, Lyra pulled out the letter from her pocket with trembling hands. Hoping for the best, Lyra slowly opened the letter and was surprised when she found not one, but two notes. Lyra scanned the largest piece of parchment first and her eyes widened in surprise at the words written on it.
Dear Ms. Reed,
I thought I told you not to open this letter? However, seeing as you have, I would like to take this moment to impress upon you, once again, the importance of giving my younger self some much needed information. I will not ask you where you found a time turner, nor what Tom Riddle is doing with the resurrection stone; however, I must insist you give the other note I have enclosed in this letter to my younger self. If you do not, it is could very well mean death for you and many of your classmates.
I trust you will not take this chance.
Yours sincerely,
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore
Lyra stared at the note in shock, her hands trembling. He had known. He had accurately judged her character and he had predicted she would look at the letter. For the umpteenth time since her parents' death, Lyra felt she had never truly seen herself for who she really was until now.
And what had he meant by possible death? Was he referring to a possible invasion by Grindelwald? Lyra could not think of any other possible threat that had faced Britain in the 40s.
Pushing away her troubling thoughts, Lyra read the second, smaller note that contained only a single sentence.
None are more acquainted with bad blood than the centaurs.
Lyra frowned, reading the cryptic sentence over and over. It was a riddle, was it not? Lyra wondered, trying to figure out the meaning of the note. Bad blood...Lyra mused, what did this mean? Animosity? If this message was indeed about Grindelwald, then was this referring to the bad blood between Dumbledore and Grindelwald? Lyra shook her head. It had to be more than that.
Putting the notes back into her pocket, Lyra walked towards Dumbledore's office in a daze. To say she was confused, scared, and overwhelmed was an understatement. Reaching Dumbledore's office door, Lyra hesitated a moment, her heart beating quickly, before getting up the courage to knock.
"Come in!" Came the cheerful reply and Lyra forced herself to take a deep breath as she swung open the door and entered the room.
"Professor?" Lyra asked tentatively, "May I have a word with you?"
"Certainly." Dumbledore replied, and with a wave of his wand, the pieces of parchment that had been scattered across his desk assembled themselves into a neat stack on the corner of his desk.
Lyra closed the door behind her and took a seat in front of Dumbledore, twisting the hem of her robes nervously.
"Professor I- I- came here to ask you about- about, well about...Tom Riddle." Lyra stuttered.
Dumbledore's smile dimmed at the mention of Tom's name and Lyra carried on hurriedly, "In all honesty, I am worried about him." She blurted out, "I found out recently that his father and grandparents were killed this past summer." Lyra said, "He is constantly angry and he pushes everyone away and-"
Lyra hesitated, looking at Dumbledore cautiously, "And I was just wondering whether you knew of anything we could do to, well, fix this situation."
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, his eyes brimming with a kind of admiration tinged with sadness.
"Last we spoke you and Mr. Riddle were not on very good terms. Has this changed?" Dumbledore asked and Lyra shrugged, shaking her head.
"No, not really." She admitted, "Riddle and I don't really...see eye to eye... It's just I don't see any of his friends doing anything to help him and so I thought I should at least talk to you about my concerns."
"Well that kind of kindness is admirable." Dumbledore said, surveying her with his piercing blue eyes, "However, I am not sure there is much you can do for Mr. Riddle."
"And why is that?" Lyra asked.
Dumbledore sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them. "Six years ago I was sent to an orphanage in the heart of downtown London to visit a young wizard who was old enough to come to Hogwarts in the fall. When I arrived at the orphanage and inquired about the child, the matron's first assumption was that I was from a hospital for the clinically insane. You see, she had called a mental institution for children just the previous week about the young wizard and was expecting a visit from them any day."
Lyra thought of the young version of Tom who had appeared in her grandmother's basement all those years ago and shivered involuntarily.
"When I explained I was from a private school for gifted children, the matron was very surprised and a little suspicious. I asked her to tell me everything she could about the boy in question. She said the boy terrified the other children to the point that none of them would share a room with him, sit next to him, or even talk to him. There had been many incidents, she explained. One of the other Muggle children had found his pet rabbit hung from the rafters after getting into a fight with the young wizard over a Christmas present a generous donor had given him. Another time, the young wizard had convinced two of the other Muggle children to come into a cave with him. To this day, the matron says they have never been the same."
Lyra gulped, beginning to wonder whether she had been wrong about Tom. Was he a psychopath, as Elaina had said? Had he ever been innocent?
"When I went in to visit the young boy he too immediately assumed I was a doctor. I assured him I was not; although it took some time to convince him I really was not there to take him away to an institution. I explained to him that he was a wizard and demonstrated my magic for him by setting on fire the wardrobe in which he had hidden toys he had stolen from the other children. He told me he already knew he could do magic; he said he could make bad things happen to people who were mean to him."
"Were they mean to him?" Lyra asked, "The other children?"
Dumbledore shook his head, "I have no idea. The boy has always been too proud to tell me. Mr. Riddle has always been proud. He prefers to be on his own and take care of himself and despises being controlled or told what to do."
"Why did his father not raise him?" Lyra asked, despite knowing the answer already.
"Once again, I am not certain of the answer. However, I suspect it is likely because Mr. Riddle and his mother were magical and this was simply too much for his Muggle father." Dumbledore replied.
"Riddle's maternal uncle killed his father. Why? Was it because he abandoned his wife and child?" Lyra asked, examining Dumbledore's face closely for any possible hint that could betray what he knew.
Dumbledore sighed, "That is what he claims, yes."
"What he claims? You mean it may not be true?" Lyra pressed.
Dumbledore surveyed her carefully, his blue eyes searching her face, "I believe that was indeed the motive behind the killings, yes." Dumbledore said, and Lyra felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment.
Dumbledore did not know it was Tom then, Lyra decided. His answer had proven it, had it not? He believed the story Tom had brainwashed into Morfin and if he believed the story, there was less of a chance he would have poked around at the scene of the crime, and therefore less chance he would have found the resurrection stone and cursed it. While this did not mean he had not cursed the stone, it did make it less likely.
"Sir, I'm sorry but earlier I asked why you thought there was nothing much that anyone could do for Riddle. You still have not answered that question." Lyra reminded him.
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, his eyes sad, "You cannot help a person who does not want to be helped, Lyra." He said, using her first name for the first time ever.
Lyra felt something twist painfully inside her as she thought of the impossibility of her mission. Was it even possible to stop Tom from becoming Voldemort? Would she have to resort to using violence in the end? Was violence the only thing Tom understood?
"Sir, how do you know he does not want to be helped?" Lyra asked, quietly, and Dumbledore smiled.
"Are you certain you are in the right house? You are sounding very much like a Hufflepuff." Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling.
Lyra smiled despite herself, feeling nostalgic for her true house. "The Sorting Hat did consider putting me in Hufflepuff." Lyra said.
Dumbledore made no reply and Lyra had the strangest feeling he knew, or at least guessed, she had chosen Slytherin despite the hat's initial wishes.
"Well I think I had better leave." Lyra said, standing up. "I have an essay to write for Care of Magical Creatures that I haven't started."
Dumbledore smiled, "Yes, and in fact, I do believe I have a class to teach." He said, standing up as well.
"See you on Wednesday." Lyra said, smiling as she walked towards the door.
"Oh, Lyra?" Dumbledore said, and Lyra stopped, her hand on the doorknob.
"Yes?" Lyra asked.
"Headmaster Dippet believes it would be best for you to accompany Mr. Riddle to Wool's Orphanage this Christmas break." Dumbledore said.
Lyra felt her stomach flip, "Riddle's orphanage?" She asked, in shock, "Can we not stay at Hogwarts over Christmas break?"
Dumbledore shook his head sadly, "Unfortunately, students require a guardian's permission to stay at Hogwarts. As of right now, you have no guardian and the matron of Mr. Riddle's orphanage has refused to give him permission to stay every year so far."
Lyra frowned, making a mental note to ask Tom about this.
"Well I have to get to class." Dumbledore said, and Lyra nodded.
"See you later." She said, turning to leave.
Dumbledore smiled before turning to walk the opposite way. Lyra kept walking away from his office until she could no longer hear his retreating footsteps and then turned around, walking quickly back towards his office. Checking to make sure no one was around, Lyra quickly pulled the tiny one sentence note out of her pocket and slid it under the door of Dumbledore's office.
Lyra found Tom behind a pile of books in the far corner of the library. Lyra stared at him, watching as he frowned in concentration as he read the books. He looked so normal, so...so... Lyra shook her head. Looks were often deceiving, she reminded herself.
Tom looked up, his eyes widening in anxious anticipation when he saw her.
"Well?" He asked, impatiently, once Lyra took a seat across from him.
Lyra shook her head, "I found no indication he was the one to curse the stone. I'm sorry." She said, feeling genuinely quite disappointed.
Tom closed his eyes slowly, clearly trying to remain calm. When he opened them again, they were burning with suppressed rage. "What did he say?" Tom asked, "Tell me everything."
Lyra sighed, "I told him I was worried about you. I asked about your father's death and whether it was impacting you. He clearly disliked you but he never hinted he believed you had killed the Riddles."
"You didn't tell him I spilled the potion on you?" Tom asked sharply.
"No," Lyra replied, "I instead-"
"You idiot!" Tom snarled, "I told you, you needed to make him angry in order to get anything out of him."
"I told him I was worried about you and I directly addressed your father's death, I thought-"
"You thought what?" Tom snapped, "I gave you very specific orders and you failed you follow them."
Lyra froze at this, glaring daggers at him, "I am not your follower. You do not give me orders."
Tom let out a sigh of exasperation and closed his eyes for a moment, massaging his temple.
"What did he say though?" Tom ground out at last, fixing his piercing dark brown eyes on her face.
"He told me he met you for the first time in the orphanage. He said you used to bully the other children - steal their things and torment them. He said you killed a boy's rabbit and drove two other children insane." Lyra said, the words tumbling out of her mouth as she struggled to reconcile her memory of 9 year old Tom Riddle with the image painted by Dumbledore.
Tom clicked his tongue in annoyance, "He told you this?" He snarled, and Lyra nodded.
"Is it true?" She asked, and Tom scoffed, making no reply.
"What else did he tell you?" Tom asked, "Did he say anything about my time at Hogwarts?"
"Nothing really. He said you like to be on your own and you're proud."
Tom clicked his tongue impatiently, "Did he say anything about the chamber or last summer or-"
Lyra shook her head, "No. I asked him directly about whether Morfin killed your father as revenge for leaving you and your mother and he said that that was what Morfin had said his motive was. The way he phrased it sounded like he was uncertain he believed this was Morfin's motive. So, I asked him point blank if he thought that was why Morfin killed the Riddles and Dumbledore said he believed that was the motive behind the killings."
At this, Tom froze, staring at Lyra. "He believed the motive behind the killings was revenge?"
Lyra frowned in confusion, "Yes...why-"
"Reed, listen to me. You need to think very hard about what exactly Dumbledore said. Did he say he thought the motive belonged to Morfin in particular or did he leave the killer unnamed?" Tom asked, leaning forward, his elbows on the table.
Lyra stared at him in utter bewilderment, "What are you talking about? I asked him whether Morfin killed your father as revenge and he said yes."
Tom drew in a sharp breath and squeezed his eyes shut, clearly on the verge of losing his patience once again, "No. Listen. When he said the motive was revenge, at that specific moment, did he explicitly say the motive belonged to Morfin or did he just vaguely say that the motive behind the killings was revenge?"
Lyra frowned, trying to remember Dumbledore's exact words. "No," She said hesitantly, "I don't think he specified in that very sentence that the motive was Morfin's but in the context of the conversation it was clear-"
At this Tom's face paled visibly and to her great surprise, Lyra noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. "Riddle, what does this-"
"Shut up." Tom snapped, slamming his book closed, "Just...shut up." He said, hurriedly shoving his books back into his bag.
"Riddle, what does this prove?" Lyra asked, genuinely baffled by his reaction, "Just because he didn't explicitly say "Morfin's motive for killing the Riddles was revenge" does not mean that's not what he meant. In the context of the conversation it was clear we were talking about Morfin."
"Was it?" Tom snapped, "Then why did he express hesitation and then purposefully vaguely state that "the motive was revenge". He purposefully left out Morfin's name because he knows- he knows it was me."
Lyra shook her head in bewilderment, "You're insane. You're so paranoid you're not thinking clearly."
Tom froze in the middle of packing his bag and fixed Lyra with a poisonous glare, "I am thinking perfectly clearly." Tom snarled, "I know Dumbledore. I know how he operates."
"Then what are you going to do?" Lyra asked exasperatedly, standing up as well.
"Absolutely nothing. If he had any proof, I would already be sitting in a jail cell in Azkaban." Tom replied, although judging by the look on his face, Lyra guessed that sitting still was the last thing he wanted to do, "Any attempt to disprove my involvement would only make me look more suspicious. Sending you to him tonight was bad enough."
"He wasn't suspicious." Lyra assured him, but Tom snorted.
"You don't get it, do you?" Tom snapped, "To Dumbledore, I am guilty until proven innocent. He watches my every move."
"He told me not to try to help you." Lyra said, watching carefully as Tom gave her a strange look.
"Help me how? What did you tell him?" He snapped, and Lyra rolled her eyes.
"I told him I was worried you were grieving your father - obviously that was a lie - but I told him that and he said I should not try to help you because you don't want to be helped." Lyra explained and Tom gave her a slightly confused look.
"So what?" He snapped, and Lyra shook her head, unsure what part of this he was failing to comprehend.
"Dumbledore thinks you're a lost cause." She said, and Tom frowned, looking slightly perplexed.
"I mean, he thinks you are beyond redemption." Lyra explained, and Tom snorted.
"Redemption from what?" He sneered, and Lyra sighed.
"Never mind."