He's Looked… Better.
"Hermione," Harry motioned towards the portrait exit and walked out not waiting to see if she followed. He stood in the hall near the Fat Lady and waited until she joined him. Thankfully the boy didn't have to wait long before Hermione joined him in the hallway.
"What's wrong?"
"Walk with me." It wasn't a request. Harry already started moving away down the hall and heard her footsteps hurry to catch up.
"You're scaring me."
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, but it is important."
Hermione tucked her hand in Harry's arm at the elbow and slowed his pace to match hers. She smiled at him when he raised an eyebrow at her. Chuckling, he grabbed his wand and casted a privacy charm as they wandered, "I did something reckless at the Potter's house. Figured my grandmother was sick and I just wanted her to know me before…"
"Oh, Harry." Hermione held on tighter to his arm, "I forgot she's… this must be hard for you, too."
"Not being able to say why it is bothering me more than it 'should'. Yeah, it is hard, but see that's where I messed up. I was so into the moment with Dorea…"
"Charlus?"
"And James, yeah. So I was thinking on my feet and told them only Dumbledore and Aunt Poppy know about us."
"More lies, huh?"
"The less they know about who knows, the better off we are. Let's say James knows that Remus knows and they say something and Peter overhears, now Peter knows, and then if Peter knows then the three may say something without meaning to and now Sirius knows…" Harry sighed. "The less anyone knows, the better off we are. The safer we are. I just... I couldn't obliviate them. It just felt wrong. Besides, I've never done a memory charm and Charlus is an Auror and-"
"It's okay, Harry. You don't have to explain it to me. I understand."
Harry sighed in relief, "Thanks, Mine. You really are a great sister."
"You're a pretty great brother." Hermione poked Harry's side, causing the boy to squirm.
"Ah, Harry." Dumbledore smiled genuinely when the boy came through his office door. "I'm glad you had time to see me. I have taken advantage of the holiday break to look into a memory I had collected many years ago. The significance alluded me at the time, but nagged at me recently. Your list of possible horcruxes prompted another - closer - look."
As Dumbledore was talking, Harry had made his way to the man's desk, but ignored the offered seat in order to pay a quick visit to Fawkes. The phoenix was still in the early stages of his life cycle, his feathers were down soft. While petting the bird, Harry listened carefully to what the headmaster had to say, "I would like to revisit a memory with you, providing you have the time."
"That's why I'm here." Harry gave the headmaster a small smile before running his fingers one last time over Fawkes' throat.
The elder man lead the youngster to his pensieve. Harry waited as Dumbledore found the memory he wanted to share and poured it into the bowl. At the man's gesture, the two entered the memory and vanished from the room.
The two stopped short from falling to the ground that didn't truly exist. The scenery around them swirled into existence and Harry recognized their surroundings immediately. The dreary overgrown plants, the snake nailed to the front door, the unkept shack and the wild looking demented man braced in the doorway.
They were back at the Gaunt's shack, but the people within the memory had changed. This wasn't Ogden's memory, that wasn't Marvolo and Morfin standing before Harry. It was only Morfin Gaunt and he looked around the front of the house frantically. The man hissed and spat in Parseltongue. Harry snorted. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "The man's a demented poet. He's talking to some snake, threatening him with the same fate as that one."
Harry pointed at the snake nailed to the front door behind Morfin just as the memory man turned and walked back into the shack. Curiosity got the better of him, Harry moved quickly to follow Morfin inside and stared at the single room, noting the filth and inch thick dust over everything. Dirt floors, caked windows casting odd shadows and the front door remained open as if daring someone to enter. Harry strolled forward until he would have smelled Morfin's breath if the man wasn't just a memory. "Morfin Gaunt, he's looked… better."
Dumbledore didn't respond. He stood to Morfin's other side frowning as another man walked in through the front door uninvited. Harry jumped in surprise as had Morfin. He trembled with rage and snarled, baring his yellowed teeth at the form walking his way. "How dare you?"
The young man - teenager really since he didn't look any older than Harry - that had entered the shack looked around with undisguised disgust until he turned his gaze on Morfin. Harry stood straighter, recognizing the teenager. "Tom Riddle; this is how I remember him from the diary."
Dumbledore nodded, "This memory was from a time when Tom was merely seventeen."
Morfin pulled a knife and shook it in Tom's direction. Tom tilted his head with a curious gaze while the older wizard hollered. "Filthy Muggle! How dare you enter the house of Gaunt!"
Tom stiffened, lip curled to a sneer before he spoke, "I assure you, I am no mere Muggle."
"Ha!" Morfin pointed the knife at the boy and hissed at him to which, much to the man's surprise, the boy responded in kind. This time Morfin paused and cocked his head. "You ain't Riddle."
"I am Tom Riddle, but I'm no Muggle." Tom looked around him again as he spoke, "I'm a student at Hogwarts. I came here looking for my family."
Morfin laughed and stabbed the table nearest him with the knife point. "Yer that spawn of Merope's? She ran off with that good for nuthin' filthy Muggle, drugged him good and got hitched. When he realized what happened, he left her. She came back after Da died, stole the locket and ran." Morfin was wagging a filthy sausage size finger at Tom. The anger in the teen's face was apparent which seemed to amuse Morfin further as he taunted the boy, "Went and had herself a half-blood piece of-"
The memory went dark. Harry found himself back in the professor's office. "What happened?"
"That is where the memory ends. Tom knocked him out, altered his memory, and stole his wand. He then went to the Riddle house, killed his father and grandparents using his uncle's wand. Brought Morfin's wand back and framed him for the deed." Dumbledore had steepled his fingers as he spoke, "Tom also stole something else that day."
"The ring?"
"Ah you saw that, did you?"
"Yes, sir. Marvolo made a point of mentioning it, going on about the importance of the ring and locket during the visit with Ogden. He said it was his proof that the Gaunt family wasn't some half blood filth like Ogden was. Marvolo ranted that the Gaunt family was practically royalty, which - by the looks of their home - anyone can tell that they were far from royal. The ring looked weird on Morfin's hand. It didn't fit properly.
"That ring would work as a horcrux. It is a Gaunt heirloom. The locket is a Slytherin heirloom; naturally Tom would want that as a horcrux, too. Any idea what became of the locket once Merope died?"
"Yes and no." Dumbledore had walked back to his desk and took a seat while they conversed, "I know what happened to it once it left Merope's hands, but…" Dumbledore tilted his head in thought, raised a finger and said, "Ah, Hokey!"
"Uh, sir?"
Dumbledore chuckled, "The name of the house elf. I managed to gain a memory from a very old house elf by the name of Hokey. Rather on in age and was convinced she must have mixed up the cocoa and poisoned her mistress by accident. Naturally it was only Tom using another mind altering spell, much as he had with Morfin."
"Will we be watching that memory as well?"
"Yes, but not tonight. It is almost curfew and I don't want you getting into any trouble."
"Oh," Harry looked at the time and blinked in surprise, "that was fast."
"Time does seem to fly when you're busy traveling down memory lane."
Harry strolled down the hall, his mind wandering to a dozen or more places until he came to a stop… abruptly. His head jerked up and he stared at what could only be Sirius' younger brother. Harry opened his mouth to apologize, but was beaten to it by the younger boy. Regulus sniffed in disdain and sneered at the older teen, "Watch where you're going you ignorant oaf."
Much to the surprise of both of them, Harry laughed. "You're such a child, Regulus."
Making his way around the other boy, Harry continued down the hall. Regulus huffed and shouted his discourse, "Don't you dare walk away from me."
"Not impressed, Regulus. Grow up and come talk to me again." Harry waved the boy off and rounded a corner, quickly disillusioning his body before continuing in order to avoid another confrontation.
"Radisson!" Harry slipped close to a suit of armor and stilled immediately when he heard his name hollered by the younger wizard.
Harry watched as Regulus came running around the corner, wand in hand, and growling. He was soon joined by Severus, who also had his wand out. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Regulus sputtered for a moment and Harry wondered what version of the event he would give to Severus; the truth, something remotely resembling the truth or perhaps the boy would make up some altercation up in its entirety. "That damn Radisson was just here. He..." Regulus grunted, looking around as if Harry would pop out of thin air, which in actuality the boy certainly could appear to do so. "He ran off like a coward."
He had to resist the snort that threatened to escape him. Harry did grin though and perhaps that bit of movement was all that it took because the next thing the boy knew, Severus was staring directly at him. Harry leaned his head back against the wall behind him and watched as Severus watched him. The Head Boy smirked knowingly and motioned towards the marble staircase, "Hmm... I'm sure he did. Be that as it may, it is nearly curfew and you're nowhere near the common room. Move along, Black."
"I'm a Prefect, Snape. I don't have to-"
"Yes you do, you aren't on patrol tonight."
Regulus put away his wand and huffed, "What is the point of having the Head Boy in our house if you don't let us get away with anything?"
"You get away with plenty. Now go." Severus crossed his arms and watched as his Housemate rolled his eyes. Eventually Regulus did go towards the dungeons and Severus spoke again, but wouldn't turn and look at Harry when he spoke aloud. "Get to your tower before curfew."
A/N Elipsa: Hey guys, I guess I forgot to update yesterday... oops. So I'll post the next chapter tomorrow and then we'll be back on track by Wednesday!
