Hello! I place this author's note at the beginning of this chapter considering the end of the chapter has the ending biographical note from Melody - the other addition to these books that I thought would add a nice spark to it.

But I digress. I had to give this chapter more thought, because I think I really didn't put a whole lot of effort into it at first. Melody deserved a little more of an explanation from Orele on her father, and I found the best way to do it this time. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks again for reading Melody's stories!

I opened my eyes to find myself in the hospital wing. How did I get here? Oh, right, Harry saved the day again. Thank God… I have to pretend I can't remember anything, though. But at least this way, mom and Professor Dumbledore have to tell me who my father is today. Lord Voldemort.

"Ah, Melody," I heard someone say.

I slowly looked to the door to see Professor Dumbledore standing there, beaming at me. "Professor… what happened?"

"That cannot be summed up into a short story unless I find out what you know."

I inwardly groaned, but otherwise kept my disappointment to myself. "The diary… th – that guy…"

"Ah yes, yes, Tom Riddle."

"Only a memory…" I said thoughtfully. "But a rather evil one."

"Looks like you remember that, too."

I looked up at Dumbledore, feeling rather in despair. "At first, I thought it was amazing that he turned out to be my dad.. but then he took over my mind… and I know that those times when he did, it seemed as though I were in a dark pit of nothingness. I didn't know what was going on, but I sure knew that I was not doing anything knowingly…. What did I do?"

He paused, as though contemplating what to tell me."I'd rather not speak of all that he had you do, but you will be all right."

"Fine, Professor," I said softly. "Good thing he's dead, and I'm not just talking about the memory."

Professor Dumbledore looked startled by that, and even more so when my mom actually bustled into the room screeching, "Oh, Melody, I'm so glad you're all right!" The moment she reached me, she hugged me tightly.

"Mom?" I asked in surprise when she let go, "Are you –?"

She nodded. "Six months…"

"–pregnant before the wedding… oh my f…. Where is Professor Lockhart?"

"You don't have to call him 'professor' anything," mom admonished. "He's -"

I raised an eyebrow, "Whatever he is, I don't care. I can call him whatever I please. Now again, where is he?"

"I'm afraid," Professor Dumbledore cut in, "That in the attempt of Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, and himself to save you and Ginny… his memory is all gone. I believe his memory has gone as far back as about the age of nine or ten."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh," I said, "Tom didn't do that, did he?"

"Lockhart cast the spell only for it to backfire on him."

I snorted, idiot man.

"Now, Melody," my mom said, "it would be best for you to forget all about the young Tom Riddle."

"Mom, the point is he used me for his own gain. What makes you think that even if he had raised me, he wouldn't have done the same thing?"

She hesitated, but not as though she were about to give up some top secret information. It seemed more like she had to really think about my question. Her response was something I had to ponder, myself; "He grew up never knowing love, Melody. His father left his mother because he found out that she was a witch, and she died after he was born. Life in a Muggle orphanage was tough for him, so he was never capable of feeling anything but hate and resentment.

"When I decided to put all of my time and effort into showing him what love and joy felt like, he started to change. It's just he never showed it to his - his friends."

Haha, friends, good one mom, I thought with an inward laugh. As funny as it was, I had to see Professor Dumbledore listening intently to mom. He really wanted to hear about their love story.

"I was the only one who cared for who he was as a person, and that was something he'd never experienced before. He'd always made other children and people respect him more than anything else. I helped him feel more, and that was who I fell in love with… when he died, I knew I wanted to make sure you were raised better than he ever was. That's why I went to America."

"And still kept the wizarding world from me."

"Oh, whatever. Can you blame me? At least you appreciate your magic, and you're growing up to be such a wonderful person. I'm proud to be your mother."

"Except I might've been better off at school in America than coming here. This place is dangerous."

"Shut up," she replied in frustration, but she let out a laugh nonetheless. "Do you want to go to Ilvermorny instead?"

I glanced at Professor Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling thoughtfully. "No," I said. "Despite the unnecessary adventures, I'm happy here. I've gotten attached to my professors and idiot friends."

Mom grinned, affectionately brushing a loose strand of hair out of my face, "Glad to hear it." Then, a frown set in place, her tone serious as she asked, "Was there anything you overheard while.. while he had control of your body?"

"Not a thing," I lied with a shake of my head. Tell me, mom. "I only know about what he told me in our one on one conversations where he pretended to be nice. He was the popular, smart boy at Hogwarts, a prefect and everything… but he also said something about us being able to speak something called Parseltongue." Tell me, mom. Tell me he's Lord Voldemort.

Mom sighed.

"I did ask you last year before I started school if talking to snakes was abnormal, and you beat around the bush. I was hearing whispers all over the school after Harry Potter talked to a snake about him possibly being the Heir of Slytherin. I speak it, so -"

"Yes, Melody," Professor Dumbledore butt in. "You and Tom are descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Harry, however, is another story entirely, but that will be a lesson we'll all find out another day."

Come on, tell me the truth that it has something to do with the night dad tried to kill him. I want to know… wait, Tom mentioned something about love being a powerful counter-curse. That means that when Harry's mother died protecting him, her love put a powerful barrier that keeps dad from being able to hurt or even touch him. That's why Quirrell was blistering every time he touched him last year… but how does that give Harry the ability to speak Parseltongue?

"Your father was a good man," mom said, "he just needed someone to bring it out of him. What you met… that side of him disappeared way before you were born."

Something about that sentence felt true, if only a little bit. Dad was still bad, but not as much as he used to be.

"You risked your own life to bring that side of him out…. Why?"

She didn't even pause, "Because love is worth fighting for."

Wow…His sixteen-year-old self tried to kill me for my strength while the one alive today wanted me to live. He actually wanted to protect me. And that's all thanks to mom. Somehow.

Well, they weren't going to risk telling me my dad was Lord Voldemort… but, come on… I'm old enough to know, right? I sure hope they won't try waiting until I'm in my twenties or even later… what if I turned out as bad as him? Oh no... no, no, no, I promise I will not stand for that… or am I already too late after what I did with the Basilisk?

I spent almost the rest of the year in the hospital wing, relieved to know that they'd postponed any testing because of the Chamber of Secrets. They also held celebrations for those who'd been petrified, and for Hagrid being announced innocent.

My friends visited me every single day. They'd all been extremely worried about me, and even Hermione had to visit me after she'd been awakened.

"Oh, when I woke up, I asked if they'd given you the potion yet! But when they said you hadn't been petrified, I feared the worst."

I smiled, "It was the worst, but I'm not dead."

"Harry told me what happened... so he used you because you're his flesh and blood?"

"It was the only way he could solidify into something more than a memory. I was a huge boost, but he still needed Ginny to reach his maximum power… stupid, really, how much you can trust someone only for them to stab you in the back."

She gave a sorrowful look. "Harry said that after a better look at his face, you do look exactly like him."

"Yeah, well, these were the consequences that occurred from mom not telling me anything about him."

Hermione nodded, and then surprised me with a tight hug. So... everyone thought I was absolutely oblivious to the fact that that was the second time I was caught in the hands of Lord Voldemort. Not only that, but supposedly everyone except me knew that he was my father… well, I'm very angry. Obviously, Hermione and the boys were warned not to tell me anything, otherwise they'd be happy to blab.

Each of my friends made me recount what happened, which of course had to be different from the truth. Tom had taken over my mind to make me let the Basilisk out. I only felt what Tom felt when I was stuck inside his body… I heard nothing and couldn't do anything to get out.

Luckily, I was finally told what happened - during the time that I was really not seeing anything, anyway - Harry had destroyed the diary with a fang from the Basilisk, explaining why Tom disappeared and Ginny and I were still alive. It destroyed the diary.

Ginny had been in the hospital in the bed next to me, telling me she'd been worried that we would be expelled for helping Tom.

Well… if anyone found out I hadn't been under a spell, I'd've been expelled and probably sent to Azkaban. No one would trust me again.

It surprised me how Professor Dumbledore still showed some trust in my innocence. The Dark Lord had 'kidnapped' me both years, and yet he still believes I don't know Voldemort's my dad. He saw right through dad's acts, why can't he see through mine? I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but it still bugs me.

Once at night when Ginny had fallen asleep and I lay there having difficulty sleeping, I had another visitor.

"Melody Riddle?"

I opened my eyes to find Dobby at the end of my bed.

"Dobby!?" I asked in a whisper. "What're you doing here?"

"Dobby heard Melody was in the hospital wing and wanted to go talk to her. Dobby is a free elf! Harry Potter freed Dobby!"

"Really? Oh, Dobby, that's wonderful!"

Dobby nodded, "Dobby knew Melody would be happy about his freedom, she's always been so kind."

I looked down at my hands, "No I haven't, Dobby, I –"

"Melody has, Melody has…. She called on Dobby to keep Harry Potter from coming to school, so he'd be safe."

"Yeah, that's about the only good I've tried to do…" I said softly. "And I failed miserably at that."

"Dobby is sure Melody has done more than she says she has… very modest she is. Melody tried to keep Harry Potter out of trouble for as long as possible knowing her father is very dangerous. This calls for celebration!"

"It doesn't, it really doesn't, Dobby." I said.

"At least Dobby knows who the real Melody is." Dobby said with a smile, snapping his fingers and disappearing with a crack.

For the outcome this year , I can admit that it felt like the end justified the means. Though I released the worst creature possible on the school, I both got away with my misdeeds and received a small insight into mom's relationship with dad. I was not going to stop there… in my eyes, I had passed the point of no return.