Riddles and Offers

The refuge, as Riddle's followers called their sanctuary, was without question an impressive place. It turned out to be a vast network of underground passages and halls, most of which had enchanted glasses in the middle of their ceilings that showed one the sky above the earth. The rooms were also lit by torches that cast a greenish light on the walls.

In fact, the place seemed to be laid out as a labyrinth. Harry had never had a bad sense of direction, but here he had quickly lost track of the stairs, branches and chambers. Snape, however, who was guiding him, did not seem to be distracted at all by this circumstance. He had said little to Harry before their departure from Spinner's End, hardly more than the most necessary, and had then put him unconscious again to protect the location. Even when they had then, in Harry's mental absence, probably been apparated here and he had been reawakened, Snape had said nothing.

It surprised Harry. No sneering comments, no snide remarks, not even a disapproving grumble. Hatred of James Potter could hardly be less in this world than it was in his own, yet the this-side Snape did not seem to transfer that displeasure to Harry. Perhaps Snape was indeed able to see him not as the son of his former tormentor, but solely as a potential ally, but one who rightly could not yet be fully trusted.

He knew some of the people they met, but the majority were completely unknown to him. Muggle-borns. To his own surprise, he had to admit to himself that, despite all his political convictions, he tended to associate privately more with pure and half-bloods. Not on purpose, of course. Things were the way they had turned out. And considering that he had hardly had a private life and that both colleagues and enemies came from this milieu, it was not surprising.

Snape led him into a larger room, which led both to the left and to the right into other rooms, while towards the back it was of great spaciousness. There were tables and chairs, some of which were occupied by people who Harry assumed, due to their young age, were former Hogwarts students who now lived and studied in the refuge, because their blood status did not meet the crude requirements of this world.

"Wait here Mr. James. The conference that is currently taking place will probably not last too much longer. Mr. Riddle said, he would see you here after the meeting to discuss the whole situation," Snape told him in a highly official voice. Harry nodded and Snape disappeared behind the door to the right.

At first he only recognised one of the students who was there doing schoolwork, unperturbed. The almost frighteningly quiet Kevin Entwhistle had been a Ravenclaw from his own year, but had never made much contact with him.

Three others seemed to be much younger and another four probably older. As he looked at the faces more closely, he recognised with some shock a second person from his class. At the leftmost table sat none other than Hermione Granger. But much like Snape had been, she was very different from the Hermione he had known.

Unlike her counterpart from his world, she had rather short hair, which obviously had no tendency to fall into an overly bushy shape. To make matters worse, the hair was dark in colour. The most irritating thing was probably her use of make-up, which did not fit at all with her usual behaviour. Certainly, she had resorted to few but discreet means on given occasions. The girl in front of him, on the other hand, seemed to have taken a liking to the colour black, as her eyes were surrounded by it, as were her lips.

He walked leisurely over to her and asked, "May I join you?"

Hermione jolted up from her book and nodded. She looked at him for a moment with a somewhat puzzled expression and then asked, "I don't remember ever seeing you here before. Are you new to the Fellowship?"

Harry thought he detected a hint of suspicion in her voice. He replied amiably, "Well, I can't claim to be-" he made a sweeping motion with his hands, "- a member of this organisation here. But I may yet decide to join, depending on my impression of Mr. Riddle. He seems to stand up for the right things, but I have my doubts about his methods. My name is Harry James."

"Oh, I have read about you, of course! There have been several reports about you in the Harbringer. That venture has been an encouragement to many Muggleborns. I am pleased to meet you. My name is Hermione Granger. I am a student in Mr. Riddle's teaching organization."

"I've actually heard of you, Ms. Granger," Harry replied, looking up into an incredulous face, "Mrs. Snape mentioned to me that you are currently one of the greatest academic aspirants learning under Mr. Riddle's tutelage."

"Professor Snape really said that about me?" grumbled Hermione as she visibly blushed. The fact that Lily had been dubbed "Professor" by Hermione suggested a teaching job on her part, though she had not mentioned it.

Disregarding her joy at being praised, Harry wanted to know, "What can you tell me about Mr. Riddle, Ms. Granger? Surely, from what I can gather, he teaches occasionally?"

"Well, I can understand your mistrust somewhat. His actions are always cast in a very unfavourable light in the public media. The killings are without question extremely delicate. But I think you have to see that what our so-called government does to our kind and other magical entities when they get hold of them.

"We're just paying them back for what they've done to us over the centuries. And Mr. Riddle is indeed teaching us. Since Mr Hurrington the teacher of offensive and defensive magic died in one of those attacks a week ago, he has announced that he is teaching the subject himself until he finds a new teacher."

"And who else is teaching you? I hardly think I know any of them, but you never know," said Harry, who was now making a thoughtful face. Even Hermione was on Riddle's side without question. It gave him hope, as he could usually trust her judgement in the past.

"Professor Rivers teaches Potions and Herbology. Professor Snape, whom you had already mentioned, teaches Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Professor Lupin is in charge of History of Magic and Magical Law, which is really a relief considering Professor Binns at Hogwarts. Professor Tonks teaches Transfiguration. That's all the subjects we have here. But I know that Mr. Riddle is looking for a teacher for Charms, in addition to offensive and defensive magic.

"For a while, it seemed that Professor Rivers would teach Charms instead of potions, because until then Professor Snape's husband had still been covering the subject. Mr. Riddle, however, seemed convinced that although he was an expert, he had no talent for teaching at all. In the meantime, Mr. Riddle is probably trying to get Professor Tonks to teach Charms as well. But these are just rumours. I've only been here a few weeks anyway. That's why I'm surprised that Professor Snape praised me so much."

Harry blanched a little during her little lecture. Professor Lupin? Professor Tonks? Seeing Sirius alive had left him surprisingly cold, especially when he considered his behaviour, which could still be called frosty in the best sense. But seeing Remus again - alive and unharmed was something he could look forward to. And who was Professor Tonks? Three people came to mind: Ted Tonks, his wife Andromeda and their daughter Nymphadora.

Of course, he had thought more of the latter when she was mentioned, as he associated her more with that name than the other two, if only because Nymphadora had hated her first name. It was not clear to him to what extent it was possible that she even existed here. He had no way of knowing which pureblood families supported Riddle and whether the this-side Andromeda Black had also turned to the Muggle-born Ted Tonks.

After Hermione had finished talking, Harry remarked, hoping she would elaborate, "I've heard the name Tonks before, I think."

"Possibly. She is a Black by birth. I think she's referred to as a blood traitor every now and then when some Black has done something unpopular for the press to pick on. In the eyes of the magical public, it's a denunciation," Hermione sighed at this fact, "But it's not really surprising, is it? It's just their narrow minded mentality and blind faith in the traditional authorities. Mr. Riddle is quite right when he says that our society needs fundamental reform."

"I would even agree that far," Harry replied with a shrug, "But I can't really comment, as I said. I don't know his agenda well enough to be able to judge how far the violence can be justified. But enough of that. I'm much more interested in what you're looking up here, Ms. Granger. A task of Mr. Riddle's, perhaps?"

"It is indeed an assignment from Mr. Riddle," she replied somewhat awkwardly, "We are to work out the most effective ways to fight Dementors. A real teacher would probably ask for an essay, but I suppose Mr. Riddle just doesn't have time for that sort of thing."

Harry smiled at the subject and asked cheerfully, "And what are the best ways of doing this that you have found in your research Ms. Granger?"

"Well for the most part either fire spells are recommended or at least strong light spells as Dementors are very sensitive to light. But it's best to stay away from these creatures altogether, as there are no spells that can lessen the effect they have on humans. And you can only cast spells in the long run, of course, as long as you remain unaffected by these effects."

Harry frowned. Of course he knew that the Patronus Charm was considered by many people to be very advanced magic, but the fact that the sources didn't even mention it, struck him as odd, because a Patronus did exactly what Hermione thought was beyond wizardry. Of course, it was also entirely within the realm of possibility that she simply hadn't read that far.

"And what about the Patronus Charm?" he asked.

"I've never heard of it," she declared with inquisitive eyes.

Harry picked up the textbook lying on the table and skimmed the part about Dementors. The Patronus Charm or something similar was not even mentioned. He shook his head, putting the book back on the table and spoke, "Well, the Patronus Charm does exactly what you denied as a possibility. It removes the effects that a Dementor has on nearby people and drives them away. If it is only a single Dementor and the spell is particularly strong, it is even possible to destroy a Dementor. However, this only succeeds in extremely rare cases when the dementor has no means of escape.

"The Patronus, in its strongest form, is a protective figure, usually in the form of an animal, and is fed by happy memories that act as a kind of shield against Dementors. To many, the spell seems to require a very high level of ability, though I myself am not of that opinion. With enough practice, someone your age can easily learn the spell. It requires two things: Will and a really happy memory. The incantation is," Harry said, pointing his wand at the front of the room, "Expecto Patronum!"

A radiant stag burst from his wand and galloped across the room. Hermione sat open-mouthed, watching the animal in fascination, which sent an almost palpable hope wafting through the room. He noticed that the other students were also staring at either him or the Patronus in bewilderment.

"Fascinating!" a voice suddenly said from the direction of the door behind which Snape had disappeared earlier. Harry knew the voice. It was high-pitched for a man and strangely gentle. At the same time, he had never heard it in such a lighthearted tone. Sitting half with his back to this entrance, he stood up and turned to face the person. In front of him stood Tom Riddle.

Fad he not heard his voice, Harry would probably have found it difficult to recognise him. His backcombed hair was already of a pure white colour, but despite his advanced age, he still looked surprisingly young, more like a man in his 40s. The most significant thing for Harry, however, was that he didn't have snaky nostrils instead of a nose. The fact that his eyes were still the same dark colour as they had been when he was at school also gave hope.

"This is outstanding magic Mr. James. If this spell does indeed do, what you claim, it would be more than helpful - not only for our students. Ms. Granger, I hope you will forgive me if I borrow the good Mr. James. We have important things to discuss."

Harry said goodbye to Hermione and followed Riddle who, after making a welcoming gesture towards Harry, disappeared behind the door to the left. Harry noticed that Hermione was giving him a look he didn't like at all. It had been a long time since he had seen that dreamy expression on her face. She didn't even give it to Ron, or at least not in Harry's presence. She had looked at Lockhart that way. Harry fervently hoped that she did not begin to idolise him, as she had done with Lockhart, and only because he had performed a mundane Patronus Charm.

Riddle led Harry into a spacious office, which looked rather old-fashioned with its heavy, dark furniture, and sat down behind his massive desk while Harry took a seat in front of it,

"How much did Mr. Snape tell you about my... situation?" asked Harry tensely. Even though there was a possibility that Riddle might not be a maniacal mass murderer with elitist ideas, Harry could not draw that conclusion from his appearance, tempting as the notion was. No doubt Voldemort would have had more success if he had disguised himself in the way the local Riddle fashioned his appearance.

"Let me give you this incredible list of things I have learned about you: You come from a parallel world. In this world, my counterpart is an inhuman psychopath, who had killed many people until he was finally eradicated by you. You arrived here through a decidedly bizarre spell cast by one of this madman's former followers.

"In your understandable confusion, you unwittingly broke some of the laws and conventions of this so-called society, and as a result came into conflict with two quite talented aurors, from whom, however, you again deftly escaped. Without knowing it, you made contact with the Fellowship of the White Sun when you approached a prominent member of it.

And let me not forget the last: you know a spell that is considered impossible by many scholars. I'd say that's quite a lot, wouldn't you?" Riddle pointed out with obvious amusement, but then his face turned serious as he spoke again: "You certainly have some specific questions and before we get to your fascinating background, which I'd like to know more about, I should tell you some bad news right away. I don't think a return to your world is possible, Mr James. Or should I say Mr Potter?"

"Why is it not possible? Do you know the spell? And stay with Mr. James. As long as I remain in this world, it is probably better not to be a Potter."

"You might be right about that. The spell itself is unknown to me. Nevertheless, I have thought about it for a while, as far as my other activities allowed, and I have come to some questions which I have tried to answer. For instance, don't you find it strange that on the one hand there is no counterpart to yourself, but other people exist in the same way?" asked Riddle urgently.

To this Harry only replied, "Why should I find that strange? It's just a different world, isn't it?"

"That's the point, Mr. James. Why you ended up in this exact world, with these exact characters and this exact society? Normally, if you take the classical theory regarding alternative worlds, you would assume that at some point in history something happened differently than in the world of comparison. When do you think such a change might have occurred?"

Harry remembered the conversation with Lily and, without understanding exactly what Riddle was getting at, said, "Well, Mrs. Snape said that Salazar Slytherin was a great supporter of Muggleborns in this world, but in my world he was a pure-blood fanatic. The other founders of Hogwarts are also mirror images in the world here regarding this issue."

"Don't you think that such an early change in the fabric of events should have greater consequences?" Riddle asked with an intent gaze, "Even small things can change a great deal and many small things accumulate into even greater deviations. Lovers would have come together in other constellations, would have given themselves to each other at other times and women would have given birth to other children, who in turn would have made other decisions regarding their choice of partner. So if there had been a point of divergence almost a thousand years ago, none of the people you know should exist. And yet there are an immense number of similarities."

Harry thought about it. In fact, this conclusion seemed logical. But as it was still not clear to him what Riddle meant, he asked, "So you're saying the spell had a different effect?"

"You have travelled to another world. But not one that simply took one different turn in the paths of destiny. I think the effect of this spell has a lot to do with the caster and the cursed one. Now "Adgenera Transitum" is a Latin command to create a passage, a portal, or more precisely to add one. Who is being commanded here? The one who is struck, or magic itself?

"Both are conceivable. Of course, the linguistic meaning of an incantation need have nothing to do with its effects. Otherwise there would be no grammatically incorrect spells. And there are plenty of them. But let's just take it as circumstantial and say it commands the enchanted to participate in the spell. Then it follows to me that the purpose of the parallel world is generated from both spirits. The intention of the perpetrator is linked to the reaction of the victim."

Harry began to understand what was behind Riddle's statement that he could not return to his world: "In order to reverse the spell, one would have to know what thoughts the Death Eater had. Or her wand to initiate a reversal effect. And we don't have either."

"Not only that Mr. James. Even if the wand were in our hands, there's no telling whether your own mind could accurately determine the world you left behind. You would probably disappear into another, distorted place that might satisfy you even less than this one. If the spell works in this way - we cannot know for sure, although there is much that speaks in favour of it - then there is no question that it is deeply experimental magic, which can serve no sensible purpose except for its own sake. Well, it might be good for a lonely person escaping from an unpleasant world, but otherwise?

Perhaps, however, the application we know has been faulty. Perhaps it was actually intended for oneself? I don't believe it, but who knows?", Riddle explained his thoughts, seeming to look into depths Harry couldn't see: "It is, of course, a tempting idea to simply escape into a world that is exactly the way you always wanted it to be. But I think it is a risk that only the most desperate would consider. Those who have nothing left to lose. Because it's impossible to gain evidence about the potential of this spell, as the cursed person eventually disappears from the world and with him any possibility of proof."

"Why do you think the incantation cannot be applied to oneself? I mean no offence, but I find it hard to imagine a world that exactly matches my desires would not surpass this one."

Riddle was jolted out of his musings by his question and because his guest had interrupted his flow of thoughts, he replied somewhat indignantly: "It's not so easy to explain. I am convinced that the creator of the spell designed it as a command for a good reason. In a formal sense, a command is always addressed to something external and not to oneself, just as no one would ever speak of themselves as 'you'. To issue a direct command to magic itself seems rather unusual and useless, since ultimately every spell is more or less a demand on magic anyway. You are free to try."

"Your theory consists of a mere linguistic mind game," Harry stated matter-of-factly, pulling his wand from his holster and speaking, wand pointed at his own chest, "Adgenera Transitum!"

A pale violet-yellow wavering pulse of light escaped his wand, but nothing else happened. A somewhat irritatingly warm laugh escaped Riddle's lips and he said, "Apparently my linguistic approach is correct."

Unable to share his glee, Harry retorted, "I'd just have to find someone with a similar worldview to mine. At least then I wouldn't be in such a messed up world." - "You're considering escape when the going gets tough? Certain circles would consider that cowardly behaviour."

"You accuse me of cowardice?" said Harry with a mildly annoyed snort, "In my world, no one would have dared to do that, who didn't want to accidentally come into conflict with the majority population. This is not my world. Why should I sacrifice myself for someone else's when I could have it better elsewhere?"

"You could make this world yours," Riddle stated with conviction, "And besides, you are already involved. You have already made connections with quite a few people. Your support could greatly help our cause. Do you want to deliberately deny us that help and thus contribute to this world being run for all eternity by questionable, incestuous elites?"

"That's a bit thick, don't you think? After all, I can help and then leave. I don't see the problem," and even as Harry spoke those words he cursed his people-saving thing that forced him to make that concession. It was not enough for Harry Potter to save only his own world. No! He had to grace other worlds with his questionable heroism as well. He sighed in exasperation and came back to the spell: "So this world here is virtually a random product of my ideas and those of the Death Eater?"

Riddle seemed to be pleased by his quick admission and replied amiably: "You could put it that way. However, I think it is a little more complicated than that. I think a lot of the human mind, but I doubt that it would be able to imagine a complete world with all its details. The spell probably took into account the ideals and persons that were most important to the two souls who promoted the spell. Beyond that, the world into which the enchanted would be transferred probably corresponds to that which most closely resembles the basic mood of that melange of the two wills.

"Therefore, there are probably many persons living here whom you do not know, Mr. James. On the other hand, there may also be missing persons who were too unimportant to you both to have felt any great attachment to them, positive or negative. Exactly how your desires interacted is almost impossible to determine. It is interesting, isn't it, that in this world I am not the leader of our regime, but in a sense stand by you."

"I think I understand it vaguely. Dead eaters are interested in power. And she must have imagined the power structure she would like to establish when she cast the spell. She probably really didn't know what the spell would do. That's why there was no thought of Voldemort. She wished for a reversal of circumstances. Probably this linked up with my idea of who was enemy and who was friend, living or dead. Strange then that Remus should be on her side, if I interpret Ms Granger's mention of a Professor Lupin correctly."

Riddle looked at him thoughtfully and replied: "It seems to me that you expect a perfect reflection. I don't think that thought is helpful. Mr. Lupin is a werewolf and this society is not exactly gracious to those cursed souls. I think that changing the balance of power was a bigger priority than the human element. It was the woman, after all, who had cast the spell.

"Your influence, Mr. James, had manipulated the induced imagination of this dead-eater, but the basic features probably remained. Let's take Ms. Granger. You seem to have known her well in your world and yet she is on our side because she is Muggleborn. If she wasn't, she would probably be against us. I think the question of blood status is essential to understanding why you ended up in this world, of all possible worlds."

"It doesn't seem entirely conclusive to me. Andromeda Tonks is apparently also a so-called blood traitor here, as she is in my world. Given the reversal of circumstances, shouldn't she be more of a fanatic? People like the Malfoys or the Lestranges would have to be more on the good side."

Riddle raised his eyebrows doubtfully and replied, shaking his head: "You think far too much in metaphysical-dualistic categories, Mr. James. It is the balance of power that is twisted and not necessarily the personalities of the inmates of this world. The sincere love Andromeda Black felt for her late husband Edward has broken through her social conditioning, presumably as it has in your world. She and her sister Bellatrix are the only members of the Black family, other than Regulus, who have joined our cause.

"The Lestranges are hostile to us today, now that Rabastan has been reprogrammed, and Lucius Malfoy serves us as an informant from within the Ministry, but no one really trusts him. His siblings are also against us. When purebloods join the Fellowship, it is usually for very personal reasons. Very few risk it.

"The Waffling, Selwyn and Urquart families are united on our side. But they are poor, downtrodden families who feel connected to our cause for good reason. All the other pure-blood members of our movement tend to be loners, misfits and outcasts. There are not too many of them at all."

With some discomfort and a suppressed gnashing of teeth, Harry replied: "Well, assuming your idea about the effects of that abominable spell and the impossibility of reversal is accurate enough to be considered true, what exactly do you think I could do for you and your organisation? And don't get me wrong, I'm still not inclined to take your speculations at face value. Even if I vaguely agree with the goals of your "Fellowship of the White Sun", I would not be willing for the time being to risk my life for an organisation that is still alien to me at its core. What would you ask of me?"

"There is something, an honourable occupation that I am currently engaged in, but for which I am looking for an adequate replacement. A quiet occupation, if occasionally a little exhausting, to the point of being annoying," Riddle explained awkwardly, "To very few would I be willing to offer such a position, and I'm not entirely sure yet how suitable you really are."

"What are you talking about?" Harry wanted to know with narrowed eyes.

"It so happens that I am looking for a new teacher of offensive and defensive magic," he said with a genial smile, "You seem skilled to me. At least you have good dueling reflexes, considering how quickly you dodged Auror Avery's Killing Curse. Also, this invocation of a rather unusual physical shield to block further curses of this kind shows some experience. And lastly, it must be mentioned how quickly you created a portkey or portal. I know of only about seven people besides myself who could do that."

"What portkey?"

Riddle looked at him frowning and replied, "Well the one which facilitated your escape from the Leaking Cauldron to those non-magical relatives of Mrs. Snape."

Harry's thoughts halted at this and suddenly he had a strong suspicion as to why the local Aurors had not set up an Anti-Disapperation spell. Harry asked cautiously, "Am I correct in assuming that you are unfamiliar with the terms Apparition and Disapparition?" after a thoughtful shake of Riddle's head, Harry continued, "It's similar in principle to what Muggles mean by teleportation. You disappear in one place and reappear in another.

"It doesn't actually create a portal, although you do move around a lot, like you're being squeezed through a very narrow tube until you arrive at your destination. It's quite an uncomfortable way to travel at first. I'm not an expert on this kind of magic though, I think it's some kind of space warping spell."

"I am familiar with the term "teleportation". It is occasionally used in Muggle literature dealing with future fantasies. The way you imagine it, our portals don't seem too far from your apparition. In fact, your description reminds me of the early development of portal magic. Portals are a complex but commonly known branch of magic in its simple forms. Almost anyone is able to create a portal in less than a minute and step from one place to another quite comfortably.

"However, it would not have been enough in your case, as your escape was only a matter of seconds. When this magic was researched, it had started with the unintentional magic of children who occasionally disappeared in this way and reappeared elsewhere. Originally, there must have been an attempt to reproduce this. I remember a sketchy report from the 13th century describing a similar process to yours. But this way of moving was quickly discarded, as the wizards in charge placed a lot of emphasis on convenience. I can only assume that this aspect did not come into play in your world."

"The comfort of the traveller correlates with his ability to master the Apparition. I have become quite good at it. You may consider it outdated, but my method seems to have distinct advantages over yours."

Riddle smiled and said: "Without question. I am even sure that with this "Apparition" you would be able to break through protective wards that guard against intrusion by means of portals and port keys. A remarkable ability. I will probably try to acquire this crude form of transportation myself. But doesn't that show how many unknown and wondrous things you could teach us all?

"The divergence between our worlds has led to different developments in magical research. It seems that your world has faced dangers rather than making the existing more pleasant like ours. If this dementor spell you have mastered can be any indicator, I assume you work in the fight against dark creatures, Mr. James?"

"It really is a mystery to me how this magic has not yet been discovered in any world. Anyone would want to protect themselves from these creatures. And no, I do not work primarily with dark creatures. Occasionally their elimination or banishment is necessary, but mostly I have fought other wizards. I am an Auror."
Riddle looked at him with interest as he asked, "Do you know the name Ambrosius Hearst?"

"Yes," Harry said in surprise, "He is considered the inventor of the Patronus Charm. If you know him and can even relate him to the subject, how can the spell be unknown?"

"That is simply answered: he never invented it. Hearst was, and still is, posthumously regarded as the foremost specialist on Dementors. However, there is one spell that he created as a result of his research. Expecto Horrendum!"

From Riddle's drawn wand sprang something profoundly dark that seemed to suck in all the light and hope in the room. At first Harry thought he saw a large lion in silhouette, but the longer it was present the clearer the shape became and it became apparent that the creature had a human face and the sting of a scorpion for a tail. A manticore.

Completely involuntarily, Harry raised his own wand and, with his mind fixed on his victory over Lord Voldemort and what it had meant to his freedom, shouted, "Expecto Patronum!", summoning a blinding stag that trampled the black manticore and made it disappear. With the presence of his Patronus, the desolate mood that Riddle's monster had created began to disappear again, virtually flooding the room with optimism until it disappeared again.

After frowning at Riddle for a moment, Harry concluded, "So the same researcher who created a defence against these creatures in my world with the Patronus Charm has created a curse in your world that mimics the effects of Dementors."

"Exactly. The Horrendus Curse is one of the five most restrictive spells listed by the Ministry. To cast it, one must mentally focus on the worst events, experiences, and thoughts that one has and cast the incantation. If the thought is bad but not really inciting, only a dark mist appears. He who has the will to bring out the cruellest in himself can conjure up a gestalt horror which in its form represents the greatest fear in the shape of a living creature.

"I have never been able to fully fathom why it is a manticore in my case. Possibly an allusion to Griffindor, as the creatures resemble lions? Who knows? I suppose the Patronus Charm, which apparently can easily break a Horrendus Curse, works in a mirror image, for once," Harry nodded at this, whereupon Riddle continued, "But as fascinating as that is, let's get back to the subject at hand. Even if there are further divergences in your knowledge, there is no harm in that. An ex-Auror, with relevant war experience and a trove of unknown spells, I'd be only too happy to hire as a teacher."

"I am willing to accept that. But I will not join your organisation or serve as cannon fodder in any of your suicide missions."

"Oh, if I think your presence in a mission for the rights of all would be useful, I won't force you. But I cannot speak for your conscience. Because you seem to me to be a man of integrity, Mr. James. And when innocent people are in danger, you certainly won't fold your arms and look the other way."

Harry looked at him grimly and said, "Maybe not. But I'm not going to help the guilty kill other guilty people."

"I can live with that."