We start getting into the memories now, woo!
The rest of the week passed regularly for Harry. He spent his nights either doing homework, practicing his non-verbal spells, or with Aileen.
His classes overall weren't terrible. Without Snape, Potions seemed a lot less stressful. The Half-Blood Prince also seemed to help. He's never been so successful at potions before.
Hermione was spending parts of her free time looking for any information of a Half-Blood Prince in the library. Harry let her do it, if she did indeed find something, it would sate his curiosity as well.
"You want to bring the DA back?" Hermione asked. "Why?"
"Snape's not like any other professor we've had. I know I could use some extra practice. Why not turn the DA sessions into study sessions."
"That sounds like a great idea" Hermione cheered.
Ron groaned, "Why are we trying so hard to impress Snape? I thought we were going to ignore that greasy git?"
"Because Aileen is on my arse this year. If I slack off at all, she's going to beat me into a bloody pulp. I'd rather play nice with Snape than get on her bad side."
Ron nodded, "Alright, count me in then."
/
Saturday night arrived and Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office.
"Acid Pops," Harry told the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office. It leapt aside; the wall behind it slid apart, and a moving spiral stone staircase was revealed onto which Harry stepped. He knocked at the door with the brass knocker that led to Dumbledore's office.
"Come in," Dumbledore's voice called.
"Good evening, sir," Harry greeted, walking into the headmaster's office.
"Ah, good evening, Harry. Sit down," Dumbledore smiled. "I hope you've had an enjoyable first week back at school?"
"Yes, thanks, sir," Harry replied.
"You must have been busy, a detention under your belt already!"
"Er," Harry stuttered awkwardly, but Dumbledore did not look too stern.
"I have arranged with Professor Snape that you will do your detention next Saturday instead."
"Right," Harry mumbled, it was wishful thinking that he would get out of Snape's detention.
Harry put it out of his mind, now looked around surreptitiously for some indication of what Dumbledore was planning to do with him this evening.
"So, Harry," Dumbledore started, "you have been wondering, I am sure, what I have planned for you during these — for want of a better word — lessons?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, I have decided that it is time that you know what prompted Lord Voldemort to try and kill you fifteen years ago."
"How does this help me defeat him Professor?" Harry asked.
"To defeat one's enemy, one must know one's enemy." Dumbledore responded. "A person's past actions can be very helpful in finding out what kind of person they are and their motivations."
"And their weaknesses." Harry said softly.
"Indeed" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Your sister told me last year that she is handling your physical education."
Harry nodded, "She's been honing my reflexes."
"Ah yes, I thought I saw a certain brown cat roaming the castle." Dumbledore nodded.
Harry smiled sheepishly, "She is still popping out of random places, hoping to scare me. I've gotten better at finding her though."
"Good, then I will leave you in her quite capable paws."
Harry chuckled.
"Our lessons will be to learn all we can about Voldemort. I am to give you as much information as I have so that you will know how to defeat him."
"Sir, if you have the secret to defeating Voldemort, why do you need me?"
"Oh, I don't have the full secret. There is still much I do not know. I am hoping that I can give you enough pieces for you and your friends to finish the puzzle."
Harry nodded.
"Now, let us begin" Dumbledore led Harry over to his pensieve. "We will be looking at memories. Memories that I have collected over the years, all having to do with Voldemort. Or, more specifically, Tom Riddle."
Harry watched as Dumbledore poured a memory into the clear water of the pensieve. He was a little apprehensive. His last experience with the pensive wasn't the best.
"We will both enter the pensieve." Dumbledore said. Harry relaxed a bit.
"Whose memory is this, Professor?"
"A man named Bob Ogden. He was employed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He died some time ago, but not before I had tracked him down and persuaded him to confide these recollections to me. We are about to accompany him on a visit he made in the course of his duties."
Harry nodded and entered the pensieve with Dumbledore.
/
The Gaunts were not a nice family. Harry was reminded of his time with the Dursleys, watching Mr. Gaunt yell at his daughter. Harry rolled his eyes as Gaunt showed off his family heirlooms. He may have a fancy pedigree but the family did not show an ounce of it. They all seemed mad, especially the son. The ring though, the one that had been in their family for centuries was familiar. Dumbledore had it before. Before he could ask, the Guant men attacked.
The memory ended as Ogden ran away from the cottage. Merope's screaming echoed through Harry's head.
"What happened to the girl in the cottage?" Harry asked.
"Oh, she survived," Dumbledore replied, reseating himself behind his desk and indicating that Harry do the same. "Ogden apparated back to the Ministry and returned with reinforcements within fifteen minutes. Morfin and his father attempted to fight, but both were overpowered, removed from the cottage, and subsequently convicted by the Wizengamot. Morfin, who already had a record of Muggle attacks, was sentenced to three years in Azkaban. Marvolo, who had injured several Ministry employees in addition to Ogden, received six months."
Harry recognized the name. He was brought back to his time in the Chamber of Secrets. The image of a young Tom Riddle spelling his name out. Marvolo was his middle name. It would make sense; the memory did mention they were Slytherin's descendants. You had to be, in order to open the Chamber.
"Voldemort's a half blood" Harry said. "The man, outside with the woman. The one Merope fancied."
Dumbledore nodded, "Tom Riddle Sr."
"Then they…ended up together?" Harry couldn't wrap his head around that one. There had been another woman Riddle Sr had called 'Darling'."
"I think you are forgetting," Dumbledore said, "that Merope was a witch. I do not believe that her magical powers appeared to their best advantage when she was being terrorized by her father. Once Marvolo and Morfin were safely in Azkaban, once she was alone and free for the first time in her life, then, I am sure, she was able to give full rein to her abilities and to plot her escape from the desperate life she had led for eighteen years. Can you not think of any measure Merope could have taken to make Tom Riddle forget his Muggle companion, and fall in love with her instead?"
"The Imperius Curse?" Harry suggested. "Or a love potion?"
Dumbledore nodded, "Very good. Personally, I am inclined to think that she used a love potion. I am sure it would have seemed more romantic to her, and I do not think it would have been very difficult, some hot day, when Riddle was riding alone, to persuade him to take a drink of water. In any case, within a few months of the scene we have just witnessed, the village of Little Hangleton enjoyed a tremendous scandal. You can imagine the gossip it caused when the squire's son ran off with the tramp's daughter."
"What happened to them? Wasn't Voldemort brought up in an orphanage?" Harry asked.
"He was. His parents did not stay together long. Tom Riddle returned to his home not long after he and Merope had run away together. This was about a year before Voldemort was born."
"Do you think the love potion stopped working then?"
"Not quite" Dumbledore replied, "I think Merope set him free. Hoping that he loved her without the help of a love potion."
Harry snorted, "Guess that didn't work out."
"No, it did not."
"Sir, I noticed the ring you were wearing earlier and the ring that Marvolo had are the same."
"They are"
"Is it important to the story then?"
"I believe it is, but I do not know for sure yet. We will have to find out together."
Harry nodded.
Dumbledore dismissed him for the night.
/
Hermione and Ron were waiting for him in the common room when Harry returned. He told them about the memory, about the Gaunts, and about the ring.
"The ring is definitely important if Dumbledor had it." Hermione said.
"How would it be important though?" Ron asked. "It's just a family heirloom."
Harry shrugged, "I'm sure I'll find out. I've only seen one memory so far."
"Hey were you able to get out of Snape's detention?" Ron asked.
"No, it's been rescheduled for next week" Harry grumbled.
Ron grimaced, "Sorry mate, it was worth a shot though"
Harry shrugged.
Hermione rolled her eyes.