So,. I know I said I'd get this out a few days ago, but my life has become hectic and I'm writing this as I'm about to fall asleep. Anyway, thank you to the few people who have reviewed me, but Aya, I think you're going to have to wait in line, because there are a lot of people who are in love with Harry/Daniel. So anyway, this chapter shows a different side of a certain character, which I think is probably a good thing. Anyway, I hope you like it, I'll try to update by the end of the week, but I have Chef Camp (I know, slightly dorky) so don't count on it. Anyway, cheers!

-Pentagon Merlin

The Reason

CH 6: Private Lessons

It was Wednesday evening and Liz was just beginning to get settled. As she pulled the final book from her trunk she grinned as she saw the title: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Even if it wasn't a book on Dark Arts or the defense of the subject, it was still a must have for anyone, she thought. It was her favorite book, and the copy she held in her hands was so tattered it was almost falling apart.

"Ender's Game, what is that, some type of plan by a crazy dark wizard?" Harry asked from the doorway.

"You're telling me that you grew up in a muggle home and you've never read Ender's Game?" she asked from where she stood, without even looking up to see who it was.

"I never told you I grew up in a muggle home."

"No, no you didn't. The only connection I had to my father when I was a kid was his diaries and his notebooks, as well as letters that people had sent to him over the years, people who didn't know he was gone. There was one that was written to him shortly after his disappearance informing him that you had been sent to live with your aunt and uncle, muggles," Liz said as she sat down.

"After he disappeared? What, is your father Voldemort or something?" Harry mumbled as he sat down across from her.

"No, my father is not Voldemort. My father is Tom Riddle, whose insane alter ego happens to be Lord Voldemort," she told him, making Harry quickly stand up and back away from her, a frightened look on his face. "Harry wait, I need to explain," as she saw him still walking, she picked up her wand and said Portrificus Totalus. I'm sorry, but I need to explain this, and I think you deserve to be told first, based on your relations with him. As you don't seem to be able to stay here, I'll un-freeze you when I'm done.

"Almost 45 years ago, Albus Dumbledore took a little girl from a purebred family here in England and sent her to a tribe of Native Americans in the US because of a prophecy he had heard. She was adopted by the chief there and when she was a kid began training to be a medicine woman. When she was 18, she moved to New York City, that was about 25 years ago. About the same time, Lord Voldemort went to America because of rumors of a goblin there that could help him become immortal. While he was there, he was hit by a car and forgot who he was, or at least the Voldemort part of it. All he remembered was being Tom Riddle, and he was taken in by a medicine woman/shaman. Before he regained his memory, he fell in love with her, and her with him, despite the age difference. Even when he remembered who he was, he remained Tom Riddle when he was around her. About 5 years after they had met, they got married and a few months before he disappeared, thanks to you, they had a daughter, me. Then, 2 years ago when he came back, he returned to the states, to see what was up with his family. His wife never re-married, and his daughter was there, perfect for becoming a death eater in a few years.

"When his wife was pregnant with her, Lord Voldemort surfaced for a little while when he was with her. He put a few dark spells on the child, one of the reasons I have this," Liz pulled down her robe revealing her birth mark, the one in the shape of the Dark Mark. "I too have an alter ego, one that kept me from getting into Rockwall. I've pulled a few stunts in my life that probably weren't the best. Unlike my father, however, I suppress myself more often than not, and when I felt him trying to use me one night a few months ago, I told my mom that no matter how much she loved my father, he had an evil side and would use me. So here's the thing: I will never allow my father to use me in any way. I told Professor Dumbledore the first time I talked to him that I would do anything to bring my father down because as much as I love him, he's evil. Now, Locke and I thought you should be the first to know as you're probably my... Voldemort's greatest enemy," Liz mumbled the counter curse. "What do you think?"

"I think you're insane!" Harry started, as soon as his mouth was allowed to work again. "But I've learned to trust Dumbledore, so... You're supposed to be teaching me?" he said after a minute.

"Oh, yeah. So I know we need to work on parselmouth, but I don't know what else, other then what you've been taught in class. I figured the best way would be for you to tell me what you know, or show me, and we'll go from there," Liz spit out after a moment. She had seriously been expecting him to run.

"All right, I can avoid the imperius curse, and I have a wand made of the same stuff as Voldemort's, so it causes a web thingy. Oh, and I can also form a full grown Patronus," Harry started.

"Let's go one thing at a time, and show me as much as you can. Want to start with the Patronus?"

"Sure, Expecto Patronum!" A full grown stag appeared in front of him.

"Ok. So, my patronus isn't even that good, so there's no point in me teaching you how to do that. I'll believe you with the web, since anyone's wand will do that, no offence. Let's see, Imperio!"

As soon as she shouted this, Harry heard someone inside his head say, "Stand up."

"Why?" he thought to himself. "Really, I am rather comfortable here, sitting in this nice chair."

"Stand up!" the voice said again, this time a little more fierce.

"No, no, I'm rather comfortable here, just sitting here. I don't think I will."

"Stand up this moment!" the voice screamed.

"NO!" Harry screamed back inside his head.

"Stand up or that precious little mudblood friend of yours will die," the voice taunted, calming down considerably.

"No she won't. I will remain sitting here, as I am quite comfortable, and you will get the bloody fuck out of my head!" Harry screamed inside, pushing as hard as he could at the invader and shoving the doors he had been taught to put up the previous year. Slowly, he opened his eyes. What he saw wasn't what he was expecting.

In front of him sat an Elizabeth Riddle that he had never seen before. Her skin had lost any color it contained and the usual rosiness of her cheeks was gone. Her green eyes were now red, and slatted like a cat's. Her nose looked smaller on her face, more squashed, and her hair wasn't as brown any more, but instead a dirty blonde.

"Professor, are you okay?" Harry asked, pulling out his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted, pointing her own wand at him and throwing him back against the closed door. "You, filthy little boy! You horrible traitor! You should worship your lord, cower in fear of him, not fight him! He should not be fought! He is the righteous, the holy, and he shall reign!"

"Professor Riddle, are you okay?" Harry repeated, looking up at the figure looming above him. He was pretty sure she wasn't okay, but he might as well try. Bloody hell, she really did look like Voldemort in this state.

"You deserved to die, you filthy worm! Your parents deserve to be in the ground, as do anyone of their kind. Dirty traitors! They were right to die, before the real heat came on. You should have done that too!" she screamed as she spun her wand around her fingers, as if contemplating what to do with it.

Without looking away from him, she aimed her wand at her bookshelf, sending the books that she had taken so long to put in neatly everywhere. Then, she turned her wands to the window and broke it, at the same time breaking the glass cage that was Locke's. Slowly, she did something that Voldemort had never done to Harry's knowledge, she backed away. Collapsing on the floor in front of her desk, she took a few deep breaths.

"Harry, did I hurt you?" she asked after a few minutes of sitting there like that, her hands over her face.

"No, you didn't. What happened, Professor?"

"My alter-ego took over," she mumbled as she took her hands away from her face. Her eyes were back to being round and green. Color had returned to her face and her nose wasn't as flat anymore. "You know how my father's alter-ego is Voldemort? That is mine. I never thought to name her, I don't think I want to. She's gotten me into so much trouble over the years. I've burned down an entire neighborhood, nearly killed a man. She's the reason I didn't go to Rockwall, she's the reason I am who I am. I'm sorry for anything I said. I have no control and I usually mean none of it," she apologized as she twirled a strand of her brown hair around her finger.

"Why?" Harry asked simply.

"Why what? Why do I get like that?" Liz asked back. Seeing him nod, she said, "You know when I said my father used some dark magic on me when I was a fetus, this was the result. Whenever I get really mad or use intense dark magic I become her. If I have to manage the imperius curse on an average person, I can do it, but you fought back. You fought back more then I've ever felt before, and that drove me over the edge."

"You've done the imperius curse before?"

"Only when I'm in the evil state. The American Ministry of Magic has decided that it should be overlooked as technically I'm not at fault for doing it. What they don't know is that I have a bit of control. I can avoid hurting people I really like, hence why my office now looks like a mess. Reparo!" she shouted, pointing randomly around the room. The glass repaired itself and all the books flew back onto their shelves. "I'm still sorry."

"So, Professor, how did you settle down? Every time I've seen your father he's in the other state."

"My father is only happy when he's at home. It's the only time he's a happy Tom Riddle. You know what, don't call me Professor Riddle when we're in these sessions, or outside of the classroom, I guess. It seems weird, since you are older then me, and I hope a friend."

"Alright, Liz, how did you overcome bad Liz?" Harry asked, going back to his former question.

"I told myself to breath. Usually Mom or one of my other teachers would tell me to do it, and that seems to work faster, but by breathing I calm down. One of my teachers was a Buddhist monk. He taught me to meditate, mainly by breathing, and that calms me down enough that I can go back to being good Liz."

"That's bloody brilliant."

"Yup. Holy shit!" Liz said, looking down at her watch. "You were supposed to be back into your common room 15 minutes ago!"

"Wait, isn't it your common room too?"

"Yes, but I have to patrol tonight. Come on, I'll take you there so you won't get into any trouble by another teacher."

"How did an heir of Salazar Slytherin get into Gryffindor anyway?" Harry asked as they were waiting for the stairs to change.

"I apparently have more guts then ambition, although I would have gone well anywhere."

"I wonder if the hat says that to everyone. That's pretty much what it said to me."

"Eh, it's a talking hat, what does it know? Here's your stop. I'll see you tomorrow, is it?"

"Yeah. Bye, Liz."

"Adios, Harry!" Liz said as she walked down the hall, taking her wand out and muttering, "Lumos." It had been a most interesting evening.

"So how was it?" Hermione asked as soon as Harry walked into the common room. There were only a handful of people left sitting around, as it was after curfew, but Hermione and Ron were sitting at a small table doing homework.

"Yeah, mate, what happened?" Ron added, looking up from his Transfiguration book.

"Nothing, we just... She figured out what I knew and what I needed to learn," Harry said sitting down. "Hey, I need to tell you guys something," he motioned for them to lean in. "She's HIS daughter."

"What do you mean by HIS?" Hermione questioned.

"Voldemort's," Harry mumbled.

"What?!" Both Ron and Hermione screamed.

"Well, Tom Riddle, but still... Look, she's going to tell everyone else soon enough, but she said she thought I should know first," Harry shushed them.

"She's You-Know-Who's daughter?" Ron asked, shocked. "Wait, you're okay with this?"

"Well, she explained it to me. Apparently, when he's around her mum he's nice, I guess. It's not like she can really help it," Harry said, deciding not to tell them about the change in personality. If there was a secret he needed to keep from them, this was it. "It's not like you can help being Percy's brother, Ron."

"No, but that's Percy. Not the Dark Lord!" Ron hissed.

"Are you sure she's safe, Harry?" Hermione asked, giving Ron a look.

"Yeah, it's not like she attacked me or anything," Harry lied. "She said she was only here to get away from her father, to keep him from using her."

"Yeah, so she'll have a chance to become the Dark Lady, and take down Hogwarts from the inside!" Ron grumbled.

"So we give her a chance. You can't help who your parents are, and if she really wants to be good, and Dumbledore trusts her, it's the least we can do," Hermione reasoned, ignoring Ron.

"Okay," Harry said, leaning back in his chair.

"Alright," Hermione followed his suit.

"Only if we watch her carefully!" Ron stated.

"Don't worry, I will," Harry mumbled, thinking not only of what Ron was thinking but something entirely different.

Alrighty people. Cheers, I hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully a bit of dark, yet not so PG-13 yet, hopefully soon, give it another month or 2 in the story, it won't take too long. R&R if you please. Gratsi. Toodles.