Blinded By The Past, Ignored In The Future
Chapter 8
EIGHT: Lioness V.S. Serpent
********
Response To Reviews:
Marauder1prongs: What do you mean another stupid love fic? *Says sarcastically* It is so not!…Okay maybe it is but…yeah…
F75: I hope by interesting you mean it's okay…
Emma Ackroyd: Sorry to say my dear reviewer if you keep reading this story you will be flooded with stupid questions (like how do British people spell color?) by my English loving friend, Katie Craft also known as Marauder1prongs on this site. It was actually quite funny when she pestered me about what you said that I managed to put her question in here even though it will annoy you to a great extent. As for the weather thing…yeah I felt a little OLD too. I swear I won't bring up the weather until I'm 60 something (that was a lie). I'm trying to get a scholarship to go to a college in England but I'm not too sure since I'm shooting to be an author one day. Back to the main subject… hope you enjoy this chapter!
********
Previous Chapter: Ho-neaou watched in delight as the muggle-born headed away. He looked down at the book that lay forgotten on the floor. It read: The Fate of Two. With one last smile he flew out of the window to watch, as the two opposites were going to first meet.
Soon enough it would begin…********
Hermione half walked, half ran to catch up with the person who was heading into the Forbidden Forest. She had a pretty good guess about who it was. That's why she was in such a hurry.
She looked ahead and saw that the person was still standing by the edge of the forest. He seemed to ponder if he should go in.
"Stop right there!" Hermione yelled. The figure turned and Hermione found herself starring into the bright dark eyes of Tom Riddle.
"Oh look it's the mudblood Gryffindor," he said. "So you've finally decided to give up your beauty sleep since it obvious doesn't help anyway, right?"
Hermione glared at him. "What are you doing out of bed, Riddle?"
Riddle snorted. "Like I have to tell you."
"I happen to be a school prefect. So in other words if you don't I'll tell Professor Dumbledore," threatened Hermione. She starred him straight in the eye and was prepared to swear that she sensed fear behind his calm appearance.
Riddle said nothing to her. He turned toward the forest and headed in without a single word to the Gryffindor girl.
"Get back here!" exclaimed Hermione. Riddle ignored her and continued into the forest. With no other choice, Hermione chased after him. "I'll tell the Headmaster if you don't get back here, Riddle!"
"Get out of here you filthy mudblood!" Riddle snapped at her, not stopping.
"Why don't you come up with a better name to call me," Hermione challenged him. "Oh never mind I forgot you can't find the time. Tell you what, why don't you run home to your mother? No wait…she's dead. Then what about your dad? Oh wait…you can't do that! He doesn't give a damn!"
Riddle stopped dead in his tracks and turned slowly to Hermione. "Get out of here!" he hissed dangerously.
"No!" she said, matching his anger.
"Your such a stubborn bitch!" he snarled. "No. I'm wrong. You're worse than a bitch. You're the bitch!"
Ho-neaou flew down upon them. His wings speared so the forest around them was illuminated by a silvery glow. In what seemed like slow motion he landed on a branch that was low to the ground and barred no leaves.
"Hello, my friends," he greeted. Hermione let out a yell of surprise at hearing him talk. "No need to be alarmed madam." He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Don't waste your breath talking to her, Ho-neaou," Riddle said insolently. "She might tell Dumbledore on you." Hermione glared at him, but Ho-neaou beamed.
Ho-neaou jumped to Hermione's shoulder and whispered into her ear, "oderint dum metuant." Her brow furrowed and he translated, "let them hate provided that they fear." Hermione stood there for a moment, trying to figure out who they were, but before she could Ho-neaou returned to the low branch of the nearby tree.
"Ho-neaou, you told me to meet you here," Riddle said. He didn't want to give anything away to the mudblood.
"I did," Ho-neaou agreed, ignoring that he meant without Hermione. "But I'm sorry to say that I must go early." Riddle growled at him in annoyance. "Farewell until tomorrow." Ho-neaou took of into the starry night sky.
"You are in so much trouble," Hermione said.
Riddle snorted. "And what exactly are you going to tell Dumbledore? That we both can talk to a Phoenix? Maybe he'll want you to say hi to Flawks for him." He laughed at his own joke although Hermione didn't. "Get out of here, Granger. I have things to do."
"Like what? Experimenting on innocent animals?" Hermione shot back. He looked at her angrily before continuing through the forest.
"You're going to try and contact Voldemort aren't you?" she demanded shrilly.
Riddle pulled out his wand and muttered a spell. Hermione watched him in terror, not knowing what spell he had used, but instead of something awful happening, the tip of his wand began to glow.
He raised an eyebrow at her in enjoyment. "What? You don't trust me, mudblood?"
Hermione didn't even try to reply. Slightly cold from the small gust of wind that came out of nowhere, she pulled her night robes closer around herself. "I guess I'll go then."
"I guess you will," Riddle repeated. Hermione turned around and headed back the way that they had come. When he was sure that she was long gone he followed the path that she had taken and gradually made his way to the lake.
He fell upon a patch of healthy green grass and starred into the water, looking at the reflection of the stars in it. After a loud sigh he sat up but continued to watch it as if his life depended on it.
Tell you what why don't you run home to your mother. No wait…she's dead.
Riddle grabbed his head and yelled out as deafening as he could. However the Granger's words still played in his head.
Then what about your dad? Oh wait…you can't do that! He doesn't give a damn!
In rage Riddle had never felt, he grabbed a rock from beside him and whipped it as hard as he could into the water. Upon impact the rock made a large splash and ripples moved the calm water outward and then back inward to meet at the middle of the lake.
Tell you what why don't you run home to your mother. No wait…she's dead. Then what about your dad? Oh wait…you can't do that! He doesn't give a damn!
He put his hands over his ears, knowing it wouldn't make the voice stop. There was no way a silly little brat like her could make him this angry! He had a lot worse things said to him over the years. How was what she said any different?
Because she is right…a nasty voice in the back of his mind reminded him.
Riddle picked up another rock and threw it into the water harder then the first. Obviously he didn't throw it hard enough for it slashed him and he cried out in frustration. He had no intention of returning to Hogwarts anymore…. never again…
*********
Dumbledore sat at his desk as the morning sun came up. He had been awake most of the night, trying to get some work done.
He pulled out a golden watch and examined it. Little planets moved around the edge of it and twelve hands were on it instead of numbers. It made sense to him though. He cleaned up his desk and just as he was about to get up his office's door swung open and Severus Snape came in.
"Headmaster," he said urgently.
"Yes, Severus?" asked Dumbledore.
"It's Riddle. Mr. Malfoy has just reported to me that he's not in the Slytherin dorm," replied Snape.
"Is it possible that he could be about the castle?" Dumbledore suggested.
"That's what I said but when we went to look for him he wasn't anywhere to be found," Snape said.
"Tell the other Heads of the houses that classes are to be canceled today," Dumbledore said in pressing tone. "Make sure the staff meet here as soon as possible. We must find him before anyone else does."
***********
Tom muttered something in his sleep. He wailed and tossed about once more before settling down. The horrible nightmare that he was having was the cause of all his restlessness…
*********
(Dream)
Tom Riddle quietly pointed hi wand at the doorknob of the Riddle's Manor. He was sure that their gardener was busy doing something else to notice him on the porch of the backdoor to the old home. Pain in his eyes from the mere thought that he could have lived in this very manor, he silently pushed open the door with his foot and listened before moving any further.
"I understand, mother," said a male voice.
"Never trust men like that, son!" he heard an elderly man say. "The only way to deal with people like that is death I tell!"
"I agree fully, dear," said a third person. This voice belonged to an old woman.
They must be eating dinner, Riddle thought. He listened to the voices more and knew automatically which one belonged to his father.
"Son, it's a bit chilly in here. Could you check and make sure that the back door is closed?" his grandmother asked his father.
Riddle's heart leaped as his father answered back. "Yes, mother." He heard a chair scrap across the floor and as the first footstep reached his ears he gulped and slowly came around the corner so the-his family could see him.
"Who are you? Get out of my house!" his grandfather yelled as the family rose from the table.
Riddle withdrew his wand and pointed it at them. "You don't give the orders anymore, grandfather!" he hissed. He turned to get a proper look of his father. He could see a few similarities. The face, tall in height, and sleek hair were the same, however he had inherited his turquoise eyes and color of hair from his mother.
"Who are you?" Mr. Riddle, his father, demanded, taking a step forward.
"Can't even recognize your own flesh and blood?" Riddle taunted.
His father's eyes widened. "You can't be! I didn't have a child with her!"
"Yes, you did," was all Riddle replied with, his voice was choking and filled with tears. "And you left me to be beaten every second of my miserable life by a bastard in a place where everyone hated he!" His turquoise eyes turned a blood shot red. "For that reason I'm going to kill you! And avenge mother! I want you to feel the pain you forced me to bare!" Without even realizing he did, he pointed his wand at the two elderly couple and shouted twice, voice full of hatred, "Avada Kedavra!"
His father stumbled backwards and fell over a chair after he saw his parents drop to the floor, dead. "Get away from me!"
"You can't tell me what to do," Riddle said calmly. He stepped closer to Mr. Riddle who tried to scramble away. "It's your fault mother is dead! It's all your fault!"
"I'm sorry!" Mr. Riddle said. His eyes darted to the wand in Riddle's hand and anger flooded Riddle's mind.
"You'll never be sorry! Now until you understand how I felt all those night I spent in a cold, stone room after getting the stuffing knocked out of me for breathing!" Breathing unevenly he pointed his wand at his father and said, "Crucio!" He them watched in horror as the man that stood before, supposedly his dad, fell upon the floor, screaming and twitching uncontrollably.
After minutes three long minutes he lifted the curse and starred down at Mr. Riddle. "I hope you rot in hell." Before he muttered the two fatal words he said in a sort of prayer, "mother, please, forgive me." Then he choked out the words he had longed to say, "Av-avada Ke-ke-kedavra!" His father collapsed upon the floor, dead before his body hit the ground.
Riddle fell to his knees, not believing hat had happened. He couldn't have…but he did. He got to his feel shakily and ran out of the house, not even stopping to catch his breath as his throat tightened and he felt the tears coming on…
(End of dream)
*********
Riddle slowly opened one of his eyes and starred around the room. He wiped his sweating forehead and looked around. Stone walls, stone floor, and he was laying on a soft couch…For a moment perhaps, he thought that he was in Azkaban, but then he remembered that he had managed to sneak into this secret room in the early morning.
The secret room he was near the dungeons in the castle. Salazar Slytherin built it and therefore only Riddle knew how to get into it, but if anyone else knew the password they could get in just as easily.
He gasped in pain and caught sight of his leg and remembered more events from last night. Once he had gotten bored of the lake he had returned to the forest to find Ho-neaou. Not able to find anything at first, he searched again and unfortunately ran into an Acromantula, a gigantic spider. It was impossible to say how but he had recognized the beast as Aragog, the monster spider that Hagrid had tried to raise in a box.
Hagrid! He was a Hogwarts. If he went to Dumbledore and told him that the beast that Hagrid had raised a child attacked him he might not be able to stay here anymore. Not that Riddle actually cared or anything. But he had already gotten the half-giant expelled, wasn't that enough?
He gritted his teeth in pain as he shifted his led so it was more comfortable. He knew that no one except an old friend knew where the secret room was and she was dead. Even if he wanted to get out of the room now and go to the Hospital Wing, he couldn't climb the dark staircase that led to the second floor with his leg hurt as it was. Riddle put his head down and starred at the ceiling, wishing that someone knew where he was.
"The Forbidden Forest is a dangerous place my friend," said Ho-neaou, appearing out of nowhere. "I though you were smarter than that."
Riddle gritted his teeth in agony and managed to say, "It's your fault I went in there! I was looking for you!"
"Cal down, my friend," Ho-neaou whispered. "That leg of yours isn't a good thing to test. I'll be back with help me friend."
"But can't you just heal it? I mean Phoenix tears have healing properties," said Riddle.
Ho-neaou chuckled. "I may be able to talk, Riddle, but I had to sacrifice something to be able to." With that he took of and flew up the staircase then out of the secret door, leaving Riddle to wait.
**********
Ho-neaou was out of the door in seconds and he knew exactly where to go. Casting an invisibility charm over himself, he soared around the halls and found her.
"Hello there, Hermione Granger, is it?" he said. "And you two must be…Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley."
The three Gryffindors looked at him as if he was a red basilisk about to eat them. "Come now, Hermione, I assume you told them about me?" Hermione looked down and didn't reply. Harry and Ron on the other hand starred at him. "Don't be embarrassed, dear girl. I'll introduce myself. Hello, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. My name is Ho-neaou."
"You're a Phoenix and you're taking!" Weasley said when Potter couldn't find anything to say.
Ho-neaou laughed quietly and replied. "That would appear to be the case wouldn't it? Now I suppose some rumor is going around, saying that Mr. Riddle has disappeared?" The Gryffindor's nodded unsurely. "Well, Hermione, you may tell the Headmaster that he is still within these walls only. He is injured so he won't be able to come out of where he has taken shelter."
He could see each of them give him a look that said quite plainly 'Who-Gives-A-Damn-About-Him', but he finished doing what he came to do. "Do not tell Dumbledore who gave you this information." He sighed before continuing, "The entrance to the secret room Riddle is currently in is on the second floor and the password is Slytherin's Great Heir. Good luck." Done with his business, he took off, leaving Hermione to decide whether or not to go to the Headmaster, and a very confused Potter and Weasley to stare at her.
