"Ah, Miss Riddle, I was wondering when you'd come to see me," said
Dumbledore as the dark haired professor entered his office, "What is it
that you wanted to see me about?"
"Is it the truth?" she asked, "I mean about Remus. I heard Mr. Potter and his friends saying that he died."
"I'm afraid it is," said Dumbledore.
"How?" she asked.
"A Death Eater attack," he answered.
"And Sirius, too," she asked.
"Yes, at the end of last term," said Dumbledore, "I thought your uncle would have told you. I thought he would be proud of it."
"My uncle?" she said.
"Yes," said Dumbledore.
"You mean you know who I am?"
"Of course," said Dumbledore, "I have known that Voldemort is your uncle since you started school here."
"And you still hired me?" she said in disbelief.
"Yes," said Dumbledore, "I trust you to teach the students properly. I do not discriminate against people because of their relatives."
"Do you think that any of the students will figure it out?" she asked, "It could cause major problems. They may not trust me."
"The only ones that may realize are Mr. Potter, his friends, and a few of the students from Slytherin. Do not worry Harry and Ginny will not judge you on your name. They were close friends to Sirius. They realize that your last name does not determine who you are."
"Do you think I should talk to them," she asked.
"Whatever you believe is the right thing," he said.
"The trouble is I don't know what is right anymore," she said sitting down in a chair across the desk from Dumbledore.
"Harry will judge you on how you act. Nothing you say is going to earn his trust. However coming clean may prove you can be trusted," said Dumbledore.
"I wish I wouldn't have made such bad decisions when I was younger," she said.
"That's the trouble with not being able to tell the future," said Dumbledore, "You do not know the consequences. All we can do now is try to make up for them."
"I did know the consequences, though," said Riddle, "But I still decided to follow my uncle."
"But you also stuck by your friends," said Dumbledore, "You never missed a chance to defend Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter."
"I know, but know they are all gone," she said, "also, I learned that families should stick together."
"I trust you to make the best decision for yourself. I am not going to tell you what to do," he said, "Just remember, blood doesn't make a family."
"Thanks," said Riddle getting up to leave. She looked like she was thinking hard about what to do. She could either keep up following Voldemort and hope he never asks her to kill anyone, or she could go against him and probably be killed.
"By the way, Miss Riddle," said Dumbledore, "How do you manage to never age? You do not look a day older than the day you graduated"
"A gift from my uncle," she said sadly, "He took the powers from a veela that he had killed. I feel guilty really, but I had no choice but to except the powers. It also gets really annoying when no one will listen to me because they think I'm too young to have any experience. Everyone wishes to be this age, but I hate it."
"I see," said Dumbledore, "Well beings the veela powers are not yours do you have control over them?"
"Yes," she said.
"Well then, I would expect that if you don't use them during class the boys will be able to concentrate better. I saw Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Weasley come out of class with some really bad bruises and Mr. Malfoy come out with some burns."
"Alright," she said giving him a small smile before leaving.
After she left, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and talked to Fawkes, "I wish I knew all the answers. Should I have told her about the Marauder?" Seeing Fawkes make no response he said, "Probably not."
"Is it the truth?" she asked, "I mean about Remus. I heard Mr. Potter and his friends saying that he died."
"I'm afraid it is," said Dumbledore.
"How?" she asked.
"A Death Eater attack," he answered.
"And Sirius, too," she asked.
"Yes, at the end of last term," said Dumbledore, "I thought your uncle would have told you. I thought he would be proud of it."
"My uncle?" she said.
"Yes," said Dumbledore.
"You mean you know who I am?"
"Of course," said Dumbledore, "I have known that Voldemort is your uncle since you started school here."
"And you still hired me?" she said in disbelief.
"Yes," said Dumbledore, "I trust you to teach the students properly. I do not discriminate against people because of their relatives."
"Do you think that any of the students will figure it out?" she asked, "It could cause major problems. They may not trust me."
"The only ones that may realize are Mr. Potter, his friends, and a few of the students from Slytherin. Do not worry Harry and Ginny will not judge you on your name. They were close friends to Sirius. They realize that your last name does not determine who you are."
"Do you think I should talk to them," she asked.
"Whatever you believe is the right thing," he said.
"The trouble is I don't know what is right anymore," she said sitting down in a chair across the desk from Dumbledore.
"Harry will judge you on how you act. Nothing you say is going to earn his trust. However coming clean may prove you can be trusted," said Dumbledore.
"I wish I wouldn't have made such bad decisions when I was younger," she said.
"That's the trouble with not being able to tell the future," said Dumbledore, "You do not know the consequences. All we can do now is try to make up for them."
"I did know the consequences, though," said Riddle, "But I still decided to follow my uncle."
"But you also stuck by your friends," said Dumbledore, "You never missed a chance to defend Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter."
"I know, but know they are all gone," she said, "also, I learned that families should stick together."
"I trust you to make the best decision for yourself. I am not going to tell you what to do," he said, "Just remember, blood doesn't make a family."
"Thanks," said Riddle getting up to leave. She looked like she was thinking hard about what to do. She could either keep up following Voldemort and hope he never asks her to kill anyone, or she could go against him and probably be killed.
"By the way, Miss Riddle," said Dumbledore, "How do you manage to never age? You do not look a day older than the day you graduated"
"A gift from my uncle," she said sadly, "He took the powers from a veela that he had killed. I feel guilty really, but I had no choice but to except the powers. It also gets really annoying when no one will listen to me because they think I'm too young to have any experience. Everyone wishes to be this age, but I hate it."
"I see," said Dumbledore, "Well beings the veela powers are not yours do you have control over them?"
"Yes," she said.
"Well then, I would expect that if you don't use them during class the boys will be able to concentrate better. I saw Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Weasley come out of class with some really bad bruises and Mr. Malfoy come out with some burns."
"Alright," she said giving him a small smile before leaving.
After she left, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and talked to Fawkes, "I wish I knew all the answers. Should I have told her about the Marauder?" Seeing Fawkes make no response he said, "Probably not."