Autor's note: Another chapter... and I think a very confusing one. But don't worry... much :). Everything will be explained in time. My firends are asking me... "What the hell I'm doing?" ;) Hehehe! Not a chance! I'm not telling! i hpe you will all enjoy this chapter. I'll update soon. Bye! ;)))

CHAPTER FOUR

It was Ron who first broke the silence.

"Wait, wait, wait… Once again please. Your family name is Riddle?"

Tom looked at him calmly.

"That's what I said."

"Tom Riddle?"

"Yes."

"And… you've got your name after someone special?"

"Yes. My father."

Students sitting at the table took really sharp breath. With great hesitation Ron asked another question.

"Your fathers name is also Tom Riddle?"

Boy nodded his head and Ron's eyes gone wide.

"Is… Is he… if…" He stammered. "Is he T-H-A-T Tom Riddle?"

Before he answered he looked intensely at Gryffindor students faces. They were showing pure shock and distrust, on the others was fear and terror.

Disbelief on Ron's face was apparent. Hermione looked at Tom with suspicion and insecurities.

Only one man at the Gryffindor table was looking at Tom witch pure unconcealed fury.

It was Harry Potter.

That's why, answering the question young Riddle turned directly to Harry.

"Yeah… exactly THAT Tom Riddle is my father."

For a moment no one could say a word. Than…

"If it is a joke," Harry saidangrily. "It is a really bad one."

Tom calmly bared his look.

"I don't have any reason to joke about it?"

Black haired boy clenched his fist so hard that his knuckles become white.

"Voldemort is your father?"

Surpassed shouts born after hearing forbidden name. It flew like a lightning thru great Hall even if it wasn't spoken out loud. Dead silence fall upon everyone.

Tom's face was like a stone. Young cheerful boy disappeared somewhere and his place took one with unreadable expression.

"Yes. He is."

Harry stood up suddenly. His green eyes was blazing with fire.

"He killed my parents," he hissed thru his clenched throat.

Young Riddle nodded slowly.

"He killed many children parents… yours also.

Harry's whole body was shaking violently. Frightened Hermione was a looking at him with great concern. This whole situation was simply a nightmare.

Blazing green eyes once again met calm blue ones.

This silent duel was telling more than thousand words. Many students shivered when they saw a look of pure hatred and disdain coming from the eyes of The Boy Who Lived.

"Stay away from me Riddle," Harry hissed. "This is my first and final warning."

After that Harry turned around and walked out of Great Hall. Ron and Hermione casting one last glance at Tom run after him.

When the trio disappeared behind doors, Tom took a deep breath looked shortly at shocked faces of Hogwarts students and professors.

He smiled warmly and lifted his cup with pumpkin juice in the mocking salute.

"So… after this official introduction I wish you all a pleasant meal."

After that he starts eating. Small grin didn't left his face even for a second.

In all Great Hall you would hear a pin dropping from a table.

Silence was deafening.

XXX

"Harry!"

"Harry!!"

"HARRY!!!"

Boy Who Lived heard Hermione voice coming from behind buthe was walking forward angrily. It was until her small hand stopped him in place. He turned around to her with raging fury.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted.

"NO!"

"Herm…"

"Calm down mate. Please."

"Don't interfere Ron! Not now!"

"You have to calm down."

"Hermione! Do you know who he is?"

"Yes. I do."

"You do? You really do??? Ron! How about you?"

"Yeah mate… I know."

"NO!!! You don't!!! You both have no idea!!!"

"Harry… please…"

"NO HERMIONE!!! He is his son! He is Voldemort's son! He was sitting with me in the same compartment… he joked… he laughed… he was acting normal. Just like… it didn't matter at all. All of it… That he is… is… his…."

"Harry." He saw tears in her eyes.

"I can't Hermione!" He clutched his head in his hands. His watch his friends with helpless. "He knew perfectly who I was but didn't tell anything. He knew… that in his veins is floating blood of my parents murderer."

Bushy haired girls was crying on the sight of her best friends pain. She extended her hand trying to touch his cheek but he draw back shaking his head.

"No 'Mione… I don't need any consolation right now… What I want is… explanation. How the hell this…" He struggled to find the word. "...guy... arrived to Hogwarts?"

"Maybe I'll help you with that dear boy."

Friends turned around suddenly after hearing quiet voice coming from the back.

"Professor Dumbledore," whispered Hermione.

Agitated Harry stepped forward.

"What is going on here professor?"

Old wizard sooth his beard.

"Honestly saying Harry, I don't know precisely myself but I will try to explain it to you all the best I can. Please come with me to my office."

Soon friends found themselves in Headmasters office. Dumbledore showed them their chairs and after they sat down Harry looked at him crossly.

Old professor noticed his looked and grunted.

"Couple of days ago Ministry of Magic registered an strange abnormality. The source was using magic by underage person. Monitoring charm stated that it was unknown boy in your age. Maybe it wouldn't be anything more in this and ended with simple rules violation except one single thing."

"Which is?" Harry asked quietly.

"Monitoring charm didn't tell WHO is this boy and WHERE he came from. Procedure in such situations allows… of course with agreement of Ministry of Magic… using an Identification Charm. That's what happened.

Hermione looked at Dumbledore with concern.

"And that was Tom, am I right?"

Headmaster smiled and continued.

"You could imagine our shock, when returning charm stated, that this young boy is indeed – Thomas Augustus Riddle, unregistered, sixteen years old wizard. Simply we never knew about his existence."

"It's like he came from nowhere."

"Exactly Mr. Wesley. But more of that… Identification Charm came back to us very scattered. We don't knew why but it possessed one clear information. This information was about this boy's father."

"Voldemort," Harry hissed.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "Tom is Lord Voldemort's son."

There was a long silence after that.

"What about his mother?" Asked Hermione.

"We don't know that either. This particular information was someway erased from the charm. There is no doubt that someone had to interfere in it to block this from us and anyone else."

"Tom?"

"Maybe… or maybe not. But no matter what… sixteen years old Tom Riddle was automatically assigned to Witchcraft School of Magic and Wizardry in Hogwarts. You know perfectly well that magical world is acting first than asking the questions."

"Question asked by The Order Of Phoenix?"

"Yes Harry. Order has no equal in gaining even most secret information."

"So what Order know now Tom."

Dumbledore voice wad dead serious.

"Absolutely nothing."

"What? How… but you said…"

"Calm down Miss Granger. Maybe Order don't act very fast but very effectively. We have to wait a little while for final conclusions of our investigation."

Harry stand from his sit with agitation.

"Wait professor? WAIT? How you imagine this? Son of this murderer will be leraning in Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore looked at him seriously.

"Harry… this boy is not his father. He didn't answer for his crimes. Don't transfer sins of the father to his son. Maybe you could give him a chance to show his true self."

Disturbed by old wizard words Harry slumped back to his chair.

"Give him a chance professor? I don't know if I can," ha answered honestly. "He is a part of a man, who took from me everything what is important in my life. He is a son of a man who… continuously wants my death and the death of the people who I love.

After hearing his last word Hermione shivered strangely but no one noticed it beside Dumbledore. His eyes twinkled a little but he left it without any comment.

His lookreturned to Harry.

"I perfectly understand what you have in mind dear boy."

"For this moment I have no reason to think that Tom is different than his father. How do you think what he will choose: helping us or helping him," he almost spit his last word.

"I don't know what to answer you Harry."

"So do I sir. Giving someone a trust need some time and full faith in a person. It's very delicate process especially in times like today. My parents also trusted someone with their lives but… he betrayed them. Peter Petrigrew caused their death because they thought they can trust him."

Harry felt delicate touch on his hand. He didn't need to look down to know that it was Hermione's hand. Once again… like she did this countless times before… she was giving him so much needed strength and calmness.

"Please professor. You have to understand me. I can't trust him… At least NOT NOW. I can not do it even for a moment. This boy keeps some secrets in him… to much of them… and I've got the feeling that his motives are much darker than he try to show."

Dumbledore smiled sadly.

"I'm not saying that I don't understand your point of view. But remember to not judge a book by it's cover."

Harry looked at his friends. Ron was still looking quite in shock but his face started gaining colors. When he saw Harry's gaze he nodded to him.

"We have to be careful… That's for sure," he stated. "But until we will knew everything I think that we could give him a benefit of the doubt."

Harry smiled despite this situation.

"It's nicely said mate."

Ron bared his teeth.

"Well… what can I say? Intelligence comes in pair with beauty."

Harry burst out laughing and shook his head helplessly.

When his eyes met Hermione's she answered him by squeezing little tighter his hand. He understand that she was telling him, that no matter what he will decide, she will be always by his side.

The Boy Who Lived sighed deeply and after a moment he turned his head to old wizard.

"I will try professor. I can't promise anything… but I will try."

Dumbledore smiled warmly.

"I'm very glad of your decision. I'm proud of you all. I hope that everything will be cleared soon."

When Harry, Ron and Hermione left his office, headmaster's phoenix – Fawkes fly to Dumbledore's desk and lightly pecked his fingers wanting his daily portion of pet.

Stroking his pupils feathers wizard whispered to himself.

"No matter how this will end, one thing is certain," he leaned to his phoenix. "In nearest future… this three young wizards will play very important part."

Fawkes screeched in confirmation and bowed it's head demanding more attention.

X X X

When the best friend's trio left headmasters office they walk in silence to part of castle belonged to Gryffindor.

Harry was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice that his friends stopped suddenly. He jerked his head up to see what happened and he meet a look of the last person he wanted to saw again.

Instantly he felt anger once again but when he remembered Dumbledore's words he tried to control it.

"What do you want Tom?" He asked the boy who was leaning on Fat Lady's portrait.

Young Riddle didn't lower his look even for a second. When he spoke there was no emotion in his voice.

"I'm not your enemy Harry."

Ron and Hermione sighed loudly. Harry was also surprised but he tried not to show it.

"Word doesn't cost anything Tom. What I know for sure is that for the first moment when we met in the Hogwarts Express you weren't honest with us."

Riddle nodded.

"I didn't say a word because I knew how you will react. I just wanted to have a pleasant trip."

Hermione broke the silence.

"You are hiding lot's of secrets inside, aren't you?

Tom smiled.

"My life is an open book Hermione and some day I will allow you to read it all. But for now… you have to be satisfied by short summary."

He bowed his head and said a password to Fat Lady. The portrait swung open. Before he entered in he turned around one more time.

"Like I said Harry. I'm not your enemy. When the time will come… you will see that. Goodnight to you all."

He disappeared in the corridor leaving friends much more confused than they were before.

to be continued...