A/N Thank you to Maria for doing a wonderful job as my beta.
I'm looking for a little bit of advice on how to get italics to work on fanfiction.net. I generally write in Microsoft Works Word Processor and upload the file as a regular text file and in the process the italic ness gets stripped.
I also have Microsoft Word but it seems to completely fugger with my spacing when I try to upload things written with that program. Anyways, if anyone has some advice please email me (mascaret_@hotmail.com) or leave a message in feedback. I'm coming to a part in the story where it is going to get very necessary to emphasize certain words and I would prefer not to write it like _this_ or *this*.
#########################################
Once the door closed behind the Headmaster, Robert Binns was more than a bit disconcerted to be left alone with the little savage. Of course, he knew it would not do to let her know that. Children, like animals, could smell fear and it encouraged them.
He approached the desk to prepare himself a cup of tea while he awaited the return of Dippet. It was only once he had poured the tea that he realized there was no milk or sugar on the tray.
Already scowling, he turned to face the girl. Sure enough she had both. He reached out a hand towards the sugar dish, but pulled it back with a frown as she hissed and snapped her teeth at him menacingly.
"Mine!"
He stared back at her for a moment. After a feint to the right, he went in on the left and quickly took possession of the container of milk.
Binns overlooked the fact that he had spilled almost all of the milk on himself and the carpet in his haste and choose not to note that the girl had made no attempt to stop him from taking the milk. Instead, he gave a shriek of triumph at having outmaneuvered the girl.
The same ruse failed to acquire any sugar. Binns pouted and wagged his stinging finger in the air.
"I only wanted one!"
The dark haired devil looked him up and down as if assessing him. He watched as she picked up a single cube from the dish. For a moment, he thought she was going to offer it to him. And she did, but only after licking it.
Binns frowned and narrowed his eyes. He would not be bested by a mere child.
Ignoring the outstretched hand, he snatched the undefended dish of sugar.
He added not one, but two sugars to his tea. Then he smirked at the girl as he licked another of the cubes. After putting the damp cube back in, he covered the opening of the dish with one palm and shook it, making it impossible to pick out 'his' cube.
He returned the tainted dish with a superior look. The fiendish gray eyes remained locked on him as the girl's hand found the sugar tongs. Never taking her eyes off of him, never actually touching the cubes with her fingers, she selected a single one.
Frowning, Binns allowed her to drop the cube in his hand. It was damp.
Managing to scowl and pout at the same time, Binns began to drink his tea. He coughed, dismayed to discover his teacup was now almost entirely filled with tea leaves.
He pierced the girl with his most austere frown. Still, he had to admit, if only to himself, she had a most infectious giggle.
###########################################
After sending Binns on his way, Armando Dippet gawked at the girl as she ate cubes of sugar from the tea service tray. She was eight. The idea of nine more years of viewing that were too much for him to contemplate. He looked around the room for something to distract her. From one of the seldom used cupboards he produced a checkered board.
"Can you play checkers?"
The girl looked up from her rapidly being depleted sugar cube collection. She tilted her head looking at the board. Rather than answer the question, she changed the subject entirely.
"I can play chess."
Dippet frowned. True, the same board could be used for both, but that had not been the question.
"I did not ask if you can play chess. I asked if you can play checkers."
The girl was quiet a moment, as if she were considering the matter. Then she repeated her earlier declaration, albeit with a bit less enthusiasm.
"I can play chess."
"Wonderful, but can you play checkers?"
Again, she paused. This time staring thoughtfully at her sugar cubes.
"I can play chess."
Dippet sighed before again speaking.
"I do not like chess. Chess is not enjoyable. It is hard work. It is all about strategy and stratagems. You have to plan all your actions in advance. You need to know what everyone else on the board is doing. To anticipate their moves and counter them. You need to be both defense and offense. And you have to sacrifice some of your own. In chess, the people you lose, they have names. Chess is difficult.
Checkers, you just cavort about trying to get to the other side. It doesn't matter how many get there before or after you, everyone can be King."
Seeing the girl was not to be swayed by his words, Dippet gave up. He allowed her to redouble her efforts on the sugar dish as he kept watch on the clock for the time of Mr. Riddle's return.
*************************************************
When the time neared for Mr. Riddle's return, Armando Dippet instructed the girl to remain in her seat and headed to the stairs to have a conversation with Mr. Riddle outside of her range of hearing. He had not yet begun his decent when he realized his oversight.
After hastily reopening his door, he crossed back to the shelf behind his desk. The not at all contrite scowl the girl fixed him with as he removed the only thing in the room that interested her besides the sugar cubes assured him he was not acting unwisely.
"There, there now Mr. Keys. I will not allow her to eat you."
He did not have to wait long before Mr. Riddle came dashing towards the stone gargoyles.
"Mr. Riddle, we have not yet had a chance to speak at leisure. I must confess, I am quite curious about how much of this matter you managed to work out on your own."
At the time, he would take Mr. Riddle's answers as truth. It was only much, much later that he would come to suspect the possibility that he may have been deceived. Even then, he never could be certain. As to whether that was the charm that was Tom Riddle or the failings of a desperate man seeking any hope to cling to, he could not say.
What he could say, was that Mr. Riddle appeared quite earnest and sincere, even if a bit guarded.
"The McGonagall boy, he told me that Kitten had done some unusual things."
"So you suspected she might have been something other than a cat?"
It was the young man's contrite, but frank admission that would at the time make Dippet believe completely in his words. Even the boy's body language was perfect, the way he held his head down.
"Yes, sir."
There was the briefest of pauses during which Armando Dippet wavered in his confidence. Ever since the attacks a few years ago in which a student had lost her life, he had suspected something about Tom Riddle. There was a reason why he had so readily allowed Master Dumbledore to convince him to retain Rubeus Hagrid as assistant groundskeeper.
It was not without cause that Dippet had never discarded the pieces of the wand that once belonged to young Mr. Hagrid
Despite what he suspected about Tom Riddle, he was confident in a person's ability to choose to change their path in life. Mr. Riddle had at the very least lied to him in saying he knew nothing about the attacks happening at the school. At very worst, well he did not care to speculate on that. What was important was that even if his worse suspicions about Mr. Riddle had been true, with support and encouragement, the boy could change.
That was very important in regards to Tom Riddle. Despite what he suspected about Mr. Riddle, there was something else of which he was sure. He had only ever seen a small bit of Mr. Riddle's future, but it was to be an immeasurably important future.
Yet with all of his own suspicions, with Dumbledore's constant suggestions, and now with the boy's own admission, Dippet could not help himself from doubting the future he had seen.
Then the boy held his head up and looked him straight in the eye and restored all of his confidence.
"I thought she was a kneazle."
Dippet concentrated on the young man before him. This situation was difficult, but Master Viinder's praise of the boy had given him encouragement.
"Mr. Riddle, this girl…"
He frowned struggling internally. Exactly how much could he say, what could he allude to, without causing problems with the future? All too well now, he could understand the plight of Grindelwald. How simple, how elementary it seemed to solve the whole predicament with a few well chosen words or a swift action. And yet, if history had demonstrated nothing else, it had shown that such simplicity was not to be had. Invariably, when those with the Sight sought to act directly to alter later events, the consequences were most unkind.
He knew he should say nothing, yet already what he could See was ghastly. Many times now, he had Seen the same Vision of what was to be that he had spoken of with Artemisia during their after dinner walk so many years ago.
Still, he had not seen the 'why,' the reason why a fully grown Minerva would wander the halls of Hogwarts slaughtering all the adults that she crossed paths with. He had however, Seen many additional details in the intervening years. Where as before, he could See the students and then that they simply were no more, he now knew what was to become of the children of the school. The fate of the children was still quite alarming, but he found some hope, some comfort in the knowledge that she was not to simply exterminate them out of hand as well.
His greatest hopes, however, lay with Mr. Riddle. In his Visions, he had Seen that it was to be Tom Riddle who would finally put an end to her murderous rage.
It unsettled him slightly that he had never Seen any other part of the boy's future, but it signified nothing really. The Gift was capricious in what it chose to reveal. Nevertheless, Dippet would have found reassurance in knowing some more of the boy's future.
But that Mr. Riddle was to be the one to end the carnage, he had no doubt. Now Armando Dippet found he desired more of the young man. If Mr. Riddle were to be the one to finally stop the girl, might it not be, certainly not likely, but perhaps possible, for him to prevent her actions all together?
No, he knew he should say nothing, but he would speak regardless. He would keep his words as few and as indirect as possible, but he would convey the importance of the matter.
"Mr. Riddle, your destiny and hers, they are intertwined. I have Seen things…things that are to happen. They are to be horrible things…it is to be your responsibility to end them…This, I have Seen.
I tell you this because it is my hope that you may even be able to prevent them from occurring."
Armando Dippet faced the boy. Mr. Riddle did indeed seem to have an appreciation for the art of Divination. He was alert and attentive to every word. He looked directly into the boy's eyes, stressing each word as he continued.
"Mr. Riddle, you are the one, you are the only one who can stop these things."
When he allowed the young man back into the room to claim the girl, Armando Dippet was confident that his message had gotten through.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N In the last section I wanted to give you something of an explanation and a motivation behind some of what Dippet has been or will be doing. It's important to note that you are seeing Dippet's view of the talk including his inner monologue. Riddle only hears his words. It might be worth taking a second look at exactly what Dippet said and being aware of it without the context Dippet provided you with.
Thank you for reviewing CEA, Minerva Lea, LinZE, Joyce2, and Laura Kay
Laura Kay Most of your questions should be answered pretty quickly.
Joyce2 For the foci thing, I tried to write a response to your comment, but it came out far too confused sounding. Suffice it to say, the word when used in the ability context is intended to be different than the muggle usage and is singular. When I gave the explanation in parenthesis I meant it only as the origin of where I got the word, not necessarily where the characters got the word. If that doesn't make sense just tell yourself the excuse I use whenever something doesn't quite come out right - A wizard did it! Either way, I'm just happy the problem got you to leave a review telling me you are enjoying the story and think it is excellent.
CEA *blush*
I'm looking for a little bit of advice on how to get italics to work on fanfiction.net. I generally write in Microsoft Works Word Processor and upload the file as a regular text file and in the process the italic ness gets stripped.
I also have Microsoft Word but it seems to completely fugger with my spacing when I try to upload things written with that program. Anyways, if anyone has some advice please email me (mascaret_@hotmail.com) or leave a message in feedback. I'm coming to a part in the story where it is going to get very necessary to emphasize certain words and I would prefer not to write it like _this_ or *this*.
#########################################
Once the door closed behind the Headmaster, Robert Binns was more than a bit disconcerted to be left alone with the little savage. Of course, he knew it would not do to let her know that. Children, like animals, could smell fear and it encouraged them.
He approached the desk to prepare himself a cup of tea while he awaited the return of Dippet. It was only once he had poured the tea that he realized there was no milk or sugar on the tray.
Already scowling, he turned to face the girl. Sure enough she had both. He reached out a hand towards the sugar dish, but pulled it back with a frown as she hissed and snapped her teeth at him menacingly.
"Mine!"
He stared back at her for a moment. After a feint to the right, he went in on the left and quickly took possession of the container of milk.
Binns overlooked the fact that he had spilled almost all of the milk on himself and the carpet in his haste and choose not to note that the girl had made no attempt to stop him from taking the milk. Instead, he gave a shriek of triumph at having outmaneuvered the girl.
The same ruse failed to acquire any sugar. Binns pouted and wagged his stinging finger in the air.
"I only wanted one!"
The dark haired devil looked him up and down as if assessing him. He watched as she picked up a single cube from the dish. For a moment, he thought she was going to offer it to him. And she did, but only after licking it.
Binns frowned and narrowed his eyes. He would not be bested by a mere child.
Ignoring the outstretched hand, he snatched the undefended dish of sugar.
He added not one, but two sugars to his tea. Then he smirked at the girl as he licked another of the cubes. After putting the damp cube back in, he covered the opening of the dish with one palm and shook it, making it impossible to pick out 'his' cube.
He returned the tainted dish with a superior look. The fiendish gray eyes remained locked on him as the girl's hand found the sugar tongs. Never taking her eyes off of him, never actually touching the cubes with her fingers, she selected a single one.
Frowning, Binns allowed her to drop the cube in his hand. It was damp.
Managing to scowl and pout at the same time, Binns began to drink his tea. He coughed, dismayed to discover his teacup was now almost entirely filled with tea leaves.
He pierced the girl with his most austere frown. Still, he had to admit, if only to himself, she had a most infectious giggle.
###########################################
After sending Binns on his way, Armando Dippet gawked at the girl as she ate cubes of sugar from the tea service tray. She was eight. The idea of nine more years of viewing that were too much for him to contemplate. He looked around the room for something to distract her. From one of the seldom used cupboards he produced a checkered board.
"Can you play checkers?"
The girl looked up from her rapidly being depleted sugar cube collection. She tilted her head looking at the board. Rather than answer the question, she changed the subject entirely.
"I can play chess."
Dippet frowned. True, the same board could be used for both, but that had not been the question.
"I did not ask if you can play chess. I asked if you can play checkers."
The girl was quiet a moment, as if she were considering the matter. Then she repeated her earlier declaration, albeit with a bit less enthusiasm.
"I can play chess."
"Wonderful, but can you play checkers?"
Again, she paused. This time staring thoughtfully at her sugar cubes.
"I can play chess."
Dippet sighed before again speaking.
"I do not like chess. Chess is not enjoyable. It is hard work. It is all about strategy and stratagems. You have to plan all your actions in advance. You need to know what everyone else on the board is doing. To anticipate their moves and counter them. You need to be both defense and offense. And you have to sacrifice some of your own. In chess, the people you lose, they have names. Chess is difficult.
Checkers, you just cavort about trying to get to the other side. It doesn't matter how many get there before or after you, everyone can be King."
Seeing the girl was not to be swayed by his words, Dippet gave up. He allowed her to redouble her efforts on the sugar dish as he kept watch on the clock for the time of Mr. Riddle's return.
*************************************************
When the time neared for Mr. Riddle's return, Armando Dippet instructed the girl to remain in her seat and headed to the stairs to have a conversation with Mr. Riddle outside of her range of hearing. He had not yet begun his decent when he realized his oversight.
After hastily reopening his door, he crossed back to the shelf behind his desk. The not at all contrite scowl the girl fixed him with as he removed the only thing in the room that interested her besides the sugar cubes assured him he was not acting unwisely.
"There, there now Mr. Keys. I will not allow her to eat you."
He did not have to wait long before Mr. Riddle came dashing towards the stone gargoyles.
"Mr. Riddle, we have not yet had a chance to speak at leisure. I must confess, I am quite curious about how much of this matter you managed to work out on your own."
At the time, he would take Mr. Riddle's answers as truth. It was only much, much later that he would come to suspect the possibility that he may have been deceived. Even then, he never could be certain. As to whether that was the charm that was Tom Riddle or the failings of a desperate man seeking any hope to cling to, he could not say.
What he could say, was that Mr. Riddle appeared quite earnest and sincere, even if a bit guarded.
"The McGonagall boy, he told me that Kitten had done some unusual things."
"So you suspected she might have been something other than a cat?"
It was the young man's contrite, but frank admission that would at the time make Dippet believe completely in his words. Even the boy's body language was perfect, the way he held his head down.
"Yes, sir."
There was the briefest of pauses during which Armando Dippet wavered in his confidence. Ever since the attacks a few years ago in which a student had lost her life, he had suspected something about Tom Riddle. There was a reason why he had so readily allowed Master Dumbledore to convince him to retain Rubeus Hagrid as assistant groundskeeper.
It was not without cause that Dippet had never discarded the pieces of the wand that once belonged to young Mr. Hagrid
Despite what he suspected about Tom Riddle, he was confident in a person's ability to choose to change their path in life. Mr. Riddle had at the very least lied to him in saying he knew nothing about the attacks happening at the school. At very worst, well he did not care to speculate on that. What was important was that even if his worse suspicions about Mr. Riddle had been true, with support and encouragement, the boy could change.
That was very important in regards to Tom Riddle. Despite what he suspected about Mr. Riddle, there was something else of which he was sure. He had only ever seen a small bit of Mr. Riddle's future, but it was to be an immeasurably important future.
Yet with all of his own suspicions, with Dumbledore's constant suggestions, and now with the boy's own admission, Dippet could not help himself from doubting the future he had seen.
Then the boy held his head up and looked him straight in the eye and restored all of his confidence.
"I thought she was a kneazle."
Dippet concentrated on the young man before him. This situation was difficult, but Master Viinder's praise of the boy had given him encouragement.
"Mr. Riddle, this girl…"
He frowned struggling internally. Exactly how much could he say, what could he allude to, without causing problems with the future? All too well now, he could understand the plight of Grindelwald. How simple, how elementary it seemed to solve the whole predicament with a few well chosen words or a swift action. And yet, if history had demonstrated nothing else, it had shown that such simplicity was not to be had. Invariably, when those with the Sight sought to act directly to alter later events, the consequences were most unkind.
He knew he should say nothing, yet already what he could See was ghastly. Many times now, he had Seen the same Vision of what was to be that he had spoken of with Artemisia during their after dinner walk so many years ago.
Still, he had not seen the 'why,' the reason why a fully grown Minerva would wander the halls of Hogwarts slaughtering all the adults that she crossed paths with. He had however, Seen many additional details in the intervening years. Where as before, he could See the students and then that they simply were no more, he now knew what was to become of the children of the school. The fate of the children was still quite alarming, but he found some hope, some comfort in the knowledge that she was not to simply exterminate them out of hand as well.
His greatest hopes, however, lay with Mr. Riddle. In his Visions, he had Seen that it was to be Tom Riddle who would finally put an end to her murderous rage.
It unsettled him slightly that he had never Seen any other part of the boy's future, but it signified nothing really. The Gift was capricious in what it chose to reveal. Nevertheless, Dippet would have found reassurance in knowing some more of the boy's future.
But that Mr. Riddle was to be the one to end the carnage, he had no doubt. Now Armando Dippet found he desired more of the young man. If Mr. Riddle were to be the one to finally stop the girl, might it not be, certainly not likely, but perhaps possible, for him to prevent her actions all together?
No, he knew he should say nothing, but he would speak regardless. He would keep his words as few and as indirect as possible, but he would convey the importance of the matter.
"Mr. Riddle, your destiny and hers, they are intertwined. I have Seen things…things that are to happen. They are to be horrible things…it is to be your responsibility to end them…This, I have Seen.
I tell you this because it is my hope that you may even be able to prevent them from occurring."
Armando Dippet faced the boy. Mr. Riddle did indeed seem to have an appreciation for the art of Divination. He was alert and attentive to every word. He looked directly into the boy's eyes, stressing each word as he continued.
"Mr. Riddle, you are the one, you are the only one who can stop these things."
When he allowed the young man back into the room to claim the girl, Armando Dippet was confident that his message had gotten through.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N In the last section I wanted to give you something of an explanation and a motivation behind some of what Dippet has been or will be doing. It's important to note that you are seeing Dippet's view of the talk including his inner monologue. Riddle only hears his words. It might be worth taking a second look at exactly what Dippet said and being aware of it without the context Dippet provided you with.
Thank you for reviewing CEA, Minerva Lea, LinZE, Joyce2, and Laura Kay
Laura Kay Most of your questions should be answered pretty quickly.
Joyce2 For the foci thing, I tried to write a response to your comment, but it came out far too confused sounding. Suffice it to say, the word when used in the ability context is intended to be different than the muggle usage and is singular. When I gave the explanation in parenthesis I meant it only as the origin of where I got the word, not necessarily where the characters got the word. If that doesn't make sense just tell yourself the excuse I use whenever something doesn't quite come out right - A wizard did it! Either way, I'm just happy the problem got you to leave a review telling me you are enjoying the story and think it is excellent.
CEA *blush*