A/N Thanks as always to Maria for taking the time to beta this.
Make sure you to read Chapter 38 before starting this one. An earlier chapter was removed bumping all the chapter numbers back one.
And please remember to review!
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After clearing through all of the howlers and other owl messages, Armando Dippet sat at his desk contemplating the vial before him.
The logical suggestion would be to ration the potion, to split it into three parts and imbibe one part each night. That, however, would simply not do. He had long since learned that lessening the dosage of the potion would render it useless.
He could consume his last remaining vial of dreamless sleep potion tonight and hope for some other solution to present itself for the other two nights. Or he could attempt to spread out the unpleasantness. He could attempt to make it through tonight without the potion, take the potion tomorrow night, leaving the third night to be endured potions less, but with the expectation that Pomfrey would be returning the following day and be able to supply him with a new store of dreamless sleep potion.
The very real possibility that Pomfrey might not be returning on Monday was not something he was willing to even begin to consider.
A knock at the door surprised Dippet. It must be a student, no one else ever bothered to knock. With the utmost care, he returned the vial to its earlier position next to the other 'sleep' potion in the drawer.
"Enter."
Dippet frowned as he took note of who was entering his office. Yes, Dumbledore was the only one on staff who had the civility to knock. As Mr. Riddle and the girl entered with the Transfiguration Master, Dippet noted with some relief that no one appeared wounded or malformed in any way.
With more than a bit of unease, Dippet spoke. "To what do I owe this great privilege?"
Mr. Riddle was the one to speak first. "Sir, Kitten and I would like to be excused from Potions lessons until Professor Pomfrey returns."
Dippet turned his frown onto Master Dumbledore. "_I_ was not aware we were still having Potions lessons what with Professor Pomfrey being indisposed."
Dippet deepened his frown as Dumbledore ignored the warning tone of his voice and attempted to further an agenda of his own. "I made the offer this morning to Professor Shackleton to help try to keep the higher level Potions classes from falling too far behind during Pomfrey's absence."
Rather than attempt to argue with the young master debater, Dippet acquiesced derisively. "How very _decent_ of you, Master Dumbledore. A most _generous_ offer that I will readily take you up on."
Before continuing to speak, Dippet noted the appalled expression on Mr. Riddle's face and the wary look of suspicion on Master Dumbledore's. Improbably as it might seem, Miss Grindelwald appeared to be keeping herself entertained and out of trouble for the moment. "However, since Miss Grindelwald is not expected to be studying higher level Potions, but rather, first year Potions, she will of course be excused. Now, is there anything else?"
Dippet sighed as Dumbledore refused to give in so easily. "Headmaster, there is no reason for the two not to continue in my Transfigurations class. If Tom sincerely wishes to drop the class then that is his decision. However, that does not factor into whether or not Miss Grindelwald should continue. After all, Mr. Riddle will be graduating in a few weeks, while you plan for Miss Grindelwald to remain here for-"
Master Dumbledore stopped abruptly, stunned into silence by the words with which Mr. Riddle interrupted him. Dippet had to admit, Mr. Riddle's words were more than a bit inaccurate. "Kitten belongs to me. She will be coming with me when I leave."
Dippet cleared his throat before attempting a rebuttal to Mr. Riddle's words. "Mr. Riddle, that is not going to happen. It would not be at all appropriate-"
Dippet sighed as the boy now interrupted him. What was wrong with the youth of today? They were entirely too ill-mannered and excitable.
"Kitten belongs to me! You said I could keep her!"
Now Master Dumbledore was the one piercing him with a disapproving look. "Dippet, surely you didn't tell him that?!"
Dippet shook his head. "Certainly not! Mr. Riddle, what I said, or at least what I had meant to say…what it was that I meant when I said that, Mr. Riddle, was that-"
"-You told me-"
"-Armando, what in the world were you think-"
This was really getting to be too much. Thankfully the girl had not yet decided to add her own voice to the cacophony. Remarkable, how well she was behaving. She was just unhurriedly drifting about the perimeter of his office. Granted, she was trailing her hands along all the shelves and cabinets, leaving fingerprint smudges all over the glass, but that could be easily remedied by one of the elves.
Dippet raised his volume in an attempt to be heard over the other voices. He already had a solution to everything, if only they would listen. "The girl will not be leaving. She will remain here at Hogwarts under my guardianship. Mr. Riddle will also be remaining. Arrangements will be made for him to apprentice as a Master next year, continuing until such time as…well…just continuing."
Mr. Riddle wore quite the appalled expression. "Study to be a _professor_?"
Dumbledore looked no more satisfied with the idea. "An apprentice? Headmaster, apprenticing hasn't been a practice since even before I was a student."
Choosing to ignore Master Dumbledore's very accurate comment, Dippet focused on the far more easily dismissed objections of Mr. Riddle. "Mr. Riddle, it would be extremely unseemly to allow you to leave with the child. She is after all a girl and you are not. Even beyond that, how would you suppose to support her? You are without a vocation. You have no family, no support system. Were you to find employment, what of the girl then? She requires nearly constant supervision."
Mr. Riddle began reddening furiously at his words of reality. "Sir, I would easily be able to take care of her as a cat. It is what she wants. It would not be at all improper for me to keep a female cat and it would be barely more expensive than taking care of myself."
Dippet could see Dumbledore's horrified expression at the idea of allowing the girl to live out the rest of her life as a cat. Despite Dumbledore's reaction, in actuality there was no denying that it was indeed what the girl wanted. Allowing her to do so had been the inclination of the girl's father and when first told, Dippet had not in any way opposed the idea. At the time, it had seemed like the perfect solution. However, that proposal's time had long since come and gone.
He tried to be more reassuring. "It is not in any way my desire to separate you two, Mr. Riddle. Quite the contrary, but there are, even for me, certain necessary limits. If you do not wish to remain, that is of course your right, but I cannot allow the child to leave with you. Once she is of age, if that is her wish-"
Dippet sighed as Dumbledore again took it upon himself to interrupt. Though Mr. Riddle was skilled in transfiguration, clearly apprenticing under Master Dumbledore would not be an appropriate choice. Potions too seemed unlikely; perhaps Charms?
"Armando, are you even listening to yourself? You cannot be serious."
When he again failed to respond to Master Dumbledore's remarks, rather than give up entirely, Dumbledore returned to the issue that had first brought him to the Headmaster's office.
"That still is no reason for them to stop taking my Transfigurations class."
Before Dippet could dismiss Master Dumbledore, Mr. Riddle took it upon himself to respond. His attitude was most…unabashed. "What more could I possibly learn from you? I can already do things that took you fifty years to do!"
Dippet's breath caught at the startled look Dumbledore gave the boy. From over the rims of his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore's blue eyes held no sparkle as they looked into the boy's similarly tinted eyes. It was clear from the slight hesitancy to Dumbledore's response that the man was having doubts at his own words. "Tom, that wasn't you. It was the child."
Mr. Riddle was quick to respond, but not at all quick to think through what he was doing. "No, it wasn't. I did it. I can prove it." The boy conjured a set of teacups in an attempt to do just that.
What a foolish, unthinking boy! Dippet had no doubt that the boy's abilities had flourished. And while the change was caused by the girl, they were now his own. Unlike the temporary concentration or refinement of abilities that could be caused by her mere touch, the embedment of magical abilities caused by bites or scratches from a foci were, like the effects of the same actions by a werewolf, indelible. Though they did not always show up immediately, they could be passed on for generations. Dippet wondered just how routinely the girl had bitten or scratched Mr. Riddle as a cat to have had such a dramatic effect. Of course, Dippet had no doubt that Mr. Riddle had been the one to do the spell, but to flaunt it in Dumbledore's face after all of Dippet's work to conceal what was truly going on!
Master Dumbledore was not lacking in intelligence, but like so many of the younger generations, he was ignorant of much of the finer details involved in purebloods. Dumbledore might not know now about foci and their abilities, but with Riddle flaunting his newly burgeoning abilities, the man would begin to wonder and investigate. How very little time it would take Albus Dumbledore to research into the matter and discover the truth. Were Dumbledore to be as imprudent with that information as he had been with his discovery of the girl's presence at the school, there existed certain unscrupulous people who would find the girl's ability most valuable. Dippet had no desire to speculate on what would become of the girl in such an event.
Which reminded him; what exactly was the girl doing now? It was not usually her custom to be so quiet and well behaved. Dippet turned, seeking to find what the girl was up to.
"No! No! No! You leave Mr. Keys alone!"
No, 'quiet' and 'well behaved' were not at all the girl's usual behavior. Gradually skulking up upon poor unsuspecting Mr. Keys while everyone else was distracted was much more her routine. The girl gave a small hiss in his direction before flopping, rather ungracefully, into her usual afternoon chair.
Mr. Riddle had his wand aloft, ready to speak the incantation, but he had paused with a bewildered expression at Dippet's outburst. Seeking to intercede to avert calamity, Dippet again spoke. "That's enough!" He gave Tom a very long warning glare before again speaking. "Mr. Riddle is in the NEWT level class. Until Master Pomfrey returns, I am confidant that he can adequately tutor the girl in first year Potions. As for Transfigurations, my earlier decision still stands. Master Dumbledore, you are dismissed."
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Leaving Dippet's office, Dumbledore was confused. Something wasn't right. As the stone staircase turned downwards, he realized what it was. Tom had to have been the one to do the spell. Animagi cannot cast while in their animagus form. But that couldn't be right. Tom was powerful, but he simply was not _that_ powerful. Had the girl somehow managed to cast despite her animagus form? It was obvious from the way Dippet had reacted that the Headmaster was concealing something. Was that it? Dumbledore shook his head. Things were simply not adding up to what they should be.
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Finally rid of Master Dumbledore, Armando Dippet gave a small sigh of relief.
"Mr. Riddle, the Potions hour is nearly finished. It is a bit earlier than usual, but you may leave the girl here and move along to your Divination class. You may return for her afterwards and take her with you to Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Once alone with the girl, Dippet stared at her, returning her disinterested gaze for several minutes. Even before he spoke he knew it was a mistake, but really, he hadn't any other ideas.
"Would you like to play a game of checkers?"
Her response was ever constant. "I can play chess."
It took a moment before Dippet realized he was clenching the quill in his hand, mussing all the lines of the feather. Despite his earlier defense of the girl Dippet began to wonder, and not the first time, if Artemisia might have prearranged all this. Had she deliberately designed for the girl to be left with him in the hopes she would impel him to despair or lunacy?
When an owl entered the open window, he eagerly accepted its freight. While confirming the order of the following year's course books was usually a task he delegated to his Deputy, and Flourish and Blotts was not actually expecting to receive a reply for several weeks, Dippet could not at the moment think of any earthly reason not to handle the matter himself. Immediately.
Unfortunately, as he unrolled the second parchment, the girl had other ideas.
"Where is the tea?"
Dippet looked up. The girl had her head tilted, staring at him curiously.
He shook his head. "What do you care? You don't drink it anyways."
Again she inquired of him. "Yes, but this is teatime. How can it be teatime with no tea?"
Dippet frowned. Still the girl did have a point. And a cup of tea would be nice after the day's unpleasantness. Taking out his wand, he conjured the usual tea service. After pouring out two cups he frowned realizing she had again taken off with the sugar dish.
"Bring that back. I need sugar for my tea."
The girl's response was to shrug and put a cube in her mouth. Growing incensed, he repeated himself. "Bring the sugar back here. The sugar is for everyone's use, not just yours."
"That is _not_ what Professor Viinder told me. He said I could have _all_ the sugar."
Dippet rubbed his temples where he could feel another headache beginning. He actually did remember the young Divination Master saying something to that effect. "Yes, but he was only refering to the sugar in the dish that day."
The girl again shrugged. "He said I could have _all_ the sugar."
Again he tried to reason with the girl. "Yes, but he didn't mean all sugar ever. Just what was there that day."
"It _is_ what he said." The girl took another cube into her mouth.
Dippet could feel himself becoming increasingly flustered. "Yes, well, he may have said it, but Master Viinder does not have that authority."
When the girl settled back into her chair with another shrug, Dippet gave up. He would rather make due without the sugar than get into a debate with the girl. Taking a sip of the unsweetened tea he returned his attention to the parchment before him.
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Rubeus Hagrid went to the Headmaster's office to pick up Mr. Keys for his afternoon walk, but he couldn't help but notice Kitten. She was sitting sideways on one of the chairs. The poor girl looked so bored. While Headmaster Dippet was busy at his desk with some no doubt very important papers, Kitten had nothing to keep herself busy.
Hagrid only had a moment. He had work to get back to, but he wanted to get a smile out of her first. He walked right up to her and tweaked her nose. Not wanting to disturb the Headmaster, he whispered.
"Got yer conk!"
He stuck his thumb between two fingers and proudly displayed it to the girl. She gave a gasp and her eyes widened. She didn't look at all bored anymore.
Hagrid tweaked her nose again.
"There, yeh can have it back."
Hagrid smiled watching Kitten gingerly touch her nose, checking its placement. When he gave her a wink she smiled back at him.
Very pleased with himself, Hagrid made his way down the staircase with Mr. Keys.
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Armando Dippet stood off to the side in the school infirmary. As Madame Griselda comforted and attempted to set right young Miss Simon, he made his Deputy again explain what happened.
"Armando, I'm telling you there was no reason! Miss Simon was just sitting at her own desk, minding her own business! She wasn't teasing or taunting the girl, she wasn't talking about her, she wasn't even looking at her! There was absolutely no cause! None at all! The girl just walked by and pulled it right off Miss Simon's face. She said 'Got your conk' and dropped it in Miss Simon's hand. It was entirely unprovoked!"
Beyond disappointed, Dippet shook his head. There had to be a 'why.' He needed there to be a 'why.' If only he could figure it out…but more and more it seemed like there was not one to be had. The child was just evil.
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The young man's frustration was evident as the potion again turned a color other than the intended one. Ever since their return from dinner, the pair had been attempting the same potion. With a flick of his wand the young man emptied the cauldron again for the girl.
"Evanesco! Try it again."
As the girl again mixed together the ingredients, a third figure entered the open door.
"Tom, you're not ready? We are all waiting for you."
The young man refused to take his attention away from the girl.
"I'm busy, Avery."
The new arrival seemed shocked. "But Tom, it's Friday. We always sneak into Hogs-"
As the potion again went wrong the young man lost his temper.
"How can you wreck a potion that only has four ingredients? I even chopped and measured them out for you!"
The young man grew more frustrated when the girl reverted to an old comforting habit in response. He didn't seem to yet realize it was his berating that was causing it.
"Kitten, stop licking your hand!"
The Avery boy wore a rather leering smile as he stared at the girl and offered an alternative suggestion. "Calm down, Tom. If she likes licking things, I have something she can lick."
The girl did not understand the meaning behind the boy's words. She merely stared back at him, tilting her head curiously.
From up over the fireplace, there was no doubt that the young man understood. The Avery boy's eyes were still on the girl so he didn't notice the change that came over the young man. The young man's face was convoluted with a look beyond fury, but his voice in speaking to the girl was quite calm.
"Kitten, please go into the other room and wash your hands. Take your time and wash them thoroughly. Maybe there is some of that sugar Dippet keeps giving you leftover on them and it is reacting with the potion ingredients."
For once the girl did as she was told the first time. The young man used his wand to close the door. As soon as the water could be heard running, he turned with his wand still out.
"Crucio!"
When the young man finally lifted the spell, the boy on the floor had long since stopped trying to cry out. Before allowing him to leave, the young man gave him a harsh warning.
"Watch your mouth! Keep your filthy hands and your nasty everything else to yourself around her! I won't have you or anyone else ruining her!"
The young man's rage seemed to have departed with the boy. When the girl returned to show off her freshly scrubbed hands, he gently kissed them.
A few minutes later when yet another potion attempt went wrong, from his position over the fireplace, the room's unobserved observer feared that rage would be returning. The young girl seemed to be bracing for it as well. Before the young man could even begin to scold her, she began licking her hand.
The young man frowned, but rather than rage, he cleared away all the potion supplies with his wand. He sat next to the girl and stroked her hair as had been his custom when she was a cat.
"No more potions for tonight. Would you like to play a game instead?"
The girl tilted her head and gave an inquiring look. "Where is my mouse?"
The young man shook his head. "I _already_ told you, you can't have it anymore. Little girls _don't_ play with mice."
The girl rested her head on her folded hands, disappointed, but the young man soon made a different suggestion. "There are other games we can play."
The girl picked her head up slightly. "I can play chess."
The young man frowned. The pair had already tried that game once. The young man had always been fiercely competitive and had not appreciated the end result of their match. Instead, he offered an alternative suggestion. "We can play 'hide and seek'."
The girl seemed indifferent at first. The young man tried to entice her. "You can go first."
When the girl still remained in the same position with her head resting upon her folded arms the young man gave her an odd look. "You do know how to play 'hide and seek,' don't you?"
That got the girl's attention. She raised her head to regard him indignantly. "_Of course,_ I know!"
The young man did not look convinced. Still, he put his hands over his face and began to count. The girl watched him guardedly for a moment before mimicking his actions. The young man seemed both amused and taken aback as he uncovered his eyes. It took him only a moment to explain to her how it was played. She became interested as soon as she knew what was involved.
"I get to hide! You have to come find me!"
The young man agreed once he had assurances from her of only finding a hiding spot inside the room. Though hiding in the room gave limited options - behind the curtains or the open door, under the bed, in the wardrobe or the trunk - the young man still seemed to find it necessary to steal a look through his fingers as he counted. The girl looked torn between choosing to hide under the bed or inside the wardrobe.
With a last glance to the young man, she finally decided. She put great effort into not making a sound as she opened the wardrobe, entered, and then closed the doors behind her. Still, it was the first place the young man went to when he finished counting. He threw open the doors with a great flourish.
"I found y-"
The young man began ruffling through the items in the wardrobe.
"Kitten?"
He called out a second time, louder and more alarmed.
"Kitten?!"
The young man whirled around as he again called out, nearly shouting this time.
"Kitten? Come out now! This isn't funny! Where are you?"
In a panic, the next time he called out, it was definitely a shout.
'Kitten?!"
Make sure you to read Chapter 38 before starting this one. An earlier chapter was removed bumping all the chapter numbers back one.
And please remember to review!
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After clearing through all of the howlers and other owl messages, Armando Dippet sat at his desk contemplating the vial before him.
The logical suggestion would be to ration the potion, to split it into three parts and imbibe one part each night. That, however, would simply not do. He had long since learned that lessening the dosage of the potion would render it useless.
He could consume his last remaining vial of dreamless sleep potion tonight and hope for some other solution to present itself for the other two nights. Or he could attempt to spread out the unpleasantness. He could attempt to make it through tonight without the potion, take the potion tomorrow night, leaving the third night to be endured potions less, but with the expectation that Pomfrey would be returning the following day and be able to supply him with a new store of dreamless sleep potion.
The very real possibility that Pomfrey might not be returning on Monday was not something he was willing to even begin to consider.
A knock at the door surprised Dippet. It must be a student, no one else ever bothered to knock. With the utmost care, he returned the vial to its earlier position next to the other 'sleep' potion in the drawer.
"Enter."
Dippet frowned as he took note of who was entering his office. Yes, Dumbledore was the only one on staff who had the civility to knock. As Mr. Riddle and the girl entered with the Transfiguration Master, Dippet noted with some relief that no one appeared wounded or malformed in any way.
With more than a bit of unease, Dippet spoke. "To what do I owe this great privilege?"
Mr. Riddle was the one to speak first. "Sir, Kitten and I would like to be excused from Potions lessons until Professor Pomfrey returns."
Dippet turned his frown onto Master Dumbledore. "_I_ was not aware we were still having Potions lessons what with Professor Pomfrey being indisposed."
Dippet deepened his frown as Dumbledore ignored the warning tone of his voice and attempted to further an agenda of his own. "I made the offer this morning to Professor Shackleton to help try to keep the higher level Potions classes from falling too far behind during Pomfrey's absence."
Rather than attempt to argue with the young master debater, Dippet acquiesced derisively. "How very _decent_ of you, Master Dumbledore. A most _generous_ offer that I will readily take you up on."
Before continuing to speak, Dippet noted the appalled expression on Mr. Riddle's face and the wary look of suspicion on Master Dumbledore's. Improbably as it might seem, Miss Grindelwald appeared to be keeping herself entertained and out of trouble for the moment. "However, since Miss Grindelwald is not expected to be studying higher level Potions, but rather, first year Potions, she will of course be excused. Now, is there anything else?"
Dippet sighed as Dumbledore refused to give in so easily. "Headmaster, there is no reason for the two not to continue in my Transfigurations class. If Tom sincerely wishes to drop the class then that is his decision. However, that does not factor into whether or not Miss Grindelwald should continue. After all, Mr. Riddle will be graduating in a few weeks, while you plan for Miss Grindelwald to remain here for-"
Master Dumbledore stopped abruptly, stunned into silence by the words with which Mr. Riddle interrupted him. Dippet had to admit, Mr. Riddle's words were more than a bit inaccurate. "Kitten belongs to me. She will be coming with me when I leave."
Dippet cleared his throat before attempting a rebuttal to Mr. Riddle's words. "Mr. Riddle, that is not going to happen. It would not be at all appropriate-"
Dippet sighed as the boy now interrupted him. What was wrong with the youth of today? They were entirely too ill-mannered and excitable.
"Kitten belongs to me! You said I could keep her!"
Now Master Dumbledore was the one piercing him with a disapproving look. "Dippet, surely you didn't tell him that?!"
Dippet shook his head. "Certainly not! Mr. Riddle, what I said, or at least what I had meant to say…what it was that I meant when I said that, Mr. Riddle, was that-"
"-You told me-"
"-Armando, what in the world were you think-"
This was really getting to be too much. Thankfully the girl had not yet decided to add her own voice to the cacophony. Remarkable, how well she was behaving. She was just unhurriedly drifting about the perimeter of his office. Granted, she was trailing her hands along all the shelves and cabinets, leaving fingerprint smudges all over the glass, but that could be easily remedied by one of the elves.
Dippet raised his volume in an attempt to be heard over the other voices. He already had a solution to everything, if only they would listen. "The girl will not be leaving. She will remain here at Hogwarts under my guardianship. Mr. Riddle will also be remaining. Arrangements will be made for him to apprentice as a Master next year, continuing until such time as…well…just continuing."
Mr. Riddle wore quite the appalled expression. "Study to be a _professor_?"
Dumbledore looked no more satisfied with the idea. "An apprentice? Headmaster, apprenticing hasn't been a practice since even before I was a student."
Choosing to ignore Master Dumbledore's very accurate comment, Dippet focused on the far more easily dismissed objections of Mr. Riddle. "Mr. Riddle, it would be extremely unseemly to allow you to leave with the child. She is after all a girl and you are not. Even beyond that, how would you suppose to support her? You are without a vocation. You have no family, no support system. Were you to find employment, what of the girl then? She requires nearly constant supervision."
Mr. Riddle began reddening furiously at his words of reality. "Sir, I would easily be able to take care of her as a cat. It is what she wants. It would not be at all improper for me to keep a female cat and it would be barely more expensive than taking care of myself."
Dippet could see Dumbledore's horrified expression at the idea of allowing the girl to live out the rest of her life as a cat. Despite Dumbledore's reaction, in actuality there was no denying that it was indeed what the girl wanted. Allowing her to do so had been the inclination of the girl's father and when first told, Dippet had not in any way opposed the idea. At the time, it had seemed like the perfect solution. However, that proposal's time had long since come and gone.
He tried to be more reassuring. "It is not in any way my desire to separate you two, Mr. Riddle. Quite the contrary, but there are, even for me, certain necessary limits. If you do not wish to remain, that is of course your right, but I cannot allow the child to leave with you. Once she is of age, if that is her wish-"
Dippet sighed as Dumbledore again took it upon himself to interrupt. Though Mr. Riddle was skilled in transfiguration, clearly apprenticing under Master Dumbledore would not be an appropriate choice. Potions too seemed unlikely; perhaps Charms?
"Armando, are you even listening to yourself? You cannot be serious."
When he again failed to respond to Master Dumbledore's remarks, rather than give up entirely, Dumbledore returned to the issue that had first brought him to the Headmaster's office.
"That still is no reason for them to stop taking my Transfigurations class."
Before Dippet could dismiss Master Dumbledore, Mr. Riddle took it upon himself to respond. His attitude was most…unabashed. "What more could I possibly learn from you? I can already do things that took you fifty years to do!"
Dippet's breath caught at the startled look Dumbledore gave the boy. From over the rims of his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore's blue eyes held no sparkle as they looked into the boy's similarly tinted eyes. It was clear from the slight hesitancy to Dumbledore's response that the man was having doubts at his own words. "Tom, that wasn't you. It was the child."
Mr. Riddle was quick to respond, but not at all quick to think through what he was doing. "No, it wasn't. I did it. I can prove it." The boy conjured a set of teacups in an attempt to do just that.
What a foolish, unthinking boy! Dippet had no doubt that the boy's abilities had flourished. And while the change was caused by the girl, they were now his own. Unlike the temporary concentration or refinement of abilities that could be caused by her mere touch, the embedment of magical abilities caused by bites or scratches from a foci were, like the effects of the same actions by a werewolf, indelible. Though they did not always show up immediately, they could be passed on for generations. Dippet wondered just how routinely the girl had bitten or scratched Mr. Riddle as a cat to have had such a dramatic effect. Of course, Dippet had no doubt that Mr. Riddle had been the one to do the spell, but to flaunt it in Dumbledore's face after all of Dippet's work to conceal what was truly going on!
Master Dumbledore was not lacking in intelligence, but like so many of the younger generations, he was ignorant of much of the finer details involved in purebloods. Dumbledore might not know now about foci and their abilities, but with Riddle flaunting his newly burgeoning abilities, the man would begin to wonder and investigate. How very little time it would take Albus Dumbledore to research into the matter and discover the truth. Were Dumbledore to be as imprudent with that information as he had been with his discovery of the girl's presence at the school, there existed certain unscrupulous people who would find the girl's ability most valuable. Dippet had no desire to speculate on what would become of the girl in such an event.
Which reminded him; what exactly was the girl doing now? It was not usually her custom to be so quiet and well behaved. Dippet turned, seeking to find what the girl was up to.
"No! No! No! You leave Mr. Keys alone!"
No, 'quiet' and 'well behaved' were not at all the girl's usual behavior. Gradually skulking up upon poor unsuspecting Mr. Keys while everyone else was distracted was much more her routine. The girl gave a small hiss in his direction before flopping, rather ungracefully, into her usual afternoon chair.
Mr. Riddle had his wand aloft, ready to speak the incantation, but he had paused with a bewildered expression at Dippet's outburst. Seeking to intercede to avert calamity, Dippet again spoke. "That's enough!" He gave Tom a very long warning glare before again speaking. "Mr. Riddle is in the NEWT level class. Until Master Pomfrey returns, I am confidant that he can adequately tutor the girl in first year Potions. As for Transfigurations, my earlier decision still stands. Master Dumbledore, you are dismissed."
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Leaving Dippet's office, Dumbledore was confused. Something wasn't right. As the stone staircase turned downwards, he realized what it was. Tom had to have been the one to do the spell. Animagi cannot cast while in their animagus form. But that couldn't be right. Tom was powerful, but he simply was not _that_ powerful. Had the girl somehow managed to cast despite her animagus form? It was obvious from the way Dippet had reacted that the Headmaster was concealing something. Was that it? Dumbledore shook his head. Things were simply not adding up to what they should be.
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Finally rid of Master Dumbledore, Armando Dippet gave a small sigh of relief.
"Mr. Riddle, the Potions hour is nearly finished. It is a bit earlier than usual, but you may leave the girl here and move along to your Divination class. You may return for her afterwards and take her with you to Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Once alone with the girl, Dippet stared at her, returning her disinterested gaze for several minutes. Even before he spoke he knew it was a mistake, but really, he hadn't any other ideas.
"Would you like to play a game of checkers?"
Her response was ever constant. "I can play chess."
It took a moment before Dippet realized he was clenching the quill in his hand, mussing all the lines of the feather. Despite his earlier defense of the girl Dippet began to wonder, and not the first time, if Artemisia might have prearranged all this. Had she deliberately designed for the girl to be left with him in the hopes she would impel him to despair or lunacy?
When an owl entered the open window, he eagerly accepted its freight. While confirming the order of the following year's course books was usually a task he delegated to his Deputy, and Flourish and Blotts was not actually expecting to receive a reply for several weeks, Dippet could not at the moment think of any earthly reason not to handle the matter himself. Immediately.
Unfortunately, as he unrolled the second parchment, the girl had other ideas.
"Where is the tea?"
Dippet looked up. The girl had her head tilted, staring at him curiously.
He shook his head. "What do you care? You don't drink it anyways."
Again she inquired of him. "Yes, but this is teatime. How can it be teatime with no tea?"
Dippet frowned. Still the girl did have a point. And a cup of tea would be nice after the day's unpleasantness. Taking out his wand, he conjured the usual tea service. After pouring out two cups he frowned realizing she had again taken off with the sugar dish.
"Bring that back. I need sugar for my tea."
The girl's response was to shrug and put a cube in her mouth. Growing incensed, he repeated himself. "Bring the sugar back here. The sugar is for everyone's use, not just yours."
"That is _not_ what Professor Viinder told me. He said I could have _all_ the sugar."
Dippet rubbed his temples where he could feel another headache beginning. He actually did remember the young Divination Master saying something to that effect. "Yes, but he was only refering to the sugar in the dish that day."
The girl again shrugged. "He said I could have _all_ the sugar."
Again he tried to reason with the girl. "Yes, but he didn't mean all sugar ever. Just what was there that day."
"It _is_ what he said." The girl took another cube into her mouth.
Dippet could feel himself becoming increasingly flustered. "Yes, well, he may have said it, but Master Viinder does not have that authority."
When the girl settled back into her chair with another shrug, Dippet gave up. He would rather make due without the sugar than get into a debate with the girl. Taking a sip of the unsweetened tea he returned his attention to the parchment before him.
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Rubeus Hagrid went to the Headmaster's office to pick up Mr. Keys for his afternoon walk, but he couldn't help but notice Kitten. She was sitting sideways on one of the chairs. The poor girl looked so bored. While Headmaster Dippet was busy at his desk with some no doubt very important papers, Kitten had nothing to keep herself busy.
Hagrid only had a moment. He had work to get back to, but he wanted to get a smile out of her first. He walked right up to her and tweaked her nose. Not wanting to disturb the Headmaster, he whispered.
"Got yer conk!"
He stuck his thumb between two fingers and proudly displayed it to the girl. She gave a gasp and her eyes widened. She didn't look at all bored anymore.
Hagrid tweaked her nose again.
"There, yeh can have it back."
Hagrid smiled watching Kitten gingerly touch her nose, checking its placement. When he gave her a wink she smiled back at him.
Very pleased with himself, Hagrid made his way down the staircase with Mr. Keys.
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Armando Dippet stood off to the side in the school infirmary. As Madame Griselda comforted and attempted to set right young Miss Simon, he made his Deputy again explain what happened.
"Armando, I'm telling you there was no reason! Miss Simon was just sitting at her own desk, minding her own business! She wasn't teasing or taunting the girl, she wasn't talking about her, she wasn't even looking at her! There was absolutely no cause! None at all! The girl just walked by and pulled it right off Miss Simon's face. She said 'Got your conk' and dropped it in Miss Simon's hand. It was entirely unprovoked!"
Beyond disappointed, Dippet shook his head. There had to be a 'why.' He needed there to be a 'why.' If only he could figure it out…but more and more it seemed like there was not one to be had. The child was just evil.
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The young man's frustration was evident as the potion again turned a color other than the intended one. Ever since their return from dinner, the pair had been attempting the same potion. With a flick of his wand the young man emptied the cauldron again for the girl.
"Evanesco! Try it again."
As the girl again mixed together the ingredients, a third figure entered the open door.
"Tom, you're not ready? We are all waiting for you."
The young man refused to take his attention away from the girl.
"I'm busy, Avery."
The new arrival seemed shocked. "But Tom, it's Friday. We always sneak into Hogs-"
As the potion again went wrong the young man lost his temper.
"How can you wreck a potion that only has four ingredients? I even chopped and measured them out for you!"
The young man grew more frustrated when the girl reverted to an old comforting habit in response. He didn't seem to yet realize it was his berating that was causing it.
"Kitten, stop licking your hand!"
The Avery boy wore a rather leering smile as he stared at the girl and offered an alternative suggestion. "Calm down, Tom. If she likes licking things, I have something she can lick."
The girl did not understand the meaning behind the boy's words. She merely stared back at him, tilting her head curiously.
From up over the fireplace, there was no doubt that the young man understood. The Avery boy's eyes were still on the girl so he didn't notice the change that came over the young man. The young man's face was convoluted with a look beyond fury, but his voice in speaking to the girl was quite calm.
"Kitten, please go into the other room and wash your hands. Take your time and wash them thoroughly. Maybe there is some of that sugar Dippet keeps giving you leftover on them and it is reacting with the potion ingredients."
For once the girl did as she was told the first time. The young man used his wand to close the door. As soon as the water could be heard running, he turned with his wand still out.
"Crucio!"
When the young man finally lifted the spell, the boy on the floor had long since stopped trying to cry out. Before allowing him to leave, the young man gave him a harsh warning.
"Watch your mouth! Keep your filthy hands and your nasty everything else to yourself around her! I won't have you or anyone else ruining her!"
The young man's rage seemed to have departed with the boy. When the girl returned to show off her freshly scrubbed hands, he gently kissed them.
A few minutes later when yet another potion attempt went wrong, from his position over the fireplace, the room's unobserved observer feared that rage would be returning. The young girl seemed to be bracing for it as well. Before the young man could even begin to scold her, she began licking her hand.
The young man frowned, but rather than rage, he cleared away all the potion supplies with his wand. He sat next to the girl and stroked her hair as had been his custom when she was a cat.
"No more potions for tonight. Would you like to play a game instead?"
The girl tilted her head and gave an inquiring look. "Where is my mouse?"
The young man shook his head. "I _already_ told you, you can't have it anymore. Little girls _don't_ play with mice."
The girl rested her head on her folded hands, disappointed, but the young man soon made a different suggestion. "There are other games we can play."
The girl picked her head up slightly. "I can play chess."
The young man frowned. The pair had already tried that game once. The young man had always been fiercely competitive and had not appreciated the end result of their match. Instead, he offered an alternative suggestion. "We can play 'hide and seek'."
The girl seemed indifferent at first. The young man tried to entice her. "You can go first."
When the girl still remained in the same position with her head resting upon her folded arms the young man gave her an odd look. "You do know how to play 'hide and seek,' don't you?"
That got the girl's attention. She raised her head to regard him indignantly. "_Of course,_ I know!"
The young man did not look convinced. Still, he put his hands over his face and began to count. The girl watched him guardedly for a moment before mimicking his actions. The young man seemed both amused and taken aback as he uncovered his eyes. It took him only a moment to explain to her how it was played. She became interested as soon as she knew what was involved.
"I get to hide! You have to come find me!"
The young man agreed once he had assurances from her of only finding a hiding spot inside the room. Though hiding in the room gave limited options - behind the curtains or the open door, under the bed, in the wardrobe or the trunk - the young man still seemed to find it necessary to steal a look through his fingers as he counted. The girl looked torn between choosing to hide under the bed or inside the wardrobe.
With a last glance to the young man, she finally decided. She put great effort into not making a sound as she opened the wardrobe, entered, and then closed the doors behind her. Still, it was the first place the young man went to when he finished counting. He threw open the doors with a great flourish.
"I found y-"
The young man began ruffling through the items in the wardrobe.
"Kitten?"
He called out a second time, louder and more alarmed.
"Kitten?!"
The young man whirled around as he again called out, nearly shouting this time.
"Kitten? Come out now! This isn't funny! Where are you?"
In a panic, the next time he called out, it was definitely a shout.
'Kitten?!"