Chapter 28 – Hepzibah Smith

Lizzie took the articles and her dream journal with her to Dumbledore's office later that week and hoped they would be insightful.

"Ah, Lizzie, I promise I will not leave you unconscious this time..." Dumbledore said reassuringly when she walked in.

"Professor, how many more memories relating to him do you have?" Lizzie asked, setting her messenger bag down and pulling out the journal and the articles.

"At the moment, I have one more from a house elf owned by Hepzibah Smith, a formidable woman who knew Tom when he left Hogwarts to work for Borgin and Berks," Dumbledore explained.

"He left to work for a ruddy shop like that?" Lizzie asked incredulously. "Head boy? Top of year?"

Dumbledore nodded. "He was fascinated with the dark arts and historic objects of value. Having come from nothing, he preoccupied himself with a valuable collection. He found his mother's locket there actually, she had sold it for money, not enough money considering its value, and Tom bought it. He then met Hepzibah, a friend of Mr. Berkes, and started buying various objects off of her for the shop," he explained. Lizzie frowned in thought.

"I sense you have some insight on your mind, let's see if this helps at all, shall we?" Dumbledore asked and poured the memory into the pensive.

They were in a house with an adult Tom Riddle who was talking to a large, pompous looking woman in pink petticoat. She reminded Lizzie of an older version of Marge, a resemblance that made her queasy. Dumbledore seemed focused on the conversation they were having about her being a direct descendant of Helga Hufflepuff and having the goblet she owned to prove it. Tom was impressed and offered to buy it, but even his best powers of persuasion did not budge the woman. She also pompously stated that she had once been married to the Black family and purchased an heirloom locket from Borgin that she remembered seeing in her late husband's collection that she was told when she purchased it belonged to Salazar Slytherin. She then explained he died of dragon pox, and she remarried to a Smith.

Lizzie, though intrigued at the Black family connection, was focused on a girl polishing floors in the other room. Lizzie closed her eyes and tried to bring her mind into his.

"You have a daughter, Hepzibah, I did not know that," Tom said, staring at the girl.

"No, no, she's my late husband's niece, Millie, no family, nor is she related to me. She's a squib and good for keeping up the house. If not, she'd be a waste of space entirely," the woman said harshly and loud enough for the girl to hear. Tom smiled weakly and stared at the girl. Lizzie felt certain he was going to kill her.

When they reentered Dumbledore's office, Lizzie was frowning harder in thought.

"They died didn't they?" She asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"He came back one evening and killed the household with Hepzibah's wand, their elf was blamed," he explained.

Lizzie closed her eyes and leaned on the table for support as she dropped into the mind of Tom Riddle and Hepzibah Smith.

It was late, Tom rapped on the door and the girl let him in. "Millie, who is it?" her aunt asked sharply.

"It's Tom," she said fondly, he smiled at her and noticed Hepzibah's wand on the end table near the door. When the girl turned to fetch him a drink, he picked up the want.

"Tom, heavens it's late, is something wrong?" Hepzibah said. With a bright flash of light the woman it the floor with a loud thud accompanied by crashing glass when Millie's tray fell from her hands in shock. She looked up at him and ran away.

Tom entered a small bedroom. "Amelia, I know you're in here," he said in a low menacing drawl. She was in the closet with her hands clasped over her mouth in terror. He opened the closet door slowly and stared down at her. Crouching down in front of the shaking little girl, he examined her face.

"Pity, you're no squib," he said, with another flash she was gone.

Then flashes of her dismembered body being deposited in the floorboards ran through Lizzie's mind in quick procession. Lizzie gasped and returned her mind to Dumbledore's office with more realization washing over her.

"Professor... erm. Here," Lizzie said awkwardly, and handed him her journal to read.

"Those are dreams, but from his headspace I believe. You knew him better, but I think I found his pattern, and it starts with that girl, Leah," Lizzie said, Dumbledore read through quickly and rubbed his forehead.

"The person here who knows him best is you, my dear, not me. What do all these girls have in common?"

"They are roughly the same age, they all have the same eyes or resemble each other, they're all motherless like him if not orphaned entirely. They're real, here are the articles," Lizzie explained, handing over the clippings. Dumbledore was wide-eyed in thought.

"I had a feeling there were more, Hepzibah's niece proves that... but I wouldn't be surprised if there are others. Like other sociopaths, he has a distinct pattern of infatuation. I think this is why he chose me," she explained. Dumbledore looked at Lizzie with wildly impressed eyes.

"Keep logging these dreams, Lizzie, in as much detail as you can, I think you are reading him through a vessel he cannot access and that is going to serve us well in uncovering his motives," Dumbledore said reassuringly. His eyes were fixed on reaction from her, she wanted to sit around the fire and brainstorm with him, but something told her not to.

"Professor. I should tell you... I secured an animagi form," Lizzie explained. He stared back pleased.

"I didn't know that was something you were attempting," he admitted.

"I started the process for the first time last year, but it was... well... interrupted. It's a doe, my mother's patronus," she explained.

Dumbledore smiled wide with approval. "You are more of your mother's daughter than anyone gives you credit for," he said fondly.

"It's also... well it's also a serpent," she admitted reluctantly. Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably.

"I've never heard of two forms, Lizzie," he said hoarsely, removing his glasses and rubbing the corners of his eyes with his good hand.

"I know, me neither," Lizzie said quietly and showed herself out.