Chapter 8

Tom Marvolo Riddle

Voices swam over him, poking and taunting him to wake when he only wanted to remain in his bubble of safety. There was no pain in the bubble. No worries and no one attempting to kill anyone. Unfortunately, like most bubbles, the one Orion was in was bound to pop sooner or later. The voices seemed to insist that it was sooner rather than later.

"What were you thinking, Severus? No second year would have been able to banish a snake—"

"—Black would have. You don't see what I see. Potter has become dependent on Black. He expects Black to do all of the work for him."

"Severus—"

"Potter needs to learn that Black won't always be there to save him if he will ever be able to do what you expect him to do."

"Severus, they are children. You need to give Hayden time. His parents—"

"Are fools for believing that the boy could ever have a normal life."

Consciousness was coming within reach. Orion could feel it. He could also feel a larger hand holding his as a thumb caressed the back of his hand in a soothing manner. Groaning, Orion turned onto his side as a soft chuckle filled his ears. He knew that chuckle and forced his eyes to slowly open to see Remus smiling at him. To say that Orion was surprised was an understatement. He had expected his father to be arranging for his departure.

"Good morning, cub," Remus said softly as he leaned forward slightly. "I must say, you certainly like to keep us on our toes, don't you?"

Orion rolled his eyes as he rolled back onto his back. "What was I supposed to do?" he asked tiredly. "Justin would have been bit—"

"—I'm only joking, Ori," Remus said gently. "We know it was an accident. That's the only reason your father isn't here demanding that you come home. I'll admit he isn't too happy with Severus at the moment although it's because of Severus that you're even awake this soon." At Orion's confused look, Remus continued, "Severus was the one who brought you to Poppy so quickly. Rumor has it that he actually carried you from the Great Hall."

Orion cringed. He had a feeling that he would never live that down.

"Don't worry about it, Ori," Remus said with a smile. "I think people were more worried about you being bitten by a poisonous snake. You just missed Neville and Hermione. They had hoped you would have been up in time for classes. Neville was a little disappointed that Herbology was canceled this morning."

Orion couldn't help smiling. Only Neville would be disappointed about missing out on freezing in the greenhouses, not that Orion could blame him. Herbology was Neville's pride and joy at Hogwarts. Orion had a feeling he would act the same way if they ever had a Defense Against the Dark Arts class that was worthwhile.

Remus' face suddenly became serious. "Well, I have to admit that that there is more than one reason I'm here," he said softly. "I thought it was best to warn you that we will be having a visitor on Christmas. Your father has met someone and wants to 'surprise' you Christmas morning."

Orion sat up so quickly that a flash of dizziness washed over him. "Dad has a girlfriend?" he asked incredulously. "When did this happen?"

Remus chuckled. "Apparently it's been a work in progress for some time now," he said with a shrug. "I think Padfoot was afraid it wouldn't work out at first so he didn't want you to get attached and didn't want me to tease him. Her name's Evelyn Smith and she works with your father. That's how they met, actually. They were assigned to work on a few cases together."

Orion couldn't grasp the fact that his father, the man who had always been a proud bachelor, had a girlfriend. He also couldn't deny that it hurt his father hadn't confided in him. They had always told each other everything—well, almost anything. That had been something Sirius Black had always insisted on.

"Well, I just thought you should be warned," Remus continued carefully. "She's been over a few times for dinner. Very cheerful and a good sense of humor. I believe she has a nephew here in your year—Zacharias if I remember correctly."

Orion remembered the name. Zacharias was one of the few Hufflepuffs in his year that he wasn't good friends with. Thinking about it, Orion had to admit that Justin and Ernie had actually never talked about their dorm mates. They really didn't talk about anything serious at least until the rumors began about Hayden being the heir of Slytherin.

"Does she mind that Dad's a dad?" Orion asked softly.

Remus smiled sympathetically. "Actually, she's asked about you every time I've seen her," he said evenly. "Mostly to ask if everything your father has said about you is true."

Orion felt his face flush. He could only imagine what stories his father had made up.

Their conversation was brought to an abrupt halt when the doors swung open to reveal Professor Sinistra, Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey bringing in someone on a stretcher as well as a black and smoky Nearly Headless Nick who seemed to be frozen, floating immobile six inches off the floor. Orion felt a protective arm wrap around him as he caught a glimpse of who was on the stretcher.

It was Justin Finch-Fletchley. The heir of Slytherin had struck again.

"What do you need us to do, Poppy?" Professor Sinistra asked quickly.

"There isn't much that can be done until the Mandrake Draught is ready," Madam Pomfrey answered with a sigh. "All we can do is put him with Mr. Creevey so his state doesn't frighten the students."

Orion couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of Justin's rigid body or the look of shock frozen on his face. Everything suddenly felt so much more real and threatening. It hadn't been a one-time thing. The attacks would continue until the mysterious heir of Slytherin was caught. One of his friends had now been attacked. Anyone could be next. Was this how all of the Muggle-borns felt? Was this how Hermione felt?

In a blink of an eye, everything had changed. Remus had left to inform Sirius after instructing Orion to stay in the hospital wing until further notice. That was probably the worst thing Remus could have done. Orion was stuck in a room with nothing to do and no one to talk to. He had never felt so helpless before. He could only imagine what Ernie, Susan and Hannah were going through, not to mention Cedric. He had taken to looking out for the younger Hufflepuffs after the attack on Colin Creevey.

The sight of Sirius Black entering the hospital wing an hour later did little to ease Orion's nerves. In fact, it only made them worse. Orion knew what was coming. He was being pulled out of Hogwarts for his own safety. At least that was what his father would tell him.

Pleading green met stern grey. "Don't even try, Ori," Sirius said stubbornly. "Come along. We're going to the Gryffindor Tower so you can pack your things. Remus is with Dumbledore discussing a home schooling program for you—"

"—but I can't leave!" Orion protested. "Dad, my friends are here! I can't leave them now!"

Sirius leaned forward so he and Orion were face to face. "This is not up for negotiation," he said sternly. "Once news of this attack gets out, I have a feeling that other students will be removed. Do you have any idea how close you were to being labeled the heir of Slytherin? If that snake—"

"—but it didn't," Orion hissed. "Dad, please! I know to be careful. Would you abandon Moony if you were in my place?"

Sirius cringed. "This is completely different!" he insisted. "Our lives were never threatened—"

"—spending the full moons with a werewolf wasn't dangerous?" Orion countered angrily. "If something had gone wrong—"

"—Orion Alexander!" Sirius scolded as he brought himself up to full height. "I have made my decision! I don't care if you agree with me or not. You will be coming home as soon as you are packed. Now, go change."

Grudgingly, Orion changed into his clothes from the previous day and followed Sirius to the Gryffindor Tower. He couldn't believe it. How could his father do this to him? How could he not understand how important it was to help prove that Hayden wasn't the heir of Slytherin? Leaving now would only make everything worse, especially since Orion had often found himself as the voice of reason for every insane idea Hayden and Ron proposed to try to solve the mystery.

They reached Gryffindor Tower sooner than Orion would have liked. He didn't spare Sirius a glance as he gave the password and stepped into the Common Room. He didn't say a word as he hurried up the stairs. He didn't trust himself to say anything at the moment considering the mood his father was in. His only hope was to convince Remus of how irrational Sirius was being and together they could find some way to overrule the decision.

Entering the second year dorm room, Orion was partially relieved to find it empty. He didn't think he would be able to face his friends. He was abandoning them when they needed him the most because his father didn't trust him. What had been the point of all of his lessons if he wasn't allowed the chance to apply them?

Orion had nearly finished packing when the door opened to reveal Neville, Hermione, Hayden and Ron rushing into the room. It was extremely difficult to continue packing his trunk and ignore them jumping onto his four poster bed.

"We saw Sirius," Hayden began quickly. "I guess you heard about Justin and Nearly Headless Nick."

Orion nodded as he packed his journals.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Neville spoke up. "Your dad's pulling you out, isn't he?" At Orion's continued silence, Neville continued, "I thought so. I guess it's only a matter of time before Mum and Dad pull me out too."

"I can't believe this," Hermione said miserably. "How could your father do this, Orion? Doesn't he realize how important your education is?"

Neville and Hayden snorted. "Hermione, you know Ori's years ahead of us," Hayden pointed out. "Who do you think taught him?"

Hermione flushed as Orion closed his trunk and locked it. That was the largest problem. Orion couldn't use the education excuse especially considering the farce that was Defense Against the Dark Arts. If anything, Orion would probably learn more at home since he would be focusing on the fifth year material but that wasn't the point.

"Do you think your dad would let you come over for Christmas?" Hayden asked quietly causing Orion to quickly look up at him in surprise. "I know you don't like my parents but I know Rose wants to see you again."

Orion didn't know what to say. Visiting Rose would be great…if she were anywhere but Potter Manor. Avoiding Mr. and Mrs. Potter at all costs had so far been the way the Black family had handled the situation. Orion didn't have any intention of changing that any time soon. "I really don't know, Hayden," he answered evasively. "I'll send you an owl after everything settles down. Hopefully I can find out more about the heir of Slytherin from the Black family library. The family was completely devoted to Slytherin house for generations."

Hermione's eyes widened as she leaned forward eagerly. "I'll check out a few more books on possible ways to petrify someone," she said quickly. "Send Hedwig if you find anything."

"I'll check through my family library too," Neville added. "I don't think I'll find anything but it doesn't hurt to try, right?"

Hayden bit his lower lip nervously. "Maybe I should ask Mum and Dad what they know," he offered.

Ron snorted. "Do you really think your parents would tell you if you asked them?" he asked dryly. Hayden's shoulders sagged as everyone glared at Ron. "What?" Ron asked in confusion. "I know my parents wouldn't tell me anything about it. They'd probably scold me for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong."

"Mine would probably do the same," Neville admitted. "Most parents wouldn't give a group of second years a chance. They probably figure that if Professor Dumbledore can't stop the attacks then what chance do we have?"

There was a knock at the door. Everyone turned to see Dean poking his head in. "Orion?" Dean said nervously. "Er—you're dad's waiting."

Resigned to his fate, Orion shrunk his trunk with a flick of his wand, pocketed it and followed Dean down the stairs to the Common Room. It was difficult to ignore the stares and whispers but Orion didn't have much of a choice. He bid his friends a quiet farewell and followed his father out of Gryffindor Tower. It was easier to ignore the glances his father kept casting his way with each step they took. By the time they reached the large stone gargoyle blocking the staircase to Professor Dumbledore's office, Orion had plan formed in his mind. He knew what to say to Moony to prove that Sirius had finally gone over the edge.

Entering Professor Dumbledore's office, Orion had to admit that he had never seen his grandfather look so old. Not much was said as Sirius informed Dumbledore that the investigations would resume as soon as the train left for the holidays. It would be easier to once again search every nook and cranny without a castle full of children. Orion quickly realized what the upcoming weeks would entail. He would be locked away in Black Manor with Remus while Sirius tore Hogwarts apart to find the Chamber of Secrets.

Perhaps it would be easier finding information about Voldemort's past than he originally thought.

Orion was the first to floo out of Professor Dumbledore's office and into the dimly lit living room at Black Manor. He didn't waste any time before hurrying to the Black family library. Considering as obsessed as the Black family had been on being pureblood in the past, there had to be at least one book on ancestry to give him a hint of where to look.

It was quickly proven, however, that the search for Slytherin's heir wasn't going to be easy. The last known descendant with any possible ties to Slytherin was a bloke by the name of Gaunt over a hundred years ago. There had been a notation that Marvolo Gaunt had attended Hogwarts but nothing after that. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

"Orion? Orion, I know you're in here. You know you can't hide from me."

Orion nearly dropped the book he was paging through. He hadn't expected Remus to search him out so soon. He had thought that he would have a few hours at the very least before he was forced to talk about what happened, not that there was much to discuss.

Before Orion had a chance to respond to Remus' call, Remus reached the stacks he was sitting by with sympathetic look on his face. Words seemed to fail Orion as he watched Remus sitting down on the floor beside him. He was torn between crying out in injustice and pleading for understanding.

"Your dad's back a work and will probably be there until late," Remus said softly. "I'm supposed to make you understand everything from his point of view." At Orion's hurt look, Remus continued. "Of course I have no intention of doing that and I told your father as much. I don't agree with him forcefully pulling you out of school. I know it's dangerous there; more dangerous than it ever was when we attended. Someone or something is in Hogwarts, attacking the children. Any parent would be justified in removing their child from that situation."

Orion scowled. "I thought you weren't taking Dad's side," he muttered bitterly.

"I'm not," Remus assured quickly. "Ori, you're not like most kids. From a young age, you were taught how to handle yourself in a stressful situation and how to magically defend yourself. Your father and I did that so that you wouldn't make the same mistakes we did. The problem is that your father has forgotten why you're so advanced in your magical education. He's so worried about protecting you that he doesn't realize that you could be his greatest asset."

Orion had to admit that Remus had a very good point. He was his father's eyes inside Hogwarts. He had been the one to keep his father informed. "So how do I make Dad see that I can help?" he asked.

Remus let out a sigh as he wrapped an arm around Orion's shoulders. "That, my dear Shadow, is a very good question," he admitted. "When your father is concerned, it is often best for him to realize his own mistakes but I have a feeling that you would be stuck here for a long time if we did that. For now, let me see what I can do." He glanced down at the large book in Orion's hands. "So, what is so important that you are able to spend hours researching without a sound?"

Orion's eyes widened. Had hours actually passed since he had returned home? "I guess I lost track of the time," he said sheepishly. "I'm trying to find out about the heir of Slytherin and who Voldemort was before he became 'Voldemort'. I couldn't find anything about him until he started his rise for power so I know that's not his real name."

Remus slowly closed his eyes as he leaned back against the book stack. "I had hoped you would be a little older when this topic came up but I guess there's no delaying it now," he said softly. "Voldemort was born Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was named after his muggle father and his magical grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt, who happened to be a descendent of Slytherin. His father allegedly abandoned his mother, Merope, while she was pregnant because he found out she was a witch. No one really knows what happened but there were rumors in Tom Riddle, Sr.'s hometown that Tom had been bewitched or hoodwinked leading us to believe that Merope used magical means to ensnare the man she loved."

Orion stared at Remus with wide eyes. "Like a spell or potion?" he asked.

Remus nodded. "A love potion would certainly be easier than any spell especially when a Muggle is involved," he said patiently. "Well, Merope didn't handle the rejection well. She gave into her despair and died not long after giving birth to the baby, leaving her son to be raised in the orphanage he was born in."

"She gave up?" Orion asked in horror. "How could she do that to a baby?"

Remus' face turned sympathetic. "Her heart was broken, Ori," he said. "The man she loved more than life itself wanted nothing to do with her. She was left with no money, no place to go and a baby that would serve as a constant reminder of that heartbreak. At least she managed to find an orphanage so her child would be taken care of."

"What about her dad?" Orion offered. "He would have helped her, right?"

Remus flinched slightly. "Orion, Marvolo Gaunt and his son Morfin hated Muggles. Marvolo was a firm believer in pureblood supremacy. They even served time in Azkaban for actions taken against Muggles and the Ministry. If Merope would have gone back to them with a baby from a Muggle once they had been released…I can't imagine what they would have done to either of them."

Orion stared down at the book in his hands. The more he heard about devoted purebloods the more he hated them. He didn't know what he would do if his father hadn't broken away from the Black family ideals. I'd probably be best friends with Draco and training to serve Voldemort. The mere thought made Orion shudder.

"So, Voldemort is the heir of Slytherin," Orion said at last.

Remus slowly nodded. "As far as we know, Morfin never had any children and Voldemort would only see a child as a threat to his quest for power. Another piece of evidence in favor of Voldemort is that the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened Voldemort was a student at Hogwarts. He was actually the one who was awarded for catching the one who had behind it the first time after a student had been murdered."

Orion's eyes widened. "Who was it?" he asked eagerly. He couldn't believe that Remus had known everything all along. So much could have been avoided if Remus had just spoken up.

"Hagrid," Remus said with a straight face.

Orion stared at Remus for a long moment before realizing that Remus wasn't joking but that was ridiculous. How could anyone ever believe that someone like Hagrid could ever hurt anyone? "But he was proven innocent, right?" Orion asked hopefully.

Remus tilted his head back against the stack as he let out a long breath. "The 'evidence' was rather damaging," he answered softly. "He had been caught by Riddle with a dangerous creature in his possession. The creature managed to flee the school but the attacks stopped after that so everyone figured that the danger had passed. Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts and life went on."

"But how can anyone believe that Hagrid—"

"—because they needed someone to blame, Ori," Remus interrupted patiently. "Hagrid had an interest in dangerous creatures even when he was a teenager."

Orion didn't like it but he could understand how the Ministry could have made the mistake, especially considering that the attacks had stopped after Hagrid was expelled. "So how long have you known about this?" he asked suspiciously.

Remus smiled knowingly. "What do you think I've been doing ever since your father told me about the first attack?" he asked. "Your grandfather provided me with the basic information and I took it a step further. Things have changed now, Orion. We know that Voldemort is out there somewhere and has somehow managed to open the Chamber of Secrets once again. We're still trying to figure out how he's doing it because, from what we know, Voldemort is currently far from Hogwarts."

"But only Voldemort knows where the Chamber is, right?" Orion prodded. "That's what Dad's been doing at Hogwarts all those nights—searching for the Chamber. How can we stop the attacks when we can't find where they're originating from?"

Remus met Orion's gaze with a look on his face that Orion had never seen before. "That, Orion, is the question," he said seriously.

Suddenly, everything seemed so much grimmer. If the Chamber of Secrets couldn't be found before the next attack, Orion knew that the Governors of Hogwarts would push for drastic measures to be taken which included possibly closing the school. That was probably the worst thing that could happen. By closing the school, the attacks would probably branch out into the wizarding world. No one would be safe. As harsh as it sounded, providing targets at Hogwarts kept the 'horror' contained.

As much as it hurt to admit it, Orion finally understood why his father was acting so severely.

A/N: I hate to do this but there may be delays with the upcoming chapters. Real life is pulling at all sides that the chapters just aren't coming as fast as I would like. I promise the updates will come. They just won't be as predictable as they have been.