Chapter 33
Dear Mr. Ewan Potter, 12 September
It is my honor to invite you to a Slug Club meeting. I know that you have never been one of my students, however since you seem to be spending a lot of time at Hogwarts, then I don't think you would mind at all. Furthermore, I have asked Harry if he would come, but he seems to be a tad bit shy, maybe with you there it was ease your brother.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Horace Slughorn
Dear Professor Slughorn,
I would of course be honored to attend your famous Slug Club meetings, however I have a wee bit of a cold, I' am unfortunately housebound for the weekend. Hope all is well with you.
Ewan Potter
* * *
"Stan Shunpike has been arrested." said Sirius one morning.
"Why? Isn't he the conductor to the Knight Bus? He's a few years older than me, right?" asked Ewan.
"Yes, he's the conductor, graduated a few years before you. It says here he was arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity.
"Stan a death eater, that's like saying Neville Longbottom is a death eater."
"The ministry is just trying to look like their doing something-"
"When really their hurting the community. This Rufus Scrimgeour he seems more capable than Fudge but he's doing all the wrong things like arresting people who are innocent."
"People wanted him because he was an Auror, someone with experience with Dark wizards." said Sirius.
"How much you want to bet he won't make it to the end of next year?" asked Ewan.
"You're on." Said Sirius.
* * *
Dear Ewan,
The first Hogsmeade trip is tomorrow, Leanne, you met Leanne Laughland, she's a Hufflepuff in Harry's year, any way Leanne and I are going to be at Three Broomsticks if you want to join us. I hope to see you there. Oh and also Harry let me stay on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, so I hope you're come to our games.
Love Katie
* * *
Ewan was in three broomsticks with Katie and her friend Leanne, telling them what he had been doing during the summer and school year. Of course, he didn't tell them the true nature of his adventures, but Katie seemed to understand.
"So you're come to our games right?" asked Katie.
"Of course, oh man, I have an appointment with Professor Snape! I gotta go!" said Ewan downing his butterbeer and getting up.
"Oh well, we're take you to the castle, just let me use the lavatory real quick!" said Katie, rushing to the bathroom.
Five minutes later, Katie came out, except, Katie wasn't herself. She also was holding a package.
"Katie, are you okay?" asked Leanne.
"Yes." answered Katie.
"I didn't know you bought something. I can carry it for you, if you want?" asked Ewan.
"NO!" growled Katie walking down the pathway to the castle.
"We didn't go shopping…" said Leanne quietly to Ewan.
"Katie?" asked Ewan. "Katie!" Katie face was blank and she had a dazed and detached look. Thanks to Professor Snape's training, Ewan could tell Katie was under a curse… the Imperius Curse.
"Leanne, run to the castle, get help, go!" ordered Ewan, staying by Katie.
"Katie, can I hold that for you?" asked Ewan softly.
"NO! I have to take it to the castle!" said Katie.
"Take it to whom?" asked Ewan. "Katie, who is that to go too?"
"I have to take it to the castle." said Katie.
"Okay, you have to take it to the castle, but can I carry it for you?" asked Ewan.
"NO!" said Katie, accidently dropping the package.
"Ewan!" said a voice behind Ewan, it was Harry.
"Hey, Harry! Come here would-" he started but was interrupted by a scream. Katie, screaming off the top of her lungs, was nearly ten feet in the air.
"Oh my god." said Ewan, pulling out his wand. He didn't know what to do; he didn't know anything that would help.
"Ewan, Katie!" said Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Suddenly, as soon as it started it stopped. Katie laid the floor, the package was torn open, it laid next to her.
Ewan rushed to her side. "Katie?" he whispered to her. "Katie, wake up. Please? Please, Katie." He said tapping her shoulder. Hermione stood behind him.
"What is this?" asked Harry, going to grab for the package.
"No! Don't touch it. I think its cursed." said Ewan.
"What happened here!?" said a new voice running towards the group.
"Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Professor Snape, Katie she- she- well, actually I don't know what happened…" started Hermione.
"Ewan and Katie were walking… then that happened." added Ron.
"Katie?" said Ewan.
"Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall to Ewan. "We should get her to the Hospital Wing."
"I'll take her." said Ewan picking Katie off the ground, holding her. "I think that thing, whatever was in the package, I think it was cursed."
"Okay, we'll take care of it. Just get Miss Bell to the Hospital." said McGonagall.
Ewan carried Katie up to the castle, the whole time whispering to her. He wasn't saying anything in particular, just words so that he could hear a reply. But she never spoke back, she didn't wake up.
It was two hours later that Healers from St. Mungo's took Katie to the Hospital. They said she would be there for awhile. Most likely, for months.
* * *
"I've seen it before, at Borgin and Burkes. The label said it was cursed. I bet Malfoy has something to do with it." said Harry.
"Malfoy? Draco Malfoy?" asked Ewan.
"Yeah, remember four years ago, I flooed to Knockturn Alley by mistake. Well, I saw Malfoy take a good look at this necklace, when he was with his dad." Harry said to Ewan, then he turned to Ron and Hermione. " I bet that is what he bought when he tailed him in Diagon Alley."
"That's what you were doing!?" asked Ewan. "Following a classmate into Knockturn Alley! Harry that's where most Dark wizards hang out! You could have been caught, you could have been killed!"
"Yeah, well, we aren't." said Harry.
Ewan rolled his eyes. "That a great argument Harry. We aren't."
* * *
A couple days later, Ewan and Harry found themselves back in Dumbledore's office. Ewan had delivered the Locket to Dumbledore. Dumbledore promised to examine the Locket, and to tell them what he learns. Meanwhile, today they were to take another thrilling journey into Dumbledore's pensive.
"You both remember that we left our tale, at Tom Riddle R. abandoned his pregnant wife Merope in London. Of course, as we know the baby would one day become Lord Voldemort."
"How do you know she was in London?" asked Harry.
"Because of the evidence of one Caractacus Burke, who was one of the founders of the shop that sold the necklace that hurt Miss Bell."
"Caractacus Burke, had said that a young lady covered in rags had sold a necklace, for she needed the gold for her baby. She had told him that the locket belonged to Slytherin, but Burke had heard that story all the time. After examining the locket he could tell that it did, in fact, belong to Slytherin. She didn't seem to know how much it was worth, though the locket itself was priceless. Burke bought the locket for ten galleons."
"TEN galleons!? What a rip off." said Ewan.
"Yes well, she was desperate. Now, we will be diving into my memories." Said Dumbledore, placing a vial full of memory into the pensive. Harry, followed by Ewan and Dumbledore entered the pensive.
In the memory they noticed a younger Dumbledore walking up to an orphanage. Young Dumbledore was wearing what looked to be a muggle suit.
"Nice suit sir." said Harry.
"Why thank you Harry." laughed Dumbledore.
A young lady opened the door. "Good evening, I have an appointment with a Mrs. Cole." Said the young Dumbledore.
"Oh come in, come in." said the girl.
The trio, following young Dumbledore, met a woman named Mrs. Cole, she seemed to be in charge of the orphanage.
"Are you family?" she asked Young Dumbledore.
"No, I am a teacher. I have come to offer Tom a place at my school." He answered.
"What school is that?" asked Cole.
"It is called Hogwarts. I was wondering if there is anything you can tell me of Tom Riddle's history?"
"Tom was born here, in the orphanage. It was New Years eve, freezing weather snowing and all. This Young girl, still in her teens, came to the front steps, she had her baby in the hour, however, she sadly died the next."
"Did she say anything before she died?" asked Young Dumbledore. "Anything about the boy's father, for instance"
"She said I hope he looks like his papa. She said his surname was to be Riddle, after his father. Tom is a funny boy; he was a funny baby too. He hardly ever cried, as he got older, he got a bit… odd."
"Odd, in what way?"
"He scares the other children." said Cole.
"You mean he's a bully?"
"I think he must be… like Billy's rabbit, Tom says he didn't do it, I don't see how he could have but even so. It didn't hang itself from the rafters. We take the children on outings occasionally to the countryside or seaside, well on one such outing Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson were never quite right after that. All we got from them was that they went into a cave with Tom Riddle. Tom swore they just gone exploring, but something happened in there. I suppose you would like to see him?" asked Mrs. Cole.
"Very much." said Young Dumbledore, as he got up to followed by Mrs. Cole.
Ewan, Harry, and Older Dumbledore followed Mrs. Cole and Young Dumbledore down the hall, to a door.
A young boy, eleven by his looks let them in.
"Hello, Tom. I am Professor Dumbledore."
Tom Riddle was a handsome child, he had jet black hair and dark eyes.
"Professor, is that like 'doctor', what are you here for? Did she get you in here to have a look at me?"
"No, no." laughed Dumbledore.
"TELL THE TRUTH!" said Tom, his eyes blazing.
"My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school. Of course, if you don't wish to attend, no one will force you."
"I'd like to see them try." mumbled Tom.
"Hogwarts," continued Young Dumbledore. "is a school for people with…special abilities."
"I'm not mad!" said Tom.
"Hogwarts isn't a school for mad people. It is a school of magic."
"It's magic, what I can do?"
"What can you do, Tom?"
"I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt if I want to."
"You are a wizard Tom." said Young Dumbledore. His face was full of concern and worry.
"Are you a wizard too?" asked Riddle.
"Yes, I am."
"PROVE IT!"
Suddenly, the wardrobe in the corner of Tom's Riddles room was a place with fire. However, the fire was damaging the wardrobe.
"You inspired the most feared wizard of our time with a Flame-Freezing Charm!?" asked Ewan. Dumbledore smiled but did not reply.
"Where can I get one of those!?" asked Riddle, pointing to Dumbledore's wand.
"You can get all your school things at Diagon Alley. I can help you get them."
"I don't need your help, how do I get to this Diagon Alley?" asked Riddle.
"You will be able to see it, while muggles, non magic folk, will not. Ask for Tom the barman." answered Dumbledore. Tom Riddle scowled.
"You dislike the name, Tom?" asked Young Dumbledore.
"There are A LOT of Tom's." answered Riddle.
"Good bye, Tom, I shall see you at Hogwarts." said Dumbledore. He made it to the door, before Tom Riddle said.
"I can speak to snakes too. The find me… they whisper things to me… is that- is that normal, for a wizard?" asked Tom
"It is… unusual, but not unheard of." answered Young Dumbledore.
Shortly thereafter, Ewan, Harry and Dumbledore were back in Dumbledore's office.
"His powers...were surprisingly well-developed for such a young wizard and — most interestingly and ominously of all — he had already discovered that he had some measure of control over them, and begun to use them consciously...they were not the random experiments typical of young wizards: He was already using magic against other people, to frighten, to punish, to control." said Dumbledore.
"Sir? I- I had control when I was a child, does that mean… I mean, was that bad?" asked Ewan.
"Unlike Voldemort, Ewan, you never hurt anyone, you didn't frighten or punish. You discovered your abilities and tested them, that is not wrong, just well-developed." explained Dumbledore.
"He was a parselmouth." said Harry. "That's dark!"
"But he probably got that through his mother's side." said Ewan.
"Before we part I wanted to point out some details, you may have missed. First, did you notice how he reacted when I imformed him of another wizard named Tom?"
"He didn't like it." said Ewan.
"He said there were a lot of Tom's." added Harry.
"Yes, he wished to be different, separate, and notorious. He then created a new name, Lord Voldemort. Secondly, I hope you noticed that he was very self sufficient, secretive, and apparently friendless. He didn't want help or companionship on his trip to Diagon Alley. He preferred to operate alone. The adult Voldemort is the same, this magpie like tendency will be important later. Now, off to bad with you Harry. Ewan would you be staying here tonight?" said Dumbledore.
"No, sir, heading over to St. Mungo's to visit Katie." said Ewan.
"She is rather lucky having someone like you by her side." Said Dumbledore, twinkle in his eye.
"Yes sir. Thank you."
