Chapter 35
"So I hear you boys had an interesting time the last few weeks." said Dumbledore, at their next lesson.
"Yeah, I followed Sirius in Hogs-… oh you don't mean that." said Ewan.
"We met the Minister at the Burrow, he tried to get us to side with the ministry." said Harry.
"He's mad at us." said Ewan innocently
"Yes, he is not very happy with me either." added Dumbledore.
"He accused us of being Dumbledore's men, through and through." said Harry
"How very rude of him." said Dumbledore.
Ewan smiled. "We told him we were."
Dumbledore smile as well. "I' am very touched and honored."
"How is Madam Rosemerta?" asked Ewan.
"She is fine. She does not remember what happened, however. But no worries, I have friends keeping an eye out for her. Now, it is time we get a move on, unless, you have something else to add?"
"There is, it's about Malfoy and Snape."
"Professor Snape." said Dumbledore.
Dumbledore listened to Harry. When Harry finished Dumbledore didn't speak for a few minutes.
"I' am glad you have confided in me, Harry, but let me assure you that you have not told me anything that caused me disquiet. And now we really must get moving.
"You remember we left off with Tom Riddle, heading off to Hogwarts. He was a quiet boy, wearing second hand robes. He was sorted into Slytherin house almost the moment the hat touched his head. How soon he found out that the famous founder of that house could talk to snakes? I don't know, perhaps, that very evening. The knowledge could only have excited him, and increased his sense of self-importance. As he got up in the school, he gathered a group of dedicated friends.
"In other words, they were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, some ever became death eaters. It seems that he searched in vain for any information of Tom Riddle Sr. but later he forced to accept that his father had never set foot at Hogwarts. I believe it was during that time, he dropped the name Tom Riddle, and became Lord Voldemort, and began his investigations into his once despised mother, whom you would remember, he had thought could not be a witch if she a succumb to the shameful human weakness of death.
"I was very lucky to come across this, now, if you will stand and come into the pensive."
After they had entered they noticed Morfin Gaunt, and Tom Riddle Jr. They were speaking Parseltongue which Harry translated.
"You! You'" yelled Morfin
"Stop! Stop!" said young Tom Riddle, he looked about sixteen, and he still looked handsome.
"You speak lips." exclaimed Morfin
"Where is Marvolo?" asked Riddle
"Dead, died years ago, didn't he." answered Morfin
"Who are you then? Are you Marvolo's son?"
"Course I am, I thought you were like that Muggle, you looked mighty like that muggle, the one my sister took a fancy too. He's older now, he came back."
"Riddle came back?" asked Riddle.
"He left her, it served her right, marry filth, robbed us, mind. Where the locket, eh? Slytherin's locket. Dishonored us, that little slut! And who are you! Asking questions like this!? It's over! It's over!"
Suddenly they were back in Dumbledore's office.
"That's all!?" asked Ewan.
"That's all Morfin can remember. He awoke the next morning to find Marvolo's ring gone. Meanwhile, in the village of Little Hangleton, a maid was running away from the mansion, yelling of there were three bodies. The Muggles were perplexed, but wizard authorities knew this to be a wizard's murder, so the ministry called upon Morfin. They didn't need to question him, use Veritaserum, or Legilimency. He admitted to the crime, giving details only the murderer would know."
"But how come the ministry didn't realize that Voldemort had done all that to Morfin?" asked Ewan
"I thought he was underage at the time. I thought they could detect underage magic. That's rubbish." said Harry
"It is, but we are running out of time, and I want you two too see another memory."
Back in the pensive, they saw Professor Slughorn with a group of other students.
"Slugclub." said Harry.
Then they noticed Tom Riddle.
"Sir." said Riddle to the Professor. "Is it true that Professor Merrythought is due to retire?"
"If I knew, I couldn't tell you."
There was a flash of light.
"Good gracious, it that the time already, Mr. Lynch I want that essay by tomorrow or its detention, same for you Avery."
The other members of the Slugclub all left.
"Is something on your mind, Tom?" asked Slughorn
"Yes, Sir, you see I didn't know who else to go to. The other professors, they're not like you, they don't understand."
"Go on."
"I was in the library the other night, in the Restricted Section and I found an odd piece of rare magic, and I was hoping you could explain it for me. It is called, if I understand it, a-" There was another flash of light.
"I beg your pardon?" asked Slughorn.
"A-"
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING BUT SUCH THINGS, NOW GET OUT OF HERE AT ONCE!"
Then, they were back.
"That was… weird…" said Ewan
"Yes, that memory was tampered with." said Dumbledore. "Professor Slughorn meddled with his own memories."
"Why?" asked Harry.
"He was probably ashamed. So for the first time Harry, I am giving you home work, Harry. I need you to get the real memory."
"Why not use vertitaserum or legilimancy?" asked Harry.
"He'll be expecting that…" said Ewan.
"It is very important we get that memory, Harry." said Dumbledore. "Now, it is time for bed. Good night, Harry. Good night, Ewan."
* * *
March came as did warmer weather. The start of the month was usually a bore but this month, well things were looking differently. For the very first day, March first, Ronald Weasley's birthday, was also the same day that Ron Weasley himself got poisoned. Then in the first week, Harry got his head busted open by a bludger. Now two days later, Harry and Ewan had yet another lesson with Dumbledore.
The memories they saw that lesson was of Tom Riddle visiting Hepzibah Smith about a cup that once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin's Locket and asking for The Headmaster for the post DADA teacher at Hogwarts, which he was declined.
* * *
It was the beginning of April, and Ewan was at Hogwarts, he had just finished a lesson with Professor Snape, then visited Harry and the gang at the Gryffindor Tower, when he really had to use the loo. He remembered the Room of Requirement from the D.A.
After successfully finding it, and relieving his bladder, he decided to investigate for about the Room itself. He left the Room, and asked it for a bedroom to sleep in, he asked the room for pillows, for socks, for sweets, and finally he asked the room for all things lost.
The room was packed of things, he found fanged yo-yo's, shoes, broken and damaged furniture, thousands and thousands of books, winged catapults ,Fanged Frisbees, chipped bottles of congealed potions, hats, jewels, cloaks, what looked like dragon eggshells, corked bottles whose contents still shimmered evilly, several rusting swords, a heavy, bloodstained axe, an enormous stuffed troll, and a broken Vanishing Cabinet. It looked like "a city with towering walls", full of objects hidden by generations of Hogwarts inhabitants.
Then he noticed it… the lost diadem.
