Chapter 15: A United Front
Hogsmeade Village was covered in a blanket of fresh snow. Patrons were bundled up with knitted hats, mittens, and scarves, and the village's many establishments had cozy fires crackling in their fireplaces. Small billows of smoke rose out of the tops of the chimneys. It was days like this that made the Hogwarts student Hogsmeade visits feel extra magical.
Tom was feeling extra chipper on this particular morning as he walked toward the Three Broomsticks, holding hands with Lily and James walking on his other side. He'd expected himself to feel nervous, but so far he really didn't. His Uncle Morfin's response to his letter had been overwhelmingly positive, better than he ever could have hoped. It seemed he was surprised to hear he had a nephew, but delighted all the same. And after exchanging a few letters back and forth, his uncle had even expressed an interest in meeting him. So there Tom was, on his way to a pub to meet a biological relative of his for the first time in his life. He had butterflies in his stomach, but in the best way possible.
"How are we supposed to know which guy is your uncle?" James asked as they walked. "The Three Broomsticks is a popular place."
"Well, he said he would be wearing blue robes," Tom replied.
"Okay, so we're looking for someone with a strange sense of fashion," James teased. Tom rolled his eyes.
"Some people look very nice in blue," said Lily. "Like Tom, for example." Tom blushed.
"You've got me there," James said as he reached over to pinch Tom's cheek the way a great aunt of theirs liked to do. Tom batted his hand away. "But blue as the main color on a set of robes? Seems to me like that would be a bit too much blue, is all."
"I didn't take you as such a fashion fanatic, James," Lily teased.
"He puts a lot more thought into his outfits than you'd think," Tom confirmed.
"The trick is to make it look effortless, like you just casually threw on something that happens to make your eyes pop," James explained.
"Here we are, then," Lily said, ignoring James as they arrived at their destination. Tom, ever the gentleman, opened the door and held it open to allow the others through.
The Three Broomsticks was quite crowded, which was to be expected. Very few students were going to be leaving the village without having one of the pub's signature butterbeers, and all of the regular patrons were there as well. Tom scanned the room as he entered, looking for a man in blue robes.
"That's got to be him over there," Lily said as she pointed to a table near the back. Sure enough, there was a man with dark hair about the color of Tom's, sitting alone and wearing robes of a nice royal blue. They did sort of suit him, in Tom's unprofessional opinion. The man was modestly handsome, and had features that seemed similar to Tom's own.
"Are you ready, Tom?" James asked, his voice suddenly serious. As much as he liked to joke around, he always seemed to know how to adjust his tone to the situation.
Tom took a deep breath. "As ready as I'm going to be, he said." So, the three of them crossed the pub.
The man looked up as they approached, his face suddenly lighting up with a warm grin. "Tom? Is that you?" he asked.
"It's me," Tom confirmed, not sure what else to say. He'd never been very good at introductions. "I suppose that makes you Morfin Gaunt? Or, Uncle Morfin? Mr. Gaunt?"
The man laughed. "I would be absolutely honored if you would call me Uncle Morfin, young Tom." Tom smiled.
"Pleased to meet you, Uncle Morfin," James said, his teasing nature returning. Tom rolled his eyes.
"This is my brother, James," Tom said.
"Ahh, yes, Tom mentioned in one of his letters that he'd been taken in by a loving family. It's a pleasure to meet you, James," Uncle Morfin said as he shook James's hand.
"And this is my girlfriend, Lily," Tom continued.
"Pleased to meet you," Lily said, initiating the handshake with Tom's uncle.
"The pleasure is mine," Uncle Morfin insisted. "It's lovely to see that my nephew has surrounded himself with such wonderful people. Shall we have a seat? I'll order us a round of butterbeers." And so, they all sat. Uncle Morfin called over a waitress and put in the order. "So, Tom, I was quite surprised when I received your initial letter. I thought I had no family left. I never ended up having any kids of my own, and, to tell you the truth, I was never really interested in getting married. It's just been me for quite a while now."
"When I sent that letter, I had no idea if you knew I existed or not," said Tom. "I was a little nervous about how it would be perceived."
"It was one of the best surprises of my life," Uncle Morfin said. Tom felt a warm, tingly feeling well up inside him. "But no, I didn't know. I would have gone looking for you a long time ago if I had. But Merope… your mother. She left home before running off with your father and we didn't hear much from her after that."
The waitress returned with their butterbeers, and Tom offered his thanks. He took a sip to give him courage as he asked about something that was sure to be a sore subject. "Why did my mother run away and cut off contact with the family? If you don't mind my asking."
"I don't mind at all, Tom. Ask me anything you like," said Uncle Morfin. "It was a complicated matter. I'm not sure how much you know about the Gaunt family given that there are so few of us left, but we were once known as a very old family in the Wizarding World. Pureblood, something that certain people take a lot of pride in." Lily nodded. As a muggle born witch, she'd been picked on a time or two by people who continued to hold on to the outdated mindset that magical people who have muggle blood are inferior to those who don't.
"My father was one of those people, as were many Gaunts before him," Uncle Morfin continued. "And then my sister did something that was sure to give our father a heart attack if he found out; she fell in love with a muggle."
"Tom Riddle," said Tom.
Uncle Morfin nodded. "Merope had it bad for the boy. I'd never known her to be so happy, but she was devastated at the same time. She knew our father would never approve, would never allow it to happen. In his mind, nothing could be a bigger embarrassment, a bigger slap in the face to our family legacy. But Merope had to make the decision that was right for her, that was going to make her happy. I supported her completely, but it didn't make it easier to watch her walk away, knowing that communication would be limited if she was going to be able to successfully hide from our father."
"That must have been really hard," said Lily, who knew what it was like to be close with a sibling.
"Quite," Uncle Morfin agreed, his eyes glistening. "But, she couldn't have stayed. She never would have found happiness if she had."
"Doesn't Tom's father still live in Little Hangleton?" James asked. "That's what Lily found when she was researching Tom's family."
Uncle Morfin took a deep breath. "Yes, that is true. My father was furious when my sister left. He was eventually able to track them down. He wanted to kill Tom to teach Merope a lesson. Instead she made the heartbreaking decision to wipe his memory. Tom Riddle has no memory of my sister whatsoever, he went back to his old life none the wiser."
"So, that means he doesn't know anything about me either," Tom said. Part of him had still been hoping that he would get the chance to meet his father, but if he didn't even remember being with his mother, perhaps he was better off left alone. Lily squeezed his hand comfortingly.
"I'm sorry, Tom," said Uncle Morfin. "He has no idea about any of it. My father was willing to accept this gesture in place of killing the man in cold blood, perhaps out of some love he felt toward his daughter deep down. But Merope never saw Tom again, and she wanted nothing to do with our father after that, so she disappeared completely. I never heard from her again, had no idea that she was pregnant. I always wondered what had become of her, if she was maybe still alive out there somewhere."
Tom nodded, knowing it was his turn to fill in the gaps in the story for his uncle. "Mrs. Cole, the woman who ran the orphanage, didn't know much about her. But she said that my mother just showed up one day, very weak and heavily pregnant. She guessed that my mother hadn't been eating enough, and that she knew she wouldn't survive the birth." Uncle Morfin wiped a tear from his eye as he listened, giving Tom his undivided attention. "But my mother told Mrs. Cole what she wanted to name me, she said she was very adamant about it, and that it must have been difficult for her to find a place to give birth where there would be someone to take me in and make sure I was safe. She said my mother must have cared a lot about leaving me in the best position she could."
Uncle Morfin nodded. "That sounds like Merope. I only wish she could have left you with me."
"Really?" Tom asked, suddenly feeling like tears were going to start forming in his own eyes.
"Really," Uncle Morfin confirmed. "But I understand her wanting to keep you away from our father. I think she made the right choice. And you turned out pretty well," he added with a wink.
"Yeah, I did," Tom said as he locked eyes with his brother and his girlfriend, both of whom were smiling back at him.
"On a happier note, I have something I want to give you," Uncle Morfin said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be an old locket with snake carvings on the front. "This is a family heirloom. It was owned by Salazar Slytherin."
"Salazar Slytherin the Hogwarts founder?" Lily said, impressed.
"Exactly," confirmed Uncle Morfin. "The Gaunt's biggest claim to fame is that we can trace our lineage all the way back to Slytherin himself. This locket has been in the family ever since, and I want you to have it, Tom."
"Me?" Tom said as his uncle dropped the locket into his empty palm.
"I don't have any kids of my own," Uncle Morfin reminded him. "I'm honored to have someone to pass it on to."
Tom stared down at the locket in his hand. Growing up in an orphanage, he'd never expected to own anything that could be considered an heirloom. And to now own something from one of the Hogwarts founders? One who happened to be his direct ancestor? He didn't even know what to say, but he settled for gratitude. "Thank you, Uncle Morfin. I'll take good care of it."
Uncle Morfin grinned broadly, seemingly just as happy to be passing on the locket as Tom was to receive it. "I know you will, Tom."
Once Harry had returned to his own mind, he pulled out the locket that he'd continued to carry around on his person, always in his pocket. Most of the value he'd placed in the locket had more to do with the note inside it than the locket itself, but now he found himself paying more attention to the gray, metal exterior. He ran his thumb over the little snake carvings, letting it sink in that this piece truly was once owned by Salazar Slytherin, if Morfin Gaunt was to be believed. The fact that Tom had given him a family heirloom, one he'd been so honored to receive, was not lost on Harry. Though he hadn't said so at the time, Tom had just told Harry, through the lens of his memory, that he'd given him one of his most prized possessions. Despite not knowing what was going to happen next, Harry trusted Tom, and felt strangely connected to him with the knowledge that he cared for him enough to pass on such a meaningful object.
As he was about to put the locket away, Harry took a final glance at it and suddenly noticed tiny symbols etched into the side that he hadn't noticed before. It looked like it might be writing of some kind, though it wasn't any kind of alphabet that Harry recognised. He brushed it off with a shrug, figuring that he could maybe ask Tom about it. If he ever got the chance to see him again.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together in the Gryffindor Common Room, grouped in front of a crackling fire and sitting in silence. Most people had already gone to bed, but they found that they weren't particularly tired. Remedial classes with Umbridge had been taking a toll on them, but these small moments of peace in a quiet common room with dim lighting were surprisingly therapeutic.
"Harry, I've been thinking about it," Hermione said suddenly. "And I think you should tell your uncle about what Umbridge has been doing."
Harry sighed. There were moments when he'd been considering the same thing himself, but ultimately he just didn't think he could do that. "I can't let him put his job on the line like that," he said. "He loves this job, he's dedicated his whole life to it. I don't know if I can ask him to give all of that up on my behalf, and who even knows if he'd be able to do anything?"
"What if I reach out to my parents?" Ron suggested. "They'd be livid if they knew. Mum would burst into the castle and beat Umbridge senseless with her bare hands if she had to." Harry could easily picture the rage Mrs. Weasley would spin into if she had a clue about what was going on in the school.
"Umbridge is controlling the mail, remember?" Hermione reminded him. "She'd never let the message get to them. Perhaps when you're home for Christmas, though?"
"Sure, but what do we do in the meantime?" Ron asked.
"You both should take the deal," Harry said suddenly. "The deal to opt out of the class." Ron and Hermione gaped at him.
"No way," Ron said.
"Absolutely not," Hermione agreed. "We're in this together."
"Look, it's me she wants. It's always been me," said Harry. "There's no way she's letting me out of her class no matter what I agree to, but there's no need for everyone else to suffer just so she can get to me."
"We're not discussing this, mate," Ron insisted.
"There's no way we're leaving you alone with her. Who even knows what she would do?" Hermione added.
"I know for a fact that if the situation was reversed, you wouldn't abandon us," said Ron.
Harry had to admit that he couldn't argue with that. It didn't make him feel any less guilty that his friends were getting hurt because of him. "Fine," he conceded. "Forget I mentioned it." He continued to watch the fire in silence.
Harry may not have been able to convince Ron or Hermione to take the deal, but that didn't stop him from trying to convince the others. He hadn't had any luck, however, with everyone giving similar responses about how they were going to get through it together, and they were a united front. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that the group that was brave enough to take on Umbridge in the first place would be brave enough to not give in to her demands now, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.
He found Luna outside, sitting in the grass and watching birds. It was nice to see her still finding moments of calmness in the midst of everything that was going on. "Hi, Luna," he said as he approached.
Luna glanced up at him. "Oh, hello, Harry. Lovely day isn't it?"
Harry nodded, though secretly he thought it was getting a bit too cold to make spending time outside enjoyable. "Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all."
So, Harry sat. He glanced ahead to where Luna was staring and spent a minute just watching the little birds that were fluttering around looking for food. "So, how have you been holding up?" he asked.
"That's kind of you to check in," Luna replied. "I'm doing pretty well."
Harry was taken aback. "Are you really? With everything going on, I mean. With Umbridge."
Luna nodded. "It seems like she's pretty afraid of us. That's pretty empowering, I think."
That certainly wasn't the response Harry was expecting. "You think she's afraid of us?"
"Of course. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be trying so hard to break us. She's afraid of us getting in her way."
"I guess I never thought of it that way," Harry admitted. "You know, I actually came out here to try and convince you to take the deal to get out of class. It's hard to watch her hurt all the people I care about."
Luna nodded. "I'd heard you were going around asking about that. I can see where you're coming from. You feel like it's your fault, and you just want to feel like you can protect everyone."
"Yeah, exactly."
"But, you can't. If we give in, she'll just think she's broken us. That we're no longer a threat. Imagine what she'll do to the school once she loses that fear."
"That's… very wise, Luna," Harry said, impressed. "I guess that's why you're the one in Ravenclaw."
Luna smiled. "Well, you wanting to take on Umbridge alone just to spare the rest of us was very brave. Quite Gryffindor of you," she said. Harry returned her smile. "Even if it was a bit stupid." Harry laughed.
The two of them sat back and continued watching the birds in silence for a while.
"It's not your fault, you know," Luna said finally. "What Umbridge is doing. None of it is your fault. It's hers. You know that, don't you?"
Harry sighed. "Yeah, I know." And logically, he did. But it was hard to ignore the fact that he'd been her main target all year. It took someone else giving him permission to admit that it wasn't his fault for him to even begin to entertain the fact. "Thanks, Luna. You're a good friend."