"Riddle"
The woman turned from where she had been striding down the hallway, intent on confronting the, far more mysterious, boy with the truth she now knew. "Snape" she called back.
"I can only imagine who would have recently harmed a student. It appears mister Potter has every right to be wary of you hm?"
"Harry has nothing to fear from me." Grace countered easily.
"We will see about that. I will be speaking to him during every potions class from now on to make sure he has no further... marks on him."
The defense professor stared back for a second, before a slight, almost twisted, smile formed on her face. "I can only imagine how Lily Potter will respond to you taking such an interest in her son."
It was a slap to the face, one that drew a full, wrathful, sneer from the other woman.
****
"Harry."
The boy tensed, before turning to glare up at the woman. "I thought these rooms were off limits to women, professor."
His room was otherwise empty, with Crabbe and Goyle eating in the Great Hall. "Professors are allowed to enter rooms if necessary."
"And you think talking to me alone is necessary?"
"Considering what the Headmistress just told us about your previous life, yes."
If he was tense before it was doubly so now, and Riddle was genuinely surprised he wasn't reaching for his wand. "Us?"
"The Heads of House and Snape."
Harry noted the lack of 'professor' in her title but didn't comment. Instead, he was far too focused on one simple fact, "I'm so glad my personal life is private only when others find it convenient."
That comment did earn a bit of a flinch from the woman, knowing her own preferences for privacy as a Slytherin. "Harry..."
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" He shouted, causing the woman to take a step back in shock, "You do not get to use my first name, you do not have the right to use it!"
Moments passed as he took several deep breaths to calm himself, "Because of the other Riddle?"
"Yes" he growled, "because of him. He murdered my parents, started two wars, tried to kill me numerous times, and was a genocidal sociopath."
Without asking permission she slowly moved forward, sitting down on his bed, albeit a few feet away from him. "I don't know what happened to him, Harry but I promise you, we are not the same person. Maybe the issues of his world twisted him, or his mother was cruel enough that he became bitter and angry. I know that my own certainly..."
"Wait," he interrupted, "your mother, as in the one who gave birth to you?"
She blinked before nodding slowly, "Merope Gaunt, she is... a very nasty woman. She used Magic to manipulate Thomas Riddle to become pregnant. It was one of the reasons I took his name and not hers."
"And she's still alive, she raised you?" He persisted, mind still reeling at this type of change.
The professor seemed to realize his surprise and asked her own questions, "Was he not raised by her?"
Shaking his head, Harry went on to explain, "Voldemort was raised in an orphanage after his mom died in childbirth."
"An orphanage..." The woman repeated slowly, eyes staring off into the distance. "I can imagine that might create some resentment towards those he thought abandoned him or the ones who 'raised him'."
Harry agreed but said nothing as the two fell into silence for another few moments. It was Riddle, once again, who started the conversation. "Let... may I see your arm?" She quickly corrected, earning a hesitant look before the boy did as she asked.
Slowly pulling up his sleeve her eyes widened at the light bruising she had, indeed, left on him. "I'm so sorry Ha-mister Potter. I did not mean to hurt you. I have been concerned over Dumbledore's decision to keep the object at Hogwarts, and the traps that were set for it. I did not want you, or any other student, anywhere near it. I was too harsh in trying to remove you from that danger and I apologize."
Taking a moment to really think about what she had said, after all this universe's Riddle seemed to be trying to change around him, the Potter found he understood her reasoning. If the traps were even close to what they were in his world, then they would be incredibly dangerous. Any normal professor should have done everything in their power to remove a student from danger, even if she was a bit too rough in the process.
Still, it didn't mean he trusted her, far from it.
"That's okay Professor, it only stung a bit, looks worse than it is."
She nodded, hesitating for a moment before standing and walking towards the exit of his room. "You may not believe me Mister Potter, but I do want what is best for you. If you want to go over the notebook that I suggested earlier, I will be more than happy to."
With that she pulled the object from her cloak before placing it on a dresser near the door. Once more she glanced back at him, gaze lingering for a moment, before leaving the room, and the boy, in silence.
****
Planning was never Harry's strong suit. He was always more of a 'dive headfirst and hope it all works out or that Hermione can come up with a brilliant plan to save my arse' kind of guy. Which was why he now found himself in a conundrum.
What should he do?
Clearly, the headmistress was going to be of no help whatsoever, and if these professors were anything like his own, which seemed to be true, they would be next to useless as well.
He could write a letter to Sirius or Remus, but neither of them even knew who he was, unless his parents had informed them. He could write his 'parents' but something held him back from that as well. If the situation became political, as the Tri-Wizard tournament had for instance, it might end up harming them and their daughters.
The boy certainly didn't want to include any of his friends. Not only was he unsure if they would believe him, or agree with him even if they did, but it was dangerous. If something happened to one of them, he would never forgive himself.
If only he had thought things through during his fourth and fifth year, then maybe his friends would not have been in danger.
Maybe Cedric...
Kill the spare
A soft hoot from nearby drew his attention back from the nightmares plaguing him. He had made the journey all the way up the tower to be alone, not wanting to deal with his housemates or Head of House, and Hedwig always seemed to understand and bring him comfort.
He went back to gently petting the bird, causing her to snuggle back into his hand, preening at the attention. "I don't know what to do girl." Harry whispered softly, "Take the stone? What would I do with it, how would I be able to keep it safe? Leave it for whoever to steal? What if their timing is different? What if I'm late and they manage to get away with it?"
___________________
Read 30 Advance Chapters on-
patr*on.com/rary01