Harry Potter and the Return of Voldemort: edited the post on page 32 - Page 5

CHAPTER 7

A NEW START AND NEW SURPRISES

Ginny, to whom Harry had handed the invisibility cloak, had been roaming around the Castle for about 20 minutes but had no luck whatsoever finding out Tom Riddle. She had visited the classroom he had left and she had visited the Dungeons where he was supposed to be for his third and fourth units but so far he hadn't turned up there either. She was about to return to Harry's office when Tom Riddle came striding up the corridor ahead. She was glad she hadn't taken off the cloak.

He seemed quite ruffled and had his wand out. Ginny who had been expecting him to turn right into the next corridor stood left of him and would nearly have run into him if she hadn't moved away fast when he side stepped to his left into an empty classroom.

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Tom, who had left the Hospital Wing only because Porch had told him to do so, had no idea where he was going to until finally he had started feeling the weight of it all and all the pain that had disappeared in the heat of anger had returned back to him.

He side stepped into an empty classroom and shut the door behind. He couldn't believe everything that had just happened. Harry Potter had not only been successful in penetrating his powers he had also confronted him openly. All of this had proven that Harry Potter knew more about him than anyone else had even cared about.

What did he know? Did he know the truth or had he deduced the truth? Was he only suspicious or he had confirmed his suspicions? And for what crime did he want to convict him? What could he have possibly done according to Harry Potter? The answer to that question that came into his head made him even angrier than he had been before. Harry Potter couldn't be suspecting him for that. How could he? He couldn't suspect him for the murder of his own friends. But then who else did he have to point the finger of blame to? Who else shared the Dark Lord's name?

It wasn't Harry Potter's fault if doubt had clouded his better judgment and anyways, Harry Potter wasn't entirely wrong, although, he was, as of yet, far from truth.

Tom calmed himself down. None of this was Harry Potter's fault. If anything it was his fault. If only he had never come to Hogwarts, none of this would ever have happened. No one would have had to die. Neville's and Hannah's deaths and Mayweather's disappearance was more a blow to him than anyone else. Half his family had been ripped away from him. He had been stranded again.

For a moment he wanted to get out there and confess everything to Harry Potter and face all the consequences that came with such a confession. But the one thing that held him back was Alex. He had a responsibility towards him and he also had responsibility towards Hogwarts. Dutchmen had entrusted him with this burden just as much as Neville had. He could not overlook his obligations.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He suddenly realized how tired he was. He slid down on to the floor. He had never felt so worn out before. Too much had happened too fast for him to be able to cope with any of it. He had only been trying to do so since Porch had given him the dreadful news of Neville's and Hannah's untimely demise.

He buried his face in his hands. He ought to have controlled himself. He shouldn't have reacted to Harry Potter's anger. Harry had every right to be angry, he had every right to be suspicious of him, to blame him and even to convict him if he could and Tom had no right to defend himself. He had never any right to do that. Harry Potter was right, Tom didn't deserve to judge someone like him. He should have stood through Harry Potter's allegations with resiliency because that was the only thing he could do until he found evidence against him.

All his life at Hogwarts, he had been fascinated by Harry Potter. When he had heard of his arrival he had been excited to meet him but then he had realized that Harry Potter would be less than thrilled to discover him. He had been feeling for many days that Harry Potter's arrival would be the end of his life at Hogwarts and here it was. His first day back had been a literal disaster.

He took a deep breath and got back to his feet, clutching at his chest as he felt the effects of Harry's stunner. He conjured a mirror out of nowhere. He looked at his pale reflection. He would have to gather himself. If he kept breaking down like this there was hardly a chance of his own survival but right now he wasn't even sure if he wanted to survive this.

The bell signing the beginning of the fourth unit shook him back to reality. The reality that he had to live whether he wanted to or not. He opened up his shirt and examined the bruise on his chest. It reminded him of how powerful Harry Potter was but then again it was only justice. If the chosen one could not rival these powers, than who could. As he looked at the bruise he felt a sheer sense of satisfaction that now he was not invincible, now there was someone who could defeat him.

Although, moments ago he had been angry, at the moment he felt relieved, as if a huge burden had been lifted off of him. Harry Potter could penetrate his strong protection. It made him feel more safe than scared.

"Healius Momento!" He healed himself and felt like he was breathing again. The constant pain was gone leaving him light as air.

He buttoned up his shirt and patted his hair with his hands. He looked alright. He made up his mind to return to his class. He also made a decision. Harry Potter had truly proven his strength today, and that meant that Tom didn't have to carry all the burden all alone. He decided to give Harry Potter a chance. He decided to be honest with him as much as he could. He couldn't tell him everything about himself, but he could show what kind of person he was. Harry Potter had assumed the worst of him judging him by his name. Tom was out to change that. He would show the best of him by his actions. He had already seen where lying had lead him now he wanted to see where truth could take him.

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Nice update... Tom riddle is Voldemort's son maybe?

Originally posted by: chandana123

Nice update... Tom riddle is Voldemort's son maybe?

Good guess 😛 Any theories as to how Voldemort could have a son? Keep guessing... you'll find out the real deal about Tom in the next 3 chapters. 😃

Ginny saw Tom Riddle to the Dungeons then walked back to Harry's office to return the cloak. She was surprised to find it empty but she didn't have time to ponder over that. She had to get to her class. She put the cloak inside Harry's desk drawer and left for her fourth unit.

Harry stayed in the Hospital wing until Lavender told him Dudley was going to be alright. Although, she was very interested in finding out exactly what curse had befallen him Harry did not tell her. He couldn't admit to her that he had used an unforgivable curse, a curse against which he had himself passed a decree of restriction. For a moment as this thought crossed Harry's mind, Tom's words rang out in his ears.

He hadn't been wrong. Harry had crossed lines he had not meant to. Only an hour ago he had been feeling like Dumbledore's and Dutchmen's words about Tom Riddle had been proven right but when he had witnessed him hiding someone in the Castle he had felt as if all his suspicions had come true all at once. He had then thrown caution to the wind and confronted Tom Riddle without thinking of its consequences and in the process someone completely harmless had gotten hurt.

What was Dudley even doing here? He couldn't believe it but seeing him after years somehow felt like finding a precious possession that he had lost along the way. What he was surprised at was that everyone knew that Dudley had been hiding from him. Lavender had told him so.

"How long has he been here?" Harry asked Porch who sat beside him at Dudley's bedside.

"4 years." Porch replied.

"Why was he hiding from me?"

"I don't know. No one does. He just asked everyone not to inform you of his presence here. When he heard you were coming to live here, he realized he would have to face you sooner or later. He just wasn't ready to reveal himself, yet."

Porch stopped as Harry nodded and the bell indicating the start of the fourth unit rang. Porch had also missed his third unit he didn't want to miss the fourth one too but he also couldn't leave without clearing out a few things. What he had witnessed between Harry and Tom today was very unusual. Harry had been utterly inconsiderate of Tom and Tom had been exceptionally angry. Tom's was obviously just a reaction to Harry's offence but Porch had seen Harry trying to use the Cruciatus Curse on Tom from the Trophy Room window before he had blasted the front door off, which Dudley had taken by mistake, probably, in an effort to protect him. Why would Harry show such brutality towards someone he hardly knew?

"Look, Tom's involvement in hiding Dudley was just as much as mine." Porch started getting Harry's complete attention. "He wasn't doing anything that the rest of us that is I, Madam Brown, Padma, or even Dumbledore hadn't done. Dumbledore was the first one to recognize Duds when he first arrived here. Then Neville recognized him and the rest of us found out who he was. He asked us not to let you know that he was here. Even Neville kept that secret from you, it wasn't just Tom."

Harry was utterly surprised. Was Porch justifying Tom Riddle's actions? Was he trying to prove him innocent? But then again why wouldn't he, he was his friend. Harry nodded.

Porch plucked up the courage to ask something. "Harry, why did you use the Cruciatus curse against Tom? Why are you so biased against him? I heard you loud and clear when you told him the curse was meant for him."

Harry gulped down. Porch had seen him. Harry didn't reply. He simply got up and turned away. Porch decided not to push it but he couldn't see hatred in Harry's eyes for Tom.

"Whatever wrong impressions you have about him, Harry, I suggest you shelf them and give him a chance with an open mind. I don't know what he's done to offend you but I do know that too much has happened too soon even for him. Tom Riddle may have strong powers but he is human. He does get hurt and he does feel pain. Perhaps, you are not aware of it but he was closer to Neville and Hannah than most, almost as much as he is to me and to Duds. Hogwarts has been his home all his life, everyone here is like his family. He's recently lost too many of his own to be completely rational. Cut him some slack, he's hurting, let him heal, don't be quick to judge. A wounded horse would never be able to prove itself no matter how many races it has won in the past."

Porch finished allowing Harry to think over it and left.

Harry had heard Porch closely. He remembered how sudden Tom's reaction was when Duds had caught the curse by mistake. Was Porch right? Had Harry really been quick to judge? So far Harry hadn't found a single person that would tell him otherwise about Tom Riddle. Who was he?

Whoever he was, one thing was certain and rightly observed by Porch. He was indeed wounded. But was it really the pain of Neville's and Hannah's demise that lingered his eyes, was it really the disappearance of Mayweather that bothered him, was it really the departure of Dutchmen that had hurt him or was it something else? But what else? Harry had seen pain in those Brown eyes and yet he had been unable to tell the reason behind it.

He was also caught up by the fact that someone who could feel pain like he did would be capable of evil but then his name suggested entirely differently. Harry had assumed the worst of him because of his name and it had led him to utter disaster. If it kept going this way, he would end up confronting him again and to no avail.

Harry decided he would give Tom Riddle a chance for a fresh start. He would try to get to know the kind of person he was rather than judging him merely by his name.

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Good update... Tom seems to have impressed everyone around him!

Originally posted by: chandana123

Good update... Tom seems to have impressed everyone around him!

Thank you, yes, he has!!! 😃 Has he impressed you yet? 😛 😃

Tom's fourth unit was with the Fifth year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. He had decided to start their term with defense against magical creatures section of the course. The first topic was Trolls. They had a couple of those locked down in the Dungeons as specimen for the convenience of the students.

Tom had divided today's objectives in two parts comprising of two units. In the third unit he was going to start by explaining their characteristics and their possible offences and in the fourth unit he would continue to explain possible defenses to their offences and allow the students to practice on the available specimen. However, by the time he reached his class he devised the second part of the lesson plan would have to go first as a few of the students had, in his absence, experimented their own set of offences and defenses on the Trolls.

He reached them just in time to save their heads from being ripped off of their necks but he maintained his time management as he kept explaining all the spells he was using while battling the Trolls back in their Cell to a very attentive class.

In the end, the best defense discovered was the separating of the Troll from its club which Tom had to use in order to save his own head from being ripped off of his body. This was also corroborated by the famous feat of Ronal Weasley in his first year at Hogwarts, when he had defeated a full grown Troll by separating it from its club as defined in a blow by blow detail in the Defensive Spells: an upgrade.

As the class ended, due to their little adventure in Tom's absence, the Fifth years got away with a 5 feet long essay on possible offences by a Troll and their defenses to be handed in the next day and a verbal test of the same in their next class which would again be held down in the Dungeons and those who couldn't(wouldn't) either submit their essays or fail the verbal test would have a round with the Trolls.

Tom got away with a nasty cut across his cheek, a bleeding arm and a broken rib.

Danny, the Fifth year Gryffindor Prefect accompanied Tom to the Hospital Wing before going off to the Great Hall for lunch. Both of them entered laughing their heads off at the stunned look on the face of the Troll when it had been knocked out by its own club but the moment Tom's eyes fell on Duds' bed his laughter faltered and he limped straight to his bed. Danny left them alone.

Duds was sitting up propped against pillows and talking to Porch. Tom sat down on an empty chair beside his bed.

"Are you alright?" Before he could, Duds asked him.

"My goodness! Can the three of you stay out of trouble?" Tom had only just opened his mouth to answer when Madam Brown had come over to check up on Duds and her eyes had fallen on Tom.

"Not if we can help it!" Porch replied winking at Tom and Duds. All three of them burst out laughing as Madam Brown stood fuming over Tom which ended in Tom's painful coughing.

Before Madam Brown could scold him any further he turned to Duds. "Thank God you're fine. I was worried sick about you."

"So was I." All four of them turned around to see Harry Potter standing in the doorway.

Tom stood up the moment Harry Potter approached them.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked the moment he saw him.

"Nothing, I had--_"

"Tom!" Before Tom could finish another Fifth Year Gryffindor Jeremy called him out from the doorway. "Here, locked em up good." He threw a large key at him which Tom caught with the arm that was not bleeding. When Danny had insisted he visited the hospital wing immediately, Jeremy had taken up the responsibility to lock up the Trolls.

"Thanks." Tom answered pocketing it.

"No problem." Jeremy grinned and left.

Harry was bewildered to see a student call the Deputy Head of Hogwarts by his first name. Tom seemed quite comfortable with it.

"You were saying." Harry turned back to Tom.

Porch and Duds sat staring at the two of them. A mere hour ago both had been dueling like they wanted nothing more than to kill each other off, and they were hardly meeting each other's eyes at the moment. No one wanted to see them fight it out again.

"I had a demonstrative class with the Fifth year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs about defense against Trolls." Tom replied awkwardly. Duds sniggered. Harry understood. The demonstration hadn't, obviously, gone as planned. "And since I was late, a few students managed to get some hands on experience with the Trolls. It took a lot more than time to put the Trolls back in their Cell. I had them locked up with a spell , that is only undone with the bewitched key Jeremy just brought. And I am the only one who's going to keep it."

"No one else got hurt, right?" Harry asked quite concerned for the students.

"No one did, other than him, Professor. May I come in?" Before Tom could answer, another Fifth Year Gryffindor Emeric had appeared in the doorway and answered Harry's question. Harry nodded. He grinned at Tom. "You forgot this." He handed Tom his copy of the Defensive Spells: an upgrade.

"Thanks." He smiled.

"Don't mention it." Emeric replied positively beaming at him and left.

Harry stared.

"They are friends of yours?" He asked Tom sarcastically.

"Yes." Tom replied not quite meeting Harry's eyes. Being the librarian, he had never really bossed anyone around. He had become friends with all the students. When he had assumed the position of a teacher, he had never really considered himself higher than them. He felt that they respected him in their own way. Everyone has their own expression. This was theirs. They understood he was older and their teacher, but that didn't mean he had to intimidate them. They listened to him because they wanted to not because they had to. They trusted him to be alright if they cracked a joke or two with him. It kept the class environment friendly and light. He had himself been on first name basis with most of his teachers. His students didn't need to be any different.

"Very well." Harry replied him and then turned to Duds. "Lavender has informed me you are feeling well. I need you in my office in 10 minutes."

Harry left leaving a very tensed Duds behind him.

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