Finding The Light

End Of Term (edited)

Dumbledore moved around his office to one of the chairs by the fire, across from me.

"Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry sat on the chair to my left. "First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," Dumbledore explained, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."

He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him. I just rested my head on my hand and attempted not to fall asleep.

"And so you met Tom Riddle," Dumbledore murmured thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you . . ."

"Professor Dumbledore . . . Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said . . . and Belle too."

"Did he, now?"

The old professor looked between us thoughtfully, i just raised an eyebrow. I did not hear anything like that being said. So was it during my first passing out or my second?

"And what do you think, Harry?"

"I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry loudly, and then he blushed. "I mean, I'm - I'm in Gryffindor, I'm . . . Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd – I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherins heir for a while  . . . because I can speak Parseltongue . . ."

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort - who is one of the last remaining heirs of Salazar Slytherin - can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure . . ."

"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck.

I screwed up my face as a million different images filled my head, and not one of them was pleasant.

"It certainly seems so."

"So I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherins power in me, and it -"

"Put you in Gryffindor," said Dumbledore calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand- picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue - resourcefulness - determination - a certain disregard for rules," he added, his moustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."

"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "Because I asked not to go in Slytherin . . . ."

"Exactly, "said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned and i felt a little bit of worry build up inside me.

"Does that make me like him, since i'm in Slytherin?" i asked.

"There are many reasons you are in Slytherin," Dumbeldore told me softly, then turned back to Harry, "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this."

Dumbledore reached across to McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to the boy.

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry."

No one spoke for a minute, I was almost asleep despite the aches and pains in my muscles. When Dumebldore spoke, i jumped.

"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban - we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too," he added thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. . . Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"