Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [6]

⚡️ Chapter 24 ⚡️

Vega, Harry and the two Dumbledores entered the room, and Mrs. Cole closed the door on them. And as Vega looked around to find that they were in a small bare room with nothing in it except an old wardrobe, a wooden chair, and an iron bedstead.

They found a boy was sitting on top of the grey blankets, his legs stretched out in front of him, holding a book. There was no trace of the Gaunt family in Tom Riddle Junior's face. It was clear that, at the least, Merope had got her dying wish:

Tom Riddle Junior was his handsome father in miniature, tall for eleven years old, dark-haired, and pale. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in Dumbledore's eccentric appearance. The more Vega saw stared at him, the more he resembled herself.

It was down to their tall heights and dark hair, and Vega didn't like to see that they had the same nose – the biggest difference, was, however, their eyes. Regardless of the colour of their eyes, Tom had a very strange darkness in his eyes compared to her.

There was a moment's silence, and then Dumbledore walked forward and held out his hand to the boy in greeting, "How do you do, Tom?"

The boy hesitated, then took it, and they shook hands. Dumbledore drew up the hard wooden chair beside Riddle, so that the pair of them looked rather like a hospital patient and visitor – it reminded Vega of her own trip to get evaluated as a child.

"I am Professor Dumbledore," Dumbledore introduced himself.

"'Professor'?" Riddle repeated, and Vega noted that he looked wary. "Is that like 'doctor'? What are you here for? Did she get you in to have a look at me?" He was pointing at the door through which Mrs. Cole had just left.

"No, no," Dumbledore replied, smiling.

"I don't believe you," Riddle responded. "She wants me looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth!" He spoke the last three words with a ringing force that was almost shocking.

It was a command, and it sounded as though Riddle had given it many times before. His eyes had widened and he was glaring at Dumbledore, who made no response except to continue smiling pleasantly. The more he spoke, the less he reminded Vega of herself, however, and suddenly, she much more to the situation that she had at hand.

After a few seconds Riddle stopped glaring, though he looked, if anything, warier still.

"Who are you?" Riddle questioned.

"I have told you," Dumbledore answered. "My name is Professor Dumbledore and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school – your new school, if you would like to come,"

Riddle's reaction to this was most surprising. He leapt from the bed and backed away from Dumbledore, looking furious. Vega was surprised.

"You can't kid me!" Riddle shouted. "The asylum, that's where you're from, isn't it? 'Professor,' yes, of course – well, I'm not going, see? That old cat's the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they'll tell you!"

"I am not from the asylum," Dumbledore said patiently. "I am a teacher and, if you will sit down calmly, I shall tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you would rather not come to the school, nobody will force you –"

"I'd like to see them try," Riddle sneered challengingly.

"Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, as though he had not heard Riddle's last words. "Is a school for people with special abilities –"

"I'm not mad!" Riddle shouted.

"I know that you are not mad," Dumbledore told him, keeping his patience. "Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic,"