Everything was de-saturated, save for Harry, who retained the true, rich colours of the present. He glanced about, disoriented, then spied a boy (Tom Riddle) at the end of the corridor, peering around a corner. A flurry of shadows danced on the wall beyond the boy, revealing the presence of others, unseen, in an adjoining room.
"Woah, trippy." Sirius gasped. "Why's it back and white?"
"Maybe because the memory was in a book which absorbed the black ink." Remus suggested.
"Makes sense." Sirius shrugged.
As Harry advanced, low voices emanated from the shadows. As he reached the boy, Harry spoke in a whisper: "Excuse me. Could you tell me where I am? Hello...?" The boy doesn't respond, eyes staked to the activity in the adjoining room... which Harry saw now is the Entrance Hall. A group of elder witches and wizards - Hogwarts professors - talked amongst themselves, then... abruptly go silent, making way for two young wizards, bearing a stretcher.
"Riddle." The boy wheeled... and looked right through Harry. Harry turned, too. It's Dumbledore... fifty years younger.
"Professor Dumbledore." Tom Riddle said.
"Fifty years younger and no change in the man." Barty said, he leaned to Regulus. "Think he's a vampire?" He whispered. Regulus didn't answer him
"It's not wise to be wandering around this late, Tom." Dumbledore said.
"Yes, Professor. I suppose I - I just had to see for myself, if..." Riddle glanced toward the young wizards, watched them carry the stretcher out of the Hall, into the night. "... the rumours were true."
"I'm afraid they are, Tom." Dumbledore sighed.
"About the school as well? They wouldn't really close Hogwarts, would they, Professor?" Tom asked.
"Headmaster Dippet may have no choice, I'm afraid." Dumbledore shook his head.
"Sir? If it all stopped. If the person responsible was caught..." Tom trailed off.
"Is there something you wish to tell me, Tom?" Dumbledore asked.
"You see his face." Zoe said.
"Who's?" Remus asked.
"Dumbledore, it's like he knows something." She said.
Tom paused. "No, sir. Nothing."
Dumbledore studied Riddle for a moment. "Very well then. Hurry along." Dumbledore strode directly past Harry, not seeing him. When he was gone, Riddle moved quickly, towards the dungeon steps.
"Okay, I saw that." Sirius pointed to Dumbledore's face. "He definitely knows something."
***
Up ahead, a splinter of light leaked through a door. Riddle put his eye to the crack. Inside, someone was speaking. "C'mon, Aragog. Gotta get yeh outta here... C'mon now... in the box..." As Riddle pushed the door clear, Harry saw a second, smaller room. Crouched by a box, was a huge boy... Young Hagrid. A strange clicking came from the box.
"Oh Merlin." Zoe gasped, recognising the sound.
"Evening, Hagrid." Tom announced his presence. Hagrid slammed the door shut. "I'm going to have to turn you in, Hagrid. I don't think you meant it to kill anyone..."
"What?" Lily gasped. "Hagrid couldn't kill anyone."
"No, yeh can't! Yeh don' understand!" Hagrid panicked.
"Hagrid. The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered."
"It wasn' him! Aragog never'd kill no one! Never!" Hagrid begged.
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The Truth | Draco Malfoy
FanfictionIt day began as any other, everyone in the great hall when a group appeared. They were watching movies; people from the past, present and future come together about: Harry Potter and Zoe Potter-Ollivander. Now the lies they told their children will...
