A Story of a Short Ending | T.R

Chapter 27 - The Ups and Downs

Dinner & Diatribes - Hozier 

emetophobia warning at the very end.

The parchment felt heavy in his hands, the news it bore was more than positive for him and his scheming but the place it came from added that invisible weight to the thin piece of parchment. It probably bore all the darkness and the weight of the souls that died in that damned place.

Dumbledore was never a huge fan of the pureblood families that bore their blood purity as their biggest achievement and pride. The magic of the Wizarding World was one of a family, of unity among the people. He knew that if he closed his eyes on the behaviour of Riddle and his loyal supporters the world he lived in would not be the same in the upcoming years. He knew that Riddle was smart enough to achieve his goals, especially if no one stood in his path.

That's why Professor Dumbledore was staring at the parchment in his hands, that came straight from the Manor.

'We are off the hook' it read. He once received a confirmation that he no longer remained Riddle's number one priority. That thought almost made him smile. The days when that poor boy was holding all of his strength in his fist to keep a straight face and pretend to respect him as a Professor. Those were the days Dumbledore now remembered. The days when Riddle came just almost close enough to killing him. And now he wasn't focusing on him at all.

On the other hand, Emily was once again a problem. When the girl died all these years ago, he couldn't help but release a relieved exhale. She was out of the picture, sadly Riddle still remained. Dumbledore wasn't his own supporter in his schemes and plans. After all a Professor of a Magical School scheming to kill his own students wouldn't sound too good on his resume. Not that he would need one.

The question always made him stop at the crossroads and think. Riddle was a child with a power he couldn't use wisely. The thoughts from all the darkest corners polluted his head and pushed him into doing things many ran from. He was a threat to put it simply. Knowing what he was going to bring to the Wizarding World, Dumbledore couldn't sit on the sidelines and watch it happen. He was a monster, was born one. But during some of the days, when Dumbledore could observe Riddle during his studies he saw a child, one that could've had a bright future ahead of him. His bright mind would surely lead him places if he decided to use it wisely, but alas the situation called for the appropriate action.

He had Emily on one side of a problem, while Riddle sat in the opposite corner of his imaginary diagram. He knew that Emily would most likely want revenge on her murderer, or rather attempted one. The thought of that made Dumbledore sit up straight in the chair he was lounging in. What if he didn't need to do anything at all? For once the pieces were falling into place the way he wanted.

Emily was Riddle's primary focus, and if Dumbledore could pray to the Gods just enough, he could hope that the two problems he had on his hands would solve themselves. He didn't expect Emily to be strong enough to deal with Riddle once and for all, but if Tom were distracted with her for long enough he would never see them coming.

If Tom could finish the job he started years ago and deal with Emily on Dumbledore's behalf, the old man could even spare the slow and painful death to the monster Riddle was. All he had to do was gather his forces and prepare to strike. Calculate just the right moment, and then the pieces would finally stick into their places forever.

With another look at the pristine parchment in his hands, he crumbled the letter and with a wave of his hand made it disappear in the air, leaving the slight smell of burned parchment afterwards. He stood up and several moments later was out of his study, his pace determined. He had to let his people know, it was soon go time and they wouldn't miss it for anything in the world.