𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 (𝟐) || HARRY POTTER LOVE STORY

56

"Very smart, Clarke" Riddle said. "Voldemort is my past, present and future."

He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace in hough the air, writing three shimmering words:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name for ever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No. I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

Julie's brain seemed to have jammed. She stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others... At last she forced herself to speak.

"You're not." she said angrily, her voice full of hatred.

"Not what?" snapped Riddle.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world." Julie snapped back. "Sorry to disappoint you, and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts: Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days!"

The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed.

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted.

Riddle opened his mouth, but froze.

Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty chamber. Julie took the opportunity to get her wand out of his pocket. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on my scalp and made her heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Julie felt it vibrating inside her own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle and a second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry.

It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and beady black eyes. The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle.

"That's a phoenix..." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.

"Congratulations, you can see." Julie muttered more to herself than to Riddle.

"Fawkes!" Harry breathed.

"And that-" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped. "that's the old school Sorting Hat."

So it was. Patched, frayed and dirty, the Hat lay motionless at Harry's feet. Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once.

"This is what Dumbledore sends his defenders! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now, Julie Clarke?"

None of them answered.