Lucy Riddle and the Boy Who Lived

The Prophecy the Diary and the Story

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dumbledore took Harry and Lucy back to Hogwarts. No one talked. Lucy hoped Hermione got the others back to school safely. When they sat down in Dumbledore's office, it was complete silence. Not a single noise — the pictures of the former headmasters and headmistresses didn't say anything either, which was a surprise.

"Can you explain to me why you were in the Department of Mysteries, Harry and Lucy?" Dumbledore finally said. "Why leave the only safe house you have?"

"Sir, Voldemort tricked us. He lured us in, thinking that we were going to save Sirius Black, but . . . we didn't," Lucy explained. "But I have something."

She pulled the orb out of her cloak. It had bothered her throughout the night, but she was glad to have it in Dumbledore's office. He was surprised to see it.

"How did you get that?" Dumbledore whispered, taking the orb out of Lucy's hands.

"Well, I saw my name and Harry's on it so I thought it would've been something important."

"Important it is, indeed."

He closed his eyes and reopened them. Dumbledore slammed it on his desk, making Lucy yelp in protest. But then she heard a soft woman's voice:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . . Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies . . . and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not . . . and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives . . . The ones with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies . . ."

That was the entire prophecy. Lucy couldn't believe it: Harry was the key to ending Voldemort's rein. But then the voice spoke again:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . . Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies . . . and the Dark Lord will have his first child safely locked . . . but the one with the power to help the Dark Lord will become friends with the child, for child has the knowledge of ending the war completely . . . without need to vanquish the Dark Lord."

Lucy and Harry looked to Dumbledore for answers, but the bewildered countenance on enough to figure things out. Lucy's mouth was wide open. She understood the prophecy completely, but didn't know whether to believe it or not. Some prophecies change as the people make different choices. Maybe she's the second child.

"Did you know all of that?" Harry whispered.

Dumbledore didn't move. "I only knew the first part. The second prophecy is new."

"What do you think it means?"

This time, Dumbledore faced the teenagers. "The first prophecy is about the Chosen One. You had that question mark before your name because you weren't the only child born 'as the seventh month dies,' Harry. Neville Longbottom was too."

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All night, Lucy couldn't stop thinking how Voldemort wanted to touch her face. He was so sincere . . . but she didn't appreciate the action. He had left her alone — even if she loves her foster family — for fifteen years, and no parent should do that to a child.

Luckily for her it was Saturday, so she was able to go to the library all day and find more information on her father. It had taken her a week now to find out nothing. There was barely anything for her to soak in except for who Voldemort was before he tried to kill Harry. The books were only filled with all the cruel things he's done.

She felt so tired of trying to find a good book. Lucy decided to try something out. "Accio Voldemort books."

She waited a few minutes. Lucy was about to give up until a tiny notebook smacked her right in the forehead, making thinking immediately, What the bloody hell? Do I have a lightning bolt on my forehead now? Ow!

Lucy picked up the notebook and saw the name TOM RIDDLE in bold, capitalized letters. This excited her. It was her first clue. Another book — bigger this time — hit her in the back of the head. She realized that it was opened to The Tale of the Four Bodies.

Lucy studied the books. The diary had nothing inside of it, and The Tale of the Four Bodies she had already read, but there was nothing of importance in it. She read it one more time, then five more, then ten more. On her twentieth try, she noticed the name, Tom, in the book. The diary had come with the book, and it had the name Tom on it too.

Lucy grabbed a quill and began writing in the book: I just found out an interesting fact. The Tale of the Four Bodies has the name Tom in it! The diary I found as the name Tom Riddle! What if they're somehow connected? In a way that would've made it impossible to find out?

She smiled. Her search was going somewhere! She looked back on the notebook, but noticed the words were fading away. Instead, someone else wrote: Very smart, you are. Tom Riddle was, indeed, mentioned in that story. Its real, if you didn't know.

Had the book just replied to her?

Who are you? Lucy wrote.

Tom Riddle, of course. Who else would I be — Voldemort? Oh wait, still me.

Well, hi. I'm Lucy Merope Riddle. I've been trying to find out about you for a while now. I can't find anything worth of importance. Can you tell me who my mum is?

Hello, Lucy Merope Riddle. You have my mother's name — Merope. I had a feeling I'd name my first child that. But the only difference is she was weak. You are not. And your mum? Are you talking about Meredith Donavon, my lover?

Lucy slammed the book shut. She didn't reply to the diary. Lucy simply stuffed the book inside her book bag, making a mental reminder to hide it under her pillow later. The bell had rung, informing all the students that it was lunchtime.

I'll show the Golden Trio tomorrow, she thought. Yeah, it's too early now. We just escaped from Voldemort.

She could hear the noises of students shoved in one room, and she smiled at Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were all in a deep argument on probably something silly like homework.