Little White Lies | Book 4

Chapter 22: Taking It All In

Malfoy ended up in the Hospital Wing a few days later. Rumor had it that Harry used some spell that caused him to bleed from ever pour in his body. I didn't know why he did it, but it was probably because of me. Now, whether it was because he cursed me, or because he made me fall for him, I was unsure. Hermione was only upset because he learned the spell from his Potions book.

Anyway, I was sitting alone in the library, working on an essay, when a young boy walked up to me. "Can I help you?" I asked. He held out a rolled up piece of parchement. "Er, this is for you." I took it from his hand, only for him to hurry off. Rolling my eyes, I unrolled the parchment, and read the note written inside.

Riley,

It would be most pleasurable if you could meet me in my office at 8:30 this evening. There is a favor I must ask of you.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

P.S. Did you know my favorite candies are lemon drops?

I frowned as I read the last sentence. Why should I care what his favorite candy was? But, my thoughts drifted to the reason he needed to ask a favor of me. Surely it was something about Malfoy's cursed little surprise, but I didn't know for sure. But, until I found out, all I could do was wonder.

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At 8:20, I made my way to the Headmaster's office. I still had no clue as to what to expect from that man. He practically spoke in riddles most of the time. "Student out of bed! Student out of bed!" I heard someone shout. I looked up, only to see Peeves. "Nice try, idiot, but I have permission from Dumbledore." He gasped dramatically, and began cackling. "You didn't have permission from him to cheat on Potty, did you?" I glared at him. "Don't call him that!"

After a moment of bickering with the annoying poltergeist, I decided to walk away, and continue towards Dumbledore's office. But, when I arrived, I saw that the Gargoyle was still guarding the door. I groaned, seeing as there would be no way for me to pass without a password. The corridor was completely empty, so there was no one to help me. Maybe the password was hidden somewhere in Dumbledore's note.

I pulled he rolled up piece of parchment from my pocket, and read it over again. After finishing it, I smirked. "Lemon drops." I told the Gargoyle. Sure enough, it revealed the staircase leading to the Headmaster's office. I stuffed the note back into my pocket, and headed up the stairs.

Once I was standing in front of the oak door that led to Dumbledore's office, I knocked three times, and waited for a response. "Enter," An elderly voice called softly. I pushed the door open, only to reveal Professor Dumbledore standing before Harry, looking as though they had just finished a conversation. "Y-You needed to see me, sir?" I stuttered, trying not to look in the direction of the green eyed boy. "Ah, indeed I did, Riley. I'm glad to see you made it here safely."

"Well, I'm glad to do whatever it is you need me to. Is everything okay?" I asked. He smiled, and nodded. "Everything is just fine, Riley. Harry and I were just discussing tonight's plans. Come sit, won't you?" I obeyed, and sat down in the chair that sat across from his desk, as he sat in his own.

"Tonight, Riley, I plan to do something that could get us one step closer to defeating Voldemort once and for all. Do you, by chance, happen to know how this could be possible?" He asked. I shook my head. "No, sir." He looked down for a moment, and sighed. "It is very complicated indeed. I merely wish that I would've invited you to join Harry and I during our private lessons, so it wouldn't be difficult for you to understand. But, I suppose I should begin to explain."

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I don't think I had ever taken in so much information in one night. Once Dumbledore told me the story of Tom Riddle, my head was practically ready to explode. But, I learned one thing that actually important from it all; Voldemort made seven Horcruxes. He told me that a Horcrux is basically an everyday object, in which someone puts part of their soul. In order to do this, one must kill another. Voldemort split his soul seven times, and in order to defeat him, we must destroy all seven of the objects he used as Horcruxes. Tonight, Dumbledore planned on finding one of them.

"Professor, I don't really understand. Why is it you need my help?" I asked him. "Well, Riley, I do believe you are a very special person. You're a bit different from the average witch, aren't you? I hear it's true that you can see departed souls." I nodded my head, the sight of Amber flashing in my mind. "This means that you are clairvoyant, Riley. It is very rare for a witch or wizard to see the dead when they have already departed. You are the first witch in centuries to hold this trait, and I believe that you will be of great assistance tonight." He explained. "But, why do they lie to me? Even my Prophecy said not to listen to them." I inquired.

"Since you are still young, you are only able to see ones who you loved, or cared about. They're lying to you, because their loss was devastating to you. You don't want to believe that they are dead. You want someone to lie to you about their death. So, the only ones who can lie, are the dead themselves." This made sense to me for one reason. I never saw my mother.