Tom Riddle Chronicles: The New DADA Teacher

Chapter 2: Different sides of a mysterious Riddle

"Has Dumbledore gone senile?"

Harry, Hermione and Ron were heading for Gryffindor common room. As soon as they exited the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom, they launched into a heated discussion about the new teacher.

Harry considered Ron´s comment:

"At this point, I am willing to believe anything."

"Oh, come on, you guys," said Hermione, "Dumbledore may be a little odd, but he is as sane as any of us."

"Do you have any better explanation?" asked Harry

Hermione rolled her eyes:

"Have you ever considered that Professor Riddle might simply have the same name as you-know-who?"

"Sure, except he looks just like Voldemort... I mean, you-know-who."

"Really? Personally, I thought he kind of looked like you."

Harry had to admit she had a point. He and Tom Riddle did look alike. Even Voldemort acknowledged that.

He reminded himself that Hermione didn´t actually see the sixteen-year-old version of the Dark Lord. She couldn´t understand that the similarities between Tom Riddle and the new teacher went beyond eye color and hair. Professor Riddle was slightly taller, older and was a bit more built, but other then that, he and Tom Riddle were absolutely identical. Even their voices were indistinguishable.

But he couldn´t explain to Hermione. She would never buy it unless she seen it for herself.

"Don´t be ridiculous," Ron interrupted Harry´s train of thoughts, "he looked nothing like Harry"

Hermione rolled her eyes, making it clear that although she disagreed with Ron, she won´t argue this point.

Instead, she asked:

"If Professor Riddle is really Voldemort, then why would he attack Malfoy?"

"Mr. Crouch´s son was a Death Eater," pointed out Ron, "but that didn´t stop him from turning Malfoy into a ferret."

"Good point," admitted Hermione, looking very uncomfortable

That´s a second time today Hermione was corrected, thought Harry, must be some kind of record.

"I think we are all jumping to conclusions," Hermione insisted wearily, "there has to be..."

At this point, Ron exploded:

"WE´RE JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS? In case you forgot, Tom Riddle almost killed my sister! He almost killed you and Harry! I am not about to let him do it again! So pardon me for jumping to conclusions! "

Hermione looked away, clearly hurt.

"Hermione," inquired Harry, " why are you so sure that Professor Riddle isn´t you-know-who?"

"I met him before," replied Hermione

"WHAT!" Harry and Ron exclaimed in unison

"It was my first time at Diagon Alley. A few days earlier, I received a letter from Hogwarts. My parents couldn´t believe it... Anyway, I was looking for Flourish & Blotts bookstore when a bunch of boys dressed in black robes started taunting me. They called me "mudblood". I had no idea what it meant, so I asked them. They just laughed and ran away. Then, a tall man came up from behind. He explained that "mudblood" is an insult invented by so-called pureblooded families. I asked him what he meant. He explained that some wizards think that magic is in your blood. Anyone non-magical taints it, makes it dirty. That´s why they don´t like wizards who have Muggle parents. They think those wizards are ruining the magic. I asked why they would think something like that. He sighed and explained that it makes them feel superior. Take that away and they will be no different from other wizards. They´ll cling to any illusion that makes them feel good about themselves, no matter how stupid it is. He told me that magic has nothing to do with blood. As long as you are willing to try, you can achieve anything - no matter how "pure" your blood is. Then, he just left. I didn´t think I would see him again...until today."

Harry´s mind was reeling. Hermione met Professor Riddle when Voldemort was still part of Quirrell. The seemingly timid professor was far more discrete disguise then Voldemort´s younger, more human-looking alter ego.

"OK, so he is not you-know-who," conceded Ron, "but what if he is some kind of duplicate of you-know who? Like Tom Riddle´s diary."

"Why would he need to make another duplicate?" challenged Hermione

"Haven´t you ever wondered why nobody suspected that you-know-who was Tom Riddle," speculated Ron, "surely, his friends would recognize him, no matter how many transformations he went through. But if he creates a duplicate that looks and acts like him, nobody would suspect him."

"There is just one problem with your theory," pointed out Hermione, "the duplicate would have to be the same age as you-know-who. Professor Riddle is young enough to be his son."

"Then how do you explain..."

"I don´t know!" screamed Hermione, "I am not some walking encyclopedia! I am going to the library!"

She stormed off, leaving Harry and Ron feeling guilty and confused.

After a few minutes, Harry finally dared to suggest:

"We should probably go back to the Common Room"

"Yep," Ron nodded miserably

They headed back in silence, afraid to say another word.

When they came to the Common Room, they found Ginny in the corner, crying. They rushed to her side:

"Ginny, what´s wrong?" asked Harry

"Tom...Riddle," she sobbed, "...he´s...he´s...."

It hit Harry like a bolt of lighting. The fourth years have the Defense Against Dark Arts before fifth years! Harry berated himself for being so wrapped up in his troubles he completely forgot about Ginny.

He reached out, giving her a comforting hug. Ginny collapsed into his arms

"It´s OK, Ginny," Harry assured her, "it´s OK."

She was still crying, but somehow, she didn´t seem nearly as desperate as she was a few minutes ago.

"I know seeing Professor Riddle must have been very frightening," continued Harry, "but we don´t really know who he is. He might have nothing to do with Voldemort..."

"No!" Ginny screamed, breaking free of Harry´s embrace, "it´s him! It´s him!"

The candles flickered for a few moments; reminding Harry of all the times he lost control of his powers when he was angry.

"Calm down, Ginny," said Ron, "you don´t know that for sure."

"I knew him longer then either of you!" cried Ginny, "it´s him! It wasn´t enough for him to ruin my first year: he had to come back to torment me as a teacher! Why! What did I do to deserve it!"

She burst into to the tears and ran to the girl´s dormitory.

Harry looked at his best friend, feeling even worse then before.

"You know," said Ron, "I don´t care what Hermione says. I am not going to let Tom Riddle hurt my sister again."

~○~

I was heading for the library to read up on Russian Gesture Magic. It has been a four days since I came to Hogwarts, and already, it seemed like an eternity.

I never liked written homework: it was tedious, monotone and a pain to check. That´s why I made all my homework hands-on. After I taught a few spells, the students had a day to practice them. The next day, I dueled each student, attacking them in the way that would force them to utilize all the skills they acquired. I tried to encourage them to be creative both in attack and defense.

I chuckled, remembering how easily Hermione Granger disabled my Kiri engai. Her strategy was a stroke of genius. Even though Kiri engai wasn´t really a trap, I used it as one, so a trap-deactivating spell was a perfect way to take care of it.

I heard a lot about the legendary Hermione Granger from members of the Order of Phoenix, but I had no idea she was the girl I met at the Diagon Alley five years ago. She had certainly come a long way, though Remus was right: she is an instinctive know-it-all.

I thought about her friend, Harry Potter. I could still see Lily´s beaming, proud face as she showed the newborn to the members of the Order of Phoenix. We just stared, mesmerized, until four-year-old Ayumi broke the silence:

"Ah, what a cute little baby," she squealed merrily

Everybody just burst out laughing. Sirius joked that Harry was going to be a ladies man when he grows up, earning a whack on the head from yours truly.

I looked at James and Lily, who were laughing along with everybody else. They reminded me of the happy, innocent moments Miyuki and I used to share. I swore to myself that I would never let the Dark Lord hurt this family the way he did mine.

But I couldn´t even keep that promise. Few months later, James and Lily were murdered by Voldemort. I begged Dumbledore to let me take care of Harry, since Sirius, his legal guardian, was in no position to do that, but Dumbledore wouldn´t listen.

It was strange, seeing Harry after all those years. He was much older, much more mature. He had a harsh life, and it showed. I saw how he reacted to me. After his experience with the Dark Lord, I couldn´t blame him. But I guess it showed that despite all the horrors he faced, he was still very innocent. That´s what makes him different from me. That is why he will never turn to Darkness.

I know. There was a time when Darkness was a big part of my life. It warped my desires, my hopes and my dreams. I did unspeakable things that I have since learned to regret. That is something very few dark wizards ever had a chance to do. That is why I can recognize the touch of Darkness when I see it. That is why when Sirius was accused of murdering all those innocent people; I clung to the belief that he was innocent. It took thirteen years, but eventually, I was proven right.

Two months ago, Sirius visited me on Dumbledore´s behalf to fill me in on the current situation. He told me just about everything there is to know about Harry. He even told me that Harry had a crush on a girl named Cho Chang. I laughed so hard I almost fell off the chair. Back when I was a student at Hogwarts, I knew a Ravenclaw named Qucai Chang. He was a very shy, bookish boy who always hung in the shadows of pretty girls. What could possibly be interesting about his descendent?

After the six-year Ravenclaw/Hugglepuff Defense Against Dark Arts class began, I was ready to take that back.

Cho Chang reminded me of a very pretty, clever and kind girl I knew during my Hogwarts days. Cho´s eyes were larger and her features were somewhat more angular, but other then that, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Mei Ling.

I didn´t know if I should laugh or cry. Mei would up marrying Qucai, of all people. Still, despite his shyness, Qucai was a very nice guy. He deserved to be wind up with someone like Mei.

After class, Cho came up to me, holding her Jakori seeds (I gave them out in every class).

"Professor Riddle," she asked, "you said that Jakori seeds can protect you against any curse?"

For a moment, I didn´t know that to say. I ordered myself to snap out of it. Mei was in the past. I had to focus on the present.

"Yes," I nodded

"So I was wondering: do they work against Avada Kedavra?"

Of course. Her boyfriend was killed by that curse, and it was partially my fault. I owed her an honest answer:

"I don´t know. Nobody ever dared to test that. The risk is just too great. What if the seeds didn´t work? They wouldn´t be able to live with themselves knowing they murdered an innocent."

Cho´s already solemn expression sank even lower.

"Cedric had Jakori seeds, didn´t he?" I realized

"I gave him one as a good luck charm," answered Cho " right before the Third Task. I didn´t know what kind of powers it had..."

"Did it smell like oranges?"

"Yes"

"Then it´s a fake. The real Jakori Seeds have a very unique smell. It´s almost like some kind of perfume: except if you put it too close to your nose, it will smell like an unflushed toilet."

Cho smiled for a few seconds, then her expression sank again. But I could see how much relief this has brought her. She was probably berating herself for her naïveté. If only she knew that her gift had a power to protect a person against any curse, perhaps Cedric would still be alive today... Fortunately, that wasn´t the case.

I knew this wouldn´t take away her sadness, but at least, it would make it easier to bear.

"Eighteen years ago," I said, "Voldemort killed the only person I truly loved."

Cho looked at me with compassion:

"I am sorry"

I nodded:

"If you ever need someone to talk to, you are welcome to stop by my office"

"Thank you. I´ll keep that in mind."

With that, Cho headed for the door:

"Ms. Chang?" I asked before she had a chance to leave

"Yes?"

"Do you have any relative named Mei Ling?"

Cho was clearly puzzled by the question, but she answered anyway:

"Well, my grandmother was named Mei Chang. I am not sure what her last name was before she married. Why?"

"I met her once," I said vaguely

"You are lucky... She died before I was born."

It took every ounce of my emotional control to keep me from screaming. Mei Ling was dead! After all the hell I put her through, she deserved to live a long, happy life. This wasn´t fair!

"Yes," I said, choking back tears, "She was very special."

"Are you alright?"

She was just like Mei. No matter what, she always cared about those around her. It didn´t matter who the person was: she was always there to offer a helping hand. That was more then I ever deserved.

"I am sorry, Cho," I sobbed, "I am so, so sorry..."

She rushed me to my side, wrapping her arms around me:

"It wasn´t your fault, Professor Riddle. It wasn´t your fault."

She had no idea.

We spent the next few hours talking about everything that was on our mind. Cho told me about her family, her relationship with Cedric, Harry and Quidditch. I told her about my family, friends, my job at the Magitech Corps and my own Quidditch exploits back in the day. It was strangely therapeutic for both of us. It made me realize something. Mei may be gone, but I could still take care of her granddaughter. I owned her that much.

Eventually, Cho had to leave, but she promised she would to talk to me whenever she has a chance.

The memory still makes me smile.

Well, I finally reached the library. It was almost completely deserted. Hermione Granger was sitting at one of the tables, surrounded by piles of books, manuscripts and newspaper articles.

"You really are an instinctive know-it-all," I smiled

"Who are you, Tom Riddle?" she asked me

"I am not Voldemort, if that´s what you´re wondering. But don´t take it from me. I know you´ll pursue this mystery even if I´ll tell you to stop. For your sake, I hope that you will discover the truth before Voldemort does. Otherwise, not even Hogwarts will be safe."

I went to the international section, leaving Hermione Granger very bewildered.