HP Cronos

Nora was once again at the Gryffindor table with two huge black eyes.She maintained this sleepwalking expression and ate the food for three people, then floated away from the long table faintly.

On the bulletin board, she found an announcement for an Apparition class.

Ha, she already passed the exam.Nora thought triumphantly.

"The headmaster told you to go to the office," a Gryffindor girl told her.

So Nora braced herself for a routine Occlumency class.

This time she was a little distracted, and at the end of the training, Dumbledore stopped him.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Dumbledore asked.

Nora felt uncomfortable under his intelligent gaze.The last time he asked her this was when the door of the secret room was opened.

"No." Nora replied.

Dumbledore didn't press, he motioned for her to sit down across from him.

"It will be difficult to defeat Voldemort," he said. "He is a very powerful wizard, and few can match him. To win this war, there must be many sacrifices."

Nora didn't care how much Dumbledore could hear from her words. She asked, "Including your life?" She looked directly into the old man's eyes, his blue eyes were like calm lakes.

"Yes, including myself," he replied.

Nora bit her lip.

Dumbledore looked at the golden bird stand where Fox was perched. The golden-red beautiful big bird looked lazy.

"To defeat Voldemort, we can't just count on powerful magic - that's what he thought. It's something else that can defeat the darkness, like—"

"Love," Nora continued, "but I don't understand why you're telling me this... that boy, Harry Potter, was the one who beat him."

"Because you still don't know what role you will play in this war." Dumbledore said.He stood up and walked to the Pensieve, "Come and see."

Nora dipped her head in it.She saw the same office, the same Phoenix, and a much younger Dumbledore.There are snowflakes outside the window.

A man walks into the office, and Nora has never seen Tom Riddle dressed so...well, expensively.

The adult Riddle is dressed in elegant black velvet wizard robes, with neatly combed black hair and a convincing demeanor.

Nora quickly understood. They said that Tom Riddle was working in the Ministry of Magic at this time, and his political career was smooth. In other words, he had used his own means to remove obstacles in front of him.That young face is often in the papers.According to this momentum, he will become the youngest Minister of Magic ever.

"It's been a long time, Professor Dumbledore," said Riddle, taking the seat where Nora was sitting naturally. "It's time to call you Headmaster. Honorable choice."

"It's been a long time, Tom." Dumbledore smiled, "May I buy you a drink?"

"Thank you very much," said Riddle, "but no need, I've had enough at Professor Slughorn's."

"Oh, Horace, it must be a pleasure to see you again," said Dumbledore. "He has kept so much good wine for himself that I would not be willing to give it."

"You must be very busy as Head of the Department of Magical Enforcement, Tom," said Dumbledore. "What kind of business is there for you to come here in person?"

Riddle didn't answer right away: "It's been a long time since I've been called 'Tom'."

"I know what they call you, it's all in the papers," said Dumbledore cheerfully, "but to me you will always be Tom Riddle, and that's one of the most annoying things about being a teacher I'm afraid. They never completely forget who the students were."

Riddle chuckled: "I'm surprised that a wizard like you would stay here. You have been nominated as Minister of Magic twice—"

The smile on Dumbledore's face did not change: "You know, the position of the Ministry of Magic is not attractive to me, nor to you. This is what we have in common."

Riddle, or rather Voldemort, looked at him silently with probing eyes.Perhaps he often used this method to put pressure on his opponents, but he was facing Dumbledore, an opponent he could never defeat in his life.

"I've heard a lot about you," said Dumbledore. "There are many positive things, but there are also some other rumors. If half of those rumors are true, I will be very sorry, Tom. The girl's death will be lost. value."

A red light flashed in Riddle's eyes, and he was offended by these words: "Why do you make such an evaluation, Dumbledore?"

"It's your change." Dumbledore said calmly, "When you walked with that girl, I think you understood..."

"Old rhetoric." Riddle interrupted him, his voice becoming colder and sharper.Now, he threw away the shell of a politician and revealed what was hidden underneath, "You want to say, that girl taught me to love? Maybe, but I still don't think that the love you talk about is better than my love. Magic is stronger."

"Maybe you forgot." Dumbledore reminded, "You forgot what that girl's death brought you. I thought you could understand that there are too many things in this world that are more important than power."

"I'm not saddened by the death of that stupid girl." Riddle stood up suddenly, his face full of anger. "I didn't even give her a tear. It's all just your imagination, Dumbledore. Your so-called love, There's nothing particularly powerful about it."

"She's at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore suddenly. "In the library, or in the Forbidden Forest. I think she's been waiting for you."

"Oh, you know I'm very busy and don't have time to meet a ghost," Riddle said, and quickly, he resumed his false face.He turned around.

"Tom," said Dumbledore, with deep sorrow on his face, "I hope you understand... I hope you understand from the girl's departure..."

Riddle didn't look back.He walked straight out of the office.

Nora withdrew from the memory and returned to Dumbledore. She was very confused: "I don't understand, professor, this memory shows that I am not important to him."

"Look carefully, Nora," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Did you see the look on his face when I mentioned you?"

"Anger," Nora thought back.

"Yes, he was very angry and I used you to convince him," said Dumbledore. "I think, in his mind, you will always be on his side."

"I wouldn't," said Nora.

"But you're dead, so you belong entirely to him," said Dumbledore. "I suppose, therefore, that he would not like to see your ghost. On the one hand, he would not like to admit that you were dead, just as he would admit that He's ashamed of the things he can't help. On the other hand, he knows that even though the ghost isn't really you, he won't agree with him. So Nora Gray lives in him."

"Your point of view sounds a little scary, Headmaster." Nora shuddered.

"It's just that the expression doesn't sound very good." Dumbledore said happily, "You are still very important to him. After that accident, he began to study some very advanced magic. Bringing the dead back to life, summoning souls, reversing time and space..."

Nora caught the word, thoughtfully.

"May I ask you a question, Headmaster Dumbledore?"

"of course."

"Has anything...someone you cherished died?"

Dumbledore was silent for a long time, so long that Nora thought he would not answer the question.

"Yes," he said softly, "I'm still guilty of that. And I thought Tom would feel what I feel."

After leaving Dumbledore's office, Nora walked unknowingly to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.In her pocket was a photograph of Harry catching the Snitch, which Dumbledore had given her.She didn't quite understand the old headmaster's intentions, but he was never wrong.

It was the setting sun at this time, and the sky was dark red.

She had seen this scene, hundreds of times.She was waiting for someone, in order to tell him a word.

A word that would make her willing to wait 50 years alone.

"Where are you a student from? Don't go near there!" A huge figure walked towards her.

"Are you... Hagrid?" Nora recognized the bushy half-giant.

"Are you..." Hagrid looked at her suspiciously, and then called out happily, "Are you Nora Gray?"

Then Norah sat in Hagrid's cabin, drinking tea and eating his homemade biscuits.

"In the first year, if you hadn't covered me for me, they would have found Alagora long ago," said Hagrid, "but I haven't had time to say thank you to you...I'm so happy to know you're still alive ’” There were tears in his eyes.

This giant half-breed has a kinder heart than many humans.He was not at all intimidated by the fact that the person in front of him had died once.

With a flick of his wand, Nora's teacup was filled again.

"I graduated from Hogwarts, but nowhere else would give me a job. Only Dumbledore... he made me the keeper of the keys. Later he even hired me as a professor of protection of magical creatures... ...it was the best thing I could think of in my life."

"Sounds like you're doing fine," Nora said.

"Yes." Hagrid wiped away his tears, "but since... You-Know-Who appeared. You don't know what he did, Nora, he... he killed a lot of people, very good people. Although He was your friend, and I must say, anyone who considers him a friend is my enemy."

"I've heard what he's been up to," Nora said. "It's all gone. He's not the man I knew anymore."

Hagrid remembered something, rummaged around the room, and finally came up with a bag.

"This is for you, donkey's skin, and only you can open it," said Hagrid. "Dumbledore said it would be a nice present."

"Dumbledore said?" Nora took the bag, "Thank you so much, this is exactly what I need."

They talked a lot again.But Hagrid obviously knew no more than Nora.

Before leaving, Nora once again expressed her gratitude to Hagrid.

"It's nice to be able to talk to old friends like this," Nora said. "You know, it's hard to get used to jumping over 50 years at once."

It was late when she came out of the hut.The night sky at Hogwarts was pitch black.An invisible shield protects the school, but the dangers are still slowly approaching.

Hagrid had no idea how much she appreciated him.

He graduated from Hogwarts in good order, wand intact, as a professor.It might not seem like there was a difference, but Nora knew where the difference was.

It's nice that everything she does counts, Merlin.