HP Wendy's crossing running account

(Due to copyright requirements, the original excerpt is placed in the author's words)

The author has something to say:

As far as the plot allows, I still want to stay as close to the original text as possible.A few points are as follows

1. The name of the orphanage does not appear in the original text, so I used one of many guesses: Wall Orphanage in South Lambeth, London (the prototype shot in the movie).

2. Mrs. Cole is not the only staff member of the orphanage. Although it seems that the word "Nurse" appears in many articles, most of them are girls from the original text.The staff members appearing in the article are: first, the unknown girl who opened the door ("a scruffy girl in an apron", "said with a puzzled face, while eyeing Dumbledore's strange dress with piercing eyes. outfit"); second, "another helper in an apron"; third, Martha, who was tending to a sick child (in Mrs. Cole's words "take the iodine upstairs to Martha, Billy S Tubbs scratched his scabs, and Eric Walley's blood stained the sheets—bad luck with chickenpox").

3. The image of Mrs. Cole: "A thin, tired-looking woman walked towards them quickly. Her face was well-defined, and she looked more anxious than vicious." Dumbledore's evaluation "Cole Mrs. Hall is a very shrewd, somewhat headache-inducing woman."And she managed very aggressively, not tending the sheep, "walking loudly ordering and berating her helpers and children," but the children "were all dressed in gray tunics. They all looked reasonably well cared for. take care of".

Regarding the issue of gin, many fans think she is an alcoholic who drinks all day.Well, I don't think it's very accurate.First of all, the gin in the article was conjured by Dumbledore. ("Her eyes fell on a bottle of gin and two glasses, which must not have been there a few seconds ago.") But she clearly loves to drink.

("Well—may I buy you a gin?" she said in a particularly suave voice. Mrs. Cole was obviously no newbie at gin. She poured two glasses Filling it up, she drank her own glass in one gulp. She smacked her lips unabashedly, and smiled at Dumbledore for the first time.)

Then they talked and drank, but Mrs. Cole was a good drinker, and the wine was not bad. "Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were steady." said Mrs Cole, hiccuping lightly. She stood up, Harry was surprised, even though the bottle of gin was two-thirds gone. , her legs are still steady."

Mrs Cole's age is speculated to be 27-31.Because when Tom's mother gave birth, "I remember that incident clearly, because I just came here to work at that time", "That girl was not much older than me at the time", that is to say, she was younger than Tom's mother. small.Merope eloped at the age of 18, became pregnant a year later, and gave birth to a child at the age of 20 a year later.Suppose Mrs. Cole started working at the age of 20, and she is only 30 at this time.And she couldn't be a supervisor right away, so she became a supervisor at least when Tom was 6 or 7 years old, or even 9 or 10 years old.

4. Orphanage environment: clean but dilapidated.Overall it's not as bad as most people think (I was surprised when I re-read it myself).

The first scene - the foyer. "Dumbledore entered a hall with black and white tiles. The whole room looked shabby, but it was neat and spotless."

Second scene - Mrs. Cole's office. "A small room that seemed to be part parlour, part office. It was as shabby as the hall, and the furniture was old and ill-fitting. She offered Dumbledore a rickety chair and she sat herself in it." Behind a messy desk..."

The third scene - Tom's bedroom. "It's an empty, unadorned hut, just an old wardrobe and an iron bed. A boy is sitting on a gray blanket..." "...the wardrobe door slammed open. Clothes rail There were a few shabby clothes hanging and a small cardboard box on the top shelf..."

5. It is very likely that Nagini has not yet appeared.Almost all the texts believe that Nagini accompanied Voldemort from the orphanage period, but it seems that the original text did not mention it.I personally tend to think that Nagini met in the XXX forest after Lao V was beaten into the air by Harry.Because Xiao V said here that Parseltongue is only "I can talk to snakes. I discovered it when we went hiking in the countryside-they found me and whispered to me." In this context of showing off, if Nagini It has already appeared, and Xiao V is likely to mention it.

6. Dumbledore was wary of Riddle's statement because of Parseltongue, um, huh, huh.Or the original words of the headmaster, "There is also a Parseltongue among great and good wizards. In fact, his ability to talk to snakes does not make me feel very disturbed. and a domineering nature.”

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Excerpt from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince chapter "The Mysterious Riddle"

Harry felt a little annoyed at this.Since their class is so important, why is there such a long gap between the first class and the second class?However, he didn't say anything more about Draco Malfoy, but watched as Dumbledore poured those new memories into the Pensieve, and then gently turned the stone basin with his slender hands.

"Regarding Voldemort's early life, I think you will remember that we last spoke of the handsome Muggle - Tom Riddle abandoned his witch wife Merope and returned to his village in Little Hangleton Merope was alone in London with the child who would become Voldemort."

"How do you know she's in London, sir?"

"Because of the evidence provided by Caractacus Burke," said Dumbledore, "it is a coincidence that the store he helped to open was the one that sold the necklace we are talking about."

He shook the contents of the Pensieve like a prospector sifting gold, Harry had seen him do it before.Among those whirling silver-white objects loomed the figure of a little old man, whirling slowly in the pensieve, pale as a ghost, but more textured than a ghost, his hair so thick that it completely obscured his eyes Living.

"Yes, we got it on special occasion. It was brought by a young witch just before Christmas, and it was many years ago. She said she needed money urgently, yeah Well, that's obvious. She's ragged and haggard...and pregnant. She says that locket used to belong to Slytherin. Well, we hear that shit all the time: 'Oh, it's Merlin It was, really, his favorite teapot.' But I took a closer look, and there was a Slytherin mark on the locket, and a few simple spells made it clear. Of course, That thing is simply priceless. The woman didn't seem to know how valuable it was, and she was satisfied after only selling it for ten Galleons. It was the best deal we've ever done!"

Dumbledore shook the Pensieve extra vigorously, and Caractacus was back where he had just appeared, sinking into a swirling memory.

"He only gave her ten Galleons?" Harry said indignantly.

"Calactacus Burke was not a generous man," said Dumbledore, "so we know that Merope, alone in London in the late stages of pregnancy, desperate for money, had to sell The only valuable thing on her body, the locket, is also a family heirloom that Marvolo cherishes very much."

"But she can do magic!" said Harry impatiently. "She can magic herself food and everything, can't she?"

"Well," said Dumbledore, "maybe she could. But I think—I'm guessing again, but I believe I'm right—I think Merope stopped using the Magic. She probably doesn't want to be a witch anymore. Of course, there is another possibility that her unrequited love and the resulting despair have greatly weakened her power. That kind of thing will happen .Anyway, as you'll see in a moment, Merope wouldn't even raise his wand to save his own life."

"Would she even want to live for her son?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Could it be that you have developed sympathy for Voldemort?"

"No," said Harry hastily, "but Merope has a choice, can't he, unlike my mother—"

"Your mother has a choice too," said Dumbledore gently. "Yes, Merope Riddle chose death, despite having a son who needed her, but don't blame her, Harry. Long-term The pain has made her very fragile, and she has never had your mother's courage. Now, please stand up..."

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, as Dumbledore came to join him at the table.

"This time," said Dumbledore, "we're going into my memory. I think you'll find it not only vivid in detail, but accurate. You go first, Harry..."

Harry bent over the Pensieve, his face plunged into the cold memory inside, and he fell again in the darkness... Seconds later, his feet hit solid ground, and he opened his eyes, He was found standing with Dumbledore on a busy old-fashioned London street.

"That's me," said Dumbledore cheerfully, pointing to a tall figure ahead, who was crossing the road in front of a horse-drawn milk cart.

This young Albus Dumbledore has auburn hair and a long beard.He came to the side of the road and strode forward along the sidewalk. His elegant fuchsia velvet suit attracted many curious eyes.

"Nice dress, sir," Harry blurted out without thinking, and Dumbledore just smiled softly.They followed young Dumbledore at a short distance, and finally passed through a large iron gate and entered a bare courtyard.

Behind the courtyard is a boxy, gloomy and old-fashioned building surrounded by high railings.He went up the few steps to the front door and knocked.A moment later a scruffy girl in an apron opened the door.

"Good afternoon, I have an appointment with a Mrs. Cole, I think, she is the steward here?"

"Oh," said the girl with a perplexed look, her eyes piercingly appreciating Dumbledore's eccentric outfit, "uh... wait... Mrs Cole!" she cried, turning her head.

Harry heard a distant voice shouting in answer to her.The girl turned to Dumbledore again.

"Come in, she'll be here soon."

Dumbledore entered a hall with black and white tiles.The whole room looked run down, but it was very clean and spotless.Harry and old Dumbledore followed.Before the door closed behind them, a thin, tired-looking woman walked towards them quickly.Her face was chiseled and looked more anxious than menacing.As she walked towards Dumbledore, she turned to order another helper in an apron.

"...bring the iodine upstairs to Martha, Billy Stubbs scratched his scabs, Eric Walley's blood stained the sheets--too bad luck Chickenpox!" She seemed to speak into the air as her eyes fell on Dumbledore.She stopped abruptly, astonished, as if seeing a giraffe crossing her threshold.

"Good afternoon," said Dumbledore, holding out his hand.

Mrs. Cole stared at him dumbfounded.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I wrote you a letter asking you to meet me, and you kindly invited me to come today."

Mrs. Cole blinked.She seemed to decide that Dumbledore was not her hallucination, and she pulled herself together and said, "Oh, yes. Well—well—you'd better come to my room. Yes."

She led Dumbledore into a small room that seemed to be half living room and half office.It was as shabby as the hall, with old and ill-fitting furniture.She seated Dumbledore in a rickety chair while she sat behind a cluttered desk and eyed him nervously.

"I have already told you in the letter that I am here to discuss Tom Riddle with you and arrange a future for him," said Dumbledore.

"Are you his relative?" asked Mrs. Cole.

"No, I am a teacher," said Dumbledore, "I have come to ask Tom to study at our school."

"Then what kind of school is this?"

"The name of the school is Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.

"Why are you interested in Tom?"

"We think he has some of the qualities we're looking for."

"You mean he won a scholarship? How? He never applied."

"Oh, we put his name on the school record as soon as he was born—"

"Who registered him? His parents?"

There is no doubt that Mrs. Cole is a very shrewd and somewhat troublesome woman.Dumbledore apparently thought so too, and Harry saw him draw his wand from the pocket of his velvet suit, and at the same time pick up a completely blank sheet of paper from Mrs Cole's desk.

"Here," said Dumbledore, handing her the piece of paper, waving his wand, "I think it will all be clear if you take a look at this."

Mrs. Cole's eyes wandered for a moment, and then she focused again. She looked at the blank paper carefully for a while.

"It seems to be perfectly in order," she said quietly, returning the paper to Dumbledore.Then her eyes fell on a bottle of gin and two glasses, which had certainly not been there a few seconds before.

"Well—may I buy you a gin?" she said in a particularly urbane voice.

"Thank you very much." Dumbledore said with a smile.

It was evident that Mrs Cole was no stranger to gin.She filled their glasses to the brim, and drank her own in one gulp.She smacked her lips undisguisedly and smiled at Dumbledore for the first time, who immediately struck while the iron was hot.

"I wonder if you can tell me about Tom Riddle's life experience? He seems to have been born in this orphanage?"

"That's right," said Mrs. Cole, pouring herself some more gin. "I remember that very well, because I had just come here to work. It was New Year's Eve, and it was snowing outside, and it was cold. Fucking hell. One night in bad weather. The girl, not much older than I was, staggered up the front steps. Well, we've been through a lot of that kind of thing. We got her in and we didn't Within an hour she gave birth. Within an hour, she died."

Mrs. Cole nodded meaningfully and took another swig of her gin.

"Did she say anything before she died?" asked Dumbledore, "about the boy's father, for instance?"

"Yes, she did." Mrs. Cole, gin in hand, was evidently intrigued by an eager audience.

"I remember her saying to me: 'I want him to look like his daddy.' She was right to be honest, because she wasn't much of a looker herself—and then she told me that the kid would do whatever he wanted. Father's name was Tom, and her middle name was Marvolo after her own father's—yes, I know, that's a weird name, isn't it? We wondered if she was from a circus—and she said the boy's The last name was Riddle. Then she said nothing more, and died soon after.

"Afterwards we named the baby as she said, and the poor girl seemed to take it very seriously, but no Tom, Marvolo, or Riddles ever came to him, nor did he No relatives, so he stayed in the orphanage, to this day."

Mrs Cole poured herself another full glass of gin almost absently.There were two blobs of red on her cheekbones.Then she said: "He's a queer kid."

"Yes," said Dumbledore, "I guessed that too."

"He was weird as a baby and almost never cried. Then, as he got older, he became... weird."

"Weird, which aspect is weird?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"Well, he—"

Mrs Cole stopped abruptly, casting a questioning look at Dumbledore over her gin glass that wasn't in the least dazed or confused.

"Surely he can go to your school, can't he?"

"Sure," said Dumbledore.

"No matter what I say, won't that change that?"

"No," said Dumbledore.

"You're going to take him anyway?"

"Anyway," Dumbledore repeated gravely.

Mrs. Cole squinted at him, as if deciding whether to trust him or not.At last she evidently thought he could be trusted, and suddenly blurted out: "He scares the other kids."

"You mean he likes to bully people?" asked Dumbledore.

"I suppose so," said Mrs. Cole, frowning slightly, "but it's hard to catch him in the act. There's been some accident... some nasty things..."

Dumbledore didn't rush her, but Harry could tell he was interested.Mrs. Cole took another swig of her gin, and the flush deepened on her cheeks.

"Billy Stubbs' rabbit . . . yeah, Tom says he didn't do it, and I don't think he could have done it, but then the rabbit didn't hang itself from the beam, did it? "

"Yeah, I don't think so either," said Dumbledore softly.

"But I can't for the life of me figure out how he got up there to do it. All I know is that he and Billy had a fight the day before. And then—" Mrs. Cole took another swig. Gin, this time spilling some down my chin, "Going out in the summer—you know, once a year. We take them to the countryside or the seaside—and since then, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop It just never seemed right, and when we asked, they just said they went into a cave with Tom Riddle. Tom swore they were on an expedition, but something must have happened in there. I'm sure. Besides There are many, many things that are strange..."

She looked at Dumbledore again, and although her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were calm.

"I think a lot of people will clap their hands to see him get out of here."

"I'm sure you understand that we won't keep him at school forever," said Dumbledore, "at least he will be back here every summer."

"Oh, no problem, that's better than being sniffed with a rusty poker," said Mrs. Cole, belching softly.She got to her feet, and Harry was amazed that, even though the gin in the bottle was two-thirds gone, she was still on her feet. "I suppose you'd love to see him?"

"I really want to." Dumbledore said and stood up.

Mrs. Cole led him out of the office and up the stone stairs, shouting and reprimanding her helpers and children as she went.Harry saw that the orphans were all dressed in gray tunics.They all looked reasonably well cared for, but there was no doubt that growing up in this place was very gloomy and depressing.

"Here we are," said Mrs. Cole, and they turned a corner on the third-floor landing and stopped at the door of the first room in a long corridor.She knocked on the door twice and walked in.

"Tom? Someone's coming to see you. This is Mr. Dumbleton—I'm sorry, it's Mr. Dumbledore. He's coming to tell you—well, let him tell you himself."

Harry entered the room with the two Dumbledores, and Mrs Cole closed the door behind them.It was an empty, undecorated hut, save for an old wardrobe and an iron bed.A boy is sitting on a gray blanket with his long legs stretched out in front of him, reading a book in his hand.

There was nothing of the Gaunt family in Tom Riddle's face.Merope's last words came true: he was literally a smaller version of his handsome father.He was tall for an 11-year-old, with dark hair and a pale complexion.He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Dumbledore's strange appearance and attire.For a moment no one spoke.

"Hello, Tom." Dumbledore said, stepped forward and held out his hand.

The boy hesitated, then reached out and shook his hand.Dumbledore pulled a hard wooden chair beside Riddle so that they both looked like a hospital patient and a visitor.

"I'm Professor Dumbledore."

"'Professor'?" Riddle repeated, looking alert. "Is it like a 'doctor'? What are you doing here? Did she ask you to check me up?"

He pointed to the door that Mrs. Cole had just left.

"No, it's not," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"I don't believe you," said Riddle. "She wants someone to come and see me, doesn't she? Tell the truth!"

He said the last three words fiercely and loudly, with a terrifying aura.This is an order, and it seems that he has given this order many times before.His eyes widened suddenly, and he stared hard at Dumbledore, who made no answer, but continued to smile kindly.After a few seconds, Riddle's eyes relaxed, but he seemed more alert.

"who are you?"

"I've told you. I'm Professor Dumbledore, and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I've come to invite you to my school—your new school, if you like .”

After hearing this, Riddle's reaction was greatly unexpected.He jumped out of bed and backed away from Dumbledore, looking extremely annoyed.

"You can't fool me! You're from the madhouse, aren't you? 'Professor,' huh, yes—I'm not going, you know? That damned old hag should go to the madhouse." .I don't think anything of Amy Benson Jr. or Dennis Bishop, you can ask them yourself and they'll tell you!"

"I'm not from the madhouse," said Dumbledore patiently. "I'm a teacher, and if you'll sit down calmly, I'll tell you about Hogwarts. Of course, if you don't want to Go to that school, and no one will force you—"

"I'd like to see who dares!" Riddle said contemptuously.

"Hogwarts," continued Dumbledore, seeming not to have heard Riddle's last words, "is a school for people of exceptional ability—"

"I'm not crazy!"

"I know you're not crazy. Hogwarts is not a school for madmen, it's a school for wizardry."

silence.Riddle froze, his face expressionless, but his eyes scanned Dumbledore's eyes rapidly in turn, as if trying to see in one of them that he was lying.

"Magic?" he repeated softly.

"Fine," said Dumbledore.

"My abilities are... are they magic?"

"What skills do you have?"

"All sorts of things," Riddle said in a low voice, a flush of excitement spreading from his neck to his sunken cheeks.He looked very excited. "I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I tell them without training them. I can make bad luck for whoever makes me angry. I can make them hurt if they want to."

His legs were shaking.He stumbled forward, sat on the bed again, lowered his head, stared at his hands, as if praying.

"I've known I'm different," he said into his trembling hands. "I've known I'm special. I've known there's something here."

"Yes, your idea is not wrong." Dumbledore said, he restrained his smile, and looked at Riddle intently, "You are a wizard."

Riddle looked up.His face changed suddenly: there was a kind of wild joy.But somehow, instead of making him look better, his delicate features suddenly became rough, and his expression was almost beastly.

"Are you a wizard too?"

"Yes."

"Prove it to me." Riddle said immediately, his tone as domineering as the "tell the truth" just now.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"If, as I understand it, you agree to go to Hogwarts—"

"Of course I agree!"

"Then you're going to call me 'Professor' or 'Sir.'"

Riddle's expression froze for a moment, and then he said suddenly in a tone of very different civility: "I'm sorry, sir. I mean—professor, can you show me—?"

Harry thought that Dumbledore would definitely refuse, he thought that Dumbledore would tell Riddle that there would be plenty of time to demonstrate in Hogwarts later, and that they were in a building full of Muggles and had to be cautious engage in.However, to his great surprise, Dumbledore took out his wand from the inner pocket of his suit jacket, pointed at the dilapidated wardrobe in the corner, and waved it carelessly.

The closet immediately caught fire.

Riddle jumped to his feet.Harry couldn't blame him for the yells of horror and rage, all his belongings were presumably in that wardrobe.However, just as Riddle was about to question Dumbledore, the flame suddenly disappeared and the wardrobe was intact.

Riddle looked at the wardrobe, then at Dumbledore, and then, pointing at the wand, his expression became greedy.

"Where can I get one?"

"It will be then," said Dumbledore. "There seems to be something trying to get out of your wardrobe."

Sure enough, there was a faint clicking sound from the closet.For the first time, Riddle showed a look of panic.

"Open the door," said Dumbledore.

Riddle hesitated, then walked over and slammed the closet door open.A few worn out clothes on a clothes rail, and on the top shelf above, a small cardboard box rattling and rattling with what appeared to be some crazy rats inside .

"Bring it out," said Dumbledore.

Riddle unloaded the wobbly box.He looked overwhelmed.

"Is there something in that chest that you shouldn't have?" Dumbledore asked.

Riddle gave Dumbledore a deep, clear, deliberate look.

"Yes, I think so, sir," he said at last in a dry voice.

"Open it," said Dumbledore.

Riddle opened the lid and dumped the contents on his bed without looking.Harry had expected something more exciting inside, but instead saw a bunch of mundane gadgets, including a floating reel, a silver thimble, and a tarnished harmonica.They stopped trembling as soon as they left the box, and lay obediently on the thin blanket, motionless.

"You will return these things to their owners and apologize to them," said Dumbledore calmly, slipping his wand into his coat pocket. "I will know if you did. I also warn you: Stealing will not be tolerated at Hogwarts."

There was no trace of shame on Riddle's face.He was still staring at Dumbledore coldly, as if weighing him.At last he said in a dry voice, "Got it, sir."

"At Hogwarts," continued Dumbledore, "we teach you not only to use magic, but also to control it. You used your magic in that way, unintentionally, I believe, but we The school will never teach and will never tolerate. You are not the first and will not be the last to let your magic get out of control. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic — yes, there is a Ministry of Magic — which punishes lawbreakers in a harsher way. Every new wizard must accept that, once in our world, he must obey our laws."

"Understood, sir." Riddle said again.

It's hard to know what's going on in his head.His face was still expressionless as he put the small pile of stolen goods back into the cardboard box.After tidying up, he turned around and said to Dumbledore unceremoniously, "I have no money."

"That's easy to solve." Dumbledore said, taking a leather purse out of his pocket, "Hogwarts has a fund for those who need funding to buy textbooks and school robes. Some of your Magic books can only be bought second-hand, but—”

"Where can I buy magic books?" Riddle interrupted Dumbledore, took the money bag without thanking him, and was carefully examining a thick gold Galleon.

"In Diagon Alley," said Dumbledore. "I've brought your bibliography and school supplies list. I can help you get your things together—"

"You want to accompany me?" Riddle asked, raising his head.

"Of course, if you—"

"I don't need you," said Riddle. "I'm used to doing things by myself. I'm always running around London by myself. So how do I get to this Diagon Alley, sir?" He came across Dumbledore. With his gaze, he added the last two words.

Harry thought that Dumbledore would stick with Riddle, but once again things were beyond his expectations.Dumbledore handed Riddle the envelope containing the shopping list, and told Riddle the specific route from the orphanage to the Leaky Cauldron, and then said: "You can definitely see it, although the Muggles around you-- Just people who don't have magic--can't see. Ask Tom the barman--easy to remember, with your name--"

Riddle twitched in exasperation, as if trying to dislodge an annoying fly.

"You don't like the name 'Tom'?"

"Too many 'Tom's," muttered Riddle.Then he seemed to be stuck in the throat, and he seemed to blurt out: "Is my father a wizard? They told me he was also called Tom Riddle."

"I'm sorry, I don't know," said Dumbledore, his voice soft.

"My mother can't be magical, or she wouldn't die." Riddle didn't speak to Dumbledore, but more to himself, "It must be my father. Then—I'll buy everything." After that—when are we going to this Hogwarts school?"

"All the details are on the second parchment inside the envelope," said Dumbledore. "You depart from King's Cross on September [-]st. There is also a train ticket in the envelope."

Riddle nodded.Dumbledore stood up and held out his hand again.Shaking hands, Riddle said, "I can talk to snakes. I found out when we were hiking in the countryside - they found me and whispered to me. Is this normal for a wizard?"

Harry could see that he had deliberately delayed mentioning this strangest of feats until the last moment, in order to silence Dumbledore.

"Rare," said Dumbledore after a moment's hesitation, "but not unheard of."

His tone was casual, but his eyes scanned Riddle's face curiously.The two stood for a moment, man and boy, staring at each other.Then the two let go, and Dumbledore walked to the door.

"Goodbye, Tom. I'll see you at Hogwarts."

"I think it's about the same," said the white-haired Dumbledore next to Harry.A few seconds later, they flew lightly through the darkness again, and landed steadily in the real office.

"Sit down," said Dumbledore, falling next to Harry.

Harry sat down, still thinking about what he had just seen.

"He believed it much quicker than I did—I mean, when you told him he was a wizard," said Harry. "I didn't believe it when Hagrid first told me."

"Yes, Riddle would have liked to believe that he was - in his own words - 'different'," said Dumbledore.

"That's when—you knew?" Harry asked.

"I knew that the man I just saw was the most dangerous Dark Arts wizard who ever lived?" said Dumbledore. "No, I had no idea he would become what he is now. I am, however, interested in him. When I got back to Hogwarts I planned to keep a close eye on him, which I should have done because he was alone and had no friends, but I felt at the time that I was doing it not only for him, but for others as well.

"As you heard just now, for such a young wizard, his abilities are surprisingly well-developed and mature - and the most interesting, and most ominous of all - he has discovered that he can control these things to some extent. powers, and began to use them consciously. As you can see, he was not experimenting haphazardly, like the typical young wizard. He was already using magic against people, using magic to intimidate, punish, and control people. Then The story of the rabbit that was hanged, and the two children he tricked into the cave, a boy and a girl, speaks volumes... I can hurt them if I want to..."

"He's still a Parseltongue," interrupted Harry.

"Yeah, a rare ability that is said to have something to do with the Dark Arts, but we know that there are Parseltongues among great and good wizards. The fact that he can talk to snakes doesn't really bother me much. What worries me is the obvious