Fifty Years Ago
"Yeah, you're dead. Better stay away from us so you don't drag us down with you," Percy said immediately after hearing Harry's story about his sudden streak of good luck and how he'd uncovered three important clues from the objects he had.
And he said it with complete calm while taking another bite of the sandwich the house-elves had prepared for him. Sitting beside him was Tyson, who wasn't even paying attention to their conversation, far too busy devouring an entire cream pie by himself while several elves ran around the kitchen preparing more food for the big guy.
"That's not funny," Harry said with a serious look as he sat down beside his brother.
Percy smiled slightly.
"You worry too much, Harry. It's not like we can't have moments of good luck. I mean, remember kindergarten when we found twenty pounds in that alley and got to buy a bunch of candy, even though Mom yelled at us afterward?" he said calmly.
"Yeah, but I also remember that some homeless guy chased us afterward, and we noticed he only had one eye, so obviously he was a Cyclops trying to eat us," Harry said dryly.
At the word Cyclops, Tyson turned toward them, his face covered in cream.
"Not you, Tyson. Just keep eating," Harry said immediately.
Tyson didn't need to be told twice.
"Well... that's because you only focus on the bad parts," Percy said confidently, completely relaxed.
But to Harry, that only proved that having a sudden streak of good luck wasn't good at all. Still, he had no choice but to accept the good luck and endure whatever backlash came afterward.
So he simply pulled out Riddle's diary and placed it on the table. He opened it again to the page where Riddle's words had been before, although they seemed to have disappeared once again.
Harry took out a quill and an inkwell he'd prepared and started writing in Riddle's diary again.
Percy simply watched him do it, peeking slightly over his shoulder, but quickly went back to his sandwich without a care. Once Harry figured out what the diary wanted, he'd listen to him. There was no reason to go through the trouble of reading it with him.
After all, Percy was more the type to learn through pictures than words, not just because of his dyslexia, but simply because he was lazy. Harry was the brains and he was the muscle, or at least that was how Percy saw it.
But while he was paying more attention to his dumb thoughts and his sandwich, a strange light appeared beside him.
Percy turned his head.
It was coming from Harry.
Or, more precisely, from the diary he was holding in his hands.
The moment Percy turned toward the diary, the light suddenly grew brighter until it surrounded both of them, forcing them to cover their eyes.
Before they could understand what was happening, both felt their bodies leave their seats and get sucked into the pages through swirls and shadows. But almost immediately, they felt solid ground beneath their feet in the darkness, which didn't last long as the blurry shapes surrounding them quickly became clear.
Both of them stood completely still, only moving their eyes as they looked around.
The place seemed familiar the moment they saw it, especially because of the portraits of the former headmasters sleeping on the walls.
It was Dumbledore's office.
But another man was sitting in Dumbledore's chair, carefully reading something with a frown.
"Idiot, where did you bring us?" Percy muttered, elbowing his brother. "Sorry, sir, we didn't mean to bother you," Percy quickly said to the man.
But the man only frowned harder and didn't even look up at them.
Percy stared at him and thought that maybe he hadn't heard him, so he moved closer to one side and raised his voice, thinking that maybe his old age had made him a little deaf.
"SORRY FOR BOTHERING YOU!" Percy shouted at him.
"Stop yelling, idiot. He's not real," Harry said, having been carefully inspecting their surroundings with a serious expression.
"What?" Percy asked, confused.
Just then, the seated man folded the letter in half and rose from his chair, walking straight through Percy as if he were a hologram.
Percy touched his own body in confusion and then looked at the man, who was now staring out the window at the reddish sunset while letting out a sigh.
Meanwhile, Harry was noticing that Fawkes's perch wasn't there, nor were any of the strange instruments he'd seen the last time he'd been in Dumbledore's office.
"This must be a memory from fifty years ago. A moment ago, when I asked Riddle's diary if he could tell me anything about the Chamber of Secrets and the heir, he said he'd show me," Harry explained calmly.
"And he must've been the headmaster back then," Harry added, pointing toward the man again, who had returned to his seat and still couldn't notice either of them.
Or rather, they didn't exist in that time, in those memories.
"Oh, that's pretty cool," Percy said as he waved his hand in front of the former headmaster's face.
At that moment, there was a soft knock on the door.
So the old headmaster opened his mouth.
"Come in," he said weakly.
A boy around sixteen years old entered, removing his pointed hat. A silver prefect badge gleamed on his chest, and he was quite handsome, with jet-black hair and a presence that could probably attract any girl without much trouble.
"Oh, Riddle," the headmaster said when he saw the boy.
"You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet?" the student asked, looking flustered.
"Sit down," Dippet said, gently gesturing toward the chair in front of him. "I've just read the letter you sent me," he explained.
"Ah," Riddle said, looking somewhat nervous as he sat down and clasped his hands tightly together.
"Boy," Dippet said softly, with a hint of guilt in his voice. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to stay at the school over the summer as you requested, so you'll have to return home."
"No," Riddle said immediately, his face seeming to fill with distress. "I don't want to go back," he said, almost as if he were begging.
Seeing Riddle's expression, Dippet couldn't help but show some sympathy.
"Your home is a Muggle orphanage, correct?" Dippet asked.
"Yes, sir. My father was a Muggle, but my mother was a witch. According to the orphanage, she lived just long enough to give me my father's name, Tom, and my grandfather's, Marvolo," Riddle explained directly.
Dippet clicked his tongue sympathetically.
"The thing is, Tom, I might have been able to make an exception for you, but... given the current circumstances..."
"You mean the attacks, sir?" Tom interrupted.
At those words, Harry and Percy, who had been silently listening to their conversation, moved a little closer so they wouldn't miss anything that was said. Although Percy was staring at Tom with narrowed eyes.
"You have to understand that it would be irresponsible of me, as headmaster, to let you stay here after the term ends, after everything that's happened in the castle. The death of that poor student, Myrtle Warren... You would be much safer at the orphanage, even if you don't like it. In fact, the Minister for Magic is considering closing the school altogether," the headmaster explained seriously. "At this point, we don't believe we'll be able to discover the cause of these terrible events."
Tom's eyes widened.
"Sir, if that person were caught, would everything end?" Tom asked softly.
"What do you mean?" the headmaster asked, sitting straighter in his chair and staring at him. "Riddle, is there something you know that you'd like to share?" he asked immediately.
"No, sir," Riddle answered promptly.
But that "no" sounded a lot like the same kind of "no" Harry had given Dumbledore.
Dippet stared at Riddle for a few seconds before sinking back into his chair, obviously disappointed.
"You may go, Tom."
Tom nodded and left the room with heavy steps. Harry nudged Percy and the two immediately hurried after him, following his path.
As they moved forward, they could see everything they left behind slowly disappearing into mist and darkness.
Meanwhile, Riddle looked thoughtful, his frown growing deeper and deeper, as if he were hesitating over something. But that hesitation didn't seem to last very long. Suddenly, Tom made up his mind and began walking quickly in a specific direction.
And that direction seemed to lead straight toward the dungeons.
But, to Harry and Percy's disappointment, he wasn't taking them toward some hidden passage or secret tunnel, but straight to the same dungeon where Snape taught their classes.
Riddle waited a few seconds outside the door as he pulled out his wand and listened carefully. After a few moments, a voice came from inside.
"Come on, I'll get you out of here right now," said the voice, one that sounded very familiar to both Harry and Percy.
But the moment Tom heard it, he immediately opened the door with a dull thud.
Then both of them saw the silhouette of a boy almost as tall as a giant inside the dungeon, crouched in front of a large box.
"There you are, Hagrid," Tom said as the enormous boy slammed the box shut with a start after being discovered.
Harry and Percy looked at each other and then back at the huge boy inside the dungeon in surprise after hearing his name.
"I have to turn you in, Hagrid. I know you probably never meant for anyone to die, but a student is dead, and you can't keep hiding a creature like that inside the castle," Tom said as he slowly raised his wand. "Her parents are coming tomorrow to collect the body. This has to end."
"It wasn't him. Aragog wouldn't hurt anyone," Hagrid said quickly as he stepped in front of Tom, shielding the box with his body.
"I'm sorry, Hagrid," Tom said before flicking his wand and firing a spell at the lid of the box, which flew open.
And he was ready to cast another spell at the creature inside, but it, realizing the danger, leaped straight at Tom.
It was hairy, had many legs, and was almost as large as a dog. The creature slammed directly into Tom and knocked him to the floor before scurrying toward the open door.
Tom quickly recovered his wand and turned toward the door, ready to fire a spell at the fleeing creature.
But Hagrid threw himself at him before he could.
The two struggled over the wand for several seconds until Tom managed to free his arm.
"Get off me!"
A spell struck Hagrid in the chest and sent him crashing to the floor.
By the time Tom looked back toward the door, Aragog had already disappeared.
His expression changed for an instant.
Then he slowly turned his gaze back toward Hagrid.
Percy and Harry, who had been watching all of this, suddenly felt the darkness begin to shift around them and push them out of the memory.
Then both of them felt themselves falling back into their seats, even though they had never actually moved from where they were.
Everything had happened so quickly that Tyson hadn't even noticed they'd just taken a trip through the past, as if all those memories had passed in barely an instant.
Harry and Percy caught their breath after the surprise they'd just experienced, while Harry closed the book with a serious expression before meeting his brother's gaze.
Then both of them opened their mouths at the same time.
"Bullshit," they said in unison.