Harry Potter 06 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Dumbledore.
    Riddle threw Dumbledore a long, clear, calculating look.
    ‘Yes, I suppose so, sir,’ he said finally, in an expressionless voice.
    ‘Open it,’ said Dumbledore.
    Riddle took off the lid and tipped the contents on to his bed without looking at them. Harry, who had expected something much more exciting, saw a mess of small, everyday objects; a yo-yo, a silver thimble and a tarnished mouth-organ among them. Once free of the box, they stopped quivering and lay quite still upon the thin blankets.
    ‘You will return them to their owners with your apologies,’ said Dumbledore calmly, putting his wand back into his jacket. ‘I shall know whether it has been done. And be warned: thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts.’
    Riddle did not look remotely abashed; he was still staring coldly and appraisingly at Dumbledore. At last he said in a colourless voice, ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘At Hogwarts,’ Dumbledore went on, ‘we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. You have – inadvertently, I am sure – been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, to allow your magic to run away with you. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic – yes, there is a Ministry – will punish lawbreakers still more severely. All new wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws.’
    ‘Yes, sir,’ said Riddle again.
    It was impossible to tell what he was thinking; his face remained quite blank as he put the little cache of stolen objects back into the cardboard box. When he had finished he turned to Dumbledore and said baldly, ‘I haven’t got any money.’
    ‘That is easily remedied,’ said Dumbledore, drawing a leather money-pouch from his pocket. ‘There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes. You might have to buy some of your spellbooks and so on second-hand, but –’
    ‘Where do you buy spellbooks?’ interrupted Riddle, who had taken the heavy money-bag without thanking Dumbledore, and was now examining a fat gold Galleon.
    ‘In Diagon Alley,’ said Dumbledore. ‘I have your list of books and school equipment with me. I can help you find everything –’
    ‘You’re coming with me?’ asked Riddle, looking up.
    ‘Certainly, if you –’
    ‘I don’t need you,’ said Riddle. ‘I’m used to doing things for myself, I go round London on my own all the time. How do you get to this Diagon Alley – sir?’ he added, catching Dumbledore’s eye.
    Harry thought that Dumbledore would insist upon accompanying Riddle, but once again he was surprised. Dumbledore handed Riddle the envelope containing his list of equipment, and, after telling Riddle exactly how to get to the Leaky Cauldron from the orphanage, he said, ‘You will be able to see it, although Muggles around you – non-magical people, that is – will not. Ask for Tom the barman – easy enough to remember, as he shares your name –’
    Riddle gave an irritable twitch, as though trying to displace an irksome fly.
    ‘You dislike the name “Tom”?’
    ‘There are a lot of Toms,’ muttered Riddle. Then, as though he could not suppress the question, as though it burst from him in spite of himself, he asked, ‘Was my father a wizard? He was called Tom Riddle too, they’ve told me.’
    ‘I’m afraid I don’t know,’ said Dumbledore, his voice gentle.
    ‘My mother can’t have been magic, or she wouldn’t have died,’ said Riddle, more to himself than Dumbledore. ‘It must’ve been him. So – when I’ve got all my stuff – when do I come to this Hogwarts?’
    ‘All the details are on the second piece of parchment in your envelope,’ said Dumbledore. ‘You will leave from King’s Cross Station on the first of September. There is a train ticket in there, too.’
    Riddle nodded. Dumbledore got to his feet and held out his hand again. Taking it, Riddle said, ‘I can speak to snakes. I found out when we’ve been to the country on trips – they find me, they whisper to me. Is that normal for a wizard?’
    Harry could tell that he had withheld mention of this strangest power until that moment, determined to impress.
    ‘It is unusual,’ said Dumbledore, after a moment’s hesitation, ‘but not unheard of.’
    His tone was casual but his eyes moved curiously over Riddle’s face. They stood for a moment, man and boy, staring at each other.