Riddle's Revenge

A/N: Hey guys sorry its been three months. This chapter was hard work...

Chapter 16: The Den

Greyback had taken Albus to his den.

Albus blinked and looked around the cave that Grayback had brought him to. The whole cave floor was lined with a layer of miss-matched furs save for one large round area where the food was taken care of and a large fire pit was. There were many different colored wolves lying higgledy-piggledy in little indents; all of them watching Albus with wolfish eyes that gleamed like precious gems.

Albus’s eyes widened as he realized the whole den was like a little community. Every once in awhile a little wolf pup peaked out from behind a mother wolf or a shaggy haired babe would waddle from one wolf to another.

“Like what you see wolf pup?” Grayback said with a chuckle as he glanced out of the cave at the horizon, “It took us quite awhile to get here…” Grayback growled slightly as the sun started to sneak up from behind the hills.

Albus groaned as his body seemed to shrink up. He could feel his muscles contract for a moment before retracting and shrink back into a human size. His lungs seemed to restrict and the black fur all over his body seemed to pull into his body painfully. His nails shrank back into his fingers and his ears sunk back to the round human shape he was accustomed to.

The whole cycle made Albus slump forward in pain; his whole system exhausted from the rapid movement. He let out a slight wolfish whimper and nearly collapsed, the only thing stopping him being Grayback’s arms.

“Careful pup,” Grayback said as he roughly molded Albus back into a standing position, “You need to get used to the change.”

Albus growled slightly, “How long did that take you?”

Grayback chuckled and shook out his long graying hair with a clawed hand, “About three or four moon cycles really.” He took Albus into a different cavern of the den and sat the boy down, “Are you alright?”

Albus blinked allowing his eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. The cavern they were in was obviously the place where Grayback slept. Albus was confused, he was used to hearing horror stories about Grayback and about how the werewolf had wanted to eat his aunt, but the wolf was proving to be at the very least welcoming, “I’m fine,” Albus took another glance around, “…If you don’t mind me asking….what’s going on with you?”

Grayback smiled wryly, “You’ve only heard horror stories about me, correct?” Albus nodded, “Most of it is true.”

The werewolf laid back against the rock wall and relaxed into the furs, “I won’t deny it…but…there’s more to Fenrir Grayback than a blood thirsty wolf.

“I’m not going to tell you some long drawn out story about when I was a pup…Its was long after that when I was turned, at least partially, around.” Grayback took in a deep breath, “It was during the second Dark War…at the end more specifically.

“They thought they had killed me but it takes more than a single death curse to kill a werewolf. Bellatrix and Voldemort were handling the fight and, like a coward, I slipped under the crowds of people and had made it out of the castle by the time the sun was rising and the Dark Lord fell by the hand of your father.

“I fled before anyone could get their hands on me and found a den to stay in in the forbidden forest as I got back my strength. Now, you must keep in mind, that I had already turned many people over the years into wolves. There were quite a few who were trying to find me, for turning on the full moon without a pack is quite painful, and they finally did.

“Unlike your Teddy’s father, the wolves that found me had grown to like the furry form. I couldn’t move much when they found me, I was worn out almost beyond my limits, and I thought they were going to kill me. But they didn’t.”

Greyback took a breath and watched Albus for a second, he seemed to realize how small the boy was, “They took care of me instead and for once, I actually took on a pack. I thought there was no more danger with Voldemort dead, but I was wrong. No more than a year later…the woman found me. I had still been turning humans, though not as much, but I had stopped killing them unless they threatened me. But the nineteen year old girl was more than a threat and I could do nothing.”

“Why?” Albus couldn’t help interrupting, “You’re a werewolf. How could you not be able to kill some girl?”

“Because she was a witch, and not only that, a dark one. She used dark magic as soon as she seen me and made it so that the whole pack couldn’t move. She did horrible things before she even tried to bargain with me.”

“So who was she?” Albus quickly ducked his head in apology realizing he had interrupted again.

Greyback smiled lightly, “Her name was Artemis Riddle at the time…”

“Riddle…” Albus thought hard for a moment, “Where have I heard that name?”

Greyback chuckled dryly then picked a bone up off the floor and started chewing on it. Albus looked up, “Wait…what do you mean her name was Artemis Riddle ‘at the time?’”

Grayback's silver eyes looked up and caught Albus’s, “Well…she’s married now. Some guy named Zacharias Smith. They’ve got a son now too.”

Albus froze, “Is-is his name Gale?” the last name ‘Riddle’ had finally clicked into place. Grayback gave a short nod so Albus continued, “But…I thought Voldemort never loved anyone?”

“He didn’t,” Grayback’s voice was low and his gray eyes seemed to darken as he drifted back into thought, “But he was, of course, a man and didn’t wish to let urges get the better of him. You’d be surprised at how many people would throw themselves at you if you had power and the will to kill. I’m sure, in the end, it was Bellatrix who had had Voldemort’s child. But Artemis was female and innocent in her first years of life so Bellatrix set out to make her evil.

“But Bellatrix and her husband went to Azkaban when Artemis wasn’t even a year old. I don’t know who took her in. Maybe it was one death eater or maybe they took turns but the girl became a genius. She never went to Hogwarts or any other school, she was a book of magic in herself, if she had gone and made friends with humans instead of dark magic books maybe she would have turned out differently.”

Albus nodded at Grayback’s thought then seemed to remember everyone else, “Grayback?”

The wolf looked up and came out of his thoughts, “Yeah? What is it?”

“Can I…can I find a way to contact my family?”

* * *

Harry sighed as he sat, once more, in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry watching the sunrise while children around him ate breakfast. Some of the students kept coming over to him and he treated them kindly but his mind was elsewhere, worrying about his youngest son.

He had made Ginny stay home with Lily and now he was glad for it. Leon was sitting on his right with his blonde head on the table drifting in and out of sleep while Scorpius was sitting on his left with his silver eyes glued to the horizon behind the glass, wide awake and worried. Harry shook his head, “Don’t worry Scorpius, I’m sure Teddy and Bill will find him.”

This didn’t seem to help the boy. Scorpius barely allowed himself to blink, “Mr. Potter….look!” he had jumped up and was pointing at something flying towards them from the forest.

Harry looked and knew immediately that they were seeing two different things. Though he seen a large, skeletal, flying horse, he was sure all Scorpius seen was whatever the thestral was carrying. The thestral landed outside their window and dropped the letter on the outside sill before walking back into the forbidden forest, probably tempted by the smell of blood or food.

Scorpius and Harry were on their feet in an instant, jerking Leon awake as they did so. The young Slytherin was the first one out of the hall and outside quickly followed by Harry. By the time Leon had dragged himself to where they were they were already reading the letter. Leon groaned, “Just read it out loud would you? I’m too tired to register Albus’s chicken scratches….”

Harry was the one who complied, “Its to me. ‘Dad, I’m safe and alright but there is something important for you, James, Leon, and Scorpius to know. The Slytherin named Gale Smith is worse than we thought. His mother is a woman named Artemis whose maiden name is Riddle.’” Harry nearly dropped the letter but quickly regained himself, “‘Grayback, that’s who I’m, with right now, told me she’s forcing control over the werewolves and that somehow it involves us. Tell Scorpius, James, and Leon to stay as far away from Gale as possible. I don’t know when I’ll be back but it’ll be soon.’ That’s all it says.”

Scorpius and the now awake Leon exchanged glances then looked back at the castle. It held an ominous feeling for them now as they replied part of what Professor Binns had told them months ago, ‘and Harry Potter called out the Dark Lord’s true name…Tom Riddle.’

Harry had joined them at looking at Hogwarts. His thoughts were a jumbled mess and kept running circles in his mind almost to the point of making him dizzy. Voldemort’s descendant was after his child?

Scorpius swallowed hard before noticing something in a nearby window. It caught the light in a strange way and he wanted to get nearer to it to see what it was. He was barely halfway there when it moved and he froze.

Gale’s snake had just slid out of the window to somewhere inside the castle.

Harry had noticed it too, “That belongs to the kid doesn’t it?” The two boys nodded. Harry groaned slightly, ‘that thing is off to tell it’s master we know…’

* * *

Gale’s eyes flashed angrily when he heard his snake’s news.

A/N: Ok Rate and Review OR NO MORE STORY! lol