Ch10.Memories

Harry soon found himself in a small, bare room with nothing in it except an old wardrobe and an iron bedstead. Harry saw a boy sitting on top of the grey blankets, his legs stretched out in front of him.

Before them, a skinny, harassed-looking woman stood. She had a sharp-featured face that appeared rather anxious.

They seem to be in some sort of conversation.

Harry wondered why he was here. Surely this cannot be Voldemort? Well, he looked nothing like the creature in his dreams. Harry was quite puzzled.

"Tom, are you the one who hurt Billy's rabbit? Mr.Walker found it hanging in the rafters," she said with rising disapproval.

Tom's eyes had slightly widened. Yet he kept his face from showing any emotion at all.

"Of course not, Mrs. Cole," said Riddle quickly. "It was true we argued a bit yesterday, but I would never hurt Billy's rabbit over it," he said.

Somehow everyone in that room knew Tom was lying. Yet they have no proof to implicate him in anything. Mrs. Cole tried interrogating Tom further. It led to nothing, as Tom's alibi was irrefutable.

Harry himself was very surprised. He never thought about Voldemort as anything other than the creature in his nightmare. He observed the child further.

Harry continued observing the boy in front of him. The child looked quite normal, in fact, with dark hair and a pale face. Tom was quite pleasant-looking, unlike the nightmarish creature he became in the future. But his dark eyes held a barely hidden malice for them.

Harry was very relieved that he was not reliving these memories from the perspective of Voldemort. That would have been quite devastating for Harry's psyche.

Harry stood there alongside the Dark Lord like a shadow, a witness to everything. A silent witness that saw countless atrocities done by and in his name.

Harry got a glimpse of everything Voldemort did throughout his life. Harry stood there, watching atrocities one after another. Harry saw quite a lot of what the world had to offer from Harvey. But this was not war or self-defense. This was the life of a psychopath.

Tom felt no sadness or guilt about his actions. Only a perverse joy at the pain he caused. It began in the orphanage, tormenting helpless kids. It somehow made him feel powerful.

His arrival at what he considered the beloved castle, his first kingdom, his birthright He hid his maliciousness from the world for a time. Tom always wore a perfect mask to accomplish his goals.

The rise of Tom Riddle from just an orphan halfblood to the Head Boy was nothing short of extraordinary. Few saw Tom for who he really was, and even a few suspected Tom at all. He was the perfect student for the public. Yet unknown to most, he was the perfect snake, hidden till he was ready to strike any and all.

Tom actually spend a lot of time in Hogwarts' library, learning all sorts of magic. He was friendly and charming when he wanted to be, and it helped him gather followers for his cause.

Tom's mutilation of himself was disturbing, to say the least. Still, Harry saw it all.

Harry found himself in a village of some sort. He was not ready for the subsequent murder of the Riddle family. It deeply repulsed Harry more than anything.

What happened would be forever etched in Harry's mind. The ruthlessness Tom showed at such a young age was unprecedented as far as he was concerned. Tom stunned Morfin, his maternal uncle, and took his wand. He went over to the Riddle House and, using his uncle's wand, murdered everyone there, even his own father, grandfather, and grandmother in cold blood.

It was beyond deplorable for Harry. Maybe it was because Riddle's were Tom's own family. He didn't even bother to give them a chance. Not even a word was spoken between them. Just spells that took their lives as quick as they were recited.

Harry knew he would rather die than hurt his family in such an unforgivable manner. But Harry had no family to call his own, after all. Maybe relatives, but not a family of his own...

Harry was slowly dreading what he might see later on if this was just the beginning of Tom's memories.

Harry saw Tom's obsession with living forever. It was his fear of death that was driving him. Aerial bombardment during the Great War had shown Tom the frailty of human life. Tom was scared of death. Harry soon saw Tom experimenting with his soul of all things.

Tom did indeed succeed in making Horcruxes; he created multiple Horcruxes, in fact, as such a feat had never been attempted before. He was probably one of the most gifted wizards out there. If there was a way to do it, he probably could do it.

He created his first Horcrux in the form of the diary he owned and his second in the form of the Gaunt family's signet ring that he took from his uncle Morfin.

Horcruxes was still a touchy subject for Harry, as he was one himself before. He was glaring at Voldemort throughout his dabbling into those horrific deeds.

Harry soon found Tom working at a shop known as Borgin and Burkes for some time; this was where Tom befriended Hepzibah Smith, a wealthy but elderly descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. He charmed her like he had done many times before, she too fell into his web of lies.

Soon enough, Hepzibah showed Riddle her two most valuable treasures, Slytherin's locket and her Hufflepuff's cup. When the opportunity came, Tom murdered Hepzibah by using poison, turning them into two more Horcruxes.

Harry noticed Tom was becoming quite gifted at hurting others.

Next, Harry witnessed a bit of Tom's rise as the Dark Lord. He slipped deeper and deeper into the Dark Arts, travelled quite extensively, consorted with like-minded people, began to become distorted in appearance and lose the muggle looks of his father due to splitting his soul so many times, and began to use the alias "Lord Voldemort" openly.

He gathered followers in witches and wizards whom he called, collectively, Death Eaters. Tom used many tricks, curses, and even blackmail to get people to willingly join him initially.

Some were supportive of his cause to dominate Muggles and Muggle-borns, while others were greedy for domination, wealth, and fame, and yet others joined the Dark Lord out of fear.

It did not matter to Voldemort why they joined, as they were nothing more than servants to him.

Voldemort started the First Wizarding War by taking advantage of one of the wizarding world's greatest weaknesses: the beings and creatures that they had outcasted.

The Dark Lord recruited among the giants, who had long ago been driven by wizardkind into the mountains, and werewolves, who were persecuted by most witches and wizards. His army swelled in numbers, and he unleashed them on the unsuspecting wizarding world.

Voldemort's army caused widespread destruction and mayhem during the war. Panic and fear spread among the magical and Muggle communities like wildfire. Harry was quite astounded by their effectiveness in the war, as they gave no quarter.

Harry saw that many tried to resist the Dark Lord, as he was called now. He killed them all. Anyone who opposed him, he put down every last man, woman, and child who went against him.

The fear against Voldemort and his death eaters was quite real. They even feared his very name. Anyone who opposed him ended up tortured and dead sooner than later. The only one who seemed to thwart many of Tom's plans was his old Transfiguration teacher, Albus Dumbledore, and his Order.

Yet he was steadfastly gaining ground... His victory was inevitable.

Soon Harry found himself in the streets of Godric's Hollow...