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| Tom Marvolo Riddle |
The singularly evil villain of the Potter series started out like
any other antagonist: as a snotty, mean little boy.
Unbeknownst to the boy Tom, his ambition and special skills would
land him in a world many dream about, few experience, and even fewer
get to live in. The future Dark Lord was not just any orphan boy,
abandoned and alone, wishing for parents and a home. No, he was a
wizard.
But now we’re rushing ahead a bit, let’s go back. Back to where it
all began. The orphanage.
Young Thomas Marvolo Riddle was born to a frail, wretch of a woman,
so broken inside and destroyed by the world that she died shortly
after giving birth. She passed without a fight, could not muster the
strength to ward off the imminence of death even for her newborn
son. Yet she didn’t go before leaving a legacy, before naming the
son she would never know.
She staggered into the orphanage looking for help, delivered a
healthy baby boy within the hour of her arrival and died within the
next hour one wintry New Years Eve many years ago. Hardly a man is
now alive who remembers these meager beginnings of the greatest Dark
Lord since Salazar Slytherin himself.
So alone in the world, no history to remember, no future to look
forward to, we meet Tom Riddle in the orphanage at the age of eleven.
Mrs. Cole, the matron of the orphanage, reported to Albus
Dumbledore, then Deputy Headmaster under Armando Dippet, that the
boy called Tom was ‘odd.’ That the other children were afraid of
him, there was no proof (as it was very hard to catch him at it),
but there had been incidents, nasty ones. A dead rabbit hung from
the rafters, kids hurt, objects stolen. The poor muggle caretakers
were out of their league with this one.
Dumbledore was led to Riddle’s room. There he found a good-looking
boy, not the only thing Tom can thank his father for...filthy muggle
he may have been, but Tom Riddle Senior was as pretentious as he was
handsome.
Good looks and a nasty, hate-filled view of life were the gifts
little Tom acquired from his father. The only things he seems to
have inherited from his weak, yet loving mother were the magical
prowess amassed from generations of inbreeding and a place at
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Dumbledore was charged with revealing the truth to the small boy,
that he would be studying magic at Hogwarts. Tom would be taken away
from that cold place of neglect and loneliness and brought to a
place where he fit in, where his gifts would be recognized. The
young boy grew ecstatic at the news. His glee distorted his features
in an almost unnatural way, making him look fiendish.
Tom, in turn, revealed to Dumbledore his penchant for collecting
trophies from his victims, a way to mark his greatest successes, and
his special talent of talking to snakes. Somehow the young boy knew
this gift was rare even in this new world. It is clear even from
this early age that Tom was quite accustomed to controlling people.
Accustomed to power, liked it, wielded it and yearned for more.
And so, Tom, like every magical boy and girl in Britain traveled
along the Hogwarts Express to attend the unequaled wizarding school.
He excelled in his studies, magic coming easily to him, bending to
his will effortlessly.
However, at the close of each year, he was forced to return to the
orphanage, a shameful reminder that he was no one and had nothing.
He was determined to change that.
It was his mission while he was at school to find out as much about
his lineage as he could. He began with his father, whom he had
determined must have been the magical parent because his mother was
so weak she succumbed to death.
any other antagonist: as a snotty, mean little boy.
Unbeknownst to the boy Tom, his ambition and special skills would
land him in a world many dream about, few experience, and even fewer
get to live in. The future Dark Lord was not just any orphan boy,
abandoned and alone, wishing for parents and a home. No, he was a
wizard.
But now we’re rushing ahead a bit, let’s go back. Back to where it
all began. The orphanage.
Young Thomas Marvolo Riddle was born to a frail, wretch of a woman,
so broken inside and destroyed by the world that she died shortly
after giving birth. She passed without a fight, could not muster the
strength to ward off the imminence of death even for her newborn
son. Yet she didn’t go before leaving a legacy, before naming the
son she would never know.
She staggered into the orphanage looking for help, delivered a
healthy baby boy within the hour of her arrival and died within the
next hour one wintry New Years Eve many years ago. Hardly a man is
now alive who remembers these meager beginnings of the greatest Dark
Lord since Salazar Slytherin himself.
So alone in the world, no history to remember, no future to look
forward to, we meet Tom Riddle in the orphanage at the age of eleven.
Mrs. Cole, the matron of the orphanage, reported to Albus
Dumbledore, then Deputy Headmaster under Armando Dippet, that the
boy called Tom was ‘odd.’ That the other children were afraid of
him, there was no proof (as it was very hard to catch him at it),
but there had been incidents, nasty ones. A dead rabbit hung from
the rafters, kids hurt, objects stolen. The poor muggle caretakers
were out of their league with this one.
Dumbledore was led to Riddle’s room. There he found a good-looking
boy, not the only thing Tom can thank his father for...filthy muggle
he may have been, but Tom Riddle Senior was as pretentious as he was
handsome.
Good looks and a nasty, hate-filled view of life were the gifts
little Tom acquired from his father. The only things he seems to
have inherited from his weak, yet loving mother were the magical
prowess amassed from generations of inbreeding and a place at
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Dumbledore was charged with revealing the truth to the small boy,
that he would be studying magic at Hogwarts. Tom would be taken away
from that cold place of neglect and loneliness and brought to a
place where he fit in, where his gifts would be recognized. The
young boy grew ecstatic at the news. His glee distorted his features
in an almost unnatural way, making him look fiendish.
Tom, in turn, revealed to Dumbledore his penchant for collecting
trophies from his victims, a way to mark his greatest successes, and
his special talent of talking to snakes. Somehow the young boy knew
this gift was rare even in this new world. It is clear even from
this early age that Tom was quite accustomed to controlling people.
Accustomed to power, liked it, wielded it and yearned for more.
And so, Tom, like every magical boy and girl in Britain traveled
along the Hogwarts Express to attend the unequaled wizarding school.
He excelled in his studies, magic coming easily to him, bending to
his will effortlessly.
However, at the close of each year, he was forced to return to the
orphanage, a shameful reminder that he was no one and had nothing.
He was determined to change that.
It was his mission while he was at school to find out as much about
his lineage as he could. He began with his father, whom he had
determined must have been the magical parent because his mother was
so weak she succumbed to death.
Having no luck in his research efforts,
he was forced to realize his father’s
line held no magical blood.
He moved on to search his mother’s
family out, having only the name
Marvolo as a stepping stone. He
eventually discovered the last of
Slytherin’s bloodline.
In the summer of his sixteenth year,
while he was to be at the orphanage, he
set about tying up the loose ends of
the family so that he could once and
for all transcend the Riddle disgrace
and finally become Lord Voldemort.
He paid a visit to his Uncle Morfin,
trying to locate Marvolo.
he was forced to realize his father’s
line held no magical blood.
He moved on to search his mother’s
family out, having only the name
Marvolo as a stepping stone. He
eventually discovered the last of
Slytherin’s bloodline.
In the summer of his sixteenth year,
while he was to be at the orphanage, he
set about tying up the loose ends of
the family so that he could once and
for all transcend the Riddle disgrace
and finally become Lord Voldemort.
He paid a visit to his Uncle Morfin,
trying to locate Marvolo.
However, young Tom was too late to meet is granddad. He’d already
perished years ago, only deranged Uncle Morfin was left, stewing in
bad memories.
During his incoherent rantings, Morfin mentioned that Tom looked
like the filthy muggle his sister ran away with who lived in the
mansion across the way, mentioned Slytherin’s locket, speaking it
all in parseltongue while wearing the Perevell ring. Everything
connected for the teenager, he formulated his plan and stunned his
uncle.
Tom next paid a visit to his long-lost Riddle relatives. He murdered
his father and his grandparents – for not wanting him, for not
wanting his mother, for the disrespect shown to the Gaunt line, for
the pure joy of revenge...
He went back to the Gaunt hovel to implant the memories of the
murders in his unconscious uncle’s mind. He left Morfin, his last
blood relative, to take the blame for his crimes and pay dearly for
them. Morfin died in Azkaban, mourning the loss of the Perevell ring
until his dying day.
Tom Riddle, now Lord Voldemort, returns to school a murderer about
to commit even more atrocities. He sets loose the basilisk resulting
in the death of a young girl and the expulsion of an innocent
classmate. His mind has become completely fixated on death and how
to outsmart it.
perished years ago, only deranged Uncle Morfin was left, stewing in
bad memories.
During his incoherent rantings, Morfin mentioned that Tom looked
like the filthy muggle his sister ran away with who lived in the
mansion across the way, mentioned Slytherin’s locket, speaking it
all in parseltongue while wearing the Perevell ring. Everything
connected for the teenager, he formulated his plan and stunned his
uncle.
Tom next paid a visit to his long-lost Riddle relatives. He murdered
his father and his grandparents – for not wanting him, for not
wanting his mother, for the disrespect shown to the Gaunt line, for
the pure joy of revenge...
He went back to the Gaunt hovel to implant the memories of the
murders in his unconscious uncle’s mind. He left Morfin, his last
blood relative, to take the blame for his crimes and pay dearly for
them. Morfin died in Azkaban, mourning the loss of the Perevell ring
until his dying day.
Tom Riddle, now Lord Voldemort, returns to school a murderer about
to commit even more atrocities. He sets loose the basilisk resulting
in the death of a young girl and the expulsion of an innocent
classmate. His mind has become completely fixated on death and how
to outsmart it.
| To Be Continued... |