Tom entered Harry's office to find Harry, Ginny and Ron seemingly awaiting him, their wands out. Behind him entered Hermione removing a silvery cloak and tucking it inside her robes. She pulled out her wand too as she closed the door after him. He froze seeing such hostility from them. Although, he knew it wasn't their faults, it still hurt him to meet their angry, unsure eyes. He pulled out his wand too as Harry stood up. Ron who had been standing by Harry suddenly walked behind him covering the door with Hermione. Tom didn't stop. He approached Harry's table, put his wand down on it and slid it towards Harry.
As he did, his eyes fell on a glass filled with what seemed like Firewhisky but he knew that wasn't the only thing that the glass contained. Beside it, lay a small flask full of clear, transparent liquid that he knew too well.
He turned back to look at Ron and Hermione. "I will not attempt to leave without your consent. You do no need to guard the door." Neither of them moved.
He looked back at Harry pleadingly. Perhaps, Harry would understand but to his astonishment Harry showed no signs of recognition. He seemed utterly alienated to him. He looked at Ginny and felt his heart breaking seeing at her expressionless face. She didn't trust him either. He couldn't bear to see such indifference in their eyes for him. He snatched the glass from the table, gulped it down in one go and slammed it back on the table as two tears leapt down his eyes.
"I will not leave unless you all allow me." He turned back to look at Ron and Hermione. They could trust his word now, knowing that he had just taken Veritesareum.
They exchanged an embarrassing look, pocketed their wands and sat down around Harry's table as did Harry, Ginny and Tom.
"Not that you have another option, but this time, Tom, I need you to tell me truth only. Tell me everything that there is to know about you. Spare nothing."
"I am Tom Marvolo Riddle the second son of the man who is known to the world as Lord Voldemort and to his followers as the Dark Lord and of the woman who served him in every manner possible, Bellatirx Lestrange. I have a twin brother who also shares my name. Bellatrix's services' to the Dark Lord soon led to our conception." Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stared at him utterly shocked.
"Bellatrix was married to Rodolphus Lestrange!" Hermione exclaimed unable to control herself.
Tom smiled sarcastically. For the first time in his life he felt extremely light because he didn't care about spilling the truth anymore. How could he? He was under the spell of the truth potion. He was telling them all that he had had to carry inside of him for the past 4 years. Although, too much pain had been attached with his life, right now, he felt too helpless even to feel despaired. The best he could do was mock it himself. "As if, that fact mattered in her obsession for the Dark Lord." He paused seeing their flinching expressions. "Yet, that is not the worst of her acts so far. Once she knew she was carrying the Dark Lord's child she was threatened for her own life. She knew that Voldemort did not require pedigree since he himself intended to be immortal. But she wanted to plan for contingency now that fate had provided her with that opportunity. She wanted to present the Dark Lord's child to him if or when he needed it as legacy. However, until then, she had to hide it. She had decided to give her child up to an orphanage. Being one of the few who had known who Lord Voldemort really was, she had chosen that name for her son and she was only going to keep the child if it was a son. What good would, a devoted daughter be to the Dark Lord? He would need a son to carry on his name.
She gave birth to twins, however, and had not thought of any other name. She named us both by the name of our father. She left a note at the doorstep of the orphanage tucked inside our blankets for us to be named as she wished. The orphanage, to my utter misfortune, fulfilled her wish. Although, when unable to tell one from the other, they had to create some difference, so, I was called Tom and he was called Riddle.
This much has come to Riddle's knowledge through a servant of the Dark Lord that remained faithful to him even after his fall. He has been with Riddle all those years, teaching him the ways of the Dark Lord as per Bellatrix's wishes. He alone was aware of our true identity.
We grew up knowing nothing at the Orphanage by the age of 9. We knew we were different because of our powers, but we didn't know who we were and why were we so different from the muggle children. Riddle, who usually enjoys an exhibition of his powers, would always get us in trouble. Finally, the Orphange threw us out.
We were stranded, out on streets, shelter less and abandoned. But not entirely, as we could produce magic at need. We could summon our necessities at will, conjure things when needed. We could control animals when we had to, especially snakes. They were very fond of us as we could understand their minds and they could understand ours.
I and Riddle were on streets for a couple of months only when he disappeared leaving behind a note for me, not to look for him. 2 years later when I received the letter to Hogwarts, I came here in the hopes to find him here but I was let down as he had not come here.
Years flew by as Hogwarts became more of a home and I let my heart grow fond of this place. Hogwarts polished whatever extraordinary powers I had. The moment I had stepped inside the School I had understood that I had powers superior to just about anyone. And I had also considered that to be an anomaly.
I kept to myself, quiet and alone. Only a few got to know me well and that too away from many aspects of my life. I had not confided in anyone that I had a brother. Since the moment I had entered the magical world I had heard stories about the Dark Lord, of how powerful he was, of how relentless and merciless he had been. History, that had changed its course, now had a few details regarding the Dark Lord's ancestry supplied by none other than you." He looked at Harry. Harry had, after Voldmeort's downfall, on insistence of the Wizarding world, released a few harmless facts about his ancestry but he had refrained from mentioning major facts.
"I read the name Marvolo Gaunt and realized that perhaps, I have ancestry in Voldemort's bloodline. I didn't know that I was cursed to be his son. No one else noticed it as my Middle name was never used within these walls. I read that he had the power to control snakes and my doubts became certain and permanent. My extraordinary powers were too much of a concern already for me to reveal to anyone that I had a brother who had not returned to me for several years.
Thus, I lived on letting go of my worries at the best place in the world. Hogwarts taught me more than I wanted to learn. I learned here of the true battle that took place and led to the death of the Darkest Wizard of the century. I learned of the companions of Harry Potter that helped him defeat Voldmeort. Neville, Hannah, Hagrid, Padma, Madam Brown, Dumbledore, all of whom I had been fortunate enough to lay my eyes on and who lived to tell the legend of what it was like when the Dark Lord was at the height of his powers. I had always admired them and had been inspired by them.
Hogwarts gave me more opportunity than ever when I graduated at the age of 17. I sat my N.E.W.Ts in my Sixth and final year as a student here. Being completely outstanding in all exams and extremely talented the Minister had granted permission for me to take subjects for both years in one final year and sit N.E.W.Ts in the end. He had granted me an hour glass, capable only of reversing 24 hours, on special request by Professor Dutchmen.
I had never felt better in my life. I was the golden boy of the school. Everyone wanted to be me." He smiled exposing all 32 of his teeth. "I wanted to do something great. I wanted to become an Auror like Harry Potter, like you." He looked at Harry in utter admiration. "I had even filed an application for internship at the Ministry. I was simply awaiting a response. I had nowhere to go, so after I graduated, Dutchmen allowed me to stay and share dormitory with the rest of the 7th years. My only hope was that if I had a successful career as an Auror, I could finally have a place I could call my own." He paused, gulping down as if he knew he was asking for an impossible wish to come true.
"But everything changed the night I turned 17. The moment I came of age, I knew I was different. Something had altered, I felt as if, I could feel and experience things that I should not because they were not happening around me. Then one day, I had a horrible dream. A nightmare, more like it. It was full of green light and screams I could never forget. I never knew what it meant, I just knew that I was cursed to see innocent lives being taken.
That next day, Riddle visited me here in the Castle. He penetrated Robert's protection easily and entered my dormitory silently. I remember how I had felt when I had seen him after so many years. I wanted to embrace him and never let go." He blinked tears out of his eyes but didn't make an effort to wipe them off. "I wanted to tell him how much I had longed to see him again but he never quite gave me the chance. He told me everything he had discovered about us and confirmed my doubts. What he revealed to me next shocked me beyond comparison.
He felt that the Dark Lord's demise had been unjust, that Harry Potter and his companions had robbed the Wizarding World of a power that could only help Wizards maintain a rule over Wizards and Muggles alike. He wanted to avenge him. He hated you and those who had helped you." He nodded to Harry. "But most of those mattered to me even more. Neville, Hannah, Hagrid, Padma, Madam Brown, all had been your company in the Battle at Hogwarts. All meant like family to me. I could not let any harm befall them.
I begged him to give up this route. I vowed to tell him the real truth. I pleaded him not to trust the Dark Lord's servant but he didn't listen to me. He declared an open war with me, he called me a traitor to my own blood but he told me he would avenge the Dark Lord. He also told me that he would carry his legacy. We had extraordinary powers like him, he could dominate the Wizarding World just as Voldemort had years before him. He told me he had already taken the first crucial steps in becoming more like him.
That day I told him I would protect the ones I care about with my life and he told me no matter what I did I would always fail." Tom stopped as the memory of the dream that had announced Neville's and Hannah's death flashed across his eyes. "And I did. I couldn't save Neville and Hannah.
After his departure, I felt scared to leave Hogwarts, to leave the ones I cared about unprotected. I had never once thought he could reach them outside the confines of this Castle. I realized it in a few months that I had made the right choice when I found out Riddle had been prowling around in the Castle in my name. Andrea had come across him and found him unusual. She had been looking into my past for over a year and she had come asking questions to me as well but then she disappeared and I never knew what became of her, until last night when Riddle told me he had killed her because she had discovered our secret.
Riddle, apparently had plans to take advantage of my position in the Castle to fulfill his revenge. He didn't want anyone to ruin those. Last night was supposed to be the end of it all for him when he would have killed the three of you all but he was thwarted by you." He nodded again to Harry. "You penetrated his powers and held him back until I returned. He had understood, that you were more powerful than him, he had understood that he could not defeat you and he had understood that if he tried to kill you he would have to kill me first, for which he seemed quite reluctant.
I was afraid of such scenarios long before Andrea had suspected anything. That is why, when I stayed at Hogwarts, I took up only the least important position in the Castle, so no one even knew who I was, though, I was getting worried about Riddle invading the Castle unattended. When Robert retired 3 years after my joining I offered my protection to the Castle. Although, Padma's protection was not feeble, it was not impenetrable by Riddle. So, I kept removing it from time to time for Dutchmen to think Padma's protection wasn't lasting. He had to take my offering as a last resort. Once my protection prevailed around the Castle, Riddle could not counter it. Although, for each other we compete on skill alone as we both posses the same powers, perhaps, Riddle has better than mine but I can be really hard to fight when I want to. His errands in the Castle ended after my protection.
I was compelled in the beginning of this year by Dutchmen, Padma and Neville to take crucial positions in the Castle, otherwise you'd not have the misfortune of discovering me save Dumbledore's indignant hints." He looked at Dumbledore's portrait who was listening to him raptly. "Since, he could not penetrate the castle's protection, Riddle called me outside to ask for sanctuary. I could not provide him that knowing what he had done with Neville and Hannah. He forced himself in, considering last night as a victorious and final night of avenging the Dark Lord. But he wasn't allowed that by either of us." He looked at Harry again who was transfixed where he sat.
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Ganesh Kartikeya
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