Important: Thanks to the first reviewer, I have gone back and fixed all, if not all the mistakes. :) Thank you so much for pointing them out! Anything else is entirely my fault. There are bound to be some minor mistakes, anyway. Hopefully I caught all of them!

A/N: This fic has been put on hold for quite some time. Thankfully, I've found the time to come back to it :) I'm thrilled that I am able to!

I am so excited to have posted the first chapter, or Prologue. I hope this isn't too dark for y'all because it will become more angst as the story progresses. I don't want to take up too much of your time because I am very, very talkative. However, I would like to point out that this will be a very mature piece of work. There will be blood and gore and mature, sexual situations that is not sutiable for all audiences. You have been warned.

Standard Disclaimer applies: I do not own Harry Potter, and I highly doubt the books and movies count.

As always, enjoy.

Title: Salutem

Author: Ann10155

Characters introduced chronologically, hopefully. (Additions will be made with each chapter. I will go back at the end to make sure it includes all appropriate characters after each chapter.): Tom Riddle, Keeper of Erised, Daughter of Erised, Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Harry Potter-

Requirements ordained by the Author:

Tom Riddle is will not be in his Voldemort form, but will be referred to as the Dark Lord, obviously.

Tom will be very cruel and unforgiving

Slytherin's Locket, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, and the ring will play a key role

There must be some sort of unknown connection between Hermione and Tom

Sexual tension is present throughout the narrative, something neither Tom, nor Hermione would have anticipated, and struggle greatly to surpass

Tom does not know/remember his encounter with the Keeper of Erised

When he awakens, so does Hermione in some sense

Summary:

Tom Riddle's ultimate goal is to rid the world of the impurities plaguing the Wizarding World, but when his chance visit to the Mirror of Erised provides him with glimpses of the future, what will he do with the information he receives from the Keeper of the Mirror and the images he sees? As the years press on, his obsession to gain immortality grows. When a piece of his soul is stolen under the watchful eye of his followers, anticipation that he would fall exquisitely in love with the woman that haunted his past reincarnations arises.
Torn between wanting to pursue his dream and finding the redemption his reincarnated soul has been seeking, will Tom be able to demolish his desires and seek forgiveness from those he has wronged and save the woman that's always found a way back to his corrupted being?

Can one be redeemed when they've already sinned beyond redemption?

Salutem

Salvation

(N)- The Action of Being Rescued or Set Free

and from harm, ruin, or loss.

X.x.X

Deliver me from this evil

That reigns superior in my soul

Find the compassion to forgive me

And help me endear this torturous fate

Provide me the necessities

That will bring me to my own

True awakening and redemption

That I have been seeking

Before the first sin was committed

X.x.X

It was around midnight when the clock tower rang with a loud, melodious rapture of the approaching dawn. A lone, tall figure stared out the enormous window that overlooked the infamously deceptive Black Lake, his analytical eyes taking in the darkness, and expelling it out into the limitless void. For the past several nights he's wandered the halls of Hogwarts in search of the valuable antique. One that would be a considerable asset to his plans. Luck was no on his side, however. It was with his own providence and reluctance to simply give up that brought him to this pivotal moment in time. With any luck, the young man would finally get the Mistress that guarded the Mirror of Erised to talk, providing him the necessary information he needed. She was a hard woman to please, much less engage in conversation, though. Would she comply? He did not know. For months he's tried to track her down, confining in the other ghostly residence of Hogwarts' ancient, stone walls. Their compliance had been a very valuable resource to his investigations. He owed them his gratitude.

Tom Riddle politely excused himself from the window, giving the magnificent lake one last suitable glance before turning away. He continued his journey down the dark, abandoned corridor. Ignoring the calls of one very demented and equally mischievous poltergeist, he made his way down the hallway, turning a sharp left before being welcomed by the massive staircase. Its extendable arms already at work, confusing no one but itself seeing there were no lonely travelers to trick. Tom took pride knowing that he was not one of the selected fools to fall prey to the staircase's plan to dominant the minds of those less travelled. He knew its secrets far better than most of the ghosts that lingered and imposed themselves to drifting.

With careful calculation he was able to descend the stairs and get off on the correct floor. After a moment's thought, edging on hesitation, he ventured down the unwelcoming tunnel of the fifth floor, heavily rumored to hold the infamous Mirror, great soothsayer of the future and portent of misgiving and intrigue. Tom wondered silently if the ghosts he talked to had given him false information, hoping that it would lead him off its trail. No one has been able to find it; he's been searching for it for several weeks. After confining in Professor Slughorn and gathering as much information as he could, his thoughts turned abruptly to the possibility that he would not succeed. All who ever encountered it did not know of its hidden treasure and wisdom. Not only did it send those who gazed upon its reflecting face into madness, it was also very precise in its delivery. He hoped, almost prayed to some unknown deity kind enough to hear his prayer that it showed exactly what he wanted to see. He would not be pleased if he saw anything less than he was expecting.

What he wanted to see was a realty he hoped to obtain. Where his power reigned over all. It was the ultimate enlightenment he was waiting rather impatiently to see. The Mirror was a valuable antique that would solidify his future as he continued to make preparations and act upon his intuition. What he really needed was a clear vision. He needed something tangible, and not his own pleading desires. He couldn't very well do that when what he wanted was well beyond anything he, or anyone else, has imaged.

Tom focused his attention back down the horribly lit hallway. Barely able to see an inch in front of him, he feared that he would miss his mark. The hallways of Hogwarts were just as unforgiving and deceptive as the Grand Staircase.

He whipped out his wand and murmured," Lumos." A brilliant ball of light illuminated the dark hallway, disturbing the residence of the walls. A few more colorful patriots grumbled their disapproval with motely of offensive disgraces.

"Silence," he commanded in a low hiss. Instantly, he received it. All the voices ceased their arguments, eyeing the young man quizzically before turning away from the light bursting from the tip of his wand whilst grumbling about how bright it was and how late the night seemed to have gotten. Not an appropriate time for someone who needed a good amount of rest to be roaming the empty halls of Hogwarts.

"Turn off that blasted light." A man with a long, white beard insisted, holding up his pale hand to defend against the light that dared to disturb his rest.

Tom obeyed him, only because he did not want others to follow suit and express their devotion to eternal rest. He was just as tired as they were. A long wait had brought him to this moment.

He carried on, ignoring the ghostly wails of the presidential palace of the paintings as he walked. Just as he was passing a serene painting of waterfall and plummeting view of what lay below, a gentle, yet harsh voice drifted towards him in a feathery, lifting sequence.

"My assumptions about you were absolutely right."

Tom came to an abrupt stop. He knew that slippery voice and whom it belonged to. Looking over his shoulder, he gave an indifferent glance to the ghostly figure that was beginning to assemble into a clearer vision. Standing behind him with her hands drawn gracefully in front of her was the woman he had talked to several months prior to this glorious night. The woman had not been entirely keen on helping him with his mission to track down the Mirror. Her resigned indifference had been a cost he could not afford to make.

He turned to face the once beautiful woman that roamed the planes of the earth. Wasted away with the harsh workings of time, the woman stared at him solemnly. Like a flicker of a flame, her anguish swept over her in an array of colorful absurdities that Tom didn't care to question. Her hair, as if submerged in the frigid water of the Black Lake, drifted elegantly around her in a dark brown allure; her eyes, though impregnatable with a haze of cloudy mist called out to him in an imploring, desperate plea; even though she could not speak, he could hear the euphonious spirit of her voice through the veil of her world and his. Tom stared at her, taking in her beauty once again, finding himself more entranced and intrigued than he ever had all evening.

"Little ghost," He greeted her with nonchalance. "May it be too bold to ask why you are roaming the halls and not haunting the North Tower? Perhaps, you finally come to an epiphany and- "

"I wouldn't help you if you were the last soul to roam the fruit-bearing field of Earth," she hissed with vehemence. Her eyes extracted the darkness around them. "You know not of what you seek."

"Will you be foolish enough to stop me?" He challenged. "Or, are you going to aid me in my endeavors? I do not have time to waste on petty women. Apparition, or otherwise. Be gone, you foul harpy!"

"Such rudeness!" she remarked with astonishment. "I was eternally correct with my evaluation of you! Such a thirst for knowledge. A boy with remarkable and admirable reveries. Not someone I would suspect to hold a darker agenda that he lets on."

Tom had had enough of her wondering muses. If the ghostly girl would not help him, then he simply had to find it himself. Not bothering to address her, he dismissed the heartless woman in the rudest way imaginable for an apparition. He ignored her, feigned innocence when she tried to call out to him, swept past the glaring image of her spirit floating in the air. Even when she let out a loud shriek, he continued to press past the deathly lit corridor.

"I will not be ignored!" With each passing second she grew angrier, threatening to wake the entire school if Tom did not grace her with a moment of his time. Not wanting to get caught by Peeves, or the housekeeper, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, meeting the searing gaze of the once beautiful woman that guarded the Mirror. "I will assist you." Was the very thing he wanted to hear, and she knew. She knew that if she willingly accepted his proposal he wouldn't have trouble finding her presence once again.

Tom flattered her with a breathtaking smile. "What a pleasant thing to hear, especially after that terrible, heart-stopping shriek."

She glowered at him. Without word and encouragement from Tom, she escorted him down the dank corridor. No one had journeyed through the cold tunnel in many years; he had the nerve to believe that the housekeeper stopped maintaining it in fear of being sucked into its bottomless trap. His apprehensiveness was justified wholeheartedly as they pushed forward against the retaliating darkness. Tom drifted several meters behind her, not wanting to feel more of her icy presence than he already has. He couldn't understand her reasoning for wanting to help him, even if he threatened to disrespect. Force to accept, or not, he was very pleased with her assistance.

He observed the now sedated transparent figure before him. She came to him as premonition of the future and with astounding éclat. Gratified with some configuration of his plans, he commended her readiness to partake in his journey. Without her, he wouldn't have discovered the true whereabouts of the Mirror of Erised. He owed her retribution for her help.

"We are almost there, boy."

Tom swept over her ghostly figure, finding it rude to see through her body. Instead, he picked up his pace just a bit so he walked beside her as she glided against the old wood floor. The floorboards creaked with the unbearable weight of his body and the heaviness of her essence. Pleading for alleviation, the entire hall rose to a chorus of groans.

"We are here." She swept aside as to allow him to take an inspiring look at the magnificent double oak doors that protected the Mirror from outside forces.

Tom stepped aside, taking as much as the large doors as he could. His heart grew to a loud, hammering interpretation. The blood in his veins licked like flames, his breathing became more deep and penetrating as he stared at the doors. Excitement coursed through him. Months of planning, of speaking to countless ghosts and pushing past his limited comfort and sucking up to his Professor had finally brought him to this moment.

Not wanting to wait another second, he placed a hand on each door, unlocked them with the capacity of his mind, and pushed them open. With a loud, reverberating bang the doors slammed against the wall and the room welcomed them both inside. The woman glided in after him. He could feel her icy gaze penetrating his back. Tiny stabs of needles marched up his legs and arms; the room was unnaturally cold and dreary. With high, arched windows and stainless glass panels of florae, dark, decaying walls that crumbled even in the slightest zephyr and a towering ceiling with hundreds of sparkling eyes, the room was laced with the decadence of centuries of neglect and uninhabited decay.

His attention was solely focused on the alter before him and what sat deceptively still in all its glorious, golden wonder. Situated upon a pitch black table sat the Mirror of Erised and towered above him with almighty grandeur. It was fixed with a sharp, gold frame and encased with a natural dark glow.

Etched beautifully into the enchanted wood were nine distinctively words that his eyes could barely make out. Spanning the unique curvature of the arch, he took in the following words:

Erised stra ehru oy tube cafru oyt on whosi

I show not your face, but your heart's desire

"Magnificent."

Tom uttered the very first word that came to mind, not stopping to think if it would fit the spectacle that stood before him. The words were a cacophonous visionary nuisance. His quick-thinking mind couldn't even begin to understand what the words meant. All he seemed to focus on was the last two words that stood out more than anything.

"What does it mean?" Tom demanded. "Tell me, ghost. I am sure you have been around just as long as the Mirror has, if not longer."

The young woman turned her head upward, her dark eyes resting on the words. "I do not know."

"Do not lie to me, girl."

"She is telling the truth."

Tome turned to find a dark apparition with trailing black hair and the same fathomless eyes as the younger ghost that stood adjacent to him. They sported the same facial features and airy glow. He watched, engaging them as the younger ghost strode over to the other, smiling softly at her.

"Mother."

"Angelina." Her mother pressed with austerity woven into her strong voice. "Did I not tell you to leave this boy alone?"

"You did mother, but he threatened to ignore me."

The woman immediately snapped her attention to Tom. "You- what?" She vanished out of vision before reappearing right in front of him in a fury of rage and harshness. "You dare disrespect my daughter, boy?"

Tom looked over her shoulder and narrowed his eyes on the woman's daughter. "I threatened." he agreed, "but, I did not disrespect her; therefore, she shouldn't feel the least bit insulted. I was merely trying to get her to talk."

She drifted her gaze towards her daughter who bobbed up and down in the air. If ghosts could express emotions, it was hard to make out what she was truly feeling. Her face remained neutral with the slightly uneasiness, causing her furrow her angular brows. The older woman turned her attention back to him.

"My daughter is not the Keeper of the Mirror of Erised, no matter how much she wishes she was."

"I have already distinguished that, My Lady." Tom's soothing voice wrapped around her like a warm blanket. "Did you truly believe that I had fallen for her advances? Such pity. I wish you thought more highly of me."

The Keeper of the Mirror smiled fondly at him. "As much as I love my daughter, I wish I transpired for a son, as well. It would have brought amusement to my humorless existence."

Her daughter floated to her and the woman instantly reached out and wrapped her icy arms around the younger girl's shoulders. "Please do not be displeased. He simply wished to be taken to the Mirror."

"Ah, yes. I have very well aware with that, my dear. Many men before him have gazed upon its reflective face, all finding the same and horrid end as their predecessor."

"Then, you can advise me." Tom stepped forward demandingly. "I wish to know what the words engraved on its frame means."

The Keeper stared at him, giving him a look that was even harder to decode than the words. "If you wish to know what it means, then by all mean take a look through the Mirror. If you are worthy of its insight, it will let you further your quest."

Tom grounded himself firmly. Even with permission from the glowing Keeper of the Mirror, he couldn't bring himself to move. With encouragement from both the Keeper and her daughter, he sidestepped them and proceeded to present himself to the Mirror. A minor formality that he had gathered during his long months of research. It was customary to present oneself without trouble and worry; any faltering gaze or unsteady movement and the Mirror would not allow whoever wanted to look inside its translucent face. One had to exude courage if they wanted to discover their answers.

Slowly, he made the journey across the short landscape of the abandoned room, stopping at the foot of the three stepped alter. Tom looked up. He watched as the mirror flickered with welcome before taking the first step, then the second, and finally the third. He crossed the threshold of its sacred boundary until he stood directly in front of it, his tall frame scarcely fitting in the mirror vision.

"What do you see, boy?'

He looked into the reflecting face of the Mirror of Erised. As he watched, the picture of himself morphed into that of a sinister deity. He was dreadfully malicious. His entire body had transformed into something of fiction and mythology. His once pristine skin had gathered into a murky, dead hue; blue and green veins stretched across his bald scalp, racing and expanding across his entire body; eyes that were once a beautiful and captivating shade of blue were now bleeding like blood from a fresh wound. The man- creature's- face contorted into a slithering sneer.

Tom back away, not quite believing the image he saw through the Mirror's surface. "What is this monstrous beast?" he hissed.

"You."

"That… can't possibly be me."

"Oh, but it is." she told him sadly. "I've been the Keeper of the Mirror since its creation more than a hundred years ago. Through my experience, I've seen men after men waste away and drift off into nothingness because they cannot bring themselves to pull away from its deceptive allure."

"The words," he began, drawing his attention back to the carving above him," I show not your face, but your heart's desire. Tell me, what does that mean?"

The woman looked at him. "Have you ever wanted something so much, so well beyond your reach that you were willing to do just about anything to obtain it?"

When she did not receive an answer, she continued. "It's planted in your heart, boy. Whatever your deepest, darkest desire is, it is there, waiting for the moment of triumph to reveal itself. As I said before, many have grown insane by looking into the Mirror. What you have seen, I am assuming, is a vision of succeeding in whatever you are setting out to do. Whether you fully know or understand what your desire is, you have seen the result of your work and endurance."

"Humans desire many things." Tom retorted.

"What do you desire?"

"I desire power." he said. "I desire a world free of these ghastly beings they call Muggles and Mudbloods. Such disgraceful creatures that do not deserve compassion or empathy."

The Keeper's expression morphed into astonished horror.

"What desire could have caused me to transform into this monstrous beast?" He paused. "Enlighten me. I wish to know what caused this to happen. What caused me to rise to high, and sink so low?"

"I cannot tell you that, boy." she said with finality. "If you wish to know, then continue to watch."

Tom peered back into the Mirror. His future self was now being surrounded by a platoon of faithful followers. For what cause, he could only make petty assumptions. He knew he wanted power. He craved it like starving men craved nourishment. It was a withstanding desire to rid the world of these horrid creatures they called Muggleborns, and anyone else that stained the perfect fabric of the Wizarding world. Filled with hatred, he continued to watch the scene before him transfigure into a more daunting picture.

Scattered remains of faceless people littered the room he was in; the blood he so desperately wanted to cleanse flooded the room, staining the edges of the robes he wore. His future embodiment lavished himself with the metallic substance. Standing in the background was someone he obviously didn't recognize. Her hair was wild with weeks of neglect; fresh marks marred her skin; newly marbleized scars glistened in the glowing light of the room; petrified, she watched with horror as he bent down, scooped up a handful of the blood that filled the room, brought his cupped hand to his mouth, and consumed the eternal substance of the ones he killed.

For the first time he could remember, a stab of pain pierced his heart. He hollered out, gripping his chest with wide, clawing fingers. He stepped away from the Mirror as his eyes remained fixated on the woman in the background. Several figures stepped behind her naked form; she screamed and cried out for him to help, but he only laughed with loud outbursts as his followers forced themselves on her and raped her mercilessly over and over again. Hours it seemed. It felt he had been watching the woman get defiled by a conflagration of unknown men for hours rather than the few critical seconds it took for him to break the incredible hold the Mirror had on him. It was almost as if he truly knew how it felt to be completely captivated by the Mirror because as he fell to the ground, he couldn't help want to look at it once again. A part of him wanted to know what happened to the girl, and if it had been his fault that she had been used and abused is such a despicable manner. Daringly, he looked up and witnessed as he touched and ripped the woman apart. A chorus of high pitched shrieks shook the Mirror, bringing the entire room to silence. Even after he killed her, he could still see the terror etched into her lovely face; still hear the caterwauls of torment fill the Room of Blood.

Tom wanted to weep, but couldn't bring himself to do so. He wanted to weep for his future, for the girl he defiled and allowed others to abuse, for the horrendous way he had ended her life.

It was only when the Keeper of the Mirror spoke that his heart truly assaulted by a concession of pain.

"She is your salvation." The woman told him.

He looked up and met her gaze.

"That woman you say in there was not a figment of the future. She truly was being defiled by those men."

"You dare to say that she- "

"Yes, at this very moment." A few searing tears slide down her cheeks. "All ghosts dying the in the same or similar manner can sense when a new addition joins our ranks. A visionary exploitation; not something anyone of the breathing plane can stand to witness. Trust me, boy. You do not wish to know of the pain she felt."

"I have felt it." Tom clenched his chest painfully, trying to alleviate the sharp stabs in his heart. "I felt every ounce of her suffering." He looked up at her. "What did you meant that she was my salvation?"

The woman did not speak for an extended period of time. With growing concern and anxiousness, Tom wanted to pry for more help and enlightenment from her, but she would not talk to him. Instead, she secured a spot near one of the windows, looking out at the expanse Hogwarts' grounds. Solemnly, she turned back to him and delivered unto him something he hoped would give him the insight he desperately wanted.

"Your desire is very strong. So much so, that there is no doubt in my mind, or the Fate's prophecy, that you will attempt to succeed in your endeavors of purging the world of impurities. However, there will come a time when you will be at your most vulnerable. During which time, she will appear. Like an apparition of fortune and a fragment of the past, that girl will come to you. It will be up to you what you do with her deliverance. If you chose to take her, you will die and be reborn. If you do not, I cannot say." She paused to look at him. "I do not see the future, but I know that she will bring to you a decision that will either free you from your endless torment, or propel you into perpetual darkness for all eternity. You do not simply seek to purge the world; you seek immortality, as well. It is one of your obsessions, and one that could very well seal your fate.

"You are more than willing to do vile things to obtain what you desire, even if that means destroying anyone that stands in your way. A lover, a companion. No one is safe from your wrath. She can offer redemption when the time comes. You have suffered long enough and deserve more than you have been offered, boy. But, neither of us can force you to seek redemption. That is entirely up to you."

Tom watched with silent earnest as the Keeper of the Mirror removed herself from the window and floated over to the Mirror. Her words, just as the words above the Mirror, were unclear. Redemption, choice, suffering, and darkness- what did it all mean and what did it mean for him?

He appeared next to her, breathing heavily as to steady his erratic heartbeat. A failed attempt, especially taking notice of the proximity between him in the Mirror.

The woman looked at him once more, deeming her presence undeserving. She glided away, throwing her gaze to some distant place. It was only then that he realized that her daughter had vanished completely from the room. A shriek sounded from outside and she gave him an apologetic smile.

Before he could inquire, she too vanished, leaving him behind to drown in his sorrow and agony.

He wanted to ask how she died, and why her daughter shrieked with terror every night at precisely one o'clock. Any resemblance of insight was better than none at all.

There was so much he wanted to discuss. There was so much that he didn't understand. What did she mean she was his salvation, and from what? He hadn't done anything that would merit his eternal suffering in the pits of Hell, but as she said, she had no doubt that he would at least attempt to obtain what he desired. Would it be worth the loss and bloodshed? Like a surging pull of a magnet, he was once again drawn to the alluring call of his desires, finding it harder to concentrate.

He vowed as he fought to keep his gaze away from the Mirror that he would at least try to see her advice through. He would try to understand her delivery and make sense of the entire affluence of wisdom. Luck had been on his side tonight; he seriously questioned the woman's existence entirely until she made an appearance. As if forged by the unyielding string of the Fate's, she had been destined to meet with him. She was given a mission to carry out, and she had delivered brilliantly. Quietly, he thanked her for her braveness.

Struggling to latch onto what bit of sanity he had left, Tom broke away from the Mirror, striding towards the entrance. Once he arrived at the double doors, he threw a quick glance over his shoulder, meeting the alluring pull of the Mirror before finding solitude in the darkness.

I hope the updated version is up to part. Stay tuned to a newer version of chapter two :)