A Voldemort Christmas Carol
And so the story begins,
It was Christmas Eve and Tom Riddle was sitting in a high-backed common room chair staring grumpily at the wall. He was the only person left in the Slytherin house. Everyone else had gone home for the holidays.
As a sixth year student Tom was use to this, for not once had he gone back to the orphanage, which was where he called home. Every year all of the young man's friends would leave Hogwarts and go back home with their families. There the splendor of the holiday season would greet them with all it's trimmings.
Now, as you all know Hogwarts celebrates the season too. The school rejoiced with decorations and a feast for the remaining students to enjoy. Young Riddle had to admit that he liked all the fuss, but the celebration affected him in only the darkest ways. It seemed to remind him that family was suppose to always be there.
The break gave Tom time to dwell on the fact he was without family. Such circumstances can made a wizard hate Christmas, Tom was no different. Christmas was defiantly his least favorite time of year.
So I shall get on with the story. As eleven-o-clock neared on this particular Christmas Eve Tom Riddle heard the click and clatter of chains coming from beyond the common room entrance. At first he dismissed the sounds as the usual ghoul making a racket in the dungeons, but as the clinking and chinking became louder and louder it distracted poor Tom from his analysis of the fungus on the damp Slytherin wall.
Soon the smashing and banging of the chains was so loud Tom jumped up from the stiff armchair and yelled, "Who is out there? I demand you to show yourself!"
No sooner had the word come out of his mouth than the noise stopped. Riddle felt like his heart would come right out of his body for it was pounding so hard. But after a few brief moments he scoffed. "Bah Humbug! It was nothing."
The terrible teenager had spoke too quickly. For there was a pale white hand thrusting itself through the porthole and with it a ghostly figure covered in chains. Tom shrieked, started and paralyzed unable to move.
The ghost moved leisurely toward the boy whose eyes were as large as tennis balls. Then it stopped about three feet in front of our hero. Cocking his head he said, "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Tom relaxed in to a scowl. "You are a ghost."
The figure replied, "you've never seen one before? Funny with you being in a place like this and all."
Trying to regain dignity the boy straightened up and stared the ghost in his transparent eyes, "I just don't like them that's all."
Shaking his head the ghost replied, "Then that is quite a misfortune for you on this night,"
"What do you mean by that? And anyways who might you be to frighten…err surprise me at such an hour?"
Bowing the ghost answered, "Edward the Awful, wizard terror."
"I see," Tom said thinking the spirit before him might be short a few straw of a bundle. "So what might your purpose be in coming here Edward the Awful, wizard terror?"
The ghostly man straitened his hat, chains rattling. "Young Tom Riddle, I am here out of charity. We in the afterworld are worried about your future. There are those that think you're heading down the wrong road."
Riddle interrupted him. "What do you mean wrong road?"
"If you'll let me continue you'll find out!" The old man stated. Tom nodded for him to go on, purposefully showing boredom. Edward the Awful overlooked it and continued. "It seems that you are showing signs of pure evil; the purest type of evil," the teenager rolled his eyes. "and from what certain folks have preserved, is that you will turn out to be quite a villain. It is our job to let you know the consequences."
At the mention of villain the young man's eyes lit up. "Really, what else do you know?"
The past Wizard Terror sighed. "You do not understand do you? You have not asked why I am chained like this."
Tom Riddle looked at the chains for a moment. "Ok, I'll ask. What are the chains for?"
Very exuberantly the old wizard lifted them up so they bang and shook. "These are the shackles of my life deeds. In life I forged them, link by link. So horrible and cruel were they that now I have ended up with this heavy garment weighing me down as I wander the earth."
Very impressed indeed, Tom said, "Wow, that's quite a collection, would you mind telling me some of the things you did?"
The spirit was not amused. Sternly he told Riddle, "I have warned you. If you do not heed this warning cursed you shall be. But I shall not be the only one to give you a chance," Edward waved his hand at the clock on the common room mantel. "Tonight you shall be visited by three spirits, the first at one, the second at two, and so on."
Razing his eyebrow the boy asked, "Can't I have them all at once?"
"No. They shall come individually at their times," The wizard began backing towards the entrance. "Warned you I have. This night maybe your only for redemption," As the spirit sank back into the hall, chains clinking, he whispered, "Remember, the first comes at the stroke of one." And then he was gone.
For a while Tom Riddle stood there, finally he laughed. "Humbug!" and went up the stairs to bed.
Disclaimer: Any characters that seem familiar aren't mine. I didn't think them up or spend the time on them that the author of the Harry Potter chronicles did. In conclusion I give all my credit to J.K.Rowling the author behind the great Harry Potter. The story A Christmas Carol is also the property of the wonderful author Charles Dickens.