The rain soaked him as he watched the shop from the alleyway across the path. Burke was inside and apparently alone. He certainly hoped he was alone, it would be very - tiresome to have to make a mess out off this, he was hoping for a quick kill tonight, nothing fancy nor extreme. He wondered if he could use Burke for one off his precious seven. He had decided against it of course, he would require a object he wished to use and sadly until he could find the lost Diadem he would have to wait, but wait is something he did not want to do for this. Burke knew his shame, knew of the filthy Thomas Riddle who shared his name. He had to die.
Drawing his wand he walked calmly, as if on a peaceful stroll he moved with unnatural silence in his footsteps until he had reached the door which he unlocked with a silent tap of his wand. Burke was still inside, counting money by the sounds of it, just had he had done all those years ago, so very predictable of him. Silently he shut the door behind him, his wand still hanging loosely at his side as he glanced quickly around the old shop, which looked exactly the same as when he had left it. Dark objects surrounded him but he paid them no attention as he moved through the shop, Borgin and Burkes was said to specialise in dark objects and yet, in reality, they sold nothing but toys for overeager child like fools. He griped his wand tighter as he moved into the backroom. Burke was stood at the desk in the corner with his back towards the door, seemingly unaware that his old employee was stood behind him, how very - rude of him.
"Hello Mr Burke" he spoke "you've gotten - old"
Burke span at the voice and his eyes widened in recognition and he was sure he saw Burke's hand flicker towards his wand which lay on the desk behind him.
"Thomas, is that you!" Burke exclaimed
"It is indeed Mr Burke, it's good to see you again" he smiled coolly through the lie, Mr Burke grimaced "wish I could say the same, a lot of people are looking for you" Burke replied as his eyes seemed to scan his face before saying "Are you okay Thomas?, you look - ill"
"I can assure you I'm in perfect health - what people?" he asked quickly, his voice changing, growing colder. More intimidating. Burke seemed to notice this, his hand moving slightly ever closer to his wand.
"About that woman, the one who I sold the locket too, they found her dead Tom and the locket missing - and even Hufflepuff's cup, which I didn't even know she had, would have gave her a lot of money for that"
Burke seemed to be rambling to himself now but his mind was reeling as he remembered the foolish old woman and what she had told him
"Burke bought it, apparently, from a ragged-looking woman who seemed to have stolen it, but had no idea of its true value"
A lot of money indeed, he thought and for the first time he scolded himself on wasting one off his precious seven - the locket itself - on a filthy muggle tramp when it would be so much more fitted for Mr Burke. Such ironic justice it would have been.
"- and of course Dumbledore's been asking questions"
He quickly snapped back to the situation. Dumbledore. Of course, that foolish old man would get involved in manners that hardly concerned him. If Dumbledore was involved then he would have to be more careful for the foreseeable future, starting with Burke.
"Is that so - may I ask what he wanted?"
"Wanted to know about the locket, where I got from and such - so I told him everything, didn't have a choice"
"Where exactly did you get it from?" he asked, knowing fully the answer, he was just playing with Burke and the stupid man was too foolish to see it "you never did tell me that story"
"Didn't I - not really that interesting if I'm honest, some homeless woman came in the shop and sold it too me"
"No doubt you gave a fair price" he cut in, his voice now so cold that Burke seemed to notice, he saw Burke's hand move far too close to his wand. In a flash he raised his wand and a red light shot out into Burke's chest before the older man could move, sending Burke backwards, sprawling over the desk into the corner of the room.
He walked calmly, not lowering his wand, not blinking, just watching as Burke lay unconscious on the floor, he should cast the spell and end this but something stopped him, a small curiosity - he couldn't remember the last time he was curious. He had met his father, he had met his uncle, but never once had he met his mother, she would no doubt disappointed him. Still, he figured, since he was here.
"Legilimens!"
Memories that were not his we're spinning throughout his mind, boring days sat behind a shop, Burke talking to Borgin, Burke making some unknown person, Burke wasting his time getting drunk until finally he reached the memory he sought. Burke was working behind the desk in the front room of the shop, once again he appeared to be greedy counting his money when the door suddenly opened, a large blast of wind and heavy rain flew through the doorway and a heavily pregnant woman slowly walked in, shutting the door behind her. Burke and he turned to look and while Burke looked at the woman with distaste, he couldn't turn away from her. Her hair was so dirty, tangled and thin that he couldn't even tell what colour it may have once been, her heavily pale face was matched with large dark circles under her eyes which gave her the appearance of someone who hadn't slept in days, she was also, he noticed, heavily pregnant.
"May I help you?" Burke spoke, his voice contradicting his words as the pregnant woman walked towards the counter "I'd like - like - to - to sell this please" her small, barely audible voice shook from the cold. "It was Slytherin''s himself" she added quickly as if in a afterthought but the look in Burke's eyes quickly told him that Burke did not believe her story.
"Well, I'll have to verify it , can I please see the item", without another word the pregnant woman slowly removed a heavy locket from her pocket and he quickly recognised it as the same locket that had become one of his precious seven. Burke slowly took the object, seemingly careful not to touch the woman, Burke's eyes couldn't hide the disgust and contempt. Burke quickly waved his wand, casting a spell onto the locket, his eyes widening, he quickly repeated the spell and he could see the excitement in Burke's eyes - Burke had clearly discovered the true value of the locket now.
"Well - this is extraordinary" Burke smiled, looking at the woman differently now, but still, he could see that Burke still held her in disgust, Burke's eyes couldn't lie. "I'll give you ten gallons for it.. I promise you - you won't get a better deal, not in times like these". He expected the woman to argue, she must now how much it was really worth, but if she did then she didn't care as she just nodded her head. Burke's face spilt into a grin, with eyes full of laughter.
The memory was over and he was back in the back room office, Burke still lay upon the floor. That is where he came from!, that pathetic woman!. That was his mother!. So weak and stupid and pitiful. He, Lord Voldemort, was the birth child of a pathetic excuse for a witch and a muggle. Never had he felt such shame. She had just given up the locket - Slytherin's great heirloom and she had practically given it away!. She didn't deserve to be his mother, he deserved better!. His anger suddenly exploded, and a green light shot from his wand, hitting Burke in the head and Burke would move no more. How could she!, she didn't even try!, she could have gotten hundreds for it and yet she was content with ten gallons!. He willed himself to calm, he didn't need her, he never had and he never would. He was no longer than small boy she had gave birth too, Tom Riddle was dead and gone, Lord Voldemort would rise and nobody would ever know off her, which is exactly what she deserved. He looked down at his wand of yew, it was all he needed - power. He noticed the ring, his grandfather's ring, his slimming fingers we're almost too small to hold it now, he would have to stop wearing it and hide it once he made another, a small price to pay for such rewards. As he walked from the room, he cast no look back at the body in the corner and as quietly as he had come, he left into the night.