The Riddle of Voldemort
It was hard enough living in war torn England as it was, but Tom Marvolo Riddle was an orphan as well.
Growing up in an orphanage had been hard on Tom. He wasn't liked to begin with, but then strange things started to occur. And always at the worst times, as it usually happens. Tom learned he was a wizard when he was 11-years-old.
He had gone to his room to hide from the bigger children when he saw the owl. It was a large beautiful tawny colored owl. He had never seen an owl this close before; it was amazing to him. But the owl seemed a bit strange to him; there was something unusual about it. That's when he spotted the envelope. He rushed over and grabbed it, when he turned it over he was surprised to see his name on it.
Master Thomas Riddle
Third Bed From the Window
Room 13
Luton Orphanage
Luton, Bedfordshire
Tom looked at his bed, it was in fact the third bed away from the window, and he was in room 13. With a bit of trepidation he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
Dear Master Riddle,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Tom dropped the letter as if Churchill had sent it himself. Wizard school? There couldn't really be such a thing. He picked the letter up and began reading again.
The new term will start on September the1st, the Hogwart's Express will depart from Platform 9 & 3/4's, King's Cross Station at precisely 11 o'clock.
You will find enclosed a list of supplies; you can purchase in the shops located in Diagon Alley.
We look forward to meeting you,
Prof. Albus Dumbledore
Deputy Headmaster, Transfiguration Professor
"This can't be," Tom thought. "A school that teaches magic?" He finished aloud.
He turned around quickly hoping no one had heard him. Sure that no one had he went back to the envelope to look for the list. As he read down the list he became convinced this had been someone's idea of a very bad joke. "Cauldrons, quills, spell books, potion making ingredients?" He whispered to himself disbelieving. "I'm going to find out who sent this and when I do..." He said crumbling the letter in his fist.
The next day as he sat at the breakfast table, he tried to decide which of his tormentors had sent him the letter. "Maybe it was Billy; he's always hated me for being a better student." He thought. He went on like this throughout the meal, running down a mental list of names. He finished his gruel and returned to his dormitory where he found yet another owl. This one was the most beautiful Snowy Owl he had ever seen. Granted, it was only the second owl he'd ever seen up close. He tore open the envelope to reveal another letter, written exactly the same as the last. This was beginning to make him really angry. "I will get them for this, I swear I will!" He said through clenched teeth.
His anger had risen so high that the letter burst into flames in his hand.
He dropped it quickly and stomped out the flame, looking around to see that incident hadn't been seen. But there in the doorway stood Billy Childs.
"I'm going to tell Mr. Edwards I am!" He yelled and he ran off.
Even though he went out of his way to stay out of trouble, Tom knew he was in for the thrashing of a lifetime. He tried to find a place to hide but it was too late. Just as he was ready to run, Mr. Edwards the proprietor of the orphanage grabbed him by his hair.
"Want to start a fire 'ere do ya?" He bellowed, and to the delight of Tom's dormitory mates he dragged him back to his office and slammed the door behind them.
But to everyone's shock and dismay, the beating never came. At that same time the front door opened and there stood a man dressed in what could only be described as a dressing gown. He wasn't extraordinarily tall, and he wasn't exactly what you would call foreboding in his stature. But the look on his face was such that it told the boys not to get in his way.
He went to the door of Mr. Edwards' office, raised his hand and the door blew apart.
The boys were so taken aback by this that they began to yell and run in different directions.
"I would let the boy go if I were you Sir." The oddly dressed man said.
"See 'ere! 'Oo you fink you are? Crashin' down my door like that!" Edwards yelled.
"I am the one who has come to take this young man away from here." He told him quietly. "Now wait jus' a minute!" He said shocked.
"No Sir, I will not. Tom, would you come here please?" The older man smiled at him.
"Who are you?" Tom asked, refusing to move.
"I am Albus Dumbledore; you'll have gotten my letters?" He said smiling.
Tom couldn't believe his ears. Was this man really who he said he was or was this still part of some cruel practical joke?
"Yes, I am really who I say I am. No this isn't a cruel joke." Dumbledore said.
"How, how did you know..." "Ah, you'll learn soon enough Young Tom. Come, we must go. You'll need to get to Diagon Alley for your supplies." He said waving his hand towards the doorway.
Edwards made as though he would try to block their path but one look from the man called Dumbledore told him it wouldn't be wise.
"Aah take 'im then! I'll not be 'eld responsible fer this, I promise you! I'll tell 'em the boys run off." He said backing away from them. "You'll do nothing of the kind. You'll tell them nothing. If they should wonder where he is, I trust you'll think of something clever." Dumbledore warned. As they left Tom looked back at the orphanage for what he had hoped was the last time.
Dumbledore led Tom to a carriage and opened the door, "Up you get." He said as he held out his hand. Reluctantly, Tom took the offered hand. As he did Dumbledore pulled away as if he had been burned. Tom recoiled at Dumbledore's reaction to him.
"I'm sorry about that Tom, it wasn't you, I just got a sharp pain in my arm that's all. I must be getting old." He smiled reassuringly.
"Diagon Alley if you please Jonas." He said as he climbed into the carriage behind Tom.
With a loud crack the carriage left Luton in the blink of an eye.
Tom almost fell off his seat as the carriage lurched forward.
"Where are we?" He asked.
"Ah, we're here. Look around you Tom, this is Diagon Alley." He said with a wave of his hand.
Tom was amazed. The place he'd just left looked worn down and beaten because of the war. This place was crowded with people dressed as strangely as Professor Dumbledore. The shops were just as strange as the people in them. There was an apothecary, Professor Dumbledore told him he could get his potion supplies here. He saw a place to get magical creatures, another called Flourish & Blotts where he would get his books. There was so much to see!
"All in good time Tom. First I must ask you, what do you remember of your mother?"
"I don't remember anything about her. She died soon after I was born, and my father died not long after her." He told him.
"Let's get something to eat, and talk." He said.
Tom followed him through the streets into what looked to be a solid brick wall
Professor Dumbledore pulled his wand from his robes and tapped it in five places. The wall began to move, Tom thought it was about to crumble but instead it made an opening for them to go through.
"This is the Leaky Cauldron. We'll be able to have some privacy here. There are some things we need to discuss. Things that you may not want to hear." He told him sadly.