A/N: Hey! I'm sorry I haven't updated in...just about forever. Lots of school stuff came up, and the other story doesn't call to me...at all. o.o' Anyways, this was a school project. The prompt was to write a story of your own using the style of The Aeneid by Virgil. To tell you the truth, I'm only posting this because my friends bothered me to. XP If you think I should contine/extend/write a prequel to it, I'll do that. Though not in poetry format...iambic pentameter is evil. ' Anyways, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading.
The Riddlead
Attributed to Antonin Dolohov
Period 5-6 LA/SS
23 May 2008
Disclaimer: I, "Antonin Dolohov", do not own any of the characters, spells or locations mentioned below. They belong to J.K. Rowling, and the plot belongs to Virgil. There is no copyright infringement intended.
Chapter Summary:
In this book, Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as the Dark Lord or Lord Voldemort, is followed through his journey to Grindelwald (the reigning Dark Lord of his time) before Dumbledore kills Grindelwald. At this time, Riddle has just graduated from Hogwarts and faces the world as a homeless, jobless wizard who feels a deep hatred for muggles, or non-magic people. The Dark Lord goes to the Chamber of Secrets, a chamber built within the magical school of Hogwarts by one of its founders, Salazar Slytherin. There, Riddle is spoken to by Slytherin's extremely large statue and is told about his destiny. Riddle then goes to find Trelawney, a seer, who goes into a trance and tells Riddle how he can find Grindelwald. He goes to Grindelwald to learn more of the Dark Arts and how to use Dark Magic, and discovers an interesting tidbit about his future.
Glossary on last page.
Part VI: Visiting Grindelwald
A pale-skinned boy of ten and seven years
Looked out upon the bustling, cheery crowd.
The sun was beaming, warm and light and bright.
His face was cold and empty of emotion,
Shielded by a fog of occlumency,
The artful skill of hiding secret thoughts.
The Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore,
Peered, prying, critically at him
Over rims of thin black glasses. Tom
Marvolo Riddle, a tall and slender figure,
Hidden under mounds of sweeping cloaks,
Stared, impassive, blankly, in return.
For this was the end of seven years of Riddle's
Magical education. For it was there that Riddle
Had learned about the wonderful world of magic.
The cheering and screaming of his classmates brought
Him back to the present time. His classmates began
To leave, and people trickled out the large doors.
Before he left, Riddle knew he had
To go and see the Chamber of Secrets.
His cloak, behind, was billowing regally, as Riddle
Walked elegantly towards a beautiful
And intricately decorated sink.
The sink was decorated by extremely
Realistic snakes which ran across its surface.
He hissed in strange and low tones, using
The language of the snakes, Parseltongue,
Regarding the creamy porcelain snakes as
They squirmed and disappeared. The sink divided
Throughout the center separating to
The left and right, revealing inky blackness
Within a murky tunnel. He cast
A levitation spell upon himself,
And entered into a massive cavern bejeweled
By glittering gems and silver laced in complex
Designs. Jet-black marble, flecked with colored
And shining spots, coated the floor and roof.
The Dark Lord called out for the basilisk,
As he stood beside the enormous statue of
The dignified and greatly powerful
Founder Salazar Slytherin.
Obediently, Salazar the basilisk
Came slithering to Riddle and he curled
Around the area where Riddle stood,
Awaiting orders. Stroking Salazar
Fondly, Riddle bid his basilisk
Goodbye. Without a warning, Slytherin's statue
Became alive. It opened its stony mouth
To speak, and uttered words that etched
Themselves within The Dark Lord's mind.
"If my heir should ever cross this path,
I find a need to help explain his future,
The destiny that fate has planned for him.
Because of meddling wizards of the likes
Of my companions, who taught the art of magic
To filthy muggle-spawned beings,
Forever they will always taint the touch
Of magic, taking power from the pureblood
Lineage. So you, a true descendent of
Myself, have now been charged with the task
Of cleansing out the world of sullied blood.
You hold the great support of fate and fortune.
Success will easily be yours.
In order to begin your quest
You need to first find Grindelwald
For he can teach you what to do and how
To use your talent. You, my blood and kin
Need only visit Grindelwald's lair
In Germany. To find him what you have
To do is find destruction's trail.
Easily should you then be able to fin
The one you seek. However, hesitate
And you will fail. Once you find him let
Him know your plans and hear all he has to say.
With this, your very name shall soon be fear and
Respected. Heed my words and you will win."
But Riddle knew himself already what
He had to do. Before he left however,
He sought advice from someone talented,
Trelawney, witch with seeress blood who gave
A prophecy every now and then. When Riddle
Asked her what to do she told him,
"A great new reign begins, and it shall
Be brought by one who seeks the arcane magic,
The one who launches fear within the souls
Of pitiful, pathetic beings smearing
The world with filth, and all of those who stand
Beside them. He will sweep across the land,
And leave no life untouched. All will either
Join or die in the quest for purity."
--
Riddle searched for many days
And nights. He never tired, surviving
On pepper-up and nutrient potions.
Riddle had to find the master of
The Dark Arts to learn his skills and knowledge.
The English Ministry of Magic had
Attempted working along with Grindelwald
A few years prior—Grindelwald, at
That time, was merely an assassin. He would
Discreetly and quickly end a minister's life.
What England didn't notice 'till too late
Was Grindelwald's insertion of his men
Into opened slots so by the time
That England needed Grindelwald no longer,
Effectively he controlled Germany.
The Dark Lord wanted Grindelwald's years
And years of training in the Dark Arts.
He wanted knowledge, which Grindelwald could give him.
And thus, the Dark Lord wandered from one end of Germany to
Another, searching for traces of Grindelwald.
Finally, as one long month of searching
Came to a close, Riddle struck gold. He walked into
A wizarding pub coated with muggle-repelling spells.
He stepped inside, and saw small clusters
Of wizards and witches chattering and eating.
He thought that someone likely knew
Where Grindelwald resided. After
Attaining Grindelwald's location, Riddle
Prepared to leave and confidently breezed away.
--
A handsome man strode purposefully down
The street in odd robes and holding a branch,
Attracting curious stares wherever he went.
Filthy muggles watched the crazy boy as
He waved the stick around and clenched his hand in
Frustration moments later. The 'point me' spell
He used on Grindelwald was changing every cast.
But struck by insight, Riddle started brandishing
His wand in runic symbols forming red
And luminescent strands of magic in
The air, which meshed creating a web of light.
And with a slash of Riddle's yew-tree wand
The web of magic flew and disappeared
Seeking Grindelwald's presence.
--
Accompanied by a nearly silent pop,
The Dark Lord appeared outside
A large and menacing frosty manor. He stopped
Before an endless gleaming wired fence,
The fence was made completely out of bold
And striking lines which seemed to give off ominous
Extending tendrils of threatening magic.
The piece of fence that Riddle stood before
Began to bend and shift until it changed
Into a gate that stood about eleven meters high.
The gate was topped by soaring eagles staring
Suspiciously down upon him. Sniffing with
Contempt, Riddle commanded the gate to open.
Upon his entrance, Riddle's ears were
Assaulted by a multitude of unpleasant noises.
As Riddle walked across a large expanse of
Meticulously kept grass, he spotted many horrors.
Before he saw the cause of shrilly shrieking,
The scent of rotting corpses reached Lord Voldemort.
Inferi, the dead awoken, walked in hoards
To gather about Lord Voldemort, and Riddle shrank
Away, disgusted by their form. Inferi
Continue disintegrating even though
They move and have immunity towards most of
The types of magic. Riddle banished the corpses
With a swish and flick of flame that burst
Across the corpses' bodies. Breathing out
A sigh of both relief and disgust, Riddle
Continued walking only to find another
Attack upon his ears and eyes. Before him people
Were mercilessly being tortured
With many sorts of interesting and
Creative kinds of spells.
A dirty-looking
Man ran to Riddle, falling at his feet,
Begging and pleading with Riddle to help him.
The filthy man then promised loyalty
And life to Riddle, pledging to forever serve him.
Emotionlessly, Riddle cast
The cruciacius curse upon the man
Who had spoken out, which caused him to
Erupt into screams as he fell and writhed upon
The grimy ground. An eerie amusement flitted
Across of Riddle's face as Voldemort felt
The rush of power causing pain would always
Give him. Riddle held the curse there, waiting for
The man to limply fall unconscious. Then
He smiled pleasantly at the now unconscious
Man's companions and nodded his farewell.
A howl preceded a yowling werewolf which Riddle
Shredded with a simple spell. Quickly Voldemort
Became surrounded by a multitude
Of Dark Creatures. The werewolves Riddle killed
By blasting them with loud reductos. To rid
Himself of nasty, lumbering trolls, Riddle
Simply bound their feet together, causing them
To fall with large collapses, crushing their
Companions. Riddle's treatment of the giants
Was similar, but in order to destroy
The dementors, hooded skeletal beings
Who caused remembrance of bad memories and
Enjoyed consuming souls for food, Riddle
Could only cast expecto patronum, the Patronus
Charm. Beyond the trolls and giants and werewolves
And dark dementors, Cerberuses also
Attacked, as well as vampires dripping with blood.
He slashed his way across their ranks
With sectumsempra, cutting spell. Calmly,
He chanted out confringo, defodio,
Deprimo, evanesco and expulso.
The Dark Lord dispatched the monsters easily,
And Riddle went to speak to Grindelwald.
He tensed and shifted into a battling stance
When after stepping gracefully to his left,
He felt the whoosh of a knife where he had stood mere moments
Ago. Then Riddle waved his wand around
And shot out stunners in the place where he last saw
Whatever was there. He strained his eyes to see
If someone was present and let out a startled yelp
As glinting, silver knives immediately flashed
Before his face. Alerted, Riddle began
To plot how he could destroy whichever
Fearless imbecile dared attack him.
Whoever he was dueling likely was hiding
Or disillusioned, hiding under magic's shield.
The Dark Lord looked around suspiciously.
There were neat and tidy rows of bushes
And lines of blooming plants which formed
An odd pattern in the dirt, and
A narrow path crisscrossing through the area.
The Dark Lord stood in what appeared to be
A very well kept garden.
Swiftly Riddle took a step back when the hiss
Of sharpened knives slicing air alerted him
That something headed his way. Riddle wondered
Where the knives were coming from.
One moment from the left; the other from the right.
Deciding offensive would suit his purpose, Riddle
Shot an endless jet of spells hissed softly.
The several squeaks of distress from varying
Directions gave Riddle what he wanted to know.
Satisfied, Riddle smirked, feigning tripping,
Inviting someone to attack him. When
He heard a cutting spell that head his way,
He rolled and pointed his wand in the
Direction of the noise, and cast the
Imperius in their directions. Taking
Over his victim's mind, the Dark Lord
Commanded the person who attacked him
To locate then bring his comrades to
The center. As a scuffle broke out, Riddle
Conjured a massive metal cage which firmly
Dropped above the foolish attackers.
Without a single drop of remorse, Riddle
Did away with the lives of his attackers.
Lord Voldemort reached and opened up a massive
Silver-rimmed door. Upon his entrance Riddle saw that
The walls were painted deep and flawless blue,
The drapery was bronze, portraying completely
Ravenclaw colors. Riddle scoffed at
Grindelwald's display of house favoritism,
Preferring the green and silver tones of Slytherin.
The ground was coated with cold black marble
The ceiling a great, uninterrupted mirror.
The room was empty except for two massive
Stone tables. One had different sorts
Of knives and measuring tools tidily placed
On one side of the tables. The other
Had three gleaming pewter cauldrons. Riddle
Deduced that the room was used for potions making.
It was then that Riddle noticed smears
And streaks of blood that marred the elegant room.
Angry rusty reddish blotches bespeckling
The otherwise neat and orderly setting.
Disgusted by the soiled room, Riddle
Began to leave. But at that moment slow
But echoing clapping filled the rocky room.
A broadly-shouldered, slightly stocky man
With dirty blondish hair and bluish eyes
Who looked like one who had a bellowing laugh.
A rather largish Roman nose sat
Upon the middle of his face, joining
High-ish cheekbones and hollowed sockets.
His face was crinkled in a smile as he
Applauded Riddle's excellent work
In managing to find him alive.
Grindelwald, spotting Riddle, said to him,
"Very well done, Riddle. I didn't
Expect such greatness out of one so young.
It would not be wise to turn you away,
As you will make a much better ally than
An enemy. However, there is something I
Am sure that you would like to know. Riddle,
You are destined to be great. You
Were chosen to lead the world of magic into
A new era, bringing purity back to
The increasingly sullied world. I know that you
Have great potential. Your magic levels all
Are very high and Riddle, you show an abnormal
Amount of power. Add on a brilliant mind
And the perfect leader is created.
You must have heard your prophecies, the ones
That speak of Lord Voldemort's rise. It
Is now that someone such as you, a smart
And powerful leader , someone who can bring
The wizards back to purity. You personally
Hold a hatred toward muggles for
The simple reason that muggles were cruel to you.
The silly little ignorant muggles cause
A lot of trouble. First they meddle here
And there; then they have magic offspring.
The wizards and witches born of muggle parents
Know not of anything. Then we of solid
Ancestry will take them in and teach them,
Ungrateful people that they are will turn
And try to steal our power. After being
Taught by us the muggle offspring try
To earn themselves positions in the Ministry,
Complaining about the bigotry of purebloods.
And this is why they must be killed, for once
We teach them wizarding ways the muggleborn
Become a threat. If you can lead us out
Of failing misery, beginning yet
Another wonderful period, forever you
Will be remembered. As the one who ended
The messy times of muggle born and muggles
Who knew about the wizarding world. Dear boy,
You have a lot of great potential. You could
Likely learn to be as powerful
As Dumbledore. The trait that makes you better
Than he is willingness to sacrifice
And understanding means and ends. You know
The means can vary and that they do not matter
In themselves, and what is important are
The end results. You shall be the chosen
One to lead us out of darkness. You wish
To learn the Dark Arts. Created by
The powerful wizards—also witches—of
The time, the Dark Arts can never be
Forgotten, as they are history's magic lesson
To us. The problem with the Dark Arts is
The possibility of addiction to
The thrill and rush that power give you.
But if you give into temptation, no
One will be left to save the world.
But I am sure that you with all your power
Will not fall prey to the draws of Dark Magic,
For I can see the strength of magic emanating
From you already—surely dabbling in
The Dark Arts will not make you lose
Your head. But if you truly want me
To teach you first you have to understand
The dangers of Dark Magic. I will have
You know that the type of magic you, Riddle,
Would like to learn from me is always frowned
Upon for all the spells are used for combat.
History is never bloodless,
And Dark spells are a result of that.
For you I can begin teaching
The form of magic that you wish to learn.
However it is likely that your magic
Surpasses my own, and I will not be able
To help you after you progress a while.
When you are fully trained, you shall be a
Formidable opponent to anyone
Who goes against you, and a great ally
To anyone who sides beside you. Bring
The world to better times when you can."
Very gratefully Riddle thanked
The Dark Lord Grindelwald for offering both
Advice and aid for Grindelwald had seen
Potential in him and would tutor him.
Riddle told to Grindelwald a prophecy
About himself.
"The one who aims for greatness
Will stray from magic's natural path, taught
By one who has explored the realm of magic.
And when the orphan returns, all of his
Desires easily shall be fulfilled
For he will lead the noble ones to their
Return to their deserved superiority.
And quickly all will fear even his name,
And none will escape his vengeful wrath. The fools
That dare oppose him will be gone forever
Behind the whispering veil of ghosts and souls.
His second teacher will be killed by
His first, and he will hear the sickeningly
Sweet song of revenge.
His power never will know any bounds
And it will seek and find and destroy.
He will feel no fear to use the gifts
Bestowed upon him and forever he shall
Be written in the history books."
Above was the prophecy that Riddle recited
About himself, knowing that the future
Held him in high esteem and thinking he
Would not disappoint it. Riddle knew
How great he was. At Hogwarts Riddle always
Stood at the top of all his classes. Riddle
Was both Head Boy and Prefect,
And he was loved by all his teachers. No
One saw the real Riddle underneath,
The one who wanted vengeance for all the things
The muggles at the orphanage did to him.
And thus began Riddle's search for knowledge,
Which led him to Grindelwald's lair.
The Dark Lord Grindelwald's smile
Widened. Riddle's stance bespoke of confidence.
He firmly gripped his yew wand in his hand,
Yet looked relaxed and comfortably unthreatened.
His previous displays of power in the duels
Had proven Riddle to be quite adept
At using magic. Riddle had no qualms
Regarding killing or torturing, which
He couldn't have if he were truly to
Understand the Dark Arts. Riddle
Had demonstrated a sound mind as well
As sharp wits. Riddle would be the perfect student.
--
About a single year after Riddle's
Finding of Grindelwald, Riddle had
Returned to England. Only a couple weeks
Prior, Dumbledore had killed and defeated
Grindelwald in their final duel.
Because of Grindelwald's aid Riddle
Had the power that he did. Riddle
Had yet to repay the aid of Grindelwald
But never had a chance. Honoring
His teacher's memory, Riddle tried
To instigate his purging spree.
He begun by finding sympathizers, people
Who agreed with Riddle's notion that
All of those with impure blood were quite
Inferior. And in this way Voldemort began.
Riddle had been gathering followers.
He had developed a clever system
Of maintaining loyalty—
His followers, named the Death Eaters, would
Be branded with a tattoo of a skull with a snake
Intertwined, the Dark Mark. This would
Allow him firm control of all his minions.
Not only this, Riddle had begun
His infiltration of the Ministry
Of Magic, slipping followers into
Positions where they likely could gain influence.
And every week or so, Voldemort
Would raid muggle towns, racking up
High death tolls and frightening
The part of wizarding society
That had refused to join his cause.
After each and every attack the Dark
Mark would burn an eerie green in
The sky, inspiring fear within all folk.
The Dark Lord struck quickly and lethally
And muggleborns and half-bloods would
Often leave the world for that of death
Along with the occasional blood traitor.
Frequent deaths marred the tabloids,
And the wizarding world was in chaos.
The reign of Voldemort had begun.
Glossary:
Apparation: The magical practice of instant transportation.
Avada Kedavra: The killing spell. One of the three unforgivables—very dark arts.
Blood traitor: A pureblood who associates with those of impure blood. Derogatory term used by traditional purebloods.
Confringo: Blasting spell.
Dark Lord: Name used for Riddle by Voldemort's followers.
Death Eaters: Voldemort's followers.
Defodio: Gouging spell.
Dementors: A type of Dark Creature. Resembling a hooded skeleton, dementors cause an icy chill and the people around them to relive their worst memories. Dementors eat souls for food, and can be blocked only by the patronus charm. Are not really alive.
Deprimo: Blasting spell.
Dumbledore, Albus: The Transfiguration professor during Riddle's time at Hogwarts who later becomes headmaster. Had a childhood friendship with Grindelwald until Grindelwald turned dark, killed Grindelwald before Riddle's rise as Voldemort. The most powerful wizard of his time.
Evanesco: Vanishing spell.
Expulso: Explosion spell.
Grindelwald, Gelert: A Dark Lord who Riddle visited to learn from who was killed by Albus Dumbledore shortly before Voldemort's rise.
Gryffindor: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts, named after Godric Gryffindor, one of the founders. The House that prides bravery over all. Known to be a stiffly light-side house. Carries a deep rivalry with Slytherin.
Horcrux: A piece of a soul that has been ripped from the original through an act of murder and placed in an object.
Imperio: One of the three unforgivable spells. Allows mind control, but can be thrown off the strong-willed.
Imperius: Cast by saying 'imperio', allows caster to control the victim. One of the three unforgivables.
Inferi: Similar to zombies, inferi are the mindless but moving dead that obey the will of the one who raised them.
Legilimency: The magical skill of reading minds. See occlumency.
Ministry of Magic: Main wizarding governing branch.
Mudblood: A muggleborn wizard or witch.
Crucio: One of the three unforgivables—the pain-causing curse. Prolonged exposure may result in permanent brain damage.
Occlumency: The magical skill of shielding the mind. See legilimency.
Parseltongue: The language of the snakes. Salazar Slytherin, Tom Riddle, and Harry
Potter possess the ability to speak it. Slytherin and Riddle by blood, Potter by the Riddle's failed attempt to kill him.
Patronus: Performed with "expecto patronum", it is cast by the recalling of a happy memory and drives off dementors.
Pepper Up Potion: A potion that is the wizarding equivalent of coffee.
Ravenclaw: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts, named after Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the founders. The House that prides intellect and learning.
Reducto: Blasting and banishing spell.
Salazar Slytherin: One of the four founders of Hogwarts—known for pureblood prejudices and one of the most famous parseltongue speakers. Riddle's ancestor.
Scourgify: Cleaning spell.
Sectumsempra: Cutting spell.
Slytherin: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts, named after Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders. The House that prides cunning and ambition. Also known as the conservative, pureblood, dark-arts house. Carries a deep rivalry with Gryffindor.
Voldemort: A name Tom Riddle came up with for himself due to his wish to rid himself of his muggle father's name.