The Wizard of Two Souls
The hour was late at Hogwarts, as Tom Riddle quickly walked through the castle. He knew that he would be in deep trouble if he was caught outside of bed. He was a prefect after all, and was expected to be the idol of the school: composed, smart, charming, and innocent. The act that he put on for Hogwarts was beginning to become tiresome. He could fool the professors into thinking anything that he wanted them to, but that was not all he wanted. He was tired of pretending that everything at Hogwarts was perfect, because it was not. The thoughts that had been swimming through his mind for so long could no longer be controlled, and he had to find answers. Things had to change, and they had to change quickly.
Ever since he was a young boy, Tom knew that he was meant for great things. The other boys had never understood his power, and had thought he was a freak. But he knew that he was meant for more; he knew that he was destined for greatness. Dumbledore, the transfiguration teacher, had only further strengthened his belief when he had spoken to him that day at the orphanage.
A sudden noise in the distance startled Tom, and forced him away from his thoughts. He thought he could hear the caretaker of Hogwarts close behind him, but he was uncertain. The castle had always been quite misleading when it came to the perception of noises in the hallway. However, Tom still felt uneasy. He did not want to face the consequences of his actions, especially after all of the hard work he had put into his image. Tom could see the entrance to the library just to his left, so with a fleeting look over his shoulder, he swiftly rounded the corner and left the noise behind him.
"Alohomora" he said as he pointed his wand at the lock. It opened and Tom entered the library. The Hogwarts Library was enormous and carried thousands of volumes of books. It contained so much information that even the brightest wizard could not absorb it all. Tom knew that his topic of interest would not be in the normal part of the library. It was far too dark and complicated for his simple classmates to understand. Without a second glance at the tall stacks of books, Tom walked straight past them and entered the Restricted Section.
The books in this section had a much darker appearance. They seemed ugly and neglected, compared to the bright leather-bound covers of the books in the main part of the library. Tom noticed the cobwebs and shadows that were scattered across the area, but he was not afraid. He had waited far too long for this information to turn back now. The excitement within him was much more than he had ever felt before as he headed towards the most evil topic the restricted section contained: the Horcrux.
As Tom walked towards the far end of the restricted section, his mind started to wander to the recent events that he had been through. It was at the beginning of his current year in Hogwarts that Tom had learnt that he was the heir of Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts. Tom had always known that he was special, but to have it revealed to him with such grand news was what he had been waiting to hear. Tom felt a sudden surge of power as he began to absorb the magnitude of this news. Apart from his historic lineage, he now had the power to finish what his ancestors had started long ago: keep the wizarding blood pure. Tom could still feel the anger raging inside of him. Every single muggle-born that entered Hogwarts was a disgrace to the wizarding name. He had been planning their destruction for quite some time, but the news of his ancestry had opened a new opportunity. All he had to do now was wait for the right moment, and the secrets of his past would soon be unleashed. However, the idea of killing the muggle-borns had given Tom a sudden thought that had been haunting him continuously: the thought of his own vulnerability.
Tom felt his face wrinkle with disgust. He was just as vulnerable as that filth he wanted to destroy. Tom was a wizard, far more superior to mudbloods. He had to find a way to overcome his weakness. He had to find a way to attain immortality.
This problem had frustrated Tom for so long, that he was starting to have trouble containing his anger. It was only on a street in Knockturn Alley that Tom had heard the first reference to the term. The wizard speaking about it had said something about coming back from the dead, but Tom had not been sure if what he heard was true. It was his search for the answer to this problem that had forced him to visit the restricted section after hours and uncover the key to his restless questions. Tom hoped that he would find it, as it would finally get him closer to fulfilling his future plans.
Tom suddenly found himself at the very back of the library. His thoughts had simply engulfed him, and he had been unaware of where he was going.
"How careless of me," he hissed angrily in the darkness, as it echoed back to him from multiple angles. Tom was far too used to the perfection of his actions, and making mistakes was something he could not afford to do. He turned to his right and left when suddenly a very peculiar cupboard located in the far corner of the room caught his eye. It was a small cupboard, made of moldy wood and a single pane of glass. As Tom carefully moved closer to the ancient cupboard, he noticed an enormous padlock wound around its doors. He was sure that whatever was in that cupboard was precious and was also the answer to all of his questions.
"Reducto!" Tom whispered, pointing his wand at the large padlock on the door. The lock exploded the second the spell hit it, and fell to the ground in pieces. He was far too excited to use the unlocking spell. Still staring at the cupboard, Tom approached it and opened the two wooden doors. For something that seemed so dangerous, Tom thought that Dippet had been quite negligent in protecting it. He guessed the headmaster had not thought that anyone would have the nerve, or even the reason, to come looking for it.
As Tom opened the cupboard, he felt his hands shake and his heart beat hard against his chest. Inside the cupboard was a small, dusty book, bound in a fading black leather cover. When Tom picked it up and blew away the dust, the title of the book was revealed in bright red letters.
"The Wizard of Two Souls," Tom read to himself. It was the only writing that was on cover of the book.
Tom stared at the book, hoping for some form of realization to hit him, but he was confused, and it was a feeling that he was never very familiar with. It made him frustrated that he was not able to grasp the concept of the book from the title itself. This frustration forced him to open the book, without taking it back to his room. As soon as he opened the book, his dark mind was drawn toward its words.
There once was a dark wizard of great power who ruled over the kingdom that his ancestors had left for him. He was a ruthless, corrupt king who the people feared greatly. He frequently punished the people for illogical reasons, and did so using the unforgiveable curses. The kingdom which had once known prosperity and happiness at the hands of earlier wizards was now filled with death and destruction. The king was frustrated by the failure of his kingdom, yet still persisted with his evil ways. He searched for solutions to his kingdom's state continuously, but was always disappointed with failure and confusion.
One day, the wizard king heard it said that a few of his people were planning a revolution. The king feared for his life and was unaware of how to help his situation. He turned to his old advisor for an answer. His advisor was reluctant at first, but after much prodding by the wizard, decided to unveil his darkest secret. He told the wizard of a magic so powerful, that it held the key to immortality. It was a magic so evil and dark that all wizards before him had turned away from the use of such a means of power. The solution to the king's problems would be to create a Horcrux.
The advisor continued to explain that a Horcrux was a terrible form of magic which could only be formed by committing the most evil of deeds: murder. It involved ripping the soul in two, and keeping one of the pieces away in an object, ensuring that if anything happened to the first piece, the second piece would be safe. However, the advisor warned the king of the harm that such an act could cause to a wizard. The king, so desperate and greedy for this great power, ignored the warnings provided and decided to perform the procedure. The king summoned one of his people to his castle, pulled out his wand and killed the man without a second thought. With the incantation of the spell, Excindo Macordum, the king ripped his soul and decided to place the piece in a golden staff, which was passed down from his father.
The king hoped that all of the problems would be solved, and that out of fear of their master, all the people would obey him. However, the kingdom stayed in its constant state of destruction and decay. As time went by, the wizard king began to lose himself. He was no longer headstrong, stubborn, or demanding. He went insane, as he lost his mind in skewed ideas and beliefs that he thought were essential, but in reality were deranged.
The wizard king was driven so far beyond repair that his advisors did not believe that he was fit to be king. They would often find him alone in rooms, murmuring to the golden staff in his hands. The committee could not deal with the situation any longer and decided to take matters into their own hands by dethroning him. They relieved him of his wand and the staff, and took him to the highest tower to lock him away in solitude for eternity. The wizard's final wish was to be reunited with his prized possession, the golden staff. In spite of his wishes, the staff was never given back to the king, and he was locked in the tower. The king was left there for all of eternity, tortured by his thoughts and by his longing for the piece of his soul that he would never be able to possess again.
As Tom turned the last page of the book, a wild, greedy expression began to form on his face. He had stopped registering the text in front of him after the explanation of the dark magical procedure. It was all he could think about, and it was all that mattered.
"It is real." Tom hissed. "I have found what I have intended to find!"
Tom knew that the excitement in his voice was apparent. His questions and uncertainties all seemed to evaporate into the hot exhilaration present in his mind. Immortality was real, and it was attainable! Soon he would be the most powerful wizard in the world and no one would be able to stop him. So many more questions started to form in his head, but he felt far less restless about them. He needed more answers, and he knew that a certain professor would be more than happy to give them to him.