Tom Marvolo Riddle was born evil. It was a biological condition, printed in his DNA. It had nothing to do with the ambient he was raised in, with the people he grown up with, no.
Of course, once he did think that maybe everything he felt was because of the way the world always treated him; spite on him; beat him.
But Mrs. Cole showed him wrong.
"Jesus suffered a great deal," She said while washing the dishes, her eyes on her task, never on him. "And he was never mean or evil to another soul."
"But-" Tom started, but her mentor dismissed him with a wave of hand, soap flying on his face. He gave his back, walking to the other side as he cleaned his cheek with the back of his hand.
He wanted to say that Jesus was a God, and he was just a boy.
Eventually, even he himself understood it was part of his nature – to be mean and evil and hateful. It wasn't the other kids fault he was a loner; well, yes, they did ignore him and laugh at him when he came near, but it was because they knew about his damned soul. How could they not? He was born like that.
When Dumbledore came and explained to him he was different, he though for a moment – only for a moment – that he wasn't so bad after all. He was just special. With a shake of wand, however, the professor showed the boy it wasn't the case. He was a robber, he was mean, he was strange and he spoke to snakes.
And when they locked eyes again, Tom realized that Dumbledore also could see right through him. Could see the evilness.
He had always been damned, anyway. Now he'd be damned twice.
Big deal.
His new classmates were quick to realize the truth, however. First day of school and they all despised him already – despised his clothes, his muggle name, his hand-me-down text books. But above all, they despised his very nature, his very self.
People from the other Houses disliked him as well, even if for another reason. He was in the Evil House (the irony was not lost on him) and he deserved to suffer for all he had done to other people.
It didn't matter he had never done anything to any of them.
It didn't matter.
And then one day he learnt about his heritage – heir of Salazar Slytherin himself, the wizard who almost tore apart Hogwarts with his greed and hatred.
Tom could never forget. It was in his DNA.
Just like that, he decided to accept who he was, what he had to do. He understood he would never be good, it didn't matter how hard he tried.
And oh God did he try. He tried so hard.
But Dumbledore still looked at him the same way.
There was "Monster" in his eyes.
He opened the Chamber, and killed the girl. An accident, in truth, but another proof he was destined to terrible things. Great, indeed, but terrible.
He created a group of followers, people who had it in their nature as well. A boy whose family controlled his every move. A girl whose father spanked her after any mistake. Another silent boy with miserable eyes whose history Tom never learnt. Not that it was of any importance.
Rage was on one's genetic, as they say.
Eventually, Tom decided to pay his father a visit. He wanted to know where his rotted heart came from. Where his biology went wrong.
He met him.
And killed him.
The world was better off without another Riddle, without another dark soul. The boy had hatred enough in him already.
He worked, and learnt, and experienced all he had to achieve his goal. Did he mention which was?
Oh, he was bad and evil, all right. But he refused to be forgotten, to be just another unhappy man who died alone and miserable and became part of the statistics. If he had to be bad, then he'd be the worst and people would remember his name.
The worst person to ever live.
Not even a person, really.
A monster.
He had it in his nature.