TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE- THE STORY
CHAPTER TWO
Tom Riddle walked through the streets of London, following Professor Dumbledore's instructions on where to find the Leaky Cauldron. When he reached the bar, he looked around to see those foolhardy and idiotic muggles walking by as if it weren't even there.
Perhaps I AM the only one here who can see it, Tom thought to himself. After all, these people aren't special like me. They know nothing of the magical arts.
He opened the door and walked through to see it overcrowded by many other wizards and witches who were all talking loudly.
A few of them looked over questioningly at the small, little boy who was making his way over to the front bar, alone.
"Excuse me," he said to the young man serving the drinks.
"I'm looking for Tom the bartender."
"Hello Tom Riddle, I'm Tom. Professor Dumbledore told me about you. Follow me then," the man said cheerfully.
He steered Tom through the inn before they came to the tinniest back area Tom had ever seen. It had no trash cans and there was the brick wall that Professor Dumbledore had mentioned.
"I'll get it for you," the man offered, taking out his wand.
He placed his wand on a few bricks and, after withdrawing it, the bricks began to move around before there was a large whole that was big enough for a large group of Tom's age to walk through.
"Can you get it from here?" the man asked little Tom.
"Yes. I don't need your help now," Tom retorted, leaving the surprised man standing there.
Tom walked through the crowded streets of what looked like an older version of London except with strangely dressed people walking around. They wore cloaks of odd colors and carried shopping bags, or at least SOME of them were carrying, while others levitated them with wands.
Tom glanced at his piece of parchment that was his school supplies list and decided to go to Olivander's first.
After finding the shop, he went inside to find that there was nobody else in there except a middle aged looking man (or perhaps in his mid forties) with light brown hair that might have been dirty blonde.
He came to his desk and asked
"How may I help you boy? Hogwarts then?"
"Yes," Tom replied. "I'm looking for Mr. Olivander."
"Speaking," Olivander said, smiling.
Tom did not smile but nodded courteously.
"So, let's get started. I'm sure we'll be able to find a match for you young man," Olivander assured.
Mr. Olivander levitated a strip of a measuring tape to measure Tom and then asked
"Are you right handed or left handed?"
"Uh, right handed," Tom said, coming out of a daze from starring at the floating tape, transfixed.
"Very well then," Olivander replied. "Time to figure out which one would be best for you."
He walked over to a shelf and picked up a long, rectangular, dark purple box. He lifted the cover off of the box and took out a long wand that matched Olivander's dusty, red coat.
"Try this," he suggested.
Tom took the wand in his hand and looked at Mr. Olivander confusedly.
"Just give it a wave," Olivander instructed.
Tom blinked once and then raised the wand higher. He flicked it and caused a nearby shelf of wands to tip over.
"Oh, great," Olivander muttered, irritated. "Not again."
Tom looked around and noticed that there were many tipped shelves on the floor.
Did this mean that he was less capable of magic than others? Did this mean that he wasn't special at all?
"Don't worry," Olivander said casually, as if reading Tom's thoughts. "This just means that you won't be able to use THAT wand in particular. So let's just try again."
It took many tries that all involved more tipped over shelves. It got so irksome that Olivander eventually stopped in the middle to clean up using more magic. Finally, he came to a wand that interested Tom deeply.
The wand was as white as a cloud, with spots of black here and there, and what looked like three, small, white, boney fingers at the end.
"I don't know if you'd like this wand," Olivander thought out loud. "I don't know what I was thinking when I designed it. That wand looks almost…,"
"Sinister and powerful," Tom observed, not taking his eyes off the wand in his hand and not even speaking to Olivander.
"Yes…," Olivander agreed a little awkwardly. "So then… I'll just take that back."
He reached out his hand but Tom jerked the wand back to him and said
"No… I like it. I'll keep it thank you."
"Well, try it then," Olivander said, a little sternly.
Tom eyed it and then waved it as if he had owned it for years.
The wand lit up and sparked. Tom raised his arm triumphantly and smiled.
A very powerful wand, he thought to himself.
Olivander raised an eyebrow.
"That's holly and phoenix feather. Should service. That would be seven galleons."
Tom paid the man and walked out of the little shop, leaving Olivander looking slightly uneasy at the boy's lust for the wand.
Tom walked about Diagon Ally for two more hours before he arrived at his last stop, 'Madam Malkins'.
He walked in the robe shop to find Madam Malkin working on a small girl with blonde hair. She looked to be about Tom's age.
Madam Malkin looked up.
"Hogwarts? Very well, be right with you dear!"
Tom waited there as the girl smiled at him. He noticed that the way she looked at him was very… attracting. She had beautiful blue eyes.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Suzan."
"Hi," Tom answered. "Er… I'm Tom."
She giggled at his slight stutter.
"Nice to meat you Tom."
"That should be you done then dear," Malkin told Suzan.
"Thanks," she said, hopping down from the stool.
"You next Tom," Malkin instructed.
Tom rolled his eyes at his name and stood on the stool. Even after paying, Suzan didn't leave.
"So," she said. "You're robes are going to be basically boy versions of mine if we're both going to Hogwarts this year."
"That is correct," Malkin said before Tom could reply.
"Are you half blood or pure blood?" Suzan asked.
"Er…," Tom said, not knowing what she meant.
"Oh! If you're not sure what I'm talking about then you're probably a muggle born."
"I am not!" Tom retorted, slightly defensively, hearing the word he was beginning to despise.
"Okay, sorry," the girl apologized.
"I happen to have had only ONE parent who was a muggle," he admitted, feeling ashamed for having slightly shouted at the girl.
"You say it as if it's a bad thing," she noticed. "I'm pure blood but I've got no problems what so ever with muggles or muggle borns."
"Good for you dear," Malkin told her, looking annoyingly at Tom with a disapproving expression.
"Anyway, I'm not sure which was which because I grew up in an orphanage. My mother died in birth with me and my father abandoned me or lost me. I THINK he was the wizard."
He thought for a moment and as Suzan turned to leave, he stopped her with the words
"I'm sorry for shouting."
"Really you only snapped," Malking said.
Tom ignored her.
"But I've just had some REALLY bad experiences with muggles lately. Always actually."
"Oh it's okay," she guaranteed him. "I'll see you at Hogwarts then."
She giggled her lovely giggle and walked out.
"Don't follow her now, I'm not even done with you're sizing yet," Malkin said.
PART TWO- HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
September the first arrived long after Tom had met pretty Suzan. On the morning of the day when he would finally be leaving the hellhole he had called home for years came, Tom got up, showered, and dressed himself after brushing his teeth. When he was finished, he noticed it was only six o'clock in the morning.
The old bat, Mrs. Cole, drove Tom to King's cross station. In a letter Tom had received from Professor Dumbledore a few weeks before, he learned that to get to Platform 9 and 3/4, you had to run through the brick barrier between platform's nine and ten.
Tom drove his cart through the hustling train station after saying good bye to Mrs. Cole.
The clock over head read ten fifty two. Damn that Mrs. Cole for making him so tardy.
He quickly rushed over to the barrier and stood there, waiting for the crowds to move away.
He felt a little nervous as he began to move at a quick pace, soon to a faster pace, and then to a run.
He squeezed his eyes shut tight, expecting to feel a collision with him, the trolley, and the barrier, or maybe that he would swerve and slam into the side of a train. Then he'd REALLY be in trouble.
Tom ran faster and faster, almost moaning in fear until
He opened his left eye and then both. He was in a completely other station and he saw many wizards, witches, and God forbid, muggle parents all running around as the whistle on a large, steaming, bright red train blew hard.
Tom smiled the largest smile he had ever put on as he made his way to the Hogwarts express, after getting a teenager to help him lift the cart onto the train.
He pulled it through the corridors until he found a compartment that had only one beautiful, blonde girl in it.
Suzan looked up and waved at Tom excitedly as he entered.
"Hey there," he said.
"Hi. Hey, that thing looks WAY to heavy to lift onto the luggage rack. My parents taught me this important spell. Here."
She pulled out her wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
She muttered the incantation as she pointed her wand at the trunk. It began to go into the air, before settling on the luggage rack.
"Thanks," Tom said to her.
"You're very welcome," she replied back as he sat across from her.
"So, if you've lived with muggles your whole life, do you even know about quidditch?"
"No," Tom sighed.
"Oh goodie! Now I get to tell you ALL about it. It's the best game in the whole world."
She went into an entertaining rant about how there were four balls, three kinds. She spoke about the different players and then gave him important information such as who the best teams were and the most amazing things that had occurred in the history of world wide Quidditch game play.
After a while, a tall boy with an amused looking face because of a sneer and light brown hair came to open the door.
"Hi there. I'm Avery. Mind if I come hang out in here?"
"Not really," Tom said as Suzan agreed. Tom needed as much wizarding company as he could get.
Avery sat next to Suzan and asked
"So what are your names?"
It was growing dark and Tom soon realized that he had one of the most crowded compartments. They had been joined by a tall dark brown haired boy named Lastrange, a girl with red hair named Sinastra, and a smaller black haired boy named Bark.
They all talked excitedly about the Slytherin house which to Tom sounded like it was the one of the highest honor. He noticed that Suzan seemed uncomfortable with the prejudice talk against muggles and muggle borns, or as the racial slur was, 'mudbloods'.
It grew very dark out and they all began to change into their robes.
When the train came to a stop at last, they all got their bags and stepped out into the chilly open night.
An aged voice yelled out
"FIRST YEARS! FIRST YEARS FOLLOW ME TO THE BOATS!"
A tall man with grey hair that looked as if he had a strong build to him came to them all holding a lantern.
"Me name's Apollyon Pringle. You will address me as Mr. Pringle. Understood?
They nodded.
This man was clearly very stern and not to be taking jokingly, even if his name WAS Apollyon.
"Follow me 'ter the boats," he called out to them.
All of the first years followed with enthusiasm, clearly anxious to see Hogwarts.
There were four to a boat with Tom, Suzan, Avery, and Lastrange in one boat.
They all began to sail off in a great black lake that Tom had heard on the train was rumored to have a baby giant squid growing.
They all turned a corner and the whole atmosphere seemed to change dramatically. All of the students were stunned and awed by the amazement of a gigantic black castle with one particular tower that was the largest over the others. There were flickering lights inside the windows as if they had torches lit and on the mountain Hogwarts sat upon, there was a winding staircase from the boat houses up to the entrance courtyard.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Suzan commented.
"Indeed it is," Tom said, sneering.
They reached the boat house and all clambered out onto the rock.
"Al' righ'," Pringle started. "Let's get up 'ter the school then. Just so you know, I'm the game keeper and the caretaker so if you try sneaking about the castle at night, I'll have you whipped."
Tom noticed that the man had a cheery look at the thought.
They all began to walk up the winding stairway to the front courtyard that was built with benches and a stone ground. Two of the largest brass double doors Tom had ever laid eyes on, stood guard in front of what was probably the entrance hall.
Fascinated, Tom followed the others eagerly until they came to a full stop as Pringle began to knock loudly on the doors.
The slowly swung backward into the large entrance hall and tall older man who Tom immediately recognized as Professor Dumbledore, now wearing long red robes.
"Hello there. My name's Professor Dumbledore and I am the Transfiguration teacher. I should tell you who your other teachers shall be this year. Your defensive magic teacher, or defense against the dark arts, is Professor Marythought. That name alone seems as optimistic as Marythought himself. Your potions teacher, Professor Slughorn, your Charms teacher Professor Flitwick, this is HIS first year as a teacher, an older gentleman named Professor Bins, Professor Lorendo as the Herbology instructor, and me as your
Transfiguration teacher AND deputy headmaster to the true head. So, let us all prepare to go inside for you to be sorted into the four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw….and Slytherin."
Tom's eyes beamed as he heard the name Slytherin. It seemed to call to him.
"Just so you know, any good deeds shall win house points. The house cup is awarded to the one house with the most points at the end of the year. Winning the Quidditch cup could also help but we do not allow first years to play for their house teams."
There were a few disappointed groans that were quickly ceased as Pringle stamped his right foot loudly on the floor.
Dumbledore smiled again and turned to enter two more doors that were smaller and gold.
"Follow me," he told them.
He pushed the doors open and led the first years through the magnificent, Great Hall.
The whole entire ceiling showed the weather outside, tonight a pretty bluish black with many aliened stars, there were candles floating above, huge bright torches lit, and five tables. The first four were in a row, facing the doors. The largest and fifth table was obviously the head table which was seated on a small podium. All of the teachers sat at this table and in the middle on a golden King's chair, there was a very tall man with heavy looking red robes. He looked even more aged then Dumbledore. This man had long silver hair that reached all the way down to his ankles, and he also had a pointed hat that matched the color of his robes.
"Here are the first years Armando, sorry, I mean Professor Dippet," Dumbledore said to the man.
Dippet nodded as the first years all assembled in front of a four legged stool with a brown ripened old hat on the seat.
They waited.
The older students, who were sitting at the other tables, all waited with baited breath.
The brim of the hat opened wide like a large mouth and it began to sing.
"FOR ALL OF YOU KIDS WHO ARE TIMID AND AFRAID, DON'T YOU WORRY, DON'T YOU SCURRY FAR AWAY. I AM HERE TO PUT YOU WERE YOU'LL BE BEST! SO YOU CAN BE HAPPY AND GO WITH ALL THE REST. YOU MIGHT BE A SLYTHERIN, WERE THEY ARE CLEAVER WITH PLANS! ONCE YOU'RE THERE, HAVE IT TO BEAR, YOU PART OF THEIR CLANS! OR MAYBE A WISE OLD RAVENCLAW! OR A TRUTHFUL HUFFLEPUFF! YOU'LL GET THERE SOON AND WE SHALL EAT, THE FOOD IS NOT RAW! BE GOOD THOUGH, OR YOU'LL GET A CUFF! PERHAPS IN DEAR OLD GRYFFINDOR, THE MOST HEROIC OR THE FOUR! AS POWERFUL AND STRONG AS A LOIN OR A BOAR! SO PUT ME ON DON'T BE AFRAID, DON'T YOU DARE WORRY! DON'T GO FAR AWAY! DON'T YOU DARE SCURRY, LIKE A COMMON RAT! FOR I'M THE SORTING HAT!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished his song.
When the clapping subsided, Dumbledore took out a sheet of parchment and said
"When I call your name, please take the hat, put it on your head, and sit on the stool."
He glanced at the list.
"Suzan Anderson!"
Suzan nervously walked up and sat in the stool.
The hat was placed on her head and it slipped past her eyes.
"RAVENCLAW!" the hat yelled to cheers from the Ravenclaw table.
Dumbledore read again.
"Marcus Arithnet."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
After a very long time of sorting in alphabetical order by surnames, Professor smiled as he called out
"Tom Riddle!"
Tom coolly began to walk up to the podium where the stool was. He sat upon the seat and allowed Dumbledore to place the hat over his little head.
Just at the moment when the hat touched his head, only a very short instant afterword, the hat cried out
"SLYTHERIN!"
Dumbledore didn't looked the least bit surprised or shocked at this as Tom happily hopped off the stool and ran to the table that was farthest to his right or the left if one were to enter the hall.
Tom glanced over at Suzan, who was still smiling at him from the Ravenclaw table, but her smile looked slightly half heartedly and it ended very quickly.
Soon after,
"Avery Whitefield!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Tom looked up as the rest of his new group of friends was sorted, all into Slytherin.
Finally, the sorting ceremony was completed and Professor Dippet stood.
"I am glad to see you all here today," he called to them. His voice was fairly high pitched but didn't seem to have as much emotion to it as Dumbledore's did. His face looked cheerful however as he went on
"Now we are all probably very hungry and so I shall get to the point. For those of you who do not know, the Forbidden forest is….well…forbidden, hence the name. The Astronomy Tower is off limits unless you are taking a class. There is no magic to be used in the corridors between classes even though I know you want to. Any of you wishing to play for your house teams should speak with the team captains or your head of house. The head of Slytherin is Professor Slughorn, the head of Ravenclaw is Professor Flitwick, the head of Hufflepuff is Professor Marythought, and the head of Gryffindor is Professor Dumbledore."
The older student seemed not to care in the least as they already new this information.
"And finally," Dippet resumed. "Starting this year, you must be in second year or higher to play for your house teams."
Tom didn't seem interested in playing, although perhaps watching the games take place would be enough.
"And now, let us eat!" Dippet finished.
The empty gold plates were suddenly filed with delectable foods such as roast and grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, turkey, peas, lobster, shrimp, snapper, green beans, rise, and the reddest crab that Tom had ever seen.
He began to fill his plate with a little of everything. Soon, the gold vanished in a shower of food groups. He almost chugged his water and pop and soon arrived at the desserts as they magically appeared, dissolving the supper.
After they had all eaten, Dippet stood once again and shouted
"Imagine that we eat like this almost every day!"
Some people laughed.
"Soon, you'll all be as large and stuffed as me!" the large man, Slughorn, joked.
Slughorn had light brown hair, wrinkles around his mouth from smiling, and a rather large stomach gut.
He seemed a jolly man, Tom thought.
The students laughed, all apparently fairly found of Slughorn.
"Very amusing Horace. But you mustn't be so hard on yourself. At least you aren't as aged as I am. Now, off to bed. Prefects will lead their first years to the dormitories. Good night to you all and make sure you are well rested for a whole day of lessons tomorrow!"
Tom rose with his friends, very full of food, and he began to follow a sixth year boy and girl from his house who claimed to be the prefects for Slytherin house.
They were all led to another entrance hall on the other side of Hogwarts, over a large bridge near the entrance courtyard.
When they entered what was called the vacant entrance hall, they were led down a spiraling staircase in a side chamber. When they reached the corridor, they found that they were in the dungeons.
"Welcome home children," the boy, Aidan, exclaimed as the girl, Michele, laughed.
"That door," Michele said, pointing to a small brown door. "-is the door to the Potions classroom just so you know. Now follow me."
"Follow US," corrected Aidan.
They came to another staircase, but this one wasn't spiral, and it lead to a stone wall.
They all crowded at the bottom waiting.
"The password," Aidan started. "-is…Hallows!"
The wall began to slide aside, sinking into the opposite wall.
All of the first years entered excitedly as Tom gaped at the common room.
It was very large with green walls, what looked like fish tanks on the bulwark, many group tables to work at, a large desk in the middle, and a sitting area with a two couches and an arm chair in front of a radiating fire place. Tom felt annoyed as he saw that the arms chair and the couches were already taken by teenage students.
"Well, through that hall and to your left are the girl dorms and to the right are the boy dorms," Michele led. "Night!"
She held Aidan's arm as they left the children standing there.
"Shall we go up stairs then?" Tom asked Avery.
"Indeed," he said.
Tom and the other boys all walked up to the boys' dorm area, walking up another stairway, and through a door that read 'First Years'.
Tom walked in with the others to see that his things had already been placed on a four poster bed that was aliened in a circle with the other beds.
"Well, I believe that I'm going to take a shower then," Lastrange announced, leaving the room.
Tom sat down on his bed, finally away from his cold small, cramped room back at that orphanage. Finally….he was free.