It wasn't a dark and stormy night. It was fairly bereft of light, yes, and the weather was doing something, but it wasn't something one could adequately describe. The moisture just hung in the air, creating a transparent fog.
It was also the middle of fall, which means that the few trees looked like bare skeletons, there were leaves on the ground, and there was no chance of snow to cover the mess up for another month and a half.
The entrance to Knockturn alley wasn't, isn't, and never will be a very nice place, because Knockturn alley is the same, and then some. It was even worse on the night on which this story begins, because this was London in 1945. Even the magical places of Britain weren't spared from the blitz.
A woman of about twenty-five stood near the entrance to Knockturn alley, which was an entrance to the Underground. Any muggle who came near it, would suddenly remember an infinitely more convenient entrance, and go quickly and happily to it.
Every thing about the woman conveyed the fact that she was perfectly aware that she was part of the problem why the neighborhood was so bad, and sure as hell wasn't about to do anything about it.
A siren sounded in the distance, the steady up and down echoing too loudly in the moisture. As it faded, the woman spoke.
"I know you're there."
Silence.
"It works by light diffraction, you know- almost like a big mirror, but about twenty thousand times better. Easy enough to find, if you know what you're looking for."
Silence.
"C'mon, take it off. I know you're there, you know you're there, and I don't think that cat cares," the woman said, gesturing to a tomcat that had just meandered into the alley.
A head appeared, and then a whole body. It was a boy, not much younger than the woman, with movie star looks. He had black hair, black eyes, and impossibly thick eyelashes.
"Is what you said true?" the boy demanded.
"Everything but the light diffraction shit. I'm not sure about the cat," the woman said with a grin.
"Oh," said the man, a little disappointed. "Wait, so how did you know I was there?"
"You stepped in a puddle."
"Oh," the boy said again.
"Say, what's a nice boy like you doing in a place like this?" said the woman coyly.
"Aren't I supposed to say that?"
The woman smiled. "I'm not a nice girl, so no. But I mean it. What are you doing here on a night like this? You look like you should be inside, studying for your NEWTs."
The boy looked insulted. "I have my reasons for being here."
"Do you," said the woman. "And if it's Knockturn alley, go ahead. As I said, I don't care. I don't know what your name is, so it's not like I can go run to tell Mummy and Daddy."
The man flinched, and said nothing.
"Well, what is it?" prompted the woman.
"It's-" the boy stopped. He couldn't use that name. Or the other one. It was too soon. "Well, I don't know," he said finally.
"Really, Tom."
The man stared. "How did you know?"
"I just do." The woman paused. "So it's not Voldemort?"
The boy's eye's flashed with anger. "How did you know that?" he said, brandishing his wand.
"My, you've said that a lot. And I just do. It's who you are. It's part of you, whether you like it or not."
"Who are you?"
"I am that I am."
"Very clever." The boy stepped forward. "Who are you?" he said forcefully.
"This is my appellation for all eternity," continued the woman.
"Stop it. Who are you?"
"Why should I tell you? You didn't tell me."
"I-didn't-need-to," the boy said through clenched teeth.
"So why should I need to tell you? You know me. You always will, now. So, you should know my name, just as you know that-" the woman flicked some water out of a puddle "-is water."
"Is life real, or is it just shadows on a cave wall?" the boy retorted.
"I think, ergo, I am."
"But who are you?" the boy yelled.
Silence.
"Fine!" the boy said, throwing his arms up. "Fine, you win!"
"Then, what's my name?"
"I- don't-" the boy stopped. "It's…It's Athena," he said slowly, as realization engulfed him.
The woman smiled. "Lesson one complete. Time for lesson two."
The boy raised his slowly, as in a trance. "Avada Kedavra."
A green light shot out, and the woman died.
The boy stood looking over the dead body. He reached into his robe, and pulled out the reason why he was there. Advance Lessons of the Dark Arts. He had found it in among mother's possessions. He had wanted to have it checked out in Knockturn alley, and instead…his eyes avoided the soulless ones of the woman.
He opened the cover slowly, and turned towards the table of contents.
Lesson one: Just knowing
Lesson two: The first kill
He watched, terrified, as a third and fourth line appeared.
Lesson three: Your past
Lesson four: The second, third, fourth, and fifth kills
He turned towards chapter three, and a man appeared in front of him.
"So," said the man, quite jolly. "Who were you?"
"Tom Marvolo Riddle."
The two then walked off, and disappeared into the night.
The next day, the maid ran screaming out of the Riddle residence.