Dumbledore had been rumbled, he knew it. For years he had been playing one side of the wizarding community against another. Who do you think thought up the original 'Death Eater' title, it certainly wasn't Voldemort, he was powerful yes, and cunning, well he didn't look like a snake for nothing. But when it came to finesse and style he followed the old coot. The green skull in the sky that was one of his favourite drawings his favourite teacher used to doodle on his homework, his favourite teacher, Dumbledore.
Madame Dark Flame designed the long black hooded cloaks for him. And we all know who her favourite client has been since she made booties and beard warmers for him in his infancy, yep Dumbledore.
'It is easy to manipulate the mind of one that doesn't want to see the truth' he used to tell his little friend Tom.
At the time, Tom was a feeble and weak half blood wizard, the sort you would have seen getting floo powder kicked in his face.
But he was encouraged and nurtured by his 'father figure', who took him under his wing.
As Tom started to appear stronger, other kids in class paid attention to the rising power of the boy they called Tom. Some wondered where he was getting his power from, his classes had seen a marked improvement in him, and he excelled in the defence against the dark arts and potions.
He was determined that he wouldn't let his 'father' down. Yet throughout all his childhood, he had no friends, and his only real company was that of a god knows hundred year old wizard with an unhealthy obsession for lemon drops, and an enchanted eye that gave the appearance of a 24 – 7 twinkle.
Tom ended up turning as bitter and twisted as the old man, listening to him scheme and curse with the pictures of 'heroes' past, Tom decided that he would do everything he could to give 'father' what ever he wanted to ease his growing frustrations. Tom offered himself to Dumbledore once and was turned down to be repeatedly raped by the old man later that day. Well, rape may not have been the word Dumbledore would have used; 'education' was the phrase used repeatedly as he slammed himself into his young fan who unbelievably enjoyed the savagery of this and subsequent assaults, as it brought him closer to the man he admired and worshipped so.
The last occasion that Dumbledore educated Tom, was an assault of total savagery, and happened after Dumbledore was passed over yet again for the ultimate wizard job Minister for Magic.
Tom was 15 and although he had suffered and would have told you had already experienced the bad temper of the private side of everybody's favourite white haired long bearded wizard, he was about to experience what Albus Dumbledore did when truly upset.
The aftermath of the ferocious hexing and cursing and physical beatings that Dumbledore inflicted on young Tom Riddle, if truthfully told, were the most horrific acts of uncontrolled torture imaginable. The resident medi-witch at the time, who of course was obliviated after healing his injuries told a certain house elf she was familiar with the account of the horrors she saw.
It was the worst sort of attack I have ever seen, young Tom, oh my. Such a sweet boy, always polite wouldn't hurt a fly, his jaw was broken as if he had had it snapped back, his skin on his stomach and back had been flayed in strips that looked like a snake crawling into a skull that was burned into his chest; it was the darkest marks I have ever seen. His left eye was cursed from his socket and left to dangle, while his right had been stabbed with a wand. Neither eye ever lost the bloodshot appearance that the beating had given him.
To top it all, he was raped and his penis severed slightly at the end where it had been beat repeatedly with a wand. The strangest thing of all was that he never tried to defend himself, there were no signs of a struggle at all, and he was either stupefied or tortured or simply allowed the sick twisted wizard who did this to run out of rage beating him.
I fixed him up, really well I did, and you know all the time what he did?
It confused me I tell you; he begged for the person who did it to him, he begged for Dumbledore. He never came!
It took three weeks for Toms injury's to heal, and even then they didn't really heal as you expect a cut or a scratch too, they stayed raw, a permanent reminder of what it was like to feel his 'father's' wrath. Dumbledore never apologised for his actions, although he let Tom know that he had Obliviated any that knew what had happened, he left him with his memories, a further sick and twisted assault on a young boy.
Dumbledore picked the assault from his memory and placed it in a pensieve. He would visit the secret 'passion for pensieve s' room each time the world made him mad, learning that it was better to act out his sick sense of relaxation in there reliving one of the hundreds of memories of him raping and torturing , mostly boys but there were plenty of girls. Moaning Myrtle was about to tell all to a friend one day, they were stupefied by an unknown assailant and left in the path of the basilisk after having there minds Obliviated, Myrtle stayed to haunt the girls toilet, no one knew what ever happened to her friend Collette.
Having the same charm as the room of requirement allowed him to beat, whip, torture or even kill another all for his own sport, only one knew of the existence of this room and he was also, unbeknown to Dumbledore, the house elf the old medi witch Mwgs had confided in, he was Dobby.
One of the hundreds of pensieves he kept in a secret location in depicted this torture scene he had inflicted on Tom, he presented it to him on his 17th birthday as a reminder of who wore the trousers around here. Unfortunately it would seem for the rest of the wizarding world, Tom Marvolo Riddle had grown out of shorts.
The only other person he would ever fear later in life was the only person he had ever loved; only Dumbledore could get close to him, only Dumbledore could touch him, using ancient dark magic he tapped into his magical strength and the power of the earth and gave life to his dark mark.
Each new wizard to join him would have a miniature replica of the mark on his arm. This mark was the seal, the link that kept them under his control. He could literally see the thoughts of his followers, they mostly came from insane wizards he broke free from St. Mungo's, casting spells on them he would make them take the dark mark, making them bound to do his will.
Once he had a few supporters he targeted all that he learned to hate, his Muggle half side and anyone who was close to his 'father'.
Tom didn't want any one to be close to him, he was still, three years after last speaking to him, jealous of anyone being in his company, the ones that didn't comply with warnings were made to take the dark mark or simply killed; the army of dark was being born.
Lord Voldemort, as he started calling himself, was committed now to showing Dumbledore what a clever boy he had become, how powerful and ruthless he could be. Strange really, what one surrogate son would do to prove his love for his surrogate father, stranger that when the surrogate father saw the number of wizards moving their allegiances to the fast becoming powerful above all others wizard, that Dumbledore did nothing, seeing hundreds of wizards and witches, squibs and Muggles tortured to take the dark mark or offered to eat death at the tip of a wand, it was needless to say that the name stuck.
As I was saying, for years he had been playing one side of the wizarding community against another, always making sure that he came away without any blame and looking like butter wouldn't melt, twinkle in eye and all. It was one of his favourite things to do, play the saint but be the devil; very few ever got to see the real side of Albus Dumbledore, of course all of the Death Eaters were schooled on how ferocious he could be and how they would meet a gloriously horrible death if they went against him. That's what kept him so safe for so long, he had through carefully crafted fear, become a persona that all revered and feared in equal quantities, and as wonderful as that seemed, there was always going to be some who didn't want to toe the line, always one whose destiny would protect, always one who would become more celebrated than he; Harry Potter.
The greatest and oldest of the entire house elves C'auror, foretold:
There will be birthed to a half blood wizard line, the one that is the 'One'.
He will gain the talisman of the light, when 'the dark one who should have been light' tries to kill him.
Elfin magic will protect and ward off the dark spell and help him to send him to chasm between life and death. Thrice more the dark one will return and thrice more the chosen one will send him away.
On the fourth occasion the dark one and his followers will be no more.
The chosen one will be struck down by the darkest of betrayal, the betrayal of friendship.
The Amesis will rise from the essences of his soul mate and strike down all whose heart betrays them.
The Amesis will lead elves to freedom and vengeance on the most evil of the entire unjust white one'.
This prophecy never before told to Muggle ears was known to every house elf for hundreds of years. When the signs showed that 'He who should have been light' had arisen, the house elves in communication with each other called him, He who should not be named.
The more dark deeds that Voldemort managed to do, the more the house elves tittle tattled, wizards cottoned onto the person who should not be named title, and well the rest is wizarding urban myth and legend.
When Harry's parents were attacked and betrayed by friends of theirs loyal to the Dark Lord, the house elves had already blessed the child with elfin magic. If Voldemort had tried any physical attack on the boy that day, he would have perished, but he tried the one curse that had very little effect on an elf; he cursed Harry with the Adava Kedavra.
The result was the rebounding of the curse to send it straight back at him. Harry was saved, short of a lightning scar and a unforeseen bond with his attacker, and the Dark Lord was banished to between life and death as was prophesised.
Harry became an instant celebrity and, well, the rest is history so they say.
Voldemort as we all know, tried unsuccessfully to kill Harry Potter on numerous occasions, the scar, and the link between them seemed to somehow give Harry a warning, almost like a lucky charm.
What wasn't known was that each time Dumbledore appeared to be on Harry's side, he was merely watching out for his own interests. When he gained knowledge of the true prophecy of the Amesis, he decided to let Voldemort have his prize; he had grown tired of the wizard who tried to impress him constantly with his deeds, and even more tired of the wizard world's boy saviour.
Let them both perish.
It was Dumbledore who told Voldemort he would be otherwise detained that day. It was Dumbledore who knew that both Harry and Voldemort would likely kill each other.
Just in case that didn't work, it was Dumbledore who bribed a rebel Centaur to kill Harry whilst he was most preoccupied, and skilfully, it was only Dumbledore who now knew any of this. All other parties to the truth were now dead.
The elections were under way in two weeks for the new minister of magic, Dumbledore wasn't getting looked over again, and he had plans that were too far-gone to change.
He would get Potter and kill him himself if need be. What he needed most of all now, was to calm down, visit the pensieves and erect the wards around his mind. And to make sure, until his plan took hold, to would stay out of Harry Potter's way.
Meanwhile at the entrance to Room 3 corridor 6 ½ the house elves were kneeling on the floor chanting and praying to…
"The One"