The Future of House Black

By: Ryu Katanna

Beta:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Two

Hardwin set the dossier he'd gotten from Gringotts on the coffee table in the drawing-room. He had not looked through it yet as he doubted much of it would make sense without help. He was hoping that Andromeda and Narcissa could help with that when they arrived in another half an hour. He would also have to speak to them both about Andromeda's supposed disownment. He was hoping the bridge between the two sisters could be mended as he would need them both to help him sort out this mess that his great-granfather Arcturus II had left for him.

"Master Black asked to see Winky. Winky is here." Kreacher's voice drew his attention away from his thoughts, and he looked over to see the old elf standing next to another, younger elf, who he recognized as Winky.

"Thank you, Kreacher. Andromeda and Narcissa should be arriving soon. Could you direct them to this room and see that tea and a few snacks are prepared for when they arrive? Our meeting may take quite a while." Hardwin said and waited as Kreacher nodded before popping away.

He looked back over to Winky once they were alone. She looked a bit better than she had when he had last seen her. She didn't look to have been drinking any butterbeer today though she did look nervous and sad. Hardwin could understand that. Dobby had died in his arms after saving their lives during the war only a few months ago. He knew that Dobby and Winky had been close as Dobby had taken the little elf under his wing when she had been freed by Crouch Sr. during his fourth year.

"Thank you for coming to see me, Winky. How are you doing?" Hardwin asked as he stepped closer to kneel to her level as he had always done with Dobby.

"Winky bes okay. Working cleaning mess at Hoggywarts. Kreacher tell Winky Master Harry Potter bes wanting to be speaking with Winky?" The little elf fidgeted with her hands as she spoke and Hardwin could tell she was uncertain as to why she had been asked to come.

"Yes, Winky. I know Dobby cared for you very much. I wanted to see how you were doing. Are you happy at Hogwarts?" Hardwin asked as her gaze that had shied away finally moved up towards his own, and he knew to expect a crying fit as she burst into tears.

"Dobby always says what good wizard Harry Potter is. Winky worries. Hoggywarts good. Hoggywarts keep Winky working, but Hoggywarts no Master. Winky not minds so much with Dobby there, but now Dobby gone and no comes back." Winky cried and Hardwin gently took her hands as he waited for her to calm down a little bit.

"I'm sorry, Winky. It's my fault that Dobby didn't come back for you. I'm sure he would have if he could. Dobby was a free elf, but he was loyal and so brave. My friends and I were in great danger, and Dobby saved us. He died saving our lives." He said and his heart clenched as he remembered holding Dobby as he died when the little elf let go of a sob at the information.

"No one can ever replace Dobby for either of us, and no one ever should. He cared so much about you, Winky. He would want you to be happy. That is why I asked to see you. If you truly are not happy at Hogwarts. If you don't want to work there then I wanted to offer you another option. So, I will ask; are you happy living and working at Hogwarts?" Hardwin said softly and watched as Winky's eyes widened and she hiccupped as tears slowed and her attention focused on him.

"Winky no happy at Hoggywarts." Winky admitted after a moment as she looked sadly toward the floor.

"Then I have another question Winky. I know why your old Master freed you. It was unfair of him, and what happened wasn't your fault. House Crouch is gone, but Bartemius's mother was a Black, Charis Crouch nee Black. If what you really want is a Master, then I would offer you this Winky. I am Lord Black now, and it is only me and Kreacher in this big old house. Even still, there will be others who will visit, and one day soon I will have to get married and provide an heir. I could use the help of another good house-elf like you to bring the House of Black back from the ruin it has fallen into." Hardwin said and smiled gently as Winky stared up at him with wide eyes and knew he had made the right decision when he saw the hope there.

"Harry Potter offerings Winky to serves House Black?" Winky asked hopefully and Hardwin nodded.

"Yes, Winky. If you are not happy at Hogwarts, then I would like to offer for you to becomes an elf of the House of Black. Dobby was a good friend. There is nothing else I could ever do to repay him for what he did for me, but he cared for you. It is your choice Winky. You do not have to stay at Hogwarts if it makes you unhappy not having a master to serve." Hardwin said knowing that this was the only thing he could do to repay Dobby.

Dobby had been happy as a free elf, but Winky had never been happy with being freed. He had done some reading on House Elves last night before bed. An elf serving in the home of a witch or wizard was healthier than one who was free. Their magic fed off the family magics of the House they served. They could survive being free, but their magic suffered for it and as a result, their bodies were weakened from the added strain of not having the magic of the household to fall back on.

Hardwin knew Hermione may be angry with him when she found out, but he could do nothing else to repay Dobby for his sacrifice. It was Winky's decision to take it or not. If she didn't then he would have to ask one of the elves from a different Black property to help Kreacher if there were any left though he would feel bad taking them from their home. The old elf just couldn't do everything alone. If Winky did accept then she would never be mistreated by Hardwin or anyone else within his household. He would make sure of that.

It took a few minutes as Hardwin gave Winky the time to think about it.

"Winky would likes to be elf of House Black. Dobby always saids Harry Potter bes good wizard. Winky would like to serve wizard Dobby thoughts so good." Winky admitted shyly, but happiness could be heard in her voice.

"Alright. I'm not sure how to accept you into the family magic just yet. I haven't been taught how to be Lord of House Black from a young age, but I am hoping my cousins can help with that. They will be arriving shortly, and I will ask them. I will accept you as an elf of the House of Black tonight. Kreacher is Head Elf so he will let you know what duties you have in the house. Harry is a nickname though, Winky. I won't try to convince you not to call me Master. I know how you would feel about that, but you can call me either Master Hardwin or Master Black. Are you good with sewing, Winky?" Hardwin asked only to smile as he received an enthusiastic nod from the little elf and a bright smile that he had never seen from this particular elf before.

"Alright. Here is what we will do. I will give you money for the materials you need. You will go and talk to Kreacher. Ask him about House Black's colors and our crest. You use the money to buy the materials you need for you to make three uniforms each for you and Kreacher. I may have you make more later for the other elves of House Black once I've had time to look at the other properties and meet with them. The colors must be in the colors for our House. Dresses or a top and skirt for the girls and pants and tops for the boys. Each uniform is to have a vest with the House Crest. I will call for you later to accept you into House Black officially." Hardwin said as he picked up a pouch of coins from the table.

"There are a hundred galleons in here to get what you need. They don't have to be anything fancy, but I do want the elves of House Black dressed well. Absolutly no pillowcases or anything else like that. Any extra cloth scraps from your uniforms can be shared between you and Kreacher for your nests." Hardwin told her gently but firmly as he handed her the pouch just as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Yes, Master Black. Winky bes doing as Master asks." Winky replied with a happy smile and a bow before popping out just as there was a knock on the Drawing Room door.

"Come in." Hardwin called out as he looked over toward the door to see Andromeda entering with Teddy in one arm followed by Narcissa as he stood.

Hardwin winced as both women entered with blank expressions. The only thing hinting at both of their displeasure was the slightly pinched look to the corners of their mouths. Hardwin couldn't help the small sigh that passed his lips. He didn't doubt that words had been said after they had seen each other upon stepping out of the floo in the kitchen. Not the best start to this meeting to be sure, but he was determined to defuse the tension.

"Kreacher. Clean the bassinet and bring it down from the attic, please. It will be best for Teddy to have somewhere to sleep while we have this meeting." Hardwin said as a beautifully carved bassinet in dark wood, lined with soft black silk, appeared over by the windows.

"Thank you both for coming. I felt the need to speak to you both about a few things that I discovered during my trip to Gringotts a couple days ago. I will just let you both look this over as I lay Teddy down." Hardwin said as he pulled out the results of his inheritance test and duplicated it before handing a copy each to both women and accepting Teddy from Andromeda.

He laid him down in the bassinet before placing a silencing spell that would keep the noise out while allowing them to hear him if he woke. He turned back to see both women standing with frozen expressions as they looked over the parchment. Hardwin couldn't say he blamed them. He hadn't believed his eyes either which was why it had taken a few days, and some research on blood-adoptions, before he had written them. That test had raised as many questions, and had exposed so many of the lies they had all been told. Not just their family, but the world.

"Hardwin James Felis Potter-Black?" Andromeda's tone was aghast as she looked up at him.

"Black blood from all three parents… Grandson of both Great Aunt Dorea and Marius, and adopted into the main line with the Sanguis Reuocare by cousin Sirius. How is all of this possible?" Narcissa murmured and Hardwin huffed with a small dry chuckle.

"I've always had the damnest luck, cousin. The better question would be why the whole world thinks my name is Harry when it's not? Another would be how my mother was a half-blood and yet no one knew? Oh, I have another one. Where the bloody hell are the other Potters? I should have been placed with my father's cousin as he is Lord Potter when Sirius was deemed unsuitable after my parents' death. I have cousins by blood on both sides, my grandfather Arcturus was also still alive then, and yet I was placed with a magic hating squib and her muggle husband who hated anything he deemed not normal." Hardwin muttered viciously as he yanked open the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskey and three glasses; pouring them each two fingers before setting the glasses down in front of the women and taking his own.

He drained his glass before pouring another and putting the bottle away as a tea tray and snacks appeared on the table.

"Muggles?" Narcissa asked aghast as she eyed the glass in his hand and took her own from the table where he'd placed it to sip at the amber liquid.

"Oh, yes. I discovered it during the war, but Dumbledore has been playing games with my life since my parents died. Might even have started before they died. I'll never know unless I speak with his portrait, but I'm more likely to burn it to ash then get answers." Hardin admitted as he took a seat.

"What will you do now? I'm assuming you've taken the Lordship?" Andromeda asked with a nod toward the ring he wore and casting a glance toward Teddy before taking her seat and picking up her own glass to down it before taking a deep breath and letting it go.

"I have. I've had the time to think about all of this for a few days. I was raised by muggles, and I have spent these last years just managing to survive two wizards. One trying to kill me and one who had my death planned out since I was a toddler. SilverClaw and I have gone over my accounts for both the Black Family as well as what was left to me by my parents in their Potter branch vault. Dumbledore apparently forged paperwork claiming I assigned him as my representative." Hardwin scowled and saw that both women had the same pinched look to their mouths.

"My parent's vault has been drained by well over half of what should be there. The only reason it isn't empty is because there have been deposits from the main Potter family vault since Dumbledore died. I'm assuming from my father's cousin has had regular deposits set up. I won't know anything until I can contact Lord Potter. The Black vaults have also been affected though not nearly as badly. I'm assuming because he only had a year to do so, and the goblin in charge refused him all but minimal access without my presence." Hardwin admitted and Narcissa nodded.

"SilverClaw and his line have been the managers for the Black accounts for centuries. He would have noticed if too much was being taken out by anyone other than the Lord. Representative or not." Narcissa commented, and Andromeda nodded grudgingly in agreement with her estranged sister.

"Is there anything that can be done to recover what was taken?" She asked, and Hardwin shook his head helplessly.

"SilverClaw can track the withdrawals from the Black accounts to the Dumbledore accounts. I could sue, but I refuse to do that to Aberforth. He looked out for me during the war. What his brother did is not his fault. I will talk to him later about it, but I doubt there is much to be done. What he managed to steal was knuts compared to the rest of the vault. My parent's account is another matter. There were withdrawals into several different accounts as well as Dumbledore's. It will take some time for SilverClaw to sort through everything after he's taken over the managment for that account. My parent's account manager is also under investigation as SilverClaw said they should have known better. It's not like I could have signed any paperwork for the old man to act as my representative at less than two years old, and there's no record of my parents having done so either." Hardwin said before looking up at both of them.

"I'm telling you both about all of this because I need help. Walburga may have claimed you to be disowned, Andromeda, but she was not even the Lady of the House at the time. Arcturus never disowned you nor were you disinherited. You are also the grandmother to my godson. Narcissa, you made it possible for us to win the war. You didn't have to lie, but you did, and that saved my life. I'll never fully trust your husband, but Draco and I may be able to work past our issues given enough time." Hardwin said as he looked first to Andromeda and then to Narcissa and let out a heavy breath.

"You are both daughters of House Black. You are both family. We share the same blood even if not the same opinions on some things. I… have never known what that means before. SilverClaw explained that as Lord of a Most Ancient and Noble House I have responsibilities to this family. I wasn't raised knowing anything about who I am or about our family. I will need help. From both of you." He said seriously before finishing his drink and setting the glass and the table.

"As of this moment I have no one else I can trust. The payments going out into different accounts have raised some questions that I'm not sure I'm prepared to deal with just yet. Some of those payments… I'm almost positive they were going to my friends. It will take some time for me to find out who was all involved, and to what extent." Hardwin admitted as his fists clenched at the reminder of the feeling of betrayal he'd had upon first hearing about it.

It was silent for a few moments as Andromeda looked over toward where Teddy lay and Narcissa looked down at the inheritance test she still held in her hand. Hardwin left them to think as he thought over everything himself. He knew that their help wasn't something he could force. They would both have to come to decisions for themselves. He had already made his when he had put the signet ring for the House of Black on his finger.

He had chosen the family of his blood. He had chosen to take up the mantle for House Black and the responsibilities that came with it. He chose that connection to them where he had scorned anything more to do with the Dursleys. He'd had nothing else to lose, but now he had everything to gain. They were family even though none of them had known it, and he had chosen them. Now they just had to let him know if they would be that for him, or if he would have to learn on his own.

"Nymphadora loved you as Remus loved you. They were all I had left in the world after I lost my Ted to the blighted war. I lost them too, but they left behind the most precious gift they could have. They chose you as Teddy's godfather because they loved you, and I was happy enough to know that you wouldn't try to take him from me as well. Now I discover that there's more that we didn't know. Sirius left behind more than just an heir in you. He left a son of the Black bloodline." Andromeda said as she looked at him with a small smile and Hardwin smiled back.

"It has been many years since I believed I'd lost the family of my birth. I never wanted to have to choose one or the other. I loved my Ted, and he gave me my Nymphadora, but I'd never forgotten what I believed I'd had to give up to have them. It would be my pleasure to help you build the House of my birth back up again." She said as she picked up her teacup that was still steaming thanks to the charms on the china.

"I will admit we do not know each other well, but I would like to help you. You are family, cousin. I had despaired to see the family name of my birth fall to ruin. I feared the House of Black to become extinct. Draco will continue on the Malfoy name, but as I am only a daughter of House Black, I couldn't have provided an heir even if I had wanted to. I had thought it all lost when cousin Sirius was sent to Azkaban all those years ago after Regulus disappeared and we were informed of his death from the family tapestry. Now I find that Sirius did leave an heir to carry on the name who can take up the Lordship. It eases a pain in my heart, Hardwin. You were not raised with the knowledge of the family you should have been, but your words today have shown an understanding I would not have expected. Educating you is one thing we can do. Is there anything pressing to which you need help with?" Narcissa asked after a moment as she set down her empty glass.

"A few things. SilverClaw is taking care of things on the financial side, but it is not his job to educate me on our family. I can learn more of our family history as we go, but SilverClaw did tell me that as Lord of our House I have responsibilities. I just don't know what all of those responsibilities include. One of them is obvious even to me. Marry and provide an heir so the line and name continues. SilverClaw did tell me that there are a few open-ended marriage contracts I will need to go over." Hardwin said with a troubled expression.

"Marriage contracts are very important. Marriage is used in our world to strengthen family and political ties. It states in the Black family by-laws- that the Lord must be married before his twentieth birthday if the heir accepts the Lordship before that age. You do not have to take on a contract if you have found a suitable prospective spouse already, but if you haven't then a marriage contract would be the best option as you are already eighteen." Narcissa replied and Hardwin nodded.

"I had thought as much. I will need to be careful that it is not anyone too closely related to me. I have three parents, and all of Black bloodline. It was bad enough with Orion and Walburga as my grandparents through Sirius, but his adoption was joined with my parents who both came from the Black family within two generations. I have a theory that it's the interbreeding too closely that causes squibs. If you look at my mum's family you'll see she came from not just the Blacks, but from squibs lines of the Notts, Montagues, Prewetts, and Gaunts." Harwin said with a small sigh as both women picked up the inheritance test to look and see what he was talking about.

"Now, I'm not sure about the first three, but I do know the Gaunts bred too closely within the bloodline. They were descended from Salazar Slytherin's line that eventually joined with the Peverell line, and started marrying their close cousins and even their sisters to keep the line 'pure'. It resulted in squibs, physical deformities, low magic levels, and madness. I have a theory that it is when two or more squib lines join that we get the offspring that we are calling muggle-borns. Everyone has always said that my mother was muggle-born, but she wasn't. She was from squib lines that bred with muggles until enough squib lines joined and produced a magical child. My mother was born with magic while her sister was born a squib so It's not always a sure thing. Just a theory I have at the moment. It will take some more research and testing." Hardwin said as he picked up the dossier from the table and plucked at the pages.

"How is it you know so much about the Gaunts? That line was thought to be lost fifty years ago." Andromeda asked with some puzzlement as to how he would know so much about a family thought extinct well before his time.

"It went extinct in the male line, but not the female one. Marvolo Gaunt had two children; a son named Morfin and a daughter named Merope. The Gaunts squandered their fortune well before Marvolo was even born. He and his two children lived in poverty and squalor in a shack on the outskirts of Little Hangleton. Marvolo, now he was a short-tempered man, he was a man who was also very proud of his heritage, and arrogant enough to think that the world should bow at his feet because of it. His son, Morfin, was very much like him. Morfin even refused to speak in the human tongue, and both of them treated Merope very poorly." Harwin told them with a small sigh knowing that there was a lesson to be learned in knowing the story.

It was a story he would be teaching to his own children in the future as a warning. There were many lessons to learn from the story of the ruin that came to the House of Gaunt. The Gaunts had destroyed themselves with the fanatical belief in the keeping 'purity' of their bloodline. Hardwin may have Gaunt ancestors, but he was a Black and a Potter. The blood of the Gaunt House flowed in his veins as well, but Hardwin refused to let it affect what was most important. His children would know that history. They would be taught the folly of too much pride and greed.

It was fine, good even, to have pride in where you come from or your accomplishments. It was when that pride become arrogance that it became a problem. The Blacks had also crossed over into arrogance and it showed in the interbreeding with those of their own House. They had married too closely, and it was the children who had suffered for it.

Hardwin was determined it would not happen again.

"Merope lived a very sad existence under that roof. She longed for more as any young woman does. She wanted to be free of her oppressive father and brother, but she longed for the love of the handsome and rich muggle boy in town. Morfin had noticed her looking at the muggle boy. He told their father, and Marvolo flew into a rage. He beat Merope before he and Morfin left to curse the muggle she was infatuated with. They didn't kill him, but they had cursed him so badly that they were both arrested and sent to Azkaban for muggle-baiting." Hardwin shook his head lightly as he picked up his teacup before settling into his chair, knowing he had both of their attention.

"Merope, for the first time, was free. The inbreeding in the family had caused her and her brother to be born disfigured as their father was. She was by no means a pretty girl, and she knew this. Now, Merope may have been born with little more magic than a squib, but one thing she could do was brew. She waited and when she got the opportunity she jumped on it. She offered the muggle boy she wanted so dearly a cup of water on a hot day and doused him with a love potion. Merope got what she wanted, and the muggle married and ran away with her. She continued to douse him with the potion regularly until she fell pregnant with his child." Hardwin said and sighed heavily before he continued.

"So in love she was, that she convinced herself that now that they were married with a child on the way, that he must love her even without the potion. He was so horrified by what had happened when the potion finally wore off that he abandoned her. He returned to his parents in Little Hangleton claiming, rightfully, of bewitchment. Alone and heartbroken, Merope struggled to survive. She could not return to Little Hangleton for she knew her father and brother would kill both her and the child she carried. She sold the only thing of value she had left for ten galleons out of desperation; Salazar Slytherins locket which would have gone for a lot more if she had known its true worth or delt with an honest merchant. Starving and weak, Merope went into labor early on a New Years' eve night. She made it to a muggle orphanage where she gave birth to a son. She lived just long enough to give him a name. Tom after his muggle father, Marvolo after her father, and Riddle as she had married the muggle." He leaned forward to refill all of their cups before speaking again.

"Tom Riddle grew up in that muggle orphanage. He took after his father in looks, and his magic was strong than any of the Gaunts from generatins before. He learned at a young age what he could do with it, and terrorized the other children t the orphanage. They could never prove it was he who had done it, but he instilled fear into the children as well as the caretakers. Soon enough, Tom turned eleven. Albus Dumbledore was the Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts at that time, and it was he who was sent to deliver Tom's letter and explain to him that he was a wizard. Tom was disbelieving and untrusting at first, but when he challenged Dumbledore to prove his claims he was both awed and horrified. His wardrobe, holding the too few and mostly stolen possessions of an orphan child, was on fire." Hardwin told them and felt sympathy once again for little Tom.

He knew well what it was like to have nothing. That feeling of having nothing of your own in the world and no one who cared. It was a horrid feeling. Even if he had done it to teach a lesson about stealing; Dumbledore had been in the wrong then. Who knew when the tipping point for little Tom had been, but Dumbledore's actions that day and in years after had certainly done nothing to help.

"Dumbledore made Tom take out a small box from the wardrobe once the flames went out. He told him he would have to return the stolen items to the children he had taken them from. Implying that he wouldn't be welcome at Hogwarts if he didn't. Once Tom had agreed he went to leave, but not before Tom admitted one more thing. He admitted that he could understand and speak to snakes. He asked him if that was normal for someone like him. This shook Dumbledore, and he refused to answer before he left. Dumbledore never managed to hide his distrust of Tom after that." Hardwin said and had to smile at the scowls on both Andromeda and Narcissa's expressions though they did not interrupt.

Though he could tell that they disagreed with what Albus Dumbledore had done as well.

"Tom went to Hogwarts where he was sorted into Slytherin House. You both having been in Slytherin would probably know as well as I how a perceived muggle-born would be treated. It wasn't until later that his classmates learned that Tom was a parselmouth, and Tom started researching bout his family. He found out what it meant to be the heir of Salazar Slytherin. He searched until he found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and it was then he let the monster within the Chamber loose. Only he didn't so much let it loose as set it on 'purifying' the school of the muggle-born. When a muggle-born girl named Myrtle Warren was killed in the girls' bathroom on the second floor the school governors had no choice but to shut the school down. Now, Tom felt no remorse or guilt for causing Myrtle's death, but he couldn't abide being sent away from the school. The muggle world was in the middle of World War II at that time, and Tom feared one thing more than anything else." Hardwin said before smiling grimly as he was interrupted for the first time.

"You are talking about Moaning Myrtle?" Narcissa asked in surprise.

"Yes. Even now she doesn't know how she died. I didn't have the heart to tell her. Slytherin's monster was his familiar. A deadly beast with the most potent venom in the world and a gaze that kills." Hardwin admitted and Andromeda gasped as she knew what it was.

"A basilisk? There is a basilisk in the school?" Andromeda asked in horror and Hardwin noticed Narcissa's face pale as she realized it too.

"Not anymore. I killed it in my second year. Anyway, I'm almost done telling you about my distant cousin. So, World War II… right. Tom was afraid of death more than anything else in the world, nd who could blame him as he was forced back to London during the Blitz. He framed another student for Myrtle's death. Rubeus Hagrid had a love for creatures and had been keeping an acromantula in the school. The spider and Hagrid were blamed, and Hagrid was expelled. Tom got what he wanted. To not risk the school closing again he sealed the chamber, but he didn't stop there as he had learned about his mother's family; the Gaunts. He went to Little Hangleton where he met Morfin who had been out of Azkaban for a while by then. Marvolo had died by that time, but Morfin hadn't changed a bit. At first, Morfin mistook Tom for 'that muggle'. This was how Tom learned about his father who he looked so much like it was uncanny. Tom confronted his muggle father at the home of his muggle grandparents. In his anger, he killed all three of them before returning to Morfin. Tom was very smart and gifted with a talent in mind magic. He planted a memory in Morfin's mind and framed his Uncle for the murders of his father and grandparents. Morfin died in Azkaban, and so the Gaunt line ended in the male line." Hardwin ended his story and wondered if either one of the women had worked out who Tom had become.

From the pale look on their faces, it was a good bet that both of them had.

"Tom Riddle was HIM. Wasn't he? That's why you know so much about him." Andromeda said quietly and Hardwin nodded and stared into his tea.

"Tom Riddle was much like his grandfather. Quick to anger. Arrogant. Yet the madness that ran in the bloodline from the generations of inbreeding between siblings and close cousins had been honed to a knife's edge. Unlike his grandfather, Tom was talented in magic, very intelligent, and knew how to use his looks and cunning to get what he wanted. He was a half-blood wizard who didn't know what it meant to care for or love another person, and filled with nothing but hatred. He hated the muggles and considered them beneath him for not having magic, but he hated the wizards and witches as well. He coveted what he believed to be his by right of his birth, and in his eyes, the wizarding world had failed him because he had been left with muggles. All of this twisted him into the man he became. The Dark Lord he became." Harry said gravely as he set down his teacup.

"Tom Riddle became the Dark Lord known as Voldemort; a name he would use to instill fear. Using the prejudice already so prominent he took out his hatred on the world. Until one night word reached him about a prophecy that would bring an end to the terror he inflicted on the world. He only knew a part of it, but it was enough for him to narrow his sight on two children. One, a pureblood, while the other was thought to be a half-blood like himself. In this child, he saw himself, and so on a Samhain night he went to kill his distant cousin. I will not bother with the rest of the story as the three of us know how it ends."

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Wow. I did not expect this chapter to go like this at all. Also longer than I intended, and I didn't get to the rest. He just had to tell Tom's story. It's one that should be told and there are many lessons that can be learned from it. It's a story I can see Harry telling his children when they are old enough to caution them with some real-life lessons.

Until next time,

Ryu

Edited: 11/15/2022