Inception: Rise of the Heir
After the murder of Hepzibah Smith, Tom Riddle disappeared for ten long years. He sank deeper into the Dark Arts & pursued knowledge that others could only dream of, consorting with the darkest members of wizarding society. With his eyes set on North America, he has no idea that the magic he so desperately seeks will shape his life & his inevitable future for years to come. TomxOC
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my o/c's and my own storyline.
The cabin shuddered lightly as the train rocked back and forth, the whirring of its wheels on the track could be heard from below as Lyra stared out the large window to her right. They had been on the train for nearly two hours and the sun was beginning to set in the sky. She stole a glance at Tom, who was completely engrossed in a book he had pulled out from his case, a word had not passed between them since they had departed.
"I suppose he has the right idea...I should probably do something valuable with my time and continue searching for answers."
She opened up the small black black purse beside her and poked her wand into the bag, summoning a thick book with a frayed purple cover. Changing her position on the bench for more comfort, she slowly opened the book, her fingers moving the pages carefully as she turned them. They were old and worn, many ripped in certain spots from years of studying. She turned to a passage, written in a different language and tried to concentrate while she read, which was proving to be difficult, her mind was still occupied from the events of the past two days.
"Try to clear your head. You won't accomplish anything if you keep distracting yourself…"
Lyra sighed and changed her position, crossing her legs once more as she tried to re read the passage. Tom looked up from what he had been reading, her incessant shuffling and re-positioning distracted him and he watched as she once more moved the literature from one leg to another, rubbing her forehead as she tried to read. His eyes glanced towards the cover, fixated on the title of the book.
"Deciphering the Dark Arts?" He said softly as she lowered the book and stared at him. She flipped the cover over and looked at it once more before raising her gaze.
"An untranslated copy." She said as she placed her thumb between the pages she was reading. She crossed her legs again as she motioned towards the book. "Most copies in existence have been translated into a common tongue...this one is not."
"Why not?"
"This book is a collection, not a mere stand alone account of dark magic, it's a catalogue of many different accounts of forbidden spells written in their original tongues. Where they come from, why they were created, all in perfect detail."
She continued as she rubbed the book with her hand. "When you translate something into a different language, sometimes the words lose meaning."
Tom stared at her for a moment before he spoke. "You said languages...how many?"
She narrowed her eyes at him as she looked up, counting the ones she could remember in her head. "Six...maybe Seven? That doesn't include the passages containing a few runes which I've yet to decipher.."
"And you understand them all?" He snorted softly, unconvinced.
Lyra shook her head as she gently laughed. "If by 'understand', you mean piece together slowly then...yes."
She looked out the window, her eyes filled with a strange emotion. "It was necessary for me to understand most languages back when…"
Her voice trailed off as she suddenly changed the subject, placing the book down. She nodded towards the book he held in his hands.
"A History of Magic in North America…" she said, leaning her arm up against the side of the cabin. "Find anything useful in that book?"
"Not really." He said,as he raised the book once more towards his face.
She stared at him intently, knowing he had tried to end their conversation quickly once it reverted back to him. Lyra could almost sense his discomfort.
"Why read it then?" She twirled her wand around her fingers lazily.
He didn't bother to look up as he answered her. "I'm still trying to understand certain things about your bizarre country."
"You know if you have questions, you could just ask."
He let out a small sigh of annoyance as he placed the book down and looked at her, the same curious look on his face.
"Why is it that the communities and cities are so different here? I can't seem to make sense of it...what is the purpose of your wizarding government if they don't control everything?"
Lyra thought about it before she answered. "They do control everything...more or less, they ensure that the laws are followed, protect our currencies, defend our ways of life from those who would try to harm us. I think what you're confused about is our freedom to choose how we, in this country, prefer to live our lives."
Tom sat silently, listening intently as she continued. "For instance, not every child has to go to Ilvermorny."
"Why would-"
"Not every wizard in America follows the European standard of magic, there are so many different types here, why should anyone be forced to change who they are for a societal norm?"
There was a soft knock at the door as a woman's voice could be heard on the other side, warm and cheerful. "Dinner Trolley!"
She stood up and walked over to the door slowly sliding it open.
The witch before her was tall and thin, her red hair wrapped up in a loose bun as she smiled at them, her face friendly and cheerful. "Here are your dinners...They come complementary with overnight voyages, but is there anything else you'd like?"
"No that'll be fine, thank you." Lyra said, smiling at the young woman.
The trolley witch waved her wand and Tom watched as two plates of food appeared before their seats on small trays. She nodded in satisfaction as she resumed pushing the cart and continued to make her way down the car.
Lyra closed the door softly and sat back down in her seat, pulling her dinner closer to herself.
"Now...where was I…" She said as she placed a forkful of food into her mouth, chewing slowly as she thought.
"Not all children go to a wizarding school…" Tom said impatiently as he pulled his tray closer, eating his dinner slowly, as he looked towards her.
"Ah. Right...Some communities are steeped in tradition, where children have been taught certain types of magic by their families, just like their parents had done before them and so on...All children in North America receive their letters of admission to Ilvermorny of course, but not all opt to go..."
She waved her fork dismissively as she looked down towards her purse. "Would you like some wine? Pumpkin juice isn't quite doing anything for me right now…"
Tom sat silently as he watched her wave her hand towards her purse, grabbing a large bottle followed by two glasses that floated slowly out from its opening. She waved her hand once more as she continued to eat, the bottle pouring itself into the glasses as they floated towards each of them. He narrowed his eyes at her as the glass floated towards him.
She stared at him curiously as she swirled the wine in her glass and took a sip. "That bothers you...why?"
He raised his eyebrows innocently as he sipped from the wine glass. "I'm not sure what you mean...why does what bother me?"
Lyra sighed and waved her hand once more, the book at his side floated over towards her slowly, landing in her outstretched hand. "Wandless magic."
Tom placed his fork down, irritated, and gave her an odd look before answering. "It's uncommon...Many wizards have trouble learning how to perform magic without wands."
"Including myself…" he thought angrily. He was annoyed at the idea that another could perform magic he could not.
Shrugging her shoulders before sipping her wine. "It is not as remarkable here...I had an...unconventional childhood…"
She trailed off as she stared out the window, changing the direction in which the conversation was headed. "...Ilvermorny doesn't allow students to take their wands home during the holiday and summer breaks...so I had to improvise…"
"Wands-" She said as she gestured to her wand, farther away on the bench. "-are merely tools for us...objects that allow us to channel our magic in a specific way ...but they can also be our chains. Take a wand away from a wizard-"
"...and they have no power." Tom said softly, following her gaze out the window.
"Precisely." Lyra said as she took another sip of wine.
He twirled his wand delicately between his fingers as he looked towards her once more. "How does it work?"
She looked towards him and sipped once more from her glass. "It's harder to learn as an adult, especially after years of reliance on a wand...but with enough practice, it's achievable. You just need to learn to channel your magic through yourself, rather than a piece of wood...Once you master that, it's easy."
Sighing, she leaned forward to hand him his book, waving her wand bitterly as she looked at it. "But-wandless magic can only take you so far. Certain charms, powerful spells still require us to use these. I can only perform simple things without my wand...for spells that require more strength...I still need this."
He grabbed the book from her gently and leaned back into his chair, contemplative.
Lyra smiled halfheartedly and turned back towards her dinner, frowning while she finished it quietly.
"I wonder if I would feel better about using my wand, if I had actually been able to choose one of my own…"
Her wand was second hand, passed down to her from her mother and although it was powerful, it resisted her whenever she had done something it seemed to disagree with. It was frustrating, but she had eventually learned to work around it, the wand was no match for her will. When she was younger she remembered standing outside the wand shop, watching all the other children go inside, buzzing with excitement and walking out in wonder, staring at the wands which had chosen them, personalized to their talents and needs.
She looked to her wand once more and her face softened. "None of it mattered anyway, I still bested them all, wand of my own or not."
"You should take another dose of the potion."
Woken from her thoughts, Lyra stared at him for a moment, her eyes snapping back from her distraction. "What?
Tom waved his wand as the tray disappeared and rolled his eyes impatiently as he spoke once more. "The potion. You need to take it, you haven't had any since we left Salem."
"Right…" She said, as she tried to put the old memories far from her mind, summoning the potion from her purse.
He watched her take a small sip as he crossed his legs. "I think twice a day should be sufficient, until we know if it works or not…"
"I feel more like myself than I have in a long time..."
"All the more reason for you not to let your guard down." He said as he sipped on his glass of wine. "Unless of course you want others to discover your secret."
She capped the bottle as she placed it back inside her purse and looked towards him indignantly. "One person knowing is quite enough I think…"
Tom gave her a wry smile as he looked down towards his wine.
"Why did you keep my secret for yourself, rather than expose me?" She asked abruptly, as she raised her glass towards the bottle, waiting for it to refill.
He stared at her, his dark eyes unreadable as he spoke softly. "What would I have gained by exposing you?"
Lyra stared out the window once more, the wine had started to affect her senses and was making her speak more outwardly than she was accustomed. "MACUSA would have been more than appreciative towards you for apprehending someone like myself. They would have forgiven your failure to procure a wand permit, you would have received multitudes of praise, a badge of honor for capturing a monster."
Letting out a small snort he sipped from his glass once more. "If she only knew the things I've done…"
"I'm not searching for any merits or distinction in this country, all I care about is the knowledge I came here for." He said softly as he placed the glass down before him. "I don't care about the things you have done, they hold little consequence to me."
She looked towards him once more, her eyes tired and heavy. "It doesn't bother you to keep company with someone like me? Others-"
"You've asked me this before and I answered it quite plainly, but i'll rephrase it in the hopes it'll sink it better." He said irately and continued, his dark brown eyes settling on hers. "When I saved your life, you told me I should have let you die, that I didn't understand."
"Yes..." She murmured as she tried to break his gaze, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment as she was reminded once more of more words she had spoken in momentary weakness.
"-And If you recall I asked what it was that you thought I couldn't understand?" He said, his voice soft and gentle.
Lyra remained silent as he paused, his face solemn and intense as he spoke.
"Not everyone transforms into a monster when they do terrible things Lyra."
The soft light of the cabin danced across his face, illuminating his handsome features as he continued. "Sometimes doing hideous things just simply can't be helped and the people who get hurt are just victims of circumstance."
She felt a flush creep up in her cheeks as she looked down towards the floor. "Is he really trying to make me feel better?"
"You shouldn't concern yourself about what others think. Most people are small minded and weak, they couldn't even begin to comprehend ideas and problems that are larger than themselves..."
"Perhaps you're right if I look at it that way…"Lyra looked up towards him and felt the corners of her mouth turn up into a weak smile as she tried to change the subject. "I know I said I would never ask, but what is it you're hoping to find in New Orleans?"
He stared at her for a moment before looking out the window, his dark eyes narrowed and unreadable. She sighed and stood up slowly, her head had started to pound from the amount of wine she had drank.
"Of course he's not going to tell me…"
Clearing her personal belongings from the bench, she waved her wand and watched as a bed popped up from where she had just sat. It was late and she felt the weight of the day starting to take its toll on her body, she needed to rest.
"I can't help you if I don't know what you're looking for." Lyra said matter of factly as she grabbed her pillow and fluffed it gently with her hands before pulling the sheets back. She felt annoyed at his lack of response to her question.
"So it's perfectly fine for him to be in my business, but when I ask him a simple question-"
Her thoughts were interrupted by his silky voice.
"There is old magic that I'm particularly interested in...magic that is not practiced in my own country."
Surprised that he had responded to her question, Lyra sat down slowly on the bed and crossed her legs gently. "Ah. You mean Voodoo."
"Whatever it is you wish to call it." He said as he shrugged his shoulder, tapping his wand restlessly against his knee. "I'm not interested in learning the fundamentals, there are certain spells that are of extreme interest to me and I wish to learn them."
Lyra felt a sting in her chest as she recalled her last visit to New Orleans, she too had eagerly sought guidance from the dark magic that lingered within the city and had been severely disappointed when she had been forced to leave empty handed.
"I see." She furrowed her brow as she looked towards him. "Well...I can't promise that you'll be able to discover anything, but at least now I know in which direction to point you."
"Maybe he'll have more luck than I did...New Orleans can be unyielding."
"I'll find what I need." He said absentmindedly, turning his head towards the window which peered out into the blackness of the night, as she sighed and looked once more at her bed, pulling the sheets back and easing herself between its folds gently.
"Well he's certainly confident...I'll give him that." She sighed.
"I need rest if we are to make the most out of tomorrow. We should arrive in New Orleans by late morning."
Tom nodded in acknowledgement, his attention towards the night sky outside the cabin window unaltered.
"Well then...Goodnight, Tom…" Lyra murmured uncomfortably as she waved her wand in a delicate motion. A long curtain appeared between the both of them as it blocked him from her view, giving her some much needed privacy.
Extinguishing the lights from her side of the cabin, Lyra lay in darkness as she watched the soft glow emanating from Tom's side beneath the curtain. She was unsure about how she should feel about the conversation that had transpired between them and shook her head gently, forbidding herself to think of anything that might distract her from sleep.
Tom flicked his wand impatiently as he watched his dinner tray and table quickly disappear, settling himself further into the soft cushion of the seat. He looked towards the thick curtain that concealed Lyra from him and tapped his fingers on his knee. The conversation between them had been taxing at first, but he had been surprised to find that after a while he had begun to enjoy talking with her.
"She's knowledgeable at the very least…" He thought as his eyes fell upon the book next to him. The one she had so easily summoned to her side without a wand. He looked at it curiously as he slowly placed his wand away from himself. He thought back to what she had said as he held his hand out and stared at the book.
"You just need to learn to channel your magic through yourself, rather than a piece of wood...Once you master that, it's easy."
He gave his hand a small wave "Accio".
Nothing happened.
Frustrated, he repeated the movement and tried to clear his head as he focused. He frowned once more as the book lay still before him.
"Just like anything else, this will take patience and practice."
He practiced silently for the next hour, determined to make the text move, only to fail time after time.
Tom silently cursed as he ran his hands through his raven hair and glared at the book as if it had wronged him in some egregious way. Although he had become used to the meticulous fashion in which certain magic had to be learned, he wasn't accustomed to the repetitive lack of results that he was currently experiencing.
"What am I doing wrong?" he thought as he stared at the book and shook his head in agitation, reaching over to grab his wand. He looked at the small piece of wood angrily as he tapped it against his leg and leaned his head back into the soft cushioning of the seat. He stared out the window as his own reflection looked back at him, the soft of the glow of the cabin dancing around him.
A wave of drowsiness slowly crept over him as he began to feel his eyelids grow heavy. He glanced towards the thick curtain that separated him from Lyra and could hear her sleeping softly on the other side, her breath rising and falling in rhythmic patterns. Under normal circumstances the sound would have irritated him, but for some reason tonight he found it strangely relaxing.
Dimming the lights on his side of the cabin, he slowly closed his eyes as he listened to her soft breath and the gentle hum of the train beneath them, falling asleep to the gentle sounds of the night.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, took me a little bit to write, kinda going stir crazy being locked up, dealt with a lot of anxiety this week. Hope all of you are safe and well with everything going on in the world.
So, I wanted to address the whole "wandless" magic idea. The only thing we really know about wandless magic is:
1) Wizards from Africa have mastered this type of magic and are not forced to use wands.
2) Native Americans are also practitioners of wandless magic.
3) No where in the books has it ever specified that the characters we all know, used or mastered wandless magic. (Except for maybe Dumbledore I believe.) In the movies we see some wandless magic used, but it's only there for cinematic purposes.
Yes, as children, wizards display magic without the use of a wand but it's all accidental and uncontrollable. So no, I don't think personally Tom Riddle was gifted with wandless magic as a child, those displays were simply accidental and he had to acquire that knowledge and work hard at it like everybody else who might have been a practitioner. I don't like the idea a lot of writers seem to have about Tom that he was just always naturally inclined to magic and that everything he achieved seems to come to him easily. It makes him have zero character build. I think Tom Riddle was probably such a talented wizard because, in fact, he tried HARDER than everyone else. He dedicated almost 30 years of his life (from ages 11-40ish), before re-emerging from obscurity, to study, learn and make sure he was more knowledgeable than ANYONE. He set himself up against things that challenged him and because of his dominant and determined nature, he didn't stop until he got or achieved what he wanted.
Additionally, I don't think Hogwarts would teach wandless magic as a course in school. In Canon it is said to be unpredictable and dangerous to perform magic without a wand, I can't see many students actually qualifying for a class such as this, let alone teachers letting them practice and risk one of them getting hurt. I think great wizards such as Dumbledore and Tom Riddle would have learned this on their own time after they had graduated Hogwarts. As to why Lyra can perform wandless magic, that'll be revealed later. BUT I did think it important to include (because it makes sense) that certain charms, spells, hexes etc, that are more difficult to perform, would still need to be performed with a wand. The harder the spell, the more precise it needs to be and wandless magic is anything but precise, which is why wands were invented.
Well anyway if you enjoyed it please add it to your favs, review and follow! Xx