A/N: So these are varying lengths. They are really just parts I wrote that didn't fit so I just made them part of Hermione's book. The premise (as noted in the first bit of the "chapter") is The Prophet is publishing excepts of the book at some point in the future. These chapters cover parts of the story not really detailed in the actual story or a difference POV from the original story scene (*coughs Draco POV*).
Amor Vincit Outtakes
*R&R**R&R*
The following are excerpts from various chapter's of Hermione Malfoy's best selling book Amor Vincit. The book has been reprinting multiple times while rewriting the history of magical Britain. The rest of the magical world has taken notice of the hard fought battles endured by British wizards and witches and learned from those mistakes. The magical world has become more inclusive and worked together to thwart those threatening to disrupt the stability we now all enjoy.
We appreciate Mrs. Mafoy's permission to use her book in our continuing effort to help the magical world remain strong.
~The Daily Prophet - International Edition
'Amor Vincit' Preface - How Wars Begin
By Hermione Malfoy
We all know the story of the first war and how it was a battle of right and wrong, black and white. 'To the victors go the spoils', that is a term used by muggles. It means those that win a battle or war get to claim whatever they want. Along those same lines is the saying, 'history is written by the winners.' This is a more recent quote and is also muggle in origin. It is believed to have been said during the muggle war called World War II. But the meaning is clear, the history you read is written by those who won. Those who lost are dead or their side of the story is brushed under the rug (*another muggle term meaning hidden away from sight).
Five years after the end of the second war and more than twenty years after the official end of the first war, we also all know, or think we know, everything about the men who led each side of the war. And more importantly we know what they were fighting to reach. The reasons driving each man to settle on those goals has been glossed over by those that knew them best. Tom Riddle never masked what he wanted. He wanted supreme and ultimate power. He wanted the world to be confined to what he thought was right and safe for the wizards and witches that followed him. His primary failure was in refusing to acknowledge that magic cannot be contained and as the population decreased, magic did what it needed to do to survive. Muggleborns had always been around but in the last two centuries the numbers of them increased, I believe because of the decrease in births by witches in the magical world. Riddle saw the way muggleborns were viewed and saw it as an opportunity to position himself against the man who was slowly amassing the power he wanted. That man, that hurdle was Albus Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard since Merlin by his own manipulation. He had gained the position of Hogwarts Headmaster, responsible for moulding the minds of the future wizarding leaders of Britain. He was named Chief Mugwump and acted as a peacemaker for international squabbles leading decisions toward the factions with which he personally agreed. Finally, he was the Wizengamot's Chief Warlock. This position alone gave him the power to decide the fates of every witch and wizard in Britain. Why does someone need all of those roles at the same time? Power. How much time was actually spent on each of the roles? Not enough, reading the histories of the positions and the biographies of those witches and wizards who previously held the roles, each position was a full time job. To do it as intended was a life's work. Dumbledore accumulated titles like a child accumulates toys.
When one compares the leader of the 'Light' to the leader of the 'Dark' there are many more similarities than differences. Both of these men were raised without fathers. One's father wanted nothing to do with him while the other choose prison life over being there for his family. The boys were lonely and isolated as child. They were led to believe they were outcasts from those around them and grew finding comfort in the fact they were more powerful than their counterparts. Both saw the chance to be powerful and prove their fathers wrong for not choosing them. Neither boy got what they wanted, in the end.
Riddle, in an apparent, fit of rage, killed his father after the man didn't care how powerful the young wizard was. The story, as has been passed down, was the man looked to his son and told him to get out. No amount of power or skill would make the boy anything other than a freak like his mother. It seems Young Riddle didn't expect his father to be so dismissive and that lead to the first time Tom Riddle killed a human. As we know it wouldn't be the last.
On the other hand, Dumbledore had to live with the fact that his father chose to die in prison ensuring Ariana never received the adequate mental care she needed or being there to help his family survive. The treatments available may not have been great but it would have been better than locking the family in their home and isolating themselves. Ariana was dealing with what would now be considered PTSD. The Ministry would have been able to handle Ariana's display of magic as they do with other cases of accidental magic. But Dumbledore's father wanted nothing to do with the Ministry and sentenced his family to a life much harder than was necessary.
As Young Riddle grew he saw the power Dumbledore was amassing and wanted it for himself. Taking a position opposite of Dumbledore, Riddle purposely set himself to battle for his goal. He never expected a young muggleborn mother from the opposing side to be powerful enough to thwart his effort. He underestimated muggleborns until the end.
