The first time Tom tortured a Slytherin was in their forth year.
That year, many changes occurred. Tom's "minions" became his death eaters. Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort. Most importantly, Calypso Orpheus Black became Tom's consort.
Tom had spent the summer doing much research. Over the years, he had discovered the many flaws of the Ministry. He would always complain about them to Orpheus, and the more he did, the more resolute he became to overthrow the jurisdiction. Orpheus supported him; encouraged him even, despite not having views as strong as his. His love merely wanted him to be happy; for him to do what he pleased to.
Tom had everything he needed. He had a group of followers that he could train to be his army. He had the intelligence, the charm, and the charisma a leader required. All he required was a new name- an alias.
The name Tom was too common, too plain for a man as great as he was. It was a name for the unachieved fools like his father and the bartender at Diagon Alley. He hated the name; it was a reminder of his past. He found it ironic, how a simple name could carry so much power. It was during his birthday, in his third year that he found out about his parentage. Orpheus knew how curious he was about his heritage and had gifted him a potion, a newly invented, rather costly potion, that would sketch out his family tree.
He discovered, that it was not his mother who was a muggle, but his father.
He was stunned; bewildered. If his mother was a witch, why did she die at childbirth? It was common for women from pureblood lines to experience complications of childbirth, but it was only with the second child did such complications arise. He was the first and only child; it made no sense to him.
He never liked his name but now that he knew who he was named after, his filthy muggle of a father, his dislike morphed into detest.
He spent hours thinking of a name; a name eminent enough for him. However, it wasn't in the library where he found his inspiration. Instead, it was in his little mongoose.
After an hour spent futilely at the library, Tom had decided to return to their room to check on Orpheus to see if he had awoken. As expected, his love was lounging on the couch, washed up and awaiting him to return for breakfast, reading a book. Orpheus had taken an interest in muggle literature, something that Tom found rather silly.
"What work of the muggles could be as great as that of a wizards?" he had pointed out when he first saw Orpheus reading Shakespeares. Orpheus had just responded by grabbing his book back from Tom, swatting his hand away and sticking out his tongue; that deliriously delicious tongue that Tom couldn't help but capture hungrily in his mouth.
"You cannot, sir, take from me any thing that I will more willingly part withal: except my life, except my life, except my life," Tom recited as he draped his arms around Orpheus's neck from behind the armchair.
"Really my love; Hamlet?" he teased as he pecked the younger boy's cheek affectionately.
"Oh hush you," Orpheus laughed as he turned to give Tom a chaste kiss on the lips.
He set his book on the coffee table before standing up and asking, "How's the progress?"
"Stagnant," Tom replied monotonously as they sat at the dinning table, eating the breakfast Orpheus had prepared. His love enjoyed cooking and never failed to whip up their daily meals when he had the time to.
"Hmm," Orpheus hummed thoughtfully as he chewed on his bacon, "What about an anagram? Like Hamlet?"
It was that suggestion that inspired the name Tom decided to adopt.
Vol de mort
The flight of death.
The name that would one day strike fear and reverence into the very core of the wizarding world.
Unlike with Orpheus, Tom's change in name quickly spread amongst the Slytherins.
It started off with his inner circle and soon spread to the whole house of Slytherin. It started off as Voldemort, but ever since Lestrange had jokingly started calling him Lord Voldemort, the Slytherins soon picked it up, calling him Lord Voldemort. It annoyed him that they did it out of affection rather than respect; that the name and title of Lord was being used as an endearment, as a nickname.
It all changed though, the day Walgurba Black decided to foolishly challenge his authority.
Walgurba Black had always been a sore in the thumb.
She had never liked Tom; seeing him as beneath her. And when Tom rose to the top of the hierarchy, she was as sour as sour could get. She never showed her despise towards Tom, but Tom knew how the girl felt. Her subtle disrespect and dirty looks would have been more than enough to warrant punishment if not for her relation to Orpheus. His dear mongoose had a soft spot for his cousin, especially since she had looked out for him over the years.
She overstepped the line however, when she tried to turn Orpheus against him.
Tom had told Orpheus to go ahead as he had to look for some professor. He noticed how Walgurba approached Orpheus the moment he left and suddenly decided that the question he had to asked was rather unimportant.
He followed the two under a disillusionment charm to an empty classroom.
Walgurba was clever enough to cast a silencing charm to prevent the students wandering outside to overhear their conversation. Tom however, was inside the room with the two, not outside, and had no difficulties listening in on Walgurba's 'advice' to Orpheus to break things off with Tom.
"His obsession with you is unhealthy! Can't you see?!" she exclaimed in agitation.
Orpheus's face was blank but Tom could the tension in his small form.
"He loves me," Orpheus replied simply, "He's the only one that does."
"Can't you see that I love you too?! You're my cousin Calypso! I'll always love you!" Walgurba shouted in frustration.
It was as if a rubber band had snapped the moment Walgurba addressed Orpheus as Calypso. A sudden bang rang through the room as a table next to the two blew up into pieces. Orpheus displayed a level of anger Tom had never seen before. The boy's magic was running wild and his jaw and fists was clenched and was literally shaking in anger. A pregnant silence filled the room, Walgurba frozen in surprise and Orpheus trying to control calm his magic.
Orpheus absolutely loathed the name Calypso. It was a constant reminder of how unwanted he was, of how he was the hidden. (1)
"Do not call me by that name." Orpheus spoke, voice deadly calm.
Still rooted to the ground, struck by fear, Walgurba could only remain in silence.
"I love Tom. The only thing that can do us part is death. This conversation is over," Orpheus stated as he walked out of the room.
Tom followed Orpheus back into their room, removing the disillusionment charm as soon as he left the classroom. It was without doubt that Orpheus had noticed Tom's presence in the room and there was no point in keeping the charm up.
It was only when they were in the privacy, in the safety, of their room did Orpheus finally let his tears flow freely.
Tom simply held him tenderly in his arms, stroking his back until Orpheus fell asleep.
Later that evening after dinner, Tom left Orpheus sleeping peacefully in their bed.
It was time to put on a show.
"My fellow Slytherins! Gather round for a little show!" Tom announced as he twirled his wand in his hand.
Waves of dark magic oozed off Tom, compelling every Slytherin to move in, to get as close as they could to the source of the seductive magic. Tom cast a body-binding spell on Walgurba before levitating her into the air, allowing everyone to catch a good view of what he was about to do to her.
"You see, Walgurba here, decided that it would be wise to go against me and I don't really appreciate those who defy me. Accio Walgurba Black's wand!" Tom said as he snapped Walgurba's wand into two, eliciting shocked gasps from a few of the younger Slytherins. He used a slicing hex to strip Walgurba of her robes, her dignity, and directed the bits and pieces of cloth to the fireplace.
He continued, alternating between using the slicing hex to make random cuts on her skin and using fienfyre to burn parts of her skin. Tears and blood flowed from Walgurba as the Slytherins watched in fear. No one dared to make a sound, not wanting to provoke Tom.
"Not to worry however, Lord Voldemort is forgiving!" Tom suddenly exclaimed in jest, mocking voice penetrating the deafening silence of the room as he suddenly came to a stop.
"Heal her." Tom ordered Abaraxas Malfoy who shakily stood forward to heal her wounds.
The blonde hardly made any progress however, before Tom suddenly interrupted.
"Ah! I forgot! Walgurba not only tried to go against me, but also tried to turn Orpheus against me!" Tom said in feigned realization, sudden exclamation so shocking that it made the dignified Malfoy fall to his knees in fear.
"My poor, lovely consort, Orpheus. My beautiful, beloved Orpheus," Tom sighed dreamily, as if lost in thought of Orpheus.
"IS UPSET!" he yelled, casting the cruciatus on Walgurba.
The sudden changes in his attitude, the unpredictability and the sheer power the heir of Slytherin possessed struck fear in the core of every single Slytherin. No one dared to so much as move, fearing the wrath of Lord Voldemort.
Walgurba couldn't even scream; voice locked by the binding spell, agony showing only in her eyes.
"Tom?" a sweet, melodious voice said, breaking the shattering the stagnant air.
Tom lowered his wand, turning to walk towards a sleep-dazed Orpheus to capture his lips in a kiss.
"Yes my love?" he asked, after casting a silencing charm around them. Tom was slightly tensed, worried as to how Orpheus might react, well aware of Orpheus's soft spot for Walgurba.
Sensing his tension, Orpheus cupped his face gently to reassure him.
"So, I'm your consort now?" he asked teasingly, eyes wrinkling in a smile.
Tom simply tore down the silencing charm cast around them in reply as he ordered, "Poor Walgurba was found in the Forbidden Forest. Lestrange, take her to the Hospital Wing."
"Yes, my Lord." came the reply from a kneeling Lestrange.
A/N: Sorry for the late update! I'll most likely finish this story then continue with Colours of Life. I've been rather caught up in studies and it kinda drains my mood to write. ):
I created a tumblr so you can follow me there if you want to know my writing progress or anything! (: .com
(1) Calypso can mean "to hide", "to conceal" etc.