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The train rattled steadily along the tracks as it neared Hogsmeade station, carrying a handful of returning students to their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Among them was a boy who stood apart from the others, both literally and figuratively—Tom Riddle. At fifteen, his sharp features and calculating demeanor already marked him as different, distant from his peers. He had always been destined for more.

Tom sat alone in his compartment, his dark hair neatly combed, his pale skin illuminated faintly by the flickering lanterns overhead. His fingers absentmindedly traced the edge of a tarnished silver locket, which bore the crest of a snake—coiled and regal. This locket, a relic from his summer research, had become his obsession. His extensive studies in the restricted section, late-night conversations with certain house-elves, and his unmatched skill at uncovering secrets had revealed something extraordinary.

Salazar Slytherin.*

The locket was no mere heirloom. It was a key to the past, to his own legacy. Tom Marvolo Riddle was not just an orphan from a Muggle-run home. He was the last remaining heir of Salazar Slytherin, one of Hogwarts' founders. The blood of the most powerful, most cunning of the founders flowed through his veins, and he was determined to prove it.

As the train screeched to a halt, Tom's dark eyes flicked out the window. The familiar silhouette of Hogwarts stood shrouded in mist, its towering spires calling him back to his true home. He stepped off the train without a word, moving swiftly through the throng of students, who instinctively gave him space. Although he wore the Prefect's badge and was admired for his charm and intellect, Tom felt no need for friends. They were useful tools, nothing more.

The Sorting Hat had placed him in Slytherin five years ago, recognizing the same ambition and cunning that had defined Salazar Slytherin himself. Now, Tom had more than mere ambition—he had purpose. Hogwarts was his stepping stone to greatness, but it was also home to the Chamber of Secrets. Tom had learned of the Chamber from his extensive research, and he believed that it contained a weapon—a creature capable of purging the school of those Salazar had deemed unworthy: Mudbloods.

The Chamber was real. He was certain of it. And soon, he would be the one to open it.

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