Chapter 6
The Enchanted Forest, many years ago
Tom Riddle was confused. He had heard the name before. The book, the fairy tale, had even been read to him at a group oral reading session at the orphanage from the tudor.
However there was no way that this could be a coincidence. The name was only ever used once by the original author in a single story. Another person could not randomly have been named it. Unless this guy renamed himself?
"Seriously?" asked Tom Riddle. "That's your name? Rumpelstiltskin?"
"Yes, why?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.
"Nothing, it's just that in my Realm there is a fairy tale story written about…someone with your name."
"Oh really dearie." said Rumpelstiltskin with interest. "Do tell."
"Well, the story goes," began Lord Voldemort, "Once Upon a Time… A miller claims to the King that his daughter can spin straw into gold, and the King locks her in a tower saying that if she does not succeed by the next morning then she'll be locked in the tower forever. However if she does succeed she will be married to his son the prince. The woman however feeling disheartened because she cannot actually complete the task, then sees this mysterious man appear before her and he tells her that he can spin straw into gold if she agrees to a deal. 'Her first born will be his if he does this task for her'. Feeling that she has no choice, she agrees. When the next morning all the straw has been turned to Gold by a spinning wheel the king then has her married to his son.
"Later, when she has conceived a child, the mysterious man comes to collect. However she wants to back out of the deal because she wants to keep her child. The mysterious man then offers her another deal, if she can guess his name then he will let her out of the deal. Of course she did not know what his name was. He gave her 100 guesses over several days. At first she tried guessing normal names and then she tried guessing strange and mysterious names. But as she was approaching the 100th guess, the mysterious man had been in the Woods by himself talking to himself where he told himself out loud his own name. A traveler had been nearby and heard the man's conversation to himself. The Traveler goes to the princess and reveals the man's name to her. When the mysterious man returns to her later, and she has only a few guesses left, she then says his name, saying 'Rumpelstiltskin is your name'. The mysterious man bound by his own deal disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the princess got to keep her baby."
"Fascinating story, dearie." said Rumpelstiltskin. "But nonetheless, Rumpelstiltskin is my name and this is how things are going to go."
He then walked around Tom Riddle and appraised him with a curious eye.
"I see a boy with a lot of ambition. Talent. Smart and clever." said Rumpelstiltskin in observation. "But you are in search of something that has eluded. And with all of your gifts you can't find it. What can I do for you?"
Ask and you shall receive. Said Voldemort to himself inside his head while also feeling embarrassed about approaching a stranger to ask for anything.
"I seek information. For academic curiosity."
"Well dearie," said Rumpelstiltskin, "do tell and I will see if I have the answer?"
"I seek the key to eternal life."
"Aww," said Rumpelstiltskin in dawning comprehension, "that is your flaw. You're afraid of death. Well, there are of course little loopholes to find your way around certain things, there are cures to the deadliest poisons and diseases, there are ways to turn back the clock to make an older person young again, there are ways to slow the aging process."
"No, you misunderstand. I want information on a way to cheat death entirely."
Rumpelstiltskin burst into laughter as though it was the most ridiculous thing that he'd ever heard.
"I will say that you, dearie, are a bold one. There is no way to achieve immortality. Only The Dark One," he then gestured to himself, "can live for life eternal."
"There must be a way. And that's the reason I'm here. I received information saying that The Dark One who inhabits the land of the Enchanted Forest possesses this information."
"I'm flattered." said Rumpelstiltskin. "Tell me, where did you obtain this information?"
"I was on a class field trip. At the Ministry of Magic. I snuck away from the class and made my way to the Department of mysteries. Hoping to seek information. I managed to elude the security where within one of the rooms there was this mystical Oracle in some kind of containment spell. I asked it the question and I was directed to here, and how to obtain the information to travel here."
"Curious?" said Rumpelstiltskin with skepticism. "Well, you were misinformed; It can't be done."
He said the last sentence in a combination of sarcasm and seriousness.
"Yet." said Tom Riddle with enthusiastic conviction. "New magical discoveries are being made all the time. Maybe there's a way to do it, it just hasn't been found yet."
"Listen boy." said Rumpelstiltskin in a half-hearted attempt to be sympathetic and understanding. "I get it. You don't want to die. Self preservation. It can be a powerful thing. It turns people into cowards. Stumps you of your courage. And then it exacts a toll on you."
Tom Riddle then watched as Rumpelstiltskin looked at the wall in thoughtful remembrance.
"But sometimes you risk cowardice in order to get home to the people that you love."
"Love is weakness." said Tom Riddle in a strong voice. "Love holds you back from your full potential."
Rumpelstiltskin then looked at him with a serious face.
"I disagree, dearie."
Voldemort was taken aback.
"Do not underestimate the power of love." Said Rumpelstiltskin very clearly with a strong voice. "Especially, true love."
"True love? Is that a real thing?"
"Oh it most certainly is dearie. I've seen it many times."
"But love holds you back from your full potential."
"Emotions." said Rumpelstiltskin clearly and slowly, trying to make a point. "Emotions are power. Quite literally."
Rumpelstiltskin then led Voldemort over to a cabinet. He opened it up and inside were a variety of differently shaped vials filled with different colored glowing liquids.
"Bottled emotions." said Rumpelstiltskin, gesturing his hand to the collection. "Each emotion is a powerful magic. I have managed to bottle every different emotion there is. Fear, anger, pain, hatred, courage, kindness, ambition, depression."
The list went on.
He then took the one vial in the cabinet that was empty. It was shaped like a heart with a short neck.
"This here is the one vial that will forever permanently remain empty; 'True Love'. The one emotion that I have never been able to bottle."
"What would be so valuable if you successfully managed to bottle true love?" asked Voldemort somewhat curious while simultaneously disgusted by the idea of love.
"Because unlike all of the other emotions, 'True Love', is the most powerful magic of all."
Voldemort wanted to throw up. But he suppressed it and kept a straight face.
"Believe it or not, dearie, love, true love, is the only magic powerful enough to break any curse."
He then stroked the vial with the tips of his fingers in a caress.
"What I wouldn't give if I could just bottle some. It would be the most valuable thing I would ever have."
He put the vial away. He was enjoying his conversation with this young magic user from another realm. A magic user that had more ambition and magical talent than he had ever seen, though he had not yet seen a demonstration of the boy's power. Rumpelstiltskin was extremely intrigued by Tom Riddle.
"But as hard as it is to bottle, it is everywhere. You can't escape it. I myself, The Dark One, am a prisoner to love."
"Who do you love?" asked Voldemort, genuine curiosity at what this evil being could truly love.
"My son." said Rumpelstiltskin in thoughtful longing. "The only deal that I ever broke. I broke it out of selfishness. I broke it out of fear. And I paid the ultimate price. I lost my son to another Realm. I have spent every day since that day trying to find a way to travel to that realm. A world without magic. Unfortunately the only way to get there is by use of a magic bean. But magic beans are very difficult to come by. I have sought many other methods of crossing the realms, I've even succeeded in a few. But I have not been able to go to the realm where my son exists."
"I'm sorry for your loss." said Voldemort.
Though he wasn't really sorry, he was just putting on an act.
"Yes." said Rumpelstiltskin forlornly. "It was because of my son that I even became The Dark One to begin with. In order to save him."
"What happened?" said Voldemort, not 100% interested in all the details, just one certain detail.
Rumpelstiltskin had mentioned that only The Dark One could live for life eternal, and yet he had managed to become The Dark One.
"My people were at war with the ogres. It was a savage, brutal war. There was a shortage of soldiers where they then recruited into the army anyone and everyone, even children who were really young.
"So I found a way to become The Dark One, and with my newfound Powers I was able to Vanquish the ogres with a wave of my hand and save all of the children."
"That's very noble." said Voldemort. "How does one become The Dark One?"
Rumpelstiltskin had his back to Voldemort while he continued to thoughtfully reminisce.
"The only way to become The Dark One is to kill The Dark One. The Dark One's killer then becomes their successor."
Voldemort then smiled maniacally.
"That's all I needed to know."
Voldemort pointed his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A thin bolt of green lightning struck Rumpelstiltskin in the back.
Rumpelstiltskin had a shock for a moment and wobbled on his ankles but then turned around and faced Voldemort.
Voldemort was confused that the spell had not killed him.
Rumpelstiltskin giggled.
Rumpelstiltskin thrust his hand out and Voldemort was lifted off of the floor and slammed into the wall and held there by an invisible force as he dropped his wand.
"Well dearie," said Rumpelstiltskin. "You are a bold one."
It was then that the young woman Cora came into the room holding a baby in her arms.
"Teacher, what is wrong?" she asked with concern.
"Nothing to worry yourself with my dear." said Rumpelstiltskin.
The baby started crying. Voldemort couldn't stand the sound of a crying baby. He had heard enough of it in the orphanage that he had grown up in.
"It's okay Regina." said the woman Cora, trying to calm the baby.
Rumpelstiltskin looked at Lord Voldemort as he remained magically pinned to the wall, powerless. While he was appalled that this boy tried to murder him in his own home with his back turned, he was also intrigued. Intrigued by a powerful magical mind. And then it occurred to him that maybe this boy was the key to the solution of his problem.
"You know what dearie?" asked Rumpelstiltskin
Voldemort's patience was pushed to its limits, he was really wishing for this guy to stop calling him 'dearie'.
"I would turn you into a snail and step on you," said Rumpelstiltskin, "if, I didn't want to employ your services first."
Voldemort was rather surprised that he had been granted or reprieve.
"What do you want from me?"
"For starters, a Wizards duel. No killing. Not that you could anyway."
Voldemort was then released from the wall. Where then Rumpelstiltskin himself produced a wand.
Voldemort retrieved his own wand.
"How did you survive that spell. No one can survive the killing curse."
"Your spell cannot kill one who is immortal." said Rumpelstiltskin. "Now, let's do this."
Wands at the ready. They then began. They sent spell after spell at each other. Rumpelstiltskin deflecting them effortlessly. Voldemort also deflected Rumpelstiltskin's spells but for him it took a great deal of effort. Voldemort managed to hit Rumpelstiltskin with a few lucky shots, but in the end Voldemort was the one on the ground disarmed and defenseless.
"Very good dearie." said Rumpelstiltskin. "I expected a lot worse."
Rumpelstiltskin took him by the hand and helped him to his feet while also giving him his wand back.
"Cora my dear, everything is fine. Take young Regina to another room." said Rumpelstiltskin.
"Now, I believe that there might, I stress, might, be a way for you to live forever. Just remember,..."
"Remember what?" asked Voldemort with eager anticipation for the information that he wanted.
"All magic comes with a price! Now, let's talk about that deal."
"I have money." said Voldemort.
He then upended a bag with 200 gold Galleons in it.
Rumpelstiltskin looks at the coins with disinterest.
"Dearie, I spin straw into gold." said Rumpelstiltskin in a condescending tone of voice as though to get the person to grasp the blatantly obvious. "I don't want your money. Now you can either take it back or I can dissolve it into dust with a wave of my finger."
Voldemort gathered the coins back into the bag with a wave of his wand.
"Now," said Rumpelstiltskin, "tell me boy. How did you travel to this realm from yours?"
"A very complicated spell and ritual. I will only be here for a few hours where then I'll be automatically transported back."
"Would you be able to teach me that spell?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.
"Unfortunately not. It doesn't work in this land. The instructions of the spell were very clear. They could bring me here briefly and then send me back after the allotted time. Unfortunately it does not work in reverse."
"Pity." said Rumpelstiltskin, disappointed. "All right boy. Here is what I'm going to tell you. How to live forever. Now, the method is a little elaborate, and be warned; it comes with a price."
"I'm listening." said Voldemort.
"You see when the body dies the soul travels to the underworld. The afterlife in a form of sorts." explained Rumpelstiltskin. "But, your soul must remain within the world of the living as a whole, so, if you were to let's say split your soul in half and place half of your soul into a vessel, let's say an inanimate object, then as long as that inanimate object exists and remains safe and intact, the portion of your soul that remains within your body will remain EarthBound and therefore cannot travel to the underworld. This inanimate object containing half of your soul, is called a 'Horcrux'. Now, as long as that inanimate object exists then should you receive a mortal wound you would stay alive and not die and then you just have to wait until your body repairs itself. It will give you a remarkable resistance to being killed in battle. It would also keep you young and prevent you from growing old."
Voldemort was listening. He was intrigued. And also excited at the prospect.
"So what's the catch?" asked Voldemort.
"The catch," said Rumpelstiltskin, "as I just said, all magic comes with a price. Especially immortality."
"I don't understand, what are the negative side effects of splitting your soul in half?"
"So many dearie." said Rumpelstiltskin uninformatively. "The cost of splitting your soul in half and placing that half into an object is that you must have no feelings. You must have no emotion. You must feel no love."
It was then that Rumpelstiltskin thrust his hand right into Voldemort's chest. Rumpelstiltskin's hand magically passed right through his clothing, skin and bone and Voldemort gasped as though he was being choked.
Rumpelstiltskin then magically pulled out of Voldemort's chest what looked like a heart but it was not a real heart. It seemed to be some kind of heart-shaped crystal amulet. It was red in color except that it had a lot of Cloudy wavy black throughout it.
"The key to splitting your soul in half is to have a heart as black as coal." Rumpelstiltskin emphasized.
"How do I do it?" asked Voldemort again with unwavering conviction to obtaining the information. "Split my soul in half?"
Rumpelstiltskin then waved his hand and with a puff of purple smoke materialized a piece of paper.
"These, are the step-by-step instructions on how to split your soul in half." said Rumpelstiltskin.
Voldemort then reached for it, but with another wave of Rumpelstiltskin's hand the piece of paper disappeared.
"Which you will get if you complete your side of the deal." said Rumpelstiltskin.
With another wave of his hand a scroll appeared in his hand and he unrolled it and there was a little ribbon at the end.
He then pressed Voldemort's heart back into his chest. And then he produced a quill.
"Just sign on the dotted line."
"Can I at least read it first?" asked Voldemort.
"Of course dearie." said Rumpelstiltskin, with a maniacal smile. "Feel free to retain a lawyer."
Voldemort took the scroll and started to read. The scroll stated that,...
'I Rumpelstiltskin,The Dark One, will provide, the client, Tom Riddle, alias Voldemort, with the step-by-step instructions on how to be able to split his soul in half and place that half of a soul in an animate object. This information would be given to, Tom Riddle, alias Voldemort, upon delivery of a means of step by step instructions to transport oneself from the Enchanted Forest to Lord Voldemort's non-magical muggle Realm.'
It seemed fairly straightforward. There didn't seem to be any loopholes or fine print that would come back to bite him later.
He also decided that he would need to get a second opinion about this Soul splitting technique from his potions master, Horus Slughorn.
"So," said Rumpelstiltskin with eager anticipation, "Lord Voldemort? Dearie? Do we have a deal?"
To Voldemort, this was a homework assignment, school-wise. Obviously The Dark One's ability to transcend realms was extremely difficult. But if this was the cost of immortality, as far as Voldemort was concerned he had struck a bargain.
Voldemort smiled. And with the quill…he signed his name on the dotted line.
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