Tom Riddle
Wade looked out into the courtyard.
The former orphanage was now empty, the entire yard overgrown with weeds, exuding an air of decay and neglect. A notice from the government about its impending demolition was plastered on the outer wall.
"I imagine you can guess that Merope actually used a Love Potion to ensnare old Tom Riddle. When she stopped using the Potions, the man left her and their unborn child without hesitation."
Dumbledore waved his Wand gently and said, "And so, the boy named Tom Riddle grew up here."
In the vision, the baby quickly grew into a young boy. The other children kept their distance from him, and the boy often spoke to snakes in the corner.
Then, the child ran into the house, and Wade followed him inside.
The boy stretched out his palm, making a rabbit float in mid-air and hang from the rafters.
Sometimes he would run into a room, rummage through beds and wardrobes, and then secretly stuff something into his pocket.
Dumbledore said, "I don't know if this child would have turned out better in a normal family, but an orphanage certainly isn't the best environment for growing up. Little Tom Riddle quickly picked up some bad habits, like stealing or intimidating others."
"He had some innate abilities that allowed him to easily harm children who were older and stronger than him."
On one occasion, the boy's behavior seemed to be exposed. A gaunt woman grabbed his arm, pushed him into a room, and locked him in.
The woman's actions seemed fierce, yet they also carried a hint of wariness.
The boy sat on the bed, seemingly reading. Soon after, the image flickered, and a tall, long-bearded man walked in.
Although the misty image wasn't very clear, Wade recognized the Wizard at a glance; he was standing right beside him.
"Oh, that's me," Dumbledore said. "The child was a Wizard; his name was recorded in the Hogwarts registry at birth. When he turned eleven, I came to pick him up for enrollment."
The young Dumbledore didn't spend long talking to the boy. He suddenly raised his Wand and ignited a phantom wardrobe nearby, making the boy leap up.
The flames vanished, and Tom Riddle pulled a cardboard box from the wardrobe. The items spilling out of the box were precisely what he had previously stolen.
The two exchanged a few more words, and the young Dumbledore handed Tom Riddle a money bag. Their meeting quickly concluded.
"Let's go," Dumbledore extended his arm again, saying, "The rest of the story is at Hogwarts."
Dumbledore Apparated directly to the school but did not lift his Disillusionment Charm.
Wade's Disillusionment Charm was like a chameleon's; people highly sensitive to color might notice a difference. But Dumbledore's Disillusionment Charm was like wearing an Invisibility Cloak, completely imperceptible.
Students came and went in the school, but no one noticed two extra people in the corridor.
Soon, the bell for class rang, and students rushed into classrooms, leaving the corridor empty.
Dumbledore led Wade, and the misty figures walked alongside them.
The young boy, dressed in a Hogwarts uniform, walked down the corridor carrying books, always accompanied by a group of people. As he grew older, the number of people seemed to increase.
The professors all smiled at the boy, but Dumbledore always watched him with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Riddle was exceptionally talented, exceptionally clever, and an orphan," Dumbledore said. "He garnered the attention and sympathy of the faculty as soon as he started school, and almost everyone liked him."
"Soon, he gathered a group of devoted friends… or rather, subordinates."
"Their backgrounds were complex, their organization tight-knit. Several serious incidents occurred at Hogwarts during his years there, but no conclusive evidence linked them to his group."
"The most serious incident resulted in the death of a girl."
On the floor, a pale, bespectacled body lay, eyes wide open and stiff.
At this moment, they were near the second-floor lavatory, and a girl's muffled sobs could be heard from inside.
"Moaning Myrtle, she was once a Ravenclaw student. She died suddenly while crying in the toilet after being mocked and bullied by her classmates."
Dumbledore said, "We still don't know what caused her death. I can only guess that it might have been related to Riddle."
"After the death, Hogwarts was at risk of closing. But then, Riddle caught the 'culprit'—he reported another boy in the school, claiming he secretly kept a killer pet."
The scene shifted.
Tom Riddle wrestled with a large boy, and a huge, multi-eyed spider quickly scurried through the corridor and escaped.
Riddle seemed to be shouting loudly, and soon many people rushed over.
"Is that Hagrid?" Wade asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "After that, Hagrid was expelled from school, the Ministry of Magic forbade him from using magic, and his Wand was snapped."
"But I believed he was innocent and persuaded Headmaster Dippet to keep him on as gamekeeper."
"Because Hagrid's father had died by then, and he had nowhere to go if he left Hogwarts."
The scene changed again. Tom Riddle had grown tall and handsome. He became Head Boy, received school awards, and then graduated.
Amidst the swirling mist, the newly formed image seemed to be many years after the previous one.
The former young boy had fully grown, his face pale and twisted. Many people followed behind him, dressed in black robes, hoods, and masks, like ghouls risen from hell.
They broke into people's homes, killing the owners; others knelt before them, struggling. Though no sound was made, it was clear the person was enduring cruel torment.
People were constantly being killed, but the mist did not immediately dissipate, so the previously empty corridor became like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. People lay on the ground in various postures, their lifeless eyes staring at the sky.
"After graduating, Tom Riddle applied to stay at the school but was unsuccessful. He refused the Ministry of Magic's invitation and worked at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley for a while, then disappeared for many years," Dumbledore continued.
"When he returned, he had the name 'Voldemort,' and his followers were called Death Eaters. But he didn't see them as family or friends; he treated them as servants, granting them the honor of kneeling to kiss his robes or the backs of his feet."
"They committed many terrible acts. Wizards and Muggles were dying, and there was panic everywhere. Until he was at the peak of his power, he was defeated by a baby."
In the vision, the Wizard fell backward, dissolving into mist. Another baby cried loudly, clenching its fists.
It was as if a cycle had completed.
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