Chapter 164: Tom Riddle

Words : 1266 Updated : Oct 10th, 2025

Wade looked at the courtyard. This former orphanage was now completely abandoned, overgrown with weeds, and permeated with an air of decay and neglect. A government notice posted on the outer wall announced it was marked for demolition. "I imagine you can guess—Merope had used a love potion to capture the affections of Tom Riddle Sr. When she stopped using the potion, the man left her and the unborn child without a second thought." Dumbledore gave a small wave of his wand and said, "And so, the child named Tom Riddle grew up here." In the illusion, the baby quickly grew into a young boy, isolated from the other children, who all kept their distance. The boy often spoke to snakes in the corners of the room. Then, the boy ran into the house, and Wade and Dumbledore followed. The boy raised his hand and, with no apparent effort, caused a rabbit to float into the air and hang it from a ceiling beam. Sometimes, he would sneak into a room, rummage through beds and wardrobes, and then quietly slip something into his pocket. Dumbledore remarked, "I wonder if he might have turned out differently in a normal family, but an orphanage certainly wasn't an ideal environment. Young Tom Riddle quickly picked up some bad habits, like stealing and intimidating others." "He had certain innate abilities that allowed him to easily harm children who were older and stronger than him." On one occasion, it seemed the boy's behavior was discovered. And a gaunt, bony woman grabbed him by the arm and locked him in a room. The woman's actions seemed harsh, but there was also a sense of caution in her demeanor. The boy sat on the bed, seemingly reading. A moment later, the scene flickered, and a tall, long-bearded man entered the room. Although the image was hazy, Wade immediately recognized that the wizard was standing right beside him at this moment. "Oh, that's me," Dumbledore said. "This child was a wizard; his name was entered into Hogwarts' registry at birth. When he turned eleven, I came to bring him to school." Young Dumbledore's conversation with the boy didn't last long. At one point, he raised his wand and set a nearby, ghostly wardrobe aflame, causing the boy to leap up in surprise. When the flames vanished, Tom Riddle retrieved a box from the wardrobe, and from it spilled various objects he had previously stolen. After a few more words, young Dumbledore handed Tom Riddle a money pouch, and their meeting concluded swiftly. "Let's go," Dumbledore extended his arm again. "The next part of the story takes place at Hogwarts." With that, Dumbledore Apparated directly to the school, but he didn't lift the Disillusionment Charm. Wade's Disillusionment Charm worked similarly to a chameleon effect—those with a keen eye for color might be able to detect a slight difference. But Dumbledore's Disillusionment Charm was as effective as an Invisibility Cloak, completely undetectable. Students bustled back and forth through the school, unaware of the two figures moving down the corridor. Soon, the class bell rang, and students hurried into classrooms, leaving the hallways empty. Dumbledore led Wade along, with shadowy figures formed by mist accompanying them. A young boy, dressed in Hogwarts uniform and clutching a book, walked through the corridor. He was always trailed by a small group. As he grew older, the number of followers around him seemed to increase. The professors all smiled warmly at the boy, though Dumbledore always watched him with a scrutinizing gaze. "Riddle was exceptionally talented, brilliant, and an orphan, which naturally attracted the attention and sympathy of the staff. Almost everyone liked him," Dumbledore explained. "Soon, he gathered a loyal group around him... or rather, subordinates." "They were a mixed bunch, well-organized. Over the years they were at Hogwarts, there were multiple serious incidents, though there was no solid evidence connecting them." "The most serious incident resulted in a female student's death." On the floor lay a pale, bespectacled body with wide-open eyes, and her body was frozen and rigid. Just then, they arrived near the second-floor girls' bathroom, from which the sound of a girl's sobs could be heard. "Moaning Myrtle. She was once a Ravenclaw student who was bullied and sought refuge in the bathroom, where she suddenly died." Dumbledore continued, "To this day, we still don't know exactly what caused her death. My only guess is that Riddle may have been involved." "After the death, Hogwarts faced the risk of closure. But soon afterward, Riddle 'caught' the culprit—he accused another boy at school of secretly harboring a dangerous pet." The scene shifted. Tom Riddle was wrestling with a large boy, while a massive, multi-eyed spider scurried away down the corridor. Riddle appeared to be shouting, and soon many people gathered around. "That's Hagrid?" Wade asked. "Yes," Dumbledore replied. "After that, Hagrid was expelled, banned from using magic by the Ministry, and had his wand snapped." "But I believed in his innocence and convinced Headmaster Dippet to allow him to stay on as gamekeeper." "Hagrid's father had already passed away at the time, so without Hogwarts, he had nowhere else to go." The scene changed once more. Tom Riddle had grown tall and handsome. He became the Head Boy, received school awards, and eventually graduated from Hogwarts. The swirling mist shifted again, and this time it seemed many years had passed since the previous scene. The young boy was now a fully grown man, but his face had become pale and twisted. A group of followers stood behind him, cloaked in black robes and wearing hoods and masks. They resembled specters emerging from the depths of hell. They invaded homes and killed the inhabitants; some people knelt before them and struggled in silence. Although they didn't make any sound, it could be seen that they endured horrific torment. People were killed one after another. The mist lingered, and the once empty corridor transformed into a nightmarish landscape of corpses and blood, with bodies lying in various positions on the floor, with their vacant eyes staring skyward. "After graduating, Tom Riddle applied to remain at Hogwarts but was denied. He refused a position offered by the Ministry of Magic, worked briefly at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley, and then disappeared for many years," Dumbledore continued. "When he resurfaced, he was known by the name 'Voldemort,' and his followers became known as Death Eaters. But he didn't view them as family or friends—he treated them as servants, granting them the 'honor' of kneeling to kiss his robes or the tops of his feet." "They committed many horrifying acts. Wizards and Muggles alike were killed, and terror spread everywhere. He rose to the height of his power until he was defeated by a mere infant." In the illusion, the dark wizard fell backward and dissolved into mist. In his place, a crying infant with clenched fists lay. It was as if a cycle of reincarnation had been completed. -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! Available on my P@treon page for just $4!! Early access to the following translations:- ⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +148 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day ⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460 ⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters ⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450 [email protected]/Lightreaper457 --------------------------------

Chapter 164: Tom Riddle

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