Harry Potter and the Rise of Tom Riddle

Chapter II

Harry woke up with a pounding headache. It felt like someone was trying to claw his brains out through his scar. He groaned as his eyes protested opening. When they did open, he stared at the ceiling. Finding shapes in the peeling paint was fun.

Wait- peeling paint? Aunt Petunia would never allow for that in her house. Even in Harry's room. Then all of last night events came crashing back to him.

Harry sat upright in his bed and surveyed the room. One boarded up window, a rug in front of the rickety bed he was on, and an old looking door. A door! Harry threw back for blankets covering him and sprinted to the door.

His hopes were soaring as escape from this unknown place was near, but then the door wouldn't open. He tried and tried but it was locked from the outside.

His hopes were firmly crushed. Harry slumped back to bed and lay on it. Brainstorming how to get out of a room with one exit was not going to be fun.

He could always try the window, but it looked rather sturdy. Harry climbed off of the bed and looked around for any loose floorboards. There were none.

The rug wasn't even hiding anything. Harry felt very odd in this new room. He obviously didn't have his trunk, as Kenric Slintch had it, and his wand had been removed. He was completely helpless.

Over on the other side of the room, there was an open closet. It was a rather small thing but so was the entire room. It couldn't have even been bigger than his room at Privet Drive.

Harry was debating trying to find a secret escape route in the closet when there was a knock at the door. He froze in his place in the bed. The knock came again. Harry couldn't get his mouth to form any words, as it seemed the person knocking was waiting for his permission to enter.

Then there was a click. Two more followed it. The door had just been unlocked. Very slowly, the doorknob turned.

Kenric Slintch entered the room and carefully closed the door behind him. "Harry, I think we need to talk."

Apparently, Harry's voice wouldn't work when he wanted it to, but it would work just fine on its own. "Oh really? I didn't think we'd need to talk about you kidnapping me at all." Harry's deadpan voice made Kenric fidget a bit.

"I really do apologize about that, but my master does wish to do things unethically. Well, it technically was ethically because you wouldn't have come if I hadn't told you that we were going to the Weasleys. I can answer any questions you have later, but first my master wishes to see you."

Kenric moved carefully over to Harry's stiff form. "I'm going to have to tie your hands together for safety." The Auror (was he really an Auror?) very gently tied Harry's hands together.

Harry didn't bother protesting against being bound. He had no idea where he was or how dangerous this place could be. But usually following the rules until you saw an out was a good method.

So Kenric led Harry out of the room and down a few halls and stopped at a set of large oak doors. It was almost a mouse like chitter he let out as he told Harry to be respectful.

Kenric drew his wand and whispered a spell that caused the doors to open with a flourish. Past the doors was a semi large entry room. It seemed as though it was meant to be elegant but there just simply wasn't enough room.

There was a raised platform at the front of the room. On that platform was a throne. Sitting on the thrown was a young man. A rather handsome man. But as Harry looked closer the image distorted and the ugly form of Voldemort took hold. Harry could recognize those terrible eyes from any length.

The blood red eyes flicked over to Harry's and the man let out a hiss. "Harry Potter."

Harry halted at the man's voice. It was so snake-like that Harry had to stop and make sure it was still English. It sounded much too similar to Parseltongue, the language of the snakes.

He vividly remembered Professor Quirell teaching them languages and skimming over Parseltongue. It would only make sense that he spoke Parseltongue himself.

Harry said the only thing he could think of. "Have you brought me here to kill me? You could've just killed me in my room but I have always heard you were the dramatic sort."

If Voldemort's eyes could bulge, Harry was sure they'd be doing it at that very moment. Instead, the Dark Lord simply remained silent.

Voldemort raised his wand arm to draw a glass cup over to himself. A quick spell had it filling with water. "Do you find it interesting?"

Harry wasn't sure what the man was referring to, so he didn't respond.

"I ask you a question and I expect an answer. Do you find the current situation interesting?"

The boy who lived let a snarl cross his face. "I find it interesting that you haven't killed me yet. Perhaps there's still some grand speech you have yet to make? I'd prefer you get it over with."

"I find you peculiar, Harry Potter. No being has ever talked to me so defiantly and lived to tell the tale. Yet, I have lost my desire to kill you. Your bravery almost," he paused for a moment, searching for the proper word, "intrigues me. Pettigrew, the man parading as the nonexistent Kenric Slintch, has told me a few things."

Harry froze. So Kenric wasn't even his name. Which meant he wasn't an Auror either. He'd heard the name Pettigrew before; Dumbledore had mentioned the man as one of his father's best friends. One of his Father's dead best friends.

"He told me how there wasn't any warmth between you and your family. As far as the rest of the wizarding world knows, you live with some wealthy relatives of the Potters. It would break their weak little hearts to see how their 'Boy-who-lived' actually lived. Discovering your living quarters has enlightened me. There must be many things you do not know about the wizarding world, yes? I wish to teach you these things and make you powerful."

Harry could feel his eyebrows skyrocketing off of his head. This was so bizarre.

"Do not think I am to be a person who saves kittens from trees, but I do, in fact, have a heart. After returning to a body, thanks to Pettigrew's help, it seems some of my sanity has returned as well. The entire reason I attempted to kill you as a baby was a misguided reason. Do you know of Prophecies, Harry?"

The boy shook his head.

"As I feared. You've been kept in the dark for much too long. There was a Prophecy written about us before you were even born. In this prophecy, it is stated that we must kill each other. That we are equals in power and we will eventually vanquish each other. My first thought was to kill you before you could grow up and destroy me. Now that I've returned, some new light has been shed on this for me. I had planned to live forever, and I could if I chose, but you have caught my interest."

"The Prophecy states that you will have a power I do not know of. It will be the power that you use to kill me. If I must die at your hands, then I wish for you to be a proper wizard. When it comes time for you to kill me, I want to be leaving you a legacy. I want to train you- teach you. I want to prepare you to become the next Dark Lord. I can practically smell the power coming from you. It's time the world was taken by storm."

Well, that's certainly not something you hear everyday.

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Word Count: 1347
Last Updated: December 25th