In Servitude to the Dark || Tom Riddle

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙡

May 27, 1993

"So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her... She put too much into the diary, into me." Enough to let me leave its pages at last... I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Aster Potter."

"Like what?" Aster spat, fists still clenched.

"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you — a waifish little girl, with no extraordinary magical talent, managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.

"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Aster slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..."

"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, dear Aster Potter..." He pulled the girl's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

Aster felt her whole body stiffen and her mind went blank in shock. It didn't even occur to her to doubt the older boy's claim. Already her eyes were darting frantically around the chamber like a trapped animal, looking for an escape route.

"What...what do you want with me?" she asked in a breathy almost-whisper.

Tom Riddle or the soon-to-be-Voldemort smirked and twirled the wand between his fingers. "As I've already said, I want to know the bit of magic that was my future self's undoing. Answer me this truthfully and I may consider letting you live." 

The implied threat drove the shock from Aster's mind and her eyes narrowed. "You can't do anything to me! Headmaster Dumbledore said so." She lifted her chin in defiance. "Because my mom died to protect me from you." Aster watched closely to see how the specter would react to this news, expecting some kind of attack to test the truth of the words. Maybe she could get rid of this threat like she did with Quirrel. But instead of being baited, the phantom threw his head back and laughed...laughed!

"That's what that Old Man told you?" Riddle asked, amusement shining in his silvery ghost eyes. "That your 'mom' died for you and gave you some kind of... what? Sacrificial protection? Something in the blood, perhaps?" Riddle sneered. "Did he say it was because of 'love' as well?"

Aster's shoulders hunched, her posture defensive. "Well, what of it? Professor Quirrell died when he touched my skin."

"Yes...that silly girl did mention something about the events surrounding the sorcerer's stone," Riddle muttered thoughtfully, but then returned his attention to Aster, his tone becoming teasing again. "But let me ask you this. During the course of a war, how many mothers do you think offered themselves as sacrifices for their children, hmm? It was a common occurrence back in my time with the war against Grindewald. And then let me ask you how many of those children have not only survived a direct hit from the Killing Curse but also reflected it back on its caster?"

Ash's eyes clouded in thought. From the stories she had heard about the last war, Voldemort was at the height of his powers and was terrorizing the wizarding Britain. If Dumbledore was to be believed, it was inconceivable that she was the only child to survive the infamous Avada Kedavera. But still... "So, all that proves is that the Headmaster's mistaken. He's still the most powerful wizard alive!"