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Post by Leia Skye on Apr 19, 2002 16:32:59 GMT -5
Oh dearie dearie me, this IS delicious! ;D I am loving every syllable of it!
I wonder who the Hufflepuff prefect is, and when Hagrid and such will come into the story...
*music for the twilight zone plays from out of nowhere*
Hey! Stop that!
*music abruptly stops*
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 19, 2002 16:51:46 GMT -5
Hot off the presses - and I even have the NEXT chapter done too oooo things are gettin' good... Chapter 16 The Vow The oaf stood in Dippet’s office, speechless. “Professor Dippet, sir”, said Tom, looking appropriately concerned, “on his behalf, I know Hagrid never meant for anything bad to happen. He’s drawn to these monstrous creatures, and well, I don’t think he knew that spider would do any harm!” “All the same, people have been attacked! A student has died. I just don’t see that I have any choice in the matter. I’m very sorry, Hagrid. But, we will have to expel you from Hogwarts.” “Headmaster”, came the pressing voice of Dumbledore, “there is no proof that Hagrid was involved in these attacks –” “Albus”, cut in Professor Dippet, “Tom saw him opening the chamber. Saw him releasing the beast and allowing it to get away.” He turned to Hagrid, standing with his head down and great rivers of water running down his face. “Do you deny what Tom has told us, Hagrid?” “I…I know that spider never did any harm, sir. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t! It wasn’t ‘im, I tell you. I’m sure of it.” “I’m very sorry, Hagrid”, said Dippet, rising unsteadily from his chair, “but I must ask for your wand.” Hagrid threw a panicked look at Dumbledore and then back to Dippet. “But, sir, I never…You can’t…” Dumbledore dropped his head. Dippet remained standing, his hand outstretched. Slowly, Hagrid withdrew his wand and placed it in Dippet’s hand. The headmaster, displaying a strength that belied his feeble appearance, snapped the 16-inch long wand in half and returned the pieces to Hagrid, who stood staring down at them miserably. “I am sorry, Hagrid. Please go and pack your things.” Hagrid turned and lumbered out of the room. Professor Dippet now turned to Tom. “I can’t thank you enough, Tom, for helping bring this terrible ordeal to an end. I shall make sure you are well rewarded. A Special Services award, I think. Go ahead and return to your dormitory for now.” “Yes, sir” said Tom. “And, sir – now that the school won’t have to close, will I still be able to stay here during the summer holidays?” Dumbledore looked up and his piercing gaze fell upon Tom. “What? Oh, yes, that. Well, I don’t see why not”, came Dippet’s reply. “Thank you, sir”, said Tom, and he turned and left Dippet’s office, feeling the heat of Dumbledore’s eyes on his back. Tom did return to his dormitory, but he didn’t stay there. He grabbed the invisibility cloak and made his way down to the Chamber. The familiar serpents guarding the entrance parted for him and he entered with a heavy heart. “It must end for now, my friend”, he explained to the basilisk. “Dumbledore is more suspicious of me than ever. He’ll be watching my every move. It won’t be safe for you out there. Someday, I will return for you, I promise.” Tom looked up into the great stone face of Salazar Slytherin one last time. He may have failed to use the Chamber and the beast within it to complete his ancestor’s work, but he was young. He had time and he would find his own way to kill the mudblood’s and those that protected them – Dumbledore included. This he vowed to Salazar, and then turned and walked briskly out.
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 19, 2002 16:56:28 GMT -5
I'll post the next chapter either later tonight or tomorrow morning (u.s. time) I don't want to give you too much at once...I have to keep you lingering...
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 20, 2002 8:38:59 GMT -5
Chapter 17 The Last Lesson
Grindelwald stayed hidden near Hogsmeade for not only the summer but for much of Tom’s 6th year at Hogwarts. Meeting was difficult, as – true to Tom’s prediction – Dumbledore kept annoyingly close tabs on every move Tom made. But Dumbledore did not know that Tom had the cloak, and Tom knew every secret passageway that led from the castle.
They sat together on a rocky hillside outside of Hogsmeade, flickering flames casting a yellow-orange glow to the blackness that surrounded them. Grindelwald looked at Tom and smiled, his black moustache bending as it coursed down to his jaw line. “I have taught you nearly everything I can, Tom. The curses, the potions, the ways of the Dark Arts – all of this you have mastered as only a Slytherin could have done. It has been an honor to tutor you – and to call you my apprentice.”
Tom flushed with pride at these words, but underneath he couldn’t help feeling a surge of panic. “You’re not leaving, are you?” He couldn’t bear the thought of Grindelwald going away again. The past 10 months had been so wonderful, so perfect. He loved this man who had been more of a father to him than the fool that had broken his mother’s heart.
Grindelwald chuckled. “I can’t stay here forever, Tom. I must go abroad again, and you must finish your schooling. I have one last, great gift to teach you and then, after you finish school, I will send for you. Together we will build a Dark Empire the likes of which this world has never seen.”
Tom’s face shone in the firelight, a mixture of excitement, anticipation and great sadness. He felt so many things at once – what was this new gift he would uncover tonight? And the thought of he and Grindelwald working side by side in the Dark Arts…it was a dream come true. But, the great wizard would be leaving, and Tom would be alone again.
Grindelwald stood up, his cloak billowing slightly in the light spring breeze. “It’s time, my boy, for you to learn your final, most deadly curse. Avada Kedavra – the killing curse.” He brought a small wire cage into the firelight, and inside a large gray rat scampered from side to side, looking for a way out. Its nose twitched feverishly as it bobbed up and down on its hind legs, searching every inch of its enclosure.
“Now, stand up and face the rat. Point your wand like so”, he said, demonstrating with his own wand. “Look into the rat’s eyes and focus all of your energy on the hatred inside you. Picture your father…picture Dumbledore…and summon your hatred to do your bidding.”
Tom stood and followed Grindelwald’s instructions. He looked at the rat and saw the face his father and he felt a swell of hatred rise like a tidal wave. His gaze became intense and furious and his blood felt as if it would boil out of his veins.
“That’s it, my boy, that’s it. Now, just as your hatred reaches its crescendo, say the words ‘Avada Kedavra’.”
As the words left Tom’s mouth, an intense green light flooded from the end of his wand and enveloped the rat. It instantly dropped dead.
Grindelwald’s moustache bent again as he smiled at Tom and said, “You are ready. I have taught you all I can. I shall see you in a year’s time, when Grindelwald and Tom Riddle – no…Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort – will show the world that its future lies in our hands and in the rise of the Dark Order.”
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 20, 2002 8:40:16 GMT -5
Stay tuned...more to come... (This is NOT spam - just letting people know that this is not the end of the story just yet!)
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 20, 2002 14:28:21 GMT -5
Ooo - two chapters in one day. Minihagrid will be in heaven Chapter 18 The Reunion The house loomed before him for the second time in his life. It seemed smaller now. Maybe that was just a trick of his memory. The last time he had been a little boy. Scared…lost…searching. He wasn’t a little boy now, and he certainly wasn’t scared. He had arrived earlier in the day and spent that time watching. He didn’t want to enter until he was sure everyone was home. So he watched and waited, crouched among the foliage as he had done so many years ago. As evening approached, he could see through the large center window that three people sat at a table, prepared for dinner. It was time. He stood up and took a deep breath as he walked up to the door. He withdrew his wand, pointed it at the handle and muttered, “Aperio.” The door swung silently forward and Tom Riddle entered his father’s house for the first time. He walked without making a sound down a dark hallway, moving toward the sound of silverware on china and muffled conversation. His wand still in his hand, Tom stepped into view, framed by the large double-doorway of the dining room. There was the sudden sound of utensils crashing onto plates and the scraping of chairs on wood floors as the three dining Riddles reacted with shock to their sudden visitor. “Who are you – what do you want?” asked the eldest man. He was dressed in a black suit and stood leaning on the table with one gnarled hand. In his other he still grasped his sterling knife, apparently poised to try to protect himself and his family. Tom’s green eyes, alight with power and excitement, flickered to it and he couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from curling upwards. “Accio knife”, said Tom, almost lazily, and it zoomed across to him, landing in his outstretched hand as if pulled there by an invisible string. The old man’s mouth gaped and he sank weak-kneed back into his chair. “YOU!” exclaimed the other man at the table. His father now started to stand up, flushing scarlet with anger, his eyes popping with fury as he realized who now stood before him. “I told you never to come back here. Why have you come? What do you want?” “Oh, Father!” said Tom with a mock lilt in his voice. “Why have I come? Well, to see you of course! I wanted to show you what I have become. That, and of course, for revenge.” His lips curled again. His father made a sudden move toward Tom, knocking over his chair and the old woman at the table screamed. Tom raised his wand and shouted, “Imperio!” and his father stopped in mid-step, an odd, glazed expression spreading across his face. “Now”, continued Tom, “sit down.” Still looking slack-jawed, his father calmly returned to his chair, righted it and sat down. The old man and woman exchanged nervous, searching looks. Tom walked up behind the old woman. She was clutching her napkin with both hands, wringing it back and forth. Her face blanched a pasty white as Tom leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek, and said, “Why, hello Grandmother. So nice to meet you at last.” She recoiled when his thin, cold lips touched her as if they had been electrified. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “You don’t seem happy at all to see your grandson. I should have thought –” “I – I don’t have a grandson”, she whispered croakily. “I d-don’t kn-know who you are!” “Oh, I assure you – you do have a grandson, for he is standing here beside you.” Tom turned to his father, sitting motionless and expressionless at the table. “Tell them, Father. Tell them who I am.” His father responded in a strange, flat voice. “You are Tom Riddle, my son.” The old woman raised the napkin to her mouth to stifle the cry that burst forth. “And tell them, father, what happened to me when I was born.” “I left your mother because she was a monster. A witch. I never told anyone why I left her or that she was pregnant. She died giving birth to you. I left you in the orphanage in Little Hangleton because I knew you would be a monster too.” “Yes, that’s right”, said Tom, in mock heaviness. “There I was, at the bottom of the hill, living in an orphanage. No money. No family. And all that time, you sat up here in this big house, not caring that you left me to rot.” His voice turned harsh and cold at those last words, all trace of playfulness gone. “Tell me you’re sorry.” “I’m sorry”, came the dull voice of his father, still dazed under the Imperious curse. Tom’s cold voice replied, “I do not forgive you”, as he raised his wand. The room flooded with blinding green light three times in rapid succession, and when the third flash faded, the three Riddles sat in their dining chairs, looking untouched, shocked, and completely dead.
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Post by moira on Apr 21, 2002 17:41:47 GMT -5
[glow=yellow,2,300]oooh!!! Hey, that answers the question in book 4! I almost forgot about that part until I read this. That's a very nice tie-in! VERY VERY good. I love this story. It's getting me really psyched up to read the 5th book that's coming out in may.
I thought of one comment, though. It deals with when Tom became a prefect. I don't know how important this bit would have been, but it would have been fun for the reader to see how Tom became a prefect. To see if becoming that was a goal of his (for more power) or if it was a pleasant surprise to get. I don't know, but it was just a thought that crossed my mind. You don't have to listen to it, but i just wanted to try and give you some sort of critiquing, however small it may be. You're very good! I really love this story[/glow] ;D
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 21, 2002 21:08:50 GMT -5
Chapter 19 The Dark Mark
They sat in a circle in the common room, near the fire. They talked in low, hushed, conspiratorial whispers, glancing furtively to be sure no one could hear them and what they were plotting.
“I got his owl today. Graduation is in two weeks, and then I’m flying immediately to meet him in London.” Tom was still holding the parchment he’d received from Grindelwald, wrinkled and worn from being read over and over. “After we get established, you can all join with us.”
“Tom –”
Tom glared at the sandy-haired boy who had addressed him.
“Uh – I mean, Lord Voldemort…how will you let us know when it’s time to join you?”
Tom drew out his wand and said to the boy, “Give me your left arm.”
The boy looked dubiously back at Tom and then glanced left to right. Slowly he pulled up the sleeve of his robe and hesitantly extended his arm to Tom. Tom grasped the arm tightly, rolling it to expose the underside of the forearm. He placed his wand tip against the boy’s white skin and said, “Morsmordre insignio!” Immediately black lines spread from the point where the wand had touched the skin, criss-crossing back and forth, spreading until they formed the shape of a skull with a serpent in its gaping mouth. The boy exhaled sharply as though acid had etched the image on his arm.
Tom looked up at the others. “We will each get this mark. If you touch the arm of a follower, the mark will appear. It is how you will know whom you can trust. When I desire your presence I will cause your marks to burn black and you are to find your way to me. We are united under the Dark Mark forever.”
It was nearly three months before the mark burned upon the arms of Lord Voldemort’s faithful. Tom had met Grindelwald in a dark corner of the Leaky Cauldron the day after he had graduated from Hogwarts. They spent several days stocking up on supplies in Diagon Alley before heading to Grindelwald’s secret encampment deep in the Black Forest. Tom had heard many stories about Grindelwald’s dark army, and he was finally going to join him at the helm.
Acting as Grindelwald’s lieutenant proved more difficult than simply being Head Boy at Hogwarts. But there was no doubting Tom’s incredible power, his mastery of the dark forces. In a short time he had earned the respect of most of the men and women, and those that didn’t respect him feared him. And that was just as good in Tom’s book.
Soon after the Dark Mark blackened upon the arms of those that had sat in the Slytherin common room that night so many months before, his followers began to appear and joined with Grindelwald’s army. They were growing incredibly powerful, perhaps unstoppable. Even the muggles felt their dark presence, and war and chaos reigned throughout the region.
Tom sat by the flickering light of 3 candles he had magically suspended in the air as he poured his thoughts and memories into his diary. “Voldmort!” bellowed Grindelwald as he pushed open the door to Tom’s room. The candles flickered violently in the rush of air. “I have a special mission for you. You must leave immediately.”
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Post by moira on Apr 22, 2002 7:02:38 GMT -5
[glow=yellow,2,300]ooooh, and his reign of terror begins! I wonder who that sandy-haired boy was...Very good! I'm glad you've still got more in store for us! I love it![/glow] ;D
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Gryf
Gryffindor Alumni
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Post by Gryf on Apr 22, 2002 9:03:15 GMT -5
Simply wondeful Dianella...it really is. I am so into it. I can't wait to see what will happen next.
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 22, 2002 9:55:34 GMT -5
Well, here it is. The long awaited ending to Dark Mark Rising. Enjoy.
Chapter 20 The Death Eaters
Tom landed lightly on the edge of the Black Forest. His meeting in Hogsmeade with Grindelwald’s operative had gone without a hitch, and Tom had a package to pass on to his Master. Grindelwald was leaning casually against the jagged wall of an old stone building, the ruined remains of what had once been a small farm, now reduced to rubble by the war. They had prearranged to meet here, away from the Dark Army and in the cover of night to discuss Tom’s mission.
They embraced quickly, Grindelwald beaming with pride as he saw the evidence of Tom’s successful journey in his hands. “You had no problems then?” he asked.
“No”, replied Tom. “No one took any notice of us.”
“Excellent.” He began to open the brown wrapping that enclosed the package.
“How unlike you, Grindelwald, to be caught out in the open so carelessly”, came a voice suddenly out of the darkness. Tom knew that voice, but couldn’t believe his ears. That voice belonged hundreds, thousands of miles away. It was Dumbledore!
Grindelwald grabbed Tom’s arm and pulled him behind the stone wall, where they crouched, listening and trying to locate the location of the speaker.
“I happened to be in Hogsmeade yesterday”, the voice continued, “when what should appear before me but young Tom Riddle in the company of someone I knew was part of your network. I was intrigued. I contacted the ministry and then I followed him here. To you.”
Grindelwald raised his wand and a silver form, rather like a bird, shot out of it and flew off into the forest. “My army is not far, Dumbledore. I’ve just summoned them and they’ll be arriving in moments.”
“Oh, they will be a bit too busy to attend to your request, I’m afraid. As we speak, members of the Ministry are descending upon their encampment”, replied Dumbledore.
In an instant, Tom knew this was true. He could hear sudden blasts coming from deep within the forest. The ground trembled with the force of the terrible battle was now being waged between the Dark Army and the Ministry.
Grindelwald turned to Tom and whispered, “You must run, Tom. Go deep into the forest and hide.”
“No!” hissed Tom in reply. “Never! I’ll not leave you here to fight alone.”
“Dumbledore and I are about to duel. You may not enter that fight, Tom. Now, keep your head down, and after the duel begins, make a break for the forest.” And with those words, Grindelwald stood up and faced Dumbledore. The two great wizards locked eyes, slightly inclined their bodies in a hint of a bow, and suddenly whipped wands at each other, curses hurling across the darkness and barely missing their marks. Part of the stone wall next to Grindelwald exploded into a shower of fragments, and Grindelwald dived behind an old watering trough, drawing the fire away from where Tom crouched.
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 22, 2002 9:55:49 GMT -5
Tom didn’t know what to do. “I have to help him”, he thought desperately, “but how? I can’t enter the fight!” He watched helplessly as the air around him filled with the violent flashes of multicolor light, and Grindelwald’s shape, darting from one barrier to the next, became obscured by smoke and haze. Grindelwald was getting pinned by the relentless curses hurled at him by Dumbledore.
Tom peered around the edge of the wall that shielded him. He could see Dumbledore advancing on Grindelwald’s position. He might not be able to attack Dumbledore directly, but… He grabbed his wand, pointed it at a remaining window in the old farm house to Dumbledore’s left and muttered, “Fractio!” It worked! As the window shattered, Dumbledore turned to his left long enough for Grindelwald to act. Grindelwald sent a huge stone hurtling at Dumbledore, catching him squarely in the face just as he was turning back. There was a sickening crunch and Dumbledore fell to his knees, his nose broken, his once white beard now scarlet with blood.
Tom used the break in action to dash to Grindelwald’s side. He was injured, bleeding from a deep wound in his wand arm.
“Voldemort! You MUST go. You must return to what is left of our army. Take them into hiding. Only you can rebuild them – you will be their leader now. I can hold off Dumbledore for another moment while you run, but I cannot hold him for long. I’m too badly injured – ”
“NO!” cried Tom, his eyes wide with anguish.
“Tom…my boy…my son …it is my time to die. And it is your time to rise. That is the order of things. Death is the one dark force you cannot master. We all must surrender to it eventually. Now, go – and don’t look back.”
“Master…”, came Tom’s voice, quivering with fear and anger, “I will rise greater and more terrible than this world has ever known. And I will vanquish Death. And when Death is my slave and I am its master, then you shall rise again and join me forever!”
Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. His blue eyes blazed in the darkness, his fury rolling in waves from his body as he advanced upon them. Grindelwald cast a curse in Dumbledore’s direction, giving Tom time to run into the blackness of the forest behind them. He ran deep into the woods, into safety, but not before hearing a deafening blast and the final cry of Grindelwald. He stopped and collapsed at the base of a tree, breath moving in ragged sobs.
He burned with hatred. Hatred for his father – for all muggles. Hatred for Dumbledore. But most of all, hatred for Death. Death had stolen both his mother and Grindelwald, the only two people that had ever loved him.
After a moment, Tom stood up and straightened his spine, wiping the tears from his pale skin – the last tears he would ever cry. He would return to the scattered remains of the dark army and rebuild it into a new force – his army. His followers would carry the Dark Mark and they would commit themselves to defeating death. They would destroy anyone, anything that stood in their way. He and his Death Eaters would bring to bear a reign of terror against all on Earth that had brought him such misery.
Dumbledore and the Ministry may have won today. But what they didn’t know…what they couldn’t know…was that this battle was just beginning.
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dianella
Slytherin House Member
My mother told me to mend my wicked ways. But I never could sew...
Posts: 1,811
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Post by dianella on Apr 22, 2002 10:00:52 GMT -5
Thanks for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it - it contains many of my personal theories on the true background of Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort. If you look at the actual timeline of events (which you can see at the hp lexicon web site), everything in this story aligns properly with events as JK has written them. I do not think it is a coincidence that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945, that Tom graduated from Hogwarts in 1944, and that the only wizard Voldemort fears is Dumbledore. Feel free to leave your comments here - I thrive on feedback!! Who knows, perhaps I'll feel compelled to begin another story...
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Gryf
Gryffindor Alumni
Posts: 1,773
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Post by Gryf on Apr 22, 2002 10:22:11 GMT -5
Oh! Man that is good...Death Eaters. Perfect really it is. You've got to write something else for us. I am so sad it's over.
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Post by minihagrid on Apr 22, 2002 13:26:36 GMT -5
Ok, DI, the game's up. It's no use pretending anymore. I know your secret. Why didn't you tell us Di?
Or should I say Joanne Rowling, eh? Sorry, blown your cover. But it's no use hiding it any more. Everyone knows. And I have just one thing to say to you....
when is book 5 out? ;D
On a more serious note, that was awesome. I've never hated to see the last few words of a story more than that one. But, I know you're two busy right now to reply, what with the SEQUEL (hint hint) and work (pah, get your priorities sorted please!)
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