Rise and Fall of the Dark Lord

Chapter One: The Beginning

It was an unusual night thought Mrs. Cole as she finished picking up the last of the detritus that always seemed to be left out at the end of each day. There was more than usual this night, though, seeing as how she and the other staffers had let the children stay up to help bring in the New Year. It was pitch black out, not even the moon could be seen, which was odd, seeing as it was a full moon, and the sky was cloudless. She shivered, pulling her shawl about her tightly, and peered out the window--much good that would do, she thought, can't see a bloody thing. Then, the temperature just seemed to drop drastically, the wind started kicking up, and the cloudless sky became filled with thousands, no-millions of tiny white snowflakes. How odd, she thought, snow, without clouds? Out of the corner of her eye, she noted, with relief a light bobbing its way towards the orphanage. The relief she felt soon vanished, as the mysterious light came closer. It was sort of a greenish tint, but didn't seem to be coming from any appreciable source, except...no, it couldn't be. Mrs. Cole shook her head, and rubbed her eyes vigorously, then opened them again. Sure enough, the light was emanating from a person. A young woman, by the looks of it, one who apparently was climbing up the steps in front of the orphanage.

BANG! BANG! Mrs. Cole was startled out of her reverie, and hurried to the door, just as two of the other staffers were pulling on dressing gowns and hurrying down the steps. She quickly unbolted the door, and opened it to find the young woman, very pregnant, on the verge of collapsing on the doorstep. Snow and wind snaked in around her, covering the entryway, yet not quite touching the girl. Mrs. Cole and the others hastened to pull in the strange woman, and more importantly shut the door against the odd (and a bit frightening) weather.

Having accomplished those tasks, Mrs. Cole stepped back to look at the young lady, who, thankfully, had stopped emitting the unnatural green light. She was a slight wisp of a girl, aside from her pregnancy- which was very far along indeed, with rather dirty, stringy hair. She had gaunt cheeks, and her eyes had a hollow sort of look to them, of one who had never been truly happy. She was dressed in the most peculiar matter, wearing some sort of robe, which was in a rather shabby state. Poor dear, thought Mrs. Cole, she must have gotten that dreadful outfit secondhand. Just then, the girl opened her mouth to speak to them. "I am here to plead for your...Aaaagh," the scream tore through her, and ricocheted around the room, whipping everyone into action, as they saw the telltale signs of labor beginning.

A half-hour had passed, during which time the young woman had been put into a bed in the infirmary, and one of the staff had been sent out into the storm to fetch a medic. However, Mrs. Cole thought, she didn't think the doctor would be here in time. Oh well, she'd just have to rely on her own experience bringing two babes into the world. Admittedly though, neither of her two deliveries seemed to go this quick, nor were they as, well, as difficult. The young woman it seemed was being torn apart from within, as though powerful forces were waging a war in her body. "Aaaaaagggh!" she screamed, as another insanely powerful contraction ripped through her. "Get it out, please just get it out!" Then, without warning, she sat bolt upright in the bed, and started looking around her, as though something had been taken from her. "Where is it?" she whispered, almost to herself. "Where is the wand? I need it. I need to get this out. I CAN'T STAND THIS ANYMORE!!" The girl's voice had risen in pitch and volume, to the point where Mrs. Cole feared that the girl was hysterical and might do harm to herself. She rushed over to the bedside, trying to soothe her. Poor dear, what pain she must be in, speaking deliriously. The young woman lay back, staring at the ceiling, as her body convulsed with another fierce contraction. Copious amounts of perspiration beaded on her face, and soaked through the bedclothes. She looked over at Mrs. Cole and locked eyes with the woman. It was then that Mrs. Cole knew that this young mother-to-be would not live out the night.

Finally, after fifty minutes of extremely strenuous labor, the girl pushed forth a baby boy. Straight from the beginning, Mrs. Cole could tell that this child was...funny. He didn't scream, cry, or flail about as nearly all newborns do. Instead he just calmly looked around him, as if taking in all his surroundings, and the people in them, too. A shiver ran down Mrs. Cole's back. This one definitely had nothing to do with the weather.

A weak voice spoke out from the bed. "Is it a boy?" When given the affirmative reply, she let out a sigh of relief and gratefulness. "I hope he looks like his papa." Mrs. Cole bent down to lay the child on her chest, so that she might get a look at him, though her eyes were already starting to cloud over. "His name is to be Tom, after his father...Marvolo, after my father......Riddle." The last bit came out so quietly, so weakly, that Mrs. Cole had to strain to hear it. Right after, the girl went limp, and passed into an unconscious state, and from there slipped into the waiting arms of Death.

And somewhere far away, a book opened, a quill inked itself, and wrote the name Tom Marvolo Riddle in glistening black letters.

A new wizard had been born, and he was destined for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.