Tom's Story

Tom's Story

I was popular at school. But I found it quite difficult. I mean, you couldn't just go up to someone and be like, 'Hi I'm Tom and I'm evil.' I became popular through lies.

I suppose I can't be all bad. I did want to tell everyone about my deep hatred for Muggles and Muggle-borns. But when I did tell someone, it spiralled out of control...he took it totally the wrong way.

It was our second year when I told him. The beginning of the second term. We'd both stayed at school for Christmas and although we hadn't been friends before, over the holiday we had started talking to each other and becoming friends because he was the only other Slytherin second year there.

I knew instinctively when he first strolled over to me and started a conversation that he was trouble. There was one Gryffindor girl who most guys fancied who was Muggle-born. Megan Anderson, her name was. She was also at Hogwarts for the holiday. I was sitting with Aeacus when she walked past. I smiled at her, and she smiled back and started walking over to where we were sitting. I started to move over to make space for her to sit down next to me, but Aeacus stopped me. I hated him for what he did next. He spat at her. Her face crumpled and she turned on her heel and ran from us. I stood up and began to run after her but Aeacus pulled me back. He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and hissed, "You're with Malfoy now. No Mudbloods allowed."

I should have been happy. I had found someone who I could openly talk with about Muggle hating. But I didn't. Instead of liking him, I hated him. He made me hang out with all his deadbeat 'friends', Mervyn Crabbe, Sigmund Goyle and Wilbur Parkinson. They were such idiots. And they had lost me my former friends. But at least the girls still liked me.

Over the course of a few years, the boys had come up with a new name for me- 'Lord Voldemort'. It was an anagram of Tom Marvolo Riddle, my full name. And they kept making me meet them in the Three Broomsticks, and talk about our plans for the future.

There was one girl who always followed us there. She hid behind a plant as we plotted murderously. A nice girl, a bit plain maybe, but a lovely personality. Behind her glasses were beautiful, animated blue eyes which followed me everywhere. Behind her thin but well shaped lips were sparklingly white teeth, which I saw often when she smiled reassuringly at me after every meeting, renewing her unspoken promise of silence. She could be so pretty if it weren't for those glasses, and the fact that she didn't have much to smile about.

One day, in the summer of fifth year, I just couldn't bear it any more. Our meeting ended with Malfoy outlining his newest plan, one for killing one of our Muggle-born teachers (you thought Professor Binns died from old age? Think again. Simple overdose of Sleeping Potion, mixed in with his Butterbeer before his afternoon nap. It really did help, having a potions whiz like Malfoy as a friend). As usual, I walked over to Myrtle. I smiled shyly at her, then, instead of walking away as I usually did, beckoned for her to follow me.

I sat her down on a stepping stone in the brook and told her everything that I needed to get off my chest. She nodded and smiled understandingly, and I knew I had told the right person. I just wanted to stand up and scream, "I'm not the evil one, you know! I'm just a complete crowd follower! Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson are the evil ones! You have to believe me!" But I didn't. I just quietly explained as best I could that a slight racism had been blown out of proportion and was now growing into something uncontrollable. Then I did something that I had wanted to do for a long time- I kissed her. I don't think anyone would have believed that I really liked her, but I did. I liked her a lot.

But then I got scared. I had told this girl that I really didn't know anything about my deepest feelings. I started to pull out my wand, and I saw her clench her fists and grit her teeth. Then that cow Olive Hornby walked up. She started fluttering her eyelashes at me (I had realised long ago that she did not simply have something in her eye) and shooting Myrtle jealous glances. She asked me if I wanted to be her partner for some school project or something- I can't really remember- but I do remember the look of pure delight and bliss on Myrtle's face when I turned Olive down and told her that Myrtle was to be my partner. Olive turned away, defeated, but swore to get back at Myrtle.

The next day, I went to find Myrtle, to ask her about the project. A Gryffindor girl told me she was in the girls' bathroom. I didn't want to go in, but I really needed to talk to her, so I covered my eyes with my hand and put my head round the door.

"Myrtle? Are you in here?" I called. I heard a sob in reply. Immediately I forgot about the fact that it was a girls' bathroom and ran inside, to find Myrtle sitting in one of the cubicles, crying her eyes out. I hurried into the cubicle and scooped her up in my arms, and carried her out of the tiny, smelly cell. I set her down by the sinks, and took her glasses from her so that she could cry without making them all wet. After giving her a hug and asking her what the matter was ("Olive's been teasing me about my glasses again!") I had a thought- we were all alone in the bathroom, and she wouldn't be found for ages. And no one would suspect ethical, polite Tom Riddle of going into a girls' bathroom.

So, after comforting her for about half an hour, I set the snake on her. I sobbed as it happened. I couldn't watch this girl who had loved me, and who I had genuinely liked, die because of me, for me. I saw the tortured look in her eyes as she fell to the floor. And that image has haunted me ever since.

I'm not the evil one. Or at least I wasn't, originally. I suppose I went slightly off the rails. But doesn't every teenager? I wish everyone would just see...the ethical, polite Tom Marvolo Riddle still does lurk underneath the evil mask of Lord Voldemort. I also wish people would stop saying that I made up that name...it does sound kind of stupid, doesn't it? That stupid Malfoy.