Invictus [Tom Riddle / Tomione]

Malfoy Manor

Tom Riddle stood in the library of Malfoy Manor, seething. He'd arrived promptly at five o'clock in the morning to spend a few quiet hours studying before work. He intended to come back after work and subsequently planned to come back for the next few days since he found the library to be soothing when he was angry. Books had always been his escape. Every challenge he had been presented with in life had been solved by finding the right book. Malfoy Manor had the most extensive selection of rare tomes, rivaling even the Hogwarts library and the somewhat shoddy library at Diagon Alley. Libraries were his favorite place on earth. One of the great tragedies of history, he had decided, was the burning of the Library at Alexandria. He deeply wanted to know what magical tomes and ancient knowledge had been burnt to cinders in those flames.

No one would bother him here. He had complete silence, a crackling fire, and a decanter full of expensive fire whiskey for the next few days, and he could think of no better cure for his illness.

He brought a stack of books with him that he didn't think he'd find in the Manor's library. Muggle books. Despite his slight disdain for muggles, he did enjoy their literature. A guilty pleasure of his.

His irritation stemmed primarily from Hermione Dumbledore. In the past two and a half weeks that she had been writing for the Prophet , she'd already written six articles that frustrated him to no end. Although he'd found the articles to be, to his immense frustration, well-written, inspired, deeply philosophical, and well-researched, they were in direct opposition to the collection of his own beliefs, but more importantly, they conflicted squarely with the views of his Death Eaters.

Articles such as:

House Elves, or House Slaves? A Morally-Bankrupt Practice The Woeful World of Werewolves: A Treatise on Werewolf WelfareBlood Purity Stifles Genetic Code say Muggle ScientistsMagical Muggles: Understanding the Mysterious Culture of this Misunderstood RaceDark Lords: Daft or Dangerous?

Tainted: The Corrupting Power of Dark Magic

He had ripped his last copy of the Prophet in half. He hated Hermione Dumbledore, reason one being that he found her extremely intelligent and articulate, and that turned him on . Reason two being that he hated being aroused by a woman who was working so vehemently to destroy the groundwork of his own organization. He wondered just how much Dumbledore knew about him and his Death Eaters, and subsequently, how much information had he bequeathed to his daughter. He simply must find out.

He wanted to teach the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Not just the Defense of the Dark Arts, but the use of them. But Hermione Dumbledore argued that using the Dark Arts was a curse that acted as a seed of madness. That seed only served to grow, bloom, and become a poisonous garden within one's soul that could not be remedied once rooted. She wrote quite convincingly that the use of Dark Magic if left unchecked, would drive the user to madness.

She'd written this, of course, after new legislation had been pitched at the Ministry regarding the Unforgivable curses.

Then, there were her views on muggles and purebloods. It was absolutely infuriating.

He had no love for muggles or any particular hate for them either, but he had planned for years to use the fear of muggles and their past dissent with wizards as a tactic to weaken the Statute of Secrecy. His primary followers were purebloods who adhered to the idea of magical supremacy as well as blood purity and she was effectively casting a negative light on those beliefs, as well as expertly planting seeds of doubt and appealing to the emotions of her readers.

It was almost as if... as if she were as skilled a manipulator as Voldemort himself.

She was a threat... and threats must always be extinguished.