For the Greater Good || Tom Riddle ||

PART I-Prologue: A Means to an End

PART I - 1942

It was a bleak and stormy night, but the room was very quiet. A dark aura made the room feel heavy. However, there were only five things inside the dimly lit chamber of the forbidding fortress: a candle that cast small hazy slivers of gold onto the black floor, an old wooden chair that was ornately carved, a man holding a crushed velvet hat box, and a girl.

The girl was grief-stricken. The flickering light of the candle that sat in the corner shadowed her body in a ghostly yellow light. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched at her night robes.

She sat in the stiff, old wooden chair and stayed very still, almost as if frozen in time. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a neat plaited braid. A wand was at her side.

The man paced the floor in front of her, resembling a golden-maned lion as he stalked about with the hat box tucked under his arm. He wore elegant starched robes and expensive shoes. He held a wand of knotted wood in long, slender fingers. His sharp eyes cut towards the girl, and he watched her with an intense gaze.

He too was sullen and wore a grave face. However, the man did not cry.

He handed the girl the crushed velvet box, and she took it without question.

"She left this to you," he said. "It's yours."

The young witch let out a sniveling sob and shook her head. "I don't want it."

Her words had come out a jumbled heap of pain and anguish. The wizard raised his brow as he extended his wand and flicked his wrist towards the box. The velvety lid popped open, and the girl looked up. Salt water pooled in her eyes as she stared at the silvery contents of the box.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up at the wizard, recalling the days of her childhood that were spent next to the hearth and dancing flame. The gentle voice of her grandmother would tell her amazing tales of lore, stories about magical creatures of amazing strength and size, anecdotes about magnificent beasts and where to find them.

For a brief second, she felt happy. She could feel the warmth of the fireplace, hear tinkling laughter echo off of the walls. She fondly recalled stories from the Tales of Beedle the Bard ringing in her ears. There was magic in the air.

And then it was quickly gone.

"You will be using it for a task."

A puzzled look overcame her face as she stared down at the box. It was silent for only a split-second. The wizard was very quick to speak.

"Your grandmother would approve of you utilizing it for this use."

"And what will I be using it for?" she asked with slight confusion.

The young witch watched with wide doe-eyes as the yellow candlelight flickered and reflected in the wizard's gaze.

A small smile slipped onto his shadowy face as he said, "You'll be using it to finish a means to an end. One I should have finished long ago."