The place was damp and dark. The air was very cold and reeked of death. The dirt floor had remnants of decay from old carcasses lying about. The place was simply horrific. But Tom Riddle did not care about the atmosphere. He had more pressing matters to attend to as he walked into the chamber.
“I see you have returned,” came a voice.
“Yes,” said Tom.
“Some time has passed since our last meeting. You find it wise to come here now?”
“There is something that I wanted to ask you. Something that I need to know,” said Tom.
“Interesting. How was your summer?”
“I did as you instructed. After finding my mother’s family I went to pay them a visit,” said Tom.
“Was it what you expected?
“No … not at all. Her brother, my uncle, was the last of the family,” he said with a hint of disgust.
“I see,” the voice said with a sense of understanding. “Curious? I sense something else.”
“He told me about my father. My uncle told me that he was still alive and was living close to where their house stood. I was able to pay him a visit too.”
“And?” the voice said again with bated breath.
“I killed them. I killed them all. My father, grandfather, and grandmother are dead, killed by my hands.”
There was a long moment of silence before the chamber filled with laughter.
“I wondered, with your Muggle heritage, whether you had it in you to perform the deed,” the voice said. A swirl of smoke appeared and transformed into the image of his master, Salazar Slytherin.
“I spoke to Professor Slughorn concerning Horcruxes. He seemed unwilling … rather scared, to go on about the subject.”
“I suspected he would be. Professor Slughorn is an adept Potions teacher, but he lacks a certain quality to TEACH the Dark Arts. He would be more likely to tell you how to run from them, but he has no clue as to how to wield their strength. “
“Then, Master, as great as you are then maybe you could -“ Salazar waved his hand to silence the boy.
“I am but a shadow of the man that stood here a thousand years ago. As much as I know the secret of how to perform the spell, it would not be wise for me to teach it to you. As intelligent as you are, if there was the slightest misstep or mispronunciation, you’d run the risk of losing your powers and your soul for all eternity. That is too great a risk.
“You are already on your way to mastering the skill of creating a Horcrux. The killing of your Muggle family is the first step in this process. But to go further you must have proper training. My heir must be appropriately educated in the finer points of the Dark Arts. Hogwarts will only take you so far. It is time that you go further.”
“And where can I find a teacher as great as you, Master?” asked his young pupil.
“I have a friend who is in need of assistance. I promised him before I passed that I will send my apprentice to him to help him finish what he and I started years ago. After you leave this school you must make preparations for your next level of instruction. Go about your life as normal but do not make any ties here. When the timing is right you will go east. Gigori will be waiting to guide you as he did me.”
“Gigoir?”
“Yes, Gigori. Although history refers to him as Rasputin,” said Slytherin.
“I don’t understand. Word has it that Rasputin was murdered years ago. If I may ask, sir, if you can’t teach me then how can he?” Tom said.
“If you’re memory serves you correctly then you should know how hard it was to kill him. Do you know why?“ his master asked. Tom was stumped.
“When Gigori received his invitation to dinner, he and I knew it was a trap. Gigori had been very vocal about his opposition with the royal family and with Russian politics. So we knew it was only a matter of time before certain people started to get fed up with his behavior. Gigori was fearless and laughed at the invite. He wanted to go himself but I devised a better plan instead.”
“You created a Horcrux,” Tom said in amazement.
“Yes. The poor maid had to suffer for it, but it was for a good cause. Once the Horcrux was made we found a way to form it into his clone then send the decoy off to the dinner party. Gigori and I waited behind for the results. Once word reached us of Gigor’s brutal ‘death’, we decided to head to the forest of Albania to plot the downfall of the Romanoff clan.”
“But the Romanoff’s were executed in 1918, years before I was born. How much more help can I be to him now?” Tom asked.
“There are still a few loose ends to finish. Gigori’s vengeance is just as vast as his knowledge. Word has it that someone in the Imperial Family might have survived the firing squad. So I’m sending you to meet with him to learn all that he knows and to help him as needed. Once you’ve obtained his knowledge, he will direct you in your next step of your education.”
“As you wish, Master,” Tom said.
“I’ve waited many years for my successor to appear. And now that you have, I’ve passed down what is needed. My time has come. You have my knowledge. My blood runs in your veins. My spirit in this place has served its purpose. Now it is time for you to learn how your spirit will serve yours.” Salazar’s image vanished.
“Master, can a wizard make more than one Horcrux?” Tom asked
“And you ask this because?”
“Seven is a powerful number. Why just make one?” Tom replied.
The chamber was again silent. It was so quiet that Tom wondered if maybe Salazar was ignoring him for asking a stupid question. But then his emerald-green eyes peered through the darkness of the chamber. “It is possible, yes. But what you are seeking to do is ambitious at best … and very dangerous. It is bad enough that the soul must be ripped apart to perform the ritual. But to take the soul and tear it into many pieces would leave you less than a man than it does a soul. So be wise about what you seek. I did not become the greatest wizard of my time by making foolhardy decisions. If you are going to make a name for yourself in our world, make sure you do the same. And take care of what you create. Make sure your items are inconspicuous and well guarded. For if your enemies find out what you have done, it will leave you in a most vulnerable position.”
The eyes vanished along with his master’s presence. It had been settled. Tom felt slightly disappointed that he could not be taught the spell today, but he realized Salazar’s point. If he were able to learn it and something went wrong while he was performing it, a mere essence of someone would not able to save him. Salazar was right to point him in the direction needed so that he could achieve the greatness he so desperately desired.
And meeting with Rasputin should be interesting to say the least.
He was left with a lot to think about. His options for his Horcruxes were at the forefront of his mind. He had the ring that he had taken from his uncle, and there was the medal the school had given him for turning over Hagrid. Tom couldn’t help but smile to himself as he thought of the gentle giant. The school was still clueless about his part in the trouble, and about the location of this room. And despite having had to put a halt to his actions because of the school being threatened with closure for the girl’s death, his plan had still been executed flawlessly. Tom took a moment to bask in his triumph, and then got back to the matter of his Horcruxes.
There was something else he had, something that he had gotten from the orphanage that he had kept with him all this time. It wasn’t as grand as the ring or the medal. But it was inconspicuous enough that no one would ever suspect it to be used to hold a fragment of his soul. Tom paused for a moment to consider this, but then decided to put his thoughts away for later. He still had plenty of time to finalize things before he left Hogwarts. Plus he now had to make arrangements to start his travels abroad. Besides, between the time he left school until he started his travels, there would be no telling what he could find that he could use to hold his soul. Tom turned to make his way out of the chamber.
“I see you are wearing my ring,” said his master’s voice.
“Yes, I got it from my uncle.”
“It would make a fine vessel for your achievement.”
