Inception: Rise of the Heir

Tom Riddle disappeared for 10 years. Where did he travel and what did he do during his absence? This is my feeble attempt at a Tom Riddle backstory, right before he rejoined the world officially as Lord Voldemort.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my o/c's.

Chapter 1 as of 4/4/2020 has been revised, I wrote the first few chapters a LONG time ago and my writing has had definitely grown quite a bit since then. The next week or so the rest of the first few chapters will be slightly tweaked so the story flows a tad bit better! But not to worry, the story has NOT changed or been altered in anyway! ENJOY!

"Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you."

― Friedrich W. Nietzsche

The fog across the harbor was thick, unnaturally so for the month of April. The sun in the sky was slowly rising as the massive ship made its way from the bay, into the harbor where it would eventually dock, the waves lapping and licking at its immense frame as the ship started to slow its speed.

The hour was early and aside from the crew who scuttled back and forth along the top deck making preparations in order to dock, most of the passengers were sleeping below deck, in their rooms & cabins, peacefully dreaming as the sun had begun to poke its fiery head above the horizon. Towards the bow of the ship, the morning mist hung over the deck as a shadowed figure stood alone against the rails.

He was alone, dressed in a long dark coat, neatly dressed and waiting silently against the mist that had gathered around his feet, his face focused on the dark water beneath him. Aside from the clothes on his back he carried nothing, except for a small weathered suitcase that lay directly at his feet. He had watched the water swell and rise against the hull of the ship for hours, lost in his thoughts and musings, only looking up slowly as he watched the foreign cityscape approach. A long pale hand rested firmly on the iron railing, as he took in the foreign skyline he had never seen before. His eyes were dark and intense, filled with a strange indifference as they grazed over the buildings in the distance that seemed to rise above the clouds. He watched as smoke billowed from factories and buildings that lined the busy streets and could already hear the loud noises and bustle that bellowed from the city that he was told "never slept".

"So this is New York City..." He thought as the ship drifted closer to the cityline, the immense architecture looming overhead and growing in stature as he approached.

He was irritated. He was never fond of muggle transportation, especially after his introduction to the wizarding world and the magic that had shaped his life afterward. As a child he had always known he was different, special. He had had abilities that no other person he knew possessed and when Albus Dumbledore had come to visit him, his suspicions were confirmed. He was indeed extraordinary and he finally had the chance to show the world how truly great he would be. In Hogwarts he had excelled, where others had not, they were too lazy and content to take advantage of the endless sources of knowledge they were encompassed in. He was different, he had learned to push the boundaries of magic and had gone farther than any he knew to ensure he would become legend. To him, travelling in such conditions, like a common muggle was repulsive.

His journey had taken days, most of it had been spent below deck, locked away in a dark private room of his choosing, far from prying eyes. He had only stepped above deck at night, when all the other passengers had taken to bed, to take in fresh air and enjoy the silence and solitude of the night. He took his meals in his room and spoke to no one, a walking ghost on a ship he was eager to leave behind.

Despite his dissatisfaction with his method of travel, it was the only option he had even dared to entertain. It had been years since he had been forced to interact with members of muggle society and the idea of flying in a muggle made cage of steel thousands of feet in the air with little to no control was unacceptable.

"Airplanes….what boorish pieces of scrap metal." He mused as he regaled his nightmarish childhood,

when he had spent his summers at the orphanage in London, summers full of ruin, of rubble and dust, of death and decay.

While the wizarding world was immersed in its own war, preoccupied with Grindelwald and his radical following, the muggles themselves had entered into their own world war and had produced weapons of mass destruction on their own, advancing their deadly arsonal more in the past few years than anyone had anticipated. Now, not only could they cause devastation on land, they now rained fire and hell from the sky as well as under the sea.

He remembered the pit of despair and fear in his stomach as a young teen during the first air raids..He remembered Mrs. Cole urging all of them to crawl under their desks in their shabby rooms when they would hear the air sirens scream and echo throughout the city, the explosions that would fill their young ears, too near for comfort. He himself often would wonder if the orphanage would be next, a giant pit of debri and wood and stone where he had just been laying. The thought unnerved him; He was unable to use proper magic while away from school to protect himself, he was not afforded the luxuries his classmates had, a well protected home in which to hide, a family to care for him. If he died, no one would even blink.

He remembered sitting on his bed and hearing all the noises and terrors the night had to offer him, the gut wrenching sounds from outside the orphanage... and how he had waited anxiously everyday for the bombs to drop.

Waiting to die.

Waiting to become another faceless body in the piles that began to line the streets of that stupid muggle war and how powerless he was to stop it. He remembered how he had pleaded with his headmaster and Dumbledore to let him stay at Hogwarts during the summers, none of them had cared, no exceptions were to be made. In retrospect he felt ashamed he had even asked.

"So weak…"

It was during those years of his life he decided he would find a way to defeat death. He would never cower at its feet again, helpless and defeated. He would not die, not there in that miserable muggle orphanage, not anywhere. He would become the most powerful wizard in the world and death would not take him like it had so many before him. He would bow to no one.

He smiled as he felt the handle of the wand hiding up the sleeve of his long dark coat, rubbing the yew wood softly and absent-mindedly with his thumb, reminiscing back to when it had first chosen him back in the tiny, dusty wand shop in Diagon Alley. He remembered how it had felt when he first grasped the handle of the small piece of wood and the shock of electricity that sparked through his entire body. It swept in through his fingertips, up his arm and had spread like wildfire all over his body, golden fireworks sprouting from the tip. He felt the power that awaited him and found himself consumed ever since.

"We're sure to see nothing but great things from you…" The old wandmaker had said and He had felt obliged to agree.

Greatness had chosen him.

He ignored the old man as he babbled on about his wands capabilities and the rare pairing between wood and core he had yet to see before, none of it had mattered. He remembered focusing on what he had felt in the moment and how addictive it had been. What he could achieve. Gone was the poor lowly orphan with no family and no resources to his name. He had everything he needed now.

His name would be remembered.

All would bow at his feet.

The ship's foghorn blew loudly as it entered port, interrupting his thoughts as he quickly turned his attention to the docks below, watching as the smaller boats pulled them along, easing the massive ship into its slip. As the ship neared the larger paved landing he watched as muggle men quickly scurried around the deck and on land like rats to tether the boat to its final resting place.

The sun poked through the clouds, shining brilliantly as he ran his hands impatiently through his tousled dark black hair. He anxiously awaited for when the boarding plank would be lowered and he could finally escape his watery prison. He sniffed indignantly, to apparate off the ship would obviously be the more desirable way for him to take his leave, but he had been forewarned of this foreign country's policy regarding magic and how the wizarding community within operated.

He wished to remain a ghost, keeping his footsteps a secret, while learning whatever dark secrets this country had to offer. Once he had learned what he needed he would disappear once more, like smoke on the wind. He would make his presence known only when it served him to, and he had no intention of letting their nosy wizarding government poke their noses into his affairs.

As the sun took its permanent place in the morning sky, he heard the clanging of the steel plank being lowered decks below him and tighted his grip on the suitcase.

"It's time" he thought quietly to himself.

North America had everything to offer him and he intended to crack open the delicate shell it was encased in, the old magic and the dark and everything that had been impossible to learn from across the sea at home. His heart started to beat heavily at the thought of the different magic he had yet to experience.

The wooden tip of his wand lazily poked out from the cuff of his jacket, pointed towards the suitcase by his feet. In a flash, the suitcase propelled up from the deck floor, its handle landing perfectly into his outstretched hand, the sunlight quickly glinted off the burnished golden nameplate on the top of the suitcase as he started to make his way below deck to unboard and start his journey.

It read: T .M. RIDDLE .

First chapter finished! I know it was a little short, but I really didn't want to cram too much into the first chapter, hopefully it was a decent read and you'll stay tuned for the rest! Once again this story will follow Tom Riddle while he disappeared for a decade. JK Rowling has never really disclosed to us what he accomplished, where he went, what he studied etc, so this is my way of filling the gap! Hope you all enjoy it!

Don't forget to review, follow or favorite! It's a huge motivator for me, also feel free to review with some feed back! It's all super appreciated!