Disclaimer: all property of JKR
A/N: This fic was written before HBP, however, I've recently modified it slightly to fit into HBP. Yes, there will be differences in the beginning, but as the chapters go on, it willl stick to canon and HBP. Please keep this in mind when reading.
Also, this version of Tom is different from most and I chose to write him this way to keep it different. Why does he have to start out evil? Yes, we know how he is when Dumbledore first meets him. But what about before then. Dumbledore only knows what he's heard of Tom, so give it a few years, he can build himself quite the reputation.
Other than that, enjoy! Please review, you know you want to :D
Chosen to Rise; Destined to Fall
Prologue
Sister Mary walked through the central garden of St. Augustine's, smiling as she smelled the fresh, clean scent of snow. It was a perfect December day in Greater Hangleton, a little warmer than usual and a clear blue sky. There were no chores to be done around the convent for several hours yet, and prayer services had just finished. Sister Mary was taking advantage of the free time by indulging in her favorite pastime of taking leisurely walks through the gardens. Sister Mary loved the central garden the most out of the gardens the nuns maintained. Even during the cooler months, the pathways were always clear and evergreens poked up through the glittering snow.
Several of her other Sisters were taking leisurely walks through the vast snow-covered gardens, occasionally stopping and continuing to talk. They discussed many things of relevance to God, from His glory to the shame of the fall from Eden. Sister Mary chose not to join them because she still felt like an outsider within the nunnery. Sister Mary, at twenty-two, was the youngest nun by far and Abbess Catherine, the head of St. Augustine's, had been very kind to her and helped her adjust. She had grown up in a very small town, miles from Greater Hangleton.
The town had not been the nicest of places for a child of the Lord to grow up. She and her parents may have been devout, but the majority of the town had been awash in sin. Crime and all sorts of debauchery had been commonplace. After her parents had died, she had gotten away from that town as quickly as possible. She had joined the nunnery while the pain of her parent's deaths had still been fresh, and the other Sisters had really helped her cope with the loss. She had never regretted her decision to join the nuns to free herself from the darker sides of humanity she had seen during her childhood.
She heard a bell in the distance and turned, heading back inside for their afternoon gathering.
The night of New Year's Eve came with gusts of bitter cold and heavy snow. Sister Mary had aided the other sisters in latching down the shutters and keeping the fires stoked to get through the nasty bout of weather. She was just finishing adding wood to the fire when she realized that she had forgotten to latch the lock on the wood shed.
Pulling on her winter robe, she made her way outside. The wind was sharp and biting, her skin turning red in an instant. She could see her breath in front of her face and the snow was falling fast and hard. It wasn't exactly the ideal conditions to go to the shed, but she knew that if she didn't latch it, the snow would pile on top the wood and ruin it.
"Sister!" a voice cried and Sister Mary turned to see a woman standing at the gates that led out to the street. Her thin clothes hung around her and if not for her obvious pregnancy, Sister Mary would have thought she was malnourished. She hurried towards the gate and opened it just in time as the woman staggered and fell into Sister Mary's arms.
"Miss!" she cried out in alarm, her eyes wide. She didn't know what to do and the woman was in dire need. She struggled with the weight but managed to help the woman inside. "Sisters!" Several of her Sisters had just turned the corner and immediately ran to her aide.
"The poor thing! What happened?" asked Sister Caroline, helping Sister Mary to carry the woman towards a smaller bedroom.
"She was at the gates and just collapsed," said Sister Mary, frantic.
"Go to Abbess Catherine," said Sister Caroline. "The other Sisters and I will tend to the young woman." The two other Sisters in the room nodded and Sister Mary ran out of the room.
Within a few hours, the woman gave birth to a boy and died soon after. The Sisters had prayed for her to live, but she was too sick and didn't seem to have the strength to continue living.
The nunnery was silent except for prayers and sadness draped over the building like a blanket. Sister Mary was walking through the corridors and turned to go up a flight of stairs to Abbess Catherine's office.
"Abbess?" Sister Mary called softly, rapping lightly on the door.
"Come in, child," a warm voice said and Sister Mary opened the door slowly, walking into the small office. A few candles were burning and a fire blazed brightly in the fireplace. The cold stones that made up the floors of the nunnery were covered with a thin, red carpet. A mahogany desk sat near the back and behind it sat Abbess Catherine, a tall, very old, extremely pious woman. However, her face was warm and her eyes inviting. "How can I help you, child?" she asked.
Sister Mary swallowed and stepped forward. "Does the child have any family, Abbess?"
"The only person that the young woman spoke of was the father. She said 'I hope he looks like his papa,' and told us that he was to be named Tom, for his father, and Marvolo, for her father. His surname is Riddle. We can only pray and hope that the boy's father comes for him," she said softly, sadness etched in he features. She was quiet for a few moments and Sister Mary waited patiently, looking out the window at the snow covered rooftops of the lower levels of the nunnery and in the distance, she could make out a few of the taller buildings of Greater Hangleton and the dark shadowy mountains beyond that.
"Sister Mary," Abbess Catherine said, breaking Sister Mary from her thoughts.
"Yes, Abbess?" Sister Mary said, looking back at Abbess Catherine.
"I think we should take in this child, for I think the Lord would wish us to. Our job in life is to help those in need and this child is very much in need of caring. We will raise him in our ways, and hopefully save him and help him towards enlightenment." Abbess Catherine nodded, almost to herself. "Yes, I will take care of this child, if no family should come for him."
"What will be his name?"
"Tom Marvolo Riddle, as was his mother's wish. And Tom Marvolo Riddle he shall be."