Chapter Summaries

Abraxas opened the Howler Brutus sent him and heard a furious rejection of the revealing wedding dress and a threat to destroy Malfoy Manor. After Abraxas fainted, Olivia set out to write to Mr. Riddle, while Brutus prepared to leave in case the misunderstanding put the manor at risk.

• Olivia presented Brutus's Howler to Abraxas, and Brutus urged his son to open it.
• The Howler scolded Abraxas for sending a revealing wedding dress and threatened to burn Malfoy Manor with Fiendfyre if he sent anything similar again.
• Abraxas opened his gift box to reveal the black diamond ring he had prepared, then fainted from the shock and anger.
• Brutus asked Olivia to clear up the misunderstanding, and she agreed to write Mr. Riddle a letter.
• Brutus packed a suitcase and left the manor, while Olivia saw him off and offered to send more potions.

Tom received a black-diamond ring from Abou and treasured it, then met Mickey to ask why Mickey and Ian had hidden their relationship from him. Mickey reassured Tom and teased him about his relationship with Prefect Malfoy, leaving Tom bewildered by Mickey’s question about which side he was.

• Tom opened Abou’s gift and found a black-diamond ring engraved with a declaration of love.
• Tom put the ring on and remembered the gifts Abou had sent him over the years.
• Mickey wondered why Tom had summoned him to the Hufflepuff common room to ask about relationships.
• Tom asked Mickey why he and Ian had hidden their relationship, and Mickey admitted they feared Tom would hate them.
• Mickey teased Tom about Prefect Malfoy and asked which side Tom was, leaving Tom confused.

Tom asked Mickey for advice on how to avoid hurting someone, but Mickey had no useful answer and teased him about finally breaking his abstinence. Tom then returned to his studies, considered making a Horcrux to ease his academic workload, and arrived at a Slug Club gathering.

• Tom asked Mickey how to avoid hurting the other person, and Mickey reacted with confusion.
• Tom offered to provide potions if Mickey succeeded, but Mickey refused to help and teased Tom about his love life.
• Tom told Mickey how to enter the Hufflepuff common room, and the two traded insults before parting.
• Tom resumed his studies and wondered whether he could make a Horcrux to share the burden of his academic life.
• Tom arrived at Slughorn's Slug Club gathering, where Corban welcomed him.

Tom attended a Slytherin gathering where Slughorn again urged him to pursue a career in the Ministry. After the others left, Tom asked Slughorn about Horcruxes, and Slughorn warned him that they were extremely evil.

• Tom arrived late with candied jackfruit for Slughorn, who praised him and predicted he could become Minister of Magic.
• Tom told Slughorn he might not be suited to politics and had no background, while the Slytherins exchanged knowing smiles.
• Radolphus Lestrange and Avery joked about the time, and Slughorn dismissed the students to their dormitories.
• Tom stayed behind, poured Slughorn wine, and asked whether he knew about Horcruxes.
• Slughorn mistook the question for a Defense Against the Dark Arts topic and warned Tom not to learn such evil things from Merrythought.

Tom questioned Slughorn about the dangers of making a Horcrux and learned that damage to the soul could drive a person mad. As exams ended and Tom reflected on leaving Hogwarts the following year, Ian and Mickey took a photograph with him.

• Tom asked Slughorn what drawbacks came from making a Horcrux, and Slughorn warned that harming the soul could gradually destroy a person's mind.
• Tom left Slughorn and returned toward the common room, noting that the potion's effects had worn off quickly.
• Tom teased Ian and Mickey about their exam worries, while they begged him to help them earn passing certificates.
• Tom said he could not bear to leave Hogwarts the following year, and Ian and Mickey posed with him for a photograph.

Tom returned to Wool's Orphanage and asked Mrs. Cole about his mother, Merope, and the circumstances of his birth. Mrs. Cole began recounting how Merope arrived at the orphanage in 1927, leaving Tom’s doubts about her death unresolved.

• Tom confronted Mrs. Cole about her knowledge of his unusual abilities and asked what kind of person his mother had been.
• Mrs. Cole admitted that Tom’s mother had lost everything and suggested that her difficult labor might not have been beyond magical help.
• In 1927, Mrs. Cole found the frail, pregnant Merope entering Wool's Orphanage and brought her inside.
• Mrs. Cole and the matron learned that Merope had been abandoned by her husband.
• Merope defended Tom, saying she did not blame him and that the months she spent with him had been the happiest time of her life.

Merope stayed at the orphanage while pregnant, still believing her child might change her life despite learning that Tom had never loved her. She died after giving birth to Tom Marvolo Riddle on Christmas Eve, leaving the orphanage staff unsettled by the strange events surrounding the infant.

• Mrs. Cole and Old Headmaster let Merope stay at the orphanage until her child was born.
• During the winter, Mrs. Cole noticed that Merope dressed lightly and her hands stayed warm.
• Mrs. Cole discovered Merope in labor and fetched help from Old Headmaster.
• Merope named her son Tom Marvolo Riddle, and the furnishings shook violently.
• Merope died while staring at the infant, and Mrs. Cole wondered whether the orphanage should take him in.

Tom learned that his mother had carried Slytherin blood and left the orphanage resolved to have no more attachments, while imagining a ruthless future protecting Abou. In August, he entered Knockturn Alley to visit Borgin and Burkes, where he encountered Madam Smith and Carcattacus Burke.

• Mrs. Cole told Tom that the Old Headmaster had insisted on keeping him as a baby, despite her doubts.
• Tom gave Mrs. Cole the exchanged pounds and left, deciding that no one could save someone determined to die.
• At The Leaky Cauldron, Tom worried about starting a family, then imagined spoiling Abou’s child and using force to control wizarding families.
• Tom went into Knockturn Alley to evade the Trace and headed for Borgin and Burkes, using the Cruciatus Curse to drive off a dark wizard.
• Tom saw Madam Smith dressed in lavish pink clothes and heard Carcattacus Burke greet her.

Tom Riddle visited Borgin and Burkes to get close to Hepzibah Smith, whose necklace he suspected was a locket he wanted. Hepzibah’s intense interest in him left Tom dreading their next meeting, though he still planned to reclaim the locket.

• Tom watched Hepzibah Smith and suspected the necklace at the back of her neck was a locket he had seen in Ogden’s memories.
• Tom approached Borgin and asked Carcattacus Borgin for a job as a shop assistant, intending to return the following year.
• Hepzibah interrupted Tom to celebrate the prospect of him working there, and her attention made him uncomfortable.
• Tom hurried back to The Leaky Cauldron and considered using the Imperius Curse, but decided he would wait for a suitable chance to take the locket.

Tom and his friends returned to Hogwarts for their final year, where Ian and Mickey promised to support him despite his painful memories of the Muggle world. As male student council president, Tom faced Slytherins urging him to enter the Ministry of Magic and challenged Walton over the McNeil family head’s anti-Muggle-born rhetoric.

• Ian asked Tom what was troubling him, and Tom said he was envious of his friends’ ordinary faces.
• Ian urged Tom to return to the Muggle world, but Tom said he belonged in the wizarding world and had only painful memories of the Muggle world.
• Mickey and Ian promised to support Tom and offered help if the Minister for Magic interfered with his plans.
• Tom returned to Hogwarts for his final year and became male student council president, hoping to get through the year in peace.
• Keban and several Slytherins urged Tom to enter the Ministry of Magic, while Tom considered which students would become loyal subordinates and which were only seeking profit.
• Tom asked Walton whether he agreed with the McNeil family head’s call to slaughter Muggle-borns.

Tom confronted Walton over his pure-blood supremacist views, while Orion reflected on the burdens of the House of Black. As war continued beyond Hogwarts, Tom concluded that even Grindelwald could not change the wizarding world’s course, and neither could he.

• Walton tried to explain away his father’s remarks, but Tom made him confront the pure-blood ideology he had nearly voiced.
• Orion reflected that the House of Black’s disownments helped preserve its bloodline and that his own fate had been set when he became heir.
• Tom left the common room, thinking Orion was unusually intelligent and lamenting his situation.
• Tom read the newspaper after Dumbledore left Hogwarts and decided Grindelwald’s war did not concern him directly.
• Tom stood on the Astronomy Tower and concluded that no one, including himself, could overturn the wizarding world’s course in a few decades.

Tom reflected on the conflict between wizards and Muggles, then dismissed Eileen as he passed her. Eileen struggled with her altered memories and loneliness as tensions began affecting Hogwarts.

• Tom recalled Grindelwald's failed plan to reduce the Muggle population and wondered whether love had shaped his actions.
• Tom remembered Mr. Scamander's complaints about Grindelwald and Professor Dumbledore, along with his talk about magical creatures.
• Tom walked past Eileen without stopping, believing she had lost her value after altering her memories and forgetting her Potions talent.
• Eileen wondered why she had wanted help from Tom, then struggled to remember her plans as she cried over her family's lack of affection.
• The atmosphere outside grew tense, and the unrest began affecting Hogwarts.

Tom tuned out his classmates’ complaints about Dumbledore and thought ahead to his plans after Hogwarts, including retrieving Slytherin’s wand and asking his ancestor about removing the side effects of Horcruxes. He left the common room to consider whether Horcruxes followed alchemical principles, but remained uncertain about how they connected to their creator.

• Tom quieted the students by reminding them they needed to prepare for their N.E.W.T.s and Apparition lessons.
• Keban complained that Tom was not studying despite taking twelve exams, and Tom mocked him.
• Tom planned to retrieve the locket, seek a teaching position at Ilvermorny, and later return for Slytherin’s wand.
• Tom stroked his ring and thought that enduring a little grievance would keep Abou from getting hurt.
• Tom returned to the dormitory and wondered whether Horcruxes were alchemical creations and how their connection to their main body worked.

Tom tormented Ian and Mickey with high-pressure tutoring until Christmas, then met a strangely changed Dumbledore in the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore took Tom to high ground outside the castle and asked him to promise never to lose himself or touch forbidden things.

• Tom mocked Ian and Mickey's mistakes and forced them to recite their books under his tutoring.
• Tom continued tutoring Ian and Mickey from September until Christmas, and they fled onto the train after the feast.
• Tom left the Great Hall and entered the Forbidden Forest, where he confronted Dumbledore for breaking the rules.
• Dumbledore placed a hand on Tom's shoulder and used a phoenix to carry them to high ground outside the castle.
• Dumbledore asked Tom to promise he would never lose himself or touch things that should never be touched, while Tom studied his unusually white hair.

Tom confronted Dumbledore about his feelings toward Grindelwald and the danger he saw in Tom. After Dumbledore offered to teach him Apparition for a fee, Tom returned to Hogwarts and learned that Dumbledore had defeated Grindelwald.

• Dumbledore reflected on Hogwarts, his past with Grindelwald, and his desire to avoid another war.
• Tom accused Dumbledore of hypocrisy and tried to read his emotions, sensing hatred and helplessness.
• Dumbledore said he wanted to see a different ending in Tom, and Tom challenged his arrogance.
• Dumbledore offered to teach Tom Apparition for ten Galleons, but Tom refused and vanished back to Hogwarts.
• Tom asked Corban what he had missed, and Corban told him that Dumbledore had defeated Grindelwald.

Tom grew furious when Corban suggested rescuing Grindelwald from Nurmengard, and he spent the following months avoiding attention and Dumbledore’s attempts to tease him. The chapter left Dumbledore amused by Tom’s reactions while Ian worried that the professor misunderstood Tom.

• Tom erupted in anger after Corban suggested that he and the others break into Nurmengard to rescue Grindelwald.
• Radolphus promised to teach Corban to treat Tom’s friends properly.
• Over the next few months, Tom encountered admirers and watchers wherever he went, including a lion king hiding behind a pillar.
• Tom denied that he had made up with Dumbledore and insisted their relationship was kill or be killed.
• Dumbledore tried to keep Tom around for a Transfiguration lesson, but Tom left, and Ian warned Dumbledore that Tom was not the person he imagined.

After finishing a grueling set of exams, Tom asked Headmaster Armando about becoming a professor but agreed to wait two years. As Tom prepared to leave Hogwarts, Dumbledore confronted him about meeting the Headmaster, and Tom silenced him with a Binding Curse before departing.

• Two Hufflepuffs praised Tom as a potential Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, hoping other students would face his demanding teaching.
• Tom completed twelve exams over two weeks and packed his belongings to leave Hogwarts.
• Tom asked Headmaster Armando about becoming a professor, but Armando said Tom was too young and asked him to wait two years.
• Tom thanked Headmaster Armando and walked through the castle, reflecting on his memories there.
• Dumbledore revealed he had placed a Tracking Charm on Tom for the other students' safety, and Tom sealed Dumbledore's mouth with a silent Binding Curse before leaving.

Tom reluctantly visited Hepzibah after Carcattacus asked him to persuade her to sell her treasures. Hepzibah doted on Tom and teased him about his excuses, and he finally brought up the goblin-made armor.

• Carcattacus asked Tom to encourage Hepzibah to bring her valuables to Borgin and Burkes, and Tom agreed.
• Months later, Tom discovered that Hepzibah's home was full of magical antiques.
• Tom brought Hepzibah roses, endured her compliments and pastries, and inwardly resented her interruptions.
• Hepzibah asked Tom what excuse he had this time, and Tom brought up the goblin-made armor.

Tom Riddle visited Hepzibah to inspect her treasures, and she showed him Helga Hufflepuff’s cup and Salazar Slytherin’s locket. Tom recognized both objects and closely examined the locket.

• Hepzibah told Tom that Borgin had offered five hundred Galleons and insisted she wanted to show Tom her treasures instead.
• Hepzibah asked her house-elf Hegwig to bring her two most precious possessions.
• Tom recognized the golden cup as Hufflepuff’s cup, and Hepzibah said it had been passed down through her family.
• Hepzibah opened the second case, and Tom examined the gold locket bearing Slytherin’s serpent-shaped mark.

Tom Riddle stole Slytherin’s locket and another box from Hepzibah Smith, then framed her house-elf for her murder. After Smith’s death sparked a scramble over her inheritance, Carcattacus told Mr. Malfoy that Riddle had already left and he did not know where he went.

• Tom Riddle recognized Slytherin’s locket as a Gaunt family heirloom and grew furious when Hepzibah Smith insulted the woman who had sold it.
• Tom stunned Hepzibah, searched Hegwig’s memories, forced her to poison her mistress, erased her memory of the events, and left with two boxes.
• Hepzibah Smith was found poisoned in her wrecked home, and Hegwig confessed to the murder while claiming she had endured abuse.
• Carcattacus told Mr. Malfoy that Tom Riddle had left his place some time earlier and that he did not know where Riddle had gone.