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Voldemort.
The name inspires a chill of fear through everyone in the wizarding world. Few dare to even think the name, let alone mutter it aloud.
Yet, I couldn't help but think that there was once a human being behind this name. One that wasn't born evil, but chose a path of destruction that led him towards inhumanity and corruption.
That got me to thinking, what was it exactly that drove little Tom Riddle to commit unspeakable acts of anger, and spite? What was the allure of the power he seeks?
This line of thought led to the following theory of mine, for I can never believe that people are born evil. Remember what Dumbledore tells Harry countless times.
"It is our choices far more than our abilities that show who we truly are." and "It is not what we are born, but what we choose to become that truly matters."
I imagine when Tom found out he was a wizard it was probably a pretty
good shock for him.
I theorize (supported by no cannon, just a gut feeling) that he had a
very bad childhood in the orphanage...probably suffered abuse
(another thing he felt he had in common with Harry, though I imagine
his was MUCH worse than Harrys). Can you imagine a little 11 year old
finding out he has the powers (or can learn them) to torment his
tormentors? It's not surprising he was a good student. His means for
revenge were finally within his grasp. He probably learned all he
could. And he had the natural advantage of being cunning (a trait of
Slytherin) to help him.
Dumbledore tells us he was very talented and clever. So, he was doing a good job at his lessons, (knowing how Hermione goes to extremes with her lessons and assuming he was at least as ardent a student as she) it would've been easy for him to look up his geneaology and find out about his ancestors. It wouldn't even have been neccessary for his mother to have written any sort of letter (which I don't see her doing as she died having only had time to name him) explaining anything, after all Hermione tells us the whole story of the Chamber is in Hogwarts a History.
After he learned enough magic to be able to force or charm people into cooperating with him, it wouldn't have been hard for him to find out his Muggle history from the orphanage either.
I expect that his revenge got carried away with him, and when he found out about Salazar Slytherin, it's not too farfetched to think he would adopt his views and morals....after all they were probably not too far from his own. (knowing that he hated muggles because of his dad and the orphanage)
After that, he just got sucked into the dark arts until he was too far to turn back, even if he'd wanted to.
Which brings up an excellant question: Does he know he's doing something very wrong, and that's why he's afraid of dying? All religious implications aside, he must know he'd be portrayed as a villan and the one in the wrong after he was gone. This after a lifetime of suffering and (his pov I imagine) he was only trying to even the score, and the muggles all deserved it anyway. He probably wants to stay alive to protect his reputation if nothing else.
While I'll never go so far out on the limb as to say that he tried learning for good before he turned to the revenge in his life, I don't believe he truly set out to be evil.
Does he believe in evil? It's not likely. Quirrell tells us his philosophy in SS that there is no good or evil, only power. He is seeking power, and he isn't picky about how he's getting it.
Add to a power hunger, a very defined rule of predjudice and you get Voldemort. Evil. Intolerance. Murder and mayhem and ethnic cleansing, and all that is wrong in the universe.
It's really too bad Tom Riddle couldn't have been taught forgiveness and tolerance before his revenge ran away with him. That leaves the final and most interesting question: Can Voldemort be taught love?
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