Vid looked at the courtyard.
The former orphanage was now deserted, the entire courtyard overgrown with weeds, exuding a sense of decay and corruption, with notices on the walls outside indicating government plans for demolition.
"I think you can guess, Merope used a Love Potion to capture Tom Riddle Senior. When she stopped using the Magic Potion, the man left her and their unborn child without hesitation."
Dumbledore lightly waved his Magic Wand, saying, "And so, the child named Tom Riddle grew up here."
In the illusion, the baby quickly grew into a young boy, and the other children stayed far away from him. The boy often talked to snakes in the corner.
Then, the child ran inside the building, and Vid followed him in.
The boy extended his palm, making a rabbit float in mid-air, hanging it by its neck on the rafters.
Sometimes he would run into a room, rummage through beds and wardrobes, and then secretly pocket something.
Dumbledore said, "I don't know if the child would have turned out better if he'd been in a normal family, but the orphanage certainly wasn't a good environment. Young Tom Riddle quickly picked up some bad habits, like stealing or intimidating others."
"He had certain innate abilities that allowed him to easily hurt children older and stronger than himself."
On one occasion, the boy's actions seemed to be exposed. A thin, bony woman grabbed his arm and locked him in a room.
The woman's actions seemed fierce, yet there was a faint sense of wariness.
The boy sat on the bed, seemingly reading. Soon after, the image flickered, and a tall man with a long beard walked in.
Even though the misty image wasn't very clear, Vid recognized him at once; the Wizard was standing right beside him.
"Oh, that's me." Dumbledore said, "That child was a Wizard, and his name was recorded in the Hogwarts register at birth. When he turned eleven, I came to take him to school."
The young Dumbledore didn't spend much time communicating with the boy. He suddenly raised his Magic Wand, setting the illusionary wardrobe on fire, making the boy jump in surprise.
The flames vanished, and Tom Riddle took out a cardboard box from the wardrobe, spilling items he had previously stolen.
The two exchanged a few more words, the young Dumbledore handing a pouch to Tom Riddle, and their meeting ended swiftly.
"Let's go." Dumbledore extended his arm again, saying, "The next part of the story is at Hogwarts."
Dumbledore Apparated directly to the school, but did not lift the Disillusionment Charm.
Vid's Disillusionment Charm had a chameleon-like effect, detectable only by someone highly sensitive to color. However, Dumbledore's Disillusionment Charm was akin to an Invisibility Cloak, leaving no trace.
Students moved back and forth within the school, unaware of the two figures in the corridors.
Soon, the bell rang, students hurried into classrooms, and the corridor emptied.
Dumbledore led Vid, accompanied by the misty figures.
The young boy, wearing his Hogwarts uniform, walked through the corridor with books in hand, always accompanied by a few others. As he grew, the number of followers seemed to increase as well.
The professors all smiled at the boy, but Dumbledore always looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Riddle was exceptionally talented, brilliant, and an orphan, capturing the staff's attention and sympathy as soon as he arrived; nearly everyone liked him." Dumbledore said.
"Soon, he gathered a group of devoted friends... or rather, subordinates around him."
"They were a complex and well-organized group; during their years at Hogwarts, several serious incidents occurred, though no concrete evidence linked them to it."
"The most serious case resulted in the death of a female student."
On the floor lay a pale, bespectacled corpse, eyes wide open, body stiff.
They now found themselves near the second-floor restroom, where the sound of a girl's sobs echoed.
"Moaning Myrtle, she was once a student of Ravenclaw, mocked and bullied by classmates, she was found dead while crying in the restroom."
Dumbledore said, "To this day, we still don't know what caused her death; I can only speculate it might be related to Riddle."
"After the death incident, Hogwarts faced potential closure. However, Riddle captured the 'culprit'—he reported another boy at school, saying he secretly kept a deadly pet."
The scene changed.
Tom Riddle was wrestling with a burly boy, and a giant spider with many eyes quickly scurried down the corridor, escaping.
Riddle seemed to be shouting loudly, soon, many people rushed over.
"Is that Hagrid?" Vid asked.
"Yes." Dumbledore answered, "After that event, Hagrid was expelled, banned by the Ministry of Magic from using magic, and his Magic Wand was broken."
"But I believed he was innocent and convinced Headmaster Dipete to let him stay, training as the Gamekeeper."
"As Hagrid's father was already deceased, leaving Hogwarts meant he had nowhere to go."
The scene changed again, Tom Riddle had grown tall and handsome. He became the Head Boy, received school accolades, and eventually graduated.
Amidst swirling mist, the next scene seemed to take place many years later.
The former young boy had grown completely, his face now pale and contorted. He was followed by many people, draped in black robes, wearing hoods and masks, like demons creeping out of Hell.
They broke into people's homes, killing the inhabitants; others knelt before them in agony, even in silence, it was evident they were enduring cruel torture.
People were continuously murdered, yet the mist didn't disperse immediately, turning the once-empty corridor into a blood-soaked battlefield, bodies fell in various postures, their vacant eyes staring skyward.
"After graduation, Tom Riddle applied to stay on at Hogwarts, but was unsuccessful. He declined the Ministry of Magic's invitation, worked at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley for a time, then disappeared for many years."
Dumbledore continued.
"When he returned, he had the name 'Voldemort,' and his followers were known as Death Eaters. Yet he didn't view them as family or friends but as servants, their honor was kneeling to kiss his robes or feet."
"They committed many atrocities, Wizards and Muggles both perished, fear was rampant everywhere. Until, at the height of his power, he was defeated by a baby."
In the scene, the Wizard fell back, dissolving in mist. Another baby clenched its fists, crying loudly.
As if it were a cycle.