because miriel is awesome and I am evil...

[marbleglove]

Because miriel is awesome, she has plotted out a story in response to one of my rabid plot bunnies.

Because I am evil, I leave rabid plot bunnies around to attack people.

As part apology, part thanks, and part pure glee:

Killing Voldemort

Alastor Moody stomped up the path to the orphanage. Just because the other members of the Order of the Phoenix were too soft-hearted or too weak-willed to do what needed to be done, didn't mean that he was. Or that Dumbledore had been. After Dumbledore's death, it was easy enough for the others to recall only the twinkle in the old man's eye and forget the iron will that had made the man great. He would have understood what Moody was doing. He might have approved but he wouldn't have stopped it.

If Voldemort couldn't be stopped once he was the leader of the Death Eaters, then he would have to be stopped before that point.

He heard the group of boys just then. Well, first he heard the well-known sound of a fist hitting flesh.

Thwack. "You're a demon," a boy taunted.

There were five of them, all about eleven years old, beating a much smaller kid. The kid had spunk, Moody thought approvingly. He was hopelessly outnumbered of course, but he wasn't taking the beating lying down either. He was snarling and snapping, and trying to get away. If the other boys hadn't completely surrounded him, he probably would have escaped.

"I'm just helping the world." Smack. "Pastor Jones says you need to have it whipped out of you but the headmaster is too soft for it." Thunk.

The kid noticed him approaching but didn't give him away. The bullies didn't notice Moody until he plowed into them, giving them each a few whacks with his staff. He grabbed hold of the smaller kid's arm to keep him still. The kid had spunk, but it was just he kind of spunk that got young Auror trainees into all sorts of trouble. They were the best of the best if they survived training but they were also half the reason behind any training master's need for constant vigilance.

Maybe he'd do something about the lad later, give him a challenge to focus on. He had seven years, after all. The mechanism that had cast Moody back in time so many decades, to reach Riddle before he ever entered the wizarding world, only worked in seven-year intervals. It had cast him back in time and wouldn't return him to the right time until he had aged seven years. After he dispatched whichever one of these monsters was Riddle, he would have to find something to do with himself while waiting. The kid might be interesting.

But for now, he demanded of the bullies, "Okay, which one of you little beasts is Riddle?"

The kid by his side flinched. The bully boys straightened up and tried to look virtuous. They looked like nothing so much as a bunch of Slytherins who thought they were about to get away with something. They looked smarmy. Unfortunately, none of them looked guilty.

"Sir. He's Riddle." They pointed at the boy they had been beating on.

Moody looked at the kid.

The kid glared back.

All it would take, Moody thought, was a flick of a knife, a twist of the neck, or a quick curse, and Voldemort would be dead. All he had to do was kill this kid. This kid with all his fire and defiance, wasted.

Moody hated waste. And he had seven years after all.

"Okay, kid. You're coming with me." 

Comments

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

I loved this, very interesting take, and giving Riddle love and direction is going to change history completely

lovely

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

"Altered Destinies" by DobbyElfLord on fanfiction.net is a fun story about Harry going back and raising young Riddle up right. Moody, on the other hand, isn't exactly the type to give love and comfort. Having Moody as a mentor would definitely change history, but I'm not really all that sure how much and in what direction. My current thoughts are that Riddle might grow into a quite powerful Auror then Minister of Magic, taking the whole wizarding world in an interesting direction, given that he remains Slytherin's heir.

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

probably, but I also think that while he wouldn't be a loving father he would instil in Tommy some moral fibre and a sense of justice while making him powerful, establishing limits.

I can totally see him as MM and enjoying the power behind the political games and being better than everyone else including AD, and not having his obsessive crusade to clean the wizarding world.

Minister of Magic Tom M. Riddle

[marbleglove.livejournal.com]

Yeah. He'd be the reason why everyone thought Slytherin House was the best house and Gryffindors were all maybe a bit slow, like Hufflepuff's current reputation. And Moody would look on in wonder, appreciating all his adopted son had accomplished and yet wondering where he had gone wrong that Riddle had still managed to take over the British wizarding world even though that was exactly what he had gone back in time to prevent.

Re: Minister of Magic Tom M. Riddle

[lita-of-jupiter.livejournal.com]

I can completely see that, Slytherin the house of the ambitious and successful! And if his past was well known (being a halfblood) it would serve to fight the prejudices he thrived on before.

it would certainly leave Moody proud and puzzled... though he might enjoy that his protegé got where Crouch couldn't