Harry Potter: The Road to the Red Rose (Originally Titled: Redemption)

[The original title of this story was Redemption] [Blurb]: I'm a demon. But this identity has brought me no benefits. It even dragged me into a murder case, and I was expelled from the Hogwarts I'd longed for so dearly. So, at the lowest point of my life, I met him: a human being like a demon. I watched him go from orphan to the feared Voldemort, then lose everything as the Dark Lord whose name no one dared speak, becoming a fragment less than a wretched ghost. It seemed we were both following the paths laid out by our respective destinies, inexorably heading toward the future foretold by prophecy. But I knew the strongest power of all was not the inevitability of fate. That was the first time I asked him what he truly wanted. Everyone was awed by his power, so he seemed more like a symbol than a human being. Over the decades that followed, I asked Riddle when he was so powerful that even his name was feared. I asked Riddle when he was struggling on the brink of survival, more wretched than a ghost. I asked Riddle when his Horcruxes had ravaged him until not a shred of reason remained. He never answered me. He was always so confident in his own power. So confident that he thought he had everything. This is a story about a demon who wants to become human and a human who is like a demon. About his life and mine, from which neither of us can escape. [In one sentence]: How Voldemort became the Dark Lord [Please note]: 1. This is a Voldemort canon-inspired fanfic. The Hogwarts section will have some changes to the timeline and plot. 2. The story mainly covers the decades omitted from the original, from old Voldemort's graduation to his failed attempt to kill Harry Potter. 3. Romance isn't the focus; we're here to build careers. 4. The tone may be tragic or comic; the tags were picked at random. 5. The romance develops slowly. The author is doing her best to make it palatable for readers who feel physically uncomfortable watching old Voldemort fall in love (yes, that's me). The original settings take up little space and are mainly there to advance the romance. They should be within an acceptable range. 6. The heroine is a demon, but not overpowered, and the hero isn't love-struck. This is not a wish-fulfillment story; everyone, including old Voldemort, has limited abilities (otherwise there'd be nothing to write about, and he could just win effortlessly). 7. After finishing, I'll revise and split it into volumes, but the content (probably) won't change. [Before you read]: 1. The first three or so chapters were written a very long time ago, and I was too lazy to reread them before posting, so there are lots of mistakes. 2. The first thirty chapters are mostly wish fulfillment about things that have been on my mind. The main story begins after chapter thirty. [One last thing]: Since you've already read this far into a blurb most people don't bother with, then surely our shared love of Harry Potter is what brought us here. I'll do my best, with careful research into the original books and Pottermore and the limited abilities I have, to create a story worthy of that love. Thank you to everyone who reads. The characters and scenes built from words only come alive in the moment you read them, transforming from computer code into another universe in a parallel world! Theme: A story about love and redemption