Oblivion

Introduction

Welcome, Hatchlings, to Oblivion.

First of all, thank you for clicking on this story and deciding to give it a chance. This is my first ever fully self-written fanfiction that I'm publishing, so it honestly feels a little surreal to finally put it out there for people to read. I've had the idea of Vespera Riddle living in my head for a long time, and now she finally gets to exist outside of my imagination.

A little note before we begin: English is not my first language, so please bear with me if there are occasional grammatical mistakes, awkward wording, or phrases that don't sound completely natural. I'm still learning and improving my English, and writing this story is also a way for me to practice. I'll do my best to proofread and improve each chapter, but there may still be mistakes that slip through. I hope you'll be patient with me! And if you notice something that genuinely needs fixing, feel free to point it out -- I really do appreciate constructive feedback and comments <3

So, before we get into the actual story, I thought I should give you a little introduction to what you're about to read.

Oblivion follows Vespera Riddle, the secret daughter of Lord Voldemort.

But this isn't going to be a story where an original character simply appears in the background of Harry Potter's story and changes everything from the very beginning. Vespera has a life of her own, a history of her own, and a story that begins long before she ever steps foot inside Hogwarts.

The first part of the story will focus almost entirely on Vespera herself-her childhood, her upbringing, the people who raise her, the things she learns, the choices she makes, and most importantly, the person she becomes.

So, yes.

You will not be meeting the main Harry Potter characters immediately.

Don't worry, though. Hogwarts is coming.

Eventually.

I won't tell you exactly when, how, or under what circumstances Vespera enters the story we already know. I want her journey to unfold naturally rather than rushing her into canon simply because the Harry Potter universe is waiting for her.

And as for her love interest...

Nope. I'm not telling you. Not yet.

There will be hints, though. Tiny ones. Some obvious, some probably not obvious at all. Maybe you'll figure it out early. Maybe you'll think you've figured it out and be completely wrong.

Either way, I'm keeping my mouth shut ;)

A VERY IMPORTANT WARNING:

Vespera is not a good person.

I want to make that extremely clear before we begin.

This is a villain story.

The fact that the story is primarily told from Vespera's perspective does not mean that everything she does is justified, excused, or secretly good. You are going to see the world through her eyes, which means you will understand her thoughts, her reasoning, her ambitions, and eventually her darker decisions.

But understanding a character does not mean agreeing with them.

Vespera is ambitious. She is ruthless. She is capable of cruelty.

And she is not secretly waiting for someone to teach her that love and friendship will make her a better person.

I've read quite a few Harry Potter fanfictions where the OC starts out dark, gets involved with the Death Eaters, Voldemort, or Dark magic-and eventually becomes good because of the influence of the original characters.

And honestly? I wanted to do something different.

Vespera does not suddenly abandon her ambitions because she meets someone kind. She does not wake up one morning and decides that everything she believed in was wrong. She does not become a hero simply because the story is being told from her perspective.

Whatever happens throughout this story, Vespera remains Vespera.

Her ambition is one of the most important parts of her character, and she will pursue it even when doing so comes at a cost.

That doesn't mean she is incapable of caring about people.

It doesn't mean she has no emotions. And it certainly doesn't mean she is incapable of love.

It simply means that love, attachment, and humanity do not automatically erase ambition.

Sometimes people can love deeply and still make terrible choices. Sometimes people know exactly what they are doing is wrong and do it anyway. And sometimes the most dangerous characters are the ones who don't believe they are the villains of their own story.

This story is going to be a slow burn.

Vespera's story is not going to be rushed just to get to Hogwarts, Harry, Voldemort, or the main events of canon. I want you to actually watch her grow up.

You'll see her change. You'll see her learn. You'll see her make mistakes. You'll see the people around her influence her. And you'll probably see her make decisions that make you want to reach through the screen and shake her.

Please let her story develop.

There are going to be things mentioned early on that may not seem important at the time. There may be conversations that seem insignificant. There may be characters or details that you wonder about.

Remember them. Some things are going to matter much later.

This story will also follow the Harry Potter timeline and incorporate canon events, but Vespera's existence means that certain things may unfold differently than they did in the original books.

So don't assume you already know exactly what is going to happen.

You probably know the world. You probably know the characters. You probably know the ending of the original story.

But you don't know Vespera's story.

And finally...

Thank you for being here.

Whether you're someone who loves morally grey characters, villains, original characters, Harry Potter fanfiction, complicated relationships, or you simply clicked because the title caught your attention --

Welcome.

I hope you enjoy watching Vespera's story unfold as much as I enjoyed creating it.

There will be magic. There will be secrets. There will be bad decisions. There will be blood. There will be people you love. There will be people you hate. And there will probably be moments where you question why you are still rooting for this girl.

But that's the point. So get comfortable. Turn the page. And remember --

This is not the story of a girl who was destined to become good.

This is the story of a girl who was born into darkness... and decided what she wanted to become. Without further ado --

Let's begin.

Good luck, Hatchlings. It's going to be a very bumpy ride.