Work Text:
Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort, had lost it some time ago. He had been brilliant in his youth, if not a little sinister, but it had all gone downhill since the creation of his first Horcrux.
By the time he’d made his seventh Horcrux, he’d lost all sanity, his original ambitions for reforming the wizarding world had been skewed beyond recognition, and he lacked emotions and empathy entirely.
Despite this, he still for some time held onto the fact that his reputation was important, which led him to have children. He had hoped for two boys and a girl, the perfect pureblood family, but instead got three boys.
Their mother had been chosen from his loyal death eaters, her true identity a guarded secret from the world. He never married her, nor had a relationship, simply they had three children, and she died in childbirth the third time.
Over four years, three sons were born:
Hadrian Marvolo Riddle, Voldemorts Heir. The Dark Prince. The Heir of Slytherin. Heir Riddle. Heir Gaunt. The Future.
Thomas Salazar Riddle. The Spare.
And Mattheo Morphin Riddle. The youngest snake.
The Dark Lord sent his sons Thomas and Mattheo away, to be raised in the countryside and attend a boarding primary school so he did not have to deal with them. But he kept his heir at his side, because he was the future after all.
As such, Tom and Mattheo grew up together, never knowing their father, whereas Hadrian was raised by Lord Voldemort, along with other death eaters.
Almost ten years later, Hadrian is 15 when the Dark Lord decides to make change. He sends Hadrian away, with the task of becoming the perfect heir on his own: cutting him off entirely from any family funds, connections etc. Voldemort tells Hadrian he is not his son untill he proves he is deserving of such a title, and sends the boy off into the world without a care.
Not long after that, in a freak magical accident Voldemort accidentally reabsorbs a Horcrux, and the moment of sanity- and clarity, it provides him, leads him to gather and reabsorb his other Horcruxes, regaining his looks and mind.
Now a handsome, sane, intelligent Dark Lord, he goes back to his original plans for the Wizarding world. Less extremist, more reformist, with the ultimate goals of political power.
One of his first acts as a now-sane Lord Voldemort is to bring back his two sons, fourteen-year-old Tom Jr. and thirteen-year-old Mattheo. The two boys then, only ever know their father as strict, but undoubtedly brilliant, fair, and caring.