Riddle didn’t answer for a long moment, giving the question more thought than Harry had anticipated. The only sound was their footsteps, echoing off the walls of the pipe, and the occasional crunch of animal bone under their feet. "I lack access to the current power structures of the Wizarding world. I’m barred from high society because of my birth and lack of wealth and connections. I’ve begun to ameliorate that by capitalizing on my Tournament success, and the process will be expedited if I reveal to the world that I’m Slytherin’s descendant, but it would still be an upward climb. Seizing power outside of the system is the most straightforward path."