"You're insane… you've completely lost it!" Lavender yanked Hermione into the room, poked her head out into the hallway, looked left and right for a long moment to make sure no one was around, and then quietly closed the door.
"Tom, you're out of your mind. I've never met anyone as crazy as you! Do you have any idea where you are? This is the girls' dormitory!!!"
If he got caught, he could pretty much kiss Hogwarts goodbye.
"Sit there!" Parvati pointed at a small chair nearby. "Explain yourself. Why are you in the girls' dormitory? If you can't come up with a good reason, we're handing you straight over to Mr. Filch!"
Hermione sat up straight, feeling oddly nervous—even though this was her own dorm.
"I heard Hermione was hurt."
"Hurt?" The three girls said it at the same time, looking confused. They glanced at each other, then all turned to Tom. "Hermione, are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt at all…" They all stopped mid-sentence.
Parvati and Lavender's faces flushed bright red in an instant.
"Tom, are you some kind of pervert? Are you a pervert?!"
"Hermione, you deal with him!"
Tom cleared his throat and pulled Hermione into a corner.
"Period."
Hermione blinked. "What peri—oh."
What day was it again?
She started counting on her fingers.
That blasted Dobby. That blasted house-elf!
Blood smell—did he really think the only time someone smelled blood was during a fight?
She covered her face and ducked her head. "I—I thought… why didn't you tell me?"
"How was I supposed to tell you? Deflect with sarcasm? I only realized it myself when I got back tonight. How did you even know?"
"A house-elf named Dobby told me. Now what am I supposed to do? Mrs. Norris and Filch are camped out right in front of the Ravenclaw dorms. I can't get back—I'm stuck!" Hermione wiggled her toes awkwardly. "Anyway, this is all your fault!"
Never try to reason with a girl—especially one this young.
"But it's not really my problem, is it? After tonight…" Hermione glanced sideways, eyes drifting upward as she casually whistled a little tune.
After tonight they'd switch back. How Tom got back to his own dorm was none of Hermione Granger's business!
"Lavender, Parvati, please—I'm begging you, don't tell anyone about tonight." Tom suddenly stepped in front of the two girls. "I'll do anything. Tom can swear it. From now on, whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it!
But tonight has to stay a secret—please!"
"Hey!" Hermione grabbed Tom's arm. "What are you saying?!"
He couldn't just promise things using her body! Did he have any idea how scary those two could be?
"One week of breakfasts," Parvati said, holding up a single finger. "And not just breakfast—late-night snacks too. One full week, not a single day missed!"
"Deal!" Tom nodded quickly. "If I don't follow through, you can go straight to Professor Dumbledore or Mr. Filch and tell them Hermione secretly brought Tom into the girls' dormitory."
You jerk!
"Fine, since you put it that way. Tom's staying here tonight, right? Then we'll go for a walk." The two girls yawned, left the dorm, and shut the door behind them, leaving just the two of them alone.
"Tom, that was really low."
"Thanks for the compliment. But you're the one who had that sneaky grin first—I could tell you were hoping for a good show."
"I did not!" Hermione wanted to punch him a couple of times, but realizing it was her own body, she decided to save it for after they switched back.
After a quiet moment, Hermione asked awkwardly, "Why did Peeves help distract Filch for you? Have you been sneaking out at night before?"
"Of course." Tom snapped his fingers. "Tch, you have no idea how many potion-brewing assignments Professor Snape piles on me. There's never enough time during the day, so I have to make it up at night…
Did you really think I get to sleep comfortably in my dorm every single night? Especially when you're holding me up for a whole week of it—I've got to catch up however I can.
Peeves is an annoying pest who kept messing with my nighttime trips, so I gave him a good beating. He's behaved ever since."
"What about the house-elf?"
Tom thought for a second and didn't answer directly. "Next time you can ask him yourself. Those things are for him to explain.
Anyway, it's late. I'm going to sleep."
"You're sleeping on the floor!" Hermione pointed at the ground, climbed into bed, and wrapped herself tightly in the blankets. "Good night. Lights off. Thanks!"
Watching Hermione ignore him, Tom sighed.
What an idiot…
In less than an hour they'd switch back. What was the point of hogging the bed now?
Ignoring her, Tom gazed out the window at the starry sky in the darkness, keeping time on his watch.
Less than half an hour later, Hermione was fast asleep, breathing steadily.
Almost tomorrow.
Tom carefully climbed into the bed, gently moved Hermione to the floor, and took the bed for himself.
On any normal night he really would've slept on the floor and teased her about it the next day, but this week was different—this week was an exception.
Periods were pretty rough. Tom wasn't heartless enough to make it worse.
…
The next morning.
Hermione rubbed her eyes, woke up, and grabbed the alarm clock to check the time.
Still early. She could sleep a little more.
Wait—Tom wouldn't still be in the dorm, right?
She glanced down below. Tom was already gone.
No—wait!
Hermione suddenly remembered something and sat bolt upright.
Last night she'd gone to bed as "Tom Riddle," so why had she woken up here?
Hmph. At least he had a bit of conscience.
The door opened as her two dorm mates came in.
"Huh, he's gone? Hermione, get up and bring us breakfast!"
"I want to sleep a little longer!"
"Then we might just have to go find Mr. Filch, Miss Hermione. You wouldn't want him hearing about last night, would you?"
…
Snape's office.
Before coming here, Tom had stopped by to see Professor Sprout. The kind old lady had given him some sweets, told him to take care of himself, and even excused him from this week's homework so he could rest and recover.
If any other student skipped assignments, Professor Sprout would be the first to object—but this was Tom, the kid who worked so hard it almost broke your heart.
After enjoying a bit of Professor Sprout's warmth, Tom finally headed to the big bat's office.
He raised his hand and knocked.
The bat responded, and Tom stepped inside.
"Professor, I'm feeling much better now. Thank you so much for these past few days—you've been really good to me. No one except my father has ever treated me this well." Tom opened with words that dealt genuine damage to Snape's Occlumency.
"Enough drivel, you fool!
A wizard who lets himself get sick is the most foolish kind of wizard—especially a potions brewer!"
"Professor, I'm willing to accept punishment." Tom lowered his head respectfully.
"Two hours. Memorize this entire book. If you don't, you can skip lunch today!" Snape tossed a book at him.
The cover had a name on it—a single, simple word that made Tom's mouth drop open.
Sectumsempra — The Half-Blood Prince
Translated: Severing Charm—Sectumsempra!
Whoa.
Tom remembered this spell vividly.
The man who invented it was the very bat in front of him—Severus Snape.
Among offensive spells, Sectumsempra was top-tier.
Compared to Avada Kedavra, which just killed you outright, Sectumsempra was far superior when it came to making someone suffer.
Rumor had it that getting hit by it hurt… a lot.
"What are you staring at?" Snape snapped. "You now have one hour, fifty-nine minutes, and thirty-two seconds left. I expect you to master this book completely—devour every word!
If I find even one thing you haven't grasped, you know the consequences!"
Snape was willing to teach him this spell, and Tom genuinely felt something inside him soften.
"Professor, I have one request. May I say it?"
"Excellent—you've just wasted another minute. I expect the book memorized by the time I return!" Without waiting for a reply, Professor Snape flung the door open and swept out like the wind, leaving the office empty and silent.
Outside the door.
Snape came face-to-face with a loathsome smile. He didn't actually dislike the man, but seeing that cheerful expression right now made him deeply uncomfortable.
"Albus, I didn't realize you enjoyed eavesdropping so much."
Dumbledore smiled gently. "Severus, you know what little Tom wanted to ask, don't you?"
"I don't know anything!"
"He wants you to be his godfather. Why didn't you face it?"
Snape gave a cold sneer. "If everyone begged me to be their godfather, would I have to say yes to all of them? I still don't fully acknowledge Tom's talent. Sectumsempra is just a test—there's a good chance he won't master it even by graduation!"
"Severus, are you familiar with Japanese culture?" Dumbledore suddenly changed the subject. "In Japan, there's a very popular thing called… manga? Similar to Garfield.
They have a term for a certain type of person—tsundere, I believe. Perhaps you should look it up."
Severus didn't know the exact meaning, but he could guess. He bit out each word: "I! Have! No! Interest!"
"Well then, how about I adopt Tom as my own son?"
Snape's steps halted abruptly. He whipped around to look at Dumbledore.
For a split second, those dark, empty eyes flashed with something feral—even facing Dumbledore, Snape couldn't control it right away.
"I was only joking, Severus…"
"I don't care. Do whatever you want. It's your choice." Snape kept up the tough act.
Meanwhile, back in the office, Tom was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.