Tom's head spun with dizziness.
It felt like someone was relentlessly forcing their way into his mind.
Add in the way Snape had dramatically waved his wand and shouted the spell before casting—it was basically announcing, "I'm coming in~"
[You successfully completed a spell cast. Rating: Perfect+. Occlumency +300.]
[You successfully completed a spell cast. Rating: Perfect+. Occlumency +300.]
[You successfully completed a spell cast. Rating: Perfect+. Occlumency +300.]
Finally the weird pressure vanished. Snape cancelled the Dark spell.
Tom had never looked more wrecked. He leaned against the wall, drenched in sweat.
He chugged from the water flask at his waist, gulp after gulp. His black bangs stuck to his forehead.
Tom brushed his hair aside. "Professor Snape, it's still not enough. I'm sorry."
"Hmph." Snape snorted coldly. "Keep practising. If you're still like this next week, don't bother coming anymore."
"I'll work harder."
After Snape left, Tom stared at the stats on his panel.
Occlumency LV.6.
One full week.
During that week Tom had practised Occlumency while eating, sleeping, even on the toilet—he was terrified of his secrets being discovered.
He had barely scraped LV.6, but it still wasn't enough against Snape.
Tom could feel it: in the final moment every wall in his mind had crumbled. One more push from Professor Snape and he would have read everything.
But Snape hadn't pushed. He had chosen to leave.
He still needed to work harder.
Tom stared at the dark ceiling, running Occlumency over and over in his head.
---
"Albus." Snape stepped into Dumbledore's office. "Show me Tom's file. The Ministry must have investigated him, and I know you have a copy."
Surprise flickered across Dumbledore's lined face. "I never expected you to take an interest in a student's past. What happened?"
"One week." Snape spoke the words gravely. "Albus, in one single week Tom brought Occlumency to a level that shouldn't be possible for him!
Even I had to use everything I had to break through his defences!"
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed.
He knew exactly how powerful Snape was—especially in the Dark Arts.
Even across the entire wizarding world, Snape's Legilimency was top-tier.
"One week?"
"Yes. One week."
Dumbledore stood. "Severus, do you think—"
"Impossible!" Before Dumbledore could finish, Snape cut him off sharply. "Tom cannot be him. You know it. You know Tom's personality. You can see it.
He is genuinely kind—to every classmate, every professor. Even facing you, an old man, Tom never showed the slightest disgust. That is something the Dark Lord could never fake!"
Dumbledore fell silent. He opened a drawer, pulled out a thick file, and handed it to Snape.
"Page 311."
[Tom Riddle, born 31 December 1980, birthplace: Royal Bethlem Hospital, London.]
[Father: William Riddle, graduated Imperial College London, enlisted after graduation, killed in action (confirmed)]
[Mother: Lily Riddle, graduated Cambridge University, enlisted after graduation, killed in action (confirmed)]
Seeing that name, Snape's breathing quickened.
"Why is the exact time of death missing!"
"Tom's parents were only Muggles." Dumbledore patted Snape's shoulder. "Only Muggles, my friend. No one can live in the past forever. These are coincidences."
"Then why could Tom master Occlumency in one week…" Snape stopped mid-sentence. "Albus, when his parents died… where was Tom?"
Dumbledore was quiet for a long time. "Severus, everyone has a painful past, don't they?
We only know Harry watched his parents die, but there are others."
Snape: "…I understand."
Now, Snape suddenly remembered the words Tom had once said to him.
Godfather, huh?
"Severus, you may read the file here but you cannot take it away. Also, Tom has a sister—of course not blood-related, just a very close friend from the orphanage named Misha. Misha also has magical talent. Perhaps one day she can attend Hogwarts with Tom, but that is for the future."
Snape read Tom's file three times.
Only after the third reading did he set it down and leave.
---
Two days later.
Halloween.
Hogwarts was festive, like the whole castle was throwing a party.
Tom saw many ghost professors had changed into fun costumes—some as vampires, some as werewolves. No one dressed as witches; there were already plenty of real ones.
Tom was kicked out of the Potions lab that day.
Snape seemed to want him to actually relax on Halloween instead of drowning in magic.
The other professors also refused to give him private lessons, forcing him to take a break.
"Hey, Tom, Happy Halloween!" His two roommates cheered the moment they woke up. They were already wearing Christmas hats…
"Sue, it's not Christmas yet."
"Close enough." Sue grinned. "Tom, how many sweets do you think we'll score today?"
The pair were dressed ridiculously, baskets in hand, clearly ready to go trick-or-treating.
"Ha!" Terry laughed. "Tom, just wait. When we come back tonight the whole dorm will be overflowing with candy!"
They suddenly realised. "Wait, Tom, why aren't you going out?"
"The professors kicked me out. They won't let me study." Tom shrugged. "No choice—forced rest. Hagrid said if I keep going my brain will break. Professor Sprout cried while hugging me, saying she's my best friend. Professor Snape locked the lab door."
The two burst out laughing.
It was the first time they'd heard of a student being scolded by professors for working too hard.
"Tom, why don't you come with us? We even prepared an outfit for you."
"That one won't suit him. Tom, try mine!" Sue pulled out an outfit with a giant hammer.
Tom looked confused. "What is this? Why is there so little fabric? It looks… hot!"
"It's Thor, a super powerful superhero. Tom, don't hide those abs. You'll look amazing and we won't have to worry about candy tonight!"
"No, Tom's build doesn't fit that. Try mine."
Terry's outfit was a little suit—at least reasonable.
After changing, the two stared at him in awe.
"Don't forget the cape." Terry draped it over him. "Merlin, no wonder vampires in books can seduce girls so easily. Tom, you look deadly!"
The little braid rested on the cape behind him, bangs covering his eyebrows. It actually worked.
Thanks to years of training, Tom's muscles filled out the suit perfectly. The outfit that shouldn't have suited an eleven-year-old looked custom-made for him.
"We should eat first, dressed like this! Ask everyone for candy. Tom, get hyped!"
In the Great Hall, the three had just sat down when an owl swooped in.
It flew over everyone's heads, a broom clutched in its talons.
Finally it landed in front of Tom and dropped the broom.
"This is… a Firebolt! No, the Quidditch shop said the Firebolt is still in testing—at least two years before release. Tom… this is the first and only Firebolt in all of Hogwarts… no, in the entire wizarding world!" Terry covered his mouth. He was a huge Quidditch nerd and knew every broom, including the unreleased ones.
"Merlin, my dad's been waiting for the Firebolt for two years. If he knew my friend had one he'd come to school just to say hello."
Tom looked at the Firebolt in his hands.
"Tom, who sent it? There's a letter!"
"Sue, that's rude. Let Tom read it himself. We can't peek at other people's secrets."
Tom opened the letter.
The person who sent the Firebolt was… the Half-Blood Prince.
Yes, the signature was exactly that.
It said thank you for finding his notes and studying them seriously.
Every word carried a familiar tone, especially the handwriting on certain letters—exactly like the labels Tom had seen on potion bottles in the lab.
Professor Snape was such a tsundere.
"Hey, Tom!" Hagrid's massive body appeared behind him. "Whoa, is that a Firebolt? I heard some test models are out, but only very important people can get one. Looks like you have a really good friend, Tom.
But be careful—don't fall off."
Tom smiled. "Thanks for the reminder. Oh right, Hagrid, it's Halloween—candy."
"Of course, child!" Hagrid laughed loudly, pulling sweets from his pocket and dropping them into Tom's hand. "You two get some too, haha!"
After handing out candy, Hagrid left.
Not long after, Tom's group ran into familiar faces.
Second-year Cho Chang, walking with Hermione.
"Senior, Happy Halloween."
"Tom, hello." Cho looked at Tom's outstretched hand and smiled, pulling candy from her pocket and giving it to him. "Hope you have a wonderful Halloween."
"You too."
Sue and Terry didn't have the nerve to ask Cho for candy.
But Tom was different. After Cho gave him some, he shifted his hands toward Hermione.
"Hermione, Happy Halloween."
---