One crisp morning, Tom materialized in the Transfiguration classroom at exactly 8:45, like a perfectly respawning NPC.
"Tom, you look like you're in a fantastic mood today."
Of course he was. His "vacation" was coming up soon.
The thought of all those towering stacks of homework magically getting finished by someone else put a spring in his step.
"Huh? Doesn't Professor McGonagall look a little off?" Tom noticed the red crystal orb for Gryffindor had taken a serious hit. "Whoa, what the hell did Gryffindor do to lose that many points?"
Sue Li coughed and leaned in close. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but I heard Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Malfoy got caught sneaking around the castle last night. You know how it goes, Tom—being out after curfew is no joke. Tonight they're being punished by going into the Forbidden Forest to look for unicorns."
Tom froze. "The Forbidden Forest? When? What time tonight?"
Sue shook her head. "Not sure. Probably around midnight."
Midnight. The magic hour.
Once the clock struck twelve they swapped bodies. If that happened while they were still in the Forest… would Hermione just face-plant and stay unconscious in the middle of the woods?
"Tom, you don't have to worry so much about Hermione. Look at your face—you've gone pale. Relax, Hagrid's going with them. They won't run into any real danger."
They wouldn't run into any danger… except for the noseless bastard who might show up.
Tom swallowed hard. "She really doesn't make life easy, does she?"
Couldn't she just be more like him?
(Remember, 101 Reading Network has the best experience. 101𝔨𝔨𝔰.𝔠𝔬𝔪 is an amazing site for the fastest chapter updates.)
Tom wasn't talking about following school rules—if they went strictly by the book, he had no idea how many points he'd already cost Ravenclaw.
The problem was, Tom had way too many big shots in his corner.
Even if the sky came crashing down, Professor Snape would hold it up for him. That was the man who could become his godfather!
Hermione had unfortunately picked Professor McGonagall as her backup. Everyone knew McGonagall was the tallest mountain in the entire realm of rules.
If Hermione wanted to break any rules in front of McGonagall, she'd have to wait a very, very long time.
…
"Severus." Dumbledore rarely sought Snape out first. "What are your thoughts?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Dumbledore smiled. "Yesterday you went with Tom to St. Redelia Orphanage. What did you see there?"
Snape gave a cold snort. "Just a bunch of foolish Muggles. Nothing worth mentioning."
Though one Muggle had left a deep impression… no, she wasn't a Muggle.
Misha.
A young girl with no surname, dressed in a ridiculous little costume, shyly asking Tom for Halloween candy but too scared to ask him.
In Misha's heart there seemed to be only one name: Tom Riddle.
She gave Tom the best-baked cookies, the largest piece of fish, leaving only scraps for herself.
"We've always believed Harry is the savior of this era, that the Dark Lord will awaken one day and only Harry can set everything right… Severus, you know why.
A prophecy—we've all been bound by a single prophecy. Even I made that mistake. Perhaps—just perhaps—this world has many children we've overlooked.
Tom also possesses 'love.' Is the love Misha gives him any less? She gave him the best of everything, smiled as she sent him off, said 'see you next time,' then cried alone in her room for three whole hours.
Perhaps Tom is another trump card. If Harry is the face card, then Tom is the hidden card. What do you think, Severus?"
Snape stayed silent, gripping his quill so tightly the feathers trembled. "Albus, you are the Headmaster of Hogwarts. You are the greatest, most powerful white wizard in the world. You already know the answer."
"I'm not." Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm old. I'm just an old man, understand, Severus? One day I will leave these children. I cannot walk with them forever.
The Dark Lord is powerful and ambitious. None of us can guarantee that Harry and the others will grow strong enough before he returns. I need you, Severus. You understand Tom's feelings.
Be his godfather, Severus."
Crack—!
Snape snapped the quill in his hand in two. He looked up at Dumbledore, bewildered. "Albus, this doesn't sound like something you would say. And I will not be the godfather of some foolish child!"
"Tom likes you, doesn't he? Don't you think Tom is a good boy? Being his godfather would be a form of redemption for you as well. You are the most suitable person."
"Absolutely impossible!" Snape rejected him word by word. "You are the most suitable to be Tom's godfather. You should guide him. Tom could learn all your magic in a single week!"
Dumbledore said nothing, simply continuing to smile at Snape.
"Albus!"
"Listen, Severus. One day the Dark Lord will return. What do you think will happen then? He will definitely target Tom. Do you believe Tom can survive…"
"What does that have to do with me!" Snape, unusually, got angry.
"Oh? Then imagine this: if Tom dies right in front of you, and you, Severus, survive by luck—could you accept it? Just like watching Lily die back then, now watching it happen again—could you accept it!!!"
"Albus, you're going too far…"
"Severus, look me in the eyes and answer me! Don't run away!
If you watched Tom die in front of you, would you still act the same way today? Could you still say so casually that his life or death has nothing to do with you!"
The Snape before him fell silent.
A long time later, Snape finally spoke. "He won't die."
…
Tom had a feeling Snape wanted to say something to him today.
Tom did something reckless—he secretly used Legilimency on Professor Snape.
The result was obvious—Tom got kicked flying.
In the past Tom wouldn't have dared, but now he felt his relationship with Snape was solid enough.
That night, Tom drank the magic-power potion Snape had given him and lay in bed waiting to fall asleep.
…
Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Forest.
Harry's trio, Malfoy, and Hagrid had been waiting there for a long time.
The Forbidden Forest at night was eerily dark. Hermione recalled some unpleasant memories.
She kept checking the pocket watch in her hand, the hands ticking forward. Hermione could only pray silently in her heart.
She hoped this punishment would end quickly.
"Hermione, that's the fourth time you've checked your watch tonight." Ron was curious and whispered, "Do you have something else going on tonight?"
"Mm…" Hermione answered vaguely. "I hate this environment."
"Relax, children." The half-giant Hagrid was like a stabilizing anchor. "This is just a small punishment for you. On the path of wizardry, you'll face far more trials in the future.
You won't encounter any danger. We're just here to look for unicorns."
"We should split into groups. Hmm… Hermione, you pair with Malfoy. Ron and Harry together. Remember the color of the signal flares?"
"Got it."
The hour hand kept turning. In the blink of an eye, only the last five minutes remained until midnight.
And they still hadn't even taken their first steps.
"Granger, I hope you don't wet yourself in fear later." Malfoy mocked teasingly.
"Maybe the one who'll wet himself is you. You just told Hagrid you wanted to bring Fang along. If a coward like you were left alone in the Forbidden Forest, we'd probably need to bring spare pants so you don't have to walk around in wet ones."
"Sharp tongue!"
Hermione and Hagrid had only just separated when suddenly, in the shadows beside them, the bushes rustled. Something seemed to be watching them.
"Ah—!" Malfoy let out a sharp scream. Out of pure terror, his voice had gone shrill.
Hermione's reaction was even more intense…
Thud!
Without warning, Hermione suddenly collapsed headfirst to the ground.
"Granger! Hey! Granger!" Malfoy didn't know whether to advance or retreat. He froze in place.
Run? Should he run?
Malfoy hesitated for a moment. He was just about to reach out and pull Hermione up so they could flee together when the girl lying on the ground suddenly opened her eyes.
The last trace of fear had completely vanished, replaced by confidence and calm.
"Hermione" stood up and rubbed her temples.
"Hermione, what happened to you?"
Draco?
Tom took a second to react. He was actually paired with Draco?
Tom coughed twice and waved a hand. "It's nothing. Low blood sugar."
He looked up. The dark figure in the shadows had already stepped in front of them.
…
Ravenclaw dormitory.
Hermione bolted upright in bed. She found two people standing beside her.
One was Professor Snape, the other Professor Dumbledore.
"Tom, get up." Snape's words were always concise; he never wasted a syllable.
"Professor Snape…"
Dumbledore smiled. "Gently now. Don't worry, child. Come with us. But tonight's events—don't tell anyone. Remember that."
Where were they going?
Hermione followed the two of them out.
They went… to another restricted area!
The Restricted Section!
In one room, Hermione saw a mirror standing on the floor, wrapped in black cloth.
"This is the Mirror of Erised, child. On it you will see your deepest, most desperate desire. Severus, we'll step out for a moment and give Tom some space.
Oh, and Tom—tomorrow you can bring Hermione here to look at the mirror too. If you can tell us what you see, that would be even better."
"I will, Professor." Hermione replied.
After the two left, Hermione stood in front, hand gripping the black veil above.
---