"How are you... are you out of your mind?!" Lavender grabbed Hermione and yanked her into the room, leaning out into the corridor to check both ways before finally shutting the door.
"Tom, you're insane! I have never seen anyone as crazy as you! Do you have any idea where you are? This is the girls' dormitory!!!"
If he got caught here, his time at Hogwarts would be completely over!
"Sit right there!" Parvati pointed to a small chair in the corner. "Speak. Why are you in the girls' dormitory? If you can't give us a reasonable explanation, we're throwing you straight to Mr. Filch!"
Hermione sat up straight, feeling surprisingly tense. She had no idea why she was so nervous—this was her own dormitory, after all.
"I heard Hermione got hurt."
"Hurt?" All three of them echoed in confusion. They looked at each other, then turned their eyes back to Tom. "Hermione, you got hurt?"
"What do you mean hurt..." The three of them trailed off simultaneously.
Parvati and Lavender's faces instantly flushed bright red.
"Tom, are you a pervert?! Are you a pervert!!!
Hermione, you explain this to him yourself!"
Tom coughed awkwardly and pulled Hermione into a corner.
"Your time of the month."
Hermione blinked. "What time of the... huh?"
What day was it today?
Hermione started counting on her fingers.
Damn you, Dobby! Damn you, House-Elf!
Smelled blood! Fighting isn't the only thing that causes the smell of blood!
She covered her face and lowered her head. "I—I thought... why didn't you tell me?!"
"How was I supposed to tell you?! You've got an opposable personality! I didn't even realize until I got back tonight! How did you find out?!"
"A House-Elf named Dobby told me! What am I supposed to do now? Mrs. Norris and Filch are camping right outside the Ravenclaw dormitories! I can't go back! I can't go back!" Hermione curled her toes in absolute mortification. "Whatever! It's still your fault!"
Never try to reason with girls, especially girls this young.
"Well, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with me anyway. After tonight..." Hermione looked away, whistling casually.
After tonight, they would swap back. How Tom got back to his dorm was none of Hermione Granger's business!
"Lavender, Parvati, I am begging you, please do not tell anyone about tonight." Tom suddenly stepped in front of the two girls. "I'll do anything. Tom will be my witness. From now on, whatever you need me to do, I'll do it!
But you cannot tell a single soul about tonight!"
"Hey!" Hermione grabbed Tom. "What are you saying?!"
How can you use my body to promise them things?! Do you have any idea how terrifying these two can be?!
"Breakfast for a week." Parvati held up one finger. "And not just breakfast—midnight snacks too! For one full week. You can't miss a single day!"
"Deal!" Tom nodded. "If I fail to keep my word, you can go straight to Professor Dumbledore or Mr. Filch and tell them that I, Hermione, secretly brought Tom into the girls' dormitory."
You absolute bastard!
"Since you put it that way, fine. I guess Tom is sleeping here tonight? In that case, I'm going for a stroll."
The two girls faked yawns and left the dormitory. The door clicked shut, leaving only the two of them.
"Tom, you're taking this too far."
"Thank you for the compliment. But you were the one who flashed that sinister little smile first. I got the feeling you were hoping for a good show."
"I did not!" Hermione couldn't out-argue Tom. She wanted nothing more than to punch him, but remembering he was currently in her body, she decided to wait until they swapped back to enact her revenge.
After a moment of silence, Hermione asked sheepishly, "Why did Peeves help you distract Mr. Filch? Have you been sneaking out at night before?"
"Of course." Tom snapped his fingers. "Tsk, tsk. You have no idea how much potion-brewing homework Professor Snape piles on me. The daylight hours aren't nearly enough. I have to use the nights...
Did you really think I was just sleeping comfortably in my bed every single night? Plus, you basically waste an entire week's worth of my time, so I have to work twice as hard to catch up.
Peeves is an annoying little menace who kept interrupting my midnight outings, so I beat him up. He's been perfectly obedient ever since."
"And what about that House-Elf?"
Tom thought about it, deciding not to tell her directly. "Next time you see him, you can ask him yourself. He should be the one to tell you.
Alright, it's getting 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. "Alright, good night, turn off the lights, thank you!"
Looking at Hermione ignoring him, Tom sighed.
What an idiot...
We swap back in less than an hour. What's the point of stealing the bed right now?
Ignoring her, Tom stared out the window at the starry night sky, checking his watch.
Less than half an hour later, Hermione had fallen into a deep sleep, her breathing steady.
Almost midnight.
Tom carefully climbed onto the bed, moved Hermione onto the floor, and took the bed for himself.
Normally, he really would have just slept on the floor and ruthlessly mocked Hermione the next morning. But today was an exception—this entire week was an exception.
That time of the month was rough enough. Tom wasn't quite that heartless.
...
The next morning.
Hermione woke up, rubbing her eyes. She grabbed the alarm clock next to her to check the time.
Still early. She could sleep a little longer.
Wait... was Tom still in the dormitory?
She looked down. Tom was already gone.
Wait!
Something clicked, and Hermione bolted upright.
Last night... didn't I get into bed last night?
The person who got into bed was "Tom Riddle." So why was she waking up in the bed?
Hmph. At least he has some conscience!
Outside, her two roommates pushed the door open.
"Oh, he's gone? Hermione, get up and bring us breakfast!"
"I want to sleep a little longer!"
"Well, then we might just have to go pay Mr. Filch a visit. You wouldn't want him finding out about last night, would you, Miss Hermione?"
...
Professor Snape's office.
Before coming here, Tom had already visited Professor Sprout. The kind old witch gave him some pastries, told him to take care of his health, and explicitly ordered him not to do any of her homework this week so he could properly recover.
If any other student skipped homework, Professor Sprout would be the first to complain. But this was Tom—the boy who worked so hard it broke people's hearts.
After soaking in Professor Sprout's gentle motherly affection, Tom finally made his way to the giant bat's office.
He raised a hand and knocked.
The giant bat acknowledged him, and Tom stepped inside.
"Professor, my health is completely fine now. I owe it all to you over the past few days. You are so good to me. No one besides my father has ever treated me this well." Tom opened his mouth and immediately inflicted true damage on Snape's Occlumency defenses.
"Silence, you fool!
A wizard who allows himself to fall ill is the most foolish kind of wizard—especially a potioneer!"
"I am willing to accept any punishment, Professor." Tom lowered his head, speaking respectfully.
"Two hours. Memorize this book. If you fail, you will skip lunch today!" Snape threw a book onto the desk.
There was a single word on the cover. A word that made Tom's jaw drop.
Sectumsempra — The Half-Blood Prince.
Sectumsempra!
Huh?
Tom remembered this spell very clearly.
The person who invented this magic was the very same black bat standing in front of him—Severus Snape.
As an offensive spell, Sectumsempra was top-tier.
While the Killing Curse simply ended a life, Sectumsempra was infinitely better at inflicting pure, agonizing torment.
Rumor had it that getting hit by it hurt... a lot.
"What are you standing there like an idiot for?!" Snape snapped. "You now have exactly 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 32 seconds! I expect you to completely absorb and digest every word in that book!
If I find out you have failed to master even a single concept within those pages, you know the consequences!"
The fact that Snape was willing to pass this magic down to him made Tom feel a genuine crack in his emotional armor.
"Professor, I have a request. Could you listen for just a moment?"
"Excellent. You have successfully wasted another minute of your time. I expect you to have it memorized by the time I return!" Without waiting for Tom's response, Professor Snape threw open the door and swept out like a dark wind, leaving the office empty.
Outside the door.
Snape was confronted by an incredibly aggravating face—he didn't hate the man, but seeing that infuriatingly gentle smile right now made Snape deeply uncomfortable.
"Albus, I had no idea you enjoyed eavesdropping on private conversations."
Dumbledore smiled. "Severus, you know exactly what little Tom wanted to ask you, don't you?"
"I have no idea!"
"He wants to ask you to be his godfather. Why wouldn't you face him?"
Snape let out a cold sneer. "If every student asked me to be their godfather, am I supposed to agree to them all? I still do not acknowledge Tom's so-called talent. Sectumsempra is merely a test. It is highly likely he will not master this spell even by the time he graduates!"
"Severus, are you familiar with Japanese culture?" Dumbledore suddenly changed the subject. "There is a very popular form of culture in Japan... what was it called... manga? It's similar to Garfield.
Over there, they have a specific term for a certain type of person. They call them tsundere. Perhaps you should look into it, Severus."
While Severus didn't know exactly what the word meant, he could easily guess its implication. He fired back, enunciating every single syllable: "I! Am! Not! Interested!"
"Well, in that case, how about I adopt Tom as my son?"
Snape's footsteps stopped dead. He turned his head to look at Dumbledore.
A flash of genuine viciousness appeared in his dead, black eyes. Even facing Dumbledore, Snape couldn't control his immediate reaction.
"I'm merely joking, Severus..."
"I do not care. Do whatever you wish. It is your choice." Snape was still putting up a stubborn front.
Meanwhile, back inside the office, Tom was already losing his mind.