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Chapter 728: Young Tom Riddle
Chapter 728: Young Tom Riddle
"All the details are written on the second piece of parchment inside the envelope. You will be leaving from King's Cross Station on September 1st, and there's also a train ticket included."
In a modest room, a young Dumbledore, dressed in an elegant purple-red velvet suit, sat on the only stool available.
Seated across from him was a handsome boy, taller than his peers, with dark hair and a pale complexion.
The boy was holding an envelope bearing the emblems of a lion, a snake, an eagle, and a badger.
Witnessing this scene, Harry, who was standing by, wondered if the events that followed could have been averted had Dumbledore not delivered the Hogwarts acceptance letter to this boy.
He instinctively reached out to take the envelope, but his hand passed right through it.
Of course, Harry couldn't touch anything here; they were merely observers within one of Dumbledore's memories.
And the young boy before them was none other than Voldemort before he began his first year at Hogwarts... though he was still known as Tom Riddle at the time.
...
Riddle didn't rush to open the envelope. Instead, he fixed Dumbledore with a steady gaze.
"I can talk to snakes. When we went hiking in the countryside, snakes would find me and whisper to me. Is that normal for a wizard?"
Hearing the boy's words, Harry turned involuntarily to the young Dumbledore, seeking an answer.
As it happened, he, too, could speak to snakes—a trait known in the wizarding world as a 'Parselmouth'.
Being a Parselmouth was not a common gift, and as far as Harry knew, there weren't many people who possessed this ability. The most famous example was Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, followed by Voldemort himself.
During Harry's second year, many had suspected him of being Slytherin's heir due to this ability.
"It's rare," Dumbledore hesitated, "but not unheard of."
"I would give the same answer if you asked me," said the white-haired Dumbledore beside Harry. "Talent never determines a person's goodness or evilness; it's more like a special birthday gift.
"Take Nymphadora Tonks, for instance. To be honest, Metamorphmagus is far more suited to a Dark Wizard than Parseltongue, but she chose to become an Auror.
"Although she may not be the most reliable at times... there's no denying that she's a kind and upright witch."
"Yeah," Harry smiled.
He recalled the words Fred and George had said to him before they left Hogwarts.
Despite being an experienced Auror, Tonks had been the last to realize there was something wrong with Katie, and the Weasley brothers had teased her about it for over half an hour.
"Then, Professor..." Harry hesitated before asking, "Were you ever worried about his Parseltongue ability?"
"No," Dumbledore shook his head. "What concerned me was the cruelty, cunning, and domineering nature he displayed, as well as his awareness of his own abilities. For a young wizard who hasn't even started school yet, his powers were remarkably advanced and mature.
"He had already discovered a certain level of control over magic and had begun to use it consciously.
"One could say that even without attending Hogwarts, he would have become an exceptional wizard in the future."
Harry fell silent.
As Dumbledore had said, Tom Riddle had already realized he was different from others by the age of eleven and had started to experiment with magic.
When he was eleven... wait, hadn't he also used magic to lock Dudley in a zoo cage, even though he hadn't realized it was his doing at the time?
"Kyle..." Harry couldn't help but ask, "Did you know you could use magic before you turned eleven?"
"Do you hear what you're saying?" Kyle blinked, looking at Harry in disbelief.
"Uh..."
Harry paused, then slapped his forehead.
He had forgotten that Kyle's parents were both wizards, and the Weasleys were their neighbors. In such an environment, it would have been strange if Kyle hadn't been aware of magic.
"We should be leaving now," Dumbledore said with a smile, interrupting the pair and sparing Harry from further embarrassment.
A few seconds later, the room and the boy before them disappeared, and they found themselves back in the Headmaster's office in the real world.
"Take a seat," said Dumbledore. "Harry, what's your impression of Tom Riddle?"
"He's very clever," Harry replied without hesitation.
Based solely on the memory they had just witnessed, eleven-year-old Tom Riddle displayed a maturity far beyond his years.
Even his revelation about being a Parselmouth was an attempt to regain the upper hand by surprising Dumbledore.
So, whether he liked it or not, Harry had to admit that young Riddle was truly exceptional, the kind of child that made others feel inadequate in comparison.
...
Kyle understood that Dumbledore was trying to help Harry learn as much as possible about Voldemort so that he could find his weaknesses. Therefore, he remained quiet and listened without interrupting.
"Riddle hates his name; you must have noticed how enraged he was when I mentioned that the owner of the Leaky Cauldron was also named 'Tom.' This shows his disdain for anything that makes him seem ordinary."
"And he's extremely confident, preferring to do things himself, even refusing my offer to accompany him to Diagon Alley. The adult Voldemort is the same; he doesn't have a single friend."
"Wait, Professor," Harry interrupted. "What about the Death Eaters...?"
"They don't count as friends, Harry," said Dumbledore. "In Voldemort's eyes, the Death Eaters are merely tools to save him some time, like Quick-Quotes Quills that can be replaced at any moment.
Voldemort deceived them, making them believe they had his trust. In truth, Voldemort never had a friend, and I believe he doesn't need any."
...
Dumbledore spoke at length, only concluding half an hour later as curfew was about to start, leaving Harry with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Although Harry didn't understand why Dumbledore was telling him all this, he committed every word to memory as requested.
"Alright, Harry, it really is time for bed now."
Harry stood up and started walking towards the door, but stopped halfway there.
"Is something the matter, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"Professor," Harry hesitated. "Are there really any Parseltongue Aurors?"
"I understand what you're getting at—you want to see it to believe it, right? But I need to correct you on one thing: not all kind-hearted wizards are Aurors."
Dumbledore paused in thought. "I know of someone who can understand the language of all magical creatures, including snakes, and even chat with them like friends."
"All magical creatures?" Harry asked, astonished.
"Yes, all of them," Dumbledore said, glancing at Kyle intentionally or otherwise.
Kyle just sat there calmly, as if he hadn't heard a word...
In fact, Kyle really hadn't heard a word because he had fallen asleep. Just like in a Magic History class, Fawkes was perched on his lap, its neck and wings drooping as it slept soundly.
Dumbledore's eyes twitched. In all his years as a professor, this was the first time a student had dared to fall asleep in front of him.
"Impressive," Harry muttered. "I bet he gets top marks in Care of Magical Creatures."
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's the best in the school, including the professors," Dumbledore said, taking a deep breath.
At that moment, Harry also noticed something odd about Kyle...
He's really sleeping soundly, Harry thought to himself. He couldn't help but nudge Kyle's back with his hand, enduring the increasingly strange looks from Dumbledore.
"Well then, good night, Professor," Harry said, turning to leave.
After he left, Kyle woke up.
"Huh? Are we done?" Kyle rubbed his eyes and looked at Dumbledore.
And to Kyle's question, Dumbledore merely asked in a calm and indifferent tone: "Why are you still here?"
His tone was as if he were addressing an unwelcome guest.
"Huh?" Kyle blinked, trying to clear his mind.
This was strange. Wasn't it Dumbledore who insisted that he stay? Why was he now asking why he was still here?
If it weren't for Dumbledore's request, he would have returned to the cozy common room by now. Why bother staying here to listen to him talk about Tom Riddle, especially since he had already heard it all before...no, not just once.
Every time the topic of Voldemort came up with Dumbledore, he would bring it up, and Kyle was getting tired of hearing it.
Kyle stood up, ready to leave, but because he had just woken up, he forgot about Fawkes still perched on his lap...
Caught off guard, the phoenix fell straight to the ground, angrily pecking at Kyle's calves.
"Oh, sorry, Fawkes," Kyle apologized, and he blurted out, "It was Dumbledore who woke me up, you know. I fell asleep, too."
Hearing this, the phoenix didn't hesitate to change its target, flying over to start pecking at Dumbledore's beard.
The Headmaster's office immediately became lively, with clinking and clattering sounds, and even the portraits on the walls couldn't pretend to sleep any longer, opening their eyes.
Phoenix Black watched as Dumbledore, pecked at by the phoenix, ran around in a panic, then glanced at Kyle, who walked out nonchalantly, and couldn't help but ask: "Ha, is this the kind-hearted wizard Dumbledore was talking about?"
"Well..." the person next to him hesitated. "Maybe Albus was talking about his father. I think his name was Kris, the head of the Magical Creature Control Department at the Ministry of Magic.
"I've seen him a few times in my portrait at the Ministry. He's a typical Hufflepuff."
...
On the other hand, Kyle, who had left the Headmaster's office, had no idea that the portraits were gossiping about him. He stretched lazily and rubbed his calves, which were sore from Fawkes' pecks.
"What? Did Professor Dumbledore let his phoenix peck you?" Harry exclaimed, surprised. He had thought that Kyle would, at most, be deducted some points, but he never expected the Headmaster to punish a student in such a way.
Even a peck from Hedwig would hurt for half a day, let alone a phoenix... this seemed a bit too much.
"Ah? No!" Kyle shook his head. "I accidentally knocked Fawkes to the ground."
Kyle waved his hand, not wanting to continue on the topic, and instead asked, "Why are you still here?"
"I was waiting for you." Harry had wanted to ask Kyle what Dumbledore had meant by what he said earlier, but thinking of how Kyle had fallen asleep earlier, he closed his mouth again.
Forget it, he'll just ask Hermione and the others when they get back.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Kyle waved his hand.
The two parted ways at the next corridor, with Harry returning to Gryffindor's common room, while Kyle headed downstairs.
...
Ten minutes later, curfew fell.
A figure strode down the quiet corridor on the eighth floor, quickly arriving at the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance.
As if expecting someone to come, it didn't even wait for the password before jumping aside, revealing the passage behind it. The light spilling out from the Headmaster's office illuminated the face of the intruder.
It was Snape, returning once more. He strode in and pushed open the oak door behind it.
"Dumbledore, I already... what happened to you?"
Snape's question trailed off as he took in the state of the room.
Dumbledore's hair was disheveled, as if he had just been attacked, and silver-white debris was scattered everywhere.
Snape picked up one of the white strands and examined it curiously. "What happened here? Did He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attack you?"
"Worse than that..." Dumbledore sighed, looking sadly at his scattered beard hairs. "How did it go on your end?"
"I've spoken to Draco," Snape replied. "He seems a bit resentful."
"That's understandable." Dumbledore waved his wand, restoring the Headmaster's office to its tidy state. "After all, it's his first time being entrusted with an important task. It's natural that he would want to perform well."
"A task of great importance?" Snape scoffed. "The Dark Lord never intended for him to survive. It's a punishment for Lucius Malfoy!
"How absurd to task Draco with killing you. Even he himself couldn't accomplish that."
"It's not entirely impossible..." Dumbledore said with a smile. "What Tom couldn't do doesn't mean others can't as well. You know I never let my guard down around students."
Speaking of which, Dumbledore suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but stroke what little beard he had left.
He realized this wasn't a good habit, and if he had the chance, he ought to break it... at least when facing a certain student.
"So, how did your chat with Draco go?" Dumbledore continued. "Did he agree with your suggestion?"
"He shouldn't act so rashly in the future," Snape said.
"That's good." Dumbledore nodded. "That child's soul hasn't been completely consumed by darkness. There's still a chance for him to turn back."
"Are you referring to how he abandoned his plan at the last moment and knocked Katie over instead?" Snape asked.
"That's part of it, and the most obvious indication," Dumbledore said. "Severus, who do you think is behind this? Young Mr. Malfoy?"
"The opal necklace was indeed purchased by Draco," Snape said quietly. "But this morning, Narcissa left Malfoy Manor, and no one knows where she went."
"Is that so?" Dumbledore glanced out the window. "It seems Minerva was right. I really shouldn't have agreed to let the students go to Hogsmeade at this time."
"Severus, could I trouble you to keep an eye on Mr. Malfoy from now on?"
"I can certainly do that," Snape said. "But what about the other side? After being attacked without provocation, do you think he will let it go?"
"Don't worry, I'll find another opportunity to talk to Kyle," Dumbledore said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them.
He had kept Kyle behind this time because of this matter. It was impossible to expect him to let it go entirely, but Dumbledore felt that if he hinted at it himself, it might make Kyle hold back a little.
After all, there was too much of a gap between the two. If Kyle really wanted to deal with Malfoy, he wouldn't even have a chance to fight back... Umbridge, held captive in St. Mungo's, was a prime example.
However, something unexpected happened, and before he could bring it up, he was interrupted.
Dumbledore stroked his beard again, and for a moment, he even suspected that Kyle didn't want him to bring up the topic and had interrupted him on purpose. But after thinking about it carefully, he felt that this suspicion was a bit far-fetched.
(End of Chapter)
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