Chapter 728: Young Tom Riddle
Chapter 728: Young Tom Riddle
In a modest room, a young Dumbledore, dressed in an elegant maroon velvet suit, sat on the only stool available. Across from him was a handsome boy, slightly taller than his peers, with dark hair and a pale complexion. The boy held an envelope with the emblems of a lion, a snake, an eagle, and a badger.
Upon seeing this, Harry couldn't help but wonder if things could have been different had Dumbledore not delivered the Hogwarts acceptance letter to this boy on September 1st at King's Cross Station.
Unconsciously, Harry 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 in one of Dumbledore's memories.
The boy before them was young Tom Riddle, who would later become Voldemort.
...
Tom didn't rush to open the envelope; instead, he stared directly into Dumbledore's eyes. "I can speak to snakes. When we went hiking in the countryside, a snake found me and whispered to me. Is this normal for a wizard?"
Harry, too, turned to the young Dumbledore, seeking an answer. Coincidentally, Harry also had the ability to speak to snakes, a skill known as Serpent Tongue in the wizarding world.
Serpent Tongue was not a common gift, and Harry didn't recall many people possessing this ability. The most famous was Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, and later, Voldemort.
In Harry's second year, many believed he was the heir who opened the Chamber of Secrets due to this ability.
"It's rare," Dumbledore hesitated before continuing, "but I have heard of it before."
"I would say the same," the white-haired Dumbledore beside Harry added. "Talent never determines a person's morality; it's more like a special birthday gift.
"Just like Nymphadora Tonks, whom you know. To be honest, her Metamorphmagus ability is more suitable for a Dark Wizard, but she chose to become an Auror.
"Although she might not always be reliable... it's undeniable that she is a kind and upright witch."
"Yeah," Harry smiled.
He recalled the words Fred and George had shared with him before leaving Hogwarts.
Tonks, an experienced Auror, was the last to realize Katie had a problem, and the Weasley brothers had mocked her for it for over half an hour.
"Professor..." Harry hesitated before asking, "Did you ever worry about his Serpent Tongue ability?"
"No," Dumbledore shook his head. "What concerned me was his cruel, cunning, and domineering nature, and his awareness of his abilities. For a young wizard who hadn't even started Hogwarts yet, his powers were remarkably refined and mature.
"He had already discovered a certain control over magic and was consciously using it.
"Even without Hogwarts, he would have become an exceptional wizard in the future."
Harry fell silent.
As Dumbledore had said, Tom Riddle had already noticed his uniqueness at eleven years old and was experimenting with magic.
At eleven... wait, wasn't that when he used magic to lock Dudley in a zoo cage? At the time, he didn't realize it was his doing.
"Kyle..." Harry couldn't help but ask, "Did you know you could use magic before you were eleven?"
"Do you know what you're saying?" Kyle blinked, looking at Harry incredulously.
"Um..."
Harry paused, then smacked his forehead. He had forgotten that Kyle's parents were both wizards, and the Weasleys were their neighbors. It would have been strange if Kyle didn't know about magic in such an environment.
"We should be leaving now," Dumbledore smiled, interrupting their conversation and saving Harry from further embarrassment.
A few seconds later, the room and the boy vanished, and they found themselves back in the Headmaster's office.
"Take a seat," Dumbledore said. "Harry, what's your impression of Tom Riddle?"
"He's very smart," Harry replied instinctively.
From the memory, eleven-year-old Tom Riddle displayed a maturity far beyond his age.
Even his revelation about his Serpent Tongue ability was an attempt to impress and intimidate Dumbledore, regaining control of the conversation.
Harry had to admit, despite himself, that young Riddle was exceptional, a standout among his peers.
Kyle knew Dumbledore was trying to help Harry find Voldemort's weaknesses, so he remained silent, not wanting to interfere.
But sitting idly was boring, so he summoned his phoenix, which landed on his leg.
Kyle took out some herbs and fed them to the Phoenix, gently stroking its feathers as he listened to Dumbledore's assessment of Voldemort.
"Riddle hated his name, as you might have noticed. The way he reacted when I mentioned the name of the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, also named Tom, showed his anger... It indicates his disdain for anything that makes him seem ordinary."
"And he's extremely confident, preferring to do everything himself and refusing my offer to accompany him to Diagon Alley. The adult Voldemort was the same, with not a single friend."
"Wait, Professor," Harry interrupted, "But what about the Death Eaters...?"
"They don't count as friends, Harry."
Dumbledore continued, "To Voldemort, the Death Eaters were merely tools to save him time, like a Quick-Quotes Quill 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 one."
...
Dumbledore spoke at length, and as half an hour passed and curfew approached, he concluded his words, meeting Harry's half-comprehending gaze.
Although Harry didn't understand why Dumbledore was telling him all this, at his request, he tried to commit every word to memory.
"Well, Harry, it's truly time to sleep now."
Harry stood up and started walking towards the door, but halfway there, he stopped.
"What is it, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"Professor," Harry hesitated, "Are there really Aurors who can speak Parseltongue?"
"I understand what you mean, but you need to see it to believe it. However, I must correct you; not all kind-hearted wizards are Aurors."
Dumbledore thought for a moment. "I know someone who can understand the language of all magical creatures, including snakes, and even converse with them like friends."
"All magical creatures?" Harry asked in surprise, his mouth hanging open.
"Yes, all of them," Dumbledore glanced at Kyle.
Kyle sat there calmly, as if he hadn't heard a word...
In fact, Kyle hadn't heard a thing because he had fallen asleep, just like in History of Magic class. The Phoenix lay 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 clicked his tongue, "I bet he's at the top of his Care of Magical Creatures class."
"You wouldn't be wrong to say he's the best in the school, including the professors," Dumbledore sighed.
At this moment, Harry also noticed Kyle's unusual behavior...
He was sleeping so soundly, Harry couldn't help but think. He endured Dumbledore's increasingly strange gaze and poked Kyle's back with his hand.
"Well, good night, Professor," Harry said, turning towards the door.
After he left, Kyle woke up.
"Huh? Are we done?" Kyle rubbed his eyes and looked at Dumbledore.
In response to Kyle's question, Dumbledore asked casually, "Why are you still here?"
His tone was as if addressing an unwelcome guest.
"Huh?" Kyle blinked, trying to wake himself up.
It was strange; wasn't Dumbledore the one who insisted he stay? Why was he asking him now?
If it weren't for Dumbledore's request, he would have returned to the warm Common Room long ago. Why stay here and listen to stories about Tom Riddle, especially since he had heard them before... more than once.
"Kyle, how are you doing?" Harry's voice came from the side, and he had been waiting there all along.
"I'm fine, just got pecked by a phoenix." Kyle lifted his robe, revealing his legs with patches of green and purple, "Should I say it or not, phoenix pecks are actually quite painful."
"What, did Professor Dumbledore let a phoenix peck you?" Harry exclaimed in surprise. He had thought Kyle would only get deducted some points, but he never imagined the Headmaster would punish a student in such a way.
Even a peck from Hedwig would take half a day to recover from, let alone a phoenix... This seemed a bit too much.
"Huh? No!" Kyle shook his head, "I accidentally dropped the phoenix on the ground."
Kyle waved his hand, not wanting to continue the topic, and asked instead, "Why are you still here?"
"I was waiting for you." Harry had originally wanted to ask Kyle what Dumbledore had just said to him, but when he thought of Kyle's sleeping appearance, he closed his mouth again.
Forget it, he'd rather wait until they got back to ask Hermione and the others.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Kyle waved his hand.
The two parted ways in the next corridor, with Harry returning to the Gryffindor common room and Kyle heading downstairs.
...
Ten minutes later, curfew time arrived.
A figure swiftly moved through the quiet eighth-floor corridor and quickly reached the talking portrait.
It seemed like he already knew someone would come, and without saying the password, the statue jumped to the side, revealing the passage behind it, and the light from the Headmaster's office illuminated the visitor's face.
It was Snape, who had returned. He walked in and directly opened the oak door behind him.
"Dumbledore, I already... What happened to you?"
Snape's words were cut short as he suddenly realized that the situation in the room was a bit off.
Dumbledore's hair was disheveled, as if he had just been attacked, and silver-white objects were scattered all around him.
Snape picked up one of the objects and examined it carefully. It seemed to be... a beard? "What happened here?" he couldn't help but ask, "Did the Dark Lord just ambush you?"
"Worse than that..." Dumbledore looked at his scattered beard with a pained expression and sighed, "How's the other side?"
Snape didn't ask further, and said, "I've already talked to Draco, and he seems a bit resentful."
"That's understandable." Dumbledore waved his wand, and the Headmaster's office became clean and tidy again.
"After all, it's his first time being entrusted with an important task, and he naturally wants to perform well."
"An important task?" Snape let out a cold laugh, "The Dark Lord never intended for him to live! This is his punishment for Lucius Malfoy! Asking Draco to kill you is a ridiculous task, and even he himself can't do it."
"It's not impossible..." Dumbledore smiled, "What Tom couldn't do doesn't mean others can't, you know, I never let my guard down in front of students."
At this point, Dumbledore suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but touch his remaining beard.
He realized this wasn't a good habit, and if he had the chance, he should change it... At least when facing a particular student, he must remain vigilant.
"So, how did your conversation go?" Dumbledore continued, "Did he agree with your suggestion?"
"He probably won't act recklessly again." Snape said.
"That's good." Dumbledore said, "That boy's soul hasn't been completely corrupted by darkness, and he still has a chance to turn back."
"Do you mean that he abandoned the plan and knocked Katie over at the last moment?" Snape asked.
"That's just one part of it, and the most obvious sign." Dumbledore said, "Severus, who do you think planned this, young Mr. Malfoy?"
"The opal necklace was indeed bought by Draco." Snape paused for a moment, "But this morning, Narcissa left the 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 you please pay more attention to Mr. Malfoy from now on?"
"I'll definitely do that." Snape said, "But what about the other side, after being attacked out of nowhere, do you think he will let it go?"
"Don't worry about that, I'll find another opportunity to talk to Kyle." Dumbledore took off his glasses and wiped them.
He kept Kyle back this time because of this matter. It was impossible for him to not pursue it at all, but Dumbledore felt that if he hinted at it, Kyle would at least be a bit more restrained.
After all, there was a huge gap between the two sides. If Kyle really wanted to deal with the Malfoys, he wouldn't even have a chance to resist... Umbridge from St. Mungo's was the best example.
But no one expected a little incident in the middle, and he hadn't had a chance to bring it up yet.
Dumbledore touched his beard again, and for a moment, he even suspected that Kyle didn't want him to talk about this topic, but after careful consideration, he felt it was too far-fetched.
(End of Chapter)
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