London, Privet Drive.
A tall, white-bearded old man materialized outside a modest house.
Albus Dumbledore straightened his robes, then stepped forward and rang the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
"Who is it?"
Harry Potter opened the door, glanced at the visitor, and said, "Oh, it's you, Dumbledore."
"..."
He's definitely being corrupted by Tom Riddle!
Dumbledore mentally cursed Tom Riddle yet again.
"Ahem… Harry, what are you doing here?"
Dumbledore inquired, his tone warm and genial.
Harry Potter replied matter-of-factly, "As the Dark Lord's right-hand man, I am here to oversee your... well-being."
"..."
Dumbledore silently vowed to seize the first opportunity for a serious discussion with Tom Riddle. This charade could not continue. At the very least, he needed to return Harry Potter to the Dursleys to maintain the protective enchantments.
Just as Dumbledore prepared to elaborate, a voice echoed from within the house, "Bring him in."
"The master requests your presence. This way, please."
Harry Potter turned and entered the house, Dumbledore following close behind.
Once inside, Dumbledore observed that the interior dimensions far exceeded the external appearance.
Clearly, Tom Riddle had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm – an alteration impossible without express permission.
But, of course, Tom Riddle likely dismissed the concept of "without permission" as irrelevant.
Dumbledore chose to ignore such trivialities.
Following Harry Potter into the hall, he found Tom Riddle lounging on a plush sofa, a massive python coiled at his feet.
Dumbledore's gaze locked onto the serpent, and he muttered under his breath, "Nagini…"
"Dumbledore, why are you staring at my snake? I was not aware you had such… inclinations."
Tom Riddle regarded Dumbledore with thinly veiled distaste.
Hiss
Nagini flicked her forked tongue, baring her fangs in a silent warning.
"What?!"
Harry Potter could scarcely credit his ears. He instinctively recoiled, staring at Dumbledore. "Dumbledore is… gay?"
"Indeed. This old man harbors affections for another old man. They were quite fond of one another in their youth."
Tom Riddle casually revealed Dumbledore's private history.
"How did you know? Ahem… Tom Riddle, let us not dwell on that. I came to inquire about your… recent activities at Gringotts."
Dumbledore swiftly changed the subject, levitating a copy of the Daily Prophet to Tom Riddle.
Tom Riddle glanced at the headline, "Gringotts Vaults Breached!" and stated calmly, "It wasn't me."
"Oh, of course not."
Dumbledore sounded utterly unconvinced. "I merely hope… you will cease your pursuit of these… objects."
"Come now, Dumbledore. Only you would place any value on such a worthless trinket. What I seek… it cannot provide."
Tom Riddle's tone implied, Believe it or not, I am being candid.
But to Dumbledore, this was tantamount to admitting, "So you are robbing banks! You even know what they were after!"
Dumbledore paused, then said slowly, "Very well, I believe you."
Believe him? Only a fool would believe Tom Riddle.
That man is utterly depraved. Just wait until I return to Hogwarts. I shall make your life difficult.
Dumbledore cast another glance at Nagini, a flicker of longing in his eyes, "I hope you will treat her well."
With that, Dumbledore turned and strode towards the door.
"She is mine. No one shall lay a hand upon her."
Tom Riddle's voice echoed behind him, causing Dumbledore to momentarily falter before continuing his exit as if nothing had happened.
Click.
The door slammed shut.
Tom Riddle stood up. "Let us depart, Harry Potter. We must catch the train."
...
King's Cross Station.
Tom Riddle strode ahead, Harry Potter struggling to navigate a mountain of luggage behind him.
Tom Riddle could have easily procured a suitcase with an Undetectable Extension Charm, but he deemed it too much effort. Plus, he admitted to a touch of perverse amusement.
Hence, Harry Potter was burdened with the task of hauling the luggage himself.
"Sir, the letter specifies Platform Nine and Three-Quarters… Surely there has been some mistake? There is no Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!"
Harry Potter strongly suspected that Dumbledore had been inebriated when composing the letter.
"Simply follow me."
Tom Riddle offered no further explanation.
"Er… I couldn't help but overhear you mentioning Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Are you also headed to Hogwarts?"
A clear voice broke the silence.
Tom Riddle glanced down to see a bright-eyed girl with slightly disheveled hair standing nearby, also accompanied by an imposing stack of luggage.
[Name: Hermione Granger]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 11]
[Occupation: Wizard/Student (Hogwarts Freshman)]
[Magic: D]
[Talents (Max Level 10)]:
[Charms: 7 (Learning Charms is a breeze)]
[Transfiguration: 5 (Good)]
[Defense Against the Dark Arts: 6 (Excellent)]
[Dark Magic: 5 (Good)]
[Potions: 6 (Excellent)]
[Alchemy: 2 (Don't bother learning it, you won't be able to)]
[Prophecy: 0 (Prophecy? That's all feudal superstition!)]
[Special Talent: Diligence Pays Off (A natural-born learner; through sustained, highly efficient introspection, she can achieve learning results surpassing her original talent. When studying a subject with "continuous" and "focused" learning, her talent in that subject temporarily increases by 1.)]
[Mastered Spells: Repair Charm (Level 1), Alohomora (Level 1)...]
[Item: Grapevine Wand (Dragon's Nerve) "Quality: Excellent"...]
Before Tom Riddle could respond, Harry Potter interjected, "Are you also a first-year at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I am. My name is Hermione Granger. And yours?"
Hermione Granger appeared remarkably outgoing.
However, Tom Riddle's attention was elsewhere. He found himself preoccupied with Hermione Granger's appearance. After all, the rumor mill of his previous life had even whispered of a Black Hermione.
It would be hilariously tragic if attending Hogwarts felt like a sojourn to Africa.
Observing Tom Riddle's apparent preoccupation, Harry Potter prompted, "Sir, is something amiss?"
"Picking cotton… I mean, catching the train! We must hurry."
Tom Riddle corrected himself, striding purposefully towards Platform Nine.
Harry Potter and Hermione Granger exchanged a curious glance, then pushed their luggage and trailed after him.
Before their very eyes, Tom Riddle marched straight toward the pillar separating Platforms Nine and Ten.
What ensued left them in stunned disbelief: Tom Riddle simply walked through the solid brick and vanished from sight.
Despite their shock, one was the Dark Lord's trusted lieutenant, nicknamed "The Savior," and the other was a young witch destined to single-handedly carry her two friends through seven years of school. Neither was easily fazed.
One after the other, they pushed their trolleys towards the pillar.
But following their lead, a bald, middle-aged man suddenly screamed, "I have uncovered the REAL truth!" before charging headfirst into the pillar, collapsing unconscious with a bloody gash on his forehead.
At that moment, two police officers wielding batons approached and dragged the man away.
"Did the Muggle-Repelling Charm fail?"
"I don't know. Perhaps he's an undiscovered Squib."
"Whatever. If we haven't received any official notification, we'll handle this as usual… another mind-wipe."
---
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