As he put on his hat, Professor Dumbledore paused and turned to look back at Tom. A Parseltongue speaker? A descendant of Slytherin? Without saying another word, he left. Gellert was the priority now. As for this little one who seemed to know Parseltongue, he could observe him after he enrolled.
Having too much ambition was not a good thing. He could tell that this Riddle... was no innocent boy.
Tom pursed his lips and sat back on the bed, somewhat annoyed at himself for not explaining just now. It was only his first time meeting Professor Dumbledore, yet he had been drawn in by that powerful ability. If possible, he truly wanted to build a good relationship with the professor.
"It's all right. As long as I study hard once school starts, perhaps Professor Dumbledore will forget this terrible first meeting."
With a sincere smile, Tom happily jumped around the room a few times. This was wonderful! He was a wizard, not some monster! There were countless others with the same abilities as him! Once he enrolled, he would be able to learn that profound magic!
"Ha ha~" Lying on the bed, Tom picked up his pillow and covered his face with it so his laughter would not carry outside. Today was the happiest day of his life~
Thinking of what Professor Dumbledore had said about going shopping tomorrow, Tom instantly became dejected. After closing the door, he searched everywhere, taking out the money he had saved from every corner of the room. Altogether, he only had two shillings. Damn it... he definitely could not afford the things he needed for school.
Restlessly rolling around in bed, Tom got up with two fresh dark circles under his eyes. He had not been able to sleep at all last night. After finally learning that he was a wizard, if he could not study magic because he had no money, then it would have been better never to have learned the truth.
Tom sat in his room, waiting eagerly and growing increasingly anxious. Why had the professor not come yet? Could it be that he had learned of Tom's predicament and was preparing to refuse his enrollment?
"Sorry to keep you waiting, young Mr. Riddle."
Dumbledore's steady voice sounded like heavenly music. Tom sprang to his feet, suppressing his excitement as he repeatedly reminded himself to stay calm and not lose his composure. Imitating the gentlemen he had seen before, he gave a bow, then put on a proper smile and nodded reservedly. "Good day~ Professor Dumbledore."
He truly is a descendant of Slytherin...
After silently marveling, Dumbledore twitched the corner of his mouth and gestured for the little one to follow him. The two arrived at an empty corner, and Dumbledore placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Next, I'll Apparate with you. It may not be very pleasant for someone Apparating for the first time... Don't panic too much."
Pop.
A faint explosive sound rang out, and Tom felt a violent crushing pressure close in around him. This truly was not pleasant. It was fortunate that he had not had much of an appetite today, or he certainly would have thrown up.
Standing on the ground with a pale face, Tom dearly missed the feeling of having his feet planted firmly on solid ground. Someday... he would definitely invent a flying spell! He never wanted to go through something this awful again.
Dumbledore secretly grinned as he waited for the little one to recover. Then he instantly resumed his calm, steady demeanor, cleared his throat, and pointed at the building before them. "Located on Charing Cross Road, between a bookstore and a record shop, is The Leaky Cauldron. You should know that several decades ago, we went through quite a lot of trouble. All the wizards gathered together and used a great many Memory Charms to alter the planning of the entire road."
"That was how we kept The Leaky Cauldron from being razed to the ground. After all, this is one of the entrances to the wizarding world, a very meaningful place, isn't it~ Especially for children like you."
Before you continue