Determining the Target

Tom's eyes flickered as he immersed himself back into the book. He needed to find records of the Gaunt family. Just as he was about to get up and search for other books, a flash of red caught his eye. He put on a fake smile and sat back down.

"Hey! I finally got a chance to talk to you. I didn't expect you to go to Slytherin~" Ian greeted his companion cheerfully, pulling his new friend's arm and sitting down opposite Tom. "This is my roommate~ Mickey Milkovich!"

The two, meeting for the first time, exchanged names. After a brief, quiet chat, Tom steered the conversation toward the Gaunt family. "Do you know who was in that family?"

Mickey frowned. As a pure-blood, he had heard some rumors. "The people from that family were violent and paranoid lunatics. Marvolo Gaunt and his son, Morfín Gaunt, attacked Ministry officials and went to Azkaban. The old madman died not long after his release."

Seeing the disgusted expressions on the faces of the two opposite him, Tom's eyes dimmed, unsure if those people were his relatives. "Are they... really descendants of Slytherin?"

As if it were obvious, Ian nodded his head. "Of course. You know, in the entire wizarding world, only they are Parseltongue... Never mind that, Tom, how are you doing in Slytherin? Want to go to the kitchens with us?"

Tom chuckled a few times, sighing inwardly. These two truly were Hufflepuffs, finding the kitchens so quickly. "You guys go ahead. I still need to read for a while. Headmaster Slughorn assigned an essay, and I need to find some material."

Clutching his head in frustration, Ian offered his metaphorical knees to the academic. He'd rather soak himself in potions than read those massive books! "It's a shame you didn't go to Ravenclaw. Okay~ We're going to meet the Fat Friar. Our house ghost is very friendly~ Much better than the Bloody Baron..."

Helplessly listening to the little badger's complaints, Tom covered his mouth and pointed behind them. "Good luck~" He stood up with his book and left. Tom glanced at the house ghost with black bloodstains on his body, dragging chains. Yep... he could understand why the Bloody Baron wasn't liked by the little wizards...

After spending an afternoon in the library, Tom was completely certain of his identity, feeling a surge of excitement. Those arrogant idiots, babbling about pure-bloods, but he was the most genuine bloodline in Slytherin!

He eagerly anticipated the day when he would see those people crawling at his feet, pledging their loyalty to the half-bloods they once scorned.

Tom chuckled gleefully as he imagined the scene. He would become the greatest wizard in the world, but he couldn't do it alone... he would need some helpers. His eyes flickered, and Tom remembered the two classmates he had met today.

Stupid pure-bloods. As long as he displayed his talent and strength, shattering their pride and making them recognize the gap between them, wouldn't it be easy to gain two followers? Just like those two brainless fatties trailing after Prefect Malfoy.

The next day, in every class, Tom was always the first to complete the professors' requirements, even when brewing potions individually. This caught Slughorn's attention.

Standing quietly beside Tom, Professor Slughorn saw the faint silvery-white steam and smiled, gently clapping his hands. "A perfect result! Tom~ You've earned five points for Slytherin!"