Feeling Wronged

Having made up his mind not to be swayed by unfamiliar, unsettling emotions again, Tom lifted his little head and prepared to head to the library. He had never hidden his thirst for knowledge. The sooner he mastered greater power, the sooner he could live as he pleased. And when that time came... he would definitely get his revenge!

"Hehe~ Just wait for me... my dear upperclassman!"

As though his mood had been instantly healed, Tom pursed his lips in a faint smile. So what if he did not know who his parents were? So what if those nobles looked down on him now? One day, he would rule over all and look down upon those who had once made him look up to them!

"Ah~ Tom... Loving to study is a good thing, but you should also get along well with your friends... shouldn't you~ Otherwise, such wonderful school days would be wasted~"

The cheerful, relaxed voice brought Tom back to his senses. Suppressing his excitement, he gave an elegant bow. "Professor Dumbledore~ I never expected to meet you here! But in my opinion, playing boring games with others is the real waste of time. Everything in the wizarding world fascinates me..."

Professor Dumbledore's bright blue eyes flickered, and the expression on his face gradually stiffened. His tone turned cold as well. "Fascinates you... Tom, sometimes, becoming too absorbed in something makes you overlook the people and things around you... When you finally turn back, you may find that behind you... there is nothing but your own shadow. Is that what you want?"

Pressing his lips together tightly, Tom did not understand why Professor Dumbledore had changed again. Even if he had truly done something wrong, he had not done anything bad, had he? Why was the professor looking at him with such wariness? Was it because of those lies born from jealousy?

Feeling somewhat wronged, his pride made him disdain explaining himself. Tom lowered his eyes and stared at the shadow before him. The sunlight was behind him; shadows did not only appear behind a person, but before them as well. He would never regret his choices. "I understand, Professor Dumbledore... I will fulfill your expectations..."

Dumbledore let out a quiet sigh. He wanted to reach out and ruffle the little wizard's hair, only to find that he simply could not do something so simple. It was as though countless hands were restraining his arm, and his expression went blank for a moment.

Dumbledore gritted his teeth and raised his hand. He had a feeling that if he did not do this, he would surely pay a heavy price for it. "No... Tom... What kind of person you become has never been something others can decide, myself included. You must explore it yourself and seek your own answer in the unknown. All I can do is guide you and support you before you give up... and stop you when you make the wrong choice..."

The broad palm was different from Abraxas's hand. Tom looked up at the stern, earnest professor, and for one brief moment, he felt an unprecedented jumble of emotions, as though he had lived amid endless misunderstandings and had suddenly been freed from them in that instant.

Tom stood there in a daze, not knowing when the professor had left. He reached up to touch his face, staring blankly at the tear stains on his hand. What was wrong with him? Why was he crying? Why did he long for that warm feeling...

Tom buried his face in his arms and let himself release that inexplicable grievance. Only this once. He would allow himself to be weak only this once. Afterward... he would strictly carry out his plan.