"No." Tom Riddle tugged at the corner of his mouth in a smile.
"What?" Bridget Baker could hardly believe her ears—
He had been prepared to listen to Tom Riddle's excuses, but that single "No" abruptly derailed his train of thought.
"So Mr. Riddle really is Voldemort?" But Bridget Baker was, after all, a seasoned politician, and immediately took several steps back.
At the same time, his gaze flicked toward the audience below the stage.
Bridget Baker's subordinates below immediately caught his meaning and rushed onto the stage, positioning themselves in front of Bridget Baker.
The previously bustling crowd of onlookers instantly fell silent.
They had all heard Bridget Baker's conversation with Tom Riddle. Therefore, not only did the wizards present find Bridget Baker's guarded attitude perfectly reasonable, they all took several steps back in unison.
Tom Riddle showed little reaction to Bridget Baker's attitude or that of the wizards present. Instead, he stepped forward, passed Bridget Baker, and stood at the very front, facing the voters.
"Let me introduce myself again." Tom Riddle first looked up at the sky, then lightly chuckled and drew his wand. He swiftly traced through the air, writing three gleaming names:
"Tom Marvolo Riddle"
Tom Riddle sharply swung his wand—
The letters rearranged themselves into:
"I am Lord Voldemort"
"Voldemort is my past, my present, and my future," Tom Riddle said slowly.
An uproar broke out among the wizards below the stage.
At the same time, on the other side of the world, in the United Kingdom, tens of thousands of kilometers away from Bhutan, within Hogwarts, hidden by magic in the Scottish Highlands.
The young Voldemort, using the alias "Brendan Carson," was able to remain at Hogwarts for summer vacation because he was an orphan.
Quite a few young wizards had made the