Having a Business Isn't as Fun as Causing Trouble

After dinner, Dumbledore announced to the young wizards below, "This year, we are fortunate to have Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class, honorary member of the Dark Arts Defense League, and five-time winner of The Daily Prophet's Most Charming Smile award, as our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Please give him a warm welcome."

An enthusiastic cheer erupted from the young wizards in the audience. Horatio heckled, shouting, "Ron!! Ron!!!"

The young wizards who had read The Daily Prophet understood his meaning and joined in, shouting, "Ron!! Ron!!"

He still won't leave him alone, Ginny thought, sitting beside Harry. She felt this year's school life was shrouded in darkness.

Professor Lockhart gave an awkward smile at the staff table. He didn't know why he had suddenly fallen for a young wizard. His sexual orientation was normal... well, maybe a little abnormal. Lockhart glanced at Ron, who looked utterly defeated, and lowered his head, blushing.

"What's with the blush, you teapot?" Horatio thought to himself. But then he considered that maybe he could play matchmaker. So, Horatio looked at Ron and began to ponder the feasibility of his plan.

Ron, feeling Horatio's creepy gaze, resigned himself. Whatever happens, happens. As long as I'm socially dead, you can't do anything to me.

"Silence!!!" Dumbledore shouted from the stage. "This year, Horatio of Gryffindor committed some very serious offenses. I wish to announce them to everyone as a warning:

One, he used forbidden magic outside of school grounds;

Two, he kidnapped and modified the Sorting Hat;

Three, he damaged Hogwarts' public property.

These actions have had a negative impact, so I have decided to deduct 150 points from Gryffindor House. Furthermore, Mr. Horatio will be confined to his quarters for a semester, starting tonight."

A wave of murmurs swept through the students. The other three houses looked at Gryffindor with sympathy. Professor McGonagall's eyes went dark; they could have won the House Cup last year, but this year they started 150 points behind.

Ignoring the murderous glares from his Gryffindor classmates, Horatio declared, "If you have a problem, face me head-on. I can take on 100 of you!"

After the school song was sung, Snape found Horatio. "Let's go. You'll be serving your detention with me this week."

Following Snape to his office, Snape sat in his teacher's chair and asked, "Where's my merchandise?"

Horatio took out a faceless alchemical golem from a cloth bag. "I upgraded it for you free of charge. You can change its appearance however you like. It's absolutely sturdy and durable. As long as you don't burn it with Fiendfyre, it'll last a long time."

Snape took the alchemical golem and asked, "How do I use it?"

"Grab it by the neck and imagine the appearance you want it to take in your mind."

Snape did as Horatio instructed, and the alchemical golem transformed into the person he hated the most.

Seeing the golem's appearance, identical to his memory, Snape couldn't help but swing his fist and smash it into its nose.

"Ah! Oww!! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Snape howled in pain, clutching his hand.

Horatio's head filled with question marks. Dude, this thing is made of Orichalcum and Mithril. You're using your carbon-based body to challenge metal? Impressive.

Sensing Horatio's look of utter disbelief, Snape coughed to ease the awkwardness. "Is there any way I can experience the feeling of my fists connecting with flesh?"

Horatio said, "Yes, you could forge a pair of gauntlets out of Adamantium. But Adamantium requires a lot of materials and is very difficult to refine."

Horatio wrote down a list of materials and handed it to Snape. "You collect the materials yourself. I can forge them for you for free, but I'm in detention and don't have time."

Snape looked at the dazzling array of materials and suspected Horatio was lining his own pockets. Horatio replied, "No need to suspect, I am lining my own pockets."

Finally, Snape agreed. "I will ask Dumbledore to let you serve more of your detention with me. Then you can use that time to craft what I need." With that, Snape dismissed Horatio.

As Horatio walked out the door, he heard Snape attacking the alchemical golem with Sectumsempra. He shook his head. How much hatred and resentment could there be? Snape, you'd better be more magnanimous.

Horatio took out his Death Note and wrote, "Albus Dumbledore confined Horatio for a semester on September 1, 1992. A gentleman never forgets a grudge." He didn't realize he was the one with the smallest mind.

Returning to his dormitory, Nut, who had been sent there earlier, nuzzled Horatio's face with its eagle head, begging for food.

"Alright, alright, I know," Horatio said, stroking its feathered head. He released Hathor, Isis, and Nephthys from their cages and poured the food he had prepared for them into a large basin, letting them eat their fill.

After doing all this, Horatio sat on the sofa by the fireplace, took out Tom's diary, placed it on the coffee table, and dripped a few drops of soul nourishing potion onto it.

After waiting a moment, Horatio wrote on the diary, "Hello."

The diary remained motionless, as if unwilling to engage.

Horatio's face darkened. He saw Little Tom wake up, but he was simply unwilling to respond.

"Oh, for crying out loud! My temper!" Horatio's hand ignited with golden Fiendfyre and he brought it down towards the diary.

Tom, inside the diary, initially didn't want to bother with this non-pure-blood wizard. But upon seeing the Fiendfyre in his hand and feeling its terrifying heat, he immediately replied in the diary, "Wait a moment! Calm down. The world is so beautiful, yet you are so agitated. This is not good, not good."

"Speak. Who are you? And why are you hiding in a diary?" Horatio wrote on the diary.

"You can see me?" Tom in the diary was very surprised.

"Or what?"

"'Okay, my name is Tom Riddle. I'm your senior. Could you give me some more of that potion?"

"You mean this?" Horatio held up the soul nourishing potion he was holding. "Call me the invincible, super awesome, incredibly handsome hunk, and I'll give you some."

"'Invincible, super awesome, incredibly handsome hunk." Little Tom Riddle was speechless. How can this person be so narcissistic?

Horatio dripped a little more soul nourishing potion onto the diary.

"Ah, that's better. What's your name?" Little Tom asked.

"Horatio."

"Hello, Horatio. Are you interested in the Chamber of Secrets?" Little Tom, though dissatisfied with Horatio, had no other choice but to rely on him for now.

"You mean the Chamber of Secrets? Are you a Slytherin student? My great Gryffindor and Slytherin are mortal enemies. Die!" Horatio's hand ignited with Fiendfyre again, as if to strike the diary.

"Wait, wait! Why do you resort to violence at the drop of a hat?" Little Tom panicked. This is bad. How did the diary end up in the hands of a Gryffindor student? "Besides, why are you, a Gryffindor, so proficient in dark magic?"

"Huh? Isn't that common sense? Gryffindors can't survive first year without learning some dark magic." Horatio took out an apple and showed young Tom the Unforgivable Curses.

"??? You Gryffindors learn these in first year?" Young Tom was very surprised. He hadn't expected Gryffindor to be so secretly powerful, teaching these things on the sly. No wonder those Gryffindor students dared to oppose him when he was studying at Hogwarts.

"Of course. Don't you know we Gryffindors are Headmaster Dumbledore's talent reserve? It's only natural for him to secretly teach us some powerful magic."

Damn, even you, Dumbledore with the earnest face, are secretly giving special treatment. I thought you treated everyone equally. Turns out you're hiding your private army, young Tom thought.

"Then are you truly willing to obey Dumbledore's command? Don't you want to achieve something yourself?" young Tom continued to tempt him.

Horatio thought about it. Causing trouble was more fun than achieving things, so he replied, "No."

"??? Don't you want followers, to be admired by thousands?"

Horatio estimated his own strength and that of the other young wizards. He could wipe them out five times in five minutes: "Aren't followers just dead weight? No thanks, no thanks."

"??? Don't you want unimaginable wealth?"

"I can refine the Sorcerer's Stone, thank you."

"??? Don't you want to be surrounded by beautiful women?"

Horatio remembered Fleur's and Hermione's fists and shivered: "Putting so many tigresses around me is asking for death, isn't it?"

"??? Then what do you want to do?" young Tom was speechless.

"I want all wizards to become my house-elves, working for me and paying me.

I also want to tie Dumbledore to a cross and pull out his beard hair by hair.

Most of all, I want to attach a rocket launcher to Hogwarts and launch it into outer space. Can you help me achieve that?" Horatio asked with eager anticipation.

"Are you the devil?" young Tom was speechless. Dumbledore had said he had impure thoughts, but compared to the person in front of him, he was practically an angel.