The Silent Kettle

Since Tom had never been exposed to the wizarding world, Dumbledore decided to personally take him to Diagon Alley for supplies, bringing Harry along as well—he was also nearly eleven.

After greeting Vernon, Dumbledore led the two children out of the villa.

Seeing that little demon finally leave, Vernon breathed a sigh of relief, though Dudley, even without anyone watching him, was still huffing and puffing through his jumping jacks.

On the way to Diagon Alley, Dumbledore didn't use magic or magical transportation. Instead, he walked with the two children, pulling a few Muggle coins from his pocket, planning to take the subway.

"So I can do magic too!"

Harry's eyes lit up as he stared at the acceptance letter in his hands.

"Harry, how have you been getting on at the Dursleys'? Have you been bullied?"

During the journey, Dumbledore chose to probe further.

He noticed that Harry's small frame seemed quite sturdy as well, likely forced to exercise regularly at home under Tom's command, just like Dudley.

Every Dark Lord in history had deep cunning and was a master of acting, so he decided to sound out Tom's true nature from those around him.

His words also carried another meaning: if Harry really was being bullied by Tom, he would step in to back him up.

"Thank you for your concern, old sir, but with my big brother around, who could bully me?" Harry immediately retorted, clasping his fist toward Tom.

"Oh?" Dumbledore blinked.

And why was Harry's accent so strange? It didn't sound like a London accent, nor traditional English grammar.

"You should know, I'm just an orphan." Harry paused, as if recalling something sad, then explained, "No one to rely on, bullied with no one to stand up for me..."

According to the original plan, if Harry didn't go to Hogwarts, he would attend the public Stonewall High—a place synonymous with chaos, with a tradition of shoving first-years' heads into toilets.

To avoid that, he'd have to arm himself, shoving others' heads in first.

Originally, malnourished, he lacked the strength, but the suddenly changed Tom gave him this chance—not only helping him get back at Dudley after being bullied, but also securing the right to eat and dress warmly from Vernon, and telling him foreign stories when he was down.

"I understand." Dumbledore grasped everything immediately. Seeing Harry's respectful attitude toward Tom, and how Dudley had diligently completed Tom's tasks without slacking...

Clearly, Tom was a positive, reliable big brother figure in the children's eyes.

Ignoring the accent and grammar, Dumbledore nodded at Tom: "A fine child, standing up against injustice at such a young age. I believe you'll become an excellent Gryffindor—provided you don't shove classmates' heads into toilets."

"Gryffindor?"

"A house name, representing courage and justice—the most passionate and loyal. Of course, other houses are excellent too."

At that moment, Tom's panel automatically popped up.

["Bravery" +100 progress, Impression Level reached Lv.1, Persona activated, Achievement Points +1]

[Persona: Brave (New)]

[Impression Level: Lv.1 (Progress: 50/200)]

[Description: Heart of a lion, fearless. Ordinary fear cannot shake your resolve; you press forward even in danger.]

An emotion-based persona?

Excellent!

Magic in the world of Harry Potter was a highly subjective existence; many spells required emotions like "happiness, killing intent, courage..."

A weak will could drastically reduce the effectiveness of spellcasting, or even prevent it entirely. [Bravery] was an incredibly important persona for a wizard.

He wondered if he'd ever get a chance to wield the Sword of Gryffindor.

"My theory was right."

Before, to gain a new persona, he'd spend a huge amount of time and effort acting in front of others. To unlock the [Diligent] persona, he'd wake up at dawn every day to study and exercise, and sleep the latest.

Now, just a few words with Dumbledore had netted him another.

As a figure at the pinnacle of the wizarding world, even a few seconds of their recognition and attention carried an influence far beyond ordinary people's.

The Leaky Cauldron was the local wizards' favorite haunt—dirty and shabby, yet packed to the brim.

The wizards who'd been drinking and boasting set down their affairs when they saw the newcomer, crowding around to greet him one by one, while curiously eyeing the two children at his side.

Since Dumbledore became headmaster, escorting young wizards was no longer his job, so the two kids with him must be special.

"That kid's face looks so familiar, and there's a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead..."

Someone said it, and all the wizards in the room surged forward, as if meeting their savior, eyes brimming with tears as they shook hands repeatedly.

"Fame sure is nice," Tom remarked from the side.

The more fame, the easier it was to fabricate personas that didn't exist. He'd need to find an opportunity to spread his name well.

He wondered where Lockhart was at this time. When it came to publicity and hype, that fraud writer was clearly the expert.

"By the way, and this young gentleman is..."

Someone stepped up to Tom, looking at him curiously.

"His name is Tom Riddle. He's a new student this year. I brought them both here to shop."

At these words, the originally lively bar suddenly fell silent for a moment.

A few individual wizards abruptly sobered up.

Although the Second Dark Lord always called himself by the name "Voldemort," and people commonly referred to him as "You-Know-Who," there are no walls without cracks. A very small number of wizards had, by chance, heard his real name—such as some old codgers in their sixties who had listened to a certain urban legend, or wizards who had heard rumors... and this place was, after all, a bar filled with drunks and chatterboxes.

The strongest reaction in the crowd definitely came from a certain professor with a thick turban wrapped around his head. His fingers trembled incessantly, his head ached slightly, and he forcibly abandoned his original intention to step forward and greet them.

It was like a spiral of silence; gradually, the bar went quiet, as if it were a noisy self-study class that had suddenly fallen still.

Most wizards were utterly baffled by this situation.

"See you later, everyone."

Dumbledore chuckled. Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was coming up to greet them, he quickly led Tom and the other through the bar to a small courtyard at the back. He pulled out a wand with knobby protrusions and tapped a specific sequence on a certain brick in the wall.

The bricks on the wall immediately rotated and shifted, an arched opening growing larger and larger, revealing a winding cobblestone street.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Dumbledore said, turning back with a smile.

The scene before him made Harry's pupils gradually dilate, and at the same time, Tom's panel popped up again.

["Born Dark Lord" +1 progress]

["Born Dark Lord" +1 progress]

[... +1 progress]

...+1...+1...+1...

If Tom were just an ordinary young wizard, people might have thought he merely coincidentally shared the name. But since he was walking alongside Dumbledore, the meaning was different.

It was all too easy for onlookers to let their imaginations run wild.