[Death Eater (Lv.1): A member of the Pure-bloods, a symbol of nobility, possessing the Dark Mark and Morsmordre] ["Death Eater" +50 progress...+100...+50... Impression level reached Lv.2, achievement points +1]
"Have I done something again recently?"
Looking at the rapidly increasing [Death Eater] Persona, Tom felt a little panicked.
I haven't done anything bad lately, have I?
Could someone have discovered him sneaking around at night?
Impossible. If his nighttime wandering had made people think he was a Death Eater, the professors would have surrounded his dormitory by now.
Since the professors hadn't appeared, that meant they didn't know exactly who had been sneaking around.
They must have simply seen the traces he left behind and mistaken him for an intruding Death Eater.
"I see..." Tom understood.
To gain a new Persona, people didn't necessarily have to know his exact identity. As long as they knew he was responsible, even a vague impression of who he was could increase his Persona progress.
Now that he had figured that out, the next step was to investigate the Persona's functions.
Tom yanked up his sleeve and found that his arm was completely smooth, without any tattoo or brand.
"Strange? Wasn't I supposed to have the Dark Mark?"
Voldemort had established an inner circle within the Death Eaters. Only those who had made outstanding contributions and proved their unwavering loyalty could have the Dark Mark branded onto their bodies.
According to the effects of the [Death Eater] Persona, a mark should have appeared on his arm too.
Just then—
[Due to a conflict between "Born Dark Lord" and "Death Eater," the "Dark Mark" disappeared and was replaced by the "Dark Mark" spell]
Tom felt a cool sensation in his mind. A spell never recorded in any textbook appeared in his thoughts.
"It can do that too!" Tom was astonished.
The Dark Mark was Voldemort's exclusive magic, and only he knew exactly how to cast it. Now Tom had mastered the spell as well.
Still, this was for the best.
If the Dark Mark had appeared on his arm out of nowhere, he would have had to consider deleting this Persona.
Once a wizard's Dark Mark was discovered, being sent to Azkaban would be the least of their worries.
"I need to test it."
Taking up his wand, Tom pointed its tip at his bedside table.
"Mor—"
Before Tom could finish saying the spell, green light had already flashed from his wand tip. The bedside table gave off a scorched smell, and a clear, pitch-black brand appeared on it.
The brand was sharply defined, as if a snake were emerging from the mouth of a skull. The mark represented the lineage between Voldemort and Slytherin.
"Nonverbal casting?"
Though his mind had only gained the knowledge of how to use the Dark Mark, when he cast it for the first time, Tom felt as if he had already performed the spell countless times. He was even completely confident he could cast it nonverbally, without a wand.
At this rate, who in the world could tell the difference between him and Voldemort?
He wondered what the real Voldemort would think when he saw this spell.
"Reparo!"
A Mending Charm restored the damaged bedside table. It wouldn't do to let anyone see the Dark Mark.
The next day.
The atmosphere at Hogwarts suddenly grew much more serious.
While exercising, Tom saw quite a few adult wizards in suits passing by. They searched all over the grounds and stopped to question some students along the way.
They were obviously Aurors.
As for whom they were looking for, Tom knew perfectly well.
Every one of the Aurors who passed by Tom paused to study him for a while. Only after confirming again and again that he was a child and not a Troll did they walk away, glancing back at him every few steps.
["Innate Divine Strength" +10 progress, Impression level reached Lv.3, achievement points +1]
The first class of the day was the most popular course at Hogwarts: Defense Against the Dark Arts.
It was the most exciting, practical, and realistic of all the courses.
Potions and History might not be useful after graduation, but Defense Against the Dark Arts could be.
The wizarding war had ended only ten years ago, and many Death Eaters still hadn't been brought to justice. Nearly every year, the papers reported that a Death Eater had been arrested after attacking someone.
They'd heard that a new teacher had been appointed this year, and all the students were excited.
Harry and Ron were no exception, especially Harry.
Before class, he had even said that he wanted to learn magic so he could protect his big brother in the future.
Unfortunately—
Things hadn't gone as planned.
As soon as the bell rang, the first thing to enter the classroom ahead of Professor Quirrell was the pungent smell of garlic.
A sharp-eyed young wizard by the window quickly opened it to air out the room.
Tom was especially clever this time and had deliberately taken a seat in the back row, where the smell of garlic was least noticeable.
"Students, please don't mind the smell. I use it to ward off vampires." Quirrell laughed awkwardly and walked up to the lectern.
All the students believed him, but Tom wasn't convinced.
"Professor, this is Hogwarts. Do you really think any vampire would dare come here and attack you?" Tom raised his hand and spoke up.
"Hahaha!"
His words were met with a burst of laughter.
Everyone knew Hogwarts was under the protection of the greatest white wizard of the century. The school was also full of professors, each a leading expert in their field.
A mere vampire that dared show its face at Hogwarts would be split one-to-nine in minutes.
It would be cut into nine pieces in a second and offered to the professors for study, so they could find out what made it so bold.
"!" Quirrell had just begun thinking about how to answer when he suddenly felt a twitch at the back of his head.
Voldemort was furious.
He hadn't even gone after Tom yet, and now the boy had picked a fight with him first!
What a reversal of the natural order.
If he weren't so inconveniently situated, he would have hit the brat in front of him with a Cruciatus Curse just to see how it felt.
"I think you've made a very good point, but I'm a professor too. There's no need to bother the headmaster over something as minor as a vampire. Once I've dealt with the one that's been secretly following me, I'll get rid of this smell."
Quirrell had long expected someone to ask him that, so he'd already prepared an answer in his mind.
"Then when do you think you'll deal with the vampire? As a professor, it shouldn't take you long, should it?" Tom pressed.
The other students also looked at Quirrell expectantly. It was hard to have a proper lesson while surrounded by the smell of garlic.
Besides, they were looking forward to seeing their professor battle a vampire with their own eyes. It had been a long time since vampires had appeared in public.
"Uh... that's a very difficult question..." Quirrell was suddenly at a loss.
He really hadn't thought in advance about how to answer that.
Looking at the eager faces below, Quirrell suddenly felt the pain at the back of his head stop.
It was as if an invisible person had said a few words to him. Quirrell suddenly turned to Tom. "What an inquisitive Slytherin! I'll award you five points for your question. If you're interested in vampires, you can come to my office after class and discuss it in private. I'm worried there may be a vampire nearby listening to my lesson."
There was no need to guess. Voldemort had clearly told Quirrell to say those words, hoping to draw Tom into a private meeting.
"Of course, Professor," Tom agreed readily.
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