"Next, Hogwarts will be welcoming a new student. I hope you won't get too excited."
"New student? You don't mean Harry Potter, do you?" Snape calculated the timing.
If nothing unexpected happened, that boy should be starting school this year.
Dumbledore knew about his relationship with Lily and James, so it was only natural that he hoped Snape wouldn't get too worked up.
Come on, how old was he? And he was a seasoned Order of the Phoenix fighter who had survived a wizarding war. How could one child make him lose his cool?
"Oh, no. I mean another child living with him. His name is... Tom Riddle."
Bam!
The door to the Headmaster's Office burst open. Snape had already pulled his wand from his robes.
Cruciatus Curse, Imperius Curse, Sectumsempra, Levicorpus... Countless spells flashed through his mind. He wouldn't give that bastard a quick death with something as simple as Avada Kedavra. He'd make him bleed and suffer, let him taste the torments of hell, and then kill him.
"Don't be rash! That child just happens to have a similar name. He isn't really Voldemort!"
Dumbledore raised a hand and, with a tug, hauled Snape back into the office from across the room.
"How can you be so sure? A child with the same name as Voldemort shows up beside the Chosen One. That's far too much of a coincidence!"
"Uh..." Dumbledore was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
"I've observed the child myself. He definitely isn't Voldemort. You'll see when term starts."
"Fine."
Seeing how certain Dumbledore was, Snape had no choice but to let it go. After all, he wasn't as powerful as Dumbledore.
If he really set out to kill the boy, Dumbledore could certainly find a way to keep him from ever leaving Hogwarts again.
4 Privet Drive.
Time flew by, and before long, it was September 1.
Early that morning, Tom was already standing outside the house with a mountain of luggage.
Over the past few days, Tom had stuck to his usual routine: exercising before dawn, reading Hogwarts textbooks in the morning, doing another workout in the afternoon, and practicing spells alone in his room at night.
Casting too many spells took quite a toll on his body. The physical exhaustion was manageable, but the mental strain was much more noticeable.
Once he felt mentally drained, it was the perfect time to go to sleep.
During this time, Tom had mastered Diffindo and learned several utility spells, such as Lumos, Reparo, Alohomora, and the Floating Charm.
But for some reason, he had a much harder time practicing the supposedly simpler utility spells than Diffindo, an offensive spell. His proficiency with them was still nowhere near as high.
Was he better suited to offensive spells?
"Big bro, I can't do it! Why's this magic so hard to learn?" Harry appeared behind Tom, carrying his own luggage.
He'd tried learning magic during this time, too, but without a teacher, he simply couldn't manage it with no experience at all. And for some reason, the longer he spent reading, the sleepier he got.
Besides, exercising and reading were both pretty boring, but he enjoyed working out. Whenever he picked up a book, though, he inexplicably started to feel drowsy.
He used to like reading, didn't he? Why had he become like this?
Tom knew Harry had hit a wall and couldn't learn magic, but he hadn't tried to teach him how to cast spells.
It wasn't that he didn't want to help Harry. He was simply afraid of teaching him wrong. After all, he'd only learned the spells himself recently, and he didn't want Harry to pick up bad habits.
They'd be going to Hogwarts soon anyway. There was no need to rush into learning magic.
"All right, it's about time we left for the station. If we wait any longer, we'll miss the train." Tom slung the pile of luggage, taller than he was, over his back.
King's Cross Station was some distance from Privet Drive, and Vernon refused to drive them there. There was nothing for it but to walk.
Besides, he hadn't worked out today. He could count the walk as aerobic exercise.
Tom had Dumbledore's magical pocket, but he didn't plan on stuffing his luggage inside it.
If he hid all that luggage in the pocket, who would ever know how strong he was?
Seeing them getting farther and farther away, Dudley ran out of the house and waved.
"Big bro! Second bro! Have a safe trip!"
"We'll miss you over there!" Harry waved back.
"..." Tom was speechless.
Dudley was one thing, but Harry had been pretty sharp in the original story. Why was he talking so foolishly now? Could building too much muscle really affect your brain?
Tom waved back, then set off for King's Cross Station.
King's Cross Station was as noisy as ever.
But unlike usual, two children with huge bags on their backs were pacing between Platforms 9 and 10.
Tom knew exactly where Platform 9¾ was, but if he walked straight in, people might suspect he was Voldemort reincarnated.
After all, his magical skills were still rudimentary. Who knew if there were Order of the Phoenix members nearby, hidden under the Disillusionment Charm and keeping watch?
If he let on that he knew about the wizarding world, he might really end up in Azkaban.
What an old fox, Tom grumbled inwardly.
According to the panel's feedback, he'd already earned Dumbledore's trust, but the old man was still testing him, both openly and behind the scenes.
Did he really have to be so suspicious?
Then again, without that kind of caution, he might never have found those well-hidden Horcruxes in the future.
"Platform 9¾? Never heard of it."
He asked a few people nearby, but they all shook their heads and said they didn't know.
Just then, a warm voice suddenly came from behind them.
"You're new students going to Hogwarts too, aren't you, dears?"
They turned around and saw a short, plump red-haired woman with a kind face. Five children with red hair just like hers stood behind her.
"Yes, ma'am. We can't find Platform 9¾," Tom replied with a nod.
"Oh, you poor things. Where's your family? How could they make two children carry so much luggage and not even show you the way?" Molly Weasley looked at the two boys, her heart aching.
What kind of cruel parents would make children carry luggage taller than they were?
Such brave boys.
"Don't worry, children. I'll show you the way." Molly's maternal instincts surged, and she personally led Tom and Harry to their destination.
"Between Platforms 9 and 10, through the third barrier. Don't be afraid. Just run straight through."
Perhaps because she was worried the boys might be nervous, Molly beckoned to the children behind her and said, "Ron, show them how it's done."
"Mom, it's my first time going to school too. Can't one of my brothers go first?" Ron looked at the solid wall and shrank back.
"Less talk. Hurry up!"
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley."
Ron pursed his lips. He had no choice but to work up his courage, close his eyes, and charge at the red-brick wall.
Then, like a character clipping through a wall in a game, he passed right through it.
Molly turned to Tom and Harry with a smile. "That's how you do it, children."
Tom bowed slightly to Molly in thanks. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Weasley!"
Then Tom took a deep breath and jogged toward the wall.
The collision he expected never came. After a brief moment in the dark, the scene before him left him awestruck.
People bustled around a red steam train. The words "Hogwarts Express" were written on its front.
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