Can't Beat Albus Dumbledore

The question marks in Snape's mind were like a flock of owls just emerging from their nest, flapping their wings in his head.

Are you really that honest?

"Why do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?" Snape's voice lowered.

"Hagrid said it. On Halloween, Harry and the others went to Hagrid's Hut for tea, and I went too. Hagrid let it slip."

Tom then briefly recounted how he extracted information from Hagrid.

Snape's breathing gradually subsided, his body slowly relaxed, and then he laughed—a laugh born of anger.

Albus Dumbledore, look at the people you've chosen! Even a few first-year students were able to extract the most crucial information from Hagrid.

He took a deep breath. "Do you want the Philosopher's Stone?"

Tom looked at him. "I want to, but I can't beat Albus Dumbledore." Tom answered sincerely, without the slightest hint of pretense.

Snape stared at him for three seconds. "Get out."

Tom reached the door before hearing a cold warning behind him. "Stay away from Quirrell, don't see him alone, and that's enough, Riddle."

"Understood, Professor." Tom waved his hand, closed the door, and grinned slyly.

Snape returned to the Headmaster's Office and told Albus Dumbledore everything.

He discovered that Quirrell had tried to kill Harry in the Quidditch Match and that Quirrell wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone.

"He used these to threaten Quirrell, Quirrell gave him extra points, 100 Galleon a month, and promised him the Elixir of Life and gold in the future."

Albus Dumbledore amused and exasperated. "He told you that?"

"Yes, not a single word was missed."

Albus Dumbledore popped the candy into his mouth and chewed it a couple of times. "He has no interest in the Philosopher's Stone, otherwise he wouldn't have revealed his intentions so clearly."

"I know," Snape leaned back in his chair. "This is the helper you found. What good qualities does that Half-blood- Giant have besides his unwavering loyalty to you?"

"How much trouble has he caused? And every single time, you're the one who has to clean up the mess?"

Snape continued his rant, "I even suspect he stole my Potions ingredients and turned them into Veritaserum to drink like water."

Albus Dumbledore said calmly, "Hagrid trusts me as much as I trust you; we are like-minded friends."

Snape sneered inwardly. So this was the White Lord who had emerged from Gryffindor?

"So what are you going to do now?" Snape asked. "Even some of the students already know about the Philosopher's Stone. Are you really so sure that Quirrell won't get his hands on it?"

Then he asked a question he was truly concerned about, "Can the Philosopher's Stone be used to enhance power?"

"Nicolas Flamel Flamel is giving this to you. If you can use it to enhance your power, wouldn't you be more confident in fighting the You-Know-Who?"

Albus Dumbledore stood up and walked to the window. "I believe my methods can stop Quirrell. However, some rules need to be changed to prevent some children from accidentally wandering in and getting hurt."

"The energy within the Philosopher's Stone has been almost completely depleted, otherwise Nicolas Flamel wouldn't be at her current level of magic."

Snape sighed regretfully. The plan to raise a new Dark Lord had been on his mind all along, and he was disappointed to have lost the shortcut.

Albus Dumbledore coughed awkwardly. "Severus, look at Slytherin's bonus points..."

"Points cannot be deducted," Snape said sternly. "If you deduct points, Quirrell will notice something is wrong and guess that Riddle has told us."

"But that's unfair to the other colleges."

"Everything for the For the Greater Good, Albus Dumbledore. A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan," Snape retorted.

Albus Dumbledore smiled wryly. "Consider it a reward for Tom in the face of treasure and for staying true to his nature."

In mid-December, Hogwarts awoke from a dream to find itself suddenly covered in a layer of silver frost.

The lawns outside the castle were white, the rooftops were white, and the canopies of the Forbidden Forest were white.

The students rushed onto the field and started a snowball fight. Gryffindor's red scarves fluttered in the snow, while Slytherin's green scarves swayed in the snow.

The snowballs Accio in the air like a flock of white owls.

The Weasley Twins stood in the middle of the snow, both with identical red hair, identical freckled faces, and identical wicked grins. Fred held a snowball in one hand, and George held a snowball in the other.

"Send Professor Quirrell a gift," Fred said.

George nodded. "He needs a pick-me-up."

The two people cast a spell on several snowballs, making them chase Quirrell around. Quirrell came out of the castle, preparing to go to the Forbidden Forest.

A snowball flew from behind and hit him on the back of the head. Quirrell screamed and ran away, clutching the back of his head.

Tom stood at the castle gate, watching all this, clicking his tongue in amazement.

That's really brave of him, chasing after Voldemort and beating him up. I wonder if the fact that the twins will be one dead and one crippled in the future is related to what happened today.

Given Voldemort's petty nature, it's quite possible.

Daphne ran over from the side, clutching a snowball in her hand. "Tom, let's build a snowman!"

"Build a snowman?"

"Yes, let's see who can build the best-looking one."

Tom called Hermione, and the three of them stood in the snow and began to build a snowman. Daphne built a small, round one, like a snow-white hedgehog.

Hermione built a tall, thin pillar, like a snow-white column.

Tom cast a temperature-regulating spell on the two women, keeping their hands warm.

The Weasley Twins walked over from the side, Fred holding a snowball in his hand, and George also holding a snowball in his hand.

"Riddle, let's have a magical snowball fight!"

Tom looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." George smiled. "With magic, without using your hands."

The two waved their wands, and hundreds of snowballs flew up around them, densely packed, like a swarm of white bees.

Tom laughed too, took out his wand, and tapped it on the ground.

The snow, several feet deep, suddenly began to vibrate, making a sound as if something was about to emerge from underground. The snow cracked open, and the snow rose from the ground, coalescing, accumulating, and taking shape.

A giant snowman, ten meters tall, stood up. Its body was snow-white, its eyes were ice-blue, and its mouth was black.

It looked down at the Weasley Twins like a mountain looking at two ants.

Tom waved his wand, and the snowman's hand moved, grabbing a clump of snow from the ground and shaping it into a ball.

The snowball was bigger than the Weasley brothers' entire bodies, and it flew out, hurtling towards Fred.

George and Fred were horrified; the snowballs they'd collected were practically begging for mercy. A real man should look to Tom.

Fred felt a chill run down his spine. "They let out a strange cry and scattered in different directions."

George ran to the left, Fred ran to the right, and the snowball chased after Fred, hitting him on the back.

The ice and snow seeped in through the gaps in his clothes, making him squeal with cold.