Tom Riddle's Past

After saying goodbye to his three roommates, Xiwen walked alone to the Transformation Director's office on the second floor of the Main Tower.

Crossing the stone bridge leading from the east side of the teaching area to the Entrance Courtyard, and then ascending the Marble Staircase at the entrance of the Great Hall, Xiwen encountered Riddle coming down from the stairs just as he passed the corner of the staircase.

"What a coincidence, Riddle." Xiwen greeted Riddle, then asked with some confusion, "Do you guys get out of class this late?"

Xiwen walked up to the Main Tower from the greenhouse on the northeast side of the castle, a journey that took him approximately ten minutes.

Riddle must have just finished class in the teaching area, which is why he crossed the bridge connecting the Main Tower on the third floor to the teaching area and then came down from the top floor of the Main Tower. This journey obviously shouldn't have taken ten minutes.

Therefore, Xiwen was somewhat puzzled as to why he had encountered Riddle here.

Riddle paused for a moment when he saw Xiwen, then an elegant smile immediately appeared on his face.

"No, Professor McGonagall dismisses class on time," Riddle explained politely to Xiwen. "I asked her a few questions after class."

"Going to ask the professor questions right after class on the first day of school, you're very studious!" Xiwen said with a smile. "How was your day at Hogwarts?"

Upon hearing Xiwen's question, Riddle's expression lost its usual formulaic elegance.

His eyes now held a youthful energy, and his face radiated confidence and deep aspirations.

"Magic is truly an amazing thing!" Riddle said with a smile. "Today is probably the best day of my life."

"Don't worry, the wonderful life will continue!" Xiwen laughed as he looked at Riddle's joyful expression.

However, Riddle's next words made Xiwen's smile vanish.

"The only downside is that the magic we learned today was way too easy for me," Riddle complained. "It's something you could learn just by watching the professor demonstrate it once. I really don't know how those idiots managed to not understand it for the entire lesson!"

Xiwen's lips twitched as he recalled how he was completely stumped by a simple Transformation on his first day of school...

"Ahem, that's a great look, keep it up!" After saying this somewhat awkwardly, Xiwen quickly said goodbye to Riddle and headed towards Dumbledore's office.

He was afraid that Riddle would continue to make outrageous remarks and undermine the little confidence he had built up during the previous school year!

As he approached the door of the Transformation Master's office, Xiwen saw Dumbledore, who had grown his beard even longer, talking to a witch who looked very young and beautiful.

Xiwen knew that the witch was also a Transformation professor, under the supervision of Dumbledore, the head of Transformation.

At this moment, Dumbledore seemed to be asking the female professor a question, his right hand supporting his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore, and this beautiful professor as well." Xiwen walked up and greeted the two of them.

"McGonagall," the professor said softly, pursing her lips.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," Xiwen said, correcting himself.

"Oh, it's Xiwen! I was just looking for you!" Dumbledore said cheerfully to Xiwen, as if he had just come to his senses.

He then looked at Professor McGonagall, waved to her, and said, "Let's talk again next time, Minerva. Remember to keep an eye on Tom Riddle for me."

Professor McGonagall nodded and then left the doorway of the Transformation Director's office.

Hearing Riddle's name unexpectedly, Xiwen looked at Dumbledore with some confusion and asked, "Professor, why did you ask Professor McGonagall to keep an eye on Riddle?"

"Actually, the reason I wanted to call you here is for this very reason," Dumbledore said.

At the same time, he pushed open the office door and gestured for Xiwen to sit down on the sofa inside.

Seeing that Xiwen was already sitting on the sofa, Dumbledore waved his wand and closed the door. He then sat down behind his desk and casually took a Cockroach Cluster from a drawer and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Do you want tea, coffee, or orange juice?" Dumbledore he chewed on Cockroach Cluster.

"Um, tea is fine," Xiwen said, while looking at Dumbledore with a strange expression as he ate the notoriously unpalatable snack with relish.

After Xiwen finished speaking, Dumbledore tapped a teapot with his wand, and steam from boiling water immediately rose from the spout.

After the water in the teapot boiled, it automatically tilted and poured a cup of fragrant tea into a teacup.

The cup of tea floated steadily to Xiwen's side, quietly reaching the perfect drinking temperature as it floated.

Xiwen took a small sip of tea, then looked at Dumbledore and asked with some confusion, "Professor, so why should we pay attention to Riddle?"

Dumbledore didn't answer Xiwen's question directly. Instead, he looked at Xiwen and asked in return, "Xiwen, what kind of person do you think Tom Riddle is?"

"I've only known him for a day, so I don't know him very well," Xiwen said softly, frowning. "But from what I've gathered so far, he seems talented, a quick learner, polite, and probably has good interpersonal skills. However, he can be impulsive at times and can be quite rough with his classmates."

"It seems you have a good impression of him?" Dumbledore asked with a light laugh.

"Yes, based on his usual behavior, I think it's hard for people not to like him," Xiwen nodded.

"Talented, quick learner, and with good interpersonal skills. Your assessment is spot on." Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head, saying to Xiwen. "Riddle is indeed a very promising young wizard, so we should guide him onto the right path!"

"Take the right path? You mean..." Xiwen vaguely sensed the implied meaning in Dumbledore's words and asked hesitantly.

"I delivered Tom Riddle's acceptance letter this summer," Dumbledore waved his hand, then said to Xiwen, "You should know he came from an orphanage, right?"

Xiwen nodded.

"Yes, I spoke with Mrs. Cole, the caretaker of Wool's Orphanage, about Tom Riddle. Mrs. Cole said Tom was a very unusual child, and that he had a special influence on the other children."

"When I met Tom, I learned from him that he had long been able to use his magical abilities in a crude and forceful manner. The special influence Tom had on the other children was probably achieved through his magical abilities."

"In addition, Tom also steals things from other orphans and keeps them like trophies in his wardrobe. I've warned him about this, but it hasn't had much effect."

Hearing Dumbledore recount Riddle's past in a Xiwen, he felt his understanding was greatly impacted.

On the surface, Riddle appears polite, gentle, and elegant, but secretly he's a bully and a habitual thief?

Xiwen slowly raised his head to look at Dumbledore, frowned, and asked, "So, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to guide him properly, Xiwen," Dumbledore said solemnly.