Old News

"No, I still have some things to take care of."

Under the setting sun, Aber's face seemed flushed.

After parting with Aber, Snape hurried to the library on the fifth floor of Hogwarts Castle. In just over an hour, the library would close.

"Hello, Madam Pince."

Snape spent quite some effort finding Irma Pince, who was sweeping dust in a narrow aisle between the bookshelves.

"What do you need, child?"

"I'd like to know where the Daily Prophet from 1940 to 1950 is kept," Snape said.

"Follow me." Madam Pince draped the feather duster over her arm and led Snape through the shelves.

They reached a corner deep in the library. Madam Pince pointed to a neatly stacked pile of newspapers and said:

"Here it is, the entire 1940s Daily Prophet. Remember to put them back when you're done, or you know what will happen."

After thanking Madam Pince, Snape quickly moved a large stack of newspapers to a desk and began flipping through the issues arranged by date.

The light outside the window had dimmed, and the candles in protective covers on the desk lit up.

Finally, in the June 15, 1943 issue of the Daily Prophet, he spotted an article—

"'Hogwarts Shocked by Bizarre Murder, Chamber of Secrets Panic Spreads':

Investigations continue into the mysterious death at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on June 13. It is reported that several students had previously been injured in mysterious attacks.

Headmaster Armando Dippet stated that the victim died in a freak accident and dismissed rumors of a monster in the Chamber of Secrets as baseless. He added that the school had strengthened security measures and would do its utmost to ensure student safety.

However, Cassius Malfoy, a member of the school's Board of Governors, revealed that all victims so far have been Muggle-born witches and wizards.

'I do not wish to blame the Headmaster or the school's policies,' Mr. Malfoy told this reporter, 'but for the safety of all students, unless the perpetrator of these attacks is caught, the Board will consider closing the school if necessary.'

Reliable sources indicate that the Ministry of Magic has dispatched officials to the school to assist in the investigation.

This newspaper reminds all readers to take care of their safety.

May this poor girl rest in peace in the next world."

Snape continued flipping through the remaining newspapers.

In the June 22 issue of the Daily Prophet, he found the follow-up story:

"Investigation reveals that the culprit behind the 'Hogwarts Serial Attacks' was a 'Giant Spider.'

A fifth-year Slytherin student, for their outstanding role in resolving the incident and their 'extraordinary courage and wisdom,' has been awarded the 'Special Award for Services to the School.'

Meanwhile, the Ministry and the school have confirmed that the student responsible for the incident has been formally expelled, and their wand destroyed on the spot."

This was exactly what Snape was looking for.

He quietly slipped a few pages of the old newspapers into his robes, then gathered and returned the other newspapers to their place.

Just then, Madam Pince's magically amplified voice echoed through the entire library.

"Time's almost up! Pack your things and leave the library within five minutes."

At exactly eight o'clock, Madam Pince turned off all the lights and shooed the students out of the library.

The crowd streaming out of the library was mostly Ravenclaw students. Among them, Snape spotted Gilderoy Lockhart, small in stature with a head of golden curls.

Back in the dormitory under the lake, Snape read a bit of Mastering Potions before going to sleep.

By the time he drifted off into a daze, Aber still hadn't returned.

In the Potions classes later that week, Slughorn heaped praise on Snape's abilities.

He said that in all his years, he had rarely encountered a student with more talent in potion-making than Snape.

So, after the fourth Potions class, Snape told Aber to go on ahead while he deliberately dawdled in packing his bag.

Finally, only he and Slughorn remained in the classroom.

"Professor, I'm curious—where do the more talented students you've taught in the past work now? I'd love to meet one."

"Ah, I don't know where he is now," Slughorn said with a regretful expression. "Many years ago, I tried to recommend him to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but he turned me down.

"I really don't understand why he chose to work as a shop assistant at Borgin and Burkes. I haven't heard anything about him in years."

"Borgin and Burkes?" Snape's eyes widened, his voice tinged with surprise. "Isn't that a Dark Magic shop in Knockturn Alley?"

"That's right, such a pity," Slughorn said, packing up his things and heading out of the classroom. "Such a talented young man.

"Well, Severus, see you on Saturday. Make sure to bring Aber along."

"Professor," Snape called after Slughorn's retreating figure, "what was his name?"

"What? Oh, all right. His name was Tom Riddle."

At noon on Saturday, Snape shared his findings with Aber.

Though he didn't want to drag his friend into danger, some indescribable impulse drove him not to keep it from Aber.

"So, just like you, Riddle was once Old Sluggy's favorite?"

Aber was writing an essay titled The Principles of Ghost Manifestation without lifting his head.

"Keep your voice down," Snape said quickly, worried that the name might cause trouble for Aber. "Consider it a favor from a friend—don't mention his name, alright?"

"But this isn't—"

"I know it's not that name you can't say, but take this as my unreasonable request. From now on, call him Little Tom," Snape added. "After all, I don't want another competitor on the road to becoming Student Council President."

"Fine." Though Aber didn't look convinced, he agreed. "Let me see your essay—it's giving me a headache."

Snape pulled a roll of parchment from his bag and handed it to Aber, then buried himself in writing his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework.

The free periods in sixth year weren't at all the freewheeling time Snape and Aber had hoped for; instead, they were mostly spent struggling to finish the mountain of assignments the teachers had piled on.

Even though everyone complained about the workload, every teacher kept insisting that their own homework would only take a few hours to complete—as if students could use the same block of time to finish multiple assignments at once.

By dinnertime, Snape had only gotten through about half his work.

"Maybe we should do this tomorrow," he said, putting down his quill and turning to Aber. "Slughorn's party is about to start."