Riddle

Snape watched Dumbledore's face without giving anything away.

Now and then, a faint breeze slipped through the crack in the window, gently stirring the open pages on the desk.

Dumbledore soon sat back down in his chair.

Under the dim, wavering light of the office, he seemed a little older and more weary.

"Do you know what this name means?" Dumbledore was the first to break the silence.

"That is precisely what I wanted to ask you." Snape had long turned this question over in his heart.

"It seems I can find traces of him everywhere at Hogwarts."

He counted them off on his fingers.

"Recipient of the Special Award for Services to the School, prefect, Male Student Council President, Professor Slughorn's favorite, the Gamekeeper's enemy, and perhaps even the creator of the bathroom ghost?"

He paused for several seconds before continuing.

"A man so outstanding, who left Hogwarts with so many dazzling honors, chose Borgin and Bork, then even vanished without another word."

"What exactly did you learn from the Death Eaters, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Snape detected a trace of coldness in Dumbledore's gaze.

"Professor," Snape said, striving to keep his voice calm, "after that night on the Knight Bus, I suddenly recalled one day that Mulciber had once boasted to me by accident.

"He proudly told me that ever since his school days, his father had been Voldemort's most loyal servant, and that he himself was destined for a brilliant future."

Dumbledore continued to watch him without a word. Under that silent pressure, Snape had no choice but to continue.

"That gave me an idea. After term began, I kept looking into who the most outstanding students had been when Old Mulciber was at school.

"Among all the candidates, Riddle's brilliance was beyond anything anyone else could compare with.

"And, by coincidence, Riddle seemed to have lost his future, while Voldemort had no past."

"So, Professor, may I ask you a question?"

Snape spoke slowly.

"Is Tom Riddle Voldemort?"

Dumbledore straightened up, pressing the fingertips of both hands together in his usual pose.

"Truly remarkable," he said softly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone. "Severus, since you have traced it this far, even if I denied it, you would not believe me, would you?

"Tom could perhaps be called the most outstanding student in Hogwarts history. More than thirty years ago, I taught him at Hogwarts myself."

Dumbledore sank into his memories. His eyes grew somewhat distant, as though he had returned to that faraway time.

"Later, after leaving school, he vanished. He traveled everywhere, his footsteps reaching the ends of the earth, sinking ever deeper into the mire of Dark Magic and associating with the most wicked people in the Wizarding world.

"After many dangerous magical transformations, he finally reappeared as Voldemort. By then, people could barely recognize him.

"Hardly anyone would connect Voldemort with that clever, handsome Male Student Council President who had once studied here."

"So it really was him," Snape murmured. "Of all those paths, he chose the worst one."

He looked toward Dumbledore and saw the Headmaster smiling faintly.

"I am glad you made a different choice, but I hope you will not investigate any further.

"You are still a student, and you have not yet come of age. Learning and keeping yourself safe are your current tasks.

"Also, please do not tell anyone else about this. It may put them in danger."

"All right, sir. I will not. Thank you very much for your trust," Snape said, though his expression resembled that of a cow that had just listened to a concert.

Snape could not help yawning.

"It is getting late, Professor. Shall we leave it here for today?"

Dumbledore gave a slight nod. "Good night."

After leaving the Headmaster's office, Snape slowly descended the spiral staircase.

When he reached the statue, the monster leaped aside again, revealing the opening leading to the corridor.

The full moon shone through the corridor's tall windows, casting a band of silver light across the floor.

Snape had already stepped onto the stairs leading to the dungeons when he suddenly remembered the damage he had caused to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom during his fight with James. It was still a complete mess.

"Ah, I caused it myself. I should go take care of it."

He checked the Marauder's Map again to see whether anything was amiss.

After confirming that it was safe, Snape turned and went upstairs. Reaching Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, he stretched out his hand and pushed open the wooden door.

The sobbing inside abruptly stopped.

"Severus!"

Moaning Myrtle shot over to the door, crying out dramatically.

"You came back to see me so soon!"

"What?!"

Snape was so startled that he nearly drew his Wand at once.

"Er—yes, I came back. Moaning Myrtle, are you all right after being apart for such a short while?"

"Wonderful," Moaning Myrtle said, her face suddenly glowing. "I had been wondering whether you had tricked me again."

"Oh, I am terribly sorry for making such a mess of your bathroom tonight."

"It is all right," Moaning Myrtle said gently. "If it is you, I do not mind."

"Huh?"

At once, Snape had a very bad feeling and desperately wanted to leave.

He had no desire to share Ning Caichen's tastes.

If there was some secret deep in his heart that he did not want anyone to know, it was that he hoped to visit the forests of Albania and see whether he still had time to do something for Nagini.

"Wait, do not say anything."

Snape hurriedly waved his Wand and paced back and forth through the bathroom.

As flashes of light flickered past, the shattered pieces of glass damaged during his fight with James automatically reassembled into a complete mirror and returned above the stone sinks.

The twisted candle bracket returned to its original shape in midair and sprang back into place. The candle stubs flew back onto it, once more giving off their dim yellow light.

A large pile of broken porcelain fragments also repaired themselves into intact toilets.

Every damaged, torn, and split place in the room was restored with Reparo, while the stains on the floor and walls were automatically scrubbed clean.

"You are so thoughtful," Moaning Myrtle sniffed, looking as though she were about to cry. "I truly do not know how to thank you."

"There is no need," Snape said hurriedly. "I have to go. Goodbye."

"Can you stay here?" Moaning Myrtle said reluctantly. "I can give you all these stalls to use."

"That will not be necessary!" Snape bolted for the door. "No need to see me out!"

Snape yanked the bathroom's wooden door shut, finally letting out a breath of relief.

"What is all this? This is truly terrifying..."

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