Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 24 Riddle

Snape stared at Dumbledore's face without changing his expression.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze would slip in through the crack in the window, softly ruffling the pages of the open book on the table.

Dumbledore quickly sat back down in his chair.

Bathed in the dim, flickering light of the office, he appeared to have aged and looked even more tired.

"Do you know what this name means?" Dumbledore broke the silence first.

“That’s exactly the question I wanted to ask you.” Snape had already pondered this question in his mind.

“I seem to find traces of him everywhere at Hogwarts.”

He counted on his fingers.

"The recipient of the 'Special Contribution to the School Award,' the prefect, the president of the boys' council, Professor Slughorn's favorite, the hunting ground guard's enemy, and perhaps even the creator of the vengeful spirits in the washroom?"

He paused for a few seconds, then continued:

"Such an outstanding person, leaving Hogwarts with so many dazzling halos, chose Borgin Burke, and then disappeared without a trace."

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

Whether it was a misperception or not, Snape sensed a hint of coldness in Dumbledore's gaze.

“Professor,” Snape tried to keep his voice calm, “one day after that night on the Knight Bus, I suddenly remembered that Muller had inadvertently boasted to me about it.”

"He told me proudly that his father had been Voldemort's most loyal servant since his student days, and that he was destined for great things."

Dumbledore remained silent as he looked at Snape, and under the pressure of the silence, Snape had no choice but to continue.

"This gave me some inspiration, and after the start of the semester, I kept looking into who the best students were when old Moorselber was studying."

"Of all the candidates, Riddle's aura is unmatched by anyone else."

"Coincidentally, Riddle seems to have lost his future, while Voldemort has no past."

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

Snape said slowly.

Is Tom Riddle Voldemort?

Dumbledore sat up straight, his fingertips touching, a posture he always adopted.

“That’s remarkable,” he said softly, with a hint of helplessness in his voice. “Severus, since you’ve managed to trace it back this far, even if I deny it, you won’t believe me, right?”
"Tom is probably the most outstanding student Hogwarts has ever had. I taught him myself at Hogwarts more than 30 years ago."

Dumbledore was lost in his memories, his eyes becoming somewhat unfocused, as if he had returned to that distant time.

"Later, he disappeared after leaving school, wandering around the world, his footprints reaching the ends of the earth, sinking deeper and deeper into the quagmire of dark magic, mingling among the most evil guys in the wizarding world."

"After many dangerous magical transformations, he finally reappeared as Voldemort. By then, he was almost unrecognizable."

"Almost no one would associate Voldemort with that smart, handsome male student council president who once studied here."

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

He turned his gaze to Dumbledore, who was smiling faintly.

“I’m glad you made a different choice, but I hope you won’t investigate any further.”

"You are a student now, and you are not yet an adult. Your current task is to learn knowledge and protect yourself."

"Also, please don't tell anyone else about this, as it could put them in danger."

“Yes, sir, I won’t. Thank you very much for your trust,” Snape said, though his expression resembled that of a bull that had just finished listening to a performance.

Snape couldn't help but yawn.

"It's getting late, Professor. How about we call it a day?"

Dumbledore nodded slightly: "Good night."

After leaving the headmaster's office, Snape slowly descended the spiral staircase. As he reached the statue, the monster jumped aside again, revealing a gap leading to the corridor.

The light of the full moon shone through the high windows of the corridor, casting a silvery band of light on the floor.

Snape had already stepped onto the stairs leading to the basement, but suddenly he remembered the damage he had caused to Myrtle's bathroom during his fight with James, which was still in a mess.

"Sigh, this is all my own doing. I should still go."

He checked the Marauder's Map again to see if there was anything unusual.

After confirming that it was safe, Snape turned and went upstairs to Myrtle's bathroom, where he reached out and pushed open the wooden door.

The sobbing inside suddenly stopped.

"Severus!"

Myrtle floated to the door in a flash and shouted dramatically.

"You've come back to see me so soon!"

"what?!"

Snape was so startled he almost pulled out his wand.

"Uh—yes, I'm back again. Myrtle, how have you been all this time?"

“Excellent,” Myrtle’s face suddenly lit up. “I was wondering if you were lying to me again.”

"Oh, I'm so sorry for making such a mess of your bathroom tonight."

“It’s alright,” Myrtle said gently. “If it were you, I wouldn’t mind.”

"what?"

Snape immediately had a bad feeling and wished he could leave as soon as possible.

He had no desire to be Ning Caichen's acquaintance.

If there was any secret he didn't want anyone to know, it was that he wanted to go to the Albanian forests to see if he could still do something for Nagini.

"Wait, don't say anything."

Snape hurriedly waved his wand and paced back and forth in the bathroom.

As flashes of light appeared, the shards of glass that had been destroyed during his fight with James automatically pieced together to form a complete mirror, which then returned to the top of the stone pool.

The twisted candlestick stand straightened in mid-air and bounced back to its original position. The candle stub flew back up and emitted a dim yellow light once more.

A large number of broken porcelain shards were automatically repaired into a perfectly functional toilet.

All the damaged, torn, and gaping parts of the room were restored to their original condition, and the stains on the floor and walls were automatically wiped clean.

“You’re so kind,” Myrtle sniffed, looking like she was about to cry. “I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“No need,” Snape said hastily. “I have to go. Goodbye.”

"Can you stay here?" Myrtle asked reluctantly. "I can let you use all these cubicles."

"No need!" Snape turned and ran towards the door. "No need to see me off!"

Snape finally breathed a sigh of relief as he slammed the wooden door to the bathroom shut.

"What kind of thing is this? It's terrifying..."

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(End of this chapter)