Hogwarts: Hermione and I switched identities!

Hopefully, this cave will be safe.

……

Hogwarts.

Professor Snape received a letter that surprised him.

The person who sent the letter was none other than Tom Riddle.

Dear Professor Snape:

Hello, this is Tom. I wanted to tell you that I might be late for tomorrow's Sorting Ceremony. My good friend Hermione Granger seems to have been caught up in a wizarding conflict—I'm not sure, I just found traces of magic in her room.

I will handle this matter as quickly as possible. If possible, please speak to Professor Dumbledore. I do not want to be expelled on the first day of school.

Your sincere Tom Riddle

Snape clutched the envelope tightly in his hand, then hurried out and found the white-haired old man.

"Albus!"

"Severus?" Dumbledore opened his eyes, trying to pull himself together. "What's wrong?"

"See for yourself." Snape tossed the letter to Dumbledore.

After Dumbledore finished reading the letter, his weathered face showed a change in expression: "Severus, we need to keep Tom calm. The struggle between wizards is not something a little guy like him can handle."

"He's informing me!" Snape gritted his teeth and said viciously, "Tom is already on his way to find his friends! That stupid, foolish fellow! He thinks he's all that just because he's learned a few spells!"

Albus patted Snape on the shoulder: "Severus, calm down!"

We can still catch up now. Tom is just a minor wizard; he won't find Hermione in such a short time, right?

I'll go find Tom; you go help Hermione.

“No!” Snape refused. “I’m not good at finding people. You go find Hermione, and I’ll take that stupid guy back to school.”

After saying this, Snape didn't wait for Dumbledore to refuse, and quickly left with a flick of his long robe.

……

"Sir, are you sure you want to get off here? There are ruins ahead."

Tom grinned. "Yes, I had a pet when I was a kid. The little guy left me when I was eight. I remember burying it there. Thank you."

"Do you need me to wait for you, sir?" The driver glanced at Tom with some unease.

"No need, my aunt lives nearby. I'll stay with her for the night. Hope you're happy, sir."

I might use a lot of magic in a moment, and it wouldn't be good if a Muggle saw it.

Tom watched the car drive away before turning and walking into the dense forest.

He was well-prepared—Tom was wearing a thick cotton coat, with a pink down jacket tucked between his elbows—which he had taken from Hermione's closet.

Walking through the dense forest, Tom followed a dark green trail.

In less than half an hour, the dark green stain disappeared, and Tom drank another bottle of potion.

That's a "tracking potion," a potion I read about in an extracurricular book. If you add the hair of the person you want to track, you can see their footprints, which are those dark green marks.

Tom followed Hermione's footsteps and soon saw a large group of trolls.

With his head held high and chest puffed out, Tom pretended not to see the troll.

The trolls are too stupid to see Tom – after all, they are so dumb and their eyesight is so weak that Tom only needs to pick two big leaves to cover himself, and they will obediently leave without ever wondering why a leaf can move.

madness.

After walking for more than ten minutes, the footprints stopped, and the road ahead was blocked by a huge rock. There were still many traces of giant monsters trampling on the soft soil in front of the cave entrance.

A softening spell?

Hermione is really clever. She probably used a softening spell to stop the giants from moving, and then used a levitation spell to seal the cave.

But there is a problem.

Tom moved his foot away, and the tiny white spiders crawled from in front of him toward the cave.

Tom remembered that these little spiders were also a kind of magical creature, but he forgot what their specific name was.

However, they only appear in one place—near the nest of the giant eight-eyed spider.

Hagrid also has an eight-eyed giant spider in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. That creature is cruel by nature and its favorite food is humans.

Using the Levitation Charm to move the boulder aside, Tom was able to see the scene inside the cave by the light of the setting sun.

Hermione covered her mouth tightly, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

Three giant eight-eyed spiders crawled on the wall, their eyes gleaming white—they were as big as horses that could pull a carriage!

Hermes felt the boulder move, and she whirled around to look back, waving her wand at the same time.

Hermione hadn't expected Tom to come, given the hordes of monsters outside; in that instant, she had already prepared her last words.

But standing in front of him was just a boy, a little taller and stronger than himself, wearing a cotton-padded coat and holding a pink down jacket.

The boy handed the pink fleece jacket to Hermione and draped it over her shoulders.

This was the first time Hermione had ever looked at the boy so seriously. She had seen him in the mirror many times before, but never with this level of seriousness.

“Tom?” Hermione’s lips were chapped from prolonged thirst. She moved her lips slightly. “You…”

“Hello Hermione, nice to meet you.” Tom grinned and greeted her. “I bet you’ve read that book, ‘Fantastic Beasts of Borneo,’ which mentions these giant spiders. If their eyes are white, it means the spiders are blind. You’re clever; you’ve covered your scent with mud.”

"But you haven't been to Diagon Alley, because if it were me, I would definitely try to collect their venom. The venom of these giant spiders can be sold for 100 Galleons for just one pint, and many powerful potions use this venom."

The conversation between the two attracted the attention of the giant spiders, and the three giant spiders moved at the same time, pointing their eight large eyes at Tom.

"You idiot, run!" Hermione grabbed Tom's hand and tried to run outside—but she underestimated Tom's strength; she couldn't pull him.

At the same time, Hermione underestimated Tom's abilities.

"Relax, relax. These giant spiders are terrified of fire. Think about that book you read... 'The Blazing Flame and the Use of the Fire-Starting Spell.' There's a method in it to intensify the flames."

Chapter 16 Snape really liked Tom Riddle

Tom must be crazy!

That's what Hermione thinks.

The giant spider opened its mouth, and a foul, fishy smell gushed out as it sprayed jet-black venom at them.

Hermione only saw Tom wave his wand once, without chanting any spells, and the venom flew into the air.

Silent spellcasting!

Hermione's eyes widened.

"The Levitation Charm is a very magical spell. If you study the Levitation Charm properly, you can achieve this level of skill. However, if a skilled wizard has already made these giant spiders fly, I am still a bit lacking."

"Never mind those things for now!" Hermione pointed at the giant spiders ahead. "They're coming!"

Fire-starting spell, flames roar!

Using both spells together, Tom thrusts his wand forward.

"Boom—!!!" A huge flame erupted from the tip of the wand, piercing through the giant spiders and instantly piercing their bodies.

The remaining embers burned the giant spider's corpse to ashes, leaving not even a trace.

Hermione's mouth slowly opened wide as she stared at Tom in disbelief: "You...when did you start learning magic, Tom? You're actually an Auror, aren't you? I've never seen a first-year student—no, not even a seventh-year student—do this much!"

Tom was startled and looked at the wand in his hand.

That magic just now wasn't used by me.

The flames were more intense and hotter than his.

Tom sniffed the air; there was a faint scent of licorice, a smell that only people who had been in contact with potion ingredients for a long time would have.

Professor Snape?

Professor Snape must have been standing right next to me, using magic to kill those giant spiders.

Professor Snape was really something, using an invisibility charm to hide, as if he wasn't trying to hide anything...

Tom pursed his lips.

Hermione has seen you too, hiding won't help.

“Let’s go. I was going to invite you to school with me, but I didn’t get a reply. I only found out what happened when I got to your house.” Tom naturally took Hermione’s hand and they left the cave together.

"Wait! I remember reading in a book that the eight-eyed giant spiders were bred by wizards, who usually used them to guard very important treasures, perhaps..."

"Don't think like that." Tom tapped Hermione on the head. "Know when to stop. You're lucky you're all out of the woods. Stop being so curious."

Hermione's curiosity is even greater than a cat's.

Having barely escaped with their lives, they still want to crawl inside.

Tom and Hermione hurriedly left.

They've already gotten enough benefits; the venom collected from the giant spider can fetch at least 150 Galleons. As for the treasures, let's leave them to Professor Snape who's hiding in the sidelines.

As they left the dense forest, Tom and his companion did not encounter another giant.

Hermione wrapped herself tighter, exhaling a puff of white mist. She followed behind Tom, her eyes fixed on his little braids tied behind his head: "Tom, how did you know I was here?"

“A magic potion; I put your hair in it, and you can see footprints.”

"Looks like I should spend more time in the library. By the way, where are we staying tonight?"

It's impossible for them to go home now; they can't possibly walk back.

Hermione had no idea where she was; she had simply gotten into the car, taken a nap, and woke up to find herself in this dense forest.

"How about Leaky Cauldron? I'm catching the train early tomorrow morning, have you packed everything?"

Hermione lifted the box in her hand to indicate that there was no problem.

Tom turned around, intending to ask Professor Snape for help, but the cave had been cleared clean and there was no sound inside. A solid boulder blocked the entrance.

Are you really suggesting we find a way to get to Leaky Cauldron?

"Professor Snape, are you there?" Tom asked in a low voice.