Hogwarts: I, Tom, am not the Dark Lord

In the wizarding world, as long as one's strength does not reach the level of Dumbledore or Voldemort, the number of family members represents strength and deterrence, similar to the ancient agricultural society, where there is strength in numbers.

Just two adults can easily wreck their entire family by angering a few dark wizards.

It’s not impossible for Tom Riddle to make a cameo appearance.

"By the way, what's your name?" Tom thought the man was quite perceptive and asked casually.

The student who reported the news quickly introduced himself: "Marcel Nott, fourth grader."

"Nott? You and..." Tom was a little suspicious.

Marcel smiled sheepishly, "Casare is my unsatisfactory 207 cousin."

Tom nodded in understanding, but became even more curious. "Since you are his cousin, then you should know what happened in our dormitory."

He thought it was normal for a child to complain to adults and his brother. Logically, Casare would definitely go to his cousin to complain, but he did not wait for the other party to come and cause trouble for him.

Not only that, but he even took the initiative to show goodwill to me today, which was really weird.

Marcel obviously understood Tom's confusion and smiled carefreely, "Actually, Casare did come to me and wanted me to teach you a lesson, but I refused."

"It's not nice to hear about older students bullying younger ones. He has much better conditions than you do. It's not like his family didn't teach him magic beforehand, but he just doesn't strive for excellence and doesn't put his heart into his studies."

"Besides, it was Casare who provoked you. Since you've made the choice, you must bear the consequences. The sooner you understand this principle, the better, so you don't end up regretting it later if you provoke someone you can't afford to offend. That's why I ignored it and just treated it as a lesson for him."

Tom now looked at Marcel with a new respect.

Having a clear mind is more valuable than reckless strength. Marcel is a typical Slytherin, calm to the point of being cold-blooded, and shrewdly calculating the gains and losses.

"You're fine, Marcel."

Tom winked. "Hopefully I'll have good news from you on Monday."

Tom didn't believe that such an ambitious person would not compete for the position of invisible prefect, especially since he was already in the fourth grade. Next year, the fifth grade would elect a formal prefect, and it was very likely that the invisible prefect would be in line for the position.

"I will work hard."

Marcel answered very modestly, because he really wanted to improve.

Looking at Tom's leaving back, Marcel's eyes burned with fire.

The Nott family's ancestral motto is to follow the power. In the previous generation, they made a mistake, chose the wrong side, and paid a heavy price for it.

His parents are still imprisoned in Azkaban.

Marcel knew that he didn't have the potential to become the strongest, so he was waiting for such a person to appear.

Now it seemed that Tom Riddle might be the one he was waiting for.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Marcel will immediately bow down to Tom. He is only in the first grade, and defeating a few students only shows that Tom has potential. However, people with potential only appear once every few years, and very few can make it to the end.

He just came here to build good relationships in advance, and it wouldn't be too late to make a final statement when Tom really rises.

This may not maximize the benefits, but it is definitely the safest choice.

As long as the family continues to stand on the side of "justice", it will one day prosper.

at the same time.

Principal's office.

Snape rarely shows up uninvited. He has to have a serious discussion with Dumbledore about the Riddle issue.

Chapter 53: Dumbledore's Trust, the Most Unpopular Headmaster in History

Principal's office.

Snape's arrival broke the tranquility of the early morning. The portraits of past headmasters were awakened by him, and they were all curious about Snape's purpose in coming.

You know, every time Snape came to see Dumbledore, he talked about news about Voldemort.

These principals have nothing to do every day, hoping something will happen to add some fun to their boring lives.

Well, in the eyes of the portraits of all the headmasters, Voldemort is just a joke.

Anyway, they are basically all dead (except the former headmaster Armando Dippet). Even if Voldemort is so powerful, can he resurrect them and kill them again?

The room was very quiet, but Snape, sitting on the sofa, felt that he was being watched by many people.

He also knew where these voyeuristic feelings came from and didn't care.

There really is nothing much to say to a group of portraits. There is no point in winning the argument, and it is even more embarrassing to lose.

The most important thing is... he was young and hot-headed. Once he couldn't help but quarrel with these old people. He was scolded so badly.

Click!

Just as Snape was recalling that torturous experience, the sound of a door opening upstairs was heard, and Dumbledore appeared. The old man was wearing a bathrobe and walked briskly down the spiral staircase.

"Severus, please forgive the unstable sleep of an old man. I was so worried about choosing a chamber pot last night that I finally chose one at dawn and slept contentedly."

As he spoke, Dumbledore had already sat behind the headmaster's desk.

Snape's face darkened.

This was why he didn't like talking to Dumbledore. He was obviously an extremely wise old man, but he always liked to disguise himself with this slightly crazy attitude and talk about some...disgusting topics.

What made him even more uncomfortable was yet to come.

Dumbledore swept his right hand across the table, and immediately honey water, bread, sausages, and a plate of cockroaches appeared on the table, as if they had always been there.

After taking a sip of honey water and biting off the head of a cockroach pile, Dumbledore warmly invited, "Severus, have you eaten? Would you like to have some with us?"

"Thank you, I've already eaten and I'm very full." Snape closed his eyes to avoid looking at the disgusting pile of cockroaches.

Dogs won’t eat this stuff!

If he had the chance, he really wanted to catch a few real cockroaches and put them among this group of cockroaches without anyone noticing, to see how Dumbledore would react after eating them.

"Well... okay then."

Seeing this, Dumbledore didn't force it, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Is such that..."

Dumbledore was eating his breakfast while Snape was talking about what happened in the Slytherin dormitory last night.

From the provocations of Goyle and Malfoy, to Tom's subsequent actions, followed by the challenge to the prefects, the proposal of the invisible prefect system, and the consecutive defeats of all the prefects...even after he left, Snape knew all the rules that Tom mentioned in his arrangements.

Dumbledore's expression didn't change, and he nodded from time to time.

But his eating speed gradually slowed down. When Snape finished speaking, he drank the last sip of honey water and took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth.

"Severus, what are you trying to say?"

Dumbledore raised his head slightly, met Snape's serious gaze, and asked softly, "Are you trying to tell me that Slytherin has another outstanding student? Then I must congratulate you."

"Are you still pretending to be confused at this time?"

Snape suppressed his anger and frowned fiercely, "Don't tell me you can't see what's wrong. Riddle is too weird!"

"All told, from the time you met him until today, he's only been exposed to magic for two months. What were you doing during those two months?"

"Me?" Dumbledore blinked and actually began to think seriously, with a look of reminiscence in his eyes.

"To be honest, I'm luckier than Riddle because I have a wizard father, so I've been exposed to magic since I was seven years old. But two months later, I can only do simple animal transformations. Compared to Riddle, I'm really too bad."

What the hell!

Snape's temple throbbed.

I want you to understand the seriousness of the matter, not to show off to me!

At seven years old, you learned animal transformations in two months, and you're still not satisfied? That's something you should only learn in fourth or fifth grade!

"Dumbledore, I have no interest in your talent or glorious history. Even if Riddle is as talented as you, as you said, you have the guidance of your elders. Who does he have? The first-year courses taught by us teachers have enabled him to grow to this level."

"Do you think it's right?"

"I suspect Riddle has a secret. Such strength is too abnormal. Is he really not related to the mysterious man?"

"That's the magic of magic, isn't it?"

Dumbledore said something that made Snape vomit blood. Fortunately, Dumbledore knew when to stop. If he continued to tease, Dumbledore was afraid that Snape would get angry and pull out his wand, and he would be beaten again...

"Severus," the old man said solemnly, "some people appear to be geniuses, and indeed they are geniuses, but we cannot deny a person's efforts simply because he is called a 'genius'."

"In fact, in places you can't see, they have made a lot of efforts that ordinary people can hardly imagine."

"I've heard more than once that Mr. Riddle is still diligently reading books in the library late at night. Honestly, such perseverance is even more rare than his talent. So, although his current situation is beyond my expectations, it is actually reasonable."

Snape nodded subconsciously.

I go to the library to read books late at night. I work so hard, it would be strange if I didn’t succeed... Bullshit!

Isn’t that a night tour?!

He almost didn't realize Dumbledore's hidden meaning, and immediately flashed to follow the group: "Riddle dared to go out at night? From what you said, it's not the first time or the second time. Dumbledore, you can punish him as you like, whether it's detention or a serious warning. I agree. Forget about the deduction of points. Riddle is very active in class. The deduction of points can be made up in a few strokes. It won't serve as a warning."

Thinking back to when he wanted to put Tom in detention in the office and the other party refused to listen, Snape was filled with anger.

This time it’s Dumbledore’s turn. I wonder if you dare to resist.

Dumbledore was also confused by Snape's "fairness" and blinked in confusion.

Is this still the most protective director of the Snake Academy? Is there something wrong?

"Let's forget about the punishment. You know the unspoken rules of the school. Unless you have evidence of students violating the rules, you can't punish them arbitrarily. Besides, I used some dishonorable means..."

"Anyway..."

Dumbledore's expression grew serious. "There is nothing wrong with Mr. Tom Riddle's identity, nor is he a pawn in the hands of 'Tom'. He is simply a student with sufficient talent and who works even harder."

"Besides..."

As he spoke, a look of sadness appeared in the old man's eyes again.

"In fact, I once met a genius like him. That child had never been exposed to magic before adulthood, but after being exposed to it, he had the power to blow up mountains in a short period of time. Later, he was even able to fight with me."