Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

"My lord! You must do me justice!"

Inside the principal's office.

John clung to Dumbledore's arm, weeping and recounting his grievances.

Dumbledore was also in a real bind.

Who would have thought that someone would get into trouble, be caught by Professor McGonagall, and then have the nerve to come to him crying and complaining, and even eat the last lemon sorbet in his drawer.

"Ahem...Minerva must have her reasons for doing this. Just behave yourself for a week and don't cause any trouble..."

Dumbledore shook his head helplessly.

Just then, Professor Snape arrived.

As soon as he entered, he saw John clinging to Dumbledore's arm like a leech. He clicked his tongue in disgust before looking at Dumbledore.

"Mr. Potter just contacted me, saying he wants to practice Occlumency again. What do you think?"

"That's great!"

Before Dumbledore could answer, John preemptively replied.

However, he shut up after being glared at by Professor Snape.

Dumbledore smiled slightly and nodded.

At the end of last semester, Professor Snape came to tell him that Harry couldn't keep up with his studies, had a fight with him, and was no longer studying.

It seems that the incident with Mr. Weasley has made him realize something again.

"Then keep teaching him, Severus. A little more patience with him won't hurt."

"Hmph... The Dark Lord won't be so leisurely."

Professor Snape scoffed at Dumbledore's words and turned to leave.

John watched Professor Snape leave before releasing Dumbledore and asking curiously.

"Both the Mysterious Man and the Dark Lord, Voldemort has so many nicknames. No, Voldemort is a nickname too."

Hearing John's words, Dumbledore blinked and looked at him, asking a question.

"You know Voldemort's real name now?"

"Well, Sirius told me his name is Tom Riddle, right?"

John nodded, sat back down at his desk, and continued speaking.

"Actually, I came here today to learn more about Voldemort."

"I always hear you talk about him, but it's like I've never really understood him."

Dumbledore looked at John, smiled slightly, and continued to ask.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in Voldemort?"

"I can't be completely ignorant of my future opponents, can I?"

John shrugged and said, "It's undeniable."

"When I went to St. Mungo, I met Neville's parents there..."

At this point, Dumbledore naturally understood what was going on.

He had previously hoped that John could shoulder some of the burden in the fight against Voldemort and become Harry's ally.

But John had always remained indifferent; although he hadn't refused, he had never shown the enthusiasm he displayed today.

Unexpectedly, after visiting Neville's parents, the fire in his heart was completely ignited.

Judging from his past behavior, John should be someone who can't stand to see others suffer.

They always find themselves standing up for others without even realizing it.

Dumbledore nodded gently and slowly rose to his feet.

"Alright, let me take you through Tom's background from the beginning."

He beckoned to John, and the two of them went together to the Pensieve in the corner of the office.

Then he took out a small bottle sealed with silver threads from the cabinet and poured it into the Pensieve.

This was the first time John had ever witnessed the Pensieve in operation.

The already shimmering water surface rippled after the silver thread sank in, as if some fragmented images could be seen.

"Put your face in, John."

John was taken aback upon hearing this. He looked at Dumbledore's serious expression and then at the shimmering water.

I obediently bent down and brought my face close to the water's surface.

As soon as his face went into the water, he lost consciousness instantly.

The surrounding scenery blurred like ink, eventually transforming into an unfamiliar Muggle street.

An orphanage suddenly appeared before my eyes.

John was stunned by the scene around him, wondering how he had suddenly been teleported here.

Is that Pensieve a teleportation portal?

Just as he was wondering, a figure holding an umbrella suddenly bumped into him and headed straight for the orphanage.

John was startled again. Had that person just passed through my body?

Looking down, he realized he didn't have a body at all; he was just a consciousness floating in mid-air.

He also uncontrollably followed the person in front of him into the orphanage.

John didn't recognize the man until he put down his umbrella and took off his hat. He realized that the man was Dumbledore, and that he looked decades younger.

John immediately understood.

This was actually a flashback of Dumbledore's memories.

The memory continues as Dumbledore, having entered the orphanage, is led upstairs by his teacher.

"To be honest, I am quite surprised by your visit, Mr. Dumbledore."

"Since Mrs. Melop gave birth to Tom, not a single relative has visited him in all these years."

The teacher led the way while politely chatting with Dumbledore.

John also heard Voldemort's name from her words.

"To be honest, that kid was a bit... weird, it sent chills down my spine."

"Nobody wants to be his friend because he's always doing dangerous things."

When they reached the corner on the second floor, the teacher hesitated and spoke to Dumbledore with lingering fear.

It seemed they were afraid the strange child would frighten Dumbledore.

Dumbledore didn't mind, and simply asked his teacher to lead the way. They then went together to Tom's room.

The door was ajar, and a pale-faced boy sat alone by the window, staring blankly at the rain outside.

On his desk sat an open diary, on the windowsill were seven stones of different shapes but similar sizes, and on the nearby external heating pipe was a yellowed old photograph.

"Hello, Tom."

Dumbledore gently knocked on the doorframe.

Tom slowly turned his head, his dark eyes like two deep wells, devoid of any emotion.

Huh? Tom wasn't ugly when he was a child, and he even had hair.

How come it's so different from what Harry described?

John scratched his non-existent head with an imaginary hand, staring at the Tom in Dumbledore's memory with a puzzled look.

Tom stared intently at Dumbledore, as if assessing the man's identity.

Seeing that Tom didn't speak, Dumbledore, regardless of whether he agreed or not, went straight into the room and sat on the edge of Tom's bed.

Tom's face showed a hint of disgust at this uninvited intruder.

"I don't need a psychiatrist."

Tom looked at Dumbledore and said in a very cold tone.

"No, Tom, I'm not a doctor."

"In fact, I am a professor."

Dumbledore gently folded his hands on his knees and looked at Tom as he spoke slowly.

Tom frowned, his tone remaining indifferent.

"I don't believe it. You always send strange people to test me."

"I am not sick, and I don't need a doctor."

Dumbledore did not refute these words, but nodded.

"I know that, so I'm not here to treat your illness, but to invite you to enroll."