Tom didn't refuse. Instead, he spoke with ease, "Lately I've been feeling a little lonely, so I decided to follow the advice you gave me before term started, Professor — I'm going to get a pet."

"So you set your sights on a unicorn?" Dumbledore's lips twitched, and the others' eyelids spasmed wildly.

Even if unicorns weren't particularly aggressive, they were still highly magical creatures. No matter how you looked at it, they were not suitable pets!

"You're truly perceptive, Professor."

"Please, the main point," Dumbledore reminded him with a trace of exasperation.

"Alright, the main point is… I was worried my pet might be harmed by other magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest, so I placed a trigger-warning charm on them. Tonight, I'd just laid down in bed and was about to sleep when the charm went off. I rushed over and saw a hooded figure trying to kill my horse."

"And then… we fought."

When Tom suddenly fell silent, Dumbledore gave him a curious look. "Please continue, Mr. Riddle."

Tom shrugged helplessly. "That's all."

"The details of the fight, Mr. Riddle?" Dumbledore rubbed his temples, now fully awake.

Exhausting — truly exhausting.

Tom then gave a quick, simplified account of the battle.

He knocked the hooded man to the ground, the hooded man went into a frenzy, Tom went into a frenzy, and then… the hooded man lost.

Light flickered in Dumbledore's eyes. "Mr. Riddle, you're certain his strength changed that drastically?"

"Absolutely certain," Tom said solemnly. "Before, it felt like I was facing an ordinary wizard — I could handle him however I wanted. But afterwards… he became the messenger of Death itself."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, murmuring something so softly it was almost inaudible.

"Truly bold… Tom."

And here, "Tom" did not mean the boy sitting in front of him.

"And you three — anything to add?" Dumbledore looked at Harry and the others.

"Like a snake, Professor," Harry said, shuddering at the memory of the eerie scene. "When he escaped, he slithered away like a snake — as if all the bones in his body had vanished."

"Very useful information." Dumbledore nodded. "You've all been through enough tonight. I imagine you need rest. Off to bed now."

"You too," Hagrid said to Dumbledore, waving for Harry and Ron to follow him.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Riddle."

Tom was just about to step outside when Dumbledore, already halfway up the stairs, suddenly called out.

"I recall saying at the Opening Feast that students are not permitted in the Forbidden Forest. Quite clearly, you've violated multiple school rules tonight."

"Professor, it was an emergency," Tom sighed. "My pet was in danger — surely you can understand?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Of course I understand. But the Headmaster's position does not. Therefore… Slytherin loses one hundred points. Good night, Mr. Riddle."

With that, Dumbledore hummed a jaunty tune and disappeared into his bedroom.

Tom spat toward the door before leaving.

Pah!

Old bumblebee!

Clearly, he just couldn't stand seeing Slytherin ahead by such a wide margin. Even if he awarded points to Gryffindor, they wouldn't catch up — so he had to invent some excuse.

Let's see who wins in the end, old man.

…

The next morning, Slytherin students walking into the Entrance Hall thought they were dreaming.

They had been a hundred and fifty points ahead of Ravenclaw the night before, but now… somehow, overnight, they'd lost a hundred points and were ahead by only fifty.

"Stop staring. I was caught wandering at night by the Headmaster. He took the points."

The little snakes turned to glare — but then saw who it was and instantly calmed down.

It was Tom. Oh, well, that was fine.

"Just be more careful next time." Burke gave an awkward grin, his anger vanishing. "By the way, I know a few hidden paths into the Forbidden Forest. I'll draw you a map later — you'll never get caught."

Harry, passing by, nearly dropped his jaw.

Slytherin… was that united?

When he'd lost a hundred points for Gryffindor, he'd become public enemy number one. Even his Quidditch teammates refused to say his name, calling him only "the Seeker."

But Tom? They were all so understanding?

For the first time in his life, Harry regretted not listening to the Sorting Hat's suggestion to join Slytherin.

Apart from those few unpleasant types, the others seemed… actually pretty nice.

…

Crossing the Entrance Hall into the Great Hall, Tom's eyes went straight to the staff table — sure enough, Quirrell's seat was empty.

He stopped paying attention and sat down beside Daphne to eat breakfast.

From the head table, Snape's cold gaze sliced toward Tom like a knife — but failed to pierce even the outermost layer of his composure.

Before Tom could make it to his first class, Snape blocked his way.

"What exactly did you do?" Snape demanded.

"Night stroll in the Forbidden Forest."

"You? Caught? Unless you wanted to be caught."

"Blame the hooded man. I already explained last night — if you want details, go ask Dumbledore."

Snape gave him a long, searching look, then really did go to find Dumbledore.

Unfortunately, his timing was bad.

The Ministry had heard about the dragon incident, and a few officials were questioning Dumbledore.

At the moment, Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge were in a honeymoon phase; Fudge treated him with great respect, and this inquiry was more a formality. Besides, the dragon had already been sent away — nothing serious would come of it.

Only after they left did Snape finally step into the Headmaster's office.

"Severus, just in time," Dumbledore said, holding up a letter. "Quirell has resigned."

"What!"

Snape stared at him in shock. "Quirrell resigned?"

"That's right. I received his letter this morning." Dumbledore then explained what had happened the previous night.

"That man was definitely Quirrell," Snape said with certainty.

"Ah, we agree on that," Dumbledore nodded. "But he's already left — in the middle of the night."

"He'll come back." Snape paced the office, hand on his chin. "That man would never allow Quirrell to run away. I know his nature — this might just be to throw you off."

"Which means," Dumbledore said smoothly, "we should bring him back. Once he sees hope, he'll never just sit and wait."

…

After Transfiguration class, Tom, under the Disillusionment Charm, returned to the Forbidden Forest to check on the unicorn.

The results were encouraging — free from the taint of Dark magic, and with its own powerful vitality plus some herbal help, the wounds had begun to heal. Only a faint scar remained, which would vanish entirely once the fur grew back.

Tom's task was now down to the final step, and he wanted to strike while the iron was hot — to complete the Second Trial today.

"Alright, I'll give you one last chance," Tom said gravely, taking the unicorn's head in both hands and turning it so it faced him.

"Follow me, and I'll guarantee the safety of you and your daughter. But if you refuse today… next time you're in danger, I won't come to save you."

The great unicorn gazed steadily at him, sensing the emotions behind his words.

At last, she lowered her head, the sharp point of her horn extending toward the boy.

Tom grasped the unicorn's horn — something she had never allowed him to touch before.

The Second Trial… was complete.