Hogwarts: I, Tom, am really not Voldemort!

Tom opened his eyes again, a faint smell of herbs wafting through the air. He was lying on a clean, white hospital bed.

Dazedly, he slowly sat up and looked around, only to see a familiar figure sitting beside the bed: an elder with long, silver-white hair and a beard.

"Tom, you're awake," a gentle voice of concern came from the elder.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

Tom felt like he was still dreaming. He couldn't help but blink and surreptitiously pinched his thigh. The pain snapped him awake.

"It is I. How can you not recognize me after such a short time?" Dumbledore chuckled, handing him a potion. "Madam Pomfrey instructed me to make sure you drink this potion obediently after you wake up, or she'll kick you out."

Tom took the potion, took a small sip, and the bitter taste made him frown. Enduring the discomfort, he finished the potion and, while fiddling with the cup, asked Dumbledore, "Professor, why are you here? How long have I been unconscious? And what about Cassandra?"

"You've been unconscious for a day and a night. Miss Warre originally stayed with you, but I asked her to go back and rest," Dumbledore patiently answered Tom's questions with a gentle smile.

Looking at Dumbledore's expression, Tom knew he wouldn't visit unless there was a good reason. But trying to outsmart a centuries-old wise man was too difficult for an 11-year-old newly enrolled wizard. Besides, Tom didn't think he could hide his recent actions from the Headmaster, who had eyes and ears all over the castle.

So, Tom decided not to beat around the bush with Dumbledore and went straight for the confrontation: "Professor, you must be here about something. The rumors about Professor Snape? The Defense Against the Dark Arts class? Or dark magic? Maybe even the Unforgivable Curses?"

Dumbledore sat in his office with a grave expression. The portraits of the previous Headmasters around him were all doing their own things, but their eyes were secretly watching him.

After a long silence, Phineas Nigellus Black, the least popular Headmaster in history, lost his patience and was the first to break the silence: "Dumbledore, how do you plan to handle this matter? Students from four houses jointly impeaching a professor; such a terrible event has never happened in Hogwarts history. I heard the initiator was a first-year student from Slytherin. Well done... ahem... outrageous."

Armando Dippet interrupted Phineas Nigellus Black's rambling and asked Dumbledore, "A first-year Slytherin wizard with such organizational skills reminds me of that person from the past. Dumbledore, what's that young wizard's name?"

Dumbledore rubbed his temples and said wearily, "Tom Riddle."

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear clearly. What's his name?" Armando Dippet felt like he was hallucinating and couldn't help but ask again.

"Tom Riddle," Dumbledore had to raise his voice and repeat.

"Ahem..."

"Ahem..."

"Ahem..."

A series of violent coughs came from the portraits. The past Headmasters seemed to have heard a terrifying story, and they all stopped what they were doing and stared at Dumbledore with wide eyes.

"Is it the Tom Riddle I know?" Finally, Armando Dippet, the Headmaster during Voldemort's time at school, asked.

"Perhaps if you met him, you would feel like you had used a Time-Turner," Dumbledore didn't answer directly, but everyone understood the subtext of his words, and they all gasped.

At this moment, the "click-clack" of the rotating staircase came from the entrance as Snape pushed open the door with a gloomy expression.

"What is it? If there's nothing else, I'll go back," Snape said.

"Severus, you seem to be in a bad mood. Is it because of the rumors? Come, have some cockroach clusters to soothe your mood," Dumbledore said with a smile, offering Snape his favorite sweets.

Snape pushed them away without mercy: "So you know. As Headmaster, you actually allowed the rumors to spread. Listen to what those little brats are saying now. If I find out who started spreading them, I'll make them regret it."

As he said this, Snape gritted his teeth.

Just as Snape was pouring out his grievances, Dexter Fortescue in the portrait quietly inquired, "Rumors about Snape? Do you know what's going on?"

Delores Derwent, hearing Dexter Fortescue's question, explained to the curious Headmasters around her: "It's the story of Snape and Potter from back then. But I heard the latest version is that Snape and Potter were deeply in love, Black intervened, stole his love, and Evans watched the drama."

Delores Derwent's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, allowing Snape to hear everything clearly. Just like the first time he heard this version, Snape once again felt his stomach acid churning, and he almost couldn't help but vomit.

Dumbledore timely stopped the Headmasters' gossip: "Alright, stop talking. Can't you see Severus can't take it anymore? But, you really haven't guessed who did it?"

Snape hesitated for a moment and uncertainly uttered a name: "Tom Riddle?"

Dumbledore nodded: "As I guessed. Come, tell me about this child."

Snape thought for a moment, hid his transaction with Tom, and simply described the duel in the Slytherin common room to Dumbledore.

Before Dumbledore could speak, Armando Dippet jumped out again: "The Killing Curse? Fiendfyre? A first-year student who just enrolled? This is even more dangerous than Voldemort back then. Dumbledore, you can't make the same mistake I did. Whether he's related to Voldemort or not, we absolutely can't have another Dark Lord."

Dumbledore felt even more exhausted and patiently tried to appease Armando Dippet: "That child may be related to Tom, but he can't be Tom, because there is love within him."

Snape raised an eyebrow and mocked, "You really are promoting that theory about love at every moment."

Dumbledore chuckled and didn't explain further.

Snape seemed to remember something at this moment and said to Dumbledore, "Riddle is currently lying in the school hospital. Miss Warre sent him there. I don't know what happened."

Dumbledore's eyes flickered slightly: "It seems I need to have a good talk with Tom."