Hogwarts: I, Tom, am really not Voldemort!

Twenty minutes later, Tom's consciousness returned, and his body once again jolted upright in the hospital bed.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, a wave of emotion washing over him: 'No wonder it's the noseless Tom; even though the soul is split into too many pieces, leading to brain damage, his strength is truly formidable. At full power, I can barely last 20 minutes against him now.'

'Good thing I entered in consciousness form, or I would have really been GG. But switching to consciousness form means I can't use the Soul Furnace to farm Voldemort experience points; not being able to exploit that BUG is a real pity.'

Silently adding his daily solo Voldemort grind to his schedule, Tom finally ushered in a period of peaceful campus life. Normal classes, enjoyable after-school gatherings at the library, and Snape's individual tutoring—truly idyllic days.

Unfortunately, these good times didn't last long. He didn't know how Dumbledore managed it, but Tom, who initially thought it was a joke, officially learned from Professor McGonagall that he would be assisting in teaching the lower-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"Mr. Riddle, I don't know what Albus is thinking, but it's settled. And he's already spoken with us; if there are any scheduling conflicts, you can always come to our offices for individual consultations with us professors."

Ignoring Professor McGonagall's complex expression, Tom thanked her and immediately rushed to Quirrell's office to discuss the matter with him.

"Ri... Riddle, Dum... Dumbledore wants... wants me to tr... trust you. You... you can teach as you see fit. I... I won't in... interfere."

Upon seeing Tom, Quirrell maintained his character and stammered out these words before dismissing him.

For Quirrell, the Dark Lord attached to him was not in good condition and had not yet awakened. He also had no clue about the tasks he had been assigned, leaving him completely overwhelmed. Heaven knows that when Quirrell heard the news of the four houses' students jointly impeaching him, he felt utterly doomed.

Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better. Not only did he keep his teaching position, but someone else had taken on the troublesome teaching work. Given such a windfall, Quirrell couldn't wait to finalize the matter. As for who accepted it, he didn't care.

Having obtained Quirrell's full authorization, Tom could now unleash his creativity and prepare the curriculum according to his own ideas. It was time to give the young wizards a shock.

Tuesday morning, Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"Draco, how come Quirrell hasn't left yet? Is what you arranged reliable?" Zabini whispered to Draco before class.

The young master immediately bristled: "Of course, it's reliable. My father said that Dumbledore has already started making moves these past few days. Maybe Quirrell will be gone after this class today."

As everyone was talking, Theodore Nott, who was languidly sprawled on his desk, noticed something amiss: "Has anyone seen Tom? Isn't he usually the first one to arrive in the classroom?"

Faced with Nott's inquiry, everyone looked at each other, shaking their heads. Pansy couldn't help but ask Cassandra: "You're close to Tom; do you know where he went?"

"I don't know. Tom must have been delayed by something. Don't worry; he'll definitely make it before class starts."

Cassandra's words seemed to have a magical effect. As soon as she finished speaking, Tom walked into the classroom.

"Tom, over here; I saved you a seat."

In response to Draco's enthusiastic greeting, Tom smiled slightly but didn't stop, heading straight for the podium.

Under the astonished gaze of the Slytherin and Ravenclaw students, Tom stood at the podium and began his first lesson.

"Thanks to the kindness of Headmaster Dumbledore, I will be teaching your Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the rest of the year."

His words immediately caused a stir among the students.

"Quiet!" Satisfied with the reaction of the crowd below, Tom continued: "Unlike Professor Quirrell, there will be no garlic smell in my class, no stammering recitations. I will teach you how to deal with danger and resist Dark Magic. Today's lesson is a practical one. Put away your textbooks and follow me."

After speaking, he took the lead and left. The students looked at each other and hurriedly packed up their books to follow.

When Tom led everyone to an open space by the lake and stopped, Draco took the initiative to ask: "Tom, what are we going to learn today?"

Tom was very pleased with Draco's role as a straight man, but he pretended to be serious and replied: "During class, please refer to my title, Mr. Malfoy. Please call me Professor Riddle."

Those in Slytherin familiar with Tom couldn't help but chuckle at his appearance, and the atmosphere began to relax.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Tom began to get down to business: "Who can tell me, when facing Dark Wizards and dangerous animals, what is most important for you at your current level?"

The bookworm Hermione was the first to raise her hand, and Tom graciously called on her.

"Miss Granger, please answer."

"Knowledge, spells, magic power, and skills."

"Very good, one point to Ravenclaw. But if you ask me, none of these are the most important, because none of what you currently possess—whether it's knowledge, spells, magic power, or skills—can help you deal with danger."

"Then Professor Riddle, what do you think is most important?" Draco asked at the right time.

"Dodging, and running away," Tom said, word by word.

"Dodging? And running away?"

"Yes, dodging and running away. If it were Dumbledore, Grindelwald, or even Voldemort, of course, they wouldn't need to do this; they could just stand there and fight. But for you, when you encounter them, your first thought should be to run. If you can't outrun them, then hide. Only then will you have a chance to survive."

Faced with Tom's eloquent speech, everyone present was noncommittal.

"2!"

"1!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Impedimenta!"

"Pendulum Curse!"

"Confringo!"

"Glacius!"

The moment he finished counting down, Tom mercilessly hurled a large number of spells at the young wizards in front of him.

Idiots like Goyle and Crabbe didn't even have time to react before being hit. It was fortunate that Slytherin and Ravenclaw were taking the class today, not Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

The smart ones had scattered as soon as Tom started counting down, but they were facing someone who could duel Voldemort one-on-one. With their terrible footwork, even a dog would shake its head.

Tom pointed his wand, singling them out one by one. Those who tried to fight back, like Hermione and Draco, were easily dealt with using a Disarming Charm and a Petrification Charm.

Before long, there wasn't a single active young wizard left on the scene.

"Finite Incantatem!"

Golden light points fell on everyone as Tom waved his wand.

"Episkey!"

Under the effect of Tom's healing spell, a group of young wizards resurrected in place.

Looking at the recovered young wizards, Tom couldn't help but utter that famous saying:

"You really are the worst class I've ever taught!"

"Now, let's continue!"