Hogwarts: I, Tom, am really not Voldemort!

Tom couldn't help but feel a headache coming on when he heard the centaur's culturally insensitive question, "Did you do this?".

Tom couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone wrong with his time-traveling. Could it be that he'd transmigrated into some female-oriented novel, or that someone around him had a protagonist halo that lowered people's intelligence? Here was another person asking such a foolish question.

Thinking of this, Tom silently moved a little, distancing himself slightly from Cassandra.

"?"

Ignoring Cassandra's puzzled expression, Tom explained, "We're just three first-year wizards who accidentally wandered into the Forbidden Forest."

"You might as well check carefully. That unicorn was drained of its blood and died. You know that drinking unicorn blood brings a curse, but we have no trace of a curse on us."

"We just happened to encounter a dark wizard here."

After listening to Tom's explanation, the centaur examined the unicorn's body again and realized that he wasn't lying. He apologized to Tom embarrassedly, "Sorry, I overreacted just now. Let me introduce myself again, my name is Firenze."

Seeing Firenze apologize, Tom didn't mind extending goodwill, "Hello, Firenze, I'm Tom Riddle. Those two over there are Cassandra Vole and Draco Malfoy. We're lost, and we don't know..."

"Firenze, what are you doing?" Just as Tom was about to have a good conversation with Firenze, a stern voice interrupted them, and two more centaurs rushed out of the forest.

"Ronan, and Bane, these three young wizards are lost, and I plan to send them out of the Forbidden Forest first."

After listening to Firenze's explanation, the centaur named Bane looked down at Tom with arrogance, "Human wizards? You have trespassed into our territory. If you want to leave, then let me teach you a lesson first."

"Bane! This is..."

"Firenze, shut up!"

Firenze wanted to speak up for Tom and the others, but he was interrupted by Ronan, who obviously agreed with Bane's idea.

Unfortunately, Tom wasn't going to put up with their bad tempers.

"Tongue-Tying Curse!"

"Inverted Suspension!"

Looking at the two centaurs hanging upside down, unable to speak, Tom looked disgusted, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak. This time it's just a small punishment. If there's a next time, I really won't be polite."

Firenze looked at Tom, then at Ronan and Bane who were hanging up, hesitating to speak. Finally, he sighed helplessly and said to Tom, "Forget it, this time they were wrong first. I apologize to you on their behalf. I'll take you out of the Forbidden Forest first."

Tom now looked at Firenze with new eyes, "Oh, you really have a saintly heart, so different from the average centaur. Don't worry, the spell will wear off in a while and won't harm them."

"Thank you." Firenze thanked him in a low voice, then, without paying attention to Ronan and Bane behind him, led Tom and the others away.

"Alright, we've reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Just walk forward and you'll reach the castle."

With Firenze's help, the three quickly left the Forbidden Forest.

Just as they were about to part ways, Firenze stared intently at Tom for a while before slowly speaking.

"The trajectory of fate has deviated. Good luck."

Leaving behind a cryptic, fortune-teller-like remark, Firenze turned and disappeared into the Forbidden Forest.

"The trajectory of fate has deviated."

Dumbledore, who rarely went to see his old lover, originally wanted to talk to Grindelwald about Tom, but he didn't expect to receive such a nonsensical prophecy.

Unable to sleep at this moment, he was strolling around the castle.

Tom and the others, having left the Forbidden Forest, unexpectedly ran into Dumbledore.

"He really is an NPC who is always guaranteed to spawn when an event occurs."

Tom muttered to himself before putting on a smile and greeting him.

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore obviously didn't expect to meet Tom here. The moment he saw Tom, he suddenly felt a sense of understanding. What Grindelwald had said must be related to him.

However, Dumbledore buried this feeling deep in his heart and greeted the three with a smile, "Good evening, Tom, and Miss Vole and Mr. Malfoy."

"Isn't it late for you to be out of your dormitories? And judging from your appearance, it seems like you just came out of the Forbidden Forest."

In response to Dumbledore's question, Cassandra and Draco both turned their gazes to Tom.

"I saw that person."

Tom's words caused Dumbledore's expression to change slightly.

For Tom, neither the Chamber of Secrets nor Voldemort were things that couldn't be told to Dumbledore. At most, it would cause some of his distant memories to resurface, but what did that have to do with Tom?

Therefore, he told Dumbledore everything about finding the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets today, and then entering the Forbidden Forest after leaving the chamber, encountering Voldemort, and then being led out by the centaur Firenze.

Until Tom said the sentence Firenze said when he left, "The trajectory of fate has deviated," Dumbledore's expression changed again.

After thinking in silence for a while, Dumbledore suddenly said to Tom, "Today, I went to see Gellert, and he also said, 'The trajectory of fate has deviated.' What do you think?"

"......"

"As expected, all fortune tellers are the same. If they set up a stall, their business should be very good."

Tom laughed it off and then looked deeply at Dumbledore, kindly reminding him, "Professor, you're getting old, you need to be restrained."

Those words almost made Dumbledore grind his back teeth to powder. He suddenly felt that Voldemort was more adorable as a student.

Dumbledore quickly waved his hand to dismiss Tom, "It's very late today, Tom, you've been busy all day, go back to your dormitory and rest early."

Just as Tom was about to leave, Dumbledore added, "Oh, by the way, can you accompany me to see the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets tomorrow?"

Tom thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

The next morning, Dumbledore was waiting at the entrance of the Slytherin dormitory.

When Tom opened the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in the bathroom using Parseltongue, Dumbledore's expression didn't change in the slightest.

As expected, Dumbledore was well aware of the fact that Tom was a Parselmouth.

Tom didn't feel surprised at all.

When he saw the snake skin in the tunnel, Dumbledore was somewhat surprised, "A basilisk? I didn't expect Slytherin to raise a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. But this snake skin, I think Severus would like it."

When Tom led Dumbledore back into the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected, even I, the headmaster, cannot fully know the secrets of Hogwarts. I didn't expect the legendary Slytherin Chamber of Secrets to be like this."

"However, Tom, can you show me that thousand-year-old basilisk?"

Dumbledore's gaze fell on the bracelet on Tom's right wrist.