Draco returned to the Slytherin dormitory, his heart still beating a little fast.
He hid the diary in the innermost drawer of his bedside table and, after confirming his roommates were not present, carefully took it out.
Draco picked up his quill and cautiously wrote on the first page.
"Who are you?"
The ink had barely touched the paper when it was rapidly absorbed.
Draco's eyes widened as he watched his handwriting disappear without a trace.
A few seconds later, florid, dark green letters appeared.
"Tom Gaunt."
Draco's pupils suddenly constricted.
Gaunt? The ancient Pure-blood Family descended from Slytherin?
Although the Gaunt family couldn't find a single descendant now, in Pure-blood circles, this surname still represented noble lineage.
Tom sneered inwardly in the diary.
He understood Slytherin well; if he used a Muggle surname, it would be difficult to gain respect.
But as long as he used a Pure-blood Family surname, they would naturally feel close to him.
"What is your name?" New handwriting appeared on the paper.
Draco held the quill, cautiously refraining from answering.
He knew that some Dark Arts objects, once they knew a true name, could harm the owner of that name.
Seeing Draco's prolonged silence, Tom continued to write:
"Don't be nervous; you must be from Slytherin House, right?"
"I can sense that you must be a prominent figure at Hogwarts."
When Draco saw this line, his vanity was satisfied.
He proudly wrote:
"That's right, I'm a second-year student in Slytherin."
"I'm also the Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team!"
Tom was utterly speechless at this answer.
He thought he would say something extraordinary; what kind of achievement was being a Seeker?
"I was also created by a student from Slytherin House, though many years ago," Tom continued to coax.
"The most outstanding student in Hogwarts history created me to help students learn knowledge."
Draco showed a disdainful expression when he saw this line.
"Most outstanding?" he wrote on the paper.
"Could he be as outstanding as Charlie?"
Tom was stunned for a moment.
Charlie? Which Charlie?
"Perhaps Charlie is the most outstanding student you've met," Tom cautiously replied.
"But child, Hogwarts's history is full of geniuses; there are plenty who are even more outstanding."
Draco didn't believe anyone was more outstanding than Charlie.
"Could you single-handedly defeat a Troll when you first started school?"
The diary remained silent for a moment; no new handwriting appeared.
Draco continued to write: "Could you defeat the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor in your first year?"
The diary remained silent.
"Could you become a Potions Master and receive an order of merlin, second class in your first year?"
Tom's silence was deafening.
Draco pouted; if he couldn't do any of that, how could he be the most outstanding?
Braggart.
Tom in the diary fell into deep self-doubt.
Are Hogwarts students so abnormal now?
Or is this brat playing with me?
After a long time, Tom finally wrote on the paper.
"The Charlie you mentioned is indeed outstanding."
"But if you want to become like him, I can help you."
A hint of suspicion flashed in Draco's eyes when he saw this sentence.
"How can you help me?"
"Knowledge," Tom replied.
"I can teach you a lot of magic you won't learn in class."
"Such as?"
"Advanced Transfiguration techniques, secret Potions recipes, and some... special spells."
Draco's heart began to race.
As the heir of the House of Malfoy, he naturally yearned to become stronger.
Especially after witnessing Charlie's power, he was even more eager to improve himself.
"Then you answer a few questions for me first," Draco wrote.
Draco wrote more than a dozen questions consecutively in the diary, all about things he didn't understand.
The diary perfectly answered all his doubts.
Some answers were even more detailed than those in textbooks.
These contents were effortless for Tom.
Only then did Draco believe that the diary truly had real abilities.
Although he still remained wary of this mysterious Tom Gaunt, he had begun to believe what the other party said.
"Alright," Draco wrote.
"I can learn from you, but I have conditions."
"What conditions?"
"First, you are not allowed to ask my real name."
"Second, you are not allowed to force me to do anything."
"Third, if I feel something is wrong, I can stop at any time."
Tom sneered in his heart when he saw these conditions.
He was quite cautious, but this caution seemed particularly ridiculous to him.
To control the other party, he only needed to spend enough time with them, completely infiltrating his consciousness into their body.
He wasn't afraid of his caution, only that he wouldn't even open the book.
"Of course," Tom replied.
"I just want to help a talented young Wizard."
Time flew by, and soon it was Halloween.
After Harry told Professor McGonagall about the diary, all of Hogwarts became tense.
Professor McGonagall's face was serious, and she immediately organized the Prefects from each house to conduct a search of the campus.
The Prefects worked in groups, leaving no corner unchecked, from dormitories to classrooms, from the library to the dungeons.
Percy held a checklist, carefully inspecting every suspicious item.
But unfortunately, nothing was found.
It was normal to think so; if it were easily discovered, why would Mr. Weasley allow the diary to stay with Ginny for so long?
The diary could clearly hide the scent of Dark Arts on it.
Draco also received Professor McGonagall's notice.
But he had no intention of handing over this diary.
Slytherin students naturally crave power and success.
As long as they are given enough temptation, they will voluntarily walk into the trap.
Moreover, having seen Dark Arts objects frequently at home since childhood made him feel that the Professor was just making a fuss over nothing.
During this time, Draco made a splash in class through the diary.
Draco enjoyed the envious gazes of his classmates and the praise of the Professors.
This feeling was too wonderful, making it impossible for him to give up the diary.
On Halloween, Draco once again took out the diary.
"Tonight, I have a special task for you." Tom's handwriting appeared on the paper.
"What task?" Draco wrote.
"Go to the girls' lavatory on the second floor; there's a secret waiting for you to discover there."
Draco hesitated.
"Girls' lavatory? That's not quite appropriate, is it?"
"Trust me, one of Hogwarts's biggest secrets is hidden there," Tom continued to tempt.
"If you want to become stronger, you must go there."
Draco's reason told him not to go, but his inner greed overcame his reason.
The girls' lavatory on the second floor had been abandoned for a long time; there was no one there.
Draco nervously looked around.
"What do we do now?" Draco whispered.
Tom's consciousness began to invade his brain.
Draco felt a dizzy spell, and the world before his eyes began to blur.
When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer himself.
Tom controlled Draco's body and walked straight to the sink.
His gaze fixed on a special faucet, which had a small snake carved on it.
Tom took a deep breath and hissed:
"Open."
-------------------------------
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