Harry potter:Dark lord

Since Dumbledore had not yet found a suitable house for them, Robert and Tom had to stay in Hogsmeade village temporarily before the school year began.

Neither of them minded the wait.

Especially after receiving dozens of books from Dumbledore that morning.

However, while Tom was visibly excited, Robert remained much calmer.

For Robert, who had inherited a vast collection of dark magic books, the ones sent by Dumbledore were certainly valuable, but they did not stir any strong emotions within him.

Tom, on the other hand, was completely unaware of this. Seeing Robert's composed demeanor, he suddenly felt embarrassed by his own enthusiasm.

He realized that he should remain calm and composed at all times, regardless of praise or criticism.

Otherwise, if he got overly excited like this, how was he any different from ordinary fools?

"No matter where I am or who I'm with—even if Robert is always ahead of me—I must become the most extraordinary one under him!"

Tom glanced at the books that had just been unpacked, wanting to pick one up immediately. But after a brief hesitation and another glance at Robert, he withdrew his hand.

"Tom, what's wrong? Haven't you been looking forward to these books?" Robert asked, slightly surprised.

"You choose first," Tom replied calmly.

Robert raised an eyebrow. "That's rare—you being so polite today."

"I'm not being polite," Tom said, his expression serious. "You're better than me. So when there's something valuable, you should have the right to choose first."

He paused before adding, "If one day I surpass you, I won't hold back either."

Robert could tell that Tom was speaking the truth.

It was yet another clear sign of his Slytherin nature—arrogant, but also deeply respectful of strength.

Slytherins believed themselves to be strong, and because of that, they admired those who were even stronger.

Even Tom—who would one day become the infamous Voldemort—could not change this instinctive respect when he encountered someone superior to him.

Understanding this, Robert did not argue. He simply picked up a book titled Defeating Black Magic and said, "Then I'll read this one first. I've made my choice. You can pick now."

Tom, seeing Robert had chosen, carefully selected a few books that interested him most.

Robert glanced at his choices: Common Spells and Curse Solutions, Self-Defense Spell Collection, Practical Defensive Magic and Its Control Over Dark Arts...

Nearly all of them were books on Defense Against the Dark Arts, personally recommended by Dumbledore.

Clearly, Tom's focus was on becoming stronger as quickly as possible.

After a brief moment, Robert placed Defeating Black Magic in front of Tom.

Tom frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I just remembered I have something to do today. You can read this book first and return it to me later," Robert said.

"Where are you going?" Tom asked, confused.

"I'm heading to Diagon Alley with Toby to buy a few things."

"What do you need to buy? Haven't we already gotten everything?" Tom asked, clearly puzzled.

Technically, everything necessary had already been purchased. And if they had forgotten something, Hogsmeade had plenty of shops.

Even if something wasn't available here, Toby, their house-elf, could easily fetch it for them.

So why waste time when they could be studying?

"I plan to buy a few second-hand wands," Robert said. "I need to be there in person to find the ones that suit me best."

Tom was taken aback. "But we already have wands. Did you lose yours?"

"Of course not," Robert replied. "I recently discovered a spell called the Flashback Charm. It allows others to see the most recent magic a wand has cast."

His dark eyes deepened as he added, "And I'd rather not let others know what spells I've been using."

Tom immediately understood. In fact, he agreed with the reasoning.

Without hesitation, he put down his book. "I'll come with you."

"Oh?" Robert raised an eyebrow.

"I also want a backup wand," Tom said. "I heard that new wands come with a magical trace—used by the Ministry of Magic to monitor underage wizards casting spells outside of school."

He sneered. "That's such a ridiculous policy. I don't want to be left defenseless just because I'm on summer break."

Robert nodded in agreement. "Then let's go together."

Diagon Alley

Apparating with two young wizards should have been easy for Toby.

However, Robert's magical power was already on par with an adult wizard's, making the process slightly more complicated. Toby had to take them to Diagon Alley in two trips.

"You can find almost any second-hand item in a junk shop," Toby explained as they arrived. "Most of the goods are broken, but if you're lucky, you might come across something useful."

He seemed particularly knowledgeable about such places.

Robert suspected his former master had frequently visited shops like this.

Without stopping anywhere else, they followed Toby through the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. In just a few minutes, they arrived at the entrance of a scrap shop.

"Alright, Toby," Robert said, pulling out a small parchment and a pouch of Galleons. "I have a list of things I need. Buy them and meet us back at the Apparition point."

Toby bowed. "Yes, Master Robert!"

With a snap, he vanished on the spot.

Tom stared at the empty space where Toby had just stood. "Tell me… when can we learn that kind of magic? Just disappearing with a snap?"

"That spell is called Apparition," Robert explained. "But house-elves use a different version than wizards. At our age, we're not allowed to learn it yet."

Despite saying this, Robert couldn't deny that he was intrigued as well.

Tom was still young, and his magical abilities were at the level of an average underage wizard. It was too soon for him to learn Apparition.

But Robert was different. He already possessed magical power comparable to an adult wizard's. He could learn it at any time.

The only issue was the risk. Apparition was extremely dangerous. If performed incorrectly, it could lead to Splinching—a situation where parts of the body were left behind.

Most wizards required an experienced instructor to guide them, in case they needed immediate assistance.

Robert silently pondered.

If I really want to learn Apparition, who should I ask for help?

It would be reckless to practice alone.

He certainly didn't want his head appearing in one place and his body in another.

End of Chapter

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