Hogwarts: Chill, I’m Not That Tom Riddle

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Before this school year began, Slytherin had already pulled off six consecutive wins. One more, and they'd make Hogwarts history with a seventh.

And with Harry Potter now in Gryffindor, Snape was more determined than ever to win the House Cup. No way was he going to lose to James Potter's son—even if the boy was also Lily's son.

Snape had never docked points from his own house before, and he sure as hell wasn't about to start now.

Especially not after today.

He was already sick of Rosier and his little gang. If they hadn't gone looking for trouble with Riddle, he wouldn't have ended up emotionally gutted.

So yeah, Snape didn't want to punish Tom for hitting his roommates. He just wanted to get even.

"If you hate your dormmates that much, then fine," Snape said with a cold smile. "You can spend the next week in detention—in the abandoned classroom next door. Starting tonight."

"No thanks," Tom replied instantly.

"…Excuse me?" Snape looked like he'd just short-circuited. "What did you say?"

"I said no," Tom said matter-of-factly. "I didn't do anything wrong, so why should I be punished? If anyone should be doing detention, it's Rosier and his buddies."

"You think this is a negotiation?" Snape snapped, his voice rising. "Detention is at the professor's discretion. You don't get to say no!"

"Well, I'm saying it anyway," Tom said, blinking innocently. "You can take points, give me a warning, even expel me if you really want—those are all things I can't control. But detention? My legs, my choice. I'm not going."

His system only said earning points gave credits—it never mentioned losing them would take anything away.

So let Snape deduct away. See who regrets it more.

What a little monster.

Snape stared at Tom like he was some kind of spiky hedgehog, impossible to get a grip on.

A teacher's tools for dealing with a student were pretty standard: take points, talk to their Head of House, contact their parents, assign detention, write them up, or, worst-case scenario, expel them.

But Tom was from Snape's own house, so taking points or tattling to the Head of Slytherin wouldn't get him anywhere.

And the kid was an orphan, so there was no parent to call.

Detention? Rejected outright.

And anything beyond that—like a formal warning or expulsion—required Dumbledore's approval.

And Dumbledore? For something like this? He probably wouldn't even scold the boy.

Tom Riddle. Untouchable?

Snape's blood pressure skyrocketed. His face was flushed with rage as he pointed furiously at the door.

"OUT! Get out of my office!"

"See you, Professor."

Tom stood up without hesitation, turned, and walked out. On his way, he kindly left the door wide open—just to make Snape walk the extra few steps to shut it, since Snape hadn't so much as moved when Tom first entered.

Too bad Tom forgot this was the wizarding world.

With a sharp wave of his wand, Snape sent the door slamming shut behind Tom with a thunderous bang, loud enough to make the whole corridor shake.

A group of students who'd just arrived for Potions jumped at the noise and turned curious eyes toward Tom.

Back inside, Snape was still heaving, his chest rising and falling with barely restrained fury.

There's a term in psychology—cognitive dissonance. It's when your actions and beliefs clash so hard your brain buries the whole mess just to protect you from spiraling into anxiety or guilt.

Snape lived in that state.

But today, a single student had forced him to dig up the one thing he'd spent his life trying to bury: the mistake he'd give anything to undo.

"People who call others Mudbloods deserve pain. They don't deserve friends, or love... They should die alone."

Snape let out a broken laugh that sounded more like a sob. The weight pressing on his chest made it hard to breathe.

The Potions Master, usually punctual to the second, was late to class for the first time in years. He didn't show up until halfway through—and when he did, his gaze was cold as ice.

Nah, even colder.

— — —

Elsewhere…

Daphne was overjoyed to see Tom return unscathed, with no punishment whatsoever.

"Wow, I guess Professor Snape really is reasonable. Maybe those upper-years were just being dramatic," she said brightly.

"Reasonable? Yeah... let's go with that," Tom said, smirking.

Thinking it over, Snape had kept things verbal. Even when his metaphorical lungs had practically exploded, he never once looked like he wanted to raise his wand.

All that prep Tom had done just in case? Totally unnecessary.

They stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the view beneath the Black Lake.

Daphne suddenly lit up. "Hey! Maybe I'll get a camera and take some photos to show my sister!"

"You really love your sister, huh?" Tom said with a chuckle. From the moment they'd met on the train, Daphne had talked about her nonstop.

It wasn't just affection—it was full-on sister obsession.

When Tom made the comment, Daphne smiled sweetly. "You'll like Astoria too once you meet her. She's starting school next year, and when you see her, you'll understand."

Tom nodded. "If her big sister's this cute, I'm sure she won't be too far off."

That unexpected compliment hit Daphne like a thunderbolt. Her cheeks flared bright red, and without saying a word, she bolted for the girls' dorm.

Tom: "…"

Was she really that easy to fluster? Or was this his natural Rizz?

He had no idea Daphne had been so heavily sheltered at home, barely interacting with boys her age.

For her, hearing a compliment like that directly from a boy was a full-on social meltdown.

Tom shook his head. With no one to enjoy the view with, he made his way back to the dorms.

Sure, Snape hadn't punished him—but that didn't mean he was letting his snitch roommates off the hook.

So, unfortunately, when he got back, the dorm was completely empty. No sign of Zabini or the others.

So he plopped down in a chair, cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself, and entered his study space.

There, Andros opened his eyes and greeted him with a grin.

"Your Potions Master has some pretty good stuff," he said. "I think it's time we planned a little heist, don't you?"

Tom: "???"

Okay, wow—jumping right into it, huh?

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