Cats are clever creatures—or at least Mrs. Norris is.
She could tell everyone's eyes were glued to Tom and Hermione. Even Peeves had chipped in by acting as a spotlight operator for them. If she went down there now to cause trouble, it wouldn't end well for her. Besides, what's a little kitty to do when the mood is this perfect?
Sure enough, Mr. Filch didn't even make it to the floor before he was cut off by Harry and Malfoy. The two boys blocked his path, staring him down with the stubbornness of a pair of cockroaches that refused to be stepped on.
"Move. Out. Of. My. Way!" Filch barked.
"Not happening," Harry said, arms spread wide. "Sir, you can't go over there. Hermione didn't get to dance earlier today. This is her moment."
Filch was fuming. "That's their own fault for not checking the clock! It's past curfew! Curfew! Do you Gryffindors have zero respect for the rules? If you're so brave, why don't you go ask Professor McGonagall to extend the ball yourself?"
It was a valid point—Professor McGonagall was the final boss of the Hogwarts legal system. As long as she was around, the rules were absolute.
The group simultaneously glanced up at the staff seating.
Professor Dumbledore was there. Professor Snape was there. Professor Sprout was there... though, ma'am, please stop with the teary eyes; you're looking at Tom like a proud mother watching her son graduate. Even Professor Flitwick, the Head of Ravenclaw who usually tucked in early, was still present.
But where was McGonagall? Where was the lady in the giant pointed hat who ran this school with an iron fist? Tom remembered seeing her before the dance started, but now... she was gone?
"Mr. Filch, I'm not letting you through to ruin this for them," Harry insisted.
Terry and Li Su noticed the commotion and hurried over to back them up. "Mr. Filch, Tom is actually happy today. As his roommates, we rarely see him like this. Please, just let it slide."
"Ridiculous! All of you! I'm telling Professor Flitwick. I'll have him dock points from every Ravenclaw in sight!"
Up in the stands, Flitwick's sharp ears caught the threat. He winced and turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, I just remembered I have a... thing. An urgent thing. I'll be heading out now. Ahem."
He coughed twice and scurried out of the Great Hall.
Punish Tom? The kid worked so hard it was almost heartbreaking. He was only a first-year, yet he'd practically mastered the entire year's curriculum already. What was wrong with the boy blowing off some steam? Besides, Flitwick was dying to see what other surprises Tom had up his sleeve.
Once he was clear of the hall, Flitwick checked to make sure the coast was clear, pulled out his wand, and cast a Disillusionment Charm and a Scent-Masking Spell on himself. Then, he sneaked right back in.
Suddenly, Flitwick froze. He sensed someone nearby. "Professor McGonagall?"
Silence. Then, a small cough from thin air.
"Professor McGonagall, I thought you'd left," Flitwick whispered.
McGonagall's voice drifted from the shadows. "I just wanted to see if Hermione's practice paid off. She worked very hard for tonight. And Filius... not a word of this to anyone."
Flitwick gave a tiny, invisible salute. "My lips are sealed, Minerva."
The "Great Wall of Rules" had officially crumbled.
---
As midnight approached, the ball finally wound down. By the next morning, two names would be on everyone's lips. And I mean everyone.
Tom Riddle: The youngest, most brilliant prodigy in the first year—rumored to be Snape's secret son and Professor Sprout's godson.
Hermione Granger: An equally brilliant witch and, according to the rumor mill, Tom's "arranged-to-be" bride.
Of course, the rumors didn't start out that wild, but by the time the story made its rounds, that's what it became. The culprits? The Weasley twins, who remained conveniently anonymous.
Back in the Ravenclaw dorm, Terry and Li Su crowded around Tom.
"Tom, you were gone for an entire day! What were you doing?"
Tom let out a long yawn, replaying the day's madness in his head. "Accidentally saved the world and a girl in distress. Do you guys know the Dark Lord? I mean... have you ever actually seen him?"
Their jaws dropped. "You saw Him?"
In their heads, the pieces clicked. Tom goes missing for a day, fights the Dark Lord, saves the world, and rescues a girl? Terry was already filming the movie in his mind. Tom must have stumbled upon the Mystery Man bullying some innocent girl and chased him off with high-level combat magic!
"Tom, you actually fought the Dark Lord and won?" Li Su gasped. "Man, I knew you were good, but that's insane!"
"No, I didn't fight him. I was just asking if you'd seen him," Tom yawned, pulling his covers up. "Anyway, go to sleep. Make sure you hang your stockings by the bed. Maybe Santa will leave you something."
"Santa? That's for babies," Li Su muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, we're not ten anymore, Tom," Terry added.
But within minutes, the sound of steady breathing came from Tom's bed. The other two eventually gave up and drifted off as well.
Once he was sure they were dead to the world, Tom did a tactical roll out of bed. He checked the time—still not midnight. Christmas wasn't over yet. He carefully placed his prepared gifts at the foot of his roommates' beds and slipped out of the room like a ghost.
Hogwarts was quiet tonight... well, mostly. Some dorms were still rowdy since break started tomorrow, but Filch was nowhere to be seen. Tom made his move.
He reached the Potions Master's office and used a quiet Alohomora to slip inside.
"Tom. Care to explain why you're breaking into my office in the middle of the night?"
Snape was sitting there in the dark like a literal vampire. It scared the living daylights out of Tom.
"Professor. Your Christmas present." Tom held out a box with both hands.
"Hmph." Snape looked away. "Pointless. I truly don't understand why you waste your intellect on such trivialities. You could be doing something meaningful. Now, you've delivered your trinket. Why are you still here?"
Tom didn't budge. Instead, he held out an open palm toward Snape.
"Professor, where's my Christmas present?"
Snape stared at him. "...Excuse me?"
"I said, where's my present?" Tom repeated firmly.
He was quite possibly the only person in the history of Hogwarts to have the guts to demand a gift from Severus Snape.
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