When Lusa received the Hogwarts acceptance letter, she was truly stunned!
The envelope made of parchment, bearing the prestigious names of Headmaster Dumbledore, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall, and the address to Lusa Riddle, was enough to jolt her awake, clearing her mind completely.
Three years ago, she had crossed over to England across the ocean, becoming a little girl named Lusa Riddle. Bai Lu (her name from her previous life) always felt that the surname Riddle was overly familiar, as if she had heard or seen it somewhere before.
But she couldn’t quite recall it at the moment. Lusa sighed helplessly: she could only treat it as an ordinary, unremarkable foreign surname.
Although Bai Lu had watched the Harry Potter film series, her focus had mostly been on Draco’s stunning beauty, Potter’s shy personality, and Professor Snape’s captivating charm.
So the famous Voldemort’s real name, Tom Riddle, was something Lusa didn’t remember clearly. She had only a vague impression of it, and without a strong trigger, she simply couldn’t recall it.
If it weren’t for this letter from Hogwarts, Lusa thought, she might very well be the product of some young lady and a vagrant.
After all, Lusa had been abandoned at the orphanage from birth. Headmistress Anna always avoided talking about the original host’s mother. The original host might not have thought much of it, but Lusa, with her changed soul, speculated: perhaps her biological mother’s profession wasn’t respectable enough.
Mrs. Grace, who took care of the children’s daily lives, seemed unable to bear little Lusa’s incessant questioning and dismissed her with the words, “Your father was probably a vagrant.”
All things considered, Lusa never thought she was anything special. Her biological parents were neither respectable nor responsible, or perhaps they lacked the energy or money to raise a child.
It was even highly possible that they were no longer alive. Aside from having an exceptionally beautiful face—even more outstanding than in her previous life, thanks to her cheap parents’ good genes—Lusa believed she had simply been reborn, moving from a Chinese welfare institution to an English orphanage. That was all.
Life needed to start over, with effort, effort, and more effort.
Until a majestic owl brought a letter.
A few days after replying, a tall man appeared out of nowhere, dressed in billowing black robes, with greasy long hair and a large hooked nose. He looked her up and down with a scrutinizing and complex gaze.
Although she was a little startled, Lusa felt a sense of anticipation.
“Miss Riddle, you are a wizard.”
This was the first sentence from the man in black robes. His deep voice was exceptionally seductive and charming. If you ignored his gloomy, stern, and expressionless face, you’d think it was an auditory delight, especially for a voice enthusiast like Lusa.
A captivating baritone!
He must be the famous double agent, the devoted romantic, the remarkable Potions Master, the incredibly popular Professor Severus Snape, who had captured the hearts of countless young women!
Truly, hearing about him was nothing compared to meeting him in person. Lusa stared dumbfounded at Professor Snape, who scored five stars in countless fanfiction guides, feeling a slight ache in her neck.
He was so tall!
Although the dear Professor Snape wore no expression and his facial features couldn’t be called handsome, he still possessed an indescribable charm.
“Excuse me, are you Lusa’s father?”
Although usually stern and never showing Lusa a pleasant expression, Mrs. Grace suddenly asked.
The next moment, Professor Snape’s face twisted several times, as if he had been violated in some way. His face turned ashen as he coldly denied, “If this lady’s eyesight is not impaired, I believe she can see that Miss Riddle and I share not a single resemblance!”
His voice was sinister, carrying a hint of gritted teeth. Mrs. Grace was startled.
Apart from both having black hair.
Lucius silently thought that if only she were Snape’s biological daughter, she could at least squander Professor Snape’s Galleons. The Potions professor’s salary should be quite substantial, especially since Professor Snape was a Potions Master even Draco Malfoy sought to befriend.
If she were Professor Snape’s long-lost child, she wouldn’t need to apply for financial aid to attend Hogwarts, nor would she have to be a penniless pauper.
Though slightly intimidated by the ridicule, Mrs. Grace still stared at Professor Snape with the look one gives a pyramid scheme fraudster and asked skeptically, “Are you certain this Hogwarts you speak of is a proper school where one can find a good job after graduation?”
The children at the orphanage were already pitiable, especially Lucius. Though she could be quite annoying at times, Mrs. Grace still wished her a bright future.
If she could attend a proper school that covered living expenses, find a good job after graduation, and eventually marry a respectable man and start a family, it would be an immense blessing for little Lucius.
Mrs. Grace secretly thought, provided this man who didn’t seem like a good person wasn’t deceiving her.
“I believe, madam, I need to discuss Miss Riddle’s enrollment matters with the headmistress.”
Professor Snape seemed unable to endure Mrs. Grace’s skepticism any longer. His expression turned icy as he strode toward Headmistress Anna, who had retreated to the sidelines.
Though Mrs. Grace felt deeply embarrassed, she glanced at Lucius’s expectant and radiant eyes and kept her mouth shut.
That damned, ill-mannered brute!
Mrs. Grace inwardly cursed, feeling much better afterward.
What happened next, Lucius had no idea.
Because Mrs. Grace sent her to the kitchen to help wash potatoes—a daily chore for the children at the orphanage.
Apart from morning lessons, learning pinyin and characters, reciting the Bible, and taking a short nap, the remaining time was usually divided into small groups for tasks: weeding the lawn, washing potatoes in the kitchen, peeling potatoes, or picking up trash outside.
The work wasn’t particularly exhausting, and Lucius felt content. Mrs. Grace truly cared for her, even if she was strict. Her sharp tongue hid a soft heart, and Lucius felt a warmth inside.
Especially after learning she would attend the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she was nearly beside herself with joy.
A new life, a fresh start. As for the dangerous surname Riddle, Lucius had long cast it to the winds.
………
In the Headmaster’s office at Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore looked at Snape sitting across from him and smiled. “Severus, you’ve seen the child. What do you think?”
“Hmph, nothing special. A foolish girl!”
Snape let out a heavy sigh, deeply annoyed by Dumbledore’s train of thought. Clearly, Dumbledore was concerned about the little girl with the surname Riddle, suspected to be the Dark Lord’s daughter, yet he refused to go himself and instead sent Snape as the guide.
The thought of having to take that seemingly foolish little brat, who only knew how to stare at him with wide, blinking eyes, shopping in Diagon Alley filled him with displeasure!
Dumbledore understood Severus’s prickly nature all too well and simply smiled tolerantly, quietly listening to the memory of the conversation Severus had brought back. Aside from Severus’s concise questions, most of the talking had been done by the older Matron Anna and another woman named Grace.
In summary: Lusa Riddle was a pitiful child of unknown parentage who had been abandoned. Aside from occasional chatter and a tendency to ask about her parents’ identities and whereabouts, she was generally well-behaved, pretty, and very intelligent.
Especially after a high fever at the age of eight, the child had become even more understanding. She never complained about tasks, never fought with other children over food, and was more inclined to read books and help with household chores.
If not for the economic downturn of the times and Lusa’s gradually increasing age, she would undoubtedly have been the ideal candidate for families looking to adopt a child.
Dumbledore smiled, clearly satisfied with the results of this visit.
He hoped this child would not turn out like her father.
He hoped Lusa Riddle would not be a good child like Tom Riddle, who was one thing on the surface and another underneath.