Horace Slughorn led us away from the Great Hall and through a series of corridors that gradually became colder and darker.
The further we descended into the castle, the less the warm atmosphere of the feast seemed to follow us.
Eventually, we reached a section of the dungeons where Slughorn stopped in front of an otherwise unremarkable stretch of stone wall.
“Welcome to the Slytherin common room,” Slughorn said, giving us a proud smile.
“Remember something, my young Slytherins.
Outside of this common room, you may be rivals, you may dislike one another, and you may even become enemies.
But within these walls, Slytherin takes care of its own.
We are ambitious, yes, and competition between students is perfectly natural, but when outsiders threaten one of our own, we stand together.
Slytherin survives because Slytherin is united.” The stone wall opened after Slughorn spoke the password, revealing the Slytherin common room beyond it.
I stepped inside and immediately took in the surroundings.
The room was far more impressive than I had expected.
Green light filtered through the windows beneath the Black Lake, casting strange rippling patterns across the walls and ceiling.
Dark wood, polished stone, comfortable leather furniture, and silver decorations gave the entire room an atmosphere that was simultaneously elegant and slightly intimidating.
It was almost exactly what I would have expected from the House founded by Salazar Slytherin.
I couldn’t help but smile.
This was my House.
My House.
Technically, Salazar Slytherin had founded it centuries ago, and I wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that being his descendant automatically gave me ownership over Slytherin, but there was still something deeply satisfying about standing here.
I had been sorted into the House of one of my ancestors, and if everything went according to plan, I would eventually become one of the most influential Slytherins in history.
Slughorn gave us a few final instructions before directing us toward our dormitories.
I followed the other first-years through the corridors until I reached my assigned room.
When I opened the door, I discovered that I would be sharing it with three other students.
Abraxas Malfoy was already there, along with Orion Black.
The fourth student was someone I hadn’t expected.
Arnold Prince.
I paused for half a second when I saw his name.
Prince.
Interesting.
The name immediately made me think of another famous Slytherin who would be born decades later.
Severus Snape.
Obviously, Arnold Prince couldn’t possibly be Severus Snape.
The timeline alone made that impossible.
Still, the coincidence made me curious.
Perhaps the Prince family possessed a long-standing tradition of exceptional potion-making.
If Arnold inherited even a fraction of the talent that Severus would eventually possess, he could become a useful ally.
I smiled politely as I entered the room.
“Hello.
I’m Tom Riddle.” “Abraxas Malfoy,” Abraxas replied.
“Orion Black.” Arnold adjusted his robes before giving me a polite nod.
“Arnold Prince.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “The pleasure is mine.” The introductions were simple, but I paid attention to every detail.
Abraxas was confident and clearly accustomed to being treated with respect.
Orion possessed the quiet confidence I would expect from someone raised in the Black family.
Arnold, however, was more reserved.
He seemed to be studying everyone in the room, trying to determine the hierarchy between us.
That was something I could respect.
I did the same thing.
The four of us began talking about our families, Hogwarts, our classes, and what we expected from our first year.
Naturally, I avoided revealing anything genuinely important about myself.
There was no reason for me to tell them that I possessed the knowledge of the future, a system, the bloodlines of several ancient magical families, or enough ambition to eventually reshape Britain.
Instead, I presented myself as what I wanted them to see.
A talented but polite young wizard.
I allowed Abraxas to talk about his family for a while, occasionally asking questions that made it clear I understood the importance of the Malfoy name.
Orion received similar treatment.
I made sure to show respect toward the Black family without appearing desperate to gain their approval.
Arnold was slightly different.
I asked him about the Prince family.
“The Prince family has been involved with potion-making for generations,” Arnold explained.
“We’re not one of the largest families, but we’ve produced several respected potion-makers.” That immediately caught my attention.
“Then perhaps you’ll have to help me if I struggle with Potions,” I said with a small smile.
Arnold smiled back.
“I doubt you’ll struggle.
You seem rather confident.” “Confidence is useful.
Knowledge is better.” Abraxas laughed.
“I think we’re going to get along.” I smiled.
That was exactly what I wanted.
The conversation continued for some time, and before long, an informal agreement formed between the four of us.
We would help each other throughout the coming year.
We would share notes, assist one another with difficult assignments, and look out for each other if problems arose.
It was exactly the kind of relationship I wanted.
An inner circle.
I had no intention of treating everyone around me as disposable pawns.
My future self had made that mistake far too many times.
He had surrounded himself with followers who feared him rather than people who genuinely cared about him.
Fear was useful, but loyalty was far more valuable.
If I wanted to build something that lasted, I needed genuine relationships.
Of course, that didn’t mean I suddenly cared about everyone.
My empathy was selective.
Someone who became a genuine friend could eventually become someone whose life genuinely mattered to me.
Someone I barely knew, however, was simply another person occupying the world.
That distinction was important.
I glanced around the room as the others continued talking.
Abraxas had naturally assumed that he might become the center of our little group.
Considering his family name, wealth, and confidence, that wasn’t unreasonable.
But as the conversation progressed, I noticed something interesting.
Arnold wasn’t really looking toward Abraxas anymore.
He was watching me.
He had noticed.
He had noticed who was actually directing the conversation.
I hadn’t demanded leadership.
I hadn’t announced myself as superior.
I simply asked the right questions, offered the right suggestions, and guided the discussion naturally.
It was subtle enough that most people wouldn’t even realize it was happening.
Arnold seemed to realize it, though.
That made him more interesting.
“So, Tom,” Arnold said eventually, “what do you think about our first year?” I considered the question for a moment before smiling.
“I think we should make the most of it.
Hogwarts is one of the greatest magical institutions in Britain.
We have seven years here, and I’d rather leave this place considerably more capable than when we arrived.” Abraxas nodded.
“Agreed.” Orion gave a small smile.
“Then I suppose we’d better make sure none of us falls behind.” “Exactly.” Arnold nodded as well.
“I’d be happy to help.” I smiled.
Excellent.
Four first-year Slytherins.
Four potentially powerful allies.
And I had seven years to turn those relationships into something much greater.
I had no intention of repeating the mistakes of the original Tom Riddle.
My future self had tried to conquer the wizarding world through fear.
Perhaps I would try something different.
Perhaps I would make the wizarding world want me to rule it.
The thought brought a faint smile to my face.
Yes.
That sounded much more interesting.
And perhaps, if I played my cards correctly, by the time anyone realized what I was building, it would already be too late to stop me.