HP Cronos

Nora walked aimlessly on the road.

Just now, she found that she had appeared on this street all by herself, and she was really at a loss.

Fortunately no one was around.

This is also very strange, it is evening now, and the fire in the sky is as red as blood.There was not a single pedestrian on this street.

She needs a dress.thought Nora.Then she realized she was fully clothed.

It was the clothes she was most familiar with - the Hogwarts school uniform.Gold and red Gryffindor tie and lion logo.It's been a long time since the last time I wore this outfit.

I don't know if it was caused by psychological factors, but she felt warmer after putting on the clothes.

She walked on this deserted street in a daze, looking around in confusion.

She has nothing on her now, only one ring, the resurrection stone ring.

A group of children ran past her, shouting:

"It's him!"

"It's that monster!"

"Monster Riddle!"

They blocked a boy with black hair and black eyes.

The boy surrounded by groups looked coldly at a group of children who were a head taller than him, with a look of fear and panic on his face, like a snake with its head raised.

"Did you steal something from Dennis?" the tallest child among them asked aggressively.Beside him was a thin and small child, who was crying and wiping away tears, "Hand over your things quickly!"

"You have no proof," said the boy.

"Everyone knows that Dennis is my brother, who dares to go into his room and steal? Only you share a room with him. Hand over your things, monster, or I will tell you to taste my fist - no, I'm going to tie you to a log and burn you alive, which is what they say you should do to monsters!"

"Burn him! Burn him!"

The children happily agreed, as if they had forgotten about Dennis who was still weeping.

They picked up stones and threw them hard at him.

The boy raised his head without moving.A stone smashed his forehead, and blood gushed out.

The blood somewhat alarmed the children.Seeing blood, the boy could act like Mrs. Cole had sued them.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

a voice shouted.

The children screamed strangely: "Oh~~ the witch is here! She is going to curse us!"

"If you do this again, I'll tell the adults." The girl poked her waist and pointed at them, "I remember your faces, Dane, Eddie, Dennis..."

"Run, the witch is going to write your names on the scarecrow!" A child shouted, and they dispersed in a rush, and ran away without a trace.

"Are you okay." The girl approached the boy.

"Mind your own business." The boy said coldly. In the direction he had been looking up, a brick fell and hit the ground.

It was originally where Dane, Dennis' brother, stood.

The girl was startled and jumped aside like a rabbit.

"Cut... just a little bit..." the boy whispered.

"You took Dennis' things." The girl said firmly, "It's wrong, you should give it back to him."

The boy ignored her and turned away.The girl jumped up and caught up with him: "Why don't you like Dennis? Although his brother is annoying, he is nice."

"His tears are too much," said the boy, "and in the way."

Dennis was nice, as docile as a lamb, but he couldn't stand the whining.Most importantly, he needs a room of his own.The most efficient way is for Cole to find out that he can't live peacefully in a room with other kids.

Where did the children in the orphanage come from so many tears?

The boy walked forward, and the girl followed him.

Nora stood and watched them go.It was Tom Riddle, yes, Riddle of the orphanage, and the girls who lived near the orphanage.

Where is this place?

"This is an illusion."

A voice answered her.

Nora remembered the voice.It was this voice that had guided her in the first place.

This is an illusion.The past and the future travel here simultaneously.Reality and illusion are reflected here at the same time.

Does everyone come here after death, or did Tom send her here on purpose, or maybe everything was arranged by Cronus?

The answer to the question doesn't really matter.

Nora turned around, the scene changed, and she was already standing at the gate of the orphanage.

The black lacquered railing surrounded the boxy, gloomy old building.

Norah looked at the iron grating gate, and realized that it was not as tall as she remembered, nor as dark, and its top was stained with rust.

Maybe the real appearance of many things is very different from the memory.

Nora hesitated for a while, but still passed through the closed iron gate.

The children walked back and forth in the corridor, but none of them saw her.

The familiar figure of Mrs. Cole appeared in the aisle, and she was busy arranging as usual: "...Is Dane still unable to walk with his legs? Damn, who told him to climb the fence? How many times have I emphasized this! These few days Keep an eye on them! Don't let them run around like this anymore. That girl's death is a lesson..."

"—Riddle! When did you run out?"

The boy appeared suddenly around the corner, his patched shoes covered in dirt and dust that didn't belong in the orphanage.

"You went out? What are you doing—you little devil! Go back to your room—you're not allowed to leave this place for a week!" said Mrs. Cole angrily.

The boy turned and walked up the stairs.The children avoided him in horror and made way for him.After he disappeared down the stairs, they began whispering:

"It was him...he cursed that little witch to death."

"There must be no good end to getting close to him."

"He must be more evil than a witch..."

Mrs. Cole was busy tending to Dane's broken leg. He might have broken a bone, but a cast was a lot of money, especially for an orphanage with so many children.The past few years have not been easier than before. Mrs. Cole does not understand the economic crisis, but only knows that donations have shrunk greatly.

Another female nurse dragged the boy's footprints indiscriminately with a mop.

No one noticed the boy's limping steps, or a speck of blood mixed in the mud.Except Nora.

Back in his room, the boy sat on the bed, facing the window.He let go of his clenched hand, and there was nothing in it, only dried blood.

He rubbed his hands, and the dried blood was turned into powder, which fell down one after another.He waved lightly, and the door of the iron wardrobe opened with a "bang", and he waved again, and the door of the iron wardrobe slammed shut again.He did this several times until he finally got tired of it.

"Rose Videtur," he said.

Nothing happened, his palm was still empty.It is impossible to cast spells without a wand.

"Rose Videtur." He repeated without giving up.The result is the same as last time.

He chanted the mantra tirelessly, countless times.

Nora tried to hug him to stop him, but there was nothing she could do.

He finally stopped, and after a brief silence, laughed, the laughter echoing through the empty, undecorated room.

Nora didn't know what he had done, but she felt strongly disturbed.She approached him, wanting to touch him, but it was obviously impossible.

She is thinner than a ghost now.

Nora walked to the window, and found that the closed iron gate in the yard was opened again at some point, and the children came in and out freely as usual, shaking their hands in the streets and alleys of London. Looking back, Tom had already Not in the room anymore.

Nora was wandering aimlessly in the orphanage, and she found him in Mrs. Cole's desk, reading a newspaper intently. The headline in bold on the front page was eye-catching:

Child abuser's death: God's punishment or Jack the Ripper returns to London?

There is a blurry black-and-white photo at the bottom, and a corpse lying in the grass with a miserable appearance can be vaguely discerned.

He smiled smugly and mockingly, didn't read any more, and walked out of the office.

No further confirmation was needed, Nora knew he did it.No one believed that this scrawny boy could kill a grown man, even if he was a wizard.

She thought he could become a little better than before.Everyone in Grimald Place took good care of him.She thought he could learn something from it.

But everything is just the opposite.He has absorbed the mastery of magic, the knowledge, the memory of the future, but not love.

Nora chased him out, into his room, and saw him standing by the window watching something.

A man with a long beard in a purple suit walked into the iron gate of the orphanage. He looked up, his blue eyes met Tom's dark gaze, and the man gave him a friendly smile.

It was Dumbledore, and in a blink of an eye it was Tom's age to go to Hogwarts.

There was a knock on the door shortly after, and Mrs. Cole ushered Dumbledore in, shut the door and let them talk alone.

"Hello, Tom." Dumbledore stepped forward and held out his hand.

Tom shook the hand reluctantly.

Dumbledore pulled up a stool and sat beside him.

"I am Professor Dumbledore, and I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to invite you to attend school there - if you wish."

"I would," said Tom, with some interest.

"But I still need to explain to you that Hogwarts is a school for people with special talents—"

"—you teach magic." Tom said calmly, "including charms, potions, transfiguration. Underage students are not allowed to use magic outside the school. If you want to tell me this, then I already know .”

Dumbledore looked a little taken aback, but quickly regained his composure.

"It seems that you know a lot more about the wizarding world than I thought," he said with a smile, "did some wizard tell you that?"

"She's gone," said Tom in a low voice, "and left me here alone, and gone."

"She is……"

"She won't come back," interrupted Tom. "Never again."

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said softly.

The author has something to say: the update will resume from today.

It takes one more chapter to leave this world, how procrastinated I am...