Christmas Day dawned bright at Vole Manor. Cassandra stirred early, her heart aflutter with anticipation. Today, she would receive a Christmas present from Tom Riddle—the first gift from him she would ever own.
Having hastily washed, Cassandra rushed downstairs. She found Tom Riddle already in the drawing room, calmly sipping tea.
The Death Eaters were conspicuously absent. Tom Riddle had dismissed them, declaring he had no need of their company. They, in truth, were relieved. Serving Tom Riddle was like walking on eggshells.
Besides, they had more pressing concerns. Several had received letters from their children, lamenting bullying at the hands of a certain "Tom Riddle." They were initially stunned. Was this simply a coincidence, or something darker? The confirmation that this "Tom Riddle" was indeed Voldemort sent them into a panic. They needed to return home and discipline their offspring before their accidental disrespect incurred Voldemort's wrath, potentially dooming their entire families.
"Teacher!" Cassandra's voice was unusually bright.
"Merry Christmas," Tom Riddle replied, knowing full well what she was expecting. He stroked her soft, blonde hair and gestured towards the table. A beautifully wrapped box sat there. "Open it. See what you think."
Cassandra eagerly tore into the box, revealing a pair of exquisite white silk gloves.
"Do you like them?" Tom Riddle inquired. These were alchemical creations he had personally made. They couldn't rival those of Nicolas Flamel, but they were far from ordinary.
Cassandra didn't answer with words. Instead, she threw her arms around Tom Riddle, expressing her joy in a heartfelt embrace.
The Voles, observing from the shadows, couldn't help but lament the impending loss of their precious daughter.
...
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, Harry Potter sat in his Slytherin Dormitory, surrounded by gifts from his friends.
He opened Malfoy's present first: a complete set of broomstick maintenance tools.
Next, he picked up another box. "This is…" He recognized the signature on the note: Tom Riddle.
A thrill shot through Harry as he ripped open the package. "A box of… Chocolate Frogs?" It was abundantly clear that Tom Riddle possessed a talent for playing favorites.
Well, Chocolate Frogs are Chocolate Frogs. At least they're edible.
He tore open a wrapper, popped a frog into his mouth, and bit down. The sensation was… off. He pulled the object from his mouth: a wizard card, just like the ones found in every Chocolate Frog.
Except… this card was different. The wizard depicted was "Tom Riddle."
Seeing the animated Tom Riddle on the card, Harry was pleasantly surprised. Maybe the Master isn't entirely indifferent to me after all.
Still brimming with anticipation, Harry continued unwrapping gifts. "Hermione sent a book, naturally… but who sent this?" He eyed a large, suspiciously light gift box, stepping forward cautiously to open it.
Inside… "Nothing?" Harry's lips twitched. Who's trying to prank me? Do they think the Death Eater's Second-in-Command is an easy mark?
Angrily, Harry reached to throw the box away, but noticed its weight felt wrong. "Huh?" He reached back inside the box, running his hands along the bottom. His fingers brushed against a silky texture. He pulled it out. "This feels like… a piece of cloth?"
Unbeknownst to Harry, he held one of the three Deathly Hallows… the Invisibility Cloak.
Harry spread the cloak over his hand. His hand vanished. What the hell?
A slow smile spread across his face as he draped the cloak over his shoulders. The parts of his body covered by the cloak disappeared from view.
Wait… Does this mean I can use it?
An idea flashed in his mind: Could he use the Invisibility Cloak's power to sneak into the Forbidden Section of the Library and find a way to deal with Fluffy?
That's right, they still hadn't devised a plan for the three-headed dog because most books simply stated that, "Unless you are a powerful adult wizard, run away."
Some books offered tips, but none were practical for young wizards. And Hagrid's "lullaby" idea was far too specialized.
Clutching the Invisibility Cloak, Harry suddenly looked forward to his nighttime stroll.
...
In fact, Harry and Cassandra were not the only recipients of Tom Riddle's generosity.
Malfoy received a bottle of high-end Muggle hairspray.
Hermione was gifted a Transfiguration textbook filled with annotations.
And Snape…
In The Dungeons, Snape stared at a bottle of "Potter" shampoo. James Potter had been dead for years, meaning "Potter" shampoo was long out of production.
Tom Riddle had clearly gone to great lengths to acquire this… So why did Snape feel so miserable?
…
On the third floor, in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, Voldemort's remnant soul exclaimed, "Quirrell, the other me sent us a huge bag of secret-recipe hamburgers!" He was genuinely delighted; this was his first proper taste of a Muggle holiday. "Quirrell, you'd better eat every last one!"
"Aba aba aba…" Quirinus Quirrell drooled, his eyes glazed over as he smacked his lips.
...
On the eighth floor, Dumbledore unwrapped his own Christmas presents. As "the greatest white wizard of the century," he received a mountain of gifts. None of them brought him joy.
"More books… A few bags of Lemon Drops would have been nice." Dumbledore lamented that, with Grindelwald imprisoned, nobody understood him anymore.
Then, he spotted a forgotten box in the corner. He summoned it with a wave of his wand. Seeing the signature "Tom Riddle," Dumbledore was surprised and… intrigued.
Still, he kept his wand at the ready, just in case Tom Riddle had sent a curse.
He carefully opened the box. Nothing happened. Inside, he found… a pair of red wool socks.
"Tom Riddle, you little rascal…" Even Dumbledore, who had weathered countless storms and carefully guarded his emotions, couldn't help but shed a tear or two.
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