Chapter 298 — Riddle's Charm!
Ron's gloomy expression instantly made Lavender and Anthony stop arguing.
They glanced at each other, then closed their mouths at the same time.
By now, the first-year students were already lined up in front of the classroom seats—standing stiffly, waiting to be sorted.
"Look, that's Ginny!" Harry said quickly, trying to redirect Ron's attention.
"Ginny! How did I forget! That's my sister—she's brilliant!"
"I think she might be a Ravenclaw like me!" Ron brightened immediately the moment his brother mentioned Ginny.
"Is it that cute red-haired girl?" whispered Michael Corner. For some reason, his dark-skinned face turned slightly red, and it wasn't easy to hide.
"Yes!" Ron said proudly.
Alexander Smith looked at Michael—one of Ginny's future ex-boyfriends in the original timeline—with a strange, knowing smile.
"Do you know," Alexander said casually,
"Ginny learned to ride a toy broom when she was six. She's a natural Quidditch star."
Michael listened with interest, and the more Alexander praised Ginny, the redder Michael's face became.
"Wait—who's that little witch next to Ginny?"
"She looks familiar—kind of like a crazy girl."
"Her name is Luna," Ron said. "My sister mentioned her." His expression was one of disbelief.
"Your neighbors? The Lovegoods? The family whose house is the size of a car?" Harry asked, stroking his chin.
"But I've always wanted to ask—why do you call her a crazy girl?" Harry looked genuinely confused. He felt the nickname was too harsh.
Her hair color was very similar to Draco's—almost white—and her eyes resembled Alexander's.
Judging from appearance alone, she was a very pretty girl.
Harry thought so. It seemed as though, in this altered world line, the one who judged Luna harshly on sight was not him.
"I dunno," Ron muttered. "She normally looks different. Her hair is usually messy—like Hermione's—and she wears weird decorations. Even by wizard standards! Beer-bottle corks, carrot tops, stuff like that."
Ron spoke nostalgically—without noticing he had casually insulted Hermione as well.
"What? Oh—sorting is starting?" Ron looked at Harry as Harry tugged his sleeve.
Harry looked toward Hermione, only to notice she was ignoring Ron's rambling completely.
Then Harry realized—everyone was staring toward the staff table.
He, too, couldn't help looking.
There were two extra seats this year.
And there was only one vacancy.
One seat belonged to Professor Lupin—elegant, worn, kind-looking.
The other… was Tom Riddle.
The legendary Dark Lord.
But Harry simply couldn't connect this man with Voldemort at all.
This Riddle was handsome—every movement carried an effortless, dazzling charm.
He was nothing like the monstrous Voldemort.
Harry wondered, baffled:
Did Voldemort lose his mind? Who would willingly destroy such a perfect face?
A face pale as marble—something only Michelangelo could sculpt.
It was comparable only to Alexander's.
"So handsome!"
"Merlin, I'm in love!"
"Why is fate so cruel… For the first time I like someone—for the first time the teacher is handsome—my first crush and my new professor are the same person! Why! This should have been a dreamy beginning! Why must the person I like be my teacher!?"
Whispers spread among the young witches—and even some wizards.
Even Harry felt an inexplicable fondness.
But something was wrong.
This was Voldemort's heart, after all—and whenever he faced Voldemort before, all he ever felt was revulsion.
This… was different.
Almost like discovering a new sibling.
Tom Riddle seemed to notice Harry's stare and turned, giving him a radiant smile.
Screams erupted from the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables.
"Ahhh!! He—looked—at—me!"
"Ninian! Check me! Is my hair okay? He looked at me!"
"He looked at me! What is wrong with you lot?!"
"Gryffindor! What are your names?!"
"Oi! Nerds from the Nerd Academy! He was looking at you! Losers!"
Riddle's smile immediately ignited chaos between Ravenclaws and Gryffindors—who were normally on good terms.
Insults like "stupid lion" and "freak bird" flew across the tables.
Even the prefects, Penelope and Percy, struggled to stop the quarrel.
Harry glared at Riddle—the obvious instigator—who looked utterly accustomed to it, fully aware of the effect his charm had.
Harry's fleeting fondness vanished instantly.
But something else confused him:
Where was the Ravenclaw ghost—the Grey Lady?
She had never missed a Sorting.
Nearly Headless Nick floated over from the Gryffindor table.
He seemed to understand Harry's expression.
"Ms. Grey's been acting oddly," he said. "She stays in the Ravenclaw tower, standing beside the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw—just staring at the diadem on her head. She's almost motionless. Quite strange. Considering she is—well… I shouldn't say. But she shouldn't be this obsessed. She knows that diadem very well."
Knows it well?
Nick's words plunged Harry into deep thought.
Ron and the boys beside him were too busy arguing to hear any of it.
Just when the situation was about to explode—
"QUIET!"
Professor McGonagall's voice thundered through the hall.
She looked like an enraged lioness, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes fierce enough to set the room on fire.
The arguments stopped instantly.
She set a three-legged stool in front of the first-years and placed a battered, patched wizard hat upon it.
Gasps spread through the first-years.
Everyone else fell silent.
The Sorting Hat was about to sing—
—but something unprecedented happened.
Dumbledore stood up before the Sorting Hat began.
"I believe everyone has noticed," he began.
"And many of you already learned from the Daily Prophet."
He paused. No one spoke.
Only Tom Riddle lifted his glass in greeting.
Looking at Riddle briefly, Dumbledore continued:
"This year, I am delighted to welcome two new professors to our staff. Both will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."
(End of Chapter)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics