Chapter 387: Tom's Plan (Edited)
The sky outside was already dark.
Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his tired forehead. Behind him was a chalkboard he had conjured, filled with writings.
His eyes moved from one arrow to another, from one word to another, from one diagram to another, and then he let out a sigh from the depths of his being. "Today's youth!" Is this how ambitious young people are? Am I too old? Looking at Tom, whose face displayed the same indelible weariness, Dumbledore seemed to see the golden youth of a hundred years ago.
The same exceptional talent, the same energetic demeanor, the same overflowing ambition. However, there was one fundamental difference between him and that individual.
That individual was driven by a thirst for power and ambition, but what seemed to drive this boy, Tom, was something quite absurd: laziness. If a more modern word were to be used, it would be "relaxed" or "inactive."
After such a long conversation, Dumbledore was sure of one thing: Tom was a pragmatic being; he only wanted to protect his little territory and live a peaceful life with his girlfriend. Tom Riddle would be a disturbance to his peaceful life, so he was determined to erase Riddle from the world.
He had no grand ideals; this boy was very realistic. Dumbledore even believed that if the situation became unsustainable, he would completely abandon the wizarding world and hide as an ordinary Muggle.
But for now, he was still considering the well-being of the magical world. Observing Tom's plans, Dumbledore felt a sense of respect on his elderly face. He was truly bold in his thinking. If his assumption turned out to be true, he could provide a safe haven for all the wizards in the world. It would be a great achievement. All wizards would owe him a debt of gratitude.
Right now, Tom had just fully exposed his plans to eliminate Voldemort and his followers, his infiltration into the Ministry of Magic and the non-magical world, his use of Dementors, and more.
Through this chalkboard, Dumbledore seemed to see an entirely new future. This boy seemed to be weaving a web to catch all the unstable elements, dark creatures, the Dark Lord, the Minister of Magic, and the Prime Minister. No one would be able to cause trouble. Dumbledore believed that, even after his death, if he wished, he could easily control Hogwarts.
"The time for change has come... It's the time for the beginning of change, right after Voldemort's disappearance." Tom's voice sounded a bit hoarse, his hair a bit disheveled, but his eyes shone. This was the first time since he arrived here that he fully exposed his plans, and he was also a little nervous.
The more complex the plan, the greater the likelihood of errors. But fortunately, Tom's plan was divided into stages that could be carried out one by one. He would start with the resurrection of the noseless one.
Now he was waiting for Dumbledore's response, really hoping to receive some help from the old wizard, even if it was just recognition.
Dumbledore looked into those bright eyes and sighed. This boy's ideas were good, but unfortunately, the magical world couldn't bear more revolutions.
During the time when Grindelwald wreaked havoc, he practically exhausted all the magical energy in the world. To this day, wizards have not fully recovered from that devastation. If it were to happen again, no one knew what the future of wizards would be like.
But Dumbledore also didn't want to completely dismiss Tom's plan; at least the part about eliminating Voldemort seemed very tempting.
"Have you considered what you would do if your assumptions turn out to be incorrect or if the magical community does not support your plan?" Dumbledore averted his gaze from the chalkboard and asked seriously. At that moment, he even considered the idea of imprisoning Tom if his answers were unsatisfactory. The reason was simple: the magical world couldn't endure more disturbances.
Tom thought for a moment. "If my assumptions turn out to be incorrect, then all my subsequent plans will have to be abandoned. In that case, I would spend the rest of my life guarding the New Azkaban, or rather, the White Dolphin Prison. At the same time, I would closely oversee the government and the Ministry of Magic, although I'm sure I wouldn't bother with any reform. So, I would live a quiet life, being a simple decorator craftsman would be fine."
Tom himself was very aware that for a declining collective, poor reform was worse than no reform. Many times, such reform was like stepping on the accelerator on a downhill slope. So once his assumption was refuted, he wouldn't hesitate to choose a conservative path and reject any radical reform.
And that assumption was the Other World.
As a concept within Celtic mythology, even most wizards considered the "Other World" an illusory existence, but Tom was thinking: if he could find that "Other World," couldn't he allow wizards to take root in it? As for why he dared to believe in the existence of the "Other World," it was due to the strange missions and beings clearly not belonging to this world that he had encountered in the course of those missions, which had infused him with a glimmer of hope.
In this way, developing in the current world while leaving a seed in the "Other World" for wizards might be the best option for them.
However, all of this depended on proving and finding that legendary place.
When Dumbledore heard Tom say this, he finally felt relieved. Luckily, this boy still had consideration, and besides, he had plenty of time to live. If he kept a close watch on him, there shouldn't be major problems.
So, he applauded softly to express his approval towards Tom. While watching the happy smile on the young man's face in front of him due to his applause, Dumbledore suddenly felt his own mood improving.
"I believe you can start preparing for the first stage. As for the part involving Hagrid, you can handle it yourself..."
...
Tom finished his conversation with Dumbledore and left his office feeling exhausted. As he stood up, he could clearly feel that the clothes on his back were soaked with sweat. The past few hours had given him a strange feeling of participating in a thesis presentation and a job interview at the same time.
Just as he was walking out of the office, something soft fell onto his thighs.
"Umm... huh?" That something emitted a soft groan, and Tom recognized it was Hermione. It turns out that while he was talking to Dumbledore, she had been leaning against the door and had fallen asleep!
Tom quickly crouched down and took Hermione's hands, which were as cold as ice. "What's wrong with you? If you catch a cold, what will we do!"
Tom complained, half compassionate and half scolding.
At that moment, Hermione also woke up.