Harry Potter : Chapter 13: Parallelism III

"Professor Slughorn." she corrected him.

"That's what I just said." the far too large first-year blatantly lied as he sat down at her table, slowly followed by his companion.

"I apologize for his rudeness." Riddle inclined his head towards the Gryffindor witch in an empty gesture of platitude.

At least one of the two has the good grace to attempt to be courteous. Minerva thought sardonically.

...

"Bah, we've got no time to waste on formalities." Hagrid's large hand waved irritatedly in the air: "Sorry if it took so long to get to 4th year Transfiguration, but we got sidetracked with enchanting."

"You got sidetracked with everything your eyes landed upon, I swear you're a Ravenclaw." Riddle sniped at the first-year, who shrugged unrepentantly.

"You had some catching up to do too"

"I most certainly did not."

"We both know that you wouldn't be near me if you didn't find my approach to magic interesting." Hagrid snorted dismissively, returning his attention to the Gryffindor witch.

During that exchange, Minerva's eyes landed on the stack of books, and her eyebrows rose into her forehead: "Animagus? You want to become an Animagus?"

"I want to research how it's done." Hagrid shook his head while Riddle's lips curled in distaste: "I have no interest in becoming an animal."

"And it's largely useless unless you have a form that makes you capable of blending in, like a tabby cat." Hagrid nodded his assent, "And distinctive signs carry over with the transformation, so whatever animal I'd end up being would be too large to be natural."

"Can we get on with it without having to listen to your rambling?" Riddle redirected the conversation before Minerva had a chance to protest. Becoming an Animagus is extremely difficult, and the magic is fascinating! How dare they dismiss it so easily?

"Does this tome come from the Restricted Section?" Minerva asked while she flipped open a leather-bound tome titled The Shape Within. She had never found it in her previous casual attempt to learn something about the Animagus Magic.

"Sluggy does so love a driven student."

"Professor Slughorn." Riddle corrected the far too tall student with a tired sigh, letting Minerva free to have her eager eyes roam over the pages.

"An Animagus can turn into a single animal form without a wand or other instruments, retaining his wits despite the obvious inability of the animal to house a human brain.

My first question is this: where do the wizard's clothes go when he's an animal?" Hagrid's voice made Minerva's head tilt towards the two wizards that had boldly invaded her private space.

"That's why you want to study this? You want... what exactly? A personal pocket only you can reach?" Riddle's expression went from one politely hiding irritation to pure eagerness. His head snapping towards the stack of books like they held the key to everything he had ever wanted.

"I knew that you'd be interested. Minerva is a genius at Transfiguration and does well all across the board, you're... well, you, and my approach to magic is almost always new. This friendship will bring us far."

Minerva's eyes snapped up at the mention of friendship while Riddle was suddenly busy skimming the books, his eyes moving quickly from one line to another.

"Does your presence here imply that you have covered four years of Transfiguration theory in less than three months?" she asked, suddenly remembering the condition she had placed in order to free herself from being pestered by the first-year Slytherin.

"Understanding the theory and doing are two different things. My mind grasps concepts faster than most, and Tom's brilliance can hardly be denied.

He pointed me in the right direction the few times I've stumbled. But in my defence, studying only theory makes it challenging to understand everything without having confirmation from my spells."

"He makes the most beautiful daggers out of needles." Riddle, no, Tom commented as he turned a page, his eyes never stopping from seeking anything worthy of note.

Minerva's eyes widened despite her attempt to appear unfazed.

She studied alone. She always did. From time to time she joined other people from her House to write essays, but that was it. Most Gryffindors could hardly be bothered with research in the library for the sake of research.

And while she had a few acquaintances in Ravenclaw, she found their constant dedication to study... dull.

They followed the curriculum almost obsessively, and while that allowed them a leg up in class, it hardly made sense in Minerva's eyes.

They were going to learn the curriculum from a professor, why spend your free time on something that you'll get to learn anyway eventually?

And now that she was a fourth-year, her role as the best chaser on the Gryffindor team undisputed, her place at the top of her year unquestioned, only now she met people to share her passion for research with?

====================

About the MC:

There is only so much original shit I can pull off when there isn't a mad fucker roaming the School. So most of the conflict going on at this level will be about... ugh, I can't believe this, 'feelings'.

No matter how determined you are, after a life spent as a muggle you'll get swindled by magic too, so no, Hagrid hasn't figured out a plan to kill Tom yet. But Voldy is just 13 years old here, what could go wrong by waiting a while still?

It's hard to properly convey how the MC actually feels: he's happy for this chance at a life of magic, but he knows that he basically killed the real Hagrid.

For all intents and purposes, Hagrid's dad has lost a son, and being somewhat 'looney' (that's the only reason I can find for someone to have sex with a giant), he has not noticed in their month of convivence.

In his shoes, you'd be more than willing to simply distance yourself from a family member that you don't know as such. But that doesn't mean that you don't feel bad for such a family member.

=========================

if you want to read ahead of the public release, you can join my p atreon :

p atreon.com/Darkness013