"Ahhh!"
Tom let out a piercing shriek.
The diary trembled violently, as if enduring immense torture.
From the moment the Mysterious Magic Book had classified the diary as an "Artifact" and finished analyzing it, Hermione had gained absolute control over it.
In other words, Tom Riddle's soul fragment was now completely in Hermione's hands, with no possibility of resistance.
She could twist it however she wanted—bend it into shapes, stretch it thin, compress it tight.
Forget torturing him—she could erase his soul with a single thought.
"You... you filthy Mudblood... what have you done to me?!"
Tom's voice was broken, laced with uncontrollable terror.
He could feel his soul being torn apart, crushed by an irresistible force. The pain was worse than death.
"Looks like you're determined to take this beating to the end."
Hermione sighed.
"AHHHHH!!!"
With a flicker of thought, the diary's screams grew even more agonized.
She flipped through the diary like it was an amusing toy.
Who keeps a diary anyway?
"Stop... stop! I... I surrender..."
I'm behaving. Please let me go.
Tom's voice carried a note of pleading. He'd never imagined he'd be reduced to this.
Once, he'd been Hogwarts' most brilliant student. Slytherin's most promising heir. Destined to become the greatest Dark Wizard.
Now, he was nothing but an ant, toyed with by a girl, utterly powerless.
"Tom Riddle... Actually, I'll just call you Little V. You want a body, right?" Hermione asked suddenly.
Little V's weak voice responded: "Yes."
"If I can successfully manipulate someone, I... I can absorb their soul's power... Once I have enough strength, I can manifest... even gain a physical form and use magic..."
Little V's voice was fragmented.
Hermione's mind stirred.
Soul power?
She remembered that in the original story, Little V had manifested by manipulating Ginny and draining her life force.
It seemed this diary was special because it was Voldemort's first Horcrux. When he split his soul, he'd taken too much, giving the diary fragment clear self-awareness—completely different from other Horcruxes.
"But," Hermione's tone shifted, "have you ever considered—if you successfully regain your body and rule the wizarding world, what happens to your original self? Which one of you is in charge?"
Little V froze.
He'd never thought about this.
Or rather, he'd subconsciously avoided it.
Voldemort was extremely arrogant. He'd never tolerate anyone challenging his authority.
At the same time, he was obsessed with survival. Splitting his soul to create Horcruxes was all about achieving immortality.
If one day, the diary version of himself gained full power—even surpassing the original...
What would the original do?
"Seems you haven't thought about it." Hermione's voice carried a hint of mockery. "So let me ask you—knowing yourself as well as you do—would you tolerate another version of yourself sharing everything equally?"
Little V remained silent.
Of course not!
Forget sharing everything—he couldn't even accept sharing a fraction of power.
"When the time comes, your original self would rather destroy this Horcrux than let you continue existing."
Hermione's voice was like a devil's whisper, echoing deep in Little V's soul. "After all, to him, you're just a tool. A tool to ensure his immortality."
"And tools don't need self-awareness."
Though Tom said nothing, the diary trembled violently, betraying his inner turmoil.
"So," Hermione's voice turned soft and seductive, "if you want to keep existing, there's only one way."
"What way?" Tom's voice carried urgency.
"Eliminate your original self. Take his place." Hermione's voice was calm and cold. "There can only be one Voldemort in this world. And that's you."
"You..." Little V's voice was filled with shock.
"You need to prioritize. Figure out what's most important right now."
"Keep clinging to pointless blood purity nonsense and fight me to the bitter end? Or set everything aside and pursue power."
"Power is the only truth in this world." Hermione continued, her tone laced with temptation. "When you have enough power, whatever you say is right."
"Like right now," Hermione said flatly, "my power is insurmountable to you. So whatever I say is right."
"Did that half of your 'noble wizard blood' do anything for you?"
Little V fell completely silent.
He had to admit—Hermione was right.
In this world, power was the only truth.
Bloodline, heritage—meaningless before absolute strength.
Little V said bitterly: "I'm just a broken soul. I don't even have a body. What power could I possibly have?"
Hermione's voice brimmed with confidence. "With my help, anything is possible."
"You?"
Little V's voice carried doubt.
"I admit you're a genius with impressive methods. But my original self... he's the Dark Lord. Even as a remnant soul, given time, he'll return. You can't beat him."
"I have my reservations about that," Hermione chuckled. "Besides, who said I'd fight him?"
"The one who'll deal with him is you."
With that, Hermione's mind flickered. Pure Soul Energy flowed from the Mysterious Magic Book, slowly pouring into the diary.
She had plenty of Soul Energy left over after reaching Level 4. She was still far from the 500,000 needed for Level 5 anyway.
Might as well use a tiny bit to "feed" Little V.
As the Soul Energy flowed in, the diary began to glow faintly.
Then, a blurry figure slowly emerged from the diary.
"This..." Little V looked down at his body, stunned.
Looking at this young, handsome, clear-minded, fully conscious Tom Riddle, Hermione seriously suspected Voldemort had used a binary split method when creating Horcruxes.
Each time, he'd cut his soul in half, causing his mental state to deteriorate with each Horcrux. The more he made, the more insane the original became.
Meanwhile, Little V in the diary seemed like the most normal version.
"So, do you believe in my abilities now?" Hermione asked calmly.
A slap, then a sweet date. Classic.
Little V took a deep breath, internally cursing.
Damn it, if you could restore soul energy, you should've said so earlier!
I would've surrendered immediately! Who'd willingly endure that torture?!
Fuck!
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