When Tom returned to Hogwarts, Dumbledore immediately caught him and took him to the Principal's office.
"Tom, what exactly do you want to do?"
Dumbledore looked at Tom and directly asked the doubt in his heart; a wise man like him truly couldn't guess Tom's purpose.
But Tom didn't answer Dumbledore's question; instead, he directly took out a document and handed it to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore took the document, and after just glancing at the title, his pupils suddenly dilated. He looked at Tom in disbelief: "Ariana Dumbledore Charitable Foundation?"
"Yes, Professor, you didn't misread it, it's the Ariana Dumbledore Charitable Foundation. The structure has been completed, and most of the funds have been raised. You are the person in charge, and it has already been filed with the Ministry of Magic. Here, I must thank Harry and Sirius for their generous sponsorship. Oh, and Professor Grindelwald also intends to invest a sum, and of course, I personally have also contributed a great deal."
Dumbledore took a deep breath, feeling that there was a huge conspiracy within, and quickly began to flip through the document.
Tom calmly watched Dumbledore read the document. After all, there was nothing wrong with the document; he had only blurred other funding sources besides Harry and Sirius. Anyway, what's done is done; knowing it sooner or later makes no difference.
After roughly flipping through the document, Dumbledore looked up at Tom and asked in confusion, "Tom, what exactly are you planning to do?"
"It's like this, Professor Dumbledore, I inadvertently learned about your sister, Ariana Dumbledore. I deeply regret her fate, and therefore, I always wanted to do something for the deceased Ariana Dumbledore."
"So I came up with this idea, and the most suitable person in the magic world to do this is, of course, you, Professor. Carrying the memory of the deceased, spreading love throughout the magic world, helping more people like Ariana Dumbledore, and preventing her tragedy from happening again—don't you think this is a great thing?"
Looking at Tom's sincere expression, as if a holy light was about to emanate from his head, Dumbledore felt that Tom must have developed issues from playing with Horcruxes. Didn't he feel awkward saying such things?
And when exactly did Tom do this?
....
When did he do it?
Of course, it was during the few days Dumbledore was taken away by the Ministry of Magic for questioning.
After Dumbledore was taken away, Tom had a sudden idea to convene a new Death Eater representative conference, so he had Lucius send out the notice. The location chosen was a dilapidated pub in Knockturn Alley.
As for the time, with the Black Magic Mark being such a convenient summoning tool, he would wait until he went back for a nap first.
When Tom, wearing a hood, stepped into the pub, many people were already inside. After feeling the summons of the Black Magic Mark, the remaining Death Eaters arrived one after another.
Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Tom stood in the center of the pub, ready to announce the official start of the new Death Eater representative conference, but then he noticed something was wrong.
Where was Snape? Where was such a big Severus Snape?
Severus, is this how you act as a double agent? Are you worthy of my trust and Dumbledore's trust?
This is dereliction of duty, slacking off. I'm noting it down in my little book. Next time, when limited edition cards are released, you won't be prioritized.
Also, why are there so many irrelevant people, and they all look like Dark Wizards?
Just as Tom was about to expel these irrelevant people, he saw them suddenly unfurl banners and uniformly shout slogans.
"Welcome the Dark Lord's return, conquer the Ministry of Magic, and rule the magic world!"
Inspired, the Death Eaters cheered and shouted along.
"Welcome the Dark Lord's return, conquer the Ministry of Magic, and rule the magic world!"
"Welcome the Dark Lord's return, conquer the Ministry of Magic, and rule the magic world!"
....
"..."
Tom looked at the chaotic scene before him speechlessly, furious.
He shouted in a chilling voice, "Stop. Who did this? Step forward."
Feeling the Dark Lord's anger, the pub instantly fell silent. The Death Eaters lowered their heads, not daring to face the Dark Lord's wrath directly.
However, at this moment, Avery, a minor figure among the Death Eaters, voluntarily stepped forward with an expression of seeking praise: "Master, these people were specially gathered by me to welcome your return and boost your prestige. I hope you like it."
"Heh heh heh... Very good, Avery, you are truly very good."
Tom was so angered he laughed. First Barty Crouch Jr., then you. With you two 'Sleeping Dragons and Young Phoenixes', it's truly his blessing. No wonder the noseless Voldemort lost; it's really not unfair.
Brainless Avery couldn't distinguish the sarcasm in Tom's words. He was happily thinking he had gained his master's praise and would rise to prominence, but the next second, he was met with:
"Crucio!"
Avery, doubled over in pain, couldn't understand how he had offended the Dark Lord.
"Idiot!"
The others cursed Avery silently in their hearts, and at the same time, subtly distanced themselves from him, lest his intelligence affect them.
However, when they faced Tom again, they became even more respectful. The Dark Lord was still the Dark Lord. After so many years, he still had that authentic flavor.
Having dealt with the fool, Tom could finally begin to preside over the new Death Eater representative conference.
"Long time no see, my brothers, my sisters, and my friends."
As soon as the first sentence came out, Tom paused. This sounded too much like Grindelwald. Could it be that after lecturing (and selling) with Grindelwald for so long, he too was starting to become Grindelwald-like?
The others looked at each other, perplexed. This was very un-Dark Lord-like.
Tom only froze for a moment before regaining his composure. Never mind, he thought, just continue.
"Today, we gather here to discuss the future of us Death Eaters." Saying this, Tom pointed to the banner that had been unfurled, "Attacking the Ministry of Magic? Heh, is this truly the future we aspire to?"
"This is '92. There are still 8 years until the new century. Fighting and killing are no longer suitable for this era. We Death Eaters are a team full of love, and we certainly cannot go against the times."
Death Eaters, full of love? How did the Dark Lord connect these words? Was the person speaking truly the Dark Lord? The Death Eaters couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Just then, a familiar and powerful pressure emanated from Tom, and the burning Black Magic Mark on their left arms dragged everyone back to the terrifying time dominated by the Dark Lord's immense power.
The person speaking was indeed the Dark Lord, no doubt. Could it be that the Dark Lord had truly changed, or had his mind really broken?
So, Lord Dark Lord, what exactly do you want to do? Give us a clear answer!!!