"The answer is right here." Dumbledore stood up and walked around the table. He walked past Harry and came to a golden, three-storey metal storage cabinet in the middle of the room. It was as luxurious as a castle. It was filled with transparent candle-shaped crystal bottles. Inside the transparent crystal bottles was a silvery-white object that was spinning and floating.
"What you see are memories," Dumbledore said as he pointed at one of the crystal bottles in the cabinet. "This small bottle contains the memories of Tom Liddell."
Harry came forward and saw that the bottle that Dumbledore was pointing at had the name "Tom Liddell" written on it.
A gray stone meditation basin flew out of the cabinet and landed on the headmaster's desk. Dumbledore shared the memories of Tom Liddell's family with Harry.
Coming out of the meditation basin, Harry stood by the table and digested what he had just seen.
What made Harry feel even more disgusted was that Dumbledore also told Harry that the Gunter family was a very ancient wizard family. They were known for their restlessness and violence. Because they were used to intermarrying their family members, this behavior caused the characteristics of their family to become more prominent with each generation. They lacked rationality and especially liked to be extravagant. Therefore, the family's wealth had been squandered several generations before Marvolo's family. He was shocked to find out that Voldemort's maternal grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt, had a terrible temper, but he was also arrogant and conceited to the point of being unreasonable. He valued his ancestral relics much more than his son Morfin and daughter Merope.
Thinking about Lord Voldemort's background, Harry felt that he was much luckier than him. Although he was also an orphan, he did not attack Muggle or even the officials of the Ministry of Magic. His grandfather and uncle were imprisoned in Azkaban. Penny's family was like angels compared to Lord Voldemort's family.
He was the product of his parents' love. Lord Voldemort's mother was lucky enough to escape the tragic fate of the family tradition after her father and brother were imprisoned in Azkaban. However, she used an aphrodisiac to bewitch the handsome Muggle that she had admired for a long time — Tom Liddell. After she was pregnant with Tom Liddell, Dumbledore speculated that Merope mistakenly thought that he really loved her and did not let Lord Voldemort's Muggle father continue to use the aphrodisiac. As a result, Merope was left alone in London in the later stages of her pregnancy.
She, who lacked the skills to make a living, was in desperate need of money. She had no choice but to sell the only valuable thing she had — a precious family heirloom pendant that her father, Marvolo, treasured very much. The ignorant and desperate Merope only sold the family heirloom for ten gold coins. Compared to her mother, Merope clearly lacked courage. After she was abandoned by her husband, she no longer used magic. She even refused to raise her wand to save her life before she died. Fortunately, the disheartened Merope remembered to bring Lord Voldemort to an orphanage before she died.
"Don't tell me that you sympathize with Lord Voldemort?" Dumbledore's voice interrupted Harry's thoughts.
"No … No, but Merope had a choice, didn't she? Unlike my mother …" Harry looked up uneasily and saw Dumbledore raise his eyebrows.
"Your mother also had a choice …" Dumbledore did not ask further. He turned the tray in the storage cabinet and took out another bottle of memories. He pinched the oval base at the bottom of the crystal bottle and said, "This is the scene when I first met Tom. It's not too late now. If you're willing, I hope you can take a look."
Dumbledore handed the crystal bottle to Harry. Harry looked at Dumbledore's injured hand and took the crystal bottle. He pulled out the top of the crystal bottle that looked like a candle flame and walked to the meditation basin on the headmaster's desk. Dumbledore's arm gently waved in a semicircle above his head. The meditation basin emitted a faint glow that was neither liquid nor gas.
Harry poured the silver substance in the bottle into the meditation basin. It slowly spun and spread out in the basin, turning into a black catkin substance. Harry leaned forward, took a deep breath, and plunged into the basin. He felt his feet leave the floor of the office. He passed through the swirling darkness and fell. The black catkin substance fell with him and turned into the city and streets in Dumbledore's memories.
Dumbledore, who was about 50 or 60 years old, still had white hair. He wore a purple-red suit that attracted a lot of Muggle's attention. With long auburn hair and a beard, he held a black umbrella and strode forward along the sidewalk.
Harry roughly judged that this was in the South Lamberth district of London from several landmark buildings. Then Dumbledore opened a big iron gate marked "Wall Orphanage". The high walls of this gloomy orphanage were installed with dense iron walls to prevent climbing.
"I have to admit, I was a little confused when I received your letter, Mr. Dumbledore." A tired-looking woman with short blonde hair stared suspiciously at Dumbledore's suit and even more flirtatious chrysanthemum-spotted scarf. Then she took him through the cold and narrow stairway. "For so many years, no relatives have ever come to see Tom."
After climbing a few floors, she stopped and approached Dumbledore at the third floor's staircase. She whispered, "Some accidents have happened to other children, terrible accidents."
Then she took Dumbledore a few steps forward and stopped at the first door of the long corridor. She knocked and pushed the door open. "Tom, someone is here to visit you."
"How are you? Tom? " Dumbledore's cloak was already hanging on his arm. He walked past the orphanage's caretaker's wife, who had brought him here, and walked into the room.
It was an empty room without any decorations. There was only an old wardrobe and a metal bed. A boy who looked like a miniature version of the handsome old Tom Riddle was sitting on a gray blanket. He had black hair and a pale face. He looked at Dumbledore without saying a word.
Tom Riddle immediately stopped him when Dumbledore's hand reached out to the old wardrobe. "Don't touch it!"
Dumbledore retracted his hand and looked at the seven pebbles that were lined up on the windowsill. There was a picture clipped to the handle of a pipe on the wall beside the window. It was a picture of an island or a large reef that was being hit by waves.
"Are you a doctor?" Tom Riddle asked cautiously. "Did she call the doctor to check on me again?"
"No, I'm Professor Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore." Dumbledore sat down and looked straight into Tom Riddle's eyes.
"I don't believe it. They want me to see a doctor. They think I'm different from others. "Tom Riddle's voice was laced with anger.
"Well, they might be right," Dumbledore said patiently.
"She wants someone to come and see me, doesn't she? Tell me the truth! " Tom Riddle emphasized. He said the last three words loudly and fiercely. Although he was only a child, he was intimidating. It was an order, and it seemed that he had given this order many times in the past.
The boy suddenly widened his eyes and stared fiercely at the red-haired wizard in front of him. Dumbledore did not answer, but continued to smile kindly. After a few seconds, Riddle's gaze relaxed, but he seemed to be more alert.
Dumbledore still had the friendly smile on his face. "Hogwarts is not an asylum. Hogwarts is a school, a school that teaches magic."
"I'm not crazy." Tom Riddle looked at Dumbledore, trying to determine if he was lying. "I didn't do anything to little Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop. You and the old hag can ask them yourselves."
"You can do some things, can't you, Tom? Something that other children can't do. "Dumbledore asked.
"I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals listen to me without teaching them. If anyone treats me badly, I can make them suffer." The corner of Riddle's mouth curled up, and an excited blush spread from his pale neck to his sunken cheeks. "I can hurt them if I want to. Who are you? "
"I'm just like you, Tom." Dumbledore looked at Riddle intently. "Different."
"Prove it to me." Riddle narrowed his eyes.
Dumbledore's lips curled up, but he did not do anything. The old wardrobe in the corner immediately burst into flames, and the light illuminated Tom Riddle's face.
In the light, the wardrobe made a clicking sound.
"Something seems to want to come out of your wardrobe, Tom." Dumbledore's expression became serious.
Riddle walked to the wardrobe, opened the door, and took out a box. The fire disappeared, and the old wardrobe stood in its original position, undamaged. Riddle nonchalantly placed the contents of the box on the bed. There was nothing unusual in the box, just a bunch of ordinary things that children in the orphanage would treat as treasures. There was a floating reel, a silver thimble, and a tarnished harmonica. They lay motionless on the bed.
"Hogwarts don't allow theft." Dumbledore looked calmly at the boy in front of him. "You have to return these things to their owners and apologize to them. I promise I will know if you did it or not."
"I knew I was different … I'm very special. There really is something in this …" Riddle looked at his trembling hands and did not respond to Dumbledore's warning about his theft. This made Dumbledore retract his smile and focus on Riddle.
Suddenly, the boy raised his head. His face was different from before, revealing a fanatical emotion. This ecstasy did not make his expression more beautiful. Instead, it caused his originally delicate features to become distorted, as if he had turned into a monster.
"In Hogwarts, not only do you have to learn how to use magic, you also have to learn how to control it." Dumbledore leaned forward and asked, "Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes, sir … I will return it to them." Riddle narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was considering Dumbledore. Then, he obediently put the pile of stolen goods back into the box. Then, he said rudely to Dumbledore, "I don't have money."
"That's not a problem." Dumbledore said as he took out a purple-red leather pouch from his purple-red suit. "Hogwarts has a fund that is specially provided for those who need funding to buy textbooks and school robes. But … I'm afraid you can only buy second-hand magic books … "
"Where can I buy magic books?" Riddle interrupted Dumbledore's words and took the pouch without even thanking him. Then, he lowered his head and began to carefully examine a thick gold coin.
"At a place called Diagon Alley." Dumbledore did not mind Riddle's impoliteness. "I brought your list of books and school supplies. I can help you buy everything …"
"You want to come with me?" Riddle raised his head and asked.
"Of course, if you …"
"I don't think I need you … Sorry, I mean, Professor." Riddle met Dumbledore's inquisitive gaze and suddenly seemed to remember something. Then, he said in a completely different and polite tone, "Professor, I'm used to doing my own things. I always run around London alone. So, I think I can do it without disturbing you. So, how do I get to Diagon Alley … Professor? "
Harry thought that Dumbledore would insist on accompanying Riddle like other little wizards who did not know about Diagon Alley. However, things were out of his expectations once again.
Dumbledore handed the envelope with the list to Riddle and told him the specific route from the orphanage to the Broken Cauldron. Then, he said, "You'll definitely see it, even if the Muggle around you … I mean, people who don't know magic … can't see it even if they see it. Ask the owner of the bar how to get to Diagon Alley … The owner's name is Tom, just like you … It's easy to remember. "
Riddle, who initially maintained a friendly attitude, twitched angrily as if he was trying to chase away an annoying fly.
"You don't like the name 'Tom'?"
"Sorry, Professor, but there are too many people named 'Tom'," Riddle muttered. Then, as if there was a fishbone stuck in his throat, he blurted out, "Is my father a wizard? They told me his name was also Tom Riddle. "
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Dumbledore said, his voice gentle.
"My mother obviously didn't know magic, or she wouldn't have died … It must be my father." Riddle did not seem to be talking to the professor in Hogwarts, but more like he was convincing himself. Then, he sobered up. "Sorry, Professor, after I buy everything, when and how do I get to this school of Hogwarts?"
"All the details are written on the second piece of parchment in the envelope. You will depart from King's Cross Station on September 1st. There's also a train ticket in the envelope. "After that, Dumbledore got up and said goodbye to the boy, preparing to leave.
Riddle stared at Dumbledore in silence. Just as Dumbledore was about to leave the room, he suddenly said, "Professor, I can also talk to snakes."
Dumbledore was stunned and stood rooted to the ground.
"They were the ones who found me and whispered to me. Is this normal for someone like me?" Although Riddle was asking, his tone contained an unmistakable pride. He had purposely waited until the end to reveal his most special ability.
Dumbledore turned sideways and hesitated. The man and the boy stared at each other.
The memory turned into a chaotic black catkin again. Harry left Dumbledore's memory. He stood in front of the table, panting, still thinking about what he had just seen. "Did you know, Professor?"
"Did you know that you saw perhaps the most evil Dark Wizard in history? Of course not. " Dumbledore said. "Even if I knew, I …" Dumbledore was silent for a moment before continuing, "During his years in Hogwarts, Tom Riddle was very close to a teacher. Guess who that teacher was?"
Harry remembered what Dumbledore had brought him to do before school started. He raised his eyes and looked directly at Dumbledore. "You persuaded Professor Slughorn to come back for more than just teaching potions, right?"
"More than that." Dumbledore slowed down. "Professor Slughorn had something that I desperately needed. Naturally, he wouldn't hand it over so easily."
Harry heard this and seemed to understand something. He continued to ask, "You said that he would want to recruit me."
"Yes," Dumbledore answered without hesitation.
"Do you want me to agree?" Harry turned his head.
Dumbledore's eyes met Harry's and nodded again. "Yes."
When Dumbledore saw that Harry's face had become serious, his eyes were firm, and his lips were pursed. Dumbledore knew Harry's choice.
"Apart from that, I need you to bring your trusted friends, such as Jenny and Ron. When you're free, go to the Whaling Willow every day. I've arranged for Sirius to teach you how to transform into Animagus using their family's method. If the animal you transform into is suitable, it'll be very helpful when you need to hide yourselves. I know that the Invisibility Cloak can't cover all of you anymore. "Dumbledore returned to his seat and clasped his fingers together.
Seeing Harry's delighted expression, he didn't say that he hoped that by doing this, Harry and the others would be able to focus on Animagus, which required a lot of time and effort, instead of letting Harry, who had developed a fondness for ancient magic, focus on learning dangerous knowledge. Dumbledore needed Harry's personality to be unaffected by black magic. That way, at the right time, Harry wouldn't become too selfish and unwilling to die.
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