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Chapter 628: Whose Conspiracy
Chapter 628: Whose Conspiracy
Meanwhile, with a nudge from Albert, Harry decided to re-examine Tom Riddle's diary, even though Ron thought it was a waste of time. Harry, however, was undeterred and racked his brains to recall any crucial clues he might have overlooked.
To that end, Harry spent an entire afternoon, even skipping Dark Magic Defense class, before finally latching onto a fleeting idea that had flitted through his mind.
It was a small fragment of memory that Albert had secretly implanted in Harry's mind. He remembered that last time, he seemed to have accidentally... dripped ink on the diary, and then... Harry quickly flipped through the blank pages, but there was not a single trace of ink on them.
This was a small alteration that Albert had sneaked into his memory, but it had to be said that it was quite useful.
As if to verify his memory, Harry took out the ink bottle from his backpack, dipped the quill into it, and after a moment's thought, casually wrote on the first page of the diary:
"Hello."
Something incredible happened. The line of text flickered on the paper as if it were absorbed by the page, disappearing without a trace in an instant, leaving no evidence that it had ever been there.
Harry was incredibly excited and felt that he might have discovered the secret hidden within Tom Riddle's diary. A smile spread across his face as he quickly dipped the quill in the ink again and continued to write:
"My name is Harry Potter."
"What secrets are hidden within this diary? Can you tell me?"
Harry poured out his doubts onto the paper in one go, convinced that this diary held some secrets from fifty years ago.
These secrets were like treasures waiting to be unearthed.
After a long wait, a miracle finally occurred. Words began to seep onto the once-blank page.
"Hello, Harry Potter. I am Tom Riddle. How did you come across my diary?"
In fact, Tom Riddle, hiding within the diary, was still feeling rather depressed. Ever since his encounter with Gilderoy Lockhart, he couldn't help but suspect that everything was a plot designed against him.
Although Tom was indeed curious to meet Harry and find out how he, as an infant, had defeated the greatest wizard of all time without using any particularly powerful magic, he couldn't shake the doubt that the person before him might not be the real savior, Harry Potter.
What if it was a trap set by Lockhart? No matter how he looked at it, the situation seemed highly suspicious! In the end, curiosity overcame caution, and Tom Riddle decided to respond to Harry Potter.
"Someone wanted to throw it into the toilet."
After hastily writing these words, Harry had a strange premonition that he might finally be able to uncover the clues from fifty years ago about who had opened the Chamber of Secrets from Tom's diary.
An excruciatingly long silence ensued.
"This diary records some hidden incidents from the past, terrible events that took place at Hogwarts School. There are always those who wish to keep such matters hidden."
Tom Riddle was adept at manipulating others, easily sensing what Harry Potter was eager to find out, and pinpointing the right angle to hook him in.
However, he found it hard to believe that Lockhart would simply throw his diary into the toilet. Even if he wanted to insult him, after doing such a thing, he wouldn't let others take this diary away so easily.
This was highly suspicious.
Was it really a trap, then?
That bastard, if it wasn't for the fact that Tom had confirmed that the person writing in the diary wasn't the Dark Magic Defense professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, but a young wizard of twelve or thirteen years old.
Of course, Tom never considered that he had never actually seen Gilderoy Lockhart write with a quill from start to finish. Since he had never personally met the man, how could he be sure that it wasn't Lockhart who had set him up all those years ago, and not the person standing before him now?
Tom Riddle's failure to consider this point was obviously due to his current lack of intelligence and slow thinking.
"Do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked eagerly, completely unaware that he was being led by the nose by Tom.
"When I was still a student, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and the monster within attacked the students in the castle, eventually killing one of them. Later, I caught the person who opened the Chamber, which led to their expulsion. The school gave me a gold medal as a reward, but I was warned not to speak of it. However, I knew that something like this would happen again because the monster was still alive, and the person who opened the Chamber was never imprisoned. So, I left behind this diary to serve as a warning for future generations."
Tom Riddle skillfully disguised himself, attempting to gain Harry's favor and trust.
Harry's heart raced as he hastily wrote on the paper, "Now, it's happened again, and no one knows who's behind the attacks."
At that moment, Harry felt closer to the truth than ever before, his handwriting becoming messy and hasty as he wrote, "Who was it last time?"
Tom Riddle was pleased with the result and, after a moment of silence, replied, "If you wish, I can show you. You don't need to read what I write. I can take you into my memory, to the night I caught him."
Harry couldn't refuse, nor would he turn down such an offer. He was already eager to see the outcome.
Finally, guided by Tom Riddle, Harry Potter successfully entered Riddle's memory and witnessed how he had caught the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin.
However, the outcome was far from pleasant.
To Harry's astonishment, the culprit turned out to be Hagrid, and this discovery left him unable to accept what he had learned. He even regretted ever investigating the matter and reading Riddle's diary.
Was Hagrid really the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin? Harry didn't know, but the evidence against Hagrid was indeed substantial.
Because, after Hagrid was caught and expelled, the attacks stopped. Otherwise, Tom Riddle would not have received the school's reward.
Harry's suspicions about Hagrid led him to quickly connect many dots.
He hadn't forgotten how, during the summer vacation, he had accidentally stumbled into Knockturn Alley and encountered Hagrid there. This incident was already suspicious. What was Hagrid doing in Knockturn Alley?
Moreover, it was common knowledge that Hagrid had a soft spot for dangerous creatures. The previous year, he had tried to raise a dragon in his hut, and he also kept a three-headed dog that he affectionately called "Fluffy."
What if it was the reckless and ignorant young Hagrid from fifty years ago?
Upon hearing that there was a monster hidden within the castle, he would surely have tried to find it by all means, just like they had searched for the Philosopher's Stone the previous year. Then, in the dead of night, he might have released the captured monster to give it a chance to stretch its legs, which didn't seem like such a strange thing to do.
Of course, Harry was also willing to believe that Hagrid wouldn't have intentionally killed anyone.
Now, all the evidence pointed to Hagrid.
Did he really have to report Hagrid again?
Harry couldn't bring himself to do such a thing; Hagrid was his good friend.
Should he talk to Hagrid about this matter?
No, that won't do! He decided not to say anything to Hagrid about it.
Now, Harry couldn't wait to discuss this matter with his two friends; otherwise, he felt he might go crazy from keeping it all inside.
(End of Chapter)
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