Chapter 632: The Culprit from Fifty Years Ago
Chapter 632: The Culprit from Fifty Years Ago
April brought warmer weather and the blossoming of spring.
Hogwarts Castle returned to its usual tranquility, and no students paid extra attention to the attack that had occurred earlier. It was as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Albert decided to pay Hagrid a visit to inquire about Tom Riddle, intending to gather the final piece of the puzzle before revealing the whole truth to Dumbledore.
To be honest, it was extremely difficult to hide anything from a Legilimens like Dumbledore, even with Albert's high-level Occlumency. Moreover, Dumbledore's intelligence was not to be underestimated.
In fact, the best course of action would be to avoid any interaction with Dumbledore.
However, the panel task offered extremely rich rewards, and Albert couldn't bear to give them up. Given that he had no choice but to interact with Dumbledore, he could only resort to another approach—telling the truth with a plausible trail of clues. In simple terms, he would let Dumbledore believe that he was a genius who could piece together the truth from fragmented information. After all, everyone already thought of him as a genius, so there was little room for doubt in that regard.
Leaving the castle and strolling along the grassy path, Albert walked towards Hagrid's hut. Just as he was about to knock on the wooden door, he heard Fang scratching at it from inside.
The next moment, the door opened, and Fang, Hagrid's boisterous dog, pounced forward, tail wagging. Albert sidestepped nimbly and then crouched down to scratch the excited Fang behind the ears, calming him down.
Hagrid watched as Albert, still crouching by the door, petted Fang. With a smile, he asked, "What brings you here? Have you discovered something…?"
"We'll talk inside," Albert interrupted.
"Oh, right, come in!"
Hagrid, thinking that Albert might have another astonishing secret to share, quickly made room at the entrance and invited him in.
Hagrid closed the window of the room and hung a copper kettle on the fireplace to boil some water. Turning to Albert, he asked, "What new clues have you found?"
"Hagrid, do you remember a person by the name of Tom Riddle?" Albert asked mysteriously.
Hagrid was clearly not expecting Albert to bring up Tom Riddle, and he was momentarily stunned. After a long pause, he replied in a low voice, "Of course I remember. He's the one who got me expelled from school. I think I mentioned him to you before!"
"I recall that Tom Riddle was a student in Slytherin House, right?"
"Yes, I think it was Slytherin House… Why do you ask?" Hagrid placed a plate of rock cakes on the table and looked at Albert with confusion.
"Have you ever considered that the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets might be Tom Riddle?" Albert dropped the bombshell, steering Hagrid's thoughts in the direction he wanted.
"Even though he got me expelled, you can't just accuse him of being a Slytherin… Wait, have you found some evidence?" Hagrid's hand, which had been reaching for a rock cake, paused in mid-air as he turned to Albert in shock. He knew that Albert didn't make baseless statements, and there must be a reason for him to suspect that Tom Riddle was the heir of Slytherin.
"I don't have direct evidence, but some recent events have led me to this conclusion." Albert proceeded to tell Hagrid about the occurrences from the past few days.
"That suddenly appearing Riddle's diary is very suspicious. You probably don't know this, but apart from the Sorting Hat, I've never seen a magical item that can think for itself. And now, that diary has mysteriously disappeared, stolen by a student from Gryffindor House." Albert continued to explain, seeing the bewilderment on Hagrid's face.
"Why do you think it was a Gryffindor student?" Hagrid was even more perplexed. He could understand every word Albert said, but he couldn't fathom why he would make such a statement.
"Someone sneaked into Potter's dormitory, rummaged through his trunk, and stole Riddle's diary." Albert glanced at the rock cakes that had fallen onto the table and continued, "Don't you find this whole situation suspicious?"
Hagrid seemed about to say something, but Albert cut him off.
"You're a student in Gryffindor House yourself, so you should know that students from other houses wouldn't know the Fat Lady's password, let alone enter the Gryffindor common room. Therefore, the person who stole the diary must be a Gryffindor student."
"You're absolutely right!" Hagrid absentmindedly agreed, his mind seemingly occupied with thoughts about the possibility of Tom Riddle being the culprit behind the Chamber of Secrets.
"I know you might not believe me, but Riddle is indeed very suspicious. Take a look at this, and you'll understand why I say so."
Albert pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket and spread it flat on the table for Hagrid to see.
Hagrid took the parchment and read the names that were connected by numerous lines: [Harry]
, [Basilisk]
, [Parseltongue]
, [A Gryffindor Student]
, [Riddle's Diary]
, [Hagrid]
, [Tom Riddle]
, and [Chamber of Secrets]
.
"What does this mean?" Hagrid put down the parchment, walked to the fireplace, and poured hot water from the kettle into a teacup for Albert.
"Don't you think that Tom Riddle is connected to a lot of these incidents?"
Albert picked up the teacup, blew on it gently, and took a sip before continuing to guide Hagrid. "Try to recall what you know about Tom Riddle. Think about the things he did and whether there were any rumors about Parseltongues at the time."
"What if Riddle is a Parselmouth?" Hagrid asked tentatively.
"If Tom Riddle is a Parselmouth, then he is undoubtedly the culprit who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago." Albert stated confidently, "Although there is no concrete evidence to support this, I have no doubt that opening the Chamber of Secrets requires the ability to speak Parseltongue. Remember, Salazar Slytherin himself was a Parselmouth, and his symbol was the serpent. I believe there's no better way to symbolize an heir of Slytherin than possessing the ability to speak Parseltongue."
Hagrid didn't understand why Albert held this belief, but upon further reflection, it made sense. While there were wizards from other lineages who could speak Parseltongue, the fact remained that many things in Slytherin House were associated with snakes, especially the ability to control basilisks.
"This is just your suspicion. We have no evidence," Hagrid pointed out the issue plainly.
"You should know that we only need suspicion, not evidence." Albert ignored Hagrid's comment and continued, "While Tom Riddle grew up in the Muggle world, it doesn't necessarily mean that his parents were both Muggles. There could very well be a witch or wizard, or even a Squib, among his ancestors."
"Is Tom Riddle a Muggle-born wizard?"
"The Riddle diary that Potter found was purchased in the Muggle world, indicating that Riddle spent his childhood there. Otherwise, why would anyone specifically go to the Muggle world to buy a diary?"
Hagrid knew that Albert made a lot of sense. Interactions between wizards and Muggles were indeed rare, let alone purchasing a notebook from them.
"If we dare to make a bolder assumption, and Riddle is indeed a Parselmouth, could he possibly be a descendant of Slytherin?"
Albert posed another hypothesis, "I know many famous wizards, yet I've rarely heard of the descendants of the Four Founders. Perhaps their later generations changed their surnames, especially if the bloodline was passed down through daughters in the absence of sons."
At this point, Hagrid was thoroughly confused. His intelligence simply couldn't keep up with Albert's train of thought, and he could only listen on blankly.
"It's odd that I've never heard of such an exceptional wizard like Tom Riddle, even after inquiring with some of my older friends," Albert said as he picked up a rock cake from the plate, dunked it into his tea, and asked with a smile, "Do you know what this might imply?"
"Does that mean he's dead?"
"Or..." Albert prompted.
"Or?" Hagrid racked his brains for an answer, "he became a very mediocre wizard and thus lived an obscure life?"
"Do you think I'll lead an obscure life in my later years?" Albert countered.
"No," Hagrid shook his head. He was well aware of Albert's capabilities and talents. Unless he died young, there was no way Albert would ever fade into obscurity.
"Exactly!" Albert took a bite of the soggy rock cake and slowly said, "Tom was the Head Boy of Hogwarts in his seventh year. And according to the magic in that diary, Tom Riddle was a genius in no way inferior to me. I'm not bragging here, but I do have confidence in my own talents."
"You mean..."
"He probably changed his name."
"Why would you think that?" Hagrid asked in confusion.
"The name Tom is way too common. Even my cat is named Tom."
"Then why would he do that?" Hagrid became even more perplexed. According to Albert's analysis, Tom Riddle was indeed highly suspicious.
"He reported you probably because he didn't want the school to be shut down." Albert delivered the final blow to his hypothesis, "Don't rush to deny it. After you were caught, the attacks on Hogwarts completely stopped. Were you the heir of Slytherin?"
"Of course not!" Hagrid exclaimed.
"Don't shout at me, I know you're not." Albert tried to calm Hagrid's agitated emotions, "But the fact that the attacks stopped after you were captured is the key point here."
"The key point?" Hagrid obviously didn't understand what Albert meant.
"Once you were captured, the attacks ceased, and everyone believed you were the perpetrator of the attacks." Albert reminded him, "If the attacks had continued after your arrest, they would have known they had caught the wrong person."
"Yes, that's right, that's what happened." Hagrid seemed to understand, standing up excitedly.
"Since you're not the heir of Slytherin, why did the attacks stop after you were caught?" Albert continued, "Naturally, the attacker wanted you to take the fall, and Tom Riddle, who received the Special Service Award, is the biggest suspect."
"Why?"
"Because he's the biggest beneficiary, and thus the biggest suspect."
"I remember that only Dumbledore believed in my innocence." Hagrid said sadly, "Later, he persuaded Professor Dippet to let me stay on as the gamekeeper."
"No, you're wrong. In fact, most of the professors with a sound mind knew you were innocent." Albert calmly stated, "Otherwise, how could you have stayed at Hogwarts instead of being sent to Azkaban? Headmaster Dippet certainly knew the truth, so he agreed with Dumbledore's suggestion."
"But why..." Hagrid exclaimed in shock.
"They needed a scapegoat, and after you were caught, the attacks stopped, so you became the most suitable candidate to take the blame. Someone had to be blamed for the death of a student, and an explanation had to be given to the student's family. You were caught by Riddle, and you let the Acromantula escape, so you couldn't prove your innocence. Even Dumbledore couldn't help you in that situation, so don't blame others."
Hagrid remained silent for a long time. Although he was reluctant to admit it, Albert had explained it to him in detail, and it made perfect sense.
"Why do you think I'm innocent?" Hagrid asked curiously, "Why did you know I wasn't the culprit, while others immediately realized it as well?"
"Because you're not a Parselmouth, and because you have Giant blood in you. Others may not have considered this, but the heir of Slytherin is likely to be cunning and intelligent, and most likely from Slytherin, not Gryffindor. And your intelligence..." Albert shrugged, "among all the students, could only be considered average. The Chamber of Secrets had remained hidden in the castle for a thousand years without being discovered by anyone. It's not easy for an ordinary person to find the Chamber, so you know why I said what I said."
"Hmph!" Hagrid snorted in dissatisfaction, feeling a little unhappy about Albert's comment on his intelligence, even though it was true.
"If Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets back then, who do you think is responsible for opening it this time? According to what you said, aside from Harry, there are no other students in the school who can speak Parseltongue. And to control the Basilisk to attack students, one would also need to be a Parselmouth."
"If these assumptions are true, then Riddle's diary is highly suspicious." Albert presented his viewpoint, "If it can automatically answer the questions written in it, why can't it speak out loud? Making a diary speak is not that difficult, after all!"
Albert drew out his wand, gently pointed it at the parchment, and the parchment made a rustling sound as it folded and unfolded.
"If Riddle left some strange magic on the diary, it's naturally possible for him to use the diary to open the Chamber of Secrets and control the Basilisk. Don't forget, that diary has its own thoughts. Now the only question is whether Tom Riddle could speak Parseltongue, whether he was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, and whether he changed his name."
"So, what's your final answer?" Hagrid asked breathlessly.
"Voldemort." Albert lightly tapped the parchment, causing the name to appear, and with this name connected to Tom Riddle, everything made sense.
"Voldemort!"
Hagrid's breath quickened as he read the name, "Do you have any evidence?"
"No." Albert shook his head, "But I'll find some clues."
Of course, he wouldn't reveal the secret of Voldemort's name to Hagrid, as that would be hard to explain.
[Tom Marvolo Riddle's full name in English is "Tom Marvolo Riddle", and "I am Lord Voldemort" in English is "I Am Lord Voldemort". The letters are the same, just rearranged.]
(End of Chapter)
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