Chapter 67: Night Talk
Chapter 67: Night Talk
Malfoy sat uneasily on the sofa.
Felix, seated opposite him, summoned a cup of hot cocoa and handed it to him. "Sweets can make you feel happy." Then, he waved his wand, making the black notebook float up and land on the small coffee table between them.
"Thump."
Malfoy couldn't help but shudder.
"It seems your experience is quite unusual. Would you like to talk about it?" Felix said in an encouraging tone.
"The diary... Professor", Malfoy began, his voice hoarse, "I must ask for forgiveness... I think I made a mistake, unintentionally."
Felix's light blue eyes fixed on him. "Go on."
"It was... Potter and his friends!" Malfoy's breathing quickened. "A few weeks ago, I discovered they were breaking the rules, more than once! So I followed them secretly and found them hiding in Moaning Myrtle's territory, the girls' bathroom!"
"Moaning Myrtle's territory..." Felix repeated.
"Yes, Professor." Felix's response gave Malfoy confidence, and his nose reddened slightly. "They must be plotting something! Potter and his gang always do this, repeatedly breaking school rules without any consequences..."
It was clear he harbored deep resentment, constantly criticizing Potter.
"Everyone must take responsibility for their actions", Felix agreed.
"Yes, Professor Hup, you are so fair... Few people see through his true nature. Potter is reckless and arrogant, and that Weasley is always with him, like a—"
"Mr. Malfoy", Felix interrupted, "let's get back to the topic at hand."
"Of course, Professor. Potter caught me, and in my panic, I fled. When I returned later, they had cleaned up all traces, but I found this..." His gaze fell on the black notebook.
"What is it?"
"A diary, and a very dangerous dark magic item!" Malfoy said quickly, his face a mix of disgust and fear.
"At first, I thought it was left behind by Potter or one of his friends, maybe someone's diary. But I found out it belonged to a person named Tom Riddle, a former Slytherin student. I could even converse with him, and he taught me many things..."
Tom Riddle, that name... Felix's eyes grew deeper.
"So, you kept it a secret? I believe the professors have repeatedly emphasized not to trust things that hide their true nature."
Malfoy lowered his head, and Felix could easily see his platinum blonde hair.
"And then, Malfoy? According to you, it was a good teacher and friend. What changed your mind?"
Malfoy's face took on a look of reminiscence: "At first, everything was normal. But then, things changed. I found myself in strange places at times, and when I tried to think, I would subconsciously forget about it... Also, my robes, backpack, and collar were inexplicably covered in chicken feathers, which I never touch!"
"Later tonight, I found myself in a secluded corridor on the fourth floor of the castle. When I realized this, I saw Potter running away from me."
"I think", Malfoy lowered his voice, as if his previous words were preparing for this moment, "it was a trap set for me..."
The office fell into a quiet atmosphere.
Felix played with his wand, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he leaned forward and picked up the diary with his free hand.
He flipped through it briefly. Apart from the first page, which was inked with "Tom Riddle's" name, the other pages were completely blank.
Flipping to the back cover, he saw the name of a newspaper vendor on Vauxhall Road in London.
"Mr. Malfoy", Felix said, "are you suggesting that all of this was done by Potter and his friends?"
"There's a possibility, Professor—" he drawled.
"But what could their purpose be? Have you considered another possibility, such as this diary being connected to the recent Chamber attacks?"
Malfoy's pale cheeks turned even paler, and he stammered. Professor Hup's light blue eyes fixed on him, making Malfoy feel as though his thoughts were laid bare.
Subconsciously, he believed the diary was connected to the Chamber.
He wanted to entrust it to someone reliable but didn't want to attract any trouble. He couldn't let his father know what he had done unconsciously. That's why he had deliberately avoided Professor Snape, who was more trustworthy but also more closely tied to his family.
As for whether Potter was involved, he couldn't be certain. But causing trouble for Potter was a pretty normal thing to do, wasn't it?
"Professor... I'm not sure. I have no memory of this", he said slyly.
"Regardless—" Felix glanced at him, "you made a wise choice. Slytherin gets fifty points. That's the most I can do. Perhaps we should go to Headmaster Dumbledore together..."
"No, that won't be necessary, Professor", Malfoy hurriedly said, standing up. "I have one request. Can you keep this confidential?"
"Confidential?"
"I mean, before the truth is uncovered, it's best not to mention my involvement or tell my family. It could damage the Malfoy family's reputation."
Felix looked at him. "I can do that", he said.
"Thank you, Professor. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
With Felix's permission, he quickly left.
In the office, Felix quietly examined the diary, his fingers tapping the armrest of his chair.
"Tap, tap."
His perspective shifted, and he found himself in a black and white world, facing a darkness deeper and more intense than ink. He scrutinized it carefully, but found nothing beyond the darkness itself.
Felix moved to his workbench, thought for a moment, and then took out a quill, dripping a drop of ink onto the diary.
A blot appeared on the page.
He waited, but nothing happened.
Felix: "..." Was it my technique that was off, or did Malfoy not explain it clearly enough?
He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the open page—
"Reveal the secret!"
"Reveal yourself!"
"Magic trace!"
"Status report!"
After a series of attempts, the diary remained completely unresponsive, lying there in silence.
This thing was definitely made using extremely secret methods.
Even he couldn't figure out the problem right away.
Could a sixteen or seventeen-year-old Voldemort have this capability? If it was within the realm of dark magic, he wouldn't dare to make a hasty judgment, but in terms of magical artifacts...
On what grounds could Voldemort surpass me?
Felix fell into deep thought, his fingers tapping the workbench's surface, the office echoing with the sound of "tap, tap."
After an unknown amount of time, he finally stopped.
Felix's light blue eyes became particularly bright as a possibility occurred to him, a possibility that made him shiver all over—
Voldemort was the Heir of Slytherin, most likely a descendant of one of his lineage. That's why Voldemort could open the Chamber using Parseltongue while at Hogwarts.
What could be inside the Chamber?
Just a Basilisk that has lived for a thousand years?
That seemed too wasteful. But perhaps it was guarding something else.
For example, Slytherin's most secret research materials?
(End of Chapter)
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