N-A-A Chapter 189-188: The Snake Killer! The Tragedy of Malfoy!
Chapter 189-188: The Snake Killer! The Tragedy of Malfoy!
Chapter 189-188: The Snake Killer! The Tragedy of Malfoy!
The basilisk's corpse lay there quietly.
The snake skin, which had not yet deteriorated, had lost all its flesh and blood, as well as all its nutrients, and even lost its medicinal value. The guy who killed this poor snake did not waste a single bit of usable energy.
This was absolutely heartbreaking for Ian. He had always regarded the basilisk as his precious treasure whom he had never met, but he never expected that his precious treasure would be intercepted and hunted down.
"Tom! It must be Tom! There can't be anyone else but Tom!"
The damp, musty smell mixed with the stench of blood assaulted his nostrils, and Ian's hand gripping his wand trembled slightly with anger. He had developed numerous potions specifically for raising basilisks in order to better care for them.
Including but not limited to the [Rapid Regeneration Potion], the [Shedding Potion Three Times a Day], and the [Snake Fang Rapid Regeneration Potion], these painstaking and painstaking inventions that were harmless and painless have now become obsolete.
The basilisk in the secret room is gone.
Where can the little wizard find a second perpetually producing machine for precious potion ingredients? If we calculate based on the time it takes to raise a basilisk for six generations, he has lost at least several hundred million Galleons in this wave.
"Even if that wicked Tom were to resurrect and let me eat his kidneys for a thousand years, it probably wouldn't make up for my terrible loss." Ian raised his wand and buried the basilisk on the spot with a heavy heart.
He glanced at the slightly damp and dark passage ahead and figured that since he was already here, he should at least search Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets for anything that could be recycled.
Every little bit helps.
As for the issue of not attending class on the first morning of the school year, that was not within the scope of the young wizard's consideration. Professor Flitwick would surely be happy to help him find a suitable excuse.
Students with excellent grades already enjoy a privileged status in the eyes of professors, let alone Ian, who is the best of the best among students. Professor Flitwick even helped Ian forge a medical certificate for a disease that Ian was unaware of.
"Da da da~"
Ian's footsteps echoed in the empty chamber, splashing water that stirred up long-dormant dust in the air, filling the entire chamber with a chilling stillness.
Only Ian's crystal-clear footsteps and the occasional water droplets seeping from the cracks in the rocks, making subtle and crisp sounds, echoed continuously in this underground room built a thousand years ago.
"Slytherin's rheumatism must have been very severe."
Ian reached the end of the secret passage, and after turning around one corner after another, a seemingly solid stone wall suddenly appeared before his eyes.
This is an exquisitely crafted wall, carved with some magical runes and two giant snakes intertwined, with several large, pure gemstones embedded in their eyes.
They shimmered with a chilling green light, like a killing curse. Perhaps due to the power of shapeshifting, these giant stone snakes were indistinguishable from real snakes. They clung to the wall, eyeing their prey below, as if they might pounce out at any moment. The young wizard could even hear the hissing of snakes.
"Open."
As Ian spoke.
The entire secret room began to shake violently. The sounds of machinery roared, and dust was constantly falling from the ceiling above Ian's head.
The dust did not get on Ian's clothes.
"The amount of dust doesn't seem to be accumulated over decades." Under his gaze, a short while later, the door of the secret room, which may have been recently opened, suddenly swung open.
The rusting sound also subsided.
All I saw was...
Inside the gate was a long, narrow room with a straight path leading to its end. On either side of the path were two deep pools of water.
One stone pillar after another stands in the pool, supporting the ceiling with a huge crystal chandelier, on which candles that have been burning for thousands of years burn steadily and persistently.
The firelight, refracted by the exquisitely cut crystal, illuminated almost every corner of the entire chamber, clearly utilizing some optical principle related to Muggle science.
The serpentine carvings on the stone pillars, reflected in the water by the refraction of light, appear lifelike, like long water snakes swimming mysteriously in the pool.
"Who says wizards are bad at math and science? I think Slytherin is a master of both physics and magic." Ian stepped inside, his wand still in his hand.
After all, no one could say for sure whether an attacker would suddenly appear out of nowhere, and things had already deviated too far from the story of Hogwarts in Ian's memory.
As the young wizard walked forward step by step, nothing unusual happened in the ghostly surroundings. He walked straight to the end and came to a sculpture that was the same height as the secret chamber.
This is a statue of an old man with a pointed snout and monkey-like face. His sparse but long goatee hangs straight down to the part of his robe that reaches the ground. His two gray legs stand on the smooth floor of the stone chamber. He lowers his head slightly and looks down at the tiny newcomers standing at his feet. That arrogant expression has not diminished over the thousands of years.
The statue is made with great precision, with even the whiskers clearly defined. It is a work of painstaking effort and looks much more exquisite than the huge stone statues in the underground palace.
"Salazar Slytherin." Ian recognized the name on the statue, of course. The most narcissistic of the four founders was not Gryffindor, but this old man who had once tricked him.
"Get out of here, old man!" Ian cursed as he kicked the statue. He raised his wand, intending to use his Level 5 awakened Extraordinary ability, the [Lock-Picking Charm], to open the hidden room behind the statue—the correct way to open the door here should be, "Speak to me, Slytherin, the greatest of the four great masters of Hogwarts," but it was really impossible for Ian to praise the person who had tricked him in Parsley.
Fortunately, Ian practiced the Lockpicking Charm intensely during the summer vacation, and has now awakened a property called "Deconstruct All Things" in the Lockpicking Charm, which gives Ian the ability to use magic to dismantle all shackles.
Normally, the Lockpicking Charm might only unlock physical locks, but Ian's current Lockpicking Charm is no longer limited to unlocking locks. In addition to opening physical locks, it can also unlock magical seals and even mental shackles.
Anything that symbolizes a "lock" and a "key" can be opened. Like other extraordinary properties, this is a power that transcends the limits and rules of ordinary magic.
"The Arahomon Opens!"
Ian's magic hit directly.
He solved the not-so-complicated door-opening mechanism without much calculation. Slytherin hadn't set up any strong defenses either, since everyone who could get here was a Parsleyan.
Slytherin only wanted to hear some compliments from the juniors he respected. He probably never dreamed that the person who entered the Chamber of Secrets would not have much affection for him.
"Click click click~"
Then a tooth-grinding sound rang out.
The Slytherin statue's mouth began to open, widening until it revealed a dark, empty space behind the statue—the place that should have been the dwelling place of the basilisk.
This is also the location many people speculate to be the true location of Slytherin's Chamber. Ian had heard similar rumors, so without hesitation, he went straight into the cave, which was no longer guarded by the basilisk. As soon as he entered, a damp and musty smell hit him, and there were no candles to light the way.
"The fireflies are twinkling."
Ian chanted the spell.
The orb of light detached from his wand and rose into the air.
It was like a small drone following him. Then, as the light came on, the rather vast interior of the cave was revealed to the young wizard.
however.
This hidden space was an unfinished, bare shell. There were no ornate decorations or dazzling gems, only exposed rocks and damp moss, which appeared particularly cold and damp in the dim light. The air was filled with a mixture of musty and earthy smells.
"It really is a Slytherin kennel, no, a snake pit?"
Ian frowned involuntarily. He had expected to find some legacy left by Slytherin for future generations, but the scene before him was far from what he had imagined.
Perhaps Tom, who deserves to die a thousand times, had already taken everything inside?
"It's also possible that Slytherins are indeed very stingy." Ian couldn't help but think of Gryffindor's treasure; he had never given up searching for that somewhat strange portrait of the founder.
After mentally rehearsing Slytherin, Ian looked around. The place was mostly rocks and mud walls, with not a ray of light to be seen.
"what?"
Just as the little wizard was about to leave.
An unusual reflection caught his attention. In a corner of the cave, on a seemingly ordinary rock, sat a somewhat decayed wizard's chessboard.
The squares on the chessboard are blurred and the edges are covered with mold due to the erosion of time, but even so, it still exudes a rather mysterious aura.
It's as if some kind of magic is engraved on it.
"Something Tom without a nose wouldn't even look down on?" Ian, no longer caring whether there was any treasure inside, added another bill to Voldemort's list that he felt he should collect.
"Checkmate".
As Ian approached the chessboard, he saw the inscribed characters. Only one chess piece lay forlornly on the empty board—a seemingly ordinary stone king. The piece was covered in a thin layer of dust, incredibly hard, but it didn't look like anything of value.
Perhaps that's why it was left here?
"But there also seems to be traces of magic on it." Ian picked up the chess piece to examine it, and then the chess piece opened its eyes, its hoarse voice sounding like a sigh from a thousand years ago.
"A true king must learn to pierce his own throat with the thorns of his crown." The voice sounded familiar, like that of his good friend Pandro.
However, the tone sounded much deeper and older.
"He's got something."
Ian's eyes flickered slightly as he put the chess piece into his purse. He felt there must be some story behind it, and whether it was just wishful thinking or not, he should take it with him.
"I've spent so much time searching, and I haven't found a single hair." Ian retraced his steps with some frustration, climbed out of the cave, and then walked out of the secret chamber through the door.
"Boom!"
With a violent tremor, the door to the secret chamber closed again. Ian was about to leave and return to the surface, but after glancing back, he stopped in his tracks.
"I feel much better now."
After half an hour.
Ian, carrying several heavy, enormous emeralds, crawled out of the passageway of the abandoned washroom on the second floor. It had taken him a lot of effort and magic to pry these things off the door.
I straightened my clothes.
Ian put away the gem and left the abandoned washroom, heading into the corridor.
"Earthquake! Earthquake!"
"There was an earthquake just now!"
"Oh my god! With something this terrible happening, are we really not going to keep classes?"
……
Many young wizards who should have been in class were gathered in the corridor. It was as if they had collectively escaped from the classroom. They were all whispering among themselves, still shaken by what had happened not long ago.
Ian did not join them.
He went straight to the alchemy professor's office.
"Little Ian, did you feel the ground shaking just now?" Nick Flamel, who had no classes in the morning, was working on his unfinished work when he saw Ian come in and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"The students all say it was an earthquake."
Ian answered without changing his expression.
"No, this is clearly the sound of something collapsing underground, not an earthquake," Nicolas Flamel said with certainty, making an accurate judgment.
"Huh? Really? Maybe some place has been in disrepair for years." Ian looked away guiltily. He didn't know why the secret chamber collapsed after he took out a few gems.
This must be related to the fact that Voldemort conducted some dangerous experiments inside that no one knows about.
Yes.
He just happened to be unlucky enough to run into it.
Ian thought so.
I couldn't help but write down another complaint about Tom in my little notebook.
"Perhaps, but this isn't my problem to deal with. Dumbledore is the one responsible for Hogwarts." Nick Flamel glanced at Ian and then didn't continue the discussion.
"What brings you here?"
He glanced at Ian's slightly damp robe.
"I'd like to see Dumbledore or Professor Lockhart. Something's not right with Harry," Ian said, stating his purpose directly. He had already confirmed on the Marauder's Map that neither of the two old men were there.
Perhaps there are other Dumbledores or Grindelwalds from other times hiding in the school. Nick Flamel, who assisted the two in their time travel, should know this best.
"Something's wrong with Harry? Is it because of the remnant soul in Harry's forehead?" Nick Flamel didn't seem surprised. Clearly, Voldemort's Horcruxes hadn't escaped the eyes of this great alchemist.
He spent a long time studying Harry Potter's scars last night.
"Yes, I feel that the remnant soul residing in Harry's forehead is very active. I'm worried that it wants to possess Harry's body to complete its rebirth. I discovered this earlier this morning..." Ian had nothing to hide, so he told Harry about his conversation and what had happened.
After hearing his story, Nicolas Flamel frowned slightly.
"Indeed, the remnant soul within Harry is unusually active. However, despite the peculiar nature of this remnant soul, it will not be an easy task for our Dark Lord to complete his resurrection."
"Horoscopes are a way to evade death; they are a way to fool death. Any Horoscope that remains in the human world needs extremely strict conditions to truly bring a dead person back from the dead."
"This is definitely not a simple operation... For a soul to return, another soul needs to take its place in the world of the dead."
"This is also a form of deception, and an equivalent exchange. Therefore, as long as no one dies in the school, Harry's situation won't slide into the worst possible direction."
Based on Ian's account, Nick Flamel concluded that the analysis relied on experience and knowledge. How could the world's most powerful alchemist not have studied Horcruxes?
"What if the soul used in the transaction is Harry's soul?" Ian had never been interested in Horcruxes, so naturally he didn't know much about them.
"That's impossible. Harry's soul and Voldemort's remnant soul are too deeply fused together. Unless Voldemort abandons both himself and his Horcrux, he wouldn't dare use Harry's soul to do such a thing." Nick Flamel believed that Voldemort wouldn't do such a thing. He knew that Voldemort didn't have many Horcruxes left.
"We should always consider that possibility," Ian said, being more cautious. He felt that Voldemort's madman-like way of thinking was probably beyond the comprehension of normal people.
"You're right, being cautious enough can avoid a lot of trouble, so I'll go to the school infirmary to check on Harry." With that, Nick Flamel put down what he was doing, stood up, and put on his robes.
"Aren't you going to inform Dumbledore?"
Ian looked at the old man who was walking with a shaky gait. It wasn't that he didn't believe in the old man's abilities, but he had more faith in Dumbledore's ability to use his wisdom to deal with and see through Voldemort's schemes.
after all.
Dumbledore is essentially Jerry.
Both strength and wisdom are a natural counter to Voldemort.
"He and his old friends are no longer at the school. You could say that all that's left at the school are some backup plans he made, but these methods can't provide any real help to us and Harry."
"Perhaps that's why trouble has arisen," Nick Flamel sighed in response, believing that Voldemort had deliberately chosen a good time to cause trouble.
"Did they time travel?"
Ian looked at his Big Ben, which was clearly in operation, its dial pointing to a time nearly a thousand years ago.
"They've gone to accomplish their important task. If all goes well, Dumbledore will be able to resolve all the troubles upon his return," Nick Flamel replied cryptically.
The young wizard seemed to be deep in thought.
"Okay, I'll keep a closer eye on things at school too." Ian followed Nick Flamel out of the office, watching him head towards the school clinic before heading up the stairs himself.
On the high tower with a clear view.
The young wizard gazed at the vast lawn in the distance.
All I saw was...
The first-year students were there learning their first flight lesson. Mrs. Hodge was instructing the students as usual, but just as she was explaining the basics of flying...
"Whoosh~"
In his panic, Neville didn't hear the command clearly. He kicked his legs hard on his flying broomstick and soared into the sky. He ascended at such a speed that even Ian was amazed.
"Come down quickly, child!"
Mrs. Hodge exclaimed to Neville in alarm.
"I can't control it!"
He let out a panicked scream in mid-air.
"Help me! Someone please help me!"
Perhaps he hadn't remembered the procedure during the lesson, or perhaps Neville was quite nervous at the moment, he soon lost his grip on the flying broom, tilted to the side, and fell from the sky.
"..."
Ian recalled this part of the story.
however.
He had just pulled out his wand to prepare for the rescue thousands of meters away when he plummeted from the sky, his entire body emitting a sharp scream in mid-air, and ended up hanging on the windowsill of a distant tower.
"..."
The little wizard silently put down his wand.
He saw that the others had already reacted and taken out their wands.
For their own purposes.
Ian chose to give the bonus points to other colleges.
"Yugadimurleviosa~"
The little witch on the lawn was indeed casting a spell, and amidst the panicked screams of the other young wizards, she used magic to rescue Neville from the windowsill.
"Well done, Miss Granger! Brilliant magic! You saved this child's life!" Mrs. Hooch patted her chest, still shaken, and thanked Hermione profusely.
Hermione scratched her head a little embarrassedly.
And magnets.
"My hands! My legs! My waist!"
Neville was groaning in pain. Mr. Longbottom was clearly not only terrified, but also seriously injured from the impact; his pale face was covered in sweat from the pain.
"I have to take this child to the school infirmary; he has a broken bone and we need Mrs. Pomfrey's help." Mrs. Hooch quickly stepped forward to examine Neville's condition.
She picked up Neville with a slightly nervous expression, and before leaving, she turned back to glare fiercely at the young wizards, "None of you are allowed to touch the flying broom while I'm gone!"
"If I return and find you haven't done as I asked, forget about playing Quidditch; you'll be kicked out of Hogwarts tonight!"
She was clearly trying to scare the young wizards.
no way.
The record of teaching without accidents for many years was broken. At this time, Mrs. Hooch was not only upset about her career, but also worried and fearful about encountering a similar situation for the first time.
"I reminded her last year."
On the distant tower.
Ian thought that Mrs. Hodge was finally learning her lesson.
This teacher really needs to change some of his teaching habits.
"Oh, child, hold on, don't faint." Mrs. Hooch didn't notice Ian, and it was unclear whether she remembered the reminder Ian had given her last year.
She comforted Neville and carried him towards the castle.
And just after the flight instructor left.
"Did you guys see that? That big oaf, he's absolutely hilarious." Malfoy couldn't wait to start mocking, and some of the Slytherin freshmen around him joined in the laughter.
"Shut up, Malfoy."
Hermione couldn't stand these people's gloating, so she stood up.
Malfoy's smile froze.
"Don't think that just because Prince is protecting you, you can be so arrogant towards us, Miss Granger. I'm not targeting you; I'm just targeting an idiot."
He was clearly a bit timid.
However, because there were many classmates around, he still gritted his teeth and retorted.
However, its momentum was clearly not as strong as before.
"What are you going to do?"
Hermione saw Malfoy walk towards the spot where Neville had fallen.
She thought Malfoy's smile was wicked.
"I just want to play a game of hide-and-seek with our big oaf." Malfoy picked up a round ball from the grass and showed it off to the freshmen around him like a conspicuous bag.
"Look, this is the memory ball that Grandma, the big oaf, gave him. He forgets things so easily. Let's see if he forgets he even has a memory ball."
talking.
Malfoy then mounted the flying broomstick that Madam Hodge had explicitly forbidden him from touching—he wasn't afraid of Madam Hodge's threats, and his own father, as a school board member, could not possibly expel him.
"Give it back! Malfoy! You've gone too far!" Hermione scolded Malfoy, only to see him smoothly ascend into the sky on a flying broomstick.
"Want it? Then come and get it yourself. This is our own business, and you'd better not go and complain to Prince." Malfoy smugly showed off the memory orb in his hand to Hermione.
His flying talent is indeed very strong.
but.
Just as Hermione, furious, disregarded school rules and grabbed a broom to chase after him, everyone noticed that Malfoy's smug expression began to turn strange.
"wrong……"
"This isn't right... I didn't mean to go any higher! Damn it, the flying broom is out of control!" This time it was his turn to scream, his terrified voice no different from Neville's earlier.
"????"
Hermione and the students on the ground were all dumbfounded.
"Was he acting?"
More than one person has this suspicion.
after all.
Aside from shouting for help, Malfoy's flying broomstick flew so smoothly that after reaching a certain height, it shot off and disappeared from everyone's sight.
"He was definitely acting!"
After discovering Malfoy was missing, Hermione concluded indignantly, "That guy is definitely trying to use the excuse of the broom going out of control to argue with the professors later!"
Her judgment was shared by many Gryffindor freshmen.
"Too cunning!"
"Pure-blood families are so treacherous!"
"This guy is incredibly cunning!"
……
Compared to the Gryffindor freshmen, the Slytherin freshmen, after hearing Hermione's analysis, all suddenly understood and praised Malfoy's intelligence.
"These are our Slytherin students!"
"Look at that! The Malfoys really know how to clean up the mess!"
"He's a true genius!"
A group of students who hung out with Malfoy were praising him. Little did they know that their "wise man" was now terrified and as timid as a quail.
"Oh no! She's too quick to tattle! I should have known! She looks like she likes to tattle!" Malfoy saw the figure getting closer and closer.
The little snake from Slytherin was completely distraught.
He looked dejected.
He looked regretful.
His legs kicked wildly in the air, and he let out a series of terrified screams. His body trembled violently as the broom approached, clearly frightened by the sudden turn of events.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
This guy immediately started apologizing to Ian like crazy.
High up in the tower, the wind howled. Ian stood quietly at the edge of the railing, watching as Malfoy, under his magical control, was brought before him by a flying broom.
"I have no interest in your childish games." Ian saw through Malfoy's thoughts, but his somewhat speechless words did not convince Malfoy.
indeed.
From Malfoy's perspective, everything was too coincidental. He had just had a conflict with that Gryffindor girl, and then Ian had dragged him to this secluded corner where no one else was around.
What else would you do if not beat yourself up?
"I didn't mean to bully your little follower... she started it..." Malfoy tried to defend himself, his face turning ashen with terror.
however.
Ian interrupted him directly.
"That's not what I want to ask you. What I want to ask you is what you gave me this morning." Ian took out a crystal ball, his green eyes staring blankly at the little snake in front of him whose expression had suddenly stiffened.
"I……"
Malfoy hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.
Her already pale face turned even paler.
Unlike in the morning, he didn't vehemently deny that it was something he left behind, probably because he was afraid of being beaten up. However, he also dared not reveal the origin of the crystal ball.
Ian noticed this.
"I know the diary is with you." Ian's [Mind Perception] was extremely effective against wizards whose minds were completely unguarded; he could even clearly sense the turmoil in Malfoy's mind.
"I don't!"
Malfoy's secret was revealed.
He looked completely startled and almost fell off his flying broom. He looked around in a panic, as if he were being watched.
"Give me the diary, and you won't have to worry about any trouble coming your way or your family anymore." Ian clearly sensed Malfoy's concerns.
His words caused Malfoy's expression to visibly struggle.
"You have to promise me that!"
Clearly, Malfoy's mind had shifted—between a terrifying alchemical creation and his classmates, he was more inclined to trust the new choices of many pure-blood families.
"Of course."
Ian smiled and nodded, giving Malfoy the response he wanted.
Malfoy gritted his teeth.
He started grabbing the railing with both hands, trying to climb from the flying broomstick to Ian's side. However, because his hands and feet were still weak, he lost his grip and almost fell off the tower.
"See, I've already saved your life." Ian grabbed Malfoy just in time, pulling him back from the brink of danger. He looked at the still-shaken Malfoy with a smile.
"..."
Malfoy really wanted to say that if Ian hadn't come after him, he wouldn't have been in danger, but he gave a stiff smile in response and ultimately didn't dare to reveal his true feelings.
"Come with me."
It took a while to recover.
Malfoy, somewhat absentmindedly, led the way for Ian.
During the process of going downstairs.
"They all say you killed Harry Potter, is that true?" Malfoy, preoccupied with worries, cautiously sought confirmation from Ian about the rumors he had heard.
can only say.
This is true love.
"Who told you this? You'd better give me a list later." Ian just glanced at Malfoy and the little snake immediately shut up.
"That's something I found at home. It's been sitting in a corner for a long time. I originally thought it was like Daphne's magical notebook that came from who-knows-where, and that it could tell me stories."
"I never imagined it could be... could be... such an evil thing." He could only immediately change the subject, steer the conversation toward his own experience.
obviously.
Some butterfly effects have indeed occurred.
Daphne's storybook from Grindelwald piqued Malfoy's curiosity, causing something that was supposed to appear in the next term to arrive at Hogwarts ahead of schedule.
"Looks like you know what you've hidden." Ian followed Malfoy toward the Slytherin common room, his teasing sending a chill down Malfoy's spine.
"I'm not stupid, I can guess... but I dare not say it." Malfoy tried to keep his voice down, but even so, he could not hide the fear in his voice.
"Did you ask me to deliver this to me because of the diary?"
Ian shared his earlier speculation.
as predicted.
Malfoy nodded obediently. "That's right, it's what the diary asked me to give you. He assured me that there was no curse or magic targeting you in that crystal ball."
He was clearly trying his best to mitigate the potential consequences of his actions. After all, whether from Hogwarts anecdotes or the official histories told by pure-blood families, everyone who tried to harm this terrifying senior next to him met a bad end; Marcus Flint had been expelled and sent abroad by his family this year.
Siberia.
It's as remote as it gets.
This was to prevent Marcus Flint from being killed in retaliation.
"It's definitely not something targeted at me. To be honest, if what you gave me was a curse or a trap aimed at me, I wouldn't be as interested as I am now."
Ian followed Malfoy all the way to the Slytherin common room. He was quite familiar with the place, having visited it more than once when he brought Aurora back.
"Open!"
Before Malfoy could even give the order...
Ian gave the command directly to the door. Just as Malfoy was about to remind Ian of the password, a low creaking sound rang out from the previously quiet surroundings.
The gate appeared.
The stone snake above is rolling.
The door, which should have kept uninvited guests at bay, swung open without any warning. Dim light shone through, and the distinctive lights of the Slytherin common room could be faintly seen.
Since it's class time now, there's no one in the lounge.
"????"
Malfoy was clearly taken aback.
He looked at the little wizard beside him with some disbelief.
"How did you do that?"
Malfoy's tone was tinged with disbelief.
"The benefits of making friends, Malfoy. Stop making enemies with your foul mouth all the time." Ian usually doesn't tell people he's not close to Hogwarts that he's good friends with them.
Malfoy was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but he also seemed to be deep in thought.
"Stop talking nonsense and take me to get the diary." Ian didn't give Malfoy much time to think and took the lead into the Slytherin common room.
He walked along the street stalls into the dormitory area.
"How come you know this place better than I do..." Malfoy noticed something unsettling, but dared not ask any further questions, and quickly led Ian to his dormitory.
Open the door.
A rich aroma, a blend of aged leather and mysterious spices, wafted through the air. A dark green velvet tapestry, embroidered with silver serpent patterns, hung on the wall, shimmering softly under the light. A dark wooden, carved bed sat in the room, its curtains half-drawn, exuding an air of aristocracy.
Compared to other colleges.
The dormitories in this college look much more luxurious, mostly decorated by the students themselves, since many students in this college come from pure-blooded families who value pomp and circumstance.
"Harry is staying in a luxury suite now."
Ian estimated the value of the decorations in the room. Malfoy, meanwhile, had already trotted to his bed and crawled under it—a common hiding place for most people.
A rustling sound of rummaging came from under the bed.
"How much stuff did you hide under the bed?" Ian asked curiously, trying to bend down to look, only to find Malfoy's dusty head popping out.
"It's gone! The notebook is gone!"
His voice trembled, filled with fear and disbelief.
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, Ian's eyes narrowed slightly, and a sense of doubt arose in his heart. He subconsciously looked around, trying to find a clue in the dimly lit, luxurious bedroom.
"No! How could this be!"
Malfoy crawled out from under the bed, his hair disheveled, his panic more pronounced, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, and his hands trembling involuntarily.
"Oh no, oh no, if he finds out something's wrong, he'll definitely retaliate against me... and my mom and dad too!" Malfoy had no idea what the diary he had obtained was.
But he knew very well who that diary was related to.
"A cunning rabbit has three burrows. That guy may not have realized your betrayal. Perhaps he originally planned to hide, since I would most likely come looking for you after you gave me that crystal ball."
Ian made a rational judgment.
"betray!?"
Malfoy didn't hear anything else; his mind was filled with only this one word. His face was completely bloodless, and he looked as if he was about to faint at any moment.
"As long as the diary is still at Hogwarts, I'll dig three feet into the ground and find it." Ian wasn't worried at all; at worst, he could use Legilimency on all the students in the school.
of course.
He wouldn't do something so morally reprehensible unless absolutely necessary; he would only recommend Dumbledore to do it. After all, it's reasonable for the headmaster to be concerned about the students' mental well-being.
"What should I do now?"
Malfoy's mind was buzzing, and he was no longer able to calm down.
Continue your normal life.
Ian took out a pendant and put it on Malfoy's head.
He never goes back on his promises.
"This thing can defend against three magical attacks, and after it's triggered, it allows me to lock onto your location and Apparate to your side," Ian reassured Malfoy.
"But...that's the Dark Lord..."
Malfoy swallowed hard.
But Ian's gaze remained calm and deep.
"That will still stop him three times. He can't hurt you, but I can definitely save you." The little wizard's tone was quite calm. He didn't believe that Voldemort's magic could surpass his own.
"you……"
Malfoy had his mouth open, as if he wanted to say something, but the moment his eyes met Ian's, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
What a confident look that was!
"All right."
Malfoy simply nodded in the end.
His eyes darted around.
"Remember to let me know if there are any problems." Ian patted Malfoy on the shoulder, whistled, and the Black Phoenix appeared out of thin air. After Ian grabbed it, it disappeared with Ian.
He stared at the spot where Ian had disappeared.
After a long while.
"Dad might really be... wrong again."
He recalled the conversation he had just had.
It seemed that he finally understood why the other families were running around.
"When did your father ever say that?"
suddenly.
Sneers came from behind.
Malfoy felt a chill run down his spine.
He turned his neck with difficulty.
All I saw was...
A tall, slender figure appeared silently behind him without him noticing.
Slightly transparent.
Yet it possessed a different hue than a ghost, leaning towards realism, but not quite so. It was a tall, upright young boy in his early teens.
A long green robe accentuated the boy's aloof demeanor. He stood there quietly, his hands slightly folded in front of him, leaning calmly against the long table.
"Who are you……"
Malfoy's voice trembled, and his body shook uncontrollably. He already had a very bad feeling, and the boy's soft chuckle confirmed his suspicions.
"You've been chatting with me every day lately." Young Tom Riddle's smile was incredibly charming, but it couldn't hide the innate sharpness and cunning in his eyes.
"Thump~"
Malfoy collapsed to the ground immediately.
His face was ashen.
A pair of hands hurriedly grabbed the pendant that Ian was wearing around his neck.
"A very impressive alchemical work."
Young Tom Riddle glanced at Malfoy's neck, showing no annoyance whatsoever. Instead, he gave Ian's work a rather good evaluation.
"That guy is right. Even Voldemort at his peak would have failed against it three times." Young Tom Riddle even gave a thumbs up.
Seeing Malfoy's rather distraught and terrified face.
The boy spoke again in a lighthearted tone.
"Relax, don't be afraid, don't tremble... You only betrayed Voldemort, we're all the same, who hasn't betrayed Voldemort?"
"Actually, you might not believe it, but we're definitely on the same side now." Young Tom Riddle's expression was somewhat wistful.
Perhaps even he himself found it amazing.
"But, you...you are..." Malfoy's voice was uttered with great difficulty. He was indeed not a fool. His conversation with the diary last night had already revealed some of the truth.
"You're quite smart."
Young Tom Riddle raised an eyebrow.
His expression remained unchanged.
"However, no one has ever said that the past self cannot break with the future self, right?" Young Tom Riddle's lips curled into a faint smile again.
There was no warmth in that smile; instead, it sent a chill down one's spine. "Voldemort is a madman. He betrayed himself, and all of us, to those he could not betray."
"Who would want to become a slave with him? Draco, I'm doing this to save myself, just like you." It has to be said that the clever Voldemort really knows how to build rapport.
"We're not wrong. We're all just trying to survive and avoid a bad end." He showed a deep empathy for Malfoy.
I don't know how much of it is true and how much is false.
"Prince is only a second-year student..." Malfoy said through gritted teeth, expressing his doubts. He felt that the person he should ask for help from was Dumbledore.
Or go find Harry Potter, who defeated Voldemort.
"You don't understand his power."
Young Tom Riddle shook his head. He saw what Malfoy was thinking, but he didn't think Malfoy's idea was the best choice.
"Dumbledore is old and weak, and cruel and cold-blooded. If you go to Dumbledore for help, you will only implicate your family, and of course, me, whom Dumbledore would like to get rid of as soon as possible."
The boy did not hide his situation.
He shared his opinion on Dumbledore.
as well as.
Why did I have to let Malfoy give Ian the crystal ball?
"Only a madman can deal with a madman. Voldemort is a madman, so we must send an even madder lunatic to deal with this madman who has completely lost all reason."
Young Tom Riddle spoke with certainty.
His words deepened Malfoy's inner confusion.
"If I remember correctly, you were kept under house arrest for a long time. How could you know Prince better than I do?" Malfoy said this, clearly having mustered up his courage.
He didn't even dare to get up from the ground and meet the eyes of the young Tom Riddle.
"Of course it's because of childhood trauma, and that's where I have an advantage over Voldemort. He erased his humiliation, while I still remember that afternoon."
Inside the empty dormitory room.
Tom Riddle, with a sigh, gave a response that left Malfoy bewildered and sounded rather strange, but Malfoy dared not press further.
Before Malfoy could even come up with a solution, he did not.
"Oh, right."
Young Tom Riddle clapped his hands.
"Don't even think about reporting me. I may not have other abilities, but I do have the ability to take you down with me." Even when he was threatening people, his tone remained gentle and light.
"Gurgle~"
In a panic, Malfoy instinctively reached for the pendant around his neck.
Perhaps only the assurance Ian gave him could bring him a sense of security.
"This thing is powerful, but it can't stop my all-or-nothing strategy." Tom Riddle didn't care about Malfoy's actions at all, and he snapped his fingers at Malfoy.
"Because I have been with you since last night. This pendant can stop others from hurting you, but it can never stop you from wanting to hurt yourself."
Tom Riddle's voice carried a hint of mockery.
His figure began to disappear.
Malfoy only felt his vision becoming somewhat blurry—when his vision and thoughts cleared again, he found that he had no idea when he had arrived at the dormitory washroom.
"ah!!"
He looked down at his hand, where a knife stained with snake blood was pressed against his neck, leaving a faint mark.
It was as if it were some kind of warning.
"I like to lie, but not this time."
In the mirror.
Another "Malfoy" spoke softly with a half-smile.
The sound did not reach Malfoy's ears.
Instead, it echoed directly in Malfoy's mind...
(End of this chapter)