Chapter 50: Abandoned People


    After modifying the memories of Ginny and the others, Cyrus finally felt that there would be no future trouble.


    Now, no one will know that his true identity is just <strong>an ordinary diary</strong>.


    Harry and others were in a daze for a moment, and thenpletely forgot about Cyrus modifying their memories.


    "So, Malfo— I mean, Mr. Riddle, have you found anything? Or do you know who opened the Chamber of Secretsst time?"


    Harry was desperate to uncover secrets that would reveal the true heir''s identity and clear his name of suspicion.


    Especially after he revealed his Parseltongue and Justin was petrified, almost everyone thought he was the culprit.


    "Ginny said that when the secret room was opened fifty years ago, you were the one who caught the culprit."


    "It was me indeed, but I''m afraid you guys won''t want to believe it-" Cyrus said tactfully.


    "What does this mean? We need the truth, Mr. Riddle! We can''t let the heir do evil anymore! We believe that there may be some connection between the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago and the current one!" Harry said anxiously.


    "Well, if you want, I can show you," Cyrus replied. "You don''t have to listen to me. I can take you into my memory, into the night I caught him."


    "But how?"


    "Find an empty ssroom with no one around and wait for me there." Cyrus finally erased the diary from their memories, so naturally, he would not take it out in front of them. Coincidentally, he had previously found a broken pensieve in the room where things were hidden in the Room of Requirement, and heter repaired it.


    "It was originally a gadget for Draco, but I didn''t expect it toe in handy now."


    After getting the pensieve, Cyrus used the Marauder''s Map to determine the location of Harry and the others and rushed there immediately.


    "How did you know we were here?" Ron said in surprise when he saw Cyrus looking for him urately, but soon he was attracted by the thing in Cyrus'' hand, "Do you—eh? want to wash your face?" "


    "This is a pensieve!" Hermione''s eyes widened.


    "What is a Pensieve?"


    "It is an alchemical tool that can preserve the thoughts and memories in the mind," Cyrus exined while using the tip of the wand to draw out a small piece of silver memory at his temple.


    "You can understand that the Pensieve allows you and others to see the situation again in a third-person point of view. It''s like watching a movie, understand?"


    Cyrus dropped the memory into the Pensieve and scrambled it. Soon the silver object became transparent and looked like ss.


    "follow me."


    Cyrus took the initiative to enter his own thoughts. He fell into a cold and dark material as if being sucked into a ck vortex——


    "What should we do?" Ron hesitated as he watched Cyrus disappear.


    "Follow me!" Harry said without hesitation. Before he could say anything, Ginny had entered the Pensieve being the second one. Next came Harry, Hermione, and finally Ron.


    ...


    Before they could realize what was going on, they found themselves in a novel space.


    They immediately knew where they were.


    ~


    This round room with a sleeping portrait on the wall is Dumbledore''s office - but the person sitting behind the desk is not Dumbledore at the moment, but a wizened wizard with a bald head who looked very weak.


    There were only a few strands of white hair on his head, and he was reading a letter by candlelight. Harry had never seen this man before.


    "He is Professor Armando Dippet. Fifty years ago, he was the principal of Hogwarts." Cyrus exined to them.


    He was talking loudly as usual, which made Harry and the others nervous.


    "I''m sorry," Harry said with a trembling voice, "Shouldn''t we keep it down and hide..."


    But the wizard didn''t even look up. He continued to read the letter, frowning slightly.


    "Don''t worry, they can''t see us, they are just memories. Just like me." Cyrus exined. At this moment, Harry and the others felt relieved.


    At this time, the old wizard sighed, folded up the letter, stood up, walked past Harry, without even looking at him, and went straight over to open the curtains.


    The sky outside the window is covered with red clouds; it seems that it is sunset at this moment.


    The wizard returned to the table and sat down, twiddling his thumbs absentmindedly and looking at the door.


    There was a knock on the door outside the office.


    [Come in. ]The old wizard said in a weak voice.


    A boy of about sixteen came in and took off his pointed hat. A silver prefect''s badge gleamed on his chest.


    He looked exactly like "Mr. Riddle", tall, with ck hair and eyes.


    "This person is me," Cyrus exined. In fact, others could tell without him having to say anything.


    "He''s much more handsome than that Lockhart!" Ron nudged Hermione with his elbow, and Hermione''s face immediately turned red.


    [Ah, Riddle. ]The principal said.


    [You wanted to see me, Professor Dippet? ] Riddle asked, looking a little nervous.


    [Sit down,] said Dippet, [I have been reading the letter you gave me. ]


    [oh. ] Riddle said.


    He sat down and sped his hands together.


    [My dear child,] Dippet said kindly, [I cannot let you stay at school for the summer vacation. You''d love to go home for the holidays, right? ]


    [No,] Riddle said immediately, [I would rather stay at Hogwarts than go to that—that—]


    [You lived in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, right? ] Dippet asked curiously.


    "Mr. Riddle, you never told me..." Ginny looked at Cyrus with sympathy, sadness written all over her face.


    She never knew that "Mr. Riddle" had such a past.


    "It''s nothing." Cyrus just shook his head, "I don''t want others to think I''m pitiful, Ginny."


    This was what he said from the bottom of his heart.<em> Useless sympathy is nofort.</em>


    Harry agreed with this more than anyone.


    He felt closer to Tom Riddle. The experiences of the two of them were so simr. They are almost like brothers who have been separated for fifty years.


    [Yes, sir. ] Riddle said, blushing slightly.


    [Are you a Muggle-born? ]


    "Mixed-blood, sir," Riddle said, "My father is a Muggle and my mother is a wizard." ]


    [Both your parents——]


    [My mother died just after giving birth to me, sir. They told me in the orphanage that she only had time to give me a name: Tom, after my father, and a middle name, Marvolo, after my grandfather. ]


    Dippet smacked his tongue sympathetically.


    [The thing is, Tom,] he sighed and said, [We originally wanted to make some special arrangements for you, but under the current circumstances...]


    [Are you referring to all these attacks, sir? ] Riddle asked.


    Harry''s heartbeat suddenly elerated, and he leaned closer for fear of missing a word.


    [That''s true,] said the principal, [my dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be for me to allow you to stay in the castle after the term is over.][ Especially after the recent tragedy...of that poor little girl... you would have been much safer in the orphanage. To tell you the truth, the Ministry of Magic is even talking about closing schools. We don''t have the slightest clue aboutwho is responsible for these unfortunate events....]


    Riddle''s eyes widened.


    "You''re sad." Ginny said


    "I just don''t want the school to be closed. So I have to hand over the culprit. Even if he didn''t mean tomit evil," Cyrus said calmly. He was giving Harry and others a vination, so he deliberately emphasized: "not on purpose".


    Harry could understand Riddle''s thoughts in his memory.


    Hogwarts always provides the warmest shelter to those who are homeless.


    This was the first home and the best home he had ever known. He, Mr. Riddle, and other abandoned people found a home here...


    ______


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