Now, no one else will know that my true self is just an ordinary diary.

Harry and the others were in a daze for a moment, and then they completely forgot about modifying their memories.

"So, Ma, I mean, Mr. Riddle, have you found anything? Or do you know who was the last person to open the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry was eager to know some secrets so that he could find the real murderer and clear himself of suspicion.

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

"Ginny said that you were the one who caught the murderer when the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago."

"It's me, but I'm afraid you won't be willing to believe it--" Cyrus said very tactfully.

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

"Well, I can show you, if you like," Cyrus replied. "You don't have to listen to my story. I can take you back to my memory, to the night I captured him."

"But how?"

"Find an empty classroom and wait for me there." Cyrus had finally erased the diary from their memories, so he naturally wouldn't take it out in front of them. Coincidentally, he had found a broken Pensieve in the hidden room of the Room of Requirement before, and he later repaired it.

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

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

"How did you know we were here?" Ron asked in surprise when he saw Cyrus coming so accurately. But soon, he was attracted by the thing in Cyrus's hand. "You want to wash your face?"

"It's a Pensieve!" Hermione's eyes widened.

"What is a Pensieve?"

"It's an alchemical tool that can preserve thoughts and memories in the mind." Cyrus explained as he used 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 past again in the third person's time. Just like watching a movie, understand?"

Cyrus dropped the memory into the Pensieve and stirred it. Soon, the silver object became transparent and looked like glass.

"Come with me."

Cyrus took the initiative to enter his own mind. He fell in a cold and dark substance, as if he was sucked into a black vortex.

"What should we do?" Ron watched Cyrus disappear and began to hesitate.

"Follow!" Harry said without hesitation. Before he could say anything, Ginny was the second one to enter the Pensieve. Then came Harry, Hermione and finally Ron.

Before they could react to what was happening, they found themselves in a strange space.

They knew immediately where they were.

The circular room with the sleeping portraits on the walls was Dumbledore's office—but the man sitting behind the desk was not Dumbledore but a frail, shrunken wizard with only a few grey wisps on his bald head, reading a letter by candlelight. Harry had never seen this man before.

"He is Professor Dippet. Fifty years ago, he was the headmaster of Hogwarts." Cyrus explained to them.

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

"I'm sorry," Harry said, his voice shaking. "Should we keep our voices down and hide..."

But the wizard did not even raise his head. He continued to read the letter, frowning slightly.

"Don't worry, they can't see us, they are just memories. Just like me." Cyrus explained. Harry and the others were relieved.

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

The sky outside the window was full of red clouds; it seemed that it was sunset. The wizard returned to the table, sat down, twiddled his thumbs absentmindedly, and looked at the door.

There was a knock on the office door.

A boy of about sixteen came in and took off his pointed hat. A silver prefect badge gleamed on his chest. He looked exactly like Cyrus, tall, with black hair and eyes.

"This person is me." Cyrus explained. In fact, others could see it without him saying anything.

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

【Ah, Riddle.】 said the Headmaster.

"You want to see me, Professor Dippet?" Riddle said, looking a little nervous.

"Please sit down," Dippet said. "I have just been reading the letter you gave me."

【Oh】Riddle said. He sat down and clasped his hands together.

"My dear child," Dippet said kindly, "I can't let you stay in school for the summer. Would you like to go home for the vacation?"

"No," said Riddle at once. "I'd rather stay at Hogwarts than go to that—that—"

"You live in a Muggle orphanage during your holidays, right?" Dippet asked curiously.

"Mr. Riddle, you never told me..." Ginny looked at Cyrus sympathetically, her face full of sadness. She never knew that "Mr. Riddle" had such a past.

"It's nothing." Cyrus just shook his head, "I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, Ginny."

This is what he really said. Useless sympathy cannot comfort people.

Harry agreed with this more than anyone else. He felt closer to Tom Riddle. Their experiences were so similar. They were like brothers separated by fifty years.

"Yes, sir," said Riddle, blushing slightly.

Are you a Muggle-born?

"Half-blood, sir," said Riddle. "Father is a Muggle, mother is a wizard."

[Both of your parents——]

"My mother died when I was born, sir. They told me at 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 lips sympathetically.

"The thing is, Tom," he sighed, "we wanted to make some special arrangements for you, but under the current circumstances . . . "

[You mean all these attacks, sir?] Riddle asked.

Harry's heartbeat suddenly quickened and he leaned closer, afraid to miss a word.

【That's right,】the headmaster said. 【My dear child, you must see how foolish it would be for me to allow you to stay in the castle beyond the end of term. Especially after the recent tragedy... the poor little girl's death... You'd be much safer in the orphanage. To tell you the truth, the Ministry is even discussing closing the school. We haven't the slightest idea as to the - oh - source of all these unfortunate events...】

Riddle's eyes widened.

"You are sad."

"I just don't want the school to be closed. So I have to hand over the murderer. Even if he didn't mean to do it." Cyrus said calmly. He was giving Harry and the others a shot of prevention, so he deliberately emphasized "not intentional".

Harry could understand Riddle's thoughts in his memory.

Hogwarts always provides the warmest shelter to the homeless.

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

Thanks to a gentleman 9527 for his 500-point reward. Thank you, baby! 　　 　 (End of this chapter)