[Sir - if that person is caught...if everything stops...]
"What do you mean?" Dippet said, standing up from his chair, his voice a little harsh. "Riddle, are you saying that you know anything about these attacks?"
"No, sir," Riddle said quickly.
Dippet sat back down, looking slightly disappointed.
[You can go now, Tom...]
Riddle slid down from his chair and trudged out of the room.
Several people followed.
They walked down the spiral staircase and emerged from the gargoyles of the darkening corridor. Riddle paused, and they paused, staring at him.
Cyrus had a very strange feeling. Although he had no idea how many times he had watched this memory, this was the first time he had brought someone else to watch it. Especially since the owner of the memory looked exactly like him now.
In the memory, Riddle was thinking seriously, biting his lip and wrinkling his forehead.
Then, as if he had suddenly made up his mind, he hurried away, and the others followed him in silence. They saw no one along the way. Finally they reached the entrance hall, and a tall wizard hailed Riddle on the marble staircase.
【What are you doing, Tom? Why are you still wandering around so late?】
"It's Dumbledore!"
Ron stared at the wizard in amazement. He was none other than Dumbledore, who looked fifty years younger. It was a very strange feeling, as if they were traveling through time, the grey world seemed to be the colour of time, they were swimming upstream, tasting sweets that did not belong to them like a thief.
"I never thought I could see such a young Dumbledore." Harry said blankly. Dumbledore fifty years ago was very different from Dumbledore now. At that time, he had long flowing reddish brown hair and a long beard, and his cheeks were not as old as they are now.
However, perhaps because of the gray filter of this memory, Harry felt that he looked a little too sad, as if he had walked out of a heavy wet rain.
He didn't know what sad things Dumbledore had experienced at that time, but it seemed that the old man had become disheartened. What kept him alive was not hope, but more like punishment.
Cyrus was very clear.
Fifty years ago, Grindelwald was still carrying out their plans around the world, the vows they made in their youth, but they had already drifted apart. In a few years, people will cheer for the day when he loses his lover.
In this way, Harry and Dumbledore are also very similar.
But Ginny recalled the night when she met Dumbledore. It seemed no different from the present moment. The only thing that remained unchanged about Dumbledore was his eyes that could see through people's hearts.
Riddle said.
[Well, go to bed.] Dumbledore said, staring at Riddle with the piercing eyes that Harry was very familiar with. [It's best not to wander around the corridors these days. Now that...]
He sighed heavily, bade Riddle goodnight, and strode away. Riddle watched him out of sight, then walked quickly up the stone steps leading to the dungeon.
However, instead of leading them to a hidden passage or a secret tunnel, Riddle led them to the dungeon classroom where Snape had his Potions lesson. The torch was unlit, so when Riddle had almost pushed the door shut Harry could only see Riddle standing motionless in the doorway, staring out into the passage.
They stayed there for at least an hour. Cyrus could see that Ron was getting impatient, because all they could see was the figure of Riddle standing in the doorway, peering through the crack, waiting like a statue.
"Don't be anxious. The person who opened the secret room was hiding here at the time, with the monsters he raised." Cyrus' words forced them to calm down.
Just when their patience was almost exhausted, there was movement outside the door.
Someone was moving quietly in the corridor. They heard the person passing the basement room where he and Riddle were hiding. Riddle slipped through the crack in the door as quietly as a shadow and followed. Cyrus led them through.
They heard a door creak open and then someone whispering in a hoarse voice.
[Come here... Come out, come here... Come here... Come into the box...]
"Is this the heir? This person's voice seems a little familiar." Hermione frowned.
They saw the dark figure of a large boy crouching before an open door, beside which stood a large box.
Soon they knew why and felt familiar, especially after the memory of Riddle and Hagrid arguing -
"It's time to end this," he said. "I'm going to have to tell on you, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."
[I know you didn't mean to kill anyone. But monsters aren't ideal pets. I guess you just let it out to move around, and then--]
"It never killed anyone!" the big boy said, stepping back and leaning toward the closed door. Harry could hear a strange rustling and rattling noise behind him.
Riddle moved closer. [The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. Hogwarts can at least guarantee that the guy who killed their daughter will be killed...]
[Not it!] The boy yelled, his voice echoing in the dim passage, [It won’t! Never!]
Riddle said, drawing his wand.
This action immediately made Harry and the others nervous. They were looking forward to seeing an exciting duel, but they were also worried about Riddle's safety.
Riddle's spell lit up the corridor with a sudden flash of fire, illuminating the huge boy's face.
"It's Hagrid!" Several little wizards shouted in surprise, but they were unwilling to believe it was true. "How could it be Hagrid?"
The memory did not stop because of their surprise.
Riddle's spell knocked Hagrid into the opposite wall and flung open the door behind him.
A huge, hairy, short body flew out so quickly that it was almost impossible to see its shape!
Riddle raised his wand again, but it was too late. The creature scurried away, knocking him to the ground, then sprinted down the corridor and disappeared.
Ginny and Hermione were both terrified, but Cyrus knew that Riddle had deliberately let the Acromantula escape. The appearance of a person killed by an Acromantula is completely different from that of a person killed by a basilisk.
Riddle stumbled to his feet and looked back; he raised his wand, but Hagrid lunged at him, grabbed it, and knocked him to the ground again, shouting: "No --!"
Hagrid's gruff voice shattered Riddle's memories.
Cyrus and several young wizards stood in the dark space and fell into silence. They seemed to have not yet come out of the "truth" they had just seen. After a long time, Hermione frowned and excused her friend: "Mr. Riddle, maybe you found the wrong person?"
"He may not have meant it, but you know he has a special liking for giant monsters." Cyrus said, trying to get Hagrid out of this as much as possible and focus their attention on the monster. "The monster escaped at that time, and maybe someone brought it back now."
"But--" Harry opened his mouth. He wanted to defend Hagrid, but he knew that Cyrus was telling the truth.
During their last year at Hogwarts, Hagrid had tried to keep a dragon in his cabin, and the huge three-headed dog he called Fluffy would long haunt them.
If Hagrid, still a teenager, had heard that there was a monster hiding somewhere in the castle, Harry knew that he would have done everything he could to see it. Hagrid would probably have thought that it was a shame to keep the monster imprisoned for so long and that it should be given a chance to stretch its legs; Harry could even imagine that thirteen-year-old Hagrid wanted to put a leash and a collar on the monster. But Harry also believed that Hagrid would never deliberately kill anyone.
"I'm afraid that's the truth. Ron, do you remember the copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that you lent me?" Ginny asked. "The Ministry of Magic labels the most dangerous creatures as ××××× and you wrote on it, 'or anything Hagrid likes'."
Ron tried a different angle.
"You sound a lot like Percy - after all, who told you to tell on Hagrid?" he grumbled.
"But the monster killed people, Ron." Cyrus pretended to be helpless and said, "I know Hagrid is your friend and he is a good man, so Dumbledore is willing to vouch for him. But he is really... I can't just sit and watch more attacks happen.
"The attacks have stopped since Hagrid was driven away. If they close Hogwarts I shall be back in a Muggle orphanage. I am sure you will understand that I have my reasons for wanting to stay here..."
Of course Harry understood.
Several people were silent. After a long silence, Hermione hesitantly asked the most difficult question: "Do you think we should ask Hagrid about these things?"
"It's been a lovely visit," said Ron. "Hello, Hagrid, tell us, have you let any wild, hairy creatures loose in the castle lately?"
So they decided to say nothing.
(End of this chapter)