Harry wasn’t sure where his confidence came from.
The last time he went into the Forbidden Forest, he had nearly been killed by Voldemort—if Firenze hadn’t come to save him.
"Harry, let’s go back!"
Ron pleaded once again as the spiders grew denser, the ground beneath them disappeared, and they found themselves surrounded on all sides by the shadows of trees, unable to tell east from west.
Harry wanted to go back—if only he still knew the way.
But all he could do was grit his teeth and say, "We’re already halfway there."
Inside, he questioned himself: Is it really worth it to catch the real heir?
If Hogwarts closed, would he truly have no other way to become a wizard?
No.
Even if Hogwarts shut down, the wizarding world wouldn’t stop running schools.
It would just take time for a new school to be established.
Even if they didn’t catch the heir, Hermione wouldn’t die—because the Mandrakes were getting closer to maturity with each passing day.
Even if they didn’t catch the heir, as long as the monster attacked another student, Hagrid would have an alibi, and he’d be released from Azkaban, clearing his name.
So why did he have to risk his life to solve this terrifying mystery?
Was it the curiosity and frustration that had built up over the past six months?
Was it the insecurity he felt for Dumbledore leaving the school?
Or was it because, deep down, he had a feeling—
That if he didn’t do something, this would never end?
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As for Aragog, maybe they should have asked the professors for help.
He bet the old teachers all knew how Hagrid had been expelled.
If they did die here, their cause of death would be their own failure to learn their lesson from the flying car incident.
Students were supposed to go through the proper channels to solve problems at the right time.
Harry reflected on how, every time he faced an obstacle, his instinct was to keep quiet, wait for a chance, and secretly break the rules so that he could solve things on his own.
When had he developed this habit?
Was it because the Dursleys had only ever kicked him when he fell, so deep down, he had lost faith in the idea of asking adults for help?
RUMBLE!
In their despair, Ron nearly burst into tears of joy when he saw their family's old flying car appear.
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After escaping the clutches of the spiders, Ron shuddered and said, "When Hagrid gets back from Azkaban, I swear I’m going to kill him!"
Harry felt guilty—he had been the one insisting on going through with this, yet Ron wasn’t blaming him at all.
He swallowed his apology and said instead, "At least now we know Hagrid is innocent."
Ron groaned, "So what? We’re back to square one, aren’t we? We’ve got no leads left!"
Harry had no better ideas either. He was just relieved to have made it out alive.
He never wanted to deal with something this dangerous again—there was no guarantee they'd be lucky every time.
"I have to ask Mr. Weasley how he modified that thing," Harry said, trying to lighten the mood with a compliment.
Ron scoffed, "Maybe it got knocked loose in the brain when the Whomping Willow smacked it?"
Even Ron was baffled by how alive the car seemed—
However, being Ron, he wouldn’t think too deeply about why an abandoned magical object, without maintenance or fuel, would only grow smarter than it ever before.
Seeing how Ron took it all in for granted, Harry stopped questioning it, too.
Instead, his thoughts turned elsewhere—Tom Riddle accused the wrong person, so why was the diary still stolen?
And the person who took it—was he the same person who tried to throw it away in the first place?
Harry, feeling more lost than ever, wondered: Maybe I really should stop now… before I get Ron and myself killed.
He wasn’t the real savior. He didn’t have to save this school.
What if the diary was meant to lure him into the Forbidden Forest so that he could die at the hands of the spiders? Furthermore, if this whole thing was just a trap to kill him…?
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Dumbledore wrote in the diary: This potion requires at least 11 pounds of flesh. If we were to use a house-elf… that would be about half of its body.
Ginny replied: Never mind, forget I asked.
When she heard that Dumbledore was willing to sacrifice himself to bring her back, she felt slightly less resentful toward him.
Gellert, watching from the side, commented dryly, "And the potion specifically requires human flesh. If we mess with the formula, who knows what kind of creature she might turn into?"
Seeing Albus refuse to give up, he sighed in exasperation.
Albus asked, "Is there a way to separate Ginny from the diary first? To break her connection with Tom?"
Gellert answered, "Plenty of spells can separate a soul from a body… but all of them involve Dark Immoral Magic." His voice turned chilling: "For example, just kill someone."
Albus sighed, "She doesn’t even have hands—what, am I supposed to do? Bludgeon someone to death with this diary?"
He had meant it as a joke.
But Gellert, a man who had slaughtered without hesitation, didn’t see it that way.
"If Ginny possesses the diary, and the diary has the ability to control others…" Gellert mused.
"In theory, she could manipulate someone weak-minded into taking their own life.
But in practice—" He arched a brow. "That’s probably too difficult for her, isn’t it?"
Albus was quiet for a moment before saying, "It doesn’t have to be a human, does it?
As long as Ginny herself believes the act is evil enough, her soul could still split."
He paused. "I heard from Tom that you really like cats, don’t you?"
…
If she could turn back time,
Ginny swore she would have run as far away from Hogwarts as possible.
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The moment Tom completed his mission in the Black Forest, he felt the soul connection sever.
This meant:
- Mr. Grindelwald could indeed see his messages.
- They did not approve of killing Ginny.
- They were monitoring him using the remote-controlled car tool in his hands.
Tom wondered: Should I run?
“Hoo!” At that moment, Fawkes cried beside him.
Tom thought: Oh, so this big dumb bird is here to make sure I finish the mission and don’t escape.
He could only numbly open the two-way mirror that Dumbledore had given him and reported nonchalantly, “The mission is complete.
Harry also learned from Aragog’s words that the last victim died in the girls’ bathroom.
I suspect they will soon go looking for Myrtle. By tomorrow, we can proceed with the final task.”
On the other end of the mirror was Gellert’s prison, just as Tom had expected.
Gellert whistled at him. “Didn’t expect you to still be cute even after turning into a girl!”
Tom shot him a withering look. “Thanks for complimenting Ginny.”
If Grindelwald could persuade Dumbledore, there wouldn’t have been any need for Tom in the Dark Lord Business first place. Sigh.
Albus said, “Don’t worry, Tom. After you leave the message on the wall tomorrow, head straight to the Chamber of Secrets. We won’t kill you.”
Tom disliked Dumbledore and his cryptic ways. If it weren’t for the fact that Apparition was impossible inside the school and that a phoenix was keeping an eye on him…
“Goodbye.” He shut the mirror, not wanting to see that pair of old lovers any longer.
He felt as if there was no one in this world who would ever care about him.
He had personally given others a reason to abandon him. If anyone was to blame, it was himself.
Princess Ginny would return, the hero Harry would defeat the Dark Lord, and that would be the end of his imposter life…
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The Next Morning
During Potions class, Luna noticed Tom’s sadness.
Though it had been lingering for a while, today she finally gathered the courage to say, “Let’s sneak outside for a walk. It’s been so long since we’ve felt the sun!”
Ever since Dumbledore left, the school had been under lockdown. All students had to be escorted to and from class by teachers, and even Quidditch practice was suspended.
Of course, these restrictions couldn’t stop someone with a Time-Turner, and Luna was well aware of that.
Tom looked at Luna, thinking: She’s probably the closest thing I have to a friend.
Once Ginny returns, will she still remember me? Or will all her memories of me be erased too?
Feeling disheartened, Tom said, “Maybe another time, I’m busy.” He lowered his head and continued preparing the ingredients, thinking: I just need to get through today.
Luna said, “I haven’t fed the Thestrals in so long. Now that Hagrid isn’t patrolling the forest, I wonder if their territory is…”
Tom replied curtly, “They’re fine. I’ve been keeping an eye on them.”
Hagrid had instructed Harry and Ron to feed Fang, but due to the lockdown, they couldn’t. Then, they simply forgot.
So the next day, Tom went to the kitchens and specifically reminded the house-elves to deliver food to Fang.
But Fang, being not particularly bright, mistook the elves for intruders and nearly bit them to death.
As a result, Tom had no choice but to discreetly use the Time-Turner to visit Fang himself.
A starving Fang sensed that Tom bore no ill will and looked somewhat familiar, so he accepted him.
Tom entered Hagrid’s hut and could tell that the half-giant had lived a good life over the past fifty years.
After eating, Fang saw Tom as a member of the Weasley family sent by Hagrid to take care of him and eagerly took him out on patrol.
At first, Tom thought Fang just needed to relieve himself, so he opened the door.
But Fang kept looking back, then even tugged at his robes with his teeth, so Tom went along half-heartedly.
The gamekeeper’s job was to act as a mediator for the creatures of the Forbidden Forest.
But from the perspective of the forest’s inhabitants, he was merely a human envoy sent to negotiate.
“Oh? And who might you be?” A centaur approached when he saw Fang bringing Tom along.
Tom politely replied, “I’m just taking Fang for a walk on Hagrid’s behalf. Fang is the one who enjoys working too much.”
The centaur asked, “Where has Hagrid gone?”
Tom answered flawlessly, “He’ll be back soon.”
The centaur frowned but could only warn, “He really needs to control his spiders. They’ve been expanding their territory and causing us a lot of trouble.
Also, someone has released a machine into the forest. At night, it rampages around and threatens our safety.”
Their foals no longer dared to roam freely after dark, fearing ‘traffic accidents.’
During the day, they had tried to destroy the four-wheeled metal box while it was motionless, but it was impervious to blades, fire, and water…
Tom replied calmly, “I will inform Hagrid.”
The centaur asked, “What is your name?” He refused to be brushed off.
Tom answered, “Ginny Weasley.” Since he had already been seen, lying might cause more trouble.
The centaur introduced himself, “I am Ronan. Pleased to meet you.” Then he left.
Tom watched his tall and strong figure and wondered: 'Would memory charms work on centaurs? Their brain structures should be different from humans, considering they had four legs…'
The next day, when Tom went to feed Fang again, he encountered Ronan once more—this time with Firenze.
“You are not a child. All human children should be in class,” Ronan said after thinking it over.
“The planet Mars follows you,” Firenze gazed at Tom with pity.
Ronan asked, “So was Hagrid fired or what?”
Tom could only be honest. “I am not Hagrid’s enemy, but I hope you won’t reveal my presence.”
He patted Fang’s head, thinking: Thankfully, this dumb dog doesn’t understand human speech.
But Firenze suddenly exposed him. “This body is also being controlled, just like that machine. It is you that the spiders fear—you are the root of all this.”
Tom thought: What now? Will Dumbledore fire Hagrid just to prevent him from communicating with the centaurs?
Ronan was also surprised. “What?”
Firenze said, “Do not capture her; it will only bring disaster upon us. I have foreseen it.”
Then he turned to Tom. “We do not wish to be involved in human conflicts. I only wanted to make this clear. Please do not act against us in secret.”
Centaurs are incredible… can their prophecies really be this precise?
He had indeed considered using the remote-controlled car to start a war between the spiders and centaurs, causing them both to extinction…
Tom decisively abandoned that plan, and said, “Alright, I promise you. Would you like to swear an Unbreakable Vow with me?” He extended his hand.
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An unbreakable vow was the oldest form of magic—even Basilisk would know how to use it, let alone the centaurs.
Firenze reached out his hand and clasped Tom’s.
Ronan anxiously bore witness to their oath. He hadn’t expected that simply talking to what seemed like a harmless little girl would lead to such a severe situation.
Luckily, Firenze, the most gifted seer of their tribe, had come to find him...
As the golden threads wrapped around their arms, he spoke: “Ginny Weasley—”
Tom interrupted, “My real name is Tom Riddle.”
Ronan corrected himself: “Tom Riddle, do you swear not to harm our people?”
Tom said, “I do.” It was the first time he had ever made such a serious vow. From now on, he would stay as far away from centaurs as possible.
Ronan continued, “Firenze, do you swear to ensure that Tom Riddle’s existence will not be revealed to humans through our tribe?”
Firenze replied, “I do.” He staked his own life to guarantee that their tribe would not be silenced by the Dark Lord.
Tom and Firenze slowly released each other’s hands.
Ronan said, “I’ll go tell our people to avoid this route until Hagrid returns.” His status within the tribe has this authority.
Tom nodded. “Alright, I appreciate your effort.”
Firenze asked, “May I walk with you a little longer?”
Tom felt uneasy but agreed.
After walking for a while, Tom asked, “What else did you see in the stars?” He was curious.
Firenze replied, “You are the earliest fragment, and gravity has drawn you in.”
Tom asked, “Is there no chance of escape?”
Firenze said, “The fragments of a star are destined to burn and fall.”
Tom chuckled. “Is that so?” Of course.
Everyone who knew the truth had either betrayed him, used him, or driven him away to keep him at bay.
Did birth really determine one’s fate?
Why couldn’t he change his destiny and become Ginny?
Firenze said, “Even if fleeting, it is still a beautiful light. Tom, I have always been watching you.”
Tom shook his head lifelessly. “No, I don’t want to die. But If I do, please tell Hagrid about my existence.”
If Dumbledore is destined to abandon him once he is no longer useful, then he at least wants someone to remember that he had once existed.
In this, he and Ginny shared the same sentiment.
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Firenze asked, “Do you know why people make wishes upon falling stars, even though they are about to crash?”
Tom said, “Isn’t that just a foolish human custom? Do centaurs do it too?”
Firenze spoke mysteriously, “The end is also a beginning. Those who have shined will never truly be lost. Just 'patiently' embrace change—that is our way of survival, for all things must face death.”
Tom said bitterly, “I have never shined.”
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He had once been a prefect, a small achievement in Slytherin House fifty years ago.
But he had never truly begun his own life—never graduated from the false persona he had created.
He had hoped to leave Hogwarts and freely choose his own life, career, home, and everything else.
To outsiders, his achievements might have seemed a bit grand, but to him, they were all fake, meaningless, basic needs to simply survive.
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He had secretly chosen to be Basilisk’s friend, but Basilisk died in front of him.
He had secretly chosen to be Ginny’s friend, but she betrayed him.
Everything he chose to do ended in failure—except for the tasks Dumbledore had forced upon him, which kept him alive, neither good nor bad, just barely surviving.
And yet, he still silently chose to do good sometimes, like helping someone take care of his dogs.
Did that still make him not 'patient' enough?
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Firenze spoke in riddles, “A meteor streaks brightly across the night sky, yet those in daylight can never notice. Your rebirth is coming. We will surely meet again.”
Tom grew suspicious and asked, “Did Dumbledore send you?”
Firenze replied, “He is not as great as you imagine, and you are not as insignificant as you think. Tom, Serpens has always watched over you.”
The edge of the forest came into view. Tom and Firenze parted expressionlessly—he never took diviners’ words seriously.
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Firenze said, “Next time we meet, I will recognize you again.”
Tom silently thought to himself: We will never meet again, you Dumbledore-sent centaur spy.
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Puff...
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The burnt smell of a failed potion brought him back to the present.
He sighed. The potion they had been brewing together had been ruined—because Tom had completely lost focus.
Luna wasn’t angry. She said, “If something is bothering you, you can tell me. I can’t guess everything in your heart. For example, with Ricky, didn’t I help you?”
Before Tom could respond, Snape deliberately walked over and let out a disdainful scoff.
Now that Dumbledore was gone, he could freely sharpen his tongue again.
Just as Tom sensed what Snape was about to say, Luna stood up first. “Tom, let’s go.”
Tom was startled. Luna had openly called him Tom?
Seeing his stunned expression, Luna simply grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the classroom.
Snape shouted, “Fifty points from Gryffindor! And Ravenclaw too!”
With a flick of his wrist, Tom seamlessly used wandless magic, summoning both his and Luna’s bags and neatly packing away their potion equipment—all within the few seconds before he was pulled out of the classroom.
The students from wizarding families were too shocked to speak. Tom’s mastery of magic was smoother than even their own parents’.
Even Snape was momentarily stunned, too slow to use a spell to hold the classroom door shut.
Luna effortlessly pushed it open and led Tom outside.
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She hadn’t wanted to get involved.
But she couldn’t help wanting to know.
She had a feeling Tom was about to disappear.
Ginny was her good friend—yes. But that didn’t mean she wanted Tom to vanish.
Luna dragged the expressionless Tom out of the castle and found a grassy field to sit on.
The weather was beautiful today. Winter had completely passed, and spring was in full bloom.
Luna lay down on the ground, basking in the sunlight.
Tom squinted, his eyes unaccustomed to the brightness. “Snape will think you’re my accomplice. When the Chamber of Secrets incident blows over, he might label you as a little Death Eater. You shouldn’t call me Tom.”
Luna didn’t open her eyes. Her hair danced in the wind, brushing against her face.“I don’t want to come back to Hogwarts next year. I’ve experienced it now, and I can tell my father clearly.”
She didn’t care about being misunderstood.
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Tom said, “I’ll report to Dumbledore.”
He lay down as well, finally enjoying the sunlight.
Luna sighed. “I really wish I had the power to help you escape.”
Tom smirked. “Aren’t we running away right now?”
No other student could lie here, sunbathing happily, without a professor watching over them.
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Luna didn’t answer, only asked, “If you die, will Ginny definitely come back?”
Tom replied, “Probably.”
Luna said, “Snape will notice too.”
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Luna said, “Who knows? But your existence is important too. Otherwise, Harry Potter would only be good at playing Quidditch.”
Tom chuckled bitterly. “Without a Dark Lord, there would be no need for a hero. In the end, I was the one who killed his parents… and many, many others.”
For the first time, he admitted to Luna that he is Voldemort.
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Luna simply said, “I know you as you are now.”
Tom responded,“But I don’t know you.”
It was best if Luna didn’t get involved with him. After all, she had always kept a careful distance too.
Luna said, “You know yourself.”
Tom scoffed. “Oh? And so what?”
Luna smiled. “Isn’t that enough? How many people’s approval do you need?”
Was he being too proud and greedy? Tom wondered. But wasn’t that just how “normal” people were?
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“Thank you for pulling me out of there.” He had once tried to pull Daisy out but failed. Now, Luna had reached out to pull him up instead.
Something in the hollow void of his heart felt a little less empty. He had thought he wouldn’t care.
Yet this once again proved something undeniable—humans needed others.
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Luna said, “You used to walk on your own. I’ve made you weak.”
Tom replied, “I like being protected by you—rather than protecting someone only to be stabbed in the back.”
Luna said, “I can’t protect you if you don’t tell me what’s happening.”
Tom answered, “I’d rather you keep thinking you can.”
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Luna couldn’t take him away from Hogwarts. She also couldn’t choose between Ginny and him.
He wouldn’t humiliate himself by asking.
Luna stood up. “Then, goodbye, Tom.”
Tom cracked his eyes open slightly, watching her silhouette leave against the sunlight. He didn’t get up. He didn’t call her back.
If he had met her fifty years ago, maybe they could have been good friends.
He closed his eyes again, lying there for a little longer.
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But not for long.
He rolled over and sat up.
Returning to the castle, he walked to the wall where the first bloody message had been left and pulled out the last of the chicken blood.
He was running out of time—lunch break was coming soon.
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“I knew it was you.” Snape stepped out from the corner.
Teachers had Time-Turners too—otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough staff at Hogwarts to teach so many classes.
“Hello, Professor.” Tom greeted him calmly.
Snape narrowed his eyes. “You call yourself Tom?”
Tom said, “Professor Dumbledore will explain it to you.”
Snape sneered. “I know this is one of his tricks. But what exactly are you?”
Tom replied, “A student. Just like you were.”
Snape’s voice dropped. “Then where is Ginny?”
Tom sighed. “Why don’t you ask Dumbledore?”
He took out the two-way mirror, intending to hand it to Snape. But Snape didn’t take it.
Tom had no choice but to pocket it again. “Then I’ll start writing.”
Slipping on his gloves, he dipped his fingers into the liquid. His handwriting this time was messier, smaller, weaker.
He didn’t care anymore—as long as the message was there.
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“You can go report this now, for I won’t take you into the Chamber.”
The lunch bell is about to ring.
Snape hesitated but asked“Are you… the Dark Lord?”
He remembered when he had first joined the Death Eaters—Voldemort had still been rational and attractive.
And over these few months, every subtle action and word from Tom had triggered a deep, instinctive fear in him, and that's what ticked him off.
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Tom was getting tired of the question. “Go ask Dumbledore.”
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“You’re a clone.”
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The bell had rung. Students flooded the corridors.
Snape was distracted by a wink, and at that moment, Tom disappeared.
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