Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 250 Still Daring to Bark and Howl Here
Tom Riddle got up from the ground.

Sherlock's arrival in the Chamber of Secrets with the invisible Harry surprised him.

He was shocked to find that the tape recorder contained the sound of roosters crowing.

When he finally saw the face of the person who had knocked him down, he felt fear.

Albus Dumbledore!
Riddle remained completely composed throughout his encounter with Sherlock, as if everything was under his control.

The reason is simple: with the basilisk in hand, I have the world at my fingertips!

How could a mere underage wizard possibly be its match?

Unexpectedly, Sherlock had recorded the rooster's crow beforehand, causing the basilisk to die amidst the rooster's crow.

This was indeed beyond his expectations.

However, he was still not very worried.

Even without the basilisk, he remained invincible.

Because the three people standing in front of him—Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger—were merely three underage wizards.

Even if one of them is the savior of the magical world, and the other is a little lion king with extraordinary wisdom.

They have no idea what's going on or who's in control right now!
But the moment Dumbledore appeared, everything changed.

In most people's eyes, Dumbledore was the only person Voldemort was afraid of, and one of the few people who could not be intimidated by Voldemort.

This view is not comprehensive.

Voldemort's view of Dumbledore was never as simple as just "fear".

His feelings for Dumbledore were very complicated.

Because the first time he suffered a setback in his life was caused by Dumbledore.

It was Dumbledore who helped him realize his own abilities and learn about the existence of magic.

But Riddle's attitude toward this guide was one of both fear and hatred.

This is not only because Dumbledore often goes against his own will, but also because of Dumbledore's belief in love.

Forget all that love and romance, power is king!

With immense power and immortality, nothing can stop you!
Although he didn't know how much power he would have grown fifty years later, Riddle believed that he would be able to fight Dumbledore in his prime!
But not now.

Now I am nothing more than a memory in a diary, what do I have to fight against the other party?

He looked at Dumbledore with a mixture of anxiety and anger.

This old guy was already expelled from the school through his own scheme, so why is he coming back?

why!
"Children, you can open your eyes now."

Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Harry and Hermione opened their eyes, while Sherlock looked up in the direction of the Basilisk.

The basilisk's enormous body lay flat on the ground, its eyes closed forever.

Only after receiving confirmation from Dumbledore did Sherlock press the stop button.

The rooster's loud crowing also disappeared.

"Holmes!"

Riddle looked at Sherlock, his eyes filled with ferocity and resentment:
"As a Gryffindor, I never expected you to be so despicable!"

You said you'd come in alone, but you not only brought Harry and the rooster, you even asked the teacher for help..."

Harry, who was taking off his Invisibility Cloak: "..."

Something feels off.

"Oh dear—listen to who's talking about despicable things?"

Sherlock slowly walked towards Riddle, looking at the once handsome Riddle's now distorted face, shaking his head as he said with pleasure:

"A slug that has been hiding in a diary for fifty years and is now moldy dares to preach to people who are in the sunlight."

Dear Tom Riddle, you can't only talk about moral principles when the facts are against you!

When you're living in the body of Lockhart, whom you consider a Mudblood, engaging in petty theft and despicable acts, why don't you talk about moral principles?
Look at your magnificent pet, it can't even handle the squeals of poultry—dear Hermione, remember to bring a cat toy next time, this Dark Lord loves playing with small animals—oh, sorry, I forgot there won't be a next time.

So save your moralistic performance, you rag doll piecing together memories!

When you practice your fake smile in front of the mirror at the orphanage, have you ever thought that one day you would be ganged up on by three children?
Speaking of which, the principal is in charge of disarming people, the savior is in charge of closing the doors, and this one…”

Sherlock picked up the tape recorder in his hand, "...take charge of arranging a funeral for your reptile pet."

"you--!"

"Sherlock, that's enough."

Seeing Tom Riddle pointing a finger at Sherlock and so angry he couldn't utter a word, Dumbledore felt that Sherlock had gone too far.

If things continue like this, in a few years, even Severus might not be a match for Shylock.

"Okay~"

Sherlock shrugged. Now that Dumbledore had appeared, he could leave the rest to him.

As Dumbledore looked at the young Voldemort, his thoughts drifted back to that summer when the wind blew through the air.

1938, summer.

Albus Dumbledore, then the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, came to Woody Orphanage in London.

For children who have never known magic but have been identified as new students by Hogwarts, the Hogwarts staff will visit them and their guardians to explain the situation.

Just as Professor McGonagall was to Sherlock, Dumbledore was the one who went to find Tom Riddle.

What was supposed to be a routine meeting turned into a much-discussed one for Dumbledore, who learned more from Mrs. Cole, the female warden.

First, let's talk about the origins of the newborn. On New Year's Eve in 1926, Tom Riddle's young mother came to the orphanage.

She was in very poor condition, so she died in childbirth after giving birth to the child.

Shortly before her death, she named her son Tom, after his father, and gave him the middle name of her own father, Marvolo, and told Mrs. Cole that his last name was Riddle. Her final wish was that the child would look like his father.

As Tom Marvolo Riddell grew up, his mother's hopes came true.

He is very handsome.

However, beneath this outstanding appearance lies a long history of misdeeds:

A rabbit that hanged a child, took what belonged to others, and lured two children into a seaside cave...

What's even more frustrating is that the orphanage couldn't even find any evidence.

To put it dramatically, he is a devil with an angelic face.

However, this was not a problem for Dumbledore. After seeing 11-year-old Tom Riddle with his own eyes, he easily confirmed that these things were indeed his doing.

At that time, Dumbledore, with the utmost goodwill, hoped to lead Tom to reform.

He forced Tom to confess by burning the wardrobe and then told Tom that he could go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After that, Riddle refused Dumbledore's company and chose to go to Diagon Alley and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters alone.

Thus, Tom entered the magical world for the first time.

The scene in my memory slowly overlapped with the Tom before my eyes. The little boy was still so handsome, and so... wicked.

“Tom,” Dumbledore said softly, “don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Call me Voldemort!

"No matter what others call you, in my eyes you will always be Tom, Tom Riddle."

Dumbledore's gaze became complicated. "To be honest, I didn't expect we would meet under these circumstances."

“I didn’t expect this either,” Riddle said coldly, looking at Dumbledore. “Why are you here? I already kicked you out of the school!”

Sherlock watched with great interest the confrontation between Dumbledore and Tom.

With his keen observation skills, he naturally discerned more from the two of them.

"interesting."

"Because it's fake!"

Just then, Harry, unable to contain himself any longer, strode forward and stood beside Sherlock:

"Sherlock and Dumbledore saw right through you long ago. If it weren't for the need to capture you completely, they would have done it long ago..."

"So? How exactly did you manage to escape death back then?"

Riddle looked at the excited Harry, his voice laced with seduction: "Were you hiding behind your friend just like before?"

"No way! Nobody knows why you suddenly lost your magic when you attacked me."

Looking at this young Voldemort, so different from last year, Harry said stiffly:

“I don’t know myself, but I know why you couldn’t kill me, because…”

"Why should I tell you?"

Harry was interrupted by Sherlock before he could finish speaking, who stared coldly at Riddle:
"Keep this question in mind and go back to where you belong!"

Harry glanced at Sherlock in surprise.

He originally intended to tell the story of his mother dying to save him.

But hearing Sherlock say that, one knew that he must have had a reason for interrupting him.

So he simply kept quiet.

This really worried Riddle.

He wasn't the same brainless person he was last year. Seeing Harry's silent demeanor, he knew he couldn't get the truth out of him, so he simply changed his approach.

Riddle turned sharply to Harry, his eyes flashing with malice, looking nothing like a 16-year-old boy:

"Don't you want me dead, Harry?"

He walked step by step toward Harry, tempting him as he went:
"Come on, kill me! I killed your parents. If you kill me, you can avenge them!"

You're only 13 years old this year, three years older than my first murder. You're quite the prospect!

Harry was taken aback upon hearing this.

Seeing Harry's expression, Riddle became even more smug.

"Come on, kill me!"

He stretched out his arms to Harry, then turned to Dumbledore:
"And you, Dumbledore, you wouldn't stoop to having your most prized student do such a cruel thing, would you?"

“We all know there are other ways to destroy a man, Tom,” Dumbledore said calmly. “I confess that simply taking your life will not satisfy me.”

“No one is worse than death, Dumbledore!” Riddle said viciously.

“There are many things worse than death, Tom, and unfortunately, you never realize that, even after all these years.”

"Is that so? But even now, I'm not completely dead, am I?"

Riddle glanced disdainfully at Dumbledore, then turned his gaze to Sherlock and his two companions:

"Is this the successor you've groomed? Nothing special!"

"Harry, what are you waiting for? Attack me head-on!"

Think of your parents, pleading with me, hoping only that I…

"Shut up!"

Sherlock spoke again, interrupting Riddle's roar:
"It's just a mere memory, yet you dare to bark and howl here?"

As he spoke, he walked to the Slytherin statue and, under Riddle's angry and anxious gaze, slowly bent down and picked up the diary.

(End of this chapter)