A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

The reward for completing the task is 1200 magic points; there is no penalty for failure. Do you accept this offer?

"Watfa..."

Looking at the new task panel, Aaron was completely stunned.

Why is it Voldemort? Does that old geezer have to be so persistent?

What are Horcruxes? Are they in this secret room? Could it be... that diary?

Just as Aaron was lost in thought, a figure drew closer, forcing him to refocus his attention.

"It's obvious you're not feeling well."

“It’s only temporary.” Riddle picked up Harry’s wand and played with it briefly. “Nice to meet you, Aaron Gaius.”

"You're the person I most wanted to see at Hogwarts besides Harry Potter. I knew you'd come looking for me, even faster than I expected."

Aaron chuckled awkwardly, "Actually, you don't need to think so highly of me. I'm just a nobody. There are plenty of people at Hogwarts who are more capable than me."

“That’s too modest, Gaius,” Riddle said with a knowing smile. “It took me five years to find the secret chamber, but you took even less time.”

"And the fact that you were able to deduce the existence of the Basilisk from a series of attacks, and even that I was the mastermind behind it all, is more remarkable than anyone else at Hogwarts."

"It was mainly good luck, really good luck," Aaron said modestly.

“Luck?” Riddle burst into laughter as if he had heard a funny joke. “Gaius, you and I are the same kind of people.”

We're both Slytherins, we both know the importance of hiding our talents, and we both stop at nothing to achieve our goals. Would people like us believe in luck?

Ah... no, luck is still something to believe in.

If I hadn't been lucky enough to be found by Harry Potter, I probably wouldn't have known there was a Slytherin like you in the school. You quietly discovered so much, it really surprised me.

I know I have to avoid you until the plan is complete, otherwise, if you find a flaw, all my efforts will be in vain.

Upon hearing this, Aaron's resentment towards Harry Potter intensified.

It can only be said that even the wisest person can make a mistake. Who would have thought that Harry Potter would sell him out so easily!

"What did you do to Ginny?" Ron asked, his eyes red.

"She won't wake up; she might only have half an hour left before her life ends."

“You did all of this?” Harry asked incredulously. “But why? Even for Salazar’s cause, Ginny is a pureblood.”

"This has nothing to do with whether she is pureblooded or not; it's just that she was unlucky."

I need a sacrifice to gain new life, a completely new life or even a soul.

Of course, I paid a considerable price for this.

Riddle's eyes were full of greed, but his voice was full of smugness and disdain.

"It's so boring to listen to an eleven-year-old girl talk about those childish worries."

But I patiently and carefully answered every question she asked, showing exceptional understanding.

After I had her captivated, she easily opened her soul to me, which was exactly what I needed most.

I devoured the fear and secrets from the depths of her heart, growing stronger with each passing moment.

“But after a while, she started to suspect you, otherwise she wouldn’t have thrown away the diary,” Hermione said calmly.

"Of course, anyone who discovers that they have lost a lot of memory fragments and are involved in several attacks would be involuntarily afraid."

To be honest, I was already planning to switch hosts at that time, but what made me happiest was that Harry Potter found this diary.

Ginny told me about your thrilling and fascinating past, and you are absolutely the person I most want to meet. Riddle stared at the lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead and let out a sharp, maniacal laugh. "I wanted to know as much as possible about you and had many questions for you, but you gave me a huge surprise. I really didn't expect that anyone other than Dumbledore would pose a threat to me at Hogwarts."

Out of caution, I had no choice but to keep a low profile and secretly accumulate strength.

But after Ginny Weasley discovers the diary in your possession, she steals it to prevent you from discovering her secret.

Do you know how excited I was when I saw her again? It's hard for you or me to make a move, but a young girl isn't so easy to fool.

I used her to unleash the Basilisk again, which attacked a Ravenclaw and forced Dumbledore to leave.

After consuming most of her life, I learned from her soul that she wanted to hand me over to Mr. Gaius. There was no other way but to step out of the diary early in this manner, control her to write a suicide note, and then wait for you here.

She struggled desperately, crying and screaming, but to no avail.

“You deserve to die!” Ron roared angrily, gritting his teeth as he pointed his wand at him. “Disarm you.”

A green light moved back and forth within the tattered wand, finally shooting out from the front under Ron's expectant gaze.

But Riddle didn't even chant the spell; he simply flicked his wand, deflecting the spell back, and Ron's wand flew out of his hand.

Chapter 191 Tom Riddle and Voldemort

“So weak,” Riddle said with disdain. “Scum like you is not worthy of fighting me.”

Even the wand they use is such junk; it's an insult to me.

"Why do you want to see me?" Harry asked, puzzled.

“Because of his identity.” Aaron solemnly drew his wand. “Tom Riddle’s identity is not simple; it would absolutely scare people to death if I told you.”

“You’re smarter than I thought.” Riddle’s face held a hint of amusement. “This secret is known to very few even in the wizarding world.”

"Perhaps those people are aware of it, but they just dare not say it."

"Haha, that's right. Even Dumbledore wouldn't dare to reveal this secret to the public."

"What kind of riddle are you two playing?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

“Almost no one knows the name Tom Riddle, but his other identity is a household name, even more famous than Harry Potter.” Aaron swallowed and said with a slightly bitter tone, “Voldemort, or you can call him the Mysterious Man.”

“What?” Harry said incredulously. “That’s impossible.”

Hermione and Ron were trembling with fear; the Dark Lord was right in front of them, it was impossible not to be afraid.

"You think it's impossible, Harry Potter?"

"Voldemort is my past, present, and future!" Riddle said, waving his wand and writing his name in the air: Tom Marvolo Riddle.

The letters flashed red, and Riddle waved his arm, causing all the letters to rearrange into a line of words that sent chills down their spines: I am Voldemort.

"The case is solved, but the truth is always terrifying." Aaron shrugged, feeling incredibly frustrated.

I originally wanted to follow the professor and have a winning game, but I didn't expect to end up playing myself, and the opponent was ridiculously strong.

He was somewhat conflicted about whether to add all the magic points he had earned from signing in this year to magic power, since it was simply a pipe dream to think that a novice mage could defeat the sixteen-year-old Dark Lord.

"I'm not going to keep my Muggle father's filthy surname, so I've given myself a new name."

When I become the greatest wizard in history, all wizards will be filled with awe for my name and dare not utter it.

Wow! What a great ambition.

In fact, you were successful for a time, and many people in the magical world dared not mention your name.

Unfortunately, they stumbled and failed.

“That’s why I want to meet Harry Potter.” Riddle’s eyes gleamed red as he strode up to Harry Potter, brushed his hair aside with his wand, and pointed at the scar on Harry’s forehead with a sneer: “How could a baby, without any magical powers, possibly defeat the greatest wizard of all time?”

How did you manage to escape unscathed, leaving only a scar, while Voldemort's magic was destroyed?

Believe me, Harry Potter himself is probably more curious than you are.

Besides, you're not the greatest wizard of all time, I can be sure of that.

“Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard,” Harry Potter said, mustering his courage. “He saw right through you, and you simply don’t dare to face him.”

"Indeed, I don't deny that old guy's strength."

After I threw out the scapegoat Hagrid, he kept a close watch on me, forcing me to leave the school to develop my career.

But in the end, I won. I forced him to leave this place using only a memory.

“He will come back, as long as there are still people at Hogwarts who are loyal to him,” Hermione said, her voice trembling.

At the same time, an ethereal and mysterious voice appeared outside the barrier. A deep red bird flew through the passage to the front of the curtain wall, its claws clutching a tattered hat.

“Phoenix Fox also has the Sorting Hat,” Professor McGonagall exclaimed excitedly. “It must be Dumbledore’s help.”

“But even the phoenix can’t break this barrier,” Professor Snape said, frowning.

And indeed it was so. Fox was engulfed in flames, but when it crashed into the curtain wall, it only created ripples; the barrier remained as solid as a rock.

Hearing the phoenix's high-pitched cry, Abe disdainfully picked at his ears, then flew into the sky, slapped the phoenix's face with a claw, and plucked a few crimson-gold feathers from its body.

A mournful cry rang out, enraging Fox, who even wanted to fight Abe.

But when Abe pointed at the barrier and explained it in a matter-of-fact manner, Fox calmed down and obediently squatted down next to Abe.

"What's going on?" Professor Sprout asked, puzzled.

“Who knows, maybe it’s just friendly communication between magical creatures!” Flitwick shrugged. “Let’s break the barrier first! Let’s lighten Dumbledore’s workload a bit before he comes back.”

......

“Even Dumbledore couldn’t stop my resurrection,” Riddle said smugly in the secret chamber, then looked at Aaron, “With your intelligence, I think you should understand why I called you here!”

“I could guess,” Aaron shook his head, “but I refuse.”

“Why?” Riddle sneered. “In the future, I will rule half of the magical world, and I certainly won’t make the same mistake again. You have no reason to refuse the Dark Lord’s offer.”

"That's what you think," Aaron said somewhat embarrassedly. "I don't care about the future, and I don't want to work under you."

Do not misunderstand.

There's no other reason, I simply feel you're not good enough for me.

That's the absolute truth. His family is full of old monsters; any one of them could give the Dark Lord a run for his money in his prime.

No matter how bad the world gets, the Gaius family, with its thousands of years of history, can definitely remain unscathed.

Furthermore, even Voldemort, in his prime, worked hard for decades to achieve his success. He couldn't possibly give up his prime years to fight alongside Riddle in the shadows for decades, unless he'd lost his mind.

Isn't it better to just honestly inherit the family fortune and live a carefree life?

Even the Dark Lord couldn't shake the Gaius family's power, let alone a Tom Riddle who hadn't even fully developed yet.

Riddle laughed in exasperation. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

"I know very well that I have never been this clear-headed in my life."