Hogwarts: Oh no, I've become Voldemort!

His current body is indeed very talented. Perhaps Dumbledore was being modest, but he did acknowledge that Voldemort's power was above his own and believed that Tom Riddle was the most talented student in Hogwarts history.

But Cyrus is not Voldemort; he does have talent, but he doesn't have the time.

And what about his opponents?

Dumbledore, the world's greatest wizard; possessing the invincible Elder Wand; controlling the timing and location, with spies everywhere; and now wielding the Time-Turner.

The strongest stats, the most precise controls, and unparalleled divine equipment.

Cyrus had no idea what he could use to compete with Dumbledore.

However, he quickly calmed down.

His gaze drifted to Dumbledore's feet, where a tiny snake, no thicker than a finger, was approaching him—the Basilisk.

Cyrus started the basilisk's movements when he picked up the Marauder's Map. At that moment, Dumbledore's attention was entirely focused on Cyrus's hand, and he didn't even see the inconspicuous little snake emerge from under Cyrus's wizarding robes.

This is probably Cyrus's last chance. Even Dumbledore, as long as he is human, cannot resist the Basilisk's magic.

The tiny basilisk suddenly grew larger, expanding to fill the entire room!

It wasted almost no time; the instant it regained its original form, its two eyes, larger than the moon above its head, were already fixed on Dumbledore!

The basilisk's enormous body blocked Cyrus and Dumbledore's view. Without hesitation, Cyrus cast a flight spell, transforming into a thick wisp of black smoke and soaring into the sky.

He didn't care at all whether the basilisk had any effect on Dumbledore. In fact, the moment the basilisk appeared, Cyrus had already decided to sacrifice it. As long as it could buy him a little time, it would have served its purpose.

Dumbledore was also incredibly surprised when he saw the Basilisk. He had thought that "Tom" would leave the Basilisk to deal with Harry, but he never expected that Tom would leave with the Basilisk.

In this way, all the preparations he left for Harry—the phoenix, the Sorting Hat…—became useless.

Thinking of this, he immediately closed his eyes and called upon the phoenix in his mind. A blazing flame suddenly bloomed in front of the basilisk like smoke!

The phoenix's sharp claws, emerging from the flames, mercilessly blinded the basilisk!

At the same time, Dumbledore extended his right hand, which held the Elder Wand, while his left hand made a grasping motion, his magic remotely controlling Cyrus's body. A simple levitation charm, under his superior magical power, became the thread that bound the kite.

He grabbed Cyrus and pulled him back from the sky.

Before Cyrus could crash to the ground in a sorry state, Dumbledore immediately followed up with a Binding Charm.

Then, he conjured a rooster from the mud, which immediately crowed in fright, driving the blind basilisk completely mad. Its entire body began to fester, and its flesh seemed to melt into a foul-smelling, poisonous liquid.

However, its skeleton and snakeskin were preserved intact.

The green scales, gleaming with iridescent light, drooped loosely on the winding snake skeleton, and nauseating thick fluid flowed from its empty eye sockets.

Dumbledore avoided the foul smell and slowly walked up to Cyrus.

“To be honest, Tom, you surprised me a bit tonight. I thought you would be stronger, but it seems you have only recovered to the level you had in school.” As he spoke, he took a diary and a crown from Cyrus’s arms.

Judging from today's fight, Cyrus's strength is at best at the level of the Hogwarts Headmaster, perhaps comparable to Snape who could unleash dark magic at will. Of course, there aren't many wizards who can reach that level, but compared to the Dark Lord's strength from over a decade ago, he's insignificant.

At least Dumbledore didn't expend much effort to subdue him.

Cyrus is no longer worried or nervous. Losing is normal, after all, his opponent is Dumbledore.

The only person the Dark Lord feared.

“If you can, I’d prefer you don’t call me Tom. I’m not actually Tom Riddle.” Despite being unable to move, Cyrus still managed a smile. “You can call me Cyrus.”

He didn't expect Dumbledore to believe he wasn't Riddle himself, but having finally been resurrected and given a new life, how could he be willing to live under someone else's name?

Thank you jackcolee for the 500-point reward, and thank you to Mingyue Mujixu for the 1000-point reward, everyone! Two chapters will be released today.

Chapter 83 A Night with a Dim Moon

"Changing your name won't change anything," Dumbledore said expressionlessly, examining the two objects he held in his hands and clearly noticing the magical traces in the crown.

Although the diary contains magical power, it does not seem to be a Horcrux. There is no Voldemort soul inside; it is more like an ordinary Pensieve, and it no longer poses any other danger.

"So it seems you were resurrected using this? The crown that's been missing for nearly a thousand years... I bet you also turned the relics of the other two founders into Horcruxes?"

He straightened up and examined the crown, which showed signs of age. Repairing it was virtually impossible; he planned to destroy it later. As for the diary, he didn't intend to leave it to Cyrus either.

"Soon, the Aurors will arrive, and you will be taken to Azkaban. But don't worry, we won't kill you. I admit, simply taking your life won't satisfy me. We have many more ways to destroy a person."

He waved his wand, trapping Cyrus completely, took the wand from his hand, glanced at the Marauder's Map, and then quietly looked up at the sky. The previous fire had burned the shack to the ground; now, moonlight shone above them.

Cyrus was powerless to resist at this moment, so he simply enjoyed the moonlight with Dumbledore. Even though he was only free for a short moment, it was very precious to Cyrus.

The weather is clear today, but the moon is missing a large portion; it's not a full moon. Even if it were, Cyrus isn't a Saiyan, so he can't transform into a Great Ape during a full moon…

However... perhaps not, it just needs a little time.

Cyrus pursed his lips.

Dumbledore stood there for a moment, then noticed that the version of himself on the Marauder's Map had left the office and disappeared into a deserted place. He immediately knew he had begun his operation, and now he could return to normal time to fill the void left by his own disappearance.

"It's time to go, Tom."

Cyrus didn't say a word, letting Dumbledore use magic to take him away.

-

The Weasleys paced anxiously back and forth in the headmaster's office. When they heard that their daughter had been taken away by the heir and was now in a state of uncertainty, Molly and Arthur felt as if the sky was falling!

Fortunately, Dumbledore eventually returned, but he didn't stay long before leaving again.

The only thing that could keep them calm now was Dumbledore's earlier statement: "If nothing goes wrong, I believe Miss Weasley will be fine."

Perhaps this is just a comforting remark, but since it came from Dumbledore, there's a high probability it will become a reality.

Sure enough, the door was pushed open a short while later.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the somewhat dim-witted Lockhart stood in the doorway. They looked a little dirty, but no one seemed injured, especially Ginny, who looked unusually healthy, better than at any time in the past two terms. The only thing that made her look a little pitiful was that she appeared to have been crying.

For a moment, all was silent. Suddenly, a scream rang out—

Ginny!

It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting by the fire weeping. She jumped up, followed by Mr. Weasley, and the two of them simultaneously stretched out their arms and embraced their beloved daughter.

Then, this woman, filled with maternal love, hugged Harry and Ron tightly.

"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"

"To be honest, it wasn't really a rescue; Ginny was fine..." Harry recalled his experience after entering the Chamber of Secrets with Ron. He thought he was going to face a terrifying monster, but there was nothing there. He even learned about the Heir's identity from Ginny after she woke up.

He glanced into the office and, finding no sign of Dumbledore, assumed Dumbledore hadn't returned to the school yet. Professor McGonagall, however, was there.

So he recounted the whole story, including "Mr. Riddle," who had been with them throughout the semester.

But they couldn't recall what "Mr. Riddle" actually resided in. The only thing they knew was that it was a sentient being.

“It’s clear that Riddle altered their memories,” McGonagall said weakly with a sigh.

“Ginny!” Mr. Weasley exclaimed, speechless. “Didn’t I teach you that? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself unless you see where it hides its mind. Why didn’t you show that thing to me or your mother? Something so dubious, it’s clearly full of dark magic!”

“I—I don’t know, I forgot…” Ginny was still crying sadly, “And, I think Mr. Riddle might not really be that bad… In fact, he didn’t hurt me…”

“You’re still defending him!” Ron said angrily.

Finally, McGonagall broke the silence on the topic and asked, "So, where exactly has Mr. Riddle gone?"

“I don’t know, Professor. None of us saw him. Ginny said he claimed he was going to kill her, but he didn’t actually do it.” Harry was also puzzled by this, which was why Ginny had always believed that “Mr. Riddle” wasn’t really a bad person.

“Mr. Riddle has been arrested.”

At that moment, Dumbledore pushed open the door and walked in briskly, immediately drawing everyone's attention:

“I found his escape route, fought him, and defeated him. I happened to run into the Aurors who were on their way to the school gate, so I had them take him away. I believe he will spend a long time in Azkaban.”

As Dumbledore spoke, he looked Ginny up and down.

“Miss Weasley looks well, but it would be best if she went to the infirmary for a check-up. Also, I have a few things here that I need to return to their rightful owners.” Dumbledore took the Marauder's Map from his robes and gave it to the twins, returned the cloak to Harry, and finally handed the diary to Ginny.

"Sir, what is this?" Arthur asked nervously.

“It’s Riddle’s. It’s something like the Pensieve. I think Riddle should do something to make amends for what happened to Miss Weasley. Don’t worry, it’s harmless,” Dumbledore said with a smile.

“Professor,” Harry began hesitantly, “could it be that Mr. Riddle isn’t actually a very bad person?”

“Harry, how can you say that too?” Ron looked at him in astonishment. “Have you forgotten Hermione? Forgot that he wanted to put Ginny in danger?”

“But the Basilisk didn’t actually kill anyone, did it?” Harry said. “Perhaps he was avoiding killing?”

“A very interesting conjecture, Harry. I believe it stems from your own kindness,” Dumbledore said happily. “One tends to subconsciously assume others are the same way they are. However, you are quite wrong about Riddle.”

He seemed to let out a very long sigh, and the entire office waited for him to say his next words.

"I don't know how he managed to bewitch you; he's always been very good at manipulating people. In fact, I personally taught him at Hogwarts fifty years ago. He was probably the most outstanding student Hogwarts has ever had."

"He disappeared after leaving school... He traveled far and wide, his footprints reaching the ends of the earth... He sank deeper and deeper into the quagmire of dark magic, mingling with the most evil guys in the wizarding world, and after many dangerous magical transformations, people could hardly recognize him."

"Later, he changed his identity, and we all know him." His gaze swept over everyone, and he solemnly uttered the name:

"That's right, Tom Riddle is Voldemort."

Time seemed to freeze in the office. Harry couldn't believe that he had just been speaking well of the other person, but that person had actually killed his parents eleven years ago.

Chapter 84 Bet

Fudge has been extremely busy these days, but at least there is some good news: the heir who has been causing trouble has finally been caught.