Hogwarts: Oh no, I've become Voldemort!

“Do you really think Tom Riddle ever showed up in this town?” Standing next to Moody was a tall woman with pink hair, who seemed restless, stomping on the weeds on the ground. “As for my first mission as an Auror, I would much rather participate in the operation to capture Sirius Black.”

“First of all, you’re not an Auror. I only brought you along because Dumbledore happened to ask me to investigate Tom Riddle.” Moody didn’t hold back at all. “Besides, Black is no ordinary criminal. With your skills, you’d probably be killed the moment you met him. Don’t think that Death Eaters care about your kinship with him.”

Tonks made a face at Moody's back, clearly annoyed.

But then she had another question.

"Who exactly is this Tom Riddle? I heard he was the mastermind behind the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts? But even so, I don't think it's necessary for you to be involved in the arrest, right? You've already retired from the front lines."

“I’m afraid it’s a ghost,” Mad-Eye said through gritted teeth. Dumbledore hadn’t revealed the person’s name to him, but Moody was naturally good at investigating on his own.

Fifty years ago, Hogwarts had a model student named Tom Riddle.

Although the student was Muggle-born, he was likely of mixed race and had practically monopolized all the awards during his time at school. Someone like that should have had a bright future after graduation. However, this student completely disappeared after graduation, as if he had never existed in the wizarding world.

Like a pebble dropped into the lake of the magical world, it created a small ripple. However, when the lake returned to calm, no one could find the pebble. Even whether the water had ever existed became a mystery.

However, Moody's still noticed some clues.

He started his investigation by examining Tom Riddle's background. He specifically asked Dumbledore about it and learned that Tom Riddle was an orphan. Dumbledore, aside from concealing the identity of "Warrior," told Moody almost everything else.

Without a doubt, this is a Muggle surname, inherited from Tom's father.

As for his mother, no one knew her name. Even Dumbledore probably didn't know at this moment that Voldemort was a descendant of the Gaunt family, otherwise he would probably have found the Gaunt mansion and discovered the Resurrection Stone long ago.

In the original books, Dumbledore likely traced Voldemort's origins back to Harry's description of the Little Hangleton Cemetery after Voldemort's resurrection. It was after that that he discovered the Resurrection Stone, but couldn't resist the temptation to bring the dead back to life, thus falling under Voldemort's curse.

But now, Moody's has brought forward this discovery.

He learned that Tom Riddle was a Parseltongue, which explained how he had been able to control a terrifying basilisk to carry out attacks at Hogwarts over the past year. Coincidentally, a senior colleague in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement whom Moody had known had mentioned a murder case to him.

The criminals also spoke with a snake-like accent.

So he first went to Gaunt's old house, where strong traces of magic were indeed left, but the person who left those traces had long since left, and he couldn't be sure if it was Riddle. Next, they expanded their search area and finally found a clue in Little Hangleton, not far from Gaunt's old house.

Moody's gaze fell on a beautiful house on a distant hillside.

Even in the sunlight, the house still looked eerie, like a voyeur watching over the town for fifty years.

“The house used to belong to the Riddle family, but fifty years ago, a murder occurred there. Since the victims were all Muggles, we didn’t pay much attention to it. But now it seems that it might be somewhat related to the later tragedy of the Gaunt family,” Moody said.

During their conversation, Delis returned with several other Aurors. This excellent Auror, looking displeased, reported in a low voice, "A few days ago, an outsider did come here and even bought Riddle Manor, but his face doesn't look like Riddle's. Perhaps he's not the person we're looking for?"

"Looks different? Don't forget he's a wizard!" Moody scoffed.

"But he shouldn't have a wand..."

“How can you guarantee that?” Moody limped up the hillside with his cane, not looking back. Tonks hurriedly followed.

Delilah glared at him resentfully, then followed with the other two Aurors.

The five of them walked up the hillside in the distance. The old Frank stood at the door, his cloudy eyes unmoving, as if he had been waiting for them for a long time.

"You've arrived, gentlemen."

"You knew we were coming?" Moody asked in surprise.

His magical eye instantly saw through Frank's entire body; his icy blue eyes, like frozen, deep lake water, radiated powerful magic.

He wanted to see through Frank's disguise, but the Magic Eye seemed unable to see through the other's spirit, let alone the altered memories.

"The gentleman told me to leave if any other guests came." He looked somewhat dejected, but not particularly sad, after all, the gentleman had left him a place to stay in the town.

However, he actually misunderstood Cyrus's meaning. Cyrus was referring to Voldemort as a "guest," and he wanted him to leave in order to save this innocent and pitiful life. Frank, however, clearly regarded Moody and the others as "guests."

"Sir? What's his name?"

He said we could call him Cyrus, or—Riddle, too.

"It really is Riddle!" Tonks' eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Where did he go?"

“I don’t know, I’m just a gardener, miss,” Frank said, somewhat bewildered.

He seemed inclined to entertain Moody and his party, but then felt he should leave and started packing, though he actually had very little to pack. His old wooden shed on the estate had been demolished; Cyrus had been letting him stay in the house.

As for his old belongings, such as the kerosene lamp or his crooked kettle, they were also disposed of.

In the end, he only took his dying body with him and walked slowly toward the town, his back to the sunlight.

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Chapter 102 Imitator

“Now the trail has gone cold again,” Tonks said dejectedly.

“Let’s go in and investigate this house first. We need to find out why Riddle bought it and what its connection is to the magical traces left at Gaunt’s old house.” Moody grabbed the flask at his waist, took a hearty swig, and then limped to the side. “I’ll write a letter to Dumbledore. He might have some guesses about Riddle’s motives.”

"Tell me immediately if you find anything!"

He found a rock to lean against, and a quill pen dipped in ink automatically wrote words on the letter paper.

"All you ever do is order people around." Delilah watched him walk away, kicking a pebble aside with displeasure.

Moody is retired, and while he undeniably has a lot of accolades, everyone thinks he's almost insane, his mind filled with paranoia. The fact that someone like that is now giving him orders makes him extremely unhappy.

"The person has already left, what could we possibly find?"

Dexter muttered under his breath, but he dared not disobey Moody's orders. The old Auror was still quite formidable; he showed no mercy to either enemies or his own. Sometimes he wondered how that apprentice Auror named Tonks could get along so well with him.

As Delilah was thinking, something suddenly caught his eye.

It was as if the sun shone on a colorful mirror, the reflected light dazzling his eyes. The thing flashed by, disappearing instantly into the lush green grass. His heart tightened, as if he were about to grab something.

"You two go over there, I'll go check it out." He quickly dismissed the other two Aurors and then jogged over there.

How could I possibly share such a great opportunity as a promotion and raise with others?

He casually parted the grass, but there was nothing there. Looking up, he saw a large, dark green python with scales reflecting colorful light fleeing in the distance.

Dexter felt a chill run down his spine. There was no doubt that this python was closely connected to Riddle. Tom Riddle himself was a Parseltongue, and perhaps he was controlling this snake to monitor anyone who appeared here.

This is Riddle's informant, but conversely, if he follows this snake, he might be able to find Riddle's location!

Delisi followed without much hesitation.

Despite Dumbledore's repeated emphasis that Riddle was dangerous, Dexter's confidence and arrogance led him to believe that the so-called Riddle was probably nothing special.

Everyone graduated from Hogwarts with top honors. Am I, the proud Riddle, really inferior to him?

As he followed the python, he drew his wand and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

But Delis seemed unaware that he had unknowingly wandered far from the Riddell Mansion on the mountainside and into the depths of the jungle. The light suddenly dimmed, the leaves turned a deep green, and the ground, covered with withered leaves, was wet, causing him to slip and fall several times.

It has stopped.

He saw the brightly striped python stop moving in the distance, and his heart tightened. He immediately hid himself behind a thick tree.

Delisi swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead.

For a long time—perhaps only a few minutes—he could only hear the chirping of birds and insects coming from somewhere in the jungle. But just as he was starting to get impatient, another set of footsteps sounded.

The sound of withered leaves being crushed by the soles of his shoes grew clearer and clearer, and Delix became increasingly nervous.

The footsteps were approaching.

Delix heard the owner of the footsteps lower his voice and make a terrifying, hoarse "Hiss—" sound.

It's a snake-like voice!

It's Tom Riddle!

He didn't leave, and just as he had guessed, he was monitoring them through the snake.

That arrogant Moody found nothing, and the one who finally caught the escaped convict Tom Riddle was me—Delix!

Deli's breathing became heavy.

He thought that all he had to do was turn around and shoot a "stun" at Tom Riddle, and he could claim all the credit for himself.

The other Aurors in the Ministry of Magic and the guards in Azkaban almost all went out of their way, but they still couldn't capture another escapee. He, on the other hand, had single-handedly captured Tom Riddle. It seemed he was the obvious choice for the next Head of the Auror Office.

He regulated his breathing and prepared his spell; the next moment, he leaped out:

"Collapse!"

The wand shot out a crimson spell, which exploded instantly!

"Snapped!"

Deli's eyes widened, his heart pounding as if he were on a drop tower, then plummeting back down.

The spell missed.

Or rather, there was nothing in front of him except a small crater created by his own spell.

Tom Riddle, whom he had expected, wasn't there, and even the python from before had vanished. Dexter instinctively tried to turn around, but something sharp pressed against the back of his head.

His heart sank completely, and his limbs went cold.

This is a magic wand!

"Are you looking for me?"

This familiar voice made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Dolius only now remembered that he should seize the opportunity to counterattack, but before he could make any move, something slapped his hand hard, causing a burning pain, and his wand was knocked away.