The mastermind behind Hogwarts

As the tallest tower in Hogwarts, the Astronomy Tower is usually a restricted area, accessible only during astronomy class, but that didn't stop Moriarty from visiting.

"Besides, it was the principal who invited me here today, right?"

Moriarty spoke to Dumbledore beside him with a gentle smile.

"Your appearance makes me realize that you already have a way to deal with Voldemort." Dumbledore stood under a round planet; Voldemort had always been a major concern for him.

Perhaps one reason for this is a trace of Dumbledore's guilt.

Dumbledore repeatedly recalled his first meeting with Tom Riddle.

"If I hadn't threatened that child back then, would Voldemort have existed as he did later?"

This question that he asked himself remained unanswered. All Dumbledore knew was that Voldemort had returned to Hogwarts and harmed a student, Ron Weasley.

Moriarty and Dumbledore both saw the out-of-control ball.

Voldemort thought he had done a good job, but William had been exposed from the very beginning.

If Ron hadn't only suffered external injuries, Dumbledore would have rushed down and captured Voldemort.

There is another reason why Dumbledore didn't do that, and that is Moriarty.

"I've always felt you have a way to deliver a fatal blow to Voldemort, now you can use it."

Dumbledore emerged from the shadows and stood with Moriarty by the window of the Astronomy Tower. A gentle evening breeze stirred, causing their white hair to dance.

"Well, I originally wanted to keep some suspense," Moriarty shrugged, then his eyes became serious. "Now it seems that if we don't reveal it, Voldemort might take even worse actions."

"I will never allow my students to be hurt again," Dumbledore said firmly.

Me too.

After Moriarty finished speaking, he walked towards the stairs of the Astronomical Tower.

"I saved him for the last moment to see what Voldemort was planning. Since Voldemort had set his sights on the students, it might not be a bad thing for him to appear early."

Moriarty spoke as he walked down the stairs.

Dumbledore turned around and saw only an empty staircase.

"he?"

"Who is it?"

Many names flashed through Dumbledore's mind, but after careful analysis, he eliminated them one by one.

"I really can't figure out who he is."

Dumbledore murmured as he turned his head, his gaze lingering on the young wizards running back to the Great Hall from the pitch, lawn, and woods.

"This is the most beautiful scenery for me, and I believe it's the same for you."

Based on this, Dumbledore believed Moriarty and also believed the "he" that Moriarty spoke of.

Moriarty came down from the Astronomy Tower and went to the Slytherin table for dinner.

Upon entering the auditorium, Marcus told Moriarty about Ron's injury.

Lilith also told Moriarty that everyone suspected Ron was under a curse that brought him constant bad luck.

Percy also came to inquire, and Moriarty asked with concern, "How is Ron?"

"He has already taken the bone-building medicine and will be jumping around again the day after tomorrow."

Percy pretended to be relaxed, but sometimes he suspected that Ron had gotten into some dirty business.

"Professor Dumbledore spoke to me this afternoon about Ron's curse."

Moriarty's words silenced the entire auditorium.

The most popular topic at Hogwarts right now is Ron's Curse. Without a doubt.

"What is certain is that our original judgment was correct. The reason why Ron was injured one after another is related to Ron's mentality."

"To break the curse, we all agree that recreating the scene from that time is crucial. We can't go to Egypt right now, but Ron must first hand over the Egyptian princess's earring. Keeping it in your house will bring bad luck."

Finally, it was addressed to Percy.

Percy hurriedly said, "I...I...I'll write to my mother right away and ask her to send the earrings to Professor Dumbledore, okay?"

Moriarty nodded slightly, which was also Dumbledore's intention.

"Relax, the school won't abandon Ron," Moriarty patted Percy on the shoulder.

Percy left, moved, and Moriarty was finally able to enjoy his dinner.

After the meal, Moriarty beckoned Jericho and whispered something to him.

Twenty minutes later, Jericho returned to Moriarty's single room with a crown in his hand.

Jericho found it strange that the dormitory was completely dark and had been cleared out, and even Violet, who always stayed in bed, was not there today.

"Put it down," Moriarty's voice came from the darkness, "and send Poseidon out of the castle while you're at it."

"Okay." Jericho put the owl on his arm and walked away, with two letters tied to the owl's leg.

One of the letters was sent by Moriarty to Narcissa.

Besides expressing his longing for Narcissa, the letter also contained a mission.

Searching for the key to Bellatrix Lestrange's vault.

Another letter was sent by Moriarty to Queen Ventau.

Moriarty asked her to go to the ruins of Marvologant's hut to look for a ring.

Moriarty picked up the crown, a jewel-encrusted, sparkling crown.

It instantly illuminated the darkness in the dormitory.

The base of the crown is engraved with Ravenclaw's famous motto—

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

Moriarty read it aloud.

"Exceptional wisdom is the greatest wealth of mankind."

"Tsk, you already have a crown, so why did you turn it into a Horcrux, Tom?"

Moriarty placed the crown on a notebook, and a bizarre scene unfolded.

A line of text quickly appeared on the notebook.

"You've come to see me again! Wait, what's this? I feel a power I've never felt before!"

The handwriting was messy and left deep scratches.

The writer's discontent, along with a hint of anger and anticipation, was palpable. Moriarty sensed it.

"Little Tom, your uncle has brought you a gift."

Moriarty was beaming.

Another line appeared in the notebook: "Shut up! I am the true descendant of Slytherin! The true heir to Slytherin!"

"I didn't say you weren't—I said three years ago that every student who comes to Hogwarts is a Slytherin heir!"

Moriarty chuckled and continued writing, "Don't you want to see this gift? Inside this crown is yourself."

With a casual flick of his wrist, Moriarty's abundant magic flowed into the crown, only to be met with a backlash of dark magic, originating from a fragment of a soul.

"Ding~ The host has been detected to have discovered Voldemort No. 5's soul fragment. You will be rewarded with 5 exploration draws."

That's right, the tiara is none other than Ravenclaw's tiara, which is also Voldemort's Horcrux.

The notebook is also Voldemort's Horcrux, containing Tom Riddle from 50 years ago.

Moriarty and Narcissa met this young Voldemort together last time.

Tom, upon being told he was Moriarty's nephew, was furious, but then felt the "affection" of his cousin Moriarty.

"You should understand what it means that I've put you and another soul fragment together this time, right?"

Moriarty wrote, "If you can't understand this, you don't deserve to be my successor."

"Get lost! I am the true descendant of Slytherin!"

"I've heard that people tend to flaunt what they lack most, but I don't know if that's true."

"FUCK! ****"

Tom in the notebook was so angry his nose was crooked.

Moriarty chuckled as usual: "How can you swear? The Slytherin family would rather fight than swear. I'll teach you."

"Bubble Guardians!"

Moriarty snapped his fingers, and a blue bubble covered the laptop on the table.

Tom's Slytherin dormitory in the notebook was suddenly flooded, turning into a waterhouse.

"Glug glug... Ugh..."

The water was incredibly heavy, and Tom was quickly submerged, with bubbles appearing on the surface.

"See? Disrespecting elders will be punished. My little Tom, your uncle hopes you understand that I'm helping you to strengthen your soul!"

Moriarty argued vehemently, "After all, you can still get angry and your nose will be crooked now, but fifty years from now, you won't even have a nose. That's because no elder disciplined him."

Tom astutely seized upon Moriarty's words, "Me fifty years from now? Voldemort? He's back? Glug glug..."

"clever!"

"He's back, and he's returned through possession."

"In other words, three fragments of the soul are gathered in Hogwarts."

Do you want to be resurrected?

(1. Looking back, I found that Moriarty was originally set to be Voldemort's uncle, but in the first few chapters he was written as his maternal uncle, which is more reasonable.)

Since Tom's mother was from the Gaunt family, it means that Salazar's daughter married into the Gaunt family and brought the Slytherin bloodline with her. Moriarty's ancestor was Salazar's son, so Moriarty and Voldemort's ancestors were siblings. In this case, they would definitely be uncles, not cousins.

If you find it uncomfortable to read, just refer to your uncle as "uncle," because in English, both "uncle" and "uncle" are the same word.

(2. The order of the Soul Pieces is described in Chapter 167 of Book 3: Tom Riddle's diary, Marvolo Gaunt's ring, Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's tiara, Nagini, and the Soul Piece in Harry Potter are designated as Soul Pieces 1 to 7 respectively.)