Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 299: What Happened Before (Part Two)

"...Your son Morfin attacked a Muggle last night..."

"...He taught a dirty Muggle a lesson, how is that illegal...?"

"...Look at this! This gem is engraved with Peverell's emblem... Salazar Slytherin! We are his last living descendants..."

"...Every time that Muggle passed by, she would watch him from behind the fence..."

"...Is this for real?! My daughter, a pure-blooded descendant of Salazar Slytherin, is pursuing a filthy Muggle...?"

Like a drama, the events that unfolded in the Gaunt family were full of twists and turns, leaving Harry no time to relax.

Finally, the plot reached its climax: Gaunt's daughter, Merop, fell in love with a Muggle named Tom. Mr. Gaunt was furious and drew his wand to punish him, but Ogden stopped him. As a result, Ogden was beaten by Morphine's frenzied attack and ran away in a panic.

Harry wanted to continue reading, but Dumbledore pulled him out of that memory, and they returned to the headmaster's office.

"What happened next, sir? What about that girl?" Harry asked.

"Oh, she survived." Dumbledore beckoned Harry to leave the Chamber of Secrets where the Pensieve was, then sat back down at the table and said, "Ogden Apparated back to the Ministry of Magic, and fifteen minutes later returned to Gaunt Manor with reinforcements from the Ministry, arresting Morfin and his father, Old Gaunt."

"Morfin was sentenced to three years of service in Azkaban for repeatedly attacking Muggles, while Marvolo was sentenced to six months for injuring several Ministry of Magic officials..."

"Marvolo?" Harry immediately grasped the key point in Dumbledore's words, which earned him an appreciative smile.

"Yes, just as you think," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Old Gaunt, Voldemort's grandfather."

"Marvolo, Morfin, and Merop are the last descendants of the Gaunt family," he said. "The Gaunt family is a very old, pure-blood family, known for its restlessness and violence, which may be related to their habit of inbreeding. The young man you see, the one Merop is madly infatuated with, is Voldemort's father."

"Was it Morfin who attacked him?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but that's not important compared to what happens later," Dumbledore said.

"You should have noticed that when Merope first broke the vase, she used two Restoration Charms to restore it. In fact, this was because Marvolo's oppressive rule limited Merope's magical abilities."

"Like squeezing a spring, after Marvolo and Moffin were imprisoned, Melop was completely free and let himself go."

"Try to guess how she made Tom forget his Muggle lover and fall in love with her?"

"A love potion?" Harry thought of the potion Slughorn had demonstrated in class, but considering the Gaunt family's twisted values, he added another answer.

"Or... a soul-stealing curse?"

"I'm more inclined to believe it was an aphrodisiac," Dumbledore said. "That would be easier to do; all you have to do is persuade Tom to drink a glass of water when he happens to be passing by one day. But whatever she did, a few months after what we just witnessed, Tom and Merope eloped."

"What happened next was even more interesting. A few months after they eloped, Tom returned alone, but without Melop, and claimed that he had been deceived and misled."

"I think he meant that he was under a spell, but he couldn't say that at the time, or people would think he was crazy. However, his departure and return were too suspicious, and the villagers speculated that Merope had tricked him into getting pregnant with his child and forced Tom to marry her."

"But she did give birth to Voldemort!" Harry said. "However, I remember Voldemort grew up in an orphanage, so perhaps...?"

"That's what we don't know," Dumbledore said. "Melop never appeared again; she must have died shortly after giving birth to Voldemort."

"This is a tragedy, Harry. The power of magic can never replace real human emotions."

"When you decide to manipulate emotions using certain methods, you will definitely suffer a very serious backlash."

"Undoubtedly, Melop was madly in love with Tom, which is why she used magic to make him fall in love with her and bear him a child. But because of this love, she felt that her husband loved her in the same way, which is why she stopped using the love potion."

"Perhaps Melop thought Tom would at least stay for the sake of their children."

"But the truth is, she was wrong," Harry interjected.

"Yes, that's true." Dumbledore nodded. "Since then, Tom has never contacted her again, nor has he inquired about his son..."

"Wait a minute!" Harry realized the crux of the matter. "Voldemort's father knew he had a son?"

"Yes, but that's another story," Dumbledore said.

Harry fell into deep thought, completely absorbed in Dumbledore's story. He suddenly understood why Voldemort was so insane. Born into such a family, with the Gaunt family's mad and violent blood flowing in his veins, perhaps only a small change was needed to turn him into what he was now.

Recalling what Dumbledore once said about his first meeting with Voldemort, it's possible that he already looked like this back then, only he was hiding it at the time.

At that moment, Harry remembered something inconspicuous from his earlier memory and subconsciously looked at Dumbledore's left hand.

His actions were noticed by Dumbledore, who then extended his left hand and waved it so that Harry could see the ring he was wearing more clearly.

"Sir, is that the same ring that Marvolo Gaunt showed Ogden?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded and replied, "Yes, that's the one."

"But...has it always been with you?"

"No, I only got it recently," Dumbledore said, "just a few days before I went to your aunt and uncle's house to pick you up."

"That's when you hurt your hand..." Harry looked at Dumbledore's right hand again, only then remembering that the hand had already healed by the opening banquet.

"How did it get better?"

"That's another story," Dumbledore said, standing up and glancing at the time. "But it's too late. I'll tell you another time."

Dumbledore escorted Harry towards the office door, but Harry stopped as soon as he opened it. He turned around, looked into Dumbledore's kind eyes, and asked, "Sir, may I tell Hermione and Ron about what happened tonight?"

"Of course, but you have to make sure they don't tell anyone else about these things." Dumbledore paused for a moment, then said, "Some things are not meant for too many people to know."

"No, sir, I promise!"

"I believe you... but now, you should go back to your dormitory and rest." Dumbledore patted Harry on the shoulder. "Good night, Harry."

Good night, sir.

(End of this chapter)