Hogwarts: What are the four great masters doing?

As it should be, Caractacus Burke was almost certain...that Tom was definitely involved in Hepzibah Smith's death.

but...

"I'm resigning, Mr. Bock... I don't think I'll be coming back."

"You've taken such good care of me, so I think you should know that there are some things that are best shared between the two of us, right?"

This was what Tom had said to Caractacus Burke when he resigned.

At that time, Tom's face had begun to become somewhat distorted, and the madness in his expression was almost difficult to suppress.

As the person who taught him in the past two years, Caractacus Bock knew very well how much Tom's magic had grown.

So, he ended up not telling anyone about it.

Again - Caractacus Burke doesn't like trouble.

And so, the memory of Tom Riddle ends.

"..."

At this moment, Ryan's expression had become serious.

Obviously, he had never expected that Harry's sudden slip of the tongue would lead him to discover such a huge secret.

Borgin and Burke's...This shop in Knockturn Alley hides the secrets of Voldemort.

"After graduation, he rejected the Ministry of Magic's invitation and, some time later, applied for a position at Borgin and Burke's. His goal was to learn the dark arts related to curses and information about ancient items."

The significance of this news was undoubtedly very clear to Ryan.

"It's obvious, just as I guessed—he went to the 'trap' left by the Slytherin teacher after graduation!"

"He was cursed there, and he obviously had no way to deal with it - so he returned to Borgin and Burke's to try to learn how to break the curse, and at the same time... he probably also wanted to find the real Chamber of Secrets."

Ryan thought about what Tamh said.

Slytherin left behind two keys related to the true Chamber of Secrets, one key was the white cat Friday, and the other key was an emerald.

Slytherin said that the gem needed to be placed inside something memorable.

And obviously...

"The locket..."

Ryan realized that the so-called 'memorable item' was the locket!

"Put that gem in the locket, and you'll get a clue to the true chamber!"

"And Voldemort—he murdered Hepzibah Smith for this, and got the locket from her..."

Ryan was almost certain of this - Voldemort had already unraveled the clue hidden in the gem.

But here’s the thing…

"That locket... I don't remember it being that special to the Slytherin teacher."

Ryan muttered.

He had heard of Slytherin's locket, of course—it was as famous as Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's diadem, and Gryffindor's sword.

But the problem is, as far as Ryan knows.

The last three were indeed treasures cherished by his three teachers.

But the only thing missing was Slytherin's locket - he remembered that it was just an ordinary pendant that Slytherin carried with him, nothing special.

But a thousand years later, it turned into Slytherin's relic and even became one of the keys to unlocking the truth of the Chamber of Secrets.

This undoubtedly struck Ryan as very strange.

And then again.

"Two keys, one is Friday - which is special enough in itself, representing the Slytherin teacher's achievement in the 'Bloodline Circuit'."

"The other one is an emerald, and it also requires Slytherin's locket as an accessory..."

Ryan frowned.

He had never really thought about it before, but now it seems...the value of the two is very unequal.

If you really want to talk about it.

"The locket and the emerald...it's like these two things were deliberately put together as a trap for Voldemort."

Ryan couldn't help but think so.

But it is obvious that this speculation has no evidence to support it.

Therefore, Ryan did not dwell on it.

He just continued to think.

"After Voldemort murdered Hepzibah Smith, he supposedly obtained Hufflepuff's cup and locket—the latter of which he used to uncover the truth about the emeralds, and then... he might have made them into Horcruxes!"

Ryan thought of the Ravenclaw teacher's crown - as Dumbledore said, Voldemort obviously liked this sense of ceremony!

so...

"If the golden cup and the locket are indeed Horcruxes, then including Harry, the tiara, the diary, and the Gaunt ring... six Horcruxes, all of them have been found!"

This is the most important part of the news Ryan received today.

If his guess is correct, then Voldemort's Horcruxes are most likely these six.

And besides that...

"The locket is the most important—it's not only a possible Horcrux, but it also likely contains clues leading to the true Chamber of Secrets..."

With this in mind, Ryan continued to search for clues in Caractacus Bock's mind.

But unfortunately... he didn't make any special discoveries.

He could only speculate based on some details and causes and consequences in his memory - Voldemort ultimately failed to resolve the curse, nor was he able to find the real Chamber of Secrets.

"This means that the curse is most likely not a short-term, powerful curse, but a long-term curse that subtly corrodes the soul."

Thinking of this, Ryan began to murmur.

"To render a legendary wizard helpless for such a long time... truly impressive!"

He sighed.

Of course, there was one more thing that surprised Ryan.

That is, when he checked his memory, he discovered that Caractacus Burke had not lied about Harry.

"It really disappeared..."

Ryan frowned when he saw the Harry in the other person's memory disappear into Knockturn Alley after a black shadow flashed by.

But it was at this time...

"Buzz!"

A strong desire to resist came, and Ryan's consciousness felt a strong obstruction.

So he simply canceled his Legilimency and looked at Caractacus Boke who was glaring at him.

"You are committing a crime - using Legilimency to read the memories of other wizards without permission. You will go to Azkaban for this!"

This powerful dark wizard from the past was obviously very angry.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to say that."

Ryan laughed after hearing this: "From what I remember, you are not the one who brings suffering to the law... a master of black magic who has committed many evil deeds?"

"From what I remember, you were very skilled in soul magic and had many original black spells. I thought you would be stronger... It seems you are really old."

He sighed softly.

"..."

Then Caractacus Bock almost gasped with anger.

But in the end, he could only sigh helplessly, and his words softened: "Now you know everything, are you satisfied?"

He actually wanted to stand up right now, draw out his wand and cast a powerful curse on Ryan.

But, even if it was just that brief fight just now.

Caractacus Boke could also judge that the strength of the little wizard in front of him was even more terrifying than the rumors.

Even when he was young and his spirit and magic were at their peak, he probably would not be Ryan's opponent.

"I just researched and sold black magic and black magic items. Maybe I indirectly helped some villains, but I haven't done that for many years. I..."

When he said this, Ryan interrupted him.

"Oh, don't act so innocent, Mr. Burke."

"We all know how many evil things you did when you were young... Quibbling will only make communication more difficult."

Ryan said calmly.

"Then what are you going to do!?"

And Caractacus Bock's voice at this moment was almost a growl.

"Send me to Azkaban?"

"Oh, I did think so—but considering your age and health, I'm afraid you can't stay in there for more than a few days."

Ryan said softly.

"You sold black magic and cursed items, harming many people, but you were only an accomplice, not the mastermind... I mean, your dealings with the pure-blood families have lasted for many years, haven't you?"

"...What do you want to say?"

And Caractacus Burke naturally heard the hidden meaning of Ryan's words: "Pure-blood family, you want me to..."

"Hey! There's another one here, in Mr. Bock's shop!"

But just as Ryan and Caractacus Bock were talking about this, there was a sharp roar.

Ryan saw a dark wizard outside the door rushing up after such a roar.

His body was covered with thick hair, and as he spoke, his fingers kept changing into shapes similar to those of wild beasts' claws.