Without the white-feathered peacock constantly at his side, Tom did not know whether he should be happy or feel a sense of loss. He could only follow his original plan and constantly fill his mind with knowledge. Sitting in a corner of the library, Tom opened a History of Magic book. Everyone recorded within it was a Parselmouth.
"Herpo the Foul—a Dark wizard of ancient Greece, one of the earliest known Dark wizards. Rumored to be the first person to successfully breed a basilisk, he invented many vicious curses and Dark Arts..."
"Corvinus Gaunt—an eighteenth-century wizard and descendant of Salazar Slytherin. He claimed to have found Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets and recast the magic on its entrance..."
"Isolde Sallow—the founder of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She once defeated the mad witch Gormlaith Gaunt... and buried Slytherin's wand somewhere..."
Closing the book with a headache, Tom raised a hand and rubbed his temples. There was far too little information on the Chamber of Secrets—only scattered fragments, and no definite proof. As for his ancestor's wand, it had actually been taken to North America...
Tom looked at the book cover with an indescribable expression. He was almost tempted to dig up his family grave. Was there not a single normal person among the Gaunts? All they knew how to do was cause trouble for him, their descendant. Five years remained—could he find the Chamber of Secrets after its entrance had been altered?
Or should he transfer to Ilvermorny and start digging holes everywhere to find that damned wand?
Silently returning the book to its place, Tom prepared to ease his irritation by changing topics. His fingers slid over row after row of books before stopping on one titled The Tale of the Three Brothers. Raising an eyebrow, he pulled out