Naturally Evil Little Riddle, I'll Personally...

Harry searched for a long time but found no clues.

He sat on the bed, intending to continue watching the conversation between Dumbledore and Little Riddle.

To be honest, he was quite interested in Riddle's past.

Dumbledore said to Riddle, "It looks like something in your closet is trying to get out."

Sure enough, a faint clicking sound came from the wardrobe.

For the first time, Riddle showed a look of panic.

Harry knew that this must be Dumbledore's doing, after all, Riddle's wardrobe didn't look like it had mice—moreover, the orphanage was well-managed and didn't look like it had such small rodents.

"Open the door," Dumbledore said sternly.

It must be admitted that Dumbledore does have a rather imposing presence when he puts on a stern face.

Harry always found his round face and beard appearance quite comical.

This was far more intimidating than the white-bearded old man behind him. If it were that somewhat neurotic white-bearded old man, Harry didn't think Riddle would be afraid.

Riddle hesitated for a moment, then walked over and flung open the wardrobe door.

Several worn-out clothes hung on the clothesline, and on the top shelf was a small cardboard box that was shaking incessantly, making a clattering sound, as if several frantic rats were trapped inside.

"Bring it out," Dumbledore said.

Riddle took the wobbly box off the table. He looked bewildered.

"Is there something in that box that you shouldn't have?" Dumbledore asked.

Riddle gave Dumbledore a deep, clear look.

"Yes, I think so, sir," he said finally in a dry voice.

"Open it," said Dumbledore.

Riddle opened the lid and dumped the contents onto his bed without even looking inside. Harry had expected something more exciting, but instead found a bunch of ordinary things: a spool of string, a silver thimble, and a dull harmonica. They stopped trembling as soon as they were removed from the box and lay obediently on the thin blanket, motionless.

"You must return these items to their owners and apologize to them," Dumbledore said calmly, slipping his wand into his coat pocket. "I'll know if you've done it, and I must warn you— Hogwarts will not tolerate theft like this!"

Riddle's face showed no remorse whatsoever, only the composure of accepting defeat and a scrutinizing gaze as if assessing Dumbledore's worth.

Finally, he said dryly, "I understand, sir."

"At Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued, "We teach you not only how to use magic, but also how to control it. The way you used your magic in the past, I believe, was unintentional, but it's something our school would never teach or tolerate. You're not the first, nor will you be the last, to let your magic get out of control. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic —yes, there is a Ministry of Magic —will punish offenders even more severely. Every new wizard must accept this: once you enter our world, you must obey our laws."

Riddle opened his mouth, but not in response to Dumbledore's question.

"You saw that?" Little Riddle looked at Harry beside him. "This is how Dumbledore treated me—he was wary of me, scrutinized me, even threatened me. Should I be grateful to him? That's Dumbledore for you, ha... The wizard everyone praises. I really want the world to know what kind of hypocrite Dumbledore really is!"

"What does this have to do with you being an idiot?" Harry asked curiously.

Riddle's face stiffened.

He hadn't expected that Harry would remain unmoved after he showed him so much.

"You don't understand!" Riddle knelt hysterically on the ground. "Dumbledore ruined my chance to be a good person! He's the one who made me never trust anyone again!"

"You were born this way, Riddle." Harry crossed his legs, adopting a boss-like posture.

Riddle fell silent.

After a while, he raised his head.

Do you know me?

"No." Harry shook his head.

"Then you..." Riddle asked again, "Have you heard my story?"

"No," Harry shook his head again, "Your face tells a story."

Upon hearing Harry's words, Riddle went berserk again.

"Yes! The story!" he said angrily. "If I'm not mistaken, you were sent by Dumbledore to your death, weren't you?"

Harry paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes."

He wasn't lying; Dumbledore had indeed let him in, to die—to die, of course, to Riddle.

Upon hearing Harry's words, a glint of triumph flashed in Riddle's eyes.

"Yes, that's it," Riddle said angrily. "Dumbledore, that hypocritical wizard—someone actually thinks he's the most powerful White Wizard in history? Ha! Don't be ridiculous, he's White Wizard? You know what? He's blacker than anyone else!"

"Oh," Harry nodded, "Just as you said."

After he finished speaking, he stretched out his hands.

"I've arrived here."

"That's right!" Riddle nodded emphatically. "Then what have I done wrong? Why is it that no matter what, Dumbledore is always the first to suspect me? Like that time with the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets! You know, when Headmaster Armando Headmaster Dippet was in office, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and a student named Elizabeth Warren died—she was clearly bitten to death by Hagrid's spider, so why does Dumbledore always pin this on me!"

"I know about this," Harry nodded and said.

He didn't continue, but the highest level of lying is telling part of the truth.

The truth is, he did know about this matter—the whole thing, complete and intact.

But Riddle understood this to mean the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.

"So what? In Dumbledore's eyes, I've always been the most suspicious person!" Riddle roared hysterically. "In his eyes, just because of some things I did as a child, he's convinced I'm a born bad seed! An incorrigible person!"

Harry:...

Look, you still won't admit that what you did was wrong, you only say that you did "some things".

Who the hell do you think you can fool?

"I deserve to be loved!!" Riddle continued hysterically, "I need to be loved!"

"Well done," Harry clapped his hands and said. "So, I can only apologize because I've been watching your performance... Now, can you reveal your ultimate goal?"

Riddle was stunned.

"What do you mean?" he asked uncertainly.

It should be said that they were clinging to the last glimmer of hope.

If Harry knew who he was, his long performance would have made him look like a clown.

"I know what you've done, Riddle," Harry said with a chuckle. "I even know who you are. Your mother is Merope from Gaunt family, and your father is a Muggle named Tom Riddle. You are a product of Love Potion, and your mother named you after your father."

"I remember that the products of the Love Potion are born without the ability to love," Harry continued. "So, you're just a naturally evil Riddle, and no matter what you say to cover it up, you can't hide the fact that you're the born evil brat of the Riddle Family."

"No! I am from the Gaunt family!" Liddell tried to argue.

"Oh, you born evil brat of the Gaunt family, I'll get rid of you myself!"

With that, Harry held out his hand.

"Wait!" Riddle called out quickly, "I have a question!"

"What's the problem?" Harry asked.

"You—I mean, you and Dumbledore, did you collect all my Horcrux?" Riddle asked.

"There were seven in total, and three are already gone," Harry said with a shrug. "You're next, my friend."

"Why?" Riddle asked persistently. "What makes you so hostile towards me? We can be friends! Think about it, do you really have to work for Dumbledore? We can be friends!"

"Because my parents died at your hands, Riddle." Harry laughed, snapped his fingers, and the world before him vanished into dust, along with Riddle.

He then withdrew from the Mental World.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could even see the black aura dissipating from Ravenclaw's Diadem.

He stepped forward and took the Ravenclaw's Diadem in his hands.

"Dumbledore," he said, "Sickle I have this as payment?"

"I was already planning to give it to you," Dumbledore a smile. "The next Headmaster is Minerva, and I plan to have you take over Headmaster after Minerva steps down."

Harry scratched his head, then asked in shock, "Huh? No, Dumbledore, doesn't this sound a bit like a handpicked appointment? Doesn't the Headmaster of Hogwarts need to be nominated by the Board of Governors?"

"Others would go through this process, Harry," Dumbledore said, then smiled and continued, "But you don't—and I don't need to explain why, right?"

Harry thought about it and realized that it made sense.

Board of Governors?

Are you kidding me? The Black family, the Malfoy family, and Miss Sweeting are all on my side. Do I need the Board of Governors to discuss and decide?

I am the Board of Governors!

Harry's desire to become Headmaster is not a matter of whether he can or cannot, but rather whether he wants to.

This shows just how valuable Harry Potter is!

Harry lowered his head and took another look at the magnificent Diadem.

The Diadem was a jewel-encrusted, Winky crown, with Ravenclaw's famous motto inscribed on its base. "The greatest treasure of mankind is wisdom."

The Ravenclaw tiara is the only relic of Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Ravenclaw House.

She enchanted it, so that it could increase the wearer's wisdom.

"Logically speaking, no one knows where this Diadem is hidden," Dumbledore said, shaking his head in dismay.

"As far as I know, this Diadem was originally stolen by Ravenclaw's daughter, Helena, who supposedly wanted to become smarter—but she never returned..."

Veratia looked at the crown and said, "I spoke with Lady Gray, the ghost of Hogwarts. She told me that Ravenclaw didn't tell the other three founders of the houses about this, just like Salazar Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets. She kept it a secret. Soon after, she fell ill and wanted to see her daughter one more time, so she sent Bloody Baron who loved Helena, to find Helena."

Veratia paused for a moment at this point.

"Bloody Baron found Helena in the Albanian Forest. Upon seeing him, Helena quickly hid the Diadem in a hollow of a tree. Barrow tried to persuade her to go back to her mother, but she refused. Finally Bloody Baron lost his patience and accidentally killed her. After killing her, he regretted it and stabbed himself, ending his life. Ravenclaw also died of illness a few days later. No one knew where the tree where the Diadem was hidden was, no one knew who else had seen it, and no one knew if it still existed. The Diadem disappeared forever."

"How did Lady Gray know this secret?" Harry asked curiously.

"Silly boy," Veratia said, reaching out to pinch Harry's cheek. "It's obvious that Lady Gray is Helena herself! Otherwise, how could she know such details?"

"I see!" Harry exclaimed in sudden realization. "So, Voldemort gained Lady Gray's —no, Helena's —trust to obtain the Diadem, right?"

"Yes," Veratia said with a smile, "It seems that this Lady Gray trusted the wrong person. Riddle is also a confident man; he is too confident in himself, so he hid this Diadem in the Room of Requirement..."

At this point, Veratia's face darkened.

"Seriously, is the Room of Requirement some kind of garbage dump? They actually put Horcrux in there..."

Harry shrugged and didn't respond.

He put the Diadem in his purse and looked at Dumbledore again.

"Etc--"

Suddenly, Gellert, who was sitting next to Harry, moved his legs and slid his wheeled executive chair in front of Harry, then looked up at Harry and gave him a wicked grin.

"So, Potter?" he asked with a wicked grin. "I can tell you're not planning to give this Diadem to my sister, are you? And it's a Lady's Diadem, so... who are you planning to give it to? It's really hard to guess!"

Harry suddenly clenched his fist.

Damn it, Gellert's byd, he's definitely doing this on purpose.

He's trying to stir up trouble!

Sure enough, upon hearing Gellert's words, Veratia turned her head and looked at Harry with tender eyes.

"Really? Harry?" Her voice was clear. "Is it really as Gale said?"

(End of this chapter)