Endure, Endure

Tom Riddle felt inexplicably irritated.

Last time, he used Ginny Weasley to control the Basilisk, attacking a Mudblood at night and successfully outwitting Dumbledore and McGonagall.

However, on the way to the Room of Requirement, he was ambushed from behind.

What frustrated Tom Riddle even more was that he had no idea who had attacked him.

The other party was clearly prepared and seized the opportunity well, so that he didn't even have time to react before he was inexplicably caught in the trap.

Since Ginny Weasley devoted a lot of energy to her diary and gradually opened up to him, Tom's power gradually grew stronger, even strong enough to control Ginny Weasley. But he never expected that she would slap him hard when he was at his most triumphant.

After that, no one wrote anything in their diary anymore.

Tom Riddle completely lost contact with the outside world and could no longer sense or influence it.

After what seemed like an eternity, someone finally started writing in the diary again.

Tom Riddle didn't know if this man was the same guy who had attacked him before, and worse, this guy had been doing a lot of strange things with his diary.

Then, I tried to communicate with him.

I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, Order of Merlin, Third Class, and Honorary Member of the Anti-Dark Arts League.

Upon seeing this, Tom Riddle realized that the other person was very likely the same guy who had attacked him.

Although Ginny Weasley once mentioned that Defense Against the Dark Arts was terrible, it was clear that this guy was deliberately hiding his true abilities.

Tom Riddle did not notice Lockhart's presence near the diary; Lockhart was clearly far away from the diary and was wary of him.

Although Tom Riddle was incredibly annoyed, he believed he could handle the guy as long as he continued to communicate with him in the diary.

Before Tom could answer, the other person continued writing in the diary, "I just tested it, and this diary is a Dark Magic item."

Tom Riddle understands people well; he knows the other person is eager to communicate with him, so he patiently keeps them in suspense.

I'm very curious, what kind of Dark Magic item is this, perhaps...

Although it wasn't finished, Tom Riddle could already sense a threat in the other person's words.

However, Tom Riddle didn't care. The other person had made a foolish mistake; he shouldn't have tried to study the diary, much less try to communicate with him.

Tom Riddle knew exactly what these arrogant guys were thinking. After giving them the cold shoulder for a while, he finally recovered.

"Hello, Gilderoy Lockhart. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you find my diary?"

Tom Riddle needs to seize the initiative; only then can he control the direction of the conversation and lure the other party in...

However, Tom Riddle never imagined that he was facing an opponent who was far from ordinary.

As soon as Albert saw the words that appeared and disappeared rapidly on the diary through the mirror, he immediately realized that Tom Riddle was testing him and trying to control the topic of their conversation. He immediately used the Quill to write in the diary, "Tom Riddle, I know who you are."

The medal you received Special Contribution Award fifty years ago is still displayed in Display Cabinet at Hogwarts.

Can you tell me what you are right now?

To be honest, Tom was stunned at that moment. He didn't expect that guy named Gilderoy Lockhart to have such a fast-paced thinking.

Or perhaps the other person only intended to ask questions from the beginning, without intending to answer them.

Should I just ignore the other person?

Tom Riddle kept telling himself that he needed to be patient; Gilderoy Lockhart was, after all, very good at dealing with Dark wizard, so it was normal for him to be wary of the diary.

After all, Gilderoy Lockhart had believed from the beginning that the diary was a Dark Magic item, and he should find a way to lower the other party's guard and dispel their suspicions.

"Me? I am Tom Riddle, of course. This is just a diary. Back then, I tried to record my past in a way that lasted longer than Ink. You can also think of it as just a memory."

Tom Riddle responded to Gilderoy Lockhart's question with careful wording, or rather, answered Albert's question.

"You're lying. The diary is a Dark Magic item. I just tested it with Detection Device."

The other person answered quickly, but it sent a chill down Tom Riddle's spine. (Oh, right, he doesn't have a stomach right now.) At that moment, Tom was even more certain that this guy was the one who had ambushed him.

Therefore, he must have realized that the diary could control Ginny Weasley in some special way, and that she was trying to communicate with him to figure this out.

However, the fact that the other party was pretending not to know and trying to communicate with him presented an opportunity for Tom Riddle.

"There are always some people who don't want their past to be known, so I record these things in my diary."

Regardless of what the other party thought, Tom Riddle was determined to continue the pretense until the other party finally exposed their hypocrisy.

"About the Chamber of Secrets?"

Before Tom Riddle could answer, the writing continued:

"So, you received the Special Contribution Award because you captured Heir of Slytherin? And what you mean by 'not wanting the past to be known' is Heir of Slytherin, where the Chamber of Secrets is, how to open it, and what kind of monster is locked inside?"

Tom Riddle felt very uncomfortable, as if he were being led by the nose by Gilderoy Lockhart, but he suppressed his anxiety and patiently replied, "You guessed right. When I was in fifth grade, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and the monster attacked several students and killed one."

Finally, I caught the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets. He was fired, but the monster is still alive, and the person who had the ability to release it was not imprisoned.

The Special Contribution Award was hush money that Professor Dippet, gave me to keep quiet before I told the truth. He warned me not to talk about it, so I recorded the truth in my diary.

"You mean Chamber of Secrets Hagrid, right? He told me himself that you caught him and framed him as the criminal."

Tom Riddle suddenly fell silent. He realized that he had been tricked by the other party. From the very beginning, the other party had been toying with him. This was definitely the guy who ambushed him.

The fact that Tom Riddle didn't resort to profanity already shows he's very well-mannered.

All right!

If he weren't trapped in the diary, this young Voldemort would have already drawn his wand and delivered an Avada Kedavra to that damned Gilderoy Lockhart.