Riddle's Origins

"I never imagined you'd need my help one day. I'm truly honored!" Riddle glanced at Xiwen in surprise, then smiled. "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

"We're looking for someone, but she might have turned into a snake," Xiwen said.

Upon hearing this, Riddle's expression darkened slightly, and he asked, "Did Dumbledore tell you that I can talk to snakes?"

"Yes," Xiwen nodded, then said to Riddle, "Professor Dumbledore suddenly remembered you when he was at his wit's end, so he asked me to come and ask you for help."

"But I've heard that wizards in the Wizarding World consider talking to snakes a characteristic of dark wizards," Riddle said softly. "After learning that I possess this ability, will you also develop a prejudice against me?"

Upon hearing Riddle's words, Xiwen glanced at him in surprise, then burst out laughing.

The fact that Riddle could ask such a question at least proves that he didn't actually want Xiwen to have a prejudice against him. It's clear that Xiwen's efforts to win Shiv's favor over the past half-semester were not in vain.

Now, Riddle occasionally reveals some of his true personality in front of Xiwen, showing a hidden arrogance and indifference towards others, unlike the impeccable elegance he displays in front of others.

"What are you laughing at?" Riddle frowned and questioned him with displeasure.

Xiwen shook his head slightly and asked in return, "Do you know how Dumbledore described this ability of yours?"

"What did he say?" Riddle asked in a deep voice, his brow furrowing even more.

"Dumbledore said that the problem is never a person's origins or bloodline, but rather his thoughts and character," Xiwen said with a smile to Riddle.

"He's really good at spouting this kind of useless nonsense." Riddle slightly pursed his lips, but his expression clearly improved.

"So, what do you think?" Riddle then looked at Xiwen and asked seemingly casually. "Or are you just going to be a yes-man echoing Dumbledore?"

"I've never believed that being able to talk to snakes makes you a dark wizard," Xiwen said casually to Riddle. "Rather than doubting your potential to become a dark wizard because of your talent, I'd rather believe you became one because of this book!"

Xiwen pointed to the book "Secrets of the Darkest Art" beside him, looking at Riddle in front of him with a half-smile.

"You're quite the joker." Riddle's expression was somewhat unnatural as he abruptly changed the subject. "So, how do you think I acquired the ability to talk to snakes?"

Xiwen didn't seem to mind his change of topic and casually said, "Perhaps it's because of your bloodline."

"I've been studying Bloodline Magic and have learned about the rules of bloodline ability inheritance. Talents like yours are mostly inherited from the bloodline of your ancestors, which is also a kind of Bloodline Magic. So if you want to know about your origins, you can look into the Parseltongue."

"Do you know anyone else who also speaks Parseltongue?" Hearing that he might learn about his origins, Riddle's emotions finally lost their previous composure, and he spoke with some excitement.

"That's not hard to figure out. If you eat Chocolate Frog, you might see it in pictures," Xiwen said. "There are two famous Parseltongue in history. One is the Ancient Greece dark wizard, Herpo the Foul; the other is Salazar Slytherin, the Founders of Slytherin House!"

Riddle didn't react much when he heard Herpo the Foul's name, but he was completely moved when he heard Salazar Slytherin's name.

"So it's possible that I have Slytherin blood flowing through my veins?" Riddle's voice rose involuntarily as he asked excitedly.

"Now that you mention it, it's not impossible!" Xiwen thought for a moment and was immediately surprised.

Because in two famous examples of Parseltongue, Herpo the Foul, being an Ancient Greece sorcerer, could not possibly have had his lineage extend so far, it is highly likely that Riddle was his descendant.

Another famous figure who speaks Parseltongue, Salazar Slytherin, actually has descendants in England! Slytherin's descendants are now Gaunt family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

As a member of the same Sacred Twenty-Eight, Xiwen from the Rosier family naturally had some understanding of the Gaunt family. According to Sandrine, there wasn't a single normal person in the Gaunt family now; given their abnormal personalities, it wasn't impossible that they might have some descendants left behind...

Realizing this possibility, Xiwen gave Riddle a strange look and said to him, "You might want to look up information about the Gaunt family; they are descendants of Slytherin."

"But my last name is Riddle," Riddle asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Um, do you think it's possible that your mother is from the Gaunt family, and your father is a Muggle?" Xiwen asked, looking at the puzzled Riddle.

"So you mean my mother, a witch, died in childbirth at the orphanage gate?" Riddle asked incredulously.

Because he knew from a young age that his mother died in childbirth, Riddle always believed that his father was a wizard who had abandoned his mother.

Therefore, when Riddle was investigating his origins, he kept searching for information about the Riddle surname, but he never found anything.

Today, Xiwen's words made him realize the reality, and it seems that the truth is indeed as Xiwen said.

"Riddle, wizards are human too, they also encounter difficulties," Xiwen patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly. "Perhaps your mother encountered some very serious difficulties back then?"

"For example, right now, Dumbledore and the others are facing some difficulties and urgently need your help." Xiwen glanced at the hands of his pocket watch and quickened his pace as he spoke to Riddle. "Let's hurry, we've already wasted too much time, they're probably getting impatient."

Then, Xiwen drew a circle with his hand, and a golden halo appeared around the two of them. The faint scent of the forest and the calls of birds and beasts could be heard coming from behind the halo.

"Wait a minute!" Just as Xiwen was about to step out of the light circle and head towards Albania, Riddle called out to him from behind.

"Hey, aren't you going to help?" Xiwen turned to look at him, asking with some surprise.

"No, I just suddenly thought of something," Riddle said softly after a moment's hesitation.

Xiwen glanced back at him and casually asked, "Just ask me whatever you want. What are you hesitating about?"

Riddle took a deep breath, then looked intently at Xiwen and asked, "If one day I encounter serious difficulties like my mother, would you be willing to help me?"

Upon hearing Riddle's question, Xiwen silently withdrew his foot, which had already stepped out, and turned around to look at him in surprise.

"Of course," Xiwen said with a smile. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Riddle raised his head, a relieved smile appearing on his lips.

As the evening sun dipped below the horizon, fading into the darkness of the Restricted Section, only a golden halo shone, casting long shadows of Xiwen and Riddle onto the library's ancient walls.

Amidst the administrator's shouts to shoo away the lingering young wizards, the two shadows simultaneously took a step and vanished together into the golden halo.