Dumbledore pointed to the diary on the desk and said very gravely:
"At first, I also thought Tom felt the first half of the story was about him, which was why he wondered whether Mr. Lovegood knew him.
"But after seeing this diary, I had another thought.
"Judging by the magical traces left on the diary, quite a few of the spells were geared toward protecting the soul.
"And taking into account your description of the form Tom appeared in...
"I saw him last year, and he was clearly worlds apart from the form you described.
"That is also why almost no one connects Voldemort with the clever, handsome Head Boy who once studied here...
"So I am certain that the diary might contain not the present Tom, but Tom from his school days..."
Douglas nodded, then pointed to the magazine in his hand.
"I more or less understand. In other words, what I dealt with was a teenage Voldemort in soul form. No wonder he was so fragile.
"So if we reinterpret the story a little, what was actually sealed away wasn't the body, but the soul?
"Then, following that logic, wouldn't that mean Voldemort split his soul into seven pieces? That shouldn't be something ordinary Dark Magic can accomplish."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, then spoke after a long silence.
"I am not sure about that yet either. I need some time to investigate it slowly.
"What we need to consider now is how to open this Chamber of Secrets belonging to Salazar Slytherin.
"To prevent Tom from opening the Chamber of Secrets again.
"Parseltongue..."
Douglas did not know whether Dumbledore was talking to himself or speaking to him.
Since he had to maintain his Occlumency, he did not dare let his thoughts wander.
There was one thing he was