The Tool Is on the Scene

Dumbledore's story is enough to fill seven books, forming a series.

But the principal was unwilling to tell anyone, and William did not pursue the matter further.

With William's careful reassurance, Dumbledore finally regained his composure.

William hesitated for a moment, then changed the subject and continued to ask Hagrid questions.

"What does the opening of the Chamber of Secrets have to do with Hagrid?"

"You should know that Hagrid was expelled from school back then, right?"

William nodded slightly. He knew about this when he first enrolled, but Hagrid refused to tell anyone the reason.

"Fifty years ago, Hagrid was just like you, a naive and inexperienced third-year wizard, except he kept a... Acromantula as a pet at school."

"..." That's exactly the kind of thing Hagrid would do!

Although William and Hagrid had a good relationship, to be fair, his dismissal was entirely justified.

Are Acromantula something you can keep as pets in a school?

William was no longer the clueless little wizard who had just enrolled.

Back then, Hagrid even wanted to take him to Aragog to groom his leg hair... groom his leg hair?

Oh My God!

If William were to encounter Acromantula, he would probably just unleash a Fiendfyre on it and roast its spider hooves!

"But I still don't understand, what does his expulsion have to do with the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and a girl died... Nobody knew the monster was Basilisk, and then a student reported Hagrid for raising Acromantula, making him the scapegoat."

"Fifty years ago... Tom Riddle reported it?" William asked, astonished.

"That's right." Dumbledore nodded. "Looking back at this now, it's easy to see the problem."

But at the time, everyone except me was convinced that Hagrid was the murderer.

William nodded.

That's right.

At that point in time: one was an outstanding student, a top student favored by all the professors, and the Prefect;

One is a big, goofy guy who likes to keep strange creatures, and he actually keeps a little monster at school...

You're a professor, who do you believe?

Let's look at this again today:

One is the Dark Lord, a ruthless killer; the other is the diligent key keeper who has worked at Hogwarts for decades...

The answer is self-evident.

But the reason this case has never been overturned is quite simple... there's no evidence.

Can you still capture Voldemort for trial?

Even if Voldemort were captured, he would have a reason. "You can't say I was bad in school just because I became bad later, can you?"

Don't just shove any kind of plug up my nose!

Moreover, most of those who experienced this event have already passed away... and those who are still alive are at least in their sixties or seventies.

No one would want to overturn the verdict on something that happened half a century ago.

etc...

In some ways, Hagrid's capture wasn't a bad thing. Since he wasn't at school, the subsequent attack naturally proved that he wasn't involved.

There are only five victims so far, but the obsessive-compulsive diary needs to reach seven!

William shared his thoughts, but Dumbledore shook his head.

"William, I believe the sixth victim has appeared."

"Who?"

Lockhart.

How could that be?

Dumbledore said calmly, "Not many people know that I used to write poetry, but Tom Riddle from fifty years ago happened to be one of them."

How did he know?

Tom inquired about my preferences everywhere, trying to please me and flatter me.

"That sounds weird."

It's more than just weird; the principal practically said, "He's just trying to lick my boots!"

It turns out that Voldemort was a sycophant back then.

"It's not what you think, William." Dumbledore squinted. "The Tom of that time was completely different from the Voldemort of later years; they were practically two different people."

Tom knew all the professors' hobbies: he loved to delve into things, cultivate various connections, and was adept at using his outstanding appearance and amazing talent to conceal himself.

I've said it more than once: the young Voldemort was more terrifying than he was later... not in terms of magical skill, but in how much more he knew how to manipulate people and carry out schemes.

William nodded... That's true. A brute isn't scary; what's scary is when that brute starts using his brain!

"So you believe Lockhart knew you were a poet because your diary told him?"

"That's just one reason," Dumbledore a low voice.

"And the magic Lockhart unleashed on Valentine's Day... was an improved version of the Dark Mark."

Of course, there are many wizards who can cast the Dark Mark, and I can cast it.

During the Wizarding Wars, my favorite method was to use the Dark Mark to lure the Death Eaters over.

Holy crap... Heartless!

I wonder what kind of horrible sight those Death Eaters would have been if they had been drawn there and discovered that Dumbledore was standing under the Dark Mark.

"Tom invented this magic when he was in school."

To create a sense of ritual, they would leave this mark on campus after playing the prank.

"So, you think this is the diary recalling the past?"

"Yes, old things like to do that, don't they?" Dumbledore shrugged.

"Furthermore, Lockhart reported Hagrid to the Ministry of Magic, claiming that he had captured the attackers of the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets..." William continued.

"It's probably the diary that instigated it; it's trying to use the same old trick to frame someone and divert attention."

William received information from Rita that Lockhart had reported to the Ministry of Magic that Hagrid was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets.

This is also why Lockhart believed he would catch the attacker when school started at Christmas, because his diary gave him a clue.

"Indeed, all signs indicate that the diary was once in Lockhart's possession..." Dumbledore with his arms crossed and a soft sigh.

"So, based on Ron's experience, Lockhart should be the sixth victim."

William raised an eyebrow; he noticed the principal had used the word "formerly".

"I do suspect it was in the past." A hint of seriousness flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.

"The diary gave me such an obvious signal that he had no reason to stay with Lockhart."

Just like how he exposed Ron, he left immediately... He's a cautious guy.

"It was a diary... how did it leave?" William said.

"Yes, we must pay attention to this issue. How did the diary Cairo then, and how is it leaving Lockhart now?" Dumbledore asked.

"This means there's a mole inside Hogwarts?!"

"Yes, very likely!" Dumbledore. "There might be another wizard helping with the diary."

Both of them remained silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Dumbledore suddenly instructed, "William, when the phoenix appears, I need you to go to the Chamber of Secrets and rescue Harry."

"Uh-huh?!"

William was stunned. What the heck... was he going to become the principal's tool again?

As expected, it was bound to happen!

It's not up to William's will!

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