Harry returns from Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter 384 Voldemort's Underhanded Tactics
Dumbledore thought about it carefully and realized that it really made sense.

Gellert's plans for the Muggles only existed in the realm of plans.

We can't convict someone just because they "wanted" to do something, can we? That would be too unprincipled.

“Alright, shouldn’t we be doing something productive now, instead of criticizing me?” Gellert said, spreading his hands. “I think you should focus your energy on taking down these Horcruxes, shouldn’t you?”

Harry took out his wand and aimed it at the next Horcrux—Marvolo Gaunt's ring.

"Legiliments!!"

Accompanied by the familiar dizzying sensation, Harry found himself on a country road.

Harry knew where he was at a glance.

This is the fork in the road leading to Big and Little Hangleton.

Could it be... that this memory is about Tom going back and killing his uncle?
Just as he was about to walk along the road toward the old Gaunt house, he heard a jingling of bells and the clatter of horses' hooves.

When Harry turned his head, he saw two horses: one was a glossy chestnut horse, on which sat a handsome and charming young man with dark hair; beside him was a beautiful girl riding a gray horse.

Their attire was very much in keeping with the era, and it was clear that the young man was a respectable gentleman.

Of course, what confirmed Harry's identity the most was that face—a face exactly like Voldemort's when he was young.

Clearly, this person's identity is about to be revealed.

Tom Riddle, Voldemort's biological father, a pitiful and tragic college student.

“Tom, you obviously didn’t tell me the scenery here was so beautiful.” The girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Tom’s profile—it was unclear whether she was focusing on the beautiful scenery or the man’s face.

A face can be a beautiful sight.

“Now you’ve met her, Cecilia,” Tom said with a gentle smile, his manners perfectly befitting a gentleman. “You always have to have a little surprise in store for you.”

"How much longer until we get home?" Cecilia asked, tilting her head back.

"We're almost there, look."

Tom said, pointing to the road sign next to him.

It says "Big Hangleton, 5 miles" and "Little Hangleton, 1 mile".

“We’re almost there,” Tom said.

"Let's wander around some more, Tom," Cecilia said sweetly to Tom. "The scenery here is so beautiful, I want to wander around some more..."

“Okay, okay…” Tom patted Cecilia’s shoulder affectionately and said to her, “Then let’s take a walk around here.”

They did not head towards Little Hangleton, but instead proceeded towards Big Hangleton.

Harry followed, jumping onto Tom's horse and riding alongside him—after all, he was in charge of his own world, and he wouldn't fall off no matter how bumpy it was.

Just kidding, he wouldn't choose to walk there.

However, Harry was also puzzled as to why the Horcrux contained the memories of old Tom Riddle. Could it be that Voldemort read his father's memories after killing him?

As they continued on their way, Harry noticed that the dilapidated Gaunt mansion was not far ahead.

“Good heavens, what an eyesore!” Cecilia looked at the old house with a hint of disapproval. “Tom, couldn’t your father just tear down that little shack?”

“That’s not ours, Cecilia,” Tom explained gently. “The whole valley is ours, but this little cabin—well, it belongs to an old tramp named Gaunt and his children… What I need to tell you is that his son is crazy, and you should hear what the villagers are saying about him.”

Harry perked up his ears. He wasn't interested in whether Cecilia wanted to know or not, but he was really curious about what the villagers were saying about the Gaunt family.

Oh, although this isn't good for Orminus... but it seems Orminus's home isn't here?

Cecilia laughed when she heard Tom's words.

Immediately afterwards, she covered her mouth in surprise.

“Tom?” Cecilia pointed at the door and said, “Am I seeing things? Did someone nail a snake to that door?”

“Yes, you’re not mistaken,” Tom said with a chuckle. “I warned you, honey—it was definitely his son who did it. I told you he’s not quite right in the head… Don’t look at it, okay, honey?”

After thinking for a moment, Harry decided to jump out of the car and go inside the Gaunt mansion.

He really wanted to know what the woman who kidnapped the poor male college student and took him home to have his baby looked like.

As Harry entered the room, he noticed that there were several people inside—besides Morfin Gaunt, whom he knew, there was also a strange-looking person.

To say he looked strange would be an exaggeration—his physique was completely disproportionate: his shoulders were too broad, his arms were as long as a chimpanzee's; coupled with his bright, sparkling eyes, short, stiff hair, and overbite, he really did look like an old monkey.

Uh……

Harry felt a little disgusted. How come all the Gaunt family members, except for Orminus and her aunt Nocto, looked so... indescribable?

It's not something that can be explained in a few words.

This must be Marvolo Gaunt, Orminus's cousin and Voldemort's grandfather—he was wearing a black ring on his hand.

Beside Marvolo Gaunt stood an unusually reserved woman, her tattered gray dress almost the same color as the dirty stone wall behind her.

Judging from Marvolo Gaunt's appearance, one could roughly guess that she wasn't particularly good-looking—and indeed she was. Her long hair was dull and lifeless, like withered grass, and her face was as pale as a stalk of reed that hadn't eaten for months in a basement. As for her looks... well, they weren't exactly ugly, just plain and unremarkable.

This is thanks to the fact that she did not inherit her father Marvolo's buck teeth.

Harry immediately recognized her as Voldemort's mother, Merop Gaunt, the woman whose name was borrowed by the effeminate version of Voldemort.

There was another man, whom Harry vaguely remembered seeing in his memories, I think his name was Ogden?
Just then, Mofen chuckled and leaned close to her sister, whispering in her ear, "'Darling,' my dear sister, did you hear that? Your sweetheart called her 'darling.' It seems you have no chance at all, sister..."

Melop's face turned deathly pale, and she looked as if she was about to faint... She hadn't been this shaky before Morfin said those words.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Marvolo became extremely angry. He pounded on the armrest and demanded, "What did you say? What did you say! Morfin!"

“She likes to watch that Muggle,” Morfin said, staring at his sister with a malicious look, while Melop looked terrified. “Every time that Muggle walks by, she watches him from the garden through the fence, doesn’t she? Last night—”

Melop shook his head pleadingly, but Morfin continued without hesitation: "She's pacing outside the window, waiting to see that Muggle ride home on horseback, isn't she?"

"Lingering outside the window, waiting to see a Muggle?" Gaunt asked in a low voice.

The three members of the Gaunt family seemed to have forgotten about Ogden's existence.

Ogden appeared both bewildered and annoyed by this new outburst of incomprehensible hissing and shouting.

Harry, however, figured it out. How could the Gaunt family, who pride themselves on being pure-blooded, allow Merop to fall in love with a Muggle?

Even if we take a step back and assume the Gaunt family has always been like the rabbit—self-sufficient and self-reliant—in Marvolo's eyes, Melop should marry Moffin to maintain the purity of their bloodline.

To be honest, it was somewhat disgusting, at least in Harry's opinion.

But he couldn't quite understand Melop. You're pitiful, but can't you stop ruining old Tom's life?

Think about it. Old Tom's family is rich and has social status. Just because you like him, you drugged him with aphrodisiacs, gave birth to a beast, and then turned around and had it killed by Old Tom...

Old Tom must have had the worst luck in his life to be your neighbor...

Sometimes you really have to admit that boys need to protect themselves when they're out in the world, Harry thought to himself, otherwise he might get dragged back by a freak to have his babies and his life would be ruined.

"Is this true?" Marvolo asked in a somber voice, taking a step or two closer to the terrified girl. "My daughter—a pure-blood descendant of Salazar Slytherin—is pursuing a filthy, lowly Muggle?"

Melop shook his head frantically, squeezing himself into the corner, clearly unable to utter a single word.

“But I taught that guy a lesson, Dad!” Morfin chuckled. “I scolded him as he walked by, and he got all those hives on his face and didn’t look so pretty, did he, Melop?”

“You wretched little Squib, you filthy little scoundrel!” Marvolo roared, losing control as he grabbed his daughter’s throat with both hands.

“No!” Ogden roared, then pointed his wand at Marvolo: “Relashio!”

Marvolo was struck by the spell and had to release his daughter. He tripped over a chair and fell flat on his back, looking like a chimpanzee that had fallen to the ground.

As Marvolo's son, Morfin naturally wouldn't stand idly by. He leaped up from his chair and unleashed a string of colorful curses at Ogden with his wand.

It has more colors than a rainbow.

Ogden turned and ran without looking back.

Harry stood there, only to find that Morphine suddenly turned in his direction and shot a bright green curse at him.

Harry neither dodged nor avoided the Killing Curse, taking it head-on.

"This is impossible!"

Upon seeing Harry standing unharmed before her, Morfin covered her face and cried out.

“Nothing is impossible, Morfin,” Harry said with a chuckle. “Or should I call you… Tom?”

Mofen... or rather, Tom laughed.

“It seems you have discovered my existence after all,” Morfin transformed into the appearance of a young Tom. “But I need to correct you, I am not Tom, nor am I named Riddle. I am Voldemort!”

"I know you."

Harry nodded, then drew lines of fire in the air to form the shape of "Tom Marvolo Riddle," before rearranging them to read "I am Lord Voldemort."

Voldemort stared at the words for a long time, unable to figure out what to say.

What he said were all my words!

"Dumbledore sent you, didn't he?" Voldemort said with a sinister smile. "I know that a young wizard your age probably hasn't graduated from Hogwarts yet, has he?"

“Yes, I’m only in fifth grade this year,” Harry answered truthfully.

No problem, I am indeed only in fifth grade.

"Ha." Voldemort chuckled. "A fifth-year student, Dumbledore is getting more and more depraved, sending a kid like you to your death..."

As he spoke, he sneered, "Look at you, poor child—you have no idea how Dumbledore treated me. He was always wary of me, but did he ever consider my feelings..."

“I’ve heard you say that before,” Harry said, picking at his ear. “Tell me something I haven’t heard before. I remember Dumbledore saying that you killed your father, Tom Riddle the Elder, right?”

"He knows nothing!" Voldemort roared furiously. "My mother—who was toyed with and abandoned by that Muggle, shouldn't he be punished!"

“As far as I know, Voldemort,” Harry said, raising a finger, “your mother seems to have been the one who initiated it—she drugged that poor old Riddle, which is why you exist…a product of aphrodisiacs, who doesn’t understand love—”

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light reappeared, but Harry still didn't flinch.

“You’re getting impatient, Tom,” Harry said with a shrug. “I’ve hit a nerve, haven’t I? It’s not just that you don’t understand love, your mother—Melop Gaunt—doesn’t love you either, otherwise she wouldn’t have left you in the orphanage.”

“My mother loves me!” Voldemort roared. “You don’t understand anything! My mother loves me! She’s not like that at all…”

“Prove it to me,” Harry said, tilting his head. “Prove to me that your mother loves you, or…you simply can’t prove it? Because she doesn’t love you at all?”

“Also, I need to add,” Harry added again, “this is the consciousness space, your spells won’t harm me, so don’t waste your energy.”

“Of course I know that spells won’t cause harm, kid.”

Voldemort grinned sinisterly, then suddenly transformed into a cloud of black mist, from which grotesque cackling laughter emanated.

"All I need to do is take over your mind, you poor kid—you're being used by Dumbledore without even realizing it!"

(End of this chapter)