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Chapter 1084: I am Voldemort
🕑 Added 2024-04-21 06:23:20 +0000 UTCBeside the two of them, Dumbledore completely calmed down, no longer as sorrowful as before.
His eyes were closed, but he seemed to have recovered and might wake up at any moment.
Perhaps he had already recovered and was listening to the conversation between the two people.
Evan looked at Dumbledore and then at Tom Riddle. After a moment of silence, he sighed softly.
"I really don't understand the World of Death, but I know that you still didn't tell the truth," said Evan, raising Gryffindor’s sword again. "It's regrettable. I gave you a chance, but you kept pushing my limits. Perhaps you thought you could use this to bargain for Dumbledore's mercy, but you've got it wrong, Riddle. From beginning to end, you never had the right to negotiate. All you need to do is tell us everything you know, and then we'll decide whether to spare you based on our mood."
"Wait, I was telling the truth!" Riddle shouted hurriedly, blocking Evan’s path.
But he was just a shadow now, and Evan went straight through him and came to the front of the cabinet.
"Alright, alright, I admit I left out a part of it earlier," said Riddle. "It's just me. I don't organize my soul to arrive in that world. It's just me. After splitting from the main body, I can never go back!"
Evan was unmoved and raised Gryffindor's sword high.
"Stop, stop it!" His voice became sharp. "I admit, I cried at the time, it was embarrassing..."
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about, Tom!" said Dumbledore calmly, slowly opening his eyes and looking at Tom Riddle in front of him. "Crying is not a sin, it is just a normal way of expressing feelings. It is not easy to admit your weakness. Sometimes, it is also a kind of courage.”
"Professor!" Evan shouted.
Tom Riddle didn't speak. He turned his head to the side, seemingly unwilling to look at Dumbledore.
"You did well, Evan," said Dumbledore, "protecting me when I was lost. Now put the sword down. Tom is right. I think I really need to talk to him about the ring and the Resurrection Stone. Hello, Tom, I must admit, I didn’t expect to see you here, in this form, before tonight!"
Evan lowered the sword and stepped aside. Since Dumbledore had awakened, things were about to end!
Dumbledore's tone was very casual, as if he was greeting an old friend he hadn't seen for a long time.
It was hard to imagine that not long ago; he had had a life-and-death duel with Voldemort.
"Hello, Professor," said Riddle in a dry tone, turning his head back and staring coldly at Dumbledore, as if weighing him up. "To be honest, I did expect this day to come. If anyone could find their way here, it would be you. However, I didn't expect it to take so long. You look much older than before!"
"No matter how powerful one is, no one can conquer time," said Dumbledore. "We are all mortals."
"But I have conquered death, I have achieved it," said Riddle bluntly. "I am immortal!"
"No one is immortal. Death is not the most terrifying thing, Tom. That is just the beginning of another great journey. I thought you would change after experiencing the World of Death, but it seems not," said Dumbledore with disappointment. "You value these meaningless things too much and have lost yourself in the end!"
"You still haven't changed at all," said Riddle disgustedly. "Put away your rhetoric, my dear professor. You know those things are of no use to me. I think you probably won’t be deceived by me a second time!”
“It’s not about deception, it’s about whether you choose to forgive and believe. Maybe, I will believe you again tonight,” said Dumbledore, his deep blue eyes fixed on Riddle. "I can feel that you are different from Voldemort. You are not that evil, but more like the boy I saw in the orphanage who made mistakes!"
"I am Voldemort!" Riddle shouted, suddenly becoming fierce and intimidating.
Evan looked at him warily. He opened his eyes wide and stared hard at Dumbledore, but Dumbledore did not respond.
Instead, a genial smile appeared on his face.
"No, you are not him," said Dumbledore firmly. "You are fundamentally different from him."
"Enough, you are still as annoying as before!" said Riddle unnaturally, clearly becoming more alert. "Stop being pretentious, Professor. We both know what kind of people we are. Let's be honest. I can tell you everything I know, everything you want to know, with one condition: don't destroy me!"
"Tom, in my eyes, you will always be my student!" Dumbledore said patiently. "As I have said, I might be willing to trust you again. And, I must say I am sorry. I was the one who guided you into Hogwarts, but I did not fulfill my due obligation to teach you. If I had..."
"Hypocritical," said Riddle, taking a step back. "Everything was done according to my own will. If anything, I can only tell you that having you around made things more enjoyable for me. Did you think I would gratefully accept your advice and silently remain just a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts? Or follow Professor Slughorn's idea of entering the Ministry of Magic to compete for that ridiculous ministerial position? No, I am Voldemort; I am the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. In my veins flows the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself. I was born to let the whole world remember me, to make them tremble at the sound of my name, to make them crawl on the ground in fear. I will restore the honor of the Slytherin family. I will change the outcome of the Wizarding World. I will lead the revolution..."
"It is a great dream, but your method is wrong," said Dumbledore calmly.
"I have succeeded!" Riddle's voice trembled slightly.
"Do you really think so?" Dumbledore asked. "I just heard the conversation between you and Evan. You seem to have anticipated the current situation. The more times your soul splits, the more chaotic it becomes. You lose all reason and become a terrifying monster. Horace surely did not tell you this, or perhaps you misunderstood him."
Riddle stopped talking, obviously having no way to refute, and just stared at Dumbledore coldly.
"I am Voldemort," he said slowly after a long pause. ""When I learned about my lineage, I gave myself this name and abandoned my filthy Muggle father's name. I knew that one day, when I become the greatest wizard in the world, wizards everywhere would dare not utter this name lightly. They would only chant it silently in their hearts with awe and fear. Professor, do you believe you will triumph? Do you really think you have the power to destroy me?"
