Chapter 138: Dumbledore: Vaughn Is More Terrifying Than Voldemort!
“Interrupting you.” Vaughn raised his hand and said seriously, “My primary goal is indeed the Ravenclaw girls, you don’t need to make excuses for me!”
Dumbledore: “…”
The old man was speechless for a while before sighing, “Alright, then dear, can you tell me, if I hadn’t found a clue, when were you planning to tell me that you had found the whereabouts of the Horcrux?”
“One of Tom’s Horcruxes is Ravenclaw’s Diadem, right? Many years ago, Tom tricked the Grey Lady into revealing the Diadem’s whereabouts, so he rushed to the Albanian forest, took out the Diadem, kept it for himself, and transformed it into a Horcrux. Because of this, the Grey Lady has since closed herself off!”
Vaughn did not answer directly, but asked, “Did the Grey Lady tell you all this? Don’t tell me you deduced it yourself. I believe you can find out the identities of the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron, but such specific details cannot be deduced.”
Dumbledore stared at him for a moment and nodded, “Yes, this is…”
Before he could finish, Vaughn sighed, “Tom must have been very handsome before he turned into Socket Man, right?”
“What?”
“Just say yes or no!”
“…Yes…”
Vaughn looked troubled, “As expected, ever since I enrolled, I’ve been trying to communicate with the Grey Lady, but every time she sees my face, she acts vigilant and hostile. This is a typical reaction of aversion and fear towards handsome men after being deceived by a scumbag.”
“I should have realized this long ago. With a face like mine, it’s impossible to break through her defenses. Only ugly men can do it… Alas, damn Tom!”
“…”
Dumbledore suddenly didn’t know what to say anymore…
Vaughn was a little annoyed.
For the past year at school, he had been trying to find Ravenclaw’s Diadem, but the pile of trash in the Room of Requirement was too vast.
At that time, Voldemort was also in the school, and he couldn’t risk Harry sensing the Horcrux’s location.
So he could only go to Ravenclaw frequently, trying to persuade the Grey Lady to help him.
Unfortunately, there had been no progress.
Initially, he thought his sincerity was not enough, or that he hadn’t grasped the method of interacting with ghosts. Now it seemed the problem was his appearance!
He should have realized it long ago.
When the Grey Lady was willing to tell Voldemort the news about the Diadem, they must have been more than just “friends.”
And to make a ghost fall in love with a living person, it must be because Voldemort was handsome, otherwise, it would be inexplicable why the Grey Lady, who had been deceived by a man, would later trust Harry.
Because Harry’s low appearance gave him a sense of security!
Well, this line of reasoning is logical and makes perfect sense!
In the distant Privet Drive, Harry, who was huddled in the attic writing to Ron, suddenly felt a chill down his spine and sneezed heavily.
“Strange, am I catching a cold?”
The ignorant Boy Who Lived scratched his head, not paying much attention, and continued writing, “Dear Ron, July 31st is coming soon, and I eagerly anticipate your, Vaughn’s, and Hermione’s arrival. Of course, if possible, it’s best to set the time for the evening, otherwise, I worry the Dursley family will drive you away. Believe me, they are absolutely capable of doing that…”
…
Hogwarts, Headmaster’s Office.
Dumbledore, who Vaughn said had gained the Grey Lady’s trust by being ugly, had a glum expression since his return.
Vaughn sat opposite him and said calmly, “…To my knowledge, the Diadem is hidden in the Room of Requirement, that famous storage room where everything abandoned by Hogwarts students over thousands of years has been thrown. You should know how large it is.”
“I’ve been searching on and off for a year and haven’t found where it’s hidden.”
Although he had a memory of the Diadem’s location from his past life, unfortunately, those small details were not reliable compared to the scale of the Room of Requirement’s storage.
It was a space as large as several football fields, filled with mountains of junk.
Having said that, Vaughn looked at Dumbledore, “Did the Grey Lady tell you the specific information?”
“No…” Talking about important matters, Dumbledore put aside his dejection and shook his head, “It’s the same information you have. She only knew that the Diadem was in the Room of Requirement. Tom hid it there when he returned to school to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position.”
Speaking of this, old Dumbledore felt some self-reproach.
Because it was him who received and rejected Tom Riddle at that time!
If only he had been a little more vigilant then…
The old man’s eyes became distant for a moment, then he quickly regained clarity. He knew that what had happened had happened, and he couldn’t change it even if he went back to the past.
Dwelling on this self-reproach was meaningless.
He paused and suddenly gave a bitter smile, “Honestly, before I convinced the Grey Lady to tell me the truth, I never thought that Tom had found the lost Diadem in the Albanian forest, and even turned it into a Horcrux…”
“But it fits his personality perfectly.”
Vaughn took a licorice wand from a passing candy tray, fiddled with it between his fingers, and said, “Arrogant, conceited, thinking he could surpass the four founders, and showing no respect for their relics.”
“Yes…” Dumbledore sighed, then forced himself to cheer up, “But this is also good news. Through Tom’s act of turning the Diadem into a Horcrux, we can grasp some of his thoughts at the time. Precious historical relics seem to be his idea for creating and preserving Horcruxes…”
As he spoke, his expression turned a bit grim, “Since he dared to desecrate Ravenclaw’s Diadem, then the relics of the other founders are likely not spared.”
“Before notifying you, I investigated the whereabouts of the other founders’ relics. Although a long time has passed, some traces can still be found.”
“Slytherin’s locket has always been passed down among Slytherin’s direct descendants, the Gaunt family. But the Gaunt family is extinct. It is said that Tom’s mother, Merope Gaunt, lived in poverty and sold many family treasures.”
Vaughn’s expression was calm, “Then you should have investigated Borgin and Burkes. Many wizards sell antiques there, and old Burke is quite fair.”
“Yes.” Dumbledore nodded, “He cooperated and provided me with some information. The locket was bought by Hepzibah Smith, a descendant of Hufflepuff. It is said that he also has Hufflepuff’s golden cup, but Hepzibah Smith died decades ago… Interestingly, Tom was working at Borgin and Burkes at the time!”
He looked at Vaughn and slowly said, “So, Vaughn, in the intelligence you have, are their whereabouts known?”
Vaughn remained silent for a moment before answering out of context, “According to your guess, finding the Diadem and turning it into a Horcrux was a turning point in Voldemort’s thinking, so the Albanian forest had an unusual significance for him, making him subconsciously hide there?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, have you considered how many Horcruxes he made before the Diadem, and what items he used to make them?”
“…”
This was Dumbledore’s most troubling question. He rubbed his temples and after thinking for a long time, he gave a bitter smile, shaking his head, “I’ve considered it, but I have no clue at all.”
“So you came to find me?”
“Yes…” Dumbledore understood Vaughn’s ambiguous attitude. He admitted frankly, “I admit, at first, I wanted to find the Horcrux on my own without you. But the more I investigated, the more I realized the complexity of the problem, and the more I realized that the information you possessed was always closer to the truth than mine… Dear, I beg you!”
He looked pleadingly.
Vaughn remained unmoved and sneered, “Yes, I know where the golden cup is, and I know where the locket is, and I know how many Horcruxes there are and what they are, but…”
*Crack!*
The spinning licorice wand stopped in his fingers, and his golden-brown eyes, with a hint of red, looked directly into Dumbledore’s sapphire blue eyes, “But Albus, why should I tell you? And what can you offer in return?”
The conversation turned into a negotiation of interests, and Dumbledore’s pleading expression immediately vanished.
He calmly replied, “So when we met, I tested you by asking if you wanted to be Headmaster. I was serious!”
To be honest, this was a very tempting offer for Vaughn.
Over the centuries, Hogwarts had nurtured countless outstanding wizards, and these outstanding alumni had donated so much knowledge and magic, not to mention the legacy of the four founders.
And only the Headmaster had the right to know many of those secrets.
So, unlike his previous evasive attitude, Vaughn pondered for a moment and shook his head, “Currently, I don’t have the ability to take over Hogwarts.”
Dumbledore smiled and proposed, “I can lend you the permissions first!”
Oh, this…
Vaughn blinked. He was indeed a little tempted. What should he do?
Vaughn never had any intention of hiding the secret of the Horcruxes.
It was meaningless.
In Vaughn’s eyes, Horcruxes only held some research value, for example, how could they allow a dead person to continue to exist in this world with just a fragment of a soul?
Other than that, he had no interest in their other functions.
Sensing his hesitation, Dumbledore narrowed his eyes slightly and tempted him unhurriedly, “Think about the piles of books in the Restricted Section that you’d be hard-pressed to access even by graduation, think about the 142 moving staircases in the entire castle, and how many secret rooms, passages, and underground spaces there are?”
“And the Room of Requirement, you must have long wanted to understand its principle, how it was created, and what magic it relies on to operate?”
“Oh, right, and the things you desire most: the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance, the Sorting Hat, the Sword of Gryffindor…”
As a string of treasures was named, Vaughn’s lips tightened, but his eyes grew brighter.
Upon hearing the last one, he had to raise his hand and signal Dumbledore to stop, saying impatiently, “Alright, I admit, your bargaining chips are indeed very tempting!”
Dumbledore’s eyes curved with satisfaction, and he was about to say something.
But then Vaughn suddenly smiled and raised a finger, “But I can only tell you one more for now. You’d better think carefully about which Horcrux you want to know about!”
“That’s unfair!”
Dumbledore puffed out his beard and widened his eyes, “The secrets of Hogwarts over a thousand years, exchanged for only the whereabouts of one Horcrux? This is blackmail!”
To his indignant protest, Vaughn sneered:
“Albus, don’t think I don’t understand your intentions. You know I have a pile of things to deal with right now: the WAC election, researching fire dragons, academic visits to North America, and alchemy… It’s no exaggeration to say that my schedule is already booked until next year.”
“Even if you lend me the Headmaster’s permissions now, I won’t have the energy to research anything for at least several months. Relatively speaking, after you get all the Horcrux information from me, you’ll take back the permissions, and I’ll be at a huge disadvantage!”
Dumbledore, whose character had been slandered, glared angrily, “How could I possibly do that? Don’t you trust me?”
Vaughn answered without hesitation, “Sorry, I never have!”
“…”
After stroking his beard for a while and realizing that his anger wouldn’t intimidate Vaughn, Dumbledore’s attitude immediately softened, “Dear, I can guarantee you, I can swear…”
Vaughn interrupted with a sneer, “Forget it. Someone once made a blood pact with a friend, but he didn’t keep it and even sent someone to steal the blood pact back?”
Hearing Vaughn reveal his past, Dumbledore’s head went black.
The one who made the blood pact was him and Gellert Grindelwald. It had been a big fuss decades ago and was one of his few public black marks.
Although he could argue that his violation of the blood pact was unavoidable, Dumbledore also knew that from a contractual perspective, betraying Grindelwald put him in the wrong.
After a stalemate, he reluctantly confirmed again, “Can you really only tell me one?”
Vaughn shrugged. However, to appease the old man’s emotions, he explained, “Anyway, the whereabouts of the Horcruxes are in my hands, which is no different from them being in yours. Are you planning to destroy them immediately after finding them?”
Old Dumbledore shook his head, “Of course not. If we don’t have the certainty to completely destroy Tom, rashly destroying the Horcruxes will only alert him and make him create new ones!”
Only a fool would do such a thing!
Vaughn spread his hands, “So, why are you in such a hurry?”
“I…”
Dumbledore was speechless for a moment, almost confused by his misdirection.
However, after careful consideration, Dumbledore did not continue to push further.
It was the same sentence he had repeated many times.
Vaughn was very much like him, and people like them could not be forced.
But he still argued,
“Trading the whereabouts of one Horcrux at a time is acceptable, but we should set a deadline.”
“No, my schedule is very busy. Researching the secrets of Hogwarts requires following my schedule, and it cannot be fixed or step-by-step. Unexpected events can happen at any time.”
“But without setting a time…”
“…”
After a heated debate, both sides compromised, agreeing to negotiate the exchange of Horcrux intelligence every 4-6 months, based on Vaughn’s research progress on Hogwarts’ secrets.
After the transaction details were confirmed, Dumbledore, very displeased, once again drooped his face. Vaughn, ignoring his resentment, said leisurely, “Alright, now tell me, which one do you want to know about?”
Which one should he choose?
Dumbledore fell into thought.
Vaughn did not rush him. He got up and wandered around. Of course, there was not much to see. The portraits around were all asleep under magic, and there was no one to entertain him.
After a long time, Dumbledore finally looked up, “It is currently known that Ravenclaw’s Diadem is hidden in the Room of Requirement, and it has been confirmed that Hufflepuff’s golden cup and Slytherin’s locket were both turned into Horcruxes by Tom, correct?”
“Yes.” Vaughn nodded, “You want to know the whereabouts of one of them?”
“No!”
Old Dumbledore unexpectedly shook his head, “No matter how arrogant and evil Tom was, it cannot be denied that he always loved Hogwarts…”
This statement sounded discordant.
But Vaughn knew that Dumbledore was right.
Voldemort did love Hogwarts. For him, the castle was his home, and there was a clear event to prove it—
In his fifth year, Voldemort opened the Chamber of Secrets and released a Basilisk that killed Moaning Myrtle.
He initially wanted to unleash his lust for killing, but when he learned that the school board had decided to close the school because someone had died, he immediately reined in his wild nature.
The accusation against Hagrid and Aragog as murderers was not Voldemort finding scapegoats out of fear of investigation. In reality, he wanted to “catch the culprit” quickly to give the school board an answer, to prevent them from closing Hogwarts.
Because besides this castle, he had nowhere else to go home!
Seemingly lost in memories of the past, Dumbledore’s eyes became distant for a moment, and he continued, “…He loved this castle, and no matter how arrogant he was, subconsciously, he still respected the four founders who built this castle. Therefore, the relics of the four founders would definitely be carefully placed by him, just like Ravenclaw’s Diadem in the Room of Requirement.”
“The Grey Lady told me that Tom always believed that only he knew about the existence of the Room of Requirement.”
“So, Vaughn, I want to know about the Horcruxes other than those three founder’s relics. You can choose any one to tell me!”
Vaughn understood that Dumbledore wanted to trace Voldemort’s pattern and quantity of Horcrux creation through clues revealed by Horcruxes other than the founder’s relics.
Since the deal had been struck, Vaughn didn’t care which one he said.
However, just as he was about to speak, he suddenly paused. As if remembering something, he smiled and said, “There is one that fits your requirements: Marvolo Gaunt’s ring. It should be an early Horcrux made by Voldemort, at least before the founder’s relics.”
Hearing this, Dumbledore’s spirit lifted, “Where is it?”
“I’m not sure.” Vaughn shook his head and quickly added, “But there is one person who knows. That person is currently in Azkaban!”
“What is his name?”
“Morfin Gaunt!”
…
Late at night, the Headmaster’s Office was silent.
Behind the large desk, Dumbledore, in a purple nightgown, was writing while deep in thought.
The portraits of past Headmasters on the walls around him were exhaling evenly in their sleep, soundly asleep.
Only above his head, in the closest frame to him, a red-haired old witch looked down:
“Do you believe Vaughn’s information?”
“Of course, Matilda. That boy’s information has never been wrong.” Dumbledore didn’t answer, his quill still writing rapidly. “Don’t you trust him?”
“…I don’t know.”
Matilda Weasley, Dumbledore’s Transfiguration professor during his school days, Deputy Headmistress, and a standard Weasley （ Gryffindor ）.
She shook her head, “I’ve never met a Weasley like him. From the family’s perspective, I am pleased to have such a descendant, but from the perspective of a Deputy Headmistress, I am worried about everything he has shown.”
“Albus, I believe you can also see that Vaughn deliberately mentioned Gaunt’s ring. I suspect he knows where the ring is, but for some reason, he wants to go to Azkaban, so he used Morfin Gaunt as an excuse.”
Dumbledore’s hand paused. He didn’t answer directly but looked up to comfort her, “You are already dead, Matilda. It is time for you to enjoy peace. Do not worry about the affairs of the living anymore.”
“Alright…” Matilda sighed, then looked at the parchment Dumbledore was writing on, “Are you writing a letter?”
“Yes, it’s an application for my visit with Vaughn to Azkaban.”
“But I heard that you and Vaughn have a bad relationship with the current Minister of Magic?”
“Oh, the relationship is indeed not very good.” Dumbledore said, then winked playfully, “But I have privileges. As the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot and President of the International Confederation of Wizards, if it’s just a visit to Azkaban, I think many people will give me face, even if they know Fudge dislikes me.”
The application letter was quickly written.
But Dumbledore did not rest. He pondered for a moment and took out another piece of parchment, his quill automatically dipping into the ink.
Matilda stretched her neck and saw a line of writing from Dumbledore:
“Dear Ogden, you should be enjoying a peaceful retirement, but due to some matters, I must trouble you again…”
Seeing the name, Matilda casually asked, “Ogden? Is that Tiberius? Is he still alive?”
“Yes, Tiberius is still alive, and he is still a member of the Wizengamot, but this Ogden is not him. It’s Bob Ogden, a retired Ministry official.”
“What are you writing to him for?”
“I have been investigating Tom’s background, Matilda.” With a few swift strokes, he wrote a short letter, sealed it in a thick parchment envelope, and replied, “Regarding his birth and his family, I started long ago. Bob Ogden is a witness to a part of that story, a witness to the precursor of a tragedy, and more importantly, he knew Morfin Gaunt when he was young!”
Matilda nodded and curiously asked, “Speaking of which, who exactly is that Morfin Gaunt? Why was he imprisoned in Azkaban?”
“He is the biological brother of Tom’s mother, Merope Gaunt, Tom’s uncle, and the last descendant of the Gaunt family…”
Dumbledore paused here, his tone grave, and said, “As for being imprisoned in Azkaban, it is because he brutally murdered the Muggle Riddle family!”
Unexpectedly hearing this answer, Matilda covered her mouth in surprise.
But soon, she noticed a discrepancy, “Wait, Riddle? Tom Riddle’s Riddle?”
“Yes.”
Hearing this answer and seeing Dumbledore’s solemn expression, Matilda had a realization, “To create a Horcrux, one needs to kill with their own hands. If Morfin Gaunt knew the whereabouts of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, it means that the one who killed the Riddle family was not Morfin Gaunt, but…”
“Yes…”
The same word, spoken by Dumbledore at this moment, was filled with suppressed pain, “It now appears that the one who killed the Riddle family was likely Tom… a demon who exterminated his father’s entire family. At that time, he was still attending Hogwarts…”
Dumbledore could never understand why human nature differed so much.
Some were still innocent and carefree in their teens, while others were already blood-stained and fallen into hell!
He couldn’t figure out such problems, nor could Matilda. She could only comfort him, “Perhaps it was because he lost his mother early and learned that he was abandoned by his father. The loss of his identity and despair in reality twisted his mind. This is not your fault, Albus.”
As she spoke, she inexplicably remembered Vaughn and felt fortunate, “Fortunately, Vaughn grew up in a loving family. Perhaps for the Weasley family, Arthur and Molly are a couple of brats, but they are good parents. If Vaughn had the same background as Voldemort, then…”
That would be too terrible.
Recalling his interactions with Vaughn over the past year, Dumbledore couldn’t even imagine how terrifying it would be if Vaughn had also taken revenge on society like Voldemort.
At least from Dumbledore’s subjective judgment, the harm he would cause would likely be greater than that caused by Voldemort!
He couldn’t help but try to find some humor and quipped, “It seems the wizarding world should award Arthur and Molly a medal to commend them for their child-rearing.”
Matilda naturally knew he was joking, but the joke reminded her, she murmured, “…Perhaps I should suggest to the family that Arthur and Molly be readmitted. After all, what happened back then was not an irreconcilable conflict.”
Hearing this, Dumbledore was surprised, “Matilda, you have already…”
“Yes, I am dead, my body has long since rotted to bones. But as an elder, a member of the family, who can truly rest in peace? Even that annoying fellow Phineas is still worrying about the family…”
What followed was a torrent of complaints.
For the first time, Dumbledore realized that his Transfiguration professor was also an ordinary woman…
…
Vaughn did have a selfish motive in telling Dumbledore about Gaunt’s ring.
But this selfishness was unrelated to his own plans.
It was purely out of pity for a misanthrope, for a person who truly possessed rich and positive emotions.
After leaving Hogwarts, he didn’t return to the Granger’s house. Instead, he used the fireplace to return to The Burrow. Molly was at home to receive him. The Floo Network terminal （ fireplace ） connected to wizarding families usually had an entry spell and a disconnection spell approved by the Ministry of Magic.
This was to prevent some wizards from taking advantage of the Floo Network’s management loopholes and trespassing into other people’s homes （ The Floo Network office mainly guarded against the connection of Muggle fireplaces to the Floo Network and cracked down on smuggling by dark wizards through the Floo Network, regardless of such ‘minor matters’ ）.
As the name suggests, the entry spell is a spell that determines whether to allow someone to pass when they come through the Floo Network.
The disconnection spell controls the fireplace to disconnect from the Floo Network. This can be operated freely, but rejoining requires registration at the Ministry of Magic, stating the reason for disconnection and the reason for rejoining, and so on.
Late at night, in the living room, Molly, who had already been roughly told the reason by Vaughn over the fireplace, hugged her son and called him her dear baby, while complaining:
“What is Dumbledore doing? Why is he constantly pestering you? You are just a 12-year-old child.”
Arthur, who was forcibly dragged out of bed by his wife to “receive” their son, yawned listlessly, “That shows he values Vaughn very much…”
Then he saw Molly glare at him fiercely and quickly changed his tune, “…Yes, Dumbledore is too irresponsible. How can he order a child like this…”
Hmph!
Molly couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. She hugged Vaughn’s head and kissed him several times, “Baby, when are you and Dumbledore leaving? I heard Azkaban is particularly cold, do you want to prepare more clothes?”
Vaughn chuckled wryly, “Mom, we’re just visiting a prisoner, not going on vacation…”
“No, what if you get sick? Oh, and you need to bring some chocolate. There are annoying Dementors everywhere there…”
Listening to his mother’s nagging, Vaughn was helpless but couldn’t object, letting her start to busily prepare travel items.
Although he had said that Dumbledore was still applying and it was not certain when they would leave.
But in this regard, Arthur and Molly had great faith in Dumbledore’s ability.
“He will definitely get approval quickly. He has a lot of connections in the wizarding world. After all, he has been a Transfiguration professor since 1900. For over 90 years, there are his students all over England…”
“No, it was 1899, you’re wrong, Arthur!”
“No, it was 1900!” Arthur, usually weak, argued back this time.
Vaughn was not interested in his parents’ sudden childishness. He casually asked, “Mom, where are Ginny and Ron?”
“They’ve been asleep for a long time. I didn’t tell Ginny you were coming back, otherwise, she would have waited until now. And she just had a fight with Ron over Guo Guo Cha tonight.”
Molly said while waving her wand to summon Vaughn’s clothes, and then complained to Arthur, “Arthur Weasley, when are you going to get a new pet for your youngest son? That fat rat has become the most unstable factor in the entire family!”
“Uh…”
Arthur, who had been loafing around at the Ministry of Magic, was speechless.
As they spoke, Guo Guo Cha poked its head out and ran down.
It meowed excitedly and its large body pounced on Vaughn, rubbing against his chest and neck.
Molly’s heart melted watching it, “Oh—my clingy little darling, baby, take it with you to Hermione’s house later. It was heartbroken after you left.”
What could Vaughn say? He could only agree.
Fortunately, Mrs. Granger, when she visited The Burrow previously, had really liked Guo Guo Cha. She had even asked Vaughn how to buy such an intelligent and human-like pet with Kneazle blood.
