Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Peter

Chapter 155 The Missing Ring

The farce in the memory is still going on. The crazy old Marvolo Gaunt is about to strangle his daughter. Mr. Ogden, a staff member of the Ministry of Magic, comes to the rescue. The situation quickly turns into a battle. Morfin and Marvolo together Casting a curse on Ogden, beating him and running away, Ogden happened to bump into Voldemort's father, Old Tom Riddle, on the way.

What happened next is irrelevant, Peter and Dumbledore leave this memory behind and return to Dumbledore's office.

Peter said with emotion: "Old Tom Riddle is really young and handsome, no wonder Merope pursued him desperately."

"She didn't just pursue him," said Dumbledore with a complicated expression. "After Merope's father and brother were imprisoned in Azkaban, her magic power recovered, and she made her own love potion, which was given to Old Tom. He took the potion, so he abandoned his beautiful and wealthy fiancée, and fell in love with the plain-looking Merope like firewood."

"Old Tom Riddle is really sympathetic," Peter said in a tone of disgust. "He was actually given to... by Merope."

Dumbledore nodded, and continued: "After a few months, old Tom Riddle finally got rid of this state. He returned to his manor and re-engaged with his fiancée—fortunately, he is rich."

"Merope was pregnant with his child at that time. I think she must have lost her head and mistakenly thought that she could tie a man's heart with an unborn child. Her wish came true. Old Tom never It didn't take much effort to look at their mother and child."

Peter shrugged and said: "Things are not according to old Tom's wishes, and his actions are also natural. I don't know if old Tom Riddle is lucky or unlucky. As a Muggle, his name has been inherited by the famous Dark Lord." .”

"Oh, Peter, I'm sure Old Tom was unlucky." Dumbledore said meaningfully, "Later, Voldemort killed Old Tom and his whole family. I found some old information about Little Hangleton , the Riddle family had long since died, and Voldemort hadn't graduated from Hogwarts that year."

Peter said: "To be honest, I'm not surprised. It's completely like what Voldemort could do. He couldn't have looked down on his Muggle father, and I think he couldn't look down on his mother's poor family."

"You are right, Peter, the old Marvolo was imprisoned in Azkaban. Although the sentence was only six months, the dementors tortured his body and he lost his daughter's care. , in short, he did not live to wait for his son to be released from prison."

"Three years later, his son, Morfin Gaunt, returned to the empty home alone, where he lived alone for more than ten years, until Voldemort came back to him. At that time, Voldemort had just killed his father and his family. A perfect scapegoat who was framed by Voldemort and eventually sentenced to life in Azkaban."

"It seems that no one who has anything to do with Voldemort will end well," Peter said with a wry smile. "How many of his Death Eaters will end well?"

"Some people rush forward and cling desperately whenever they see a powerful individual, and they don't even know that they are also sad victims." Dumbledore said, "Next, we need to travel far to verify what we just remembered. what you see in it.”

Dumbledore opened the door of the office, and the two walked out of the room side by side. When they saw the headmaster Dumbledore passing by, the portraits and figures hanging on the walls of Hogwarts castle no longer pretended to be asleep, but bowed respectfully. Waist salute.

They walked out of the foyer. It was late at night, and the lights in Hagrid's cabin and the dragon arena had long since gone out.

"We can ride the Thunderbird to fly out of the field, so the speed will be faster." Peter pulled out his wand, waved it lightly, and summoned a Thunderbird.

Dumbledore said with a smile: "Great, I was just about to conjure a Persian-style magic flying carpet. The Ministry of Magic does not allow magic flying carpets to be used in England. I wanted to take advantage of the night to violate a rule. Flying A blanket is much more comfortable to sit on than a broom, and you can even have a picnic on it."

The two rode the Thunderbird out of the range of the anti-apparition spell, and the thunderstorm caused by the Thunderbird would probably stop before tomorrow morning.

Peter grabbed Dumbledore's arm, allowing Dumbledore to manifest with his entourage, and after a familiar squeeze, their feet landed on the soft country road.

Here is Little Hangleton in 1995.

The village had already fallen asleep, and except for the strange cry of nighthawks, the surroundings were silent.

Peter looked to both sides, and saw that the old dilapidated cottages had been converted into small farmer's villas, but the church and cemetery faintly visible in the distance became even more desolate and dilapidated. If Peter didn't know that this was the residence of Muggles, he would Will suspect that there may be a sad ghost floating out there at any time.

Dumbledore paused for a moment, making sure that there were no Muggles in sight, "Here." He pointed in one direction.

The two walked forward for a while, and finally came to a dilapidated haystack. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and moved the haystack to the side. Only then did Peter realize that it was a half-destroyed house.

There was no door to the house, and they went straight in. A musty smell hit them. The shabby house had long been home to rats and spiders, and tin cans were scattered on the rotting floor, which was thick with dust. and other sundries.

"So this is the end of the noble blood of Salazar Slytherin." Peter said with emotion, "So desolate, so unbearable..."

Dumbledore looked down at a board covered in rat feces: "Due to the excessive pursuit of pure blood, the members of the Gaunt family have become more and more crazy in the constant inbreeding. You can see that Marvolo Gaunt is not Stable mental state and serious tendency to violence."

"People from the Gaunt family are obsessed with extravagant ostentation. They spend all their wealth just to show off their noble blood. That's why rich families like the Malfoy family and the Black family are willing to associate with them. For a generation, the Gaunt family's money has been squandered."

"Other pure-blood families just shouted that pure-blood is superior. When the Gaunt family fell into poverty, they avoided it one after another. No one would look at them again. They could only hold the hangings left by their ancestors every day. Lockets, rings, and Parseltongue, reminiscing about the glory days."

Peter opened the magic space, looking for the breath of the Horcrux, but there was nothing in the house.He said: "I'm afraid they don't even have the black gemstone ring left. I don't think there is anything hidden here."

To Peter's surprise, Dumbledore's shoulders trembled, and he sighed heavily, the disappointment in his blue eyes beyond measure.

Dumbledore, aware of Peter's gaze, bent down hastily, pretending to be looking closely at a cobwebbed rat hole.

After a while, he blinked his eyes: "Really? What a pity...the black gem is no longer there, maybe Voldemort asked Quirrell to hide it."

"You long for Marvolo Gaunt's ring," said Peter, frowning. "Isn't it just Voldemort's Horcrux?"

Dumbledore's throat moved dryly, but he didn't answer.

(End of this chapter)