"…At the start of this school year, I found a notebook with a black cover in my luggage."
"Because that notebook really looked old, I initially thought it was a diary of my father or grandfather. But when I opened it, it was blank. I was a bit disappointed and wanted to throw it away. After all, I'm not like the Weasleys, I never use secondhand stuff!"
"Oh! I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have spoken badly about the Weasleys! Don't hit me…"
"Okay! Phew! I'll continue talking. Just as I was about to throw away that notebook, a line of text suddenly appeared on it."
"He said… he was Tom Riddle, a former student of Hogwarts. He said the glory of present-day Hogwarts had already been defiled by those Mudblood students!"
"He wanted me to release the monster in the Chamber to purify the whole Hogwarts! And as a reward, he would give me power!"
"At that time, I actually didn't believe it—after all, where in the world would something like that happen? But… he gave me the reward first!"
"My magic power increased! My academic performance also improved! Even my professors started to praise me! It was just amazing!"
"And after that… I believed him. I started cooperating with him to launch attacks using the monster in the Chamber…"
"Please believe me, Link! I was completely bewitched by Tom Riddle! I only made a small mistake, that's all! Please, let me go—I'm about to burst!"
In the corridor, the half-paralyzed Draco was begging bitterly.
Standing in front of him, Link and Harry both lowered their heads in deep thought.
After a while, Link finally said in a deep voice, "Where's that notebook now?"
"It's gone…"
"Gone?!" Link suddenly raised his voice. "Even now you're still trying to lie?"
"No! I'm telling the truth!" Draco cried. "Tom Riddle went further and further! He… he actually wanted me to kill someone! How could I possibly do something like that!"
"But didn't you already agree to help him purify Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"At that time, I thought 'purify' meant to scare off all the Mudblood students! I really didn't know he meant to kill them all!" Draco continued, "I refused him! Really! I didn't even hesitate at all! And then… and then it disappeared!"
"You think we'll believe your nonsense?" That was Harry again.
Right now, he seemed to have fully stepped into the role. His voice became louder and his tone increasingly harsh.
"I really didn't lie! This happened the night before last. At that time, I was sleeping, but when I woke up, I found myself lying in the corridor near Ravenclaw! After I returned, I found the diary was gone!" Draco said. "You can check! At the time, it was Professor Snape who dragged me back! He scolded me for so long that day!"
Hearing this, "Interrogator Harry" finally fell silent.
The amount of information Draco revealed was truly overwhelming, he had no way to tell whether it was true or not. So he tilted his head and looked at Link.
As for Link, he still wore a troubled expression. Regarding what Draco said, he mostly believed it.
After all, his description of Tom Riddle's diary basically matched Link's own memories. And it was true that Tom Riddle's diary had the ability to forcibly seize control of the user's body and commit evil deeds, then erase the user's memory afterward.
Moreover, based on Link's understanding of Draco, he, at most, just bragged with his mouth. In real life, he definitely wouldn't dare kill anyone.
So that means the only problem now placed in front of Link was, where exactly did that Tom Riddle's diary go?
"Phew! Finite Incantatem." Taking a deep breath, Link waved his wand, and a curtain of light appeared, covering Draco.
Immediately, Draco's body regained strength, and the wound on his forehead instantly healed.
Most importantly, a puddle of water was spreading from the floor beneath him.
"Uh... ah!" Draco let out a few sounds of unclear meaning. Perhaps out of shame, Draco covered his face with his hands.
Shaking his head with a bit of disgust, Link patted Harry and said, "Let's go. We're heading back."
Harry had been watching wide-eyed with great interest. When he was patted, he let out an "Ah!" before reacting and catching up with Link.
And just then, the finally-finished Draco began sobbing and muttering to himself again. "My father… My father is…"
"Stupefy!"
A ball of white light flashed past, and Draco fell completely silent.
———
[One Hour Later]
Seated on the sofa, Link was frowning as he looked at Dumbledore opposite him.
Just ten minutes earlier, Link had already told Dumbledore everything Draco had confessed.
The other party, after hearing it, merely lowered his head in silence.
To be honest, waiting is really a troublesome thing. But at least Link could endure it. What really irritated him, though, was that Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, had gone crazy.
At this moment, it was squatting on top of Link's head, pecking at his scalp now and then.
Although, due to it not being fully grown yet, Fawkes' pecking didn't hurt, it was seriously annoying.
Click!
As another mild sting came from the top of his head, Link could no longer stand it. He smacked his lips and reached out to grab Fawkes.
But just as he raised his hand, Dumbledore coughed and said, "Link, leave Fawkes alone for now. I have something important to tell you both."
Hearing this, Link could only grudgingly withdraw his hand and look toward Dumbledore.
"Did you know? The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before, and it directly caused a fatality."
As Dumbledore continued, Harry's face turned deathly pale, and his lips trembled as he asked, "Fa… fatality?"
"Mm, yes. The one who died was a Ravenclaw girl. Link, you should know who it was, right?" Dumbledore glanced meaningfully at Link.
And Link replied nonchalantly, "Moaning Myrtle was the victim at that time. She was being teased by classmates for her looks and hid in the bathroom to cry. In the end, she was attacked. After dying, she became a ghost due to her lingering attachment. Come to think of it, she's quite pitiful. Even as a ghost, no one likes her."
As soon as Link said this, Harry looked at him with a strange expression. Because he had heard Moaning Myrtle's name at the ghosts' Deathday Party. He also knew she was a shut-in ghost who almost never left the girls' bathroom.
So here came the question, Link was a boy, so how come he knew so much about Moaning Myrtle?
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