Hogwarts: I, Tom, am really not Voldemort!

Perhaps it was Tom's words that had an effect, as Dumbledore became a rare sight around the school in the days that followed.

“Professor Dumbledore is so busy every day that he doesn't even have time to be affectionate with you. Don't you feel lonely, Professor Grindelwald?”

After a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Tom casually asked this question, and Grindelwald felt another urge to duel with the little rascal in front of him. Who was to blame for Dumbledore becoming like this? Didn't he have any self-awareness?

“No, we each have our own mission to complete, Tom. Separations are for better reunions.”

Tom looked at Grindelwald's sanctimonious appearance and sneered inwardly. If the fist in his left hand wasn't clenched so tightly, he might have been more convincing.

In the following period, Tom rarely had Dumbledore and Grindelwald, these two troublemakers, constantly wandering in front of him. Draco, who had been discharged from the hospital, and Cassandra, who had finally escaped the loop, also settled down. He had a rare period of peaceful campus life.

Unknowingly, another Christmas arrived as scheduled, and Tom once again became one of the few students remaining at school.

“Packing Christmas presents, Tom?”

Just as Tom was alone in his dormitory preparing Christmas gifts, someone who hadn't been seen around Tom for a long time appeared behind him like a ghost.

“It's a holiday, shouldn't you be with Dumbledore? What are you doing here, Professor Grindelwald?”

Faced with Tom's question, Grindelwald seemed to ignore it, instead looking at the gifts Tom was preparing with interest.

“These toys, and the potions for conditioning the body are…”

"They're for the children and the headmaster of the orphanage where I stayed."

“Really, who would have thought? But these earrings… let me guess… they must be for your little girlfriend.”

“When did you become as gossipy as Dumbledore, Mr. Grindelwald?”

“This 'Wife Chasing Crematorium Series Collection,' who would want to read this kind of book?”

“Draco Malfoy's, he likes to read these kinds of novels.”

“Then this set of exam question collections must be for Miss Hermione Granger, right?”

“But what about these two body pillows?”

“These are life-size pillows of James Potter and Sirius Black, Professor Snape's favorite.”

“What about the catnip?”

“Professor McGonagall's.”

Seeing that Grindelwald intended to flip through all the gifts, Tom abruptly shoved the gifts for Dumbledore and Grindelwald into his arms.

“What's this?”

Grindelwald asked in confusion, looking at the large box Tom had given him.

“Christmas gifts for you and Professor Dumbledore, a set of items to increase bedroom fun for couples.”

Hearing Tom's words, Grindelwald's hand holding the gift froze for a moment, unsure whether to accept it or not.

Tom didn't care about his feelings. Anyway, the gift had been given, and no returns were accepted. At the same time, he looked at Grindelwald and said coldly, “Alright, Professor Grindelwald, you've received the gift, can you tell me the purpose of your visit? After all, I don't think I'm someone you'd visit just to chat.”

Grindelwald, who had gradually become immune to Tom, didn't waste words with him and directly led him to a wide, flat, and hollow basin.

“A Pensieve? You want me to watch you and Dumbledore being intimate?”

Watching Grindelwald extract a memory and throw it into the basin, Tom couldn't help but blurt out a sarcastic remark.

As Tom and Grindelwald entered his memory, he suddenly found himself in a place that wasn't unfamiliar to him—the Gaunt family shack.

Tom watched as Dumbledore and Grindelwald painstakingly found their way here, and then watched as they triggered the traps left by the noseless Voldemort, and fought a great battle with the countless dark magic and curses he left behind. If it hadn't been Dumbledore and Grindelwald who came, anyone else would have been reduced to ashes.

At this time, Tom was breaking out in a cold sweat, and couldn't help but feel lingering fear at his bold actions last year. Fortunately, Voldemort's brain hadn't completely broken down, and he probably had enemy recognition settings. Otherwise, with his strength at the time, he definitely wouldn't have made it to the Hogwarts enrollment chapter.

After finally dealing with the dark magic and curses, the two carefully searched the Gaunt family shack, but found nothing.

Leaving Grindelwald's memory, Tom couldn't help but ask, “So, what was the point of showing me this memory, Professor Grindelwald?”

“So, you really faked the location of the Horcrux, and the real hiding place is really as you said. But such strict protection is not simply faked. There must be something we don't know about inside, don't you think, Tom?”

Looking at Grindelwald's serious expression, good heavens, he's sticking up for his old lover.

“Professor Grindelwald, aren't you a seer? Why not predict whether what I said is true or false?”

Unexpectedly, Grindelwald shook his head: “Tom, you think too highly of me. I am not omniscient and omnipotent, that is God's authority. What I can see is only a limited part.”

In other words, even Grindelwald couldn't confirm it. Thinking of this, Tom felt that things had become even more interesting.

What is the highest level of lying? It is to intersperse lies in the truth, even every sentence is the truth, but when combined, it becomes a huge lie.

And Tom was now preparing to add fuel to the fire for Dumbledore and Grindelwald.

Thinking of this, Tom took out the Gaunt family heirloom ring from his storage space and put it on his hand.

“You're right, but unfortunately, you guessed one thing wrong. The heavily guarded old house was not to protect the existence of the Horcrux. What it truly guarded was this ring in my hand, and I just took it away in advance. I just don't know if Professor Grindelwald can recognize the origin of this ring in my hand?”

And Grindelwald also saw clearly the appearance of the ring Tom was wearing on his hand, especially the symbol on the black, crystal-clear stone inlaid on it, causing his pupils to shrink. As one of the few people in the world most familiar with the Deathly Hallows, he obviously recognized the origin of the ring in front of him.

Deathly Hallow—the Resurrection Stone!