Harry's abnormal expression did not attract the attention of others.
After hearing Link's explanation, Dumbledore simply nodded and continued, "That's right. The person who died back then was Myrtle Warren. She was found dead inside the same bathroom she still haunts now. And at that time, we caught the Heir. That person was Hagrid."
"That's impossible!"
Harry instantly jumped up from his chair, but Dumbledore waved his hand and magically pressed him back down into his seat.
"Hagrid had been raising an Acromantula in Hogwarts, a terrifyingly large spider. They are greedy and vicious by nature, and also highly venomous. From a purely logical and analytical perspective, he indeed had a high possibility of being the murderer who killed Myrtle,"
Dumbledore sighed and said. "And at that time, Hogwarts was already facing the critical crisis of being shut down due to the student death. The headmaster and professors were all anxious. So when someone reported Hagrid, everyone quickly reached the consensus that Hagrid was the 'Heir'. This directly led to Hagrid's wand being broken and his imprisonment in Azkaban."
"Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"
Harry cooperatively shook his head. He was already completely engrossed in listening.
But Link wore an expression of speechlessness. Because he had long known the truth behind this. Not only that, but he also knew that Dumbledore later not only pulled Hagrid back out from Azkaban and made him the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts, he even repaired his wand.
Currently, that wand was hidden inside Hagrid's favorite pink umbrella.
Shaking his head, Link turned his attention back to Dumbledore.
"Because the person who reported Hagrid… was Tom Riddle."
"Hiss~" Harry sucked in a sharp breath. "Tom Riddle should be the Heir! He framed Hagrid!"
"You are right. But what truly worries me is that Tom Riddle has another identity."
"What identity?" Harry pressed urgently, but at those words, Dumbledore fell silent.
At that moment, Link slowly pulled out his wand and gestured in the air.
Immediately, the words Tom Riddle in glowing golden English letters appeared before everyone.
"Just a simple word game,"
Link said calmly. And as his words fell, those English letters in the air rearranged themselves and ultimately formed a brand-new name.
"Voldemort..." Harry couldn't help but read it aloud, then shivered fiercely.
"That's right. Tom Riddle is Voldemort. To be precise, that should be his original name."
"But…" Harry said with a trembling voice, "Voldemort is supposed to be dead, isn't he?"
At those words, Dumbledore and Link both fell silent.
After quite a while, Dumbledore coughed twice and said, "This matter is of utmost importance. I will be leaving Hogwarts for a period of time to search for a solution. What you two must pay attention to is that you absolutely must not act on your own. Also, do not continue involving yourselves in this matter."
"Why not?"
"Because of your special identities! If you rush into this, it could cost you your lives!" Dumbledore suddenly raised his voice, which made Harry shut his mouth immediately.
Link at the side, however, still wore a cold and indifferent expression.
He wasn't going to obediently follow Dumbledore's arrangement. After all, in terms of plot knowledge, he understood the situation far better than Dumbledore.
Moreover, Dumbledore leaving Hogwarts at this moment was highly suspicious.
Considering Dumbledore's 'great' personality of sacrificing everything for the so-called "greater good," Link strongly suspected he was going to the Ministry of Magic to accelerate the deployment of Aurors into Hogwarts.
And that, for Link, was not good news.
"Link, especially you, did you hear me?" As if seeing through Link's thoughts, Dumbledore suddenly turned to emphasize it once more.
But in response, Link's face remained cold, and he simply replied lightly, "Ah, understood."
Seeing Link's reaction, Dumbledore's lips moved as though he wanted to say something else, but in the end, all he gave was a single sigh.
———
After leaving the headmaster's office and saying goodbye to Harry, Link went straight to his dormitory to rest.
But he hadn't slept long before a string of gentle and familiar voices woke him up again.
"Link, wake up, quickly wake up."
"Cedric?" Rubbing his eyes, Link asked in some confusion.
Because the person standing in front of him was none other than the already fully dressed Cedric, along with several other Hufflepuff male prefects.
And at this moment, the alarm clock on his bedside showed that it was only 5,00 a.m.
"Link, get dressed and come gather," Cedric said with a smile upon seeing Link awake. "We've received a notice, starting now, we'll be inspecting all students' dormitories, luggage, and personal items throughout Hogwarts."
"Notice?"
"Dumbledore just issued it. You'll know the full details after we get to the Great Hall."
Rubbing his slightly aching temples, Link finally got up and dressed properly, also bringing out his Bag of Extension.
Seeing this, Cedric began inspecting Link's bed and luggage, his thoroughness would've made even the most meticulous dormitory supervisors of old boarding schools blush with shame.
Link himself wasn't worried. Although he did have contraband items and some private belongings, he had long hidden all of those in the Room of Requirement.
But his dormmates weren't as lucky.
As their roommate, Link knew all too well, these guys had hidden plenty of contraband in the dorm. For example, John had brought several risqué pin-up photo books from home, and he would look at them under the covers every night.
The others weren't much better. After all, they were all young.
Sure enough, as the inspection progressed, huge piles of such "goodies" were discovered and confiscated by Cedric and his team.
The sheer number and variety were so impressive that even the other prefects were visibly shocked.
As for John and the others, they were already covering their faces in heartache, unable to breathe properly.
Those were collections they had spent years accumulating.
"All right, inspection complete. You can go gather now," Cedric said, his eyes occasionally drifting toward the pile of magazines. "As for this pile… uh, these contraband items, we'll keep them for now. You can apply to get them back from Professor Sprout."
With that, Cedric and the others carried the stash out of the dormitory.
As they passed by John and the others, they even threw them smug, gloating glances.
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