Dumbledore gently placed the diary on the table and spoke with a faint smile.
"I entered his memory. At first, I acted as if I were astonished to see him, but quickly hid my surprise and pretended to greet him like an old student who had long since passed away. But I'm certain he noticed that initial flicker of shock I tried to disguise—because from the very beginning, he was staring straight at me."
"From then on, it was a battle of mutual probing."
"He wanted to know whether I was the same Dumbledore he knew, while I feigned an equal level of caution and doubt.
"By now, he's almost convinced that I'm not the Dumbledore from his magical world, but rather one from a Reverse World—especially after I personally admitted that I had killed my own ambitious student, the noble Trainer Tom Riddle, who had once tried to stop me, and after I exposed his true identity."
It was clear that Dumbledore had enjoyed himself immensely. After all, he was a Gryffindor. Life had been stifling in recent years—so much so that even he sometimes wondered if the Sorting Hat would place him elsewhere were he sorted again.
Charles had no idea which House suited this version of Dumbledore now, but considering he himself had slain over fifty wizards in one breath, Azkaban seemed more than fitting.
Not that Charles minded. Azkaban wasn't so bad—after all, it was full of "talented people" (meaning everyone knew how to cast the Killing Curse) and "pleasant conversation partners" (meaning Bellatrix's unhinged cursing was practically art). Charles loved that place.
"You made things clear to him?"
"Indeed. Would you like to see what happened? I saved the memory." Dumbledore bent down and retrieved the Pensieve once more.
Charles couldn't very well refuse the invitation of an elderly man, so he plunged his head straight in.
The silvery memory engulfed his face, dragging him into a gray world.
There, a young Tom Riddle stood opposite a white-haired Dumbledore. Riddle had never seen this older version of Dumbledore before, and that unfamiliarity gave him pause—an advantage Dumbledore was quick to exploit.
Riddle's subconscious would tell him that this wasn't the Dumbledore he once knew.
As Charles pondered this, Dumbledore took the initiative to speak. He didn't sound kind or gentle as usual, but calm—eerily calm, like the Dumbledore who confronted Harry in the Goblet of Fire film adaptation.
"So, you're the Tom Riddle Harry spoke of—the one from another world? You look… a little nervous."
At that moment, another Dumbledore appeared beside Charles. The memory inside the Pensieve froze abruptly, like someone had pressed pause.
"I deliberately pointed out his nervousness," Dumbledore explained. "To shatter his psychological defenses—and seize control of the conversation."
He finished his comment, and the scene resumed.
"I'm merely confronting a fear from my past," Riddle replied smoothly. "In my world, Dumbledore is an unforgivable Dark wizard. I opposed him countless times, and he hated me for it. If we were to meet, I'm certain he would kill me without hesitation."
"Is that so? Then why do I feel like you're lying?"
The Dumbledore within the memory stepped forward with a faintly amused smile.
"Tom, don't play tricks with me. Do you really think I'd buy that story? A Reverse World? That's a realm only the Renegade Dragon, Giratina, could ever reach! And why would it carry a mere diary across dimensions?"
"As for what you just said—ha! What's interesting is that it's not reversed at all. In fact, it sounds exactly like what happened in our world."
The Dumbledore in the vision advanced sharply, and Riddle's face went pale as he stumbled backward in fear.
Ah yes—experience counted for something. Even Voldemort feared Dumbledore; how could the still-student Riddle fare any better?
From the moment Dumbledore used magic in that orphanage to force him to apologize to his victims, he had become Riddle's living nightmare.
Now, faced with this domineering Dumbledore, Riddle forgot even that he was merely a Horcrux. What he felt—pure and primal—was fear. The kind that came from staring straight at death.
"To be honest," Dumbledore said softly, "I was truly surprised to see you. I thought you were dead—killed by my own hand, no less. Tom Riddle… my good student."
The nostalgic tone only unsettled Riddle further.
But he recovered quickly.
"Do you realize how absurd that sounds? A power-hungry Dumbledore? In the magical world, even saying that aloud would make people laugh themselves to death."
"What's so absurd about it? Do you think anyone else will ever learn of this conversation?" Dumbledore retorted coolly. "After all these years, seeing you again truly startled me—but it's fine. I can always kill you again."
The merciless words clearly shook Riddle. He blurted out,"You're right—I did lie."
"But not in the way you think. It's true—I'm not from this world. I am from the magical world. My name is Tom Riddle… but I despise that name. Riddle? A filthy Muggle surname. Tom? A name so common you could find ten of them in any alley!"
His face twisted with open disgust—as if years of suppressed hatred were finally spilling out, bringing with it an almost liberating sense of satisfaction.
"So I gave myself a new name—a name that all would fear: Voldemort!"
Now, he looked at Dumbledore half in pride, half in challenge, as if to boast of what he had achieved.
He had truly made the magical world tremble—unlike this Dumbledore before him, who, even at such an age, still hid behind masks and secrets.
He almost wanted to ask what Dumbledore himself feared so much.
"In truth," Riddle continued, "in my world, I am the real Dark Lord. Dumbledore was like your world's version of me—always standing in my way. It seems that no matter the world, we are destined enemies. My only regret… is that I didn't get to kill my rival the way you did."
"You make quite the argument."
"Because it's true!" Riddle declared. "But now, everything can change!"
He pointed at himself—then at Dumbledore.
"An evil Riddle meets an evil Dumbledore. Two worlds, two great powers. There's no need for us to fight anymore."
"We can work together."
(End of Chapter)