Lockhart returned to his office.
He cautiously locked the door and drew the curtains, plunging the entire room into darkness, with only a candle flickering on the table.
Lockhart sat in his chair and laid the diary open on the desk.
He picked up a quill, dipped it in the inkwell, and held the tip poised over the paper, suspended in mid-air.
Lockhart hesitated for a few seconds, then wrote a line.
"I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Arts Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."
Tom in the diary: What an idiot! Where is Dumbledore? Did he abandon me?
But Tom quickly realized that no matter what caused the diary to fall into this imbecile's hands, this was his chance.
As long as he could gain Lockhart's trust and manipulate Lockhart into finding the Basilisk, his plan to cleanse the school could still continue!
Tom quickly absorbed the ink into the paper, and it soon disappeared.
Lockhart blinked, finding it rather interesting.
A few seconds later, new handwriting appeared in the diary.
"Hello, Mr. Lockhart, my name is Tom Riddle."
Lockhart narrowed his eyes.
"You've fallen into my hands, you'd better confess honestly, where is the Basilisk?"
The handwriting disappeared again, and a new reply appeared in the diary.
"I think Mr. Lockhart has a deep misunderstanding of me. I am not the one who released the Basilisk; someone else released it."
Lockhart let out a chuckle.
"You think I'll believe that? Such lies can only fool children."
"The Principal handed you over to me to find out the truth; don't try to deceive me."
The diary was silent for a few seconds. Tom knew that an adult Wizard was not as easy to fool as a student, so a line of text appeared.
"Fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was also opened."
"Someone died then, but the true heir was not punished; he still lives at Hogwarts today."
Lockhart was stunned.
Fifty years ago? Wasn't that half a century ago? He hadn't even been born then, so naturally, he didn't know what had happened.
Lockhart's fingers trembled as he wrote.
"You think I'm stupid, why should I believe you?"
The diary replied.
"I can take you to see that memory, and you will understand everything."
Lockhart suddenly became alert. Although he was unfamiliar with many Spells, as a master of the Memory Charm, he was very sensitive to memories.
Whether entering someone else's memory or letting someone enter his, it was a dangerous thing.
But he also wanted to know the truth.
If he could really solve the Basilisk problem, Dumbledore would surely publicize it, and his reputation could be restored.
Moreover, when it came to memories, Lockhart was confident that nothing would go wrong for him.
"Okay, I'll go."
The writing in the diary suddenly glowed, illuminating the entire room.
Before Lockhart could react, the scene before him twisted, and he felt himself being pulled in by a force.
The surrounding walls, furniture, and candles all disappeared, replaced by darkness. Then the light returned.
Lockhart stood in a corridor, torches hanging on the walls. The stone walls were damp, and the air had a musty smell.
This was Hogwarts, but it was also somehow different.
Footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
Lockhart turned his head.
A young man walked over, with black hair, black eyes, wearing a Hogwarts uniform, his face expressionless, but his gaze sharp.
Lockhart stared at him. This must be Tom Riddle, in his younger days.
The young man in the memory, of course, couldn't see him and walked straight towards a room on the other side of the corridor.
Lockhart followed him.
The young man pushed open the door. Inside was a small storeroom, with some boxes piled in the corner.
A large boy was squatting on the ground, stuffing something into a box.
Lockhart recognized the face and froze.
It was Hagrid, a young Hagrid, his enormous size very distinctive.
Hagrid heard the footsteps, spun around abruptly, and seeing young Tom, his face instantly turned pale.
"Tom, what are you doing here?"
Tom didn't speak. He raised his wand and pointed it at Hagrid.
"Hand over that monster." Hagrid took a step back.
"Aragog didn't kill anyone!"
His voice was urgent.
"Really, it wouldn't hurt anyone!"
Tom's expression remained unchanged.
"This is for the sake of all the students, Hagrid. I won't say it a second time."
Hagrid gritted his teeth.
"No, it's my friend."
"You can't hurt it."
Tom's wand flicked sharply.
"Reducto!"
Red light exploded.
The box was hit and shattered completely.
Wood splinters flew, and a sharp hissing sound came from inside.
A giant spider crawled out of the debris, its eight legs covered with needle-like bristles, its eyes reflecting an eerie light under the firelight.
Hagrid shouted.
"Aragog! Run!"
The spider turned and rushed towards the window, smashing the glass and disappearing into the night.
Hagrid knelt on the ground, hands propped on the floor, his shoulders trembling.
Tom put away his wand.
"You'd better pray no one else dies."
The scene twisted.
Lockhart felt himself being pulled out again, darkness engulfing his vision.
Then he was back in his office, the candle still flickering on the table, the diary open before him. Not much time had passed.
Lockhart slumped in his chair, panting, his back drenched in cold sweat, his mind a mess.
Hagrid was the heir? The monster in the Chamber of Secrets wasn't a Basilisk, but a spider?
Could a spider petrify people? Lockhart wasn't sure; this knowledge was clearly beyond his scope as a poor student.
"Why wasn't Hagrid punished?" Lockhart wrote, bewildered.
Writing appeared in the diary.
"You'll have to ask the current Principal, Dumbledore. He covered for Hagrid then."
Lockhart's breathing hitched. Dumbledore covered for Hagrid? How was that possible?
But the diary continued to write.
"The Chamber of Secrets was closed, and the school didn't want the matter to get out, so they claimed the girl died in an accident."
"Everyone thought it was over, but the truth was covered up, and Hagrid's monster was still alive. And now, it's back."
"Although this matter is secret, there must be case files preserved. You can write to the Ministry of Magic to verify it."
Lockhart's head buzzed.
If this was true, if Dumbledore really covered for Hagrid, then he held a huge secret.
He could write about it in a book, he could expose the matter.
Then everyone would know that the great Dumbledore could also make mistakes, and also cover for criminals.
And he, Lockhart, would be the hero who defied authority and exposed the truth!
Lockhart's eyes grew brighter and brighter; this was an absolute godsend.
Thinking of this, Lockhart quickly wrote a letter to Minister for Magic Fudge, inquiring about the situation.
Given his status and fame, he naturally had Fudge's contact information.
Seeing that Lockhart had taken the bait, Tom sneered inwardly.
These memories were, of course, real, but he had cut out the preceding and succeeding causes, and combined with Hagrid's expulsion at the time, it was indeed easy to make people believe that Hagrid was the heir.
As long as attention was drawn to Hagrid, and he could then manipulate Lockhart, he would be able to control the Basilisk again and cleanse the school of its impure bloodlines.
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