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"Money, power, strength, or women. Whatever you want, I can give you."
Voldemort tried to paint a beautiful future for Dudley.
In the end, it could be summarized in one phrase.
Empty promises.
He was trying to trick Dudley into taking the bait. As long as Dudley was willing to help him, he would be in too deep.
As long as Voldemort's brain was not malfunctioning, he still possessed this basic quality of a leader.
"As a member of Slytherin, you should at least know who I am, and you should know what I am capable of."
Seeing that Dudley still had not answered after some time, Audrina, or rather Voldemort, became somewhat impatient.
"Then what is your answer? Tell me."
After hearing Voldemort's words, Dudley could confirm one thing. Memories were not shared between Horcruxes.
Otherwise, Voldemort would definitely know that Dudley had killed him more than once.
Forget recruitment. If Voldemort raised his hand and greeted him with an Avada Kedavra the moment they met, that would already be mild.
Of course, it could not be ruled out that he was saying this deliberately.
"My dear senior, I think it is still a little too early to say these things to me."
"I am only twelve years old right now. I have not even started thinking about my future."
This excuse was so rotten that believing it would be absurd, especially if the one expected to believe it was Voldemort.
"Are you taking me for a fool?"
Audrina, or rather Voldemort, stared at Dudley unhappily.
"Fine, fine. Since you insist on hearing the truth..."
Dudley spread his hands. "What I, Dudley Dursley, like most is saying no to self-important people."
"Then you refuse."
Audrina, or rather Voldemort, instantly darkened. "Very good. Very good."
Just when Dudley thought he was about to attack, he heard him speak again.
"In truth, there is another person I want to meet even more. Your younger brother, Harry Potter. I want to know why I failed, why I lost to an infant who knew nothing."
"According to my observations during this period, he is merely a slightly clever young wizard. I am so powerful, while he has nothing."
"Do you know why?"
'Trying to gather information from me first?'
'No. Perhaps it is for...'
Dudley paused slightly. With his back turned to Audrina, or rather Voldemort, he gently opened the red-and-white ball at his waist. A blue-skinned little sprite silently flew out from within, made a face the moment it emerged, and vanished in place with a strange laugh.
'If only I could make a phone call, that would be much more convenient.'
As Dudley thought this, his heart suddenly stirred. Among the ten draws, he seemed to have obtained something similar.
"Could it be that he is a Dark wizard who hides it very well?"
"Could it be that there was something wrong with your magic?"
Two "could it be" questions in a row made Audrina, or rather Voldemort, turn darker than the bottom of a pot.
He was treating him like a fool.
"Could it be... fate, from the prophecy?"
This final statement made Audrina, or rather Voldemort, change expression slightly.
What Dudley said was exactly what he had learned during this period.
Because of a prophecy, he had gone to find Harry Potter. And because of that prophecy, he had died.
He had died inexplicably.
"I will kill him with my own hands and break that thing!"
He said this firmly.
"Right. Do you not want to know where the other basilisk is?"
As Audrina, or rather Voldemort, spoke, his tone suddenly changed, and he revealed a cruel smile toward Dudley.
"I think it should be with your little girlfriend by now."
"She will be reflected in those clear yellow eyes and die without the slightest pain. Many people at Hogwarts will die, and then the school will be closed forever."
As he spoke, Audrina, or rather Voldemort, stared at Dudley, wanting to see panic and helplessness on his face. The result disappointed Voldemort. Dudley's expression remained unchanged. His face showed nothing at all.
"No one will die, Senior."
Dudley glanced at the sleazy statue beside them. "It left from here, through the pipes leading to every part of Hogwarts."
"You knew?"
The originally smug smile on Audrina's face, still controlled by Voldemort, gradually froze. He paused slightly. "How could you know?"
"Could it be that it betrayed you and joined me?"
"No. It is impossible for it to betray me. I am the heir of the Chamber of Secrets. I am Slytherin's heir."
"Perhaps I am too." Dudley interrupted him. "Senior, you should add a former before heir."
"Do not forget. You are already dead. Even if you were once the heir, the moment you died, you no longer were."
"I can speak Parseltongue too."
"You are nothing but a Muggle-born wizard, Dursley!"
Audrina, or rather Voldemort, shouted loudly. He had been struck where it hurt. After thinking carefully, Dudley's words did have some logic.
"Slytherin's bloodline is noble. You think you can..."
"Dear Senior Tom Riddle, do not forget. You are also only a half-blood wizard."
As soon as these words came out, the other side abruptly fell silent.
Dudley had exposed his identity with one sentence.
In that moment, Voldemort felt as if he had been seen through.
"If you can, then of course I can."
Dudley's words were like a sharp sword stabbing straight into Voldemort's heart.
Bloodline had always been his greatest pain.
'Come on, then. Talk-no-jutsu. Who is afraid of whom?'
Dursley, King of Trash Talk.
Whoosh!
A dark green spell shot straight at him, and Dudley flipped aside to dodge it.
"Senior, that is rather dangerous."
Dudley said this, then looked suddenly enlightened and spoke in an exaggerated tone. "Could it be that you are getting anxious?"
His expression was as punchable as it could possibly be.
In an argument, whoever attacked first had lost composure first.
Audrina, or rather Voldemort, stopped speaking and raised his hand to cast another spell. Unfortunately, it missed again.
That was infuriating.
Spell after spell came at Dudley as if they cost nothing, and Dudley dodged them all with flexible footwork.
No matter how powerful a spell was, if it could not hit, it had no meaning.
Wow. How irritating.
After observing the other side's casting for a while, Dudley confirmed one thing. The level of the person before him was inferior to Quirrell, whom Dudley had met in the Forbidden Forest last year.
After all, that had been Voldemort's main soul. Although it had been an incomplete version, it was still not something this existence, relying on stolen life force from a young wizard to cling to survival, could compare with.
Both in magic and in technique, this one was far inferior.
"I understand. You deliberately led me here because you are afraid of the other professors, right?"
"You are afraid of being defeated by them, and even more afraid of them seeing through your identity."
"You are talking nonsense!"
Audrina, or rather Voldemort, finally could not endure it and shrieked loudly. This time, it was no longer the male voice from before, but a pure female soprano.
Weak.
He truly was very weak. Even after absorbing the life force of a young wizard, he was still very weak, far from his peak state.
If he had to face any professor, aside from Lockhart, that complete fraud, he basically had no hope of winning.
Just as Dudley had said, he should have fled. He should have abandoned the basilisk and fled by himself. Unfortunately, he was too arrogant.
He had never expected Dudley, who was only a student, to be so difficult to deal with.
He had thought he had overestimated him. In the end, he had underestimated him.
And that mistake was the key reason for his failure.
He should not have provoked Dursley.
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