The soul of Lord Voldemort within the ravenclaws diadem felt like Louis XVI had possessed him; he was completely baffled.
He had considered the possibility of the diadem being found by a Hogwarts student, of being awakened and then using his influence to bewitch and control them to resurrect himself, but he never imagined one day being woken up by heat.
Sensing a fatal crisis, Lord Voldemort had no other choice but to expend his remaining power to manifest his soul outside the diadem.
What met his eyes was a sea of fire all around him.
Mad fire monsters raged within it, and the violent black Fiendfyre incinerated everything without mercy.
Lord Voldemort: ┌(.Д.)┐
"Huh? Where the hell am I? Is this still Hogwarts?"
"What happened? Was the Castle breached by a Dark Wizard? Or has a Wizard world war broken out?"
"What the hell is Dumbledore doing? I haven't even made my move yet, how did someone else succeed first!"
Shocked and filled with questions by the scene before him, Lord Voldemort even wondered if he had slept for too long, if hundreds or thousands of years had passed and the era had changed.
Just as Lord Voldemort was pondering what to do, a light, melodious, yet highly oppressive whistling sound came from the sea of fire.
He looked toward the sound and saw a path parting in the sea of fire, with a young Little Wizard walking from the distance.
Where he passed, the fire monsters prostrated themselves on the ground, as if worshipping their king.
Although his clothes were different from what he remembered, he knew from the school badge on his chest that this was a Hogwarts student.
Lord Voldemort watched as this Little Wizard approached and bowed elegantly with a hand over his chest.
"Merry Christmas, Senior Tom."
"Who... are you?"
Hearing this address and seeing the other's polite attitude and gentle, friendly smile, Lord Voldemort wore a bewildered expression while a heavy murderous intent rose in his heart.
This kid was asking for death! This demeanor was exactly the same as his own when he was in school.
"Karl OLaughlin, a first-year student at Hogwarts, Hufflepuff."
"First-year?"
Lord Voldemort looked at the surrounding sea of fire; after Karl arrived, the violent Fiendfyre had become as if frozen. Was this something a first-year Little Wizard could do?
Moreover, Karl's stance clearly indicated he was here to kill him, but how was that possible?
Even if his main soul and later Horcrux had met with an accident, it was impossible to reveal his whereabouts and cut off his chance of resurrection.
Besides that, he was confident that no one else knew the ravenclaws diadem was hidden here.
"That's right, because it's Christmas, Professor Heller asked me to bring you a gift."
Karl smiled shyly; if not for the black Fiendfyre surrounding him, he would have looked like a harmless little rabbit.
In fact, he was a bit surprised at this moment, because Lord Voldemort's soul did not have the classic skin of a bald head and no nose.
Although he looked somewhat effeminate due to his pale complexion and gaunt cheeks, his appearance was still very handsome.
However, Karl thought about it and understood; the ravenclaws diadem was very likely the third Horcrux Lord Voldemort created.
The time should have been after he graduated and before he went to work at Borgin and Burkes Dark Arts shop.
He learned the whereabouts of the diadem from Helena, and then made it on the spot in Albania.
At that time, Lord Voldemort had not yet been disfigured, which was why he could bewitch Hepzibah Smith and obtain Salazar Slytherin's slytherins locket and Helga Hufflepuff's golden cup from her.
"Elvis Heller? And who is he?"
Lord Voldemort intended to stall for time to find a way to bewitch Karl and escape this death trap, so he put on a posture of wanting to converse.
"A follower of the ancient Greece Dark Wizard Herpo the Foul, the Parseltongue who bred the Basilisk and invented the creation of Horcrux."
Lord Voldemort:...
The despicable Herpo the Foul had been dead for so long, and yet he still had a follower? And he had actually leaked the secret of the Horcrux!
Damn it!
Lord Voldemort was silent for a while, then looked at Karl expressionlessly, "He sent you to kill me?"
"Of course, he told me who you are and where the Horcrux is, and he even taught me the Fiendfyre Curse."
Karl's answer left Lord Voldemort completely baffled; this person did not exist in his memory.
Why did he want to kill him? And why did he know the location of the Horcrux?
But these things were not important now; Lord Voldemort pulled himself together and began to bewitch Karl.
"Then what do you think? What benefits did he give you? It wouldn't be how to create a Horcrux, would it?"
"A Horcrux can allow a Wizard to escape death, but would that Elvis Heller really teach it to you?"
"Even if Elvis Heller were willing to teach you, those are just outdated knowledge. With your talent, why not learn better Horcrux magic?"
"Karl OLaughlin, even Herpo the Foul himself would not have gone further than I have on the path to immortality."
"The four founders of Hogwarts cannot, the great and universally praised Albus Dumbledore cannot; only I, Lord Voldemort, am the one who has truly conquered death."
"Child, a smart person should make a rational choice. How will you decide?"
Karl smiled and applauded this statement. Brilliant! Simply brilliant!
As expected of Senior Tom; he had a way with words. He felt like he would be an expert at pyramid schemes.
Amidst the applause, Lord Voldemort's expression gradually darkened, "I am disappointed. You have still chosen the wrong path."
Karl shrugged indifferently, and the Fiendfyre surrounded the diadem. "Sorry, Senior Tom, do you have any last words?"
"Fiendfyre can indeed kill me, but the Horcrux will also be destroyed. This is the ravenclaws diadem, a treasure that can increase the wearer's wisdom. Don't you feel it's a pity?"
"Anyway, I pose no threat to you, and you can kill me at any time. Why not find a method that can separate the soul without damaging the diadem?"
"I can help you. When that time comes, the ravenclaws diadem will belong to you alone."
While Lord Voldemort was speaking, he continued to use mind-bewitching Dark Arts in secret.
It was just a pity that with Fire Treasure guarding his inner fire, Karl's mind was perfectly clear and completely unaffected.
He marveled that Lord Voldemort was simply a lecturer who had mastered human nature. If Quirrell were here, he would probably have knelt down long ago, begging his master to accept him as a servant.
"There is an old saying in the East: 'When a man is dying, his words are good.' May I ask, Senior Tom, would you tell others the location of your Horcrux?"
Lord Voldemort stared fixedly at Karl's face, as if wanting to remember his appearance.
"Absolutely not. The location of a Horcrux is a secret, and the Horcrux itself is an even greater secret. Since it is a secret, it should not be known by others."
"Even if I controlled everything, even if the Horcrux were threatened, I would only tell others that it was merely my beloved possession."
"Therefore, Elvis Heller is a mysterious and dangerous person. You must be careful not to die at his hands."
After saying this, Lord Voldemort's eyes lit up with red light, and he no longer concealed his murderous intent and fury.
"You cannot kill me! Karl OLaughlin! We will meet again! And it will not be like this next time!"
Karl sincerely thanked Lord Voldemort and bowed elegantly with a hand over his chest once more.
"Thank you, Senior Tom. I look forward to meeting you again."
The black Fiendfyre pounced on the ravenclaws diadem, incinerating pitch-black, viscous stuff that looked like blood.
As the diadem shattered into pieces, Lord Voldemort let out a painful scream, and this piece of soul was completely destroyed.
"Goodbye!"