With extraordinary comprehension, I built a floating city at Hogwarts.

Page 138

"And then there's the annoying Malfoy... the enviable Levin Grimm... the meddling Granger... and his very, very best friend, the great hero Harry Potter..."

Riddle made no attempt to hide his true feelings from Ron.

If Ron wakes up, he'll probably want to dig a hole and bury himself.

But Tom's rant wasn't over yet; it seemed he had a ton of things to say that he just had to get off his chest.

"This idiot... why does he have so many worries and feel so inferior?"

"He really is an idiot. He wants to show off, wants good grades, wants to be in the spotlight like you... but he just can't learn the magic I teach him, and he can't even finish one book in a month! All he does all day is count his few crappy Galleons..."

"But I patiently pretended to be a caring older brother, listening to a twelve-year-old wizard talk about his childish worries, and even helping him with his homework."

"You know, when I was twelve, I had already gathered a group of friends, secretly studying the knowledge of the forbidden book zone, and even started thinking about how to conquer death."

Riddle let out a cold, piercing laugh, unlike what a sixteen-year-old child would say.

This made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand on end.

“Not to brag, Harry, but I’ve always been able to charm people at will. So, Ron opened her whole soul to me, and his life and soul just happened to be exactly what I needed… That’s what I took from him!”

“Of course, a good person like me never takes without giving,” Riddle08 added, “so I’ve also helped Ron a lot.”

"What did Ron make you do?" Harry asked, his throat feeling parched.

“Can’t you guess yet, Harry Potter?” Riddle said softly.

“Apart from that stupid cat, all the other people who were ‘attacked’ did so at his own will.”

“That’s impossible!” Harry shouted. Ron could never be that kind of person.

“No, that’s possible.” Riddle’s smile grew even more smug. “Ron hated that mud-blood Colin. He was always taking pictures of you, disrupting your daily life, so I attacked Colin.”

"And what about Justin? He has nothing to do with Ron."

“That ungrateful bastard Justin, you showed him great mercy by using the power bestowed upon you by Slytherin to help him, and he repays kindness with enmity. How can I let him get away with this?”

"As for Malfoy, who is the thorn in your side? Do you even need to think about it? Not to mention he's cursing you behind your back! For your sake, I had to personally eliminate the descendants of my followers—isn't that truly selfless?"

Upon hearing this, Harry immediately recalled their experience of drinking Polyjuice Potion to try and get information out of Malfoy, only to end up having to agree with his own self-criticism.

“No, no, there’s also Marietta! She has nothing to do with me or Ron, does she?” Harry said weakly.

“Yes, yes,” Riddle chuckled contentedly. “But this young lady is purely Lockhart’s scapegoat. Ron has told me more than once that you hate that liar Lockhart…”

At this point, Riddle revealed a malicious smile. "See? I was just following Ron's orders during all four attacks. This is my reward to him!"

"And he did all this for you, Harry. Even I am moved by his deep affection for you!"

“Ron wouldn’t attack them!” Harry retorted angrily.

“Yes, of course this idiot wouldn’t have the guts to do these things, he only dares to write them down,” Riddle nodded in agreement.

“And I don’t need him to know. He still thinks he’s just venting his emotions in his diary, but I’m turning those rants into attacks that I want.”

Is this how you fulfill other people's wishes?

This is just like the Black Grail.

“But you didn’t kill anyone,” Harry said, a hint of pride in his voice. “Last time you at least killed a myrtle, but this time, you didn’t kill a single cat… no, not even a single one. Soon the mandrake will ripen, and all those petrified people will come back to life.”

But Riddle was not provoked. He simply said softly, "Didn't I just tell you? Their deaths or not don't matter. What matters is you."

“I said from the beginning that I brought you here because I need you.”

"I need your help to take the final step and break free from the confines of this diary."

“I won’t do anything for you.” Harry met his gaze fearlessly.

“Oh, is that so? That’s really pitiful,” Riddle shook his head. “I’m referring to Ron. Think about it, Ron trusted his beloved Harry so much, he was willing to take four lives for you, and in the end, he was ruined because of Harry’s lack of cooperation.”

Riddle didn't finish his sentence, but Harry knew what he wanted to say.

"You're despicable!" Harry roared, his fists still clenched tightly.

“Despicable?” Riddle stared in disbelief, as if he had heard something ridiculous. “You actually call your enemy despicable? Isn’t it only natural to be despicable towards your enemies? What has Dumbledore been teaching you? Is he trying to mold you into a saint?”

Harry took a deep breath:

"Of course I can help you, but you have to release Ron first! Otherwise, I'd rather die with you."

Upon hearing this, Riddle looked at Harry with admiration: "It seems that Ron really is your best friend, isn't he?"

"You may have noticed that my current state is different from that of ordinary people. I am just a memory, a fragmented soul, which has to be attached to the diary. If I want to be completely resurrected, I need to offer a sacrifice to release my soul from the diary."

"So, are you willing to take Ron Weasley's place and become this sacrifice?"

Riddle's tone was not threatening; he simply looked at him with a meaningful gaze.

"Have you thought this through? This is the most important decision of your life. Once you make a choice, there's no going back."

So ask yourself honestly, are you willing to give everything for Ron Weasley?

In that instant, Harry remembered many things: how he met Ron on the train, their shared adventures during their first year.

He remembered Ron appearing out of nowhere in his car to rescue him from the Dursleys, and how they rode together to Hogwarts...

They studied together, played together, ate together, and lived together...

Ron was indeed his best friend.

"I...do!"

Harry forced out three words, each one seemingly weighing a ton.

At that moment, he felt as if a strange connection had been established between him and Ron in front of him.

They seem to be getting closer.

But before Harry could even indulge in this wonderful fantasy, Tom Riddle's face broke into a smug smile.

Just then, music drifted in from somewhere.

Riddle turned around abruptly, staring at the empty secret room.

The music grew louder and louder; the sound was ethereal, mysterious, and exhilarating.

It made Harry's hair stand on end and caused his heart to swell to twice its normal size.

The music grew louder and louder, until Harry felt as if it were vibrating right inside his chest.

Just then, flames suddenly shot out from the top of the nearest stone pillar.

A deep red bird, as big as a crane, suddenly descended from the sky and played its strange music on the arched ceiling.

It has a golden tail, as long as a peacock's tail, and a pair of golden claws, in which it clutches a tattered package.

A second later, the large bird flew straight toward Harry. It tossed the tattered thing on its claws at Harry's feet, then perched heavily on Harry's shoulder, its warm body pressed against Harry's cheek, its gaze fixed firmly on Riddle.

“It’s a phoenix…” Riddle glared at it just as fiercely.

“That thing—” Riddle turned his gaze back to the tattered object Fox had just thrown down, “it’s that old Sorting Hat from school.”

Riddle burst into laughter: "That's what Dumbledore gave to his protector! A singing bird and a tattered hat! Harry Potter, do you think you've got guts? Do you think you're safe?"

Harry grabbed the hat and haphazardly put it on his head.

"Help me—help me—" Harry thought, his eyes pressed tightly under his hat. "Please help me."

But the Sorting Hat did not answer him.

On the contrary, the hat felt tighter and tighter, as if an invisible hand was desperately clenching it.

Clang! Something hard and heavy landed on Harry's head, almost knocking him unconscious.

He grabbed the top of the hat, trying to pull it off, but felt a long, hard thing underneath.

A gleaming silver sword appeared inside the hat, its hilt inlaid with a dazzling egg-sized ruby.

Suddenly, Fawkes took flight, flapping its wings rapidly as it circled above the two of them. Then, something landed on Harry's lap—the diary.

Without thinking or hesitating, Harry grabbed the Gryffindor sword and pointed it at the diary.

"Release Ron!" he shouted. "I know your true form is hidden in this diary. If I destroy this diary, you will die, right? So, if you don't want to disappear, let Ron go."

clap clap!

After Harry finished speaking, Riddle's applause rang out in the Chamber of Secrets.

“Not bad, Harry, you are indeed a very good student, having learned my methods so quickly—the ‘despicable’ methods you speak of. Perhaps that’s why you can use Parsley. Look, Harry, you’re actually quite like me, aren’t you? I must say, you are indeed suited for Slytherin.”

Riddle changed the subject, but Harry wouldn't forget the important matter.

"Stop with the nonsense, Riddle, release Ron, or you know the consequences!"

He stared intently into the other man's eyes, trying to discern something, but Riddle's gaze held only indifference.

“Unfortunately, I must remind you of one thing: not all methods can be imitated,” the translucent wizard sneered. “Not everyone can be threatened by you. So, destroy the diary, Harry. Plunge your sword in.”

Riddle's reply made Harry's eyes widen.

What, is this guy really that tough? It's like I'm the villain.

"Think carefully, the diary is in my hands!" Ha, panicked, threatened with an even louder voice.

But all they got in return was louder laughter.

"Then stab me. If you stab me, I'll die. You won't be scared, will you?"

"Or, would you rather not murder a stranger's soul, even if it harms your best friend or attacks your classmate?"

Harry slowly raised his eyes to meet Riddle's smiling face.

"You think I'd hesitate? No, you murderer of Ron!"

Harry's voice was filled with hatred as he raised the Gryffindor sword and thrust it downwards.

With a terrible, prolonged, ear-piercing scream, streams of ink gushed from the diary, flowing down Harry's hands and onto the floor.

Riddle's body twisted and began to blur, but Harry noticed that before he disappeared, a look of pleasure appeared on his face.

With a thud, Harry's wand fell to the ground, and everything fell silent except for the sound of ink still dripping from the diary.

Harry wanted to pick up the wand.

But after taking just one step, he discovered that his body had become inexplicably weak.

This single step alone exhausted all my strength.