bioinnovel Chapter 393 No Ifs
Chapter 393 No Ifs
Chapter 393 No Ifs
The next morning, Belvina, who was sleeping soundly, was awakened by a knock on the door.
She sat up impatiently, her hair disheveled, wearing her morning robe and slippers, and walked out of the bedroom.
No matter who's standing outside the door, disturbing someone's sleep is unforgivable. Belvina is going to show them what morning grumpiness is all about!
Angrily, Belvina flung open the door and saw a tall, thin old man standing outside, his silver hair and beard so long they could be tucked into his belt.
"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore!" Belvina's explosive morning grumpiness instantly dissipated. This guy is really not to be trifled with.
"I need your help with something," Dumbledore said. "I wanted to tell you last night, but I couldn't find you."
Speaking of last night, Belvina recalled the fear of being dominated by Mrs. Weasley.
"Okay, I'll go get ready and be right out!"
After saying that, Belvina disappeared like a gust of wind, and soon reappeared like a gust of wind again.
When Belvina stood at the door again, her disheveled long hair had become smooth and shiny, and she had changed her morning clothes into more appropriate attire.
"Professor, I'm ready."
"No rush, you should eat something first," Dumbledore said. "We need to go on a long trip."
As Dumbledore spoke, he pointed to the breakfast laid out on the table.
This was sent by Dumbledore's house-elves while Belvina was washing up.
"You can eat while I talk," Dumbledore continued. "You should remember our trip to Little Hangleton last time, right?"
"Of course I remember." Belvina tore off a piece of bread. "Are we going to Little Hangleton to look for Horcruxes later?"
Dumbledore nodded and continued, "That's right, the place we're going to next is Gaunt's Old House, where the Horcruxes are kept."
While Belvina was having breakfast, Dumbledore gave her a general overview of the area around Gaunt's old house, focusing on the magic that protected the Horcruxes.
In addition, Dumbledore told Belvina some extremely important things—the way Voldemort came from.
"Belvina, do you believe that Morfin Gaunt is the murderer of the Riddle family?" Dumbledore asked.
"According to the department's files, Gaunt confessed to the crime of killing the Riddle family, and his wand was indeed the murder weapon used to kill the Riddles."
Belvina thought for a moment, then said, "But I feel there's something wrong with this case. Feng has been out of prison for a long time. If he really wanted to kill Riddle, why would he wait so many years?"
The Riddle family, living in Little Hangleton, were Muggles and no match for the wizard Morfin Gaunt. Killing the family of three would be easier for Gaunt than killing a chicken.
"And I've heard something else," Belvina continued, "After Gaunt was arrested, he repeatedly told people in the ministry that I had lost his ring and that he would kill me."
Belvina heard about this from some older people in the department, and she didn't know if it was true or not.
"He kept repeating that phrase while he was in Azkaban," Dumbledore said. "As far as I know, the ring Morfin was talking about should be a family heirloom of the Gaunt family."
"So that means Gaunt lost the family heirloom when he killed the Riddles, something that wasn't mentioned in the Ministry's files," Belvina chuckled. "That's very much in line with the Ministry's style."
Morfin Gaunt has already confessed, and his wand was the murder weapon; the evidence is irrefutable, so the Ministry of Magic naturally doesn't want to waste any more effort.
As for the Gaunt family heirloom that Morfin lost, the Ministry of Magic probably didn't care and simply ignored it.
"Ever since I got the locket from you, I've been searching for Voldemort's past and looking for clues about the Horcruxes," Dumbledore said. "I've been to many places and met many people."
Belvina nodded. She knew Dumbledore had been searching for Horcruxes, but she didn't know how he found them.
"I saw Morphin in Azkaban, and I found a crucial memory deep within his mind," Dumbledore continued. "On the day the Riddles were murdered, Morphin saw Voldemort."
Instantly, Belvina felt that the breakfast placed in front of her was no longer appetizing.
If Morfin Gaunt met Voldemort on the day the Riddles were murdered, could it be argued that the culprit behind this horrific crime was actually someone else?
Wait a minute, the Riddle family murders happened fifty years ago. How old was Voldemort back then? He was probably still studying at Hogwarts!
Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain. In Belvina's mind, Voldemort was a born bad seed. What kind of good person could someone be who could release a basilisk and frame classmates during their school days?
As expected, Voldemort was indeed a born bad seed.
On the day Morfin Gaunt met Voldemort, the Riddle family was murdered. If the murder had nothing to do with Voldemort, Belvina would have jumped out of the classroom window.
"Morphin met Voldemort in his student days, and then the Riddle family died, and the Gaunt family ring disappeared," Dumbledore continued. "Clearly, Voldemort took that ancient ring."
"Professor, did Voldemort use the Imperius Curse to control Gaunt, or did Voldemort steal Gaunt's wand?" Belvina asked, already convinced that Voldemort was the culprit.
"There is no evidence or memory to support your guess," Dumbledore shook his head. "However, we can be certain that Voldemort knocked out Morphin and took his wand. After killing Riddle, he returned to Gaunt's old house and implanted a false memory into his uncle's mind."
It was because of the false memories implanted by Voldemort that Morfin Gaunt confessed to his crimes at the Ministry of Magic, admitting that he had murdered the Riddle family.
"If only the Ministry of Magic had investigated this case more thoroughly back then," Belvina sighed. "If we had followed the missing ring, we might have found Voldemort back in school."
Before meeting Harry Potter, the boy who miraculously survived, Voldemort's start was rather miserable, but his life was remarkably smooth sailing.
Whether it was opening the Chamber of Secrets to release the Basilisk or murdering the Riddle family, no one suspected Voldemort.
If Headmaster Armando Dippet had been able to uncover the truth, Hagrid wouldn't have been wrongly expelled from school, and Voldemort wouldn't have escaped justice.
If the Ministry of Magic had conducted a thorough investigation and found this memory in Morphine's mind, just as Dumbledore had done, Voldemort would not have been able to continue to evade justice.
However, there are no "what ifs" in life. Neither Armando Dippet nor the Ministry of Magic were able to find the real culprit or stop the most dangerous dark wizard in history.
"I suddenly realized that Voldemort really likes to frame other people," Belvina said. "He opened the Chamber of Secrets, but Hagrid was the one who got expelled. He killed Riddle, but his uncle Morfin Gaunt was the murderer."
"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "He was already quite adept at framing people back in the orphanage."
With that, Dumbledore stood up.
"It's about time, we should go," said Dumbledore.
"Professor, could the Horcrux hidden in Gaunt's old house be that missing ring?"
As Belvina spoke, she stood up, unaware of the fleeting sadness on Dumbledore's face.
The two walked out of the Muggle Studies classroom one after the other, passed through the quiet castle, and arrived at the equally quiet ground.
The celebrations lasted until midnight, and the private celebrations in Gryffindor continued until almost dawn; the students should now be sound asleep.
After a while, Dumbledore and Belvina crossed the wide grounds and walked out of the school gates.
In an instant, the two professors disappeared from the gates of Hogwarts and reappeared in the distance at Little Hangleton.
Belvina stood outside Little Hangleton, the warm summer sun shining overhead. Before her lay the small village nestled on the hillside, and in the distance, the burned-down church and cemetery. Further up the hillside lay the dilapidated Riddle House.
Looking at Riddle House on the hillside, Belvina was filled with emotion. She thought of the dead Crouch and his son, as well as Voldemort and old Tom Riddle.
Dumbledore and Belvina only stayed outside the village for a short while before continuing on their way.
They walked a short distance along the path outside Little Hangleton village, then turned right and came to a tall, dense hedge.
"Keep going through this woods, and you'll reach Gaunt's old house," Dumbledore said, stopping in his tracks. "The Horcruxes are over there."
Belvina nodded, and her lazy demeanor immediately vanished.
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