the Gambler

Tom sat idly in front of Dumbledore, and the old man kindly provided him with a whole plate of lemon sherbet and cockroach skewers. His unhappy mood became even more irritable when he saw the frantically flashing blue eyes behind the half-moon lenses .

"Tell me your purpose directly." Tom said impatiently. He had planned to personally monitor a certain alert Gryffindor, but now his plans were completely disrupted.

Dumbledore took out a roll of parchment from the left-hand drawer and spread it out in front of Tom, his eyes fixed on him, trying to catch any change.It was about Thomas Gaunt, the new Deputy Director of Law Enforcement, who had risen rapidly as a new politician, replacing the missing former Director, and became the youngest senior official of the Ministry of Magic with extremely high approval ratings.Tom quickly scanned the huge photo on the front page and snorted coldly.Looking up at Dumbledore again, his lips moved quickly: "His decision has nothing to do with me."

"But you're not surprised at all," said Dumbledore firmly.

"There's nothing that surprises me," said Tom. "You think I'm an insider."

"So, are you?"

"Yes." Tom waved his hands indifferently, found a comfortable position on the chair, raised his legs, and looked at Dumbledore with disdain.

Dumbledore grabbed a lemon sherbet and stuffed it into his mouth. The sweet and sour taste made him frown involuntarily.Tom turned his head aside in disgust, and looked at the tattered sorting hat curiously. He never knew that Gryffindor's sword was hidden here, which was too unexpected.Dumbledore stretched out his finger and tapped the tabletop, causing Tom to turn his head to look at him again.

"You are not satisfied with his decision." Dumbledore stated the observations bluntly, "He has affected your plan. I can't help but notice some interesting changes in Slytherin, combined with Harry's statement , I boldly guess that you have plans to take revenge from Voldemort. But he took an unexpected step and chose to add another layer of disguise to the identity of the Dark Lord, becoming an official of the Ministry of Magic in an attempt to rule the world through relatively formal means." Dumbledore chuckled, "However, it is not so easy to climb to the position of Minister of Magic. Scrimgeour is a man of swift action and means, and Voldemort will not wait patiently."

Tom snorted.

"That makes me doubt his purpose even more," said Dumbledore. "The conflict between you and Voldemort is concentrated in two places. First, you both want to rule the world and drive the half-breeds and Muggles out of the wizarding world, but No one will be subservient to the other, even if it is the same person at different times. I quickly ruled out this reason, because you can go back to the past and change the future. Then there is only one other possibility, and Voldemort wants it too Harry, live Harry, changed his mind for some unknown reason."

"Since you are so sure, why come to me for confirmation?"

"This is just a puzzle the old man has been trying to solve. Tom, your emotions and Voldemort's emotions are connected. Your love for Harry has also been transferred to him. This is what really changed his mind." Dumbledore Smiled, but the smile didn't reach the bottom of the eyes, "I guessed that you were cunning, but I didn't expect you to design Harry since the beginning of fifth grade. After that serious accident, I sorted out all the doubts , Parkinson and Nott are cunning and shrewd Slytherins, they will never act recklessly, there must be someone behind the scenes to fan the flames. And that object can only be you, Tom Riddle."

There was a brutal coldness about Tom.

"You are the best at deceiving people, but you didn't realize that the consequences would be so serious. Your purpose is to send Harry to the medical wing, and then deprive him of the opportunity to study the rune subjects carefully, so that he can only come into contact with a small part without causing trouble. Doubtful. Brilliant idea—you were supposed to be complacent at the time, and it wasn't until the news of Harry's near-death got to you that you realized your feelings. Am I correct in my analysis?" Dumbledore didn't wait for Tom. Answer, continue, "There is also that ring, it is not a simple space jumping device, magic, soul, partner, blood, linking the four together - excuse me, it is more like concluding some kind of ritual .Such as the binding, restriction and balance of magic power?"

"You are indeed a genius. It is quite powerful to think of this place, but there is one thing wrong." Tom leaned forward slightly, "The Dark Lord never lets threats exist, no matter how small. My game is Trelawney spitting out the prophecy I started building it the moment I was there, and with Harry's relentless nature, I couldn't take his attention away from the ceremony and focus on myself if I hadn't weaved so many life-and-death battles to set it up."

"Reverse induction." Dumbledore let out a long breath, "You are very dangerous. After finding out the heroism in Harry's character, you will use this to buy his heart in the future."

Just as Tom was about to retort, a silver wolf jumped in through the open window, stopped in front of Dumbledore, and bowed slightly.The Patronus opened its mouth, and Lupine's weary but loud voice came from inside: "Hogsmeade, Death Eaters ambush."

Dumbledore straightened up quickly, and Fawkes flew over his head with a long howl. The old man reached out and grabbed the phoenix's tail feathers, and the flames quickly engulfed his body. The next moment, Tom was left stunned in the entire principal's office.The boy glared viciously at the air ahead, rushed out of the office, and stopped in the clearing in front of the castle.Tom raised the ring to his mouth, and the little snake on it swam with hissing orders, and a huge force pulled his body——

The open space in front of a small house in Hogsmeade showed signs of fierce battles. Whether they were adults or students, these wizards were more or less scarred, but the obvious numerical advantage still made the situation overwhelming. .Surrounded by a group of Death Eaters, the three Gryffindors leaned on each other, glancing nervously around, trying to figure out a way to escape.

Voldemort waved for Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers to stay, and the other Death Eaters immediately dispersed and headed towards the center of the village.It has long been reduced to a battlefield, and Auror and Order of the Phoenix are leading a small group of villagers to meet the enemy.The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke, and from time to time, colored spells would emerge from the thick smoke. There were still many corpses lying crookedly on the ground, and the blood stained the nearby creek red.

Voldemort, who was satisfied with the status quo, grinned grinningly, and his cold gaze swept over Harry's body: "I've been thinking about what's special about you, Potter. In the end, you're just lucky."

"I don't deny your strength, Voldemort." Harry said calmly as he flicked off the spell with a firm grip on his wand. "Luck is also a kind of strength. And I have escaped from you more than once by relying on her."

"I wonder how long luck can save you." Voldemort taunted, he waved his wand gracefully, the ground where the three of them were on suddenly cracked, and Bellatrix and Rodolphus Rice Trange grabbed Hermione and Ron who were shaking respectively, and Labastan Lestrange grabbed Harry's arm and threw it in front of Voldemort.

"Rabastan, this is rude to our guests." Voldemort grinned. "I'm still looking forward to a gentleman's duel."

"Sorry, master," Rabastan said without shame.

Voldemort tilted his head to one side, motioning for the man to join in torturing Ron.Bellatrix's madness alone was enough for the girl.

"Don't touch them!" Harry roared loudly, the red light from the tip of the wand was bounced off by Bellatrix, and Hermione took the opportunity to cast a petrification spell on the witch, which was also easily dodged.

"You can only look at me." As soon as Voldemort finished speaking, red light brushed Harry's arm, and the nearby trees were engulfed in raging flames.He took a step forward, "I won't intentionally miss again."

Harry threw the Shattering Charm, and Voldemort dodged it sideways, and he threw the Petrification Charm, again missing.

"You still haven't made progress." Voldemort said disappointedly, "Didn't the kid teach you well?"

"Oh, he let me deepen my practice of silent and wandless spells." Harry raised the corner of his mouth, and a huge vine suddenly emerged from the ground and surrounded Voldemort's body. The branches slowly tightened around Voldemort, leaving behind several shocking lines. Wound.Voldemort let out a muffled laugh, easily dismissing the attacking tentacles, sending Harry a hurricane back, which was offset by another storm in the opposite direction.Harry raised his wand again, and Voldemort squinted his eyes, but nothing appeared, and he burst out laughing.

"Haven't learned a powerful spell yet, Potter?"

"Who knows." Harry lowered his head to avoid the oncoming red light, turned around and cast a curse on Bellatrix, who was fighting fiercely. The witch screamed, and Hermione quickly disarmed her opponent. .Unfortunately, Rodolphus also removed Hermione's wand the next moment, knocking the girl unconscious. Bellatrix took the wand from her husband and kicked Hermione a few times with a look of disdain.On the other side, Ron was still struggling to resist Rabastan's attack.The crazy witch pulled out a delicate dagger from the dragon leather boots, lifted Hermione's sleeve, and stabbed it in forcefully.After making sure Hermione couldn't break free, she cheerfully dispelled the effects of the Petrification Curse, laughing at the girl's low blood and worthlessness.

A moment of distraction caused Harry to be hit by an Eye Sickness Curse from an unknown corner, his vision suddenly became dark, and the last thing he saw was Ron's panicked face.Harry fled blindly. There were too many enemies. No matter how calm he was, he couldn't discern their coordinates. It was safer to move than to stay still.Relying on his vague memory, he rushed towards the stone wall next to him. Bellatrix yelled excitedly, and a red light shot at Harry's back. Pinch of black hair.He stretched out his hand forward, and the shattering curse hit the glass. The boy quickly jumped into the window hole, pressing his palm on the shattered glass, and the severe pain spread to the cerebral cortex.Harry spat a mouthful of bloody foam, rolled over and leaned against the other side of the wall, gasping for breath.

"Always hide, Potter," said Voldemort lazily. "Where's your Gryffindor courage?"

Ignoring the provocation, Harry stood there, nervously awaiting Voldemort's attack.Voldemort let out a hissing sound, and Harry quickly lowered his body and rushed to the side. The huge explosion created a deep pit with a radius of one meter in the place where he was hiding just now, and the flying dust made his throat itchy.But the instinct was still suppressed, he held his breath, and noticed more than one pair of footsteps coming towards this side.

"Come out, kid. Or do you want to hear that Mudblood scream?" Voldemort's indifferent voice made Harry freeze, and he was horrified to hear Bellatrix utter the words 'Cruciate'. Words, in the next second, his friend's shrill yell made his legs go weak and he fell to the ground.

Bellatrix raised her wand, and Hermione stopped screaming, a faint sob that penetrated Harry's ears even amid the laughter.He swallowed the rising acid, and slowly stepped out from behind the wall.Harry tripped over a Death Eater, his jaw slammed on the hard ground, and the salty, rusty taste came out of his mouth immediately.Everyone around burst into wild laughter. His head was stepped on by someone, and he stuck to the sharp stone surface with all his might. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move.Harry could hear Hermione crying to his left.

"The curse stops immediately," said Voldemort.

Harry blinked, even if he recovered his eyesight, he could only see Ron being tied up and thrown in the middle of another group of Death Eaters with his limited vision.

"I can feel your anger right here, Potter." Voldemort bent down, pressing his wand roughly into Harry's temple, "Eager to avenge your little friend?"

"Shut up, Voldemort!" Harry yelled, out of breath.

"It's scary, Harry." Joy almost overflowed from the corner of Voldemort's mouth. He walked around Harry slowly, with a relaxed expression like a king watching his subjects. The boy could almost imagine that under the camouflage spell, the What kind of expression does a handsome face have.He felt sick, and even when faced with the snake-faced Voldemort, he couldn't help but think of Tom.Maybe this is Tom's real plan, to cheat Harry's favor, so that he can't bear to do it.

A feeling of betrayal filled his chest.