the Gambler

Myrtle hovered beside Harry, seeming to be aware of the boy's bad mood. She wasn't as noisy as usual, and just looked at the golden faucet on the sink quietly together.The strange hissing sound from the boy's throat filled the room with white light, and the pool slowly moved to the side, revealing the dark pipes underneath.

"You don't need to go down." Myrtle said, looking at Harry worriedly. "It's too dangerous. Riddle is very angry, very angry. I don't know what he will do."

"I have to go." Harry forced his facial muscles to show an ugly smile, Myrtle frowned, he stopped the ghost from going on, and comforted her, "I will protect myself, Myrtle, if you are really worried —” Harry said with feigned ease, “If I’m not back in half an hour, remind Dumbledore for me, will you?”

Myrtle nodded.

Harry jumped in and slid down the zigzag tube, his anxiety growing with every step closer to the bottom.The tunnel had never been so long, and Harry's body kept hitting the slimy stone wall. When he was about to reach the ground, he adjusted his body, trying to let his toes land on the wet ground first.The unexpected slip made Harry instinctively support his body with his hands, and the sticky green juice on his palm made him frown even tighter, and his face became more gloomy.Harry followed the eerie tunnel to the stone wall, where it was already open to welcome him.

Tom has come.

Harry clenched his wand and stood in the empty room, his nerves strained to the extreme by the grave-like silence.He listened carefully for any slight sound.Suddenly there was a splashing sound of treading water from behind, and Harry's wand almost fell out of his hand.He turned around quickly, and Tom appeared from an unknown corner, his clothes were not neatly arranged, his hair was messed up, and he looked as if he had just had a hearty duel.Tom straightened his disheveled robes, looking icy.He looked as if he had eaten a box of conch, which Harry wasn't surprised at all, Tom had been quite unhappy these days.

There was a subtle feeling in Harry's chest, tight.The thrill of success with a bit of revenge is more of a depression that I can't even describe.

Harry suddenly felt out of breath, the previous doubts were about to be verified, and he didn't know what answer he wanted.The legs seemed to be filled with lead, and they were too heavy to move forward or backward.Harry squeezed his arm, raised his chin to meet Tom's dark lake-blue eyes, the storm within swirled to swallow him up.He looked at the air in front of him in confusion, and after clearing his complicated emotions, he slowly walked to a distance less than three meters away from Tom and stopped.

"You're finally here." Tom said calmly, the flickering firelight hit the boy's chiseled face, with a feminine beauty.The other party's hungry eyes made Harry feel as sticky as if he was surrounded by poisonous snakes. He rubbed the goosebumps that appeared in groups on his arms, but didn't say a word.

"I've been wanting to be alone with you these days, but you are eager to stay away from me, and even change the password of the portrait - I must find a way to get close to you, have a good talk with you, and if possible, isolating you is also a good idea choice." Tom opened his arms, and his brisk tone made Harry uncomfortable, "So I easily persuaded those disgusting poor people to sneak up on you—" He quickly turned cold, his voice hissed with anger Hiss, "Mudblood Hermione Granger, she found out, and even persuaded the DA members to surround you, so that I have no reason to approach you properly," Tom returned to his calm self again, and said nonchalantly, "Can you Thinking of how annoyed I was, I wanted to use Cruciatus on her, but this would reveal my identity, and I would never risk confirming her guess. Because you will find clues—” Tom shortened the distance between the two, and said Harry's outstretched hand was sideways, his pretty eyebrows frowned.

"Where have you been?" said Harry, pointing his wand at Tom's chest, his breath coming slowly and rapidly.

"What do you mean?" Tom put on an innocent expression.

"Dumbledore didn't know you could sneak out, but I do. You have almost half an hour to spare before Herbalism class." Harry was also shocked by his calm mood, "The Chamber of Secrets leads to the Forbidden Forest , you have also obtained a license to Apparate, and you can leave Hogwarts at any time."

"A very thorough analysis." Tom was undeterred, his piercing blue eyes glued to Harry, his fingers casually playing with his wand.The boy stood upright, his elegant temperament was incompatible with the dirty environment.

Harry stared at the weapon in the opponent's hand, ready to attack.Contrary to his cautiousness, Tom had a strange smile on his face.Harry suppressed his anxiety and looked at the black-haired Slytherin: "Tell me where you went."

"Don't trust me, Harry?" Pleasant tone.

"No one would be foolish enough to trust a young Dark Lord."

"I've let me down," Tom admitted graciously. "My dear, are you doubting me? It hurts how much you believed in Voldemort at the Order of the Phoenix meeting. Don't doubt his Death Eaters come and doubt me," his eyes were merciless, and the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood on end.There was a harsh sneer, and Tom moved closer to Harry, who advanced his wand.Not paying attention to the wooden stick on his chest, Tom lowered his voice and said sweetly and softly, "Then trust your own judgment, maybe I really visited a few Muggles."

Harry froze, his face pale.The truth is not so unexpected.

"No. [-], Privet Road, Xiaohuijin District, you are very familiar with it."

"That's impossible." Harry murmured, he suppressed his trembling and looked at Tom, carefully searching for traces of the other party's lying.Nothing at all.Because that's the truth, he reminded himself, isn't that what you've come to in the first place?Why deny the results, Harry Potter?Don't act like a jabbering girl, you know Tom isn't one to be changed.

"Self-denial is not your strong point, Harry," said Tom kindly.

"They didn't do anything to you!" Harry clenched his fists and roared angrily, "Why kill them! The Dursleys don't want anything to do with magic! If you want to rule the world, they I won't stop it!" The nails were deeply embedded in the flesh, and Harry's voice began to tremble violently, "Why? Why? Is this for revenge on me?"

"It's true that they didn't do anything to me, but they did to you." The emotion in Tom's eyes was far less calm than his tone, as if his soul had been torn in two, one burning fiercely, the other watching indifferently.He chuckled, and through the lids, his completely blood-red eyes froze on Harry, "I feel jealous, Harry Potter. I hate Voldemort, he laughs at me all the time," Tom reached out and nodded. On his own temple, "I can feel his joy and your struggle, every second, every second, you are slowly attracted to him, even if you keep denying it. I just hope you realize the cruelty of war. If it is Voldemort, he will make the same decision. Guess my purpose is probably to transfer your hatred to him?"

Harry felt a big hole in his chest, and the cold wind was blowing in.Otherwise, how could he be so cold.

"Who would've thought you'd maintain a mental connection," Tom said, "You're beyond my belief."

"I don't. You have the same soul as him, and I can't resist his charm. It's a soulmate's fault," Harry retorted weakly, "but you can't hurt someone for that reason."

"The only thing I want to protect is you. You don't know how dangerous Voldemort is, Harry, you're playing with fire."

"I know he's dangerous—" Harry looked up, just in time to see Tom, now in all blood red, look like Voldemort.He gasped, stepped back several meters, and distanced himself from the Slytherins.Harry recalled that when he was in the second grade, in the same position, Tom the Diary also told himself bluntly with a beautiful smile that he had the ability to confuse people at will.It now appears that Harry was also easily bewitched by Tom.

"I won't forgive you," Harry said firmly, and the red light shot from the holly wand hit Tom's arm directly, and the yew wand flew out and fell into the nearby waterway.The black robe was torn apart by an invisible force, blood gushed out, soaked the soft fabric, and many drops fell into puddles on the ground.Tom's eyes narrowed slightly, his face was cold and hard. Instead of looking at his wand, he walked slowly towards Harry. The Gryffindor boy quickly glanced at the other's empty palm, and turned his attention back to Tom's face again.

Tom gave a twisted grin that looked terribly frightening.Harry backed away in a hurry, hitting his back against the dark stone wall.

Something was wrong, he closed his eyes tightly and waited for a while, but he didn't hear the approaching footsteps, opened his eyelids again, Tom still looked like an old god.Harry eyed him suspiciously, not knowing what to do with Tom's indifference.He tried to lower the Occlumency walls to sense the other person's true emotions, and this time, Harry couldn't even breathe in his throat.

"Take up your weapons!" Harry yelled.He didn't want to deal with the unarmed Tom. Since he wanted to fix this accidental relationship, he had to at least have a duel in an upright manner.It seemed that all the strength of his body was concentrated in the palm of his hand, and the trembling of his wand echoed his master's emotions. Harry clenched his fists tightly. Compared with his mood, the pain was not so uncomfortable.

Tom didn't move.

Harry mustered up his courage, rushed towards Tom in a few steps, grabbed him by the hem of his clothes, and threw him to the ground hard.Harry straddled the Slytherin with his legs spread, and repeated angrily, "Take your weapons!"

"What if I say no?" Tom said softly, the dirty water had gradually seeped into the wound, and the intense tingling was the only way to counteract the inexplicable dullness in his chest.Is that guilt?He didn't know, but he didn't like the fact that Harry was looking at him like he was about to make a heart-wrenching decision.Tom stretched out his good arm, and wrapped his slightly larger hand around Harry's hand, which was still shaking slightly while holding the wand.

It must end, no matter what space-time paradox, all mistakes must end at this moment.

Harry took a deep breath, pressed his wand firmly into Tom's chest, and read out the all-too-familiar Latin in the latter's astonished eyes:

"Avada Kedavra."