the Gambler

Time seemed to stand still.

The only sound in the entire secret room was the heavy breathing of the two of them.Tom blinked a few times, his heart was still pounding in his chest, he stuck out his tongue and tasted the blood mixed with tears at the corner of his mouth.It was so disgusting that he never wanted to feel it again in his life.

Then, his briefly disabled brain started working again.

Harry was crying.The broken tears fell pattered down Tom's face and broke into pieces.The boy's shoulders kept shaking, and the wand rolled to the ground.The last green light failed to emerge from the tip.

Unexpected and reasonable.The reason why the Three Unforgivable Curses are considered the most evil magic is because he requires the caster to really want to hurt the other party.Without firm determination and strong strength, even the simplest Imperius Curse would be difficult to cast, let alone the Killing Curse.

Tom sighed.The sudden sense of relief was replaced by a deep sadness, and he hesitated to reach out and press the silently crying boy into his arms.His heart seemed to be pinched and kneaded by a pair of big hands, and dense pain spread along the blood vessels. For a moment, he really thought that he would close his eyes forever.The bargaining chip was rolled out by himself, and he was already ready to accept it, even if things went out of control.

However, he is still alive.

Tom's sharp eyes looking at Harry suddenly softened, like the melting ice of the Black Lake in early spring.

"You love me." The hoarse voice from his throat made Tom stunned for a moment, and his voice even trembled a little.Harry in his arms also stiffened, "You don't really want to kill me."

Dead silence.

"You love me." Tom's chest heaved violently, he breathed in the dusty air, and his muffled laughter slowly became crazy. This was the first time he had shown a real smile in days, even now The scene is ridiculous, "You love me, Harry! You love me! God, you love me!" He grabbed Harry's shoulders and made the boy meet his eyes, and the other party's surprise only made his smile more publicized , he was about to go crazy, and the crazy emotions collided fiercely, so he could only let go.

"I love you, Harry, I love you bloody hell! I'm sorry for being so blind." Tom wiped the tears off Harry's cheeks with his hand, and kissed Harry's forehead tenderly.His lips brushed against the lightning scar, and his tone was rarely so sincere, "Never leave me, ever."

An unbearable silence.

Tom frowned, love is what they need, isn't it?That old fellow Dumbledore thought so too.

"I can't, Tom, your ideas are completely different from mine, we are both too stubborn, and no one is willing to compromise." The boy's trembling voice was wrapped in the thick sadness of the night, and Tom's heart suddenly twitched violently, and he tried to stretch out Harry's hand stopped in mid-air. "I'd rather be bruised than numb."

Tom clenched his fists.

"You won't change your distaste for Muggles. If I can't stop you, I can only stand against you. Love? It's such a ridiculous word, isn't it? We have proved time and time again that behind this hopeless relationship is only each other. The harm exists," Harry firmly pressed his index finger on Tom's lips, the appearance of Tom lying in a pool of blood was still burning his retinas, he gritted his teeth and focused on the person in front of him, "From the beginning, you shouldn't Come here. I'll take you back in time."

"Harry—" Tom felt empty as if he had lost a part of his body, and a panic that he had never felt before took over his mind, and this growing fascination with the boy was terrifying.For the first time, he felt at a loss. Harry was like a grain of sand in his hand that was lost between his fingers. The more he tried to grasp it, the more he disappeared.

"Back to your time and space, Tom, I can't bear it anymore. This has crossed the moral line, and I will never forgive you for the harm you have done to the Dursleys." Harry whispered to Tom, "I can't see You become Voldemort and don't stop it. Since I can't kill you, it's easy not to see each other again."

Suddenly, sweet music sounded in the empty secret room, and the ethereal chirping made both of them stiffen.They looked at the dark hole at the same time. A golden-red bird came out of the shadows. It flapped its flaming wings and hovered continuously in the sky. Its long tail slid past Harry's arched back from time to time.

"Fox?" Harry said in surprise.

Phoenix let out a long roar, and put his head on Harry's neck.

"Mr. Dumbledore is here too?" Harry continued to ask, Fox stopped dawdling, his dark eyes turned to Tom, the sharp claws of the phoenix lightly hooked into the soft clothes, it shook its body a few times, very uncomfortable Flying willingly to Tom's side, tears slowly dripped on the other's naked//exposed wound, and the skin healed quickly.Then, Fox quickly backed away as if he had been shocked by electricity, and rested on Harry's shoulder again, Phoenix shook his head.

"The Headmaster told you to do this?" Harry stroked Fox's feathers.Phoenixes are very spiritual creatures, they have distinct likes and dislikes, if they don't have a pure soul, it's hard to be favored, let alone make a contract.If Fox would make such a decision, it must be Dumbledore's will.Harry glanced at the watch in his hand. It wasn't half an hour, and Myrtle probably hadn't left.But it wasn't too strange, considering how omnipotent Dumbledore was, he might have guessed that Harry and Tom were in the Chamber of Secrets.

This time, Fawkes flew into the air, staring at Harry firmly.

"You want to take us back?"

The phoenix flapped its wings merrily and circled over Harry's head.The boy straightened up from his kneeling position and reached out to grab Fox's shiny golden tail. He looked hesitantly at Tom, who hugged his body without hesitation.The two were carried easily to the other end of the pipe, just in time to meet Myrtle's surprised face.

"You're alive!" she yelled.

"Thank you for your explanation." A kind voice cut in.It's Dumbledore.His bright blue eyes flicked across Harry and Tom's bodies, repaired the tattered Slytherin robes with a flick of his wand, and said softly, "I hope you don't mind letting Harry out."

"I don't mind," said Tom muffled, looking like a kid who's lost his candy.Had it not been for the seriousness of the situation, Harry might have looked at the other in surprise, suspecting that he had knocked out his brain in a one-sided duel.

"I'm sorry I couldn't grant you your wish," said Dumbledore cheerfully, and Tom reluctantly let go of Harry's arm and stepped back.During this process, Harry didn't look at Tom. Dumbledore's frown was a good indication that he had discovered the anomaly. To Harry's pleasure, he didn't intend to ask further, which would make the situation even more embarrassing .

The three followed Fox and followed the corridor to the first fork in the road.Dumbledore stopped and turned to Tom: "Go to the medical wing and find Madam Pomfrey. She will give you a full body check. I hope you won't run around after that."

Tom took a step forward, and Harry watched the back of the other silently. When he was about to disappear, he suddenly looked back at Harry and Dumbledore.Without saying anything, Tom turned his head and continued walking until his body was completely engulfed in darkness.

"What do you want to tell me, Harry?" Dumbledore looked at Harry kindly.

"I couldn't bring myself to kill Tom. I just—couldn't." Harry lowered his eyes, feeling guilty all over his body, he didn't know what Dumbledore would think.Harry was sure that the headmaster would be disappointed because of this. Yes, as a soldier of the light side, in the face of a murderer who was slowly growing into a full of evil——Tom couldn't do it.He fiddled with the fabric at the corner of his clothes uneasily, saying that it was fine for him to have no ambitions, but what Harry cared about the most was Dumbledore's attitude. The old man was his guiding light, and he believed in him unconditionally.

"Even after Tom killed the Dursleys?" Dumbledore's tone was flat, making Harry suspect that he had really let him down.The boy couldn't hold back a slight gasp.Dumbledore walked around the table and walked to Harry, reaching out and ruffling his black hair: "No, Harry, you are very brave. Even in the face of the murderer who killed your own family, you still insist on moral principles. This It's a very noble quality."

This is wrong.Harry is not such a noble person.He didn't dare to look up into Dumbledore's eyes, it was selfishness that allowed him to make such a decision.If you tell Dumbledore, what will he think, will the pair of sapphires full of love be covered by the haze?Just imagining the old man's silent disappointment made Harry feel like he had been stripped naked and left in the ice and snow.He didn't want to tell Dumbledore, but a huge sense of guilt was eating away at the last of his pride.

Then, all the boredom burst the moment Dumbledore put his hand on his shoulder.

Harry was out of breath with excitement, those suppressed emotions exploded under Dumbledore's understanding eyes, he didn't know where he got the courage suddenly, the boy reached out and pushed the neatly folded documents on the desktop On the ground, the ink bottle fell to the ground, the glass splashed, and the dark green liquid made the white wool blanket dirty.Harry squatted down, wrapping his arms around his knees, dry balls swirling rapidly around his closed eyelids.He made a few hoarse guttural sounds, very very soft, just like such a cowardly self, as humble as an ant.

"You misread me, sir," Harry whispered, breathless with guilt, "I-I couldn't kill him for reasons that weren't so noble—" Harry paused, "I love he."

"I said you were like me, Harry," said Dumbledore softly. "Love is not something to be condemned."

Harry stared at the old man dumbfounded, and stammered, "But he's Voldemort!"

"Love itself is not right or wrong. You don't need to suppress your emotions. If this is the truth, Tom's approach is extremely wrong. He is slowly walking on Voldemort's old path. I didn't think clearly. Changing him is important to you. It’s too hard to say,” Dumbledore’s tone was filled with unconcealable pain, Harry even saw a tear in it, and subconsciously, he felt that the old man was talking about more than just Harry, perhaps with that mysterious lover relevant.The boy lowered his eyelids not to look at Dumbledore, but the heavy question still came into his ears, "What are you going to do next?"

Harry stood up straight and held his head high. The determination in his eyes made Dumbledore's stomach sink unconsciously.

"I'm going to send Tom back, the sooner the better."