[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-chill-i-m-not-that-riddle":3,"chapter-hogwarts-chill-i-m-not-that-riddle-hogwarts-chill-i-m-not-that-riddle-chapter-271":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Hogwarts: Chill, I'm Not That Riddle",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1763665,2336,"Chapter 271: Another Way to Make Money","hogwarts-chill-i-m-not-that-riddle-chapter-271",271,"\u003Cp>——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Appare Vestigium\" was a tracking spell — one that could replay traces of magic, lingering magical energy, or faint echoes of what had recently happened in an area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, such magic had its limits. Dumbledore knew well that he couldn’t perfectly reconstruct the past scene; the spell was more useful for gauging just how intense a battle had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the result didn’t disappoint him — though it did trouble him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blizzard had swept across the area, and after that, the vision became a blur of white and chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant the magic had reached its limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Death Eaters are this powerful now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood still for a while, thinking quietly, then turned and Apparated back to the Ministry of Magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did it go, Albus?\" Fudge had been pacing anxiously. The office was empty except for him, and when Dumbledore entered, his eyes lit with hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cornelius, I’ll need more leads — anything the Aurors gathered. And I’d like to bring a few of them back to Hogwarts with me. I have an item that can project their memories — perhaps it’ll help us see what really happened.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No problem. I’ll come with you,\" Fudge said at once, eager to show initiative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gathered five Aurors, and together they followed Dumbledore to Hogwarts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when they reached the headmaster’s office, Fudge froze at the sight of the door — or rather, what was left of it. The entrance was just a splintered mess of wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hadn’t there been an ugly stone gargoyle guarding this place before? He’d seen it plenty of times on his visits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Albus, what in Merlin’s name happened here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore gave an embarrassed smile. \"I gave the gargoyle a holiday. I didn’t think anyone would come by during the break.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fudge blinked, utterly thrown off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long, awkward silence, he managed, \"You’re... very considerate. If Hogwarts ever runs low on funds, just tell me. I’ll do what I can to get the budget approved.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Much appreciated,\" Dumbledore said mildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t dwell on the embarrassing topic. Instead, he led everyone inside, took out the Pensieve, and showed the Aurors how to extract the specific memories he needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he guided Fudge through the viewing — as vivid as being there in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Fudge’s head lifted from the silvery surface, his face had gone paper-white. \"Monstrous,\" he muttered. \"Absolutely horrifying...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Aurors looked grim. They’d been powerless — their defensive enchantments had shattered in seconds, and then they’d been frozen solid, consciousness sinking into blackness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they came to, the attackers were gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank Merlin those Death Eaters didn’t mean to kill us,\"one thought.\"Otherwise none of us would’ve made it back alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Death Eaters? These were more like dark lords in their own right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Try not to worry too much, Cornelius,\" Dumbledore said gently. \"They caught you off guard. The Ministry’s Aurors are capable — they’ll handle things.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the back, Kingsley Shacklebolt silently shook his head.\"Handle things? Yeah, right. No way in hell, I’m handling people like them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Albus, you have to find them,\" Fudge said urgently. \"People like that are far too dangerous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll do my best,\" Dumbledore replied, hesitating. \"But you know how difficult it is to track two people who don’t wish to be found.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I trust you, Albus.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the Ministry group had gone, Dumbledore stood in the quiet, staring out into the dark night. He didn’t head to bed. Instead, he Disapparated again — this time to Spinner’s End.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So late, and you’re not afraid of disturbing my rest?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snape opened the door with a scowl, letting Dumbledore in. His house was small — two stories, maybe eighty square meters each — and filled with the smell of potion fumes. A row of cauldrons bubbled in the sitting room, heating the air to a sticky warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brewing potions? That many?\" Dumbledore asked, ignoring the biting tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snape poured him a mug of hot cocoa, muttering, \"I had an idea and decided to test it. Or are you planning to regulate my holiday schedule too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course not,\" Dumbledore said, smiling. \"I’m no Muggle capitalist. Just showing a little concern for my professor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m touched,\" Snape said dryly. \"Now, aside from your concern, do you have an actual reason for being here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he realized his palms were damp with sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dark Lord’s moods could shift like a storm — everyone who’d served him had lived in fear. Except for the truly mad ones. But Dumbledore was different. Always calm, always kind — which somehow made him even more unsettling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I bring bad news. Oh, no, perhaps to you it’sgoodnews,\" Dumbledore corrected himself with a faint smile. \"Peter is dead. Two Death Eaters ambushed the prison transport to avenge Voldemort.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snape’s hand paused midair, his cup hovering for a beat before he let out a short, satisfied laugh. It vanished almost as quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You should never have handed him to the Ministry,\" he said sharply. \"If you’d let me deal with him, there’d have been no fuss. I imagine Fudge is tearing his hair out right now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quite right,\" Dumbledore admitted. \"He’s asked me to find the culprits as soon as possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why come to me?\" Snape slammed his cup down, splashing cocoa onto the table. \"You thinkIkilled the rat?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course not,\" Dumbledore said quickly, holding up both hands. \"But you used to have... connections. I hoped you might recognize something. One of the attackers wielded powerful ice magic; the other was very skilled with curses. Any names come to mind?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snape frowned, thinking. \"My rank among the Death Eaters was never high — the old ones outranked me. But... perhaps Alex, Gibbon, or Rodolphus Lestrange. They could manage something like that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They’re all in Azkaban.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I don’t know,\" Snape said simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore nodded, a touch disappointed. \"All right. I’ll find another way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snape called after him, \"You’ve never cared for this sort of political mess. Why the sudden interest?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fudge was... very insistent,\" Dumbledore said with a sigh. Then he added, calmly, \"Still, I doubt those two will act again. They’ve achieved what they wanted. Give it time — Fudge will calm down, and this will all fade away. Don’t you agree, Severus?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Politicians always forget,\" Snape said, raising his cup in a lazy toast. \"Safe travel.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Goodbye. See you when term starts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door slammed shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snape sat back down, sipping cup after cup of tea, perfectly composed — at least on the surface. When he was certain Dumbledore was gone for good, he slumped into the couch, his back drenched with sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That old bastard...\" he muttered under his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking down the dark, narrow streets, Dumbledore let out a long sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not every truth needed to be spoken aloud, and not every crime needed evidence. He already knew who had done it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it bluntly, there wasn’t a single wizard in Britain he hadn’t watched grow up. He knew their strengths, their temperaments, their limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget the Death Eaters — across the entire country, only a handful could unleash magic of that scale: Moody, a few of the old guard from the first Order of the Phoenix... and that was about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add in motive, and it was obvious. One attacker had to be Snape. The other... was Tom Riddle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, in Dumbledore’s mind, Snape had probably gone to Tom for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, knowing andaccusingwere two different things. Dumbledore couldn’t point fingers without proof — and even if he had it, he wouldn’t act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guilty were dead, the Aurors alive and unharmed. That was a balance he could live with. He’d offered Snape a subtle warning — a quiet reminder not to take things too far. Let this be the end of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What unsettled him, though, was Tom’s progress. The boy’s strength was skyrocketing. He had single-handedly taken down ten trained Aurors in seconds. In the memories Dumbledore had seen, Snape barely did anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I really need to start paying more attention to my students’ mental well-being,\" Dumbledore murmured to himself. His figure shimmered — and vanished into the shadows of Spinner’s End.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elsewhere, Tom received a message from Snape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Severus Snape』:Dumbledore came to me. He already suspects us. Keep your mouth shut. As long as we don’t admit anything, he’s got nothing to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Tom Riddle』:Us?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Tom Riddle』:Professor, you’re the one who did the killing. I’m just an innocent student caught in the crossfire. I have no idea what you’re talking about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the furious string of messages that followed, Tom went right back to his midnight snack and soap opera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d never expected to hide anything from Dumbledore anyway. The man had been a geniuscenturiesbefore most wizards figured out how to tie their robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Tom wasn’t worried. He’d already figured Dumbledore out: as long as you didn’t cross a moral line, he’d let you dance around as you pleased. Honestly, the old man was probably pleased right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, what had Tom done tonight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d stood up for his professor. Risked his neck against the Ministry’s Aurors — all for the sake of loyalty and affection. That was the kind of thing Dumbledore loved to see: a student driven by emotion, by care, by connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, let the Head of Slytherin stew in paranoia. Tom had every intention of enjoying his well-earned break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, his second morning of blissful laziness was cut short by a knock on the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia Bones stood there, looking worn-out and travel-stained, but managed a tired smile. \"I’m here to give you more money again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tom blinked. \"That so?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A hundred enchanted cloaks, a hundred ’Eyes of Warning,’ and—\" she hesitated, grimacing—\"the Ministry’s asking for ten of your top-tier guardian amulets. I know you usually refuse to sell those, but Fudge gave me strict orders. I have to bring back at least ten. Please?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked genuinely embarrassed. After all, she was asking him to break his own rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, dear, honest Hufflepuff Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tom suddenly realized — outside of tech and finance,arms dealingwas a goldmine too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder some countries were so fond of \"helping\" other nations start wars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tom was happy. This time, he was getting paid from both sides: Snape’s revenge and the Ministry’s panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s always War,\" he thought, \"War is the most efficient way to redistribute wealth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wicked little thought flickered through his mind, then he quickly smothered it. No point letting that grow. For now, it was better to focus on business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting on a look of surprise, he said, \"That’s quite a big order out of nowhere. I’ll need some time to prepare.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As soon as possible,\" Amelia said quickly. \"It’s urgent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What happened?\" Tom asked, feigning curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia hesitated, then sighed. She wasn’t supposed to tell him — Fudge had made that clear — but Tom was her supplier. Hiding it from him felt pointless, even wrong. The public deserved to know anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she finally told him, Tom just stared blankly, then smacked a copy ofThe Daily Prophetonto the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This? Seriously? You’re acting like it’s a state secret — it’s literally on the front page.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia leaned over, saw the headline, and couldn’t help it — she burst out laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>.\u003C\u002Fp>",1890,"2026-06-08T09:49:09.631Z",1,"novelbin.me","177822391f218f7dee691401c58c91d4f1d2425c3d4cdf2a5db5a442b758c5b4","hogwarts-chill-i-m-not-that-riddle-chapter-272","hogwarts-chill-i-m-not-that-riddle-chapter-270",636,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-chill-i-m-not-that-riddle-cover.jpg"]