Chapter 240

Early on Christmas morning, Harry and Ron were both sorting through their gifts, and they discovered that Harry had received an Invisibility Cloak.

But soon, Fred and George came looking for them and took the two to attend the feast.

However, at the feast, Tom did not appear.

He had woken up, but it was as if he hadn't. Just now, he had tried to use Legilimency on the Guidebook again, but it had no effect, as if those memories from yesterday were all an illusion.

However, he knew they weren't.

Those memories still lingered in his mind, leaving him dazed and confused.

He also received a few gifts, some sent by other members of the Hero Team, and others from Murphy and Hagrid; they were all small trinkets. Besides these, there were a few gifts from unknown senders, including flowers, chocolates, and a love letter.

Tom unwrapped those gifts mechanically, but his mind remained stuck in those memories.

Finally, he took out the Guidebook again.

"What on earth are you?"

The Guidebook did not respond.

"Why do you possess those memories? Those are Tom Riddle's memories, aren't they! What relationship do you have with me?"

"Answer me, or I will destroy you!"

But the Guidebook still remained motionless.

Tom was furious; he drew his wand, "Shattering Charm!"

The spell knocked the notebook away, but it couldn't harm it in the slightest.

"I shouldn't have trusted you. I should have seen it earlier; you are using me..." Tom suddenly remembered a memory fragment he had obtained yesterday, and it was as if a light flashed through his mind, "I know... you are... you are that thing!"

"Tom Riddle asked a professor about information on that object. You possess a piece of a soul, don't you?"

It was a pity that in the memory at that time, that word seemed to have been silenced; he didn't know the specific name at all.

"So that's why you could deceive me... you possess a soul, which is why I could use Legilimency on you..."

As Tom said this, he suddenly remembered the professor's description in that memory.

【... hide a part of it in an object outside your body. This way, even if your body is attacked or destroyed, you won't die, because there is still a part of your soul remaining in the world, undamaged.】

He stepped back half a step in shock, "Are you someone's resurrection tool? Do you want to use me to resurrect him? Who is he? Whose soul fragment do you possess?"

But then, he widened his eyes abruptly, "Tom Riddle!"

"You possess Tom Riddle's memories!"

"You are Tom Riddle!"

"Right! The Sorcerer's Stone..."

"No wonder, you wanted me to explore the secret behind the trapdoor; no wonder you wanted me to look up the identity of Nicolas Flamel. You wanted me to know about the Sorcerer's Stone—no, you wanted me to find it!"

"The Sorcerer's Stone can create the Elixir of Life... and it seems it can serve as a potion to reshape the body..."

"You want to resurrect Tom Riddle."

But then, he became confused again.

"Why..."

"But why do I feel so familiar with him..."

"Why that face..."

He remembered that face in his memory, which was completely different from his current appearance, but he instinctively felt incomparably familiar, as if that should have been his original appearance, and his current appearance was the strange one.

Could it be the influence of having obtained Tom Riddle's memories?

Because he obtained his memories, he thought of himself as him?

No, that's not it.

It was as if he heard some intuition in the bottom of his heart screaming crazily; the answer seemed to be right on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't believe it no matter what.

Just then, he suddenly felt something in his heart; the Guidebook had updated.

He walked over and saw a line of text reappear on the Guidebook.

"Main Mission: Seize the Sorcerer's Stone."

"Mission Reward: Survive."

Tom clenched his fingers abruptly, "What does that mean? What do you mean by 'survive'?"

"Are you saying that if I don't go and seize the Sorcerer's Stone, you will kill me?!"

This time, the Guidebook did not play deaf and dumb.

A line of blood-red, twisted text appeared below.

"You are already dead."

What?

Tom was startled. What do you mean I'm already dead?

Guidebook: "Your pain perception is far lower than that of an ordinary person. You are not affected by physical discomfort. You are immune to dizziness and fainting. Even if you receive a nearly fatal blow, you remain conscious."

"Don't you find it strange?"

Tom was stunned. He remembered the time he encountered the troll and was hit by it with a club. Although he used the Shield Charm, his body still suffered great damage, his leg was fractured, and the bone was almost poking out, yet he didn't feel particularly painful.

When Professor Murphy took him for Apparition, he wouldn't have any particular discomfort, but Granger would vomit crazily.

But this... does not explain...

A line of text appeared on the Guidebook again.

"Do you want to know who you are?"

"Retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone, and you will get your answer."

Tom glared at the Guidebook, and he suddenly understood, "It was you who took my memories!"

"Give them back to me!"

Guidebook: "Retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone, and you will get what you want."

"Liar!"

Tom was extremely furious and raised his wand, "Give them back! Otherwise, I swear I will destroy you!"

Guidebook: "You want to use the power I gave you to defeat me?"

"Who do you think you are using the spells of?"

"Who do you think those memories of using spells came from?!"

Tom was stunned, and then a terrifying thought surged up.

Why have I never thought of that!

How could those techniques, which were as proficient as if they had been practiced ten thousand times, come from thin air?

They must have come from some wizard.

And now it seems they were all obtained from Tom Riddle's memories!

He suddenly collapsed to the ground, "Why... why do such a thing?"

"Tom Riddle... why give me the same name as you?!"

"I thought you were my..."

Guidebook: "Tom Riddle. I haven't used that name for a long time."

Then, a page full of large, blood-colored characters appeared.

"Now, I am Voldemort."

Voldemort.

That... Dark Lord defeated by Harry?

Tom Riddle is the Dark Lord?

Tom felt that he was already confused; he had received too many things today, but he didn't care who Tom Riddle was; he just wanted to clarify one question.

"Who am I? Who is Lucas? Why me?"

But all the text on the Guidebook had disappeared. It had no response, lying open on the ground, as if it were really just an ordinary notebook.

Tom sat on the ground for a long time before finally standing up. He didn't want to stay here anymore.

However, just as he opened the door, "Pop! Pop!"

Two Christmas crackers with colorful ribbons exploded in front of him, blowing out a large cloud of blue smoke.

Suddenly, a naval hat appeared in mid-air and landed right on his head, and a few white mice crawled out of the hat and ran along his body to the ground.

"Merry Christmas, Tom!"

Harry and Ron were standing outside the door. They didn't know how they had snuck into the Slytherin common room, and they were currently holding a pile of things in their arms.

"We thought you hadn't woken up yet. Come on, Tom, everyone is here, except you."

Tom looked at the two in shock, dazed for a moment, "Tom... are... are you calling me?"

"Otherwise? It's not like there's another Tom living in your dormitory, right?" Ron said, "What's wrong with you, mate?"

"Ha, haha..." Tom suddenly laughed dryly. After laughing a few times, two lines of tears flowed down at some point, "I don't know, I might be..."

"I... I am a fake..."

"I am a puppet..."

"A tool..."

"My life has no..."

"No, haha, I don't even have a life..."

"I..."

Suddenly, he felt himself being hugged.

Ron wasn't as tall as him, but he stood on tiptoe, reached over his shoulder, and hugged him.

"Oh, mate. You must have gone through the worst thing in the world."

(End of chapter)