Chapter 271

Tom said sorry because he had already made his choice; he had to bring Harry to Voldemort so that he could truly live on.

But Harry thought he was apologizing for being late and didn't mind, instead saying: "We arrived earlier than others, but there is only this mirror here. I don't see the Sorcerer's Stone."

He didn't suspect me?

Tom was a bit surprised, but that was fine; this way, he wouldn't be on guard against him.

He thought for a moment and gave up the idea of knocking Harry unconscious immediately.

【Find the Sorcerer's Stone first.】

He thought.

【Anyway, Harry can't beat me.】

"This magic mirror... is it..." Tom also looked at the huge mirror.

"Yes, it's the one we saw before," Harry said, "Later it was moved away by Dumbledore. It turns out it was used here. I think this must be Professor Dumbledore's trap."

Tom came to the mirror and saw Tom Riddle again.

But this time, he was no longer wrapped in those chains. He saw himself sitting at the long table in the Great Hall, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting beside him, and even McGonagall and Qiu Zhang...

The image made him feel a bit dazed for a moment, but he knew that was impossible; this scene would never happen again.

He would take Harry away and hand him over to Voldemort. If he did that, he could no longer stay at Hogwarts, and he would never see these people again.

He would become the Dark Lord's assistant, a dark wizard and a criminal...

This was the price he had to pay to survive.

"Dumbledore said that this magic mirror reflects what a person desires most in their heart," Harry said, "Tom, what do you see?"

Tom frowned, "Nothing... however, the image seems different now..."

If this was the trap Dumbledore left behind, what did it signify?

The Sorcerer's Stone must be hidden in this mirror, but how to get it?

"Harry, you try."

Harry came before the magic mirror. This time he did not see his parents again, but saw an image almost identical to Tom's.

The Great Hall, the long table piled with food, the laughter of students, the pumpkin lanterns floating in the sky, his good friends by his side, and then the professors, all smiling and greeting him.

Is this what I want right now?

It seems... yes.

Harry realized that this was indeed what he desired most right now; he hoped that a peaceful life could continue forever.

And for this, he needed to get the Sorcerer's Stone.

Following his thought, the image shifted, and in the mirror, only he remained.

He looked at the boy in the mirror, who was also watching him. After a while, the other party suddenly reached out and touched his own pocket.

Harry also felt a weight in his pocket. He reached in in surprise and pulled out a red stone.

"Tom!" He held up the Sorcerer's Stone, "Is this..."

"Yes, the Sorcerer's Stone!" Tom was also somewhat surprised, "What did you do?"

Harry just took a look at the mirror, and then the Sorcerer's Stone appeared in his pocket?

But why couldn't he do it?

"I don't know, but we got it," Harry said excitedly, "Quick, we must leave before Snape."

Since almost no time had been wasted, the effects of the potion they had just drunk had not yet worn off, and they could now pass through the fire door and leave.

Tom placed his hand on the wand at his waist.

He couldn't wait any longer. There were only himself and Harry in this room; it was safest to knock him down here.

Yet at this moment, Harry suddenly stopped, "Tom, do you need the Sorcerer's Stone?"

"What?" Tom was startled. He felt a bit lucky about his state at this moment; if he were truly a living person, his heart would be about to jump out of his chest from nervousness, "What do you mean?"

Harry looked at him for a long while, and finally said: "I saw your notebook. You need the Sorcerer's Stone to survive, don't you?"

"..."

Tom wasn't sure if Harry was testing him, and if he would challenge him to a duel in the next second.

It was meaningless to hide it now. He gritted his teeth, "Yes."

"Someone wants you to get the Sorcerer's Stone, right?" Harry asked, "Is it Voldemort?"

Tom felt like he couldn't breathe, "Yes."

Harry continued to look at him, "One last question, Tom, are you a dark wizard?"

"What?" Tom was stunned.

"Are you stealing the Sorcerer's Stone for Voldemort voluntarily? Do you want him to be resurrected?"

"No," Tom said, "I don't want to, but I need it, and..."

"Then, take it," Harry said, handing over the Sorcerer's Stone.

Tom looked at the Sorcerer's Stone in astonishment, then looked at Harry, and hesitantly took it.

He had almost prepared himself mentally for the Sorcerer's Stone to suddenly turn into a bomb and blow him up.

But it didn't; he held that blood-red stone.

He was puzzled, "Why? Aren't you afraid I'll give it to Voldemort?"

"A little afraid. To be honest, I was a bit worried before that you were a dark wizard; you've been mysterious lately, and you are a Slytherin... but then I thought about it, and I think I trust you."

"... Trust me?"

"Yeah, sometimes I feel like we're quite alike. Neither of us has a mom or dad, we didn't know about the magic world before, and we both treat this place as our home."

"We're friends, aren't we? I haven't really made friends before."

"I don't want Voldemort to get the Sorcerer's Stone. But if he doesn't get it, you'll die... then I'd rather he be resurrected. At worst, I'll just fight him again... I've defeated him once, remember?"

Harry said, brushing back his hair, and said optimistically, "Maybe I can defeat him a second time."

"And... you saved my life."

Tom was stunned. He knew Harry was referring to Halloween night, but that was also when Harry had lured the troll away first.

That didn't count as a favor at all.

His hand clenched tight. A part of him was screaming, "Getting the Sorcerer's Stone is useless; you still need the Resurrection Potion, and only Voldemort has the Resurrection Potion..."

But another part of him just stood there blankly, his heart filled with some kind of frantic storm.

Finally, his hand let go.

Maybe there was another way... he thought, maybe he could learn the Repairing Charm and live on in this state...

However, at this moment, the flames of the fire door suddenly extinguished, and a figure rushed in. As soon as he entered, he raised his wand, "Stupefy!"

Harry was hit by the spell without a sound and fell to the ground. Tom instinctively pulled out his wand, but the other party was experienced in combat and flicked his wand directly, "Expelliarmus!"

His wand was knocked away.

"Harry Potter, and you, Lucas Brightson!" Snape glared at them both with his eyes, "Audacious! You few are truly audacious!"

He said, coming up and grabbing Tom, "Come with me. Let's see what you have to say for yourselves now!"

"Professor, please listen to me..." Tom was astonished, "We, we were doing this for..."

But Snape was unwilling to listen to his explanation. With a wave of his wand, Tom felt as if his mouth had been sealed with tape, unable to open no matter what.

"Save your excuses for the Deputy Headmistress later!"

(End of chapter)