Chapter 59: The Black Diary (Part 3)

To Unlock Bonus Chapters:

Reach 40/50/100/200/400 Power Stones! 3 Extra Chapters!

Reach 800 Power Stones to activate NP!

Resets Weekly! [Monday]

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sixty-six-year-old Tom encountered his Waterloo.

Following the usual script, he should have asked this life force provider who'd opened his diary:

"How did you find my diary?"

After getting an answer, he could naturally express their destined connection, show understanding, express concern, dispel suspicions, and successfully implement psychological manipulation while draining life force and controlling them to enter the Chamber to release the Basilisk against those Mudbloods...

But he never expected the other party to claim to be "Salazar Slytherin"!

If this wasn't a scam, what was it?

Heart to heart with me, yet playing mind games?

Had Hogwarts students become so devious?

How times had changed, how morals had declined!

If only his soul fragment had enough energy to materialize, he'd burst out of the diary to see what this self-proclaimed ancestor looked like, then grab a wand and cast Avada Kedavra, feeding the remains to the Basilisk!

Unfortunately, for the sake of life force, suspect Tom had to continue playing the role of caring big brother.

"What a... unique name. Your parents must have had high hopes for you, haha."

Tom endured the humiliation, grinding his teeth as he wrote back.

Perhaps it was just hero worship that led to this young wizard being named that.

This thought made him feel slightly better.

Little did he know that Jane was alarmed on the other side of the diary.

She'd claimed to be Salazar Slytherin, yet he could still respond with a laugh!

Such high emotional intelligence? Definitely a romance scammer!

So she continued writing:

"I've slept for a very long time... what year is it now?"

The ink paused eerily for several seconds before new words appeared in heavy strokes:

"1992!"

Keep pretending, let's see how long you can act!

Tom gritted his teeth, his writing pressing through the paper.

"A thousand years have passed—yet sadly, this incomplete body of mine cannot die," Jane replied.

Wait.

Cannot die?

Wasn't that exactly what he wanted?

No, he couldn't let this silver-tongued student deceive him!

Tom collected himself, trying to steer the conversation back:

"Where did you find my diary?"

He quickly received a response:

"A lovely little snake brought it to me."

This immediately stirred up a storm in Tom's mind.

Another Parselmouth besides himself?

Could it be... the person he was talking to... wasn't a student...

Was it really Salazar Slytherin?

No, impossible!

Perhaps he needed to test this somehow...

Like secretly taking a bite of their soul to increase his life force and magical power...

A thousand-year-old ancestor's soul must be especially delicious!

Chomp chomp chomp—CRACK!

What kind of soul was this! Like biting into steel!

Tom clutched his nearly broken teeth, tears of pain in his eyes.

When he'd absorbed Ginny's life force earlier, her soul had been as fragile as paper!

But this person's soul was so powerful and solid—could it really be his ancestor!

He thought he should probe further...

While he silently gnawed at her soul, Jane felt that itching sensation again.

Her anger rose.

Unable to even properly cast a basic curse, this Tom Riddle didn't deserve his award or to be called an outstanding graduate!

Probably a fraud like Lockhart!

No wonder he'd turned to phone scamming with such poor skills!

Just as she was about to berate this sixty-six-year-old for his lack of ability, new neat writing appeared on the page.

"I apologize for my offense, please forgive my rudeness..."

Old scammer, still not giving up!

Even though the conversation clearly couldn't continue, he was still maintaining his polite facade for this roleplay!

Romance scammers were truly terrifying!

Anger welled up inside her as she wrote:

"I forgive your transgression. But tell me, have people fulfilled my wish now?"

Tom cautiously probed:

"Your wish being?"

Jane's writing flew across the page:

"Cleanse the school, remove those unworthy of learning magic, restore blood purity."

The diary began trembling, black ink running wild across the page:

"Not yet... but I'm working on it, I will definitely fulfill this wish!"

Jane smirked, seeing that Tom Riddle was clearly a blood purist.

She decided to manipulate him a little.

"No, you're not worthy of fulfilling my wish."

"I have an heir, only he deserves all my power and wisdom, to inherit my estate and pets."

The diary shook more violently, large messy writing appearing immediately:

"No, no, I am the most worthy!"

"I can prove it—just give me a little magical power, I can show you my memories!"

Jane gave a cold laugh.

See? The scammer finally showed his true colors.

All that talk, just to trick her out of her magic!

"No, you're unworthy... since you don't know who my heir is, you're useless."

She closed the diary and stuffed it under her wardrobe.

When it came to anti-fraud, she was first-class!

...

During curfew, she snuck to Hagrid's hut.

It was empty except for a dog barking vigilantly.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

With the dog frozen, Jane felt safer to search for clues.

Nothing seemed unusual.

But the chickens in the coop were different, huddled together fearfully, trembling and not eating.

Beneath the flock were dried bloodstains and scattered feathers, signs of struggle before death.

As Jane approached, a rooster suddenly fluttered into her arms, crowing.

"Fawkes?"

She realized it wasn't a rooster at all, but Fawkes the phoenix. He hadn't left with Dumbledore but was freeloading in the chicken coop!

No wonder the chickens were so terrified—with a phoenix looming over them like a mob boss, who wouldn't be scared!

Holding the well-fed phoenix, she was about to leave when Fawkes's beak caught her sleeve.

He pulled her forcefully toward the chicken coop until they stood before the last remaining rooster.

This rooster looked aged, with whitening beak and comb.

"Chirp chirp chirp—"

Fawkes called urgently, one wing resting on the old rooster's back.

Jane gave him a strange look.

"You two... Fawkes?"

The headmaster's phoenix and Hagrid's rooster together... what to do?

Crossing species... age barriers... gender unknown...

She decided she should be respectful...

"Well... you have my blessing."

Carrying both phoenix and rooster, she headed back to her dormitory.

No wonder Fawkes stayed in the chicken coop...

No wonder Dumbledore hadn't taken Fawkes with him...

Such an irresponsible pet owner, abandoning Fawkes even when he fell in love with a rooster, really... sigh...

Jane shook her head.