"Well, yes, I'm sure you'll remember the last time we talked about the handsome Muggle, Tom Riddle, who abandoned his witch wife, Merope, and returned to his hometown as soon as the aphrodisiac failed. Poor Merope remained in London, carrying in her belly the child who would later become Voldemort. ”

"How do you know she's in London, sir?"

"Because I have the evidence from Borgin Bock. Dumbledore said, "If you've been to Tumbledown Alley, you'll probably see a Borgin Burke shop that sells all sorts of dark magic items. ”

Dumbledore opened a small crystal bottle and poured the silver-white object inside, and then he shook the contents of the meditation basin, like a gold digger sifting gold, and the figure of a small old man emerged from the constantly rotating silver-white objects, he slowly swirled in the meditation basin, pale as a ghost, but more textured than a ghost, his hair was very thick, completely covering his eyes.

"Yes, we got it under very special circumstances. It was brought by a young witch before Christmas, many years ago. She said she was in dire need of money, yes, it couldn't have been more obvious. She was ragged and haggard...... Still pregnant. She said that the locket used to belong to Slytherin. Ahem, we hear this nonsense all day long - oh, it's Merlin's thing, really, his favorite teapot. But when I looked closely, the locket had Slytherin marks on it, and I recited a few simple spells to find out the truth. Of course, that's pretty valuable. The woman didn't seem to know how much it was worth, and was content with only ten Galleons for it. It was the best deal we've ever made!"

Dumbledore shook the meditation basin with extra force, and Bogin Bock returned to where he had been, sinking into a spinning memory.

"He only gave her ten Galleons?" Harry said indignantly.

"Borgin Burck was not a generous man, he was a profiteer. "So we know that Melope was alone in London in the latter stages of her pregnancy, desperate for money, and had to sell the only thing of value she had—the locket, which was also a family heirloom that Marvolo cherished." ”

"But Merope should know it's more than ten Galleons! I mean, since she knows it's a Slytherin treasure, she could have found a better buyer. ”

"But she's out of time, Harry. Dumbledore said, "She's about to give birth—"

"But she can go to her relatives, hasn't that Richard Silver coveted these treasures for a long time?" said Harry.

"Merope's surname is Gaunt, Harry. She would never go to Richard Silver, even if he seemed a little more enlightened than Marvolo. Disposing of this thing to Borgin Bock in exchange for ten Galleons was a reluctant choice for her at the time. ”

"But she can do magic!" Harry said angrily, "she can get herself food and everything through magic, can't she?"

"Heh," Dumbledore said, "maybe she could." But I think Merope stopped using magic after being abandoned by Tom Riddle Sr. She probably didn't want to be a witch anymore. Of course, there is another possibility, which I think is closer to reality - her unrequited love and the despair that it brings greatly weakens her. That kind of thing happens, and there have been many examples of it before. Anyway, you'll see later, Merope can't even raise her wand to save her life. ”

"Wouldn't she even want to survive for the sake of her son?"

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Could it be that you have developed sympathy for Voldemort?"

"No," Harry said hurriedly, "but Merope has a choice, isn't she, unlike my mother—"

"Your mom has a choice, too. Dumbledore said mildly.

Harry clenched his fists, his heart clenched - yes, his mother didn't have to die, if she had given up on herself, she might have escaped with her life.

"Merope chose death, and even though she has a son who needs her, don't blame her, Harry. The long torment has made her vulnerable, and she has never had the courage of your mother. Alright, now please stand up ......."

"Where are we going?" asked Harry as Dumbledore walked over and stood with him at the table.

"This time," said Dumbledore, "we're going into Richard Silver's memory. I think you'll find it very interesting. ”

"Wait, you mean Richard Silver?"

"Yes, this is the memory of Richard Silver, who died in an accident more than ten years ago, but he left me this memory, and you will find it very valuable......" (To be continued......

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