Here's the answer. Dumbledore stood up, walked around the table, and walked past Harry to a separate golden castle-like three-tiered metal storage cabinet in the room, filled with a crystal bottle in the shape of a clear candle, which was a kind of swirling and floating silvery-white thing.

"These are memories," Dumbledore said, pointing to a crystal bottle in the storage cabinet. "Inside this vial is a memory of Tom Riddle. ”

Harry stepped forward and saw that the bottle Dumbledore was pointing to had "Tom Riddle" on the label.

The grey stone meditation basin flew out of the locker and landed on the Headmaster's desk, and Dumbledore shared the memories of Tom Riddle's family with Harry.

Emerging from the meditation basin, Harry stood at the table, digesting what he had just seen.

To Harry's disgust, Dumbledore also told Harry that the Gaunts were a very old wizarding family, known for their restlessness and violence, and that their family traits became more pronounced from generation to generation due to their habit of intermarrying family members. Their lack of rationality, coupled with their penchant for extravagant pomp, led to the squandering of the family's fortune long before Marvolo was several generations old. He was surprised to find that Voldemort's maternal grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt, was frighteningly grumpy and arrogant, and that he valued his ancestral relics as far more precious than his son Morfin and daughter Merope.

Thinking about Voldemort's background, Harry felt that he seemed to be much luckier than him. Although they were also orphans, they didn't attack Muggles or even Ministry of Magic officials, and ended up being imprisoned in Azkaban's maternal grandfather and uncle, the Penny family was like angels compared to Voldemort's relatives.

She is the crystallization of her parents' love, and Voldemort's mother, although lucky, escaped the sad fate caused by family tradition after her father and brother were imprisoned in Azkaban, but she used an aphrodisiac to confuse the handsome Muggle he had loved for a long time, Tom Riddle Sr., after becoming pregnant with Tom Riddle Jr., Dumbledore speculated that Merope mistakenly thought that the other party would really love her and did not let Voldemort's Muggle father continue to take aphrodisiac, and as a result, the abandoned Merope was left alone in London in the late stages of pregnancy.

Lacking the skills to make a living, she desperately needed money and had to sell the only thing of value on her - an heirloom locket that her father Marvolo cherished, and the ignorant and desperate Merope sold it for only ten gold galleons. Compared to her mother, Merope clearly lacks courage, and after being abandoned by her husband, she no longer uses magic, and even refuses to raise her wand to save her life before dying, but fortunately, Merope remembers to get Voldemort to an orphanage before dying.

"Don't tell me you have sympathy for Voldemort?" Dumbledore's voice interrupted Harry's thoughts.

"No... No, but Merope has a choice, isn't it, unlike my mother..."Harry looked up a little apprehensively, and saw Dumbledore raise an eyebrow.

"Your mother has a choice, too..."Dumbledore didn't ask, he turned the tray in the storage cabinet and took out another bottle of memories, he pinched the oval base at the bottom of the crystal bottle and said, "This is the first time I met Tom, it's not too late, if you want, I'd love to see it." ”

Dumbledore handed the crystal bottle to Harry, who looked at Dumbledore's injured hand, took the crystal bottle, unplugged the crystal bottle at the top that looked like a candle flame, and walked to the meditation basin on the headmaster's desk. Dumbledore's arm waved lightly in a semicircle above his head, and the meditation basin shimmered faintly, neither like a liquid nor a gas.

Harry poured the silver substance from the bottle into the meditation basin, where they slowly swirled and dispersed, turning into a black catkins. Harry leaned forward, took a deep breath, and plunged headlong into the basin. He felt his feet leave the floor of the office. He walked through the swirling darkness, and fell, and fell, and the black catkins fell with it, and then turned into the cities and streets that Dumbledore remembered.

Dumbledore, who was only about fifty or sixty years old, did not have gray hair at this time, and was wearing a fuchsia suit that attracted the attention of many Muggles, with long russet hair and a beard, he held a black umbrella and strode forward along the sidewalk.

Harry could tell from a few landmarks that it was in South Lamberts, London, and then Dumbledore opened a large iron door labeled "Wall Orphanage", which looked a little eerie and had a dense iron fence on the high walls to prevent climbing.

"I must admit that I am a little confused to receive your letter, Mr. Dumbledore. A tired-looking, short-haired blond woman stared suspiciously at Dumbledore's suit and even more aggressive chrysanthemum-spotted scarf, and then led him through the cold, narrow staircase, "In all these years, no relatives have ever come to see Tom. ”

After climbing several floors in a row, she stopped, approached Dumbledore at the staircase on the third floor, and whispered, "There have been some accidents with other children, terrible accidents. ”

She then took Dumbledore a few steps forward, stopped at the first door of the long hallway, knocked on it, and pushed it open, "Tom, someone has come to visit you." ”

"How's your doing, Tom?" Dumbledore's cloak was already hanging from the crook of his arm, and he walked past the orphanage steward's wife who had brought him to the door.

It was an empty, unadorned cabin, with only an old wardrobe and an iron bed, and a boy who looked like a miniature version of the handsome old Tom Riddle sat on a gray blanket, with black hair and a pale face, and looked at Dumbledore as he walked in.

Dumbledore's hand reached for the old closet, and Tom Riddle immediately stopped coldly, "Don't touch it." ”

Dumbledore withdrew his hand and his gaze slid over the seven stones lined up on the windowsill, and on the handle of the pipe on the wall by the window was a photograph of an island crashed by the waves or a place that could only be counted as a large reef.

"You're a doctor, aren't you?" asked Tom Riddle alarmedly, "and she's called the doctor to examine me again?"

"No, I'm Professor Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore sat down, his eyes meeting Tom Riddle without any evasion.

"I don't believe it, they want me to go to the doctor. They think I'm different. Tom Riddle's voice was tinged with irritation.

"Well, then they might be right. Dumbledore said patiently.

"She wants someone to come and see me, doesn't she? Tell me the truth!" said Tom Riddle, the last three words of which he said fiercely and loudly, and though he was still a child, he was intimidating—an order that he seemed to have given many times before.

The boy's eyes widened suddenly, staring viciously at the red-haired wizard in front of him, and Dumbledore didn't answer, just continued to smile kindly, and after a few seconds, Riddle's gaze relaxed with some annoyance, but he seemed more alert.

Dumbledore still had a friendly smile: "Hogwarts is not an insane asylum, Hogwarts is a school, a school that teaches magic. ”

"I'm not crazy. Tom Riddle looked at Dumbledore to see if the other was lying, "I didn't tell what happened to little Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop, you and the old witch can ask them ourselves." ”

"You can do something, right, Tom? something that other kids can't. Dumbledore asked.

"I can make things move without touching, I can make animals listen to me without teaching, and if anyone treats me badly, I can make them suffer. The corners of Riddle's mouth curled up, and a flush of excitement spread rapidly from his equally pale neck to his sunken cheeks, "I can hurt them as long as I want." Who are you?"

"I'm just like you, Tom. Dumblebe looked at Riddle intently, "Different. ”

"Proof it to me. Riddle's eyes narrowed.

The corners of Dumbledore's lips went up, and without making a move, the big dilapidated wardrobe in the corner of the wall immediately ignited a fire, and the light of the fire illuminated Tom Riddle's face.

In the firelight, the wardrobe made a clicking sound.

"There's something in your closet that you want to get out, Tom. Dumbledore's facial expression became serious.

Riddle walked over to the glowing cabinet, opened the door, and pulled a box out of it. The fire disappeared, and the old wardrobe stood in place. Riddle laid out all the contents of the box on the bed, nothing unusual in it, just a bunch of mundane things that orphanage children would only consider to be treasures, including a swimming reel, a silver thimble, and a dull harmonica, which lay motionless on the bed.

"Stealing is not tolerated at Hogwarts. Dumbledore looked calmly at the little boy in front of him, "You'll have to give these things back to their owners, and apologize to them, I promise I'll know if you did." ”

"I knew I was different... I'm special, there's something in there..."Riddle looked at his trembling hands, and did not respond to Dumbledore's warning about his theft, which made Dumbledore smile and stare more intently at Riddle.

Suddenly, the boy raised his head, and his face was different from the previous one, revealing a fanatical emotion, which made his expression not look any more beautiful, but distorted his already delicate features, as if he had become a monster.

"At Hogwarts, you have to learn not only how to use magic, but also how to control it. Dumbledore leaned forward and asked, "See what I mean?"

"Yes, sir... I'll give them back. Riddle's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was weighing Dumbledore, and then obediently put the pile of swag back into the box, and then he said unceremoniously to Dumbledore, "I don't have any money." ”

"It's not a problem. As he spoke, Dumbledore pulled out an equally fuchsia leather purse from his fuchsia suit, "Hogwarts has a fund for young wizards who need to fund the purchase of textbooks and school robes. But... I'm afraid you'll have to buy second-hand magic books with some of your magic books..."

"Where can I buy a magic book?" Riddle interrupted Dumbledore, taking the money bag without even thanking him, and then lowered his head and began to carefully examine a thick gold Galleon.

"In a place called Diagon Alley. Dumbledore didn't care about the other party's rudeness, "I brought your list of books and school supplies, I can help you buy all your things..."

"You're going with me?" Riddle asked, looking up.

"Of course, if you..."

"I don't think I need you... I'm sorry, I mean, Professor," Riddle met Dumbledore's inquiring gaze, suddenly remembering something, and then said in a polite tone that was judgmental of the two, "Professor, I'm used to doing my own thing, I'm always running around London by myself. So I guess I can do it without delaying you, so how should this Diagon Alley go...... Professor?"

Harry had expected Dumbledore to stick to Riddle as he did with other wizards who didn't know about Diagon Alley, but once again it was unexpected.

Dumbledore handed the envelope containing the list directly to Riddle, and told Riddle the exact route from the orphanage to the Leaky Cauldron, before saying, "You can see it, even though the Muggles around you... That is, people who don't know magic... It's something you can't notice even when you see it. Ask the bar owner for a way to get into Diagon Alley... The boss's name is Tom just like you... It's easy to remember. ”

Riddle, who had begun to maintain a friendly posture, twitched in exasperation at this point, as if trying to chase away a pesky fly.

"You don't like the name 'Tom'?"

"I'm sorry, Professor, but there are too many people called 'Tom'. Riddle muttered. Then he seemed to be stuck in his throat, not spitting out unpleasantly, and he seemed to blurt out, "Is my father a wizard?" They told me his name was Tom Riddle too. ”

"I'm sorry, I don't know. Dumbledore said, his voice soft.

"My mother obviously couldn't have done magic, or she wouldn't have died... It must have been my father. Riddle wasn't talking to the Hogwarts professors as he was convincing himself, and then he came to his senses, "I'm sorry Professor, when and how am I going to get to this Hogwarts school after I've bought all my stuff?"

"All the details are written on the second piece of parchment in the envelope as you depart from King's Cross Station on the 1st of September. There was also a train ticket in the envelope. With that, Dumbledore got up and said goodbye to the boy as he prepared to leave.

Riddle stared at Dumbledore in silence, and as Dumbledore was about to walk out of his room, he suddenly said, "Professor, I can still talk to snakes." ”

Dumbledore was stunned and stood still.

"Is it normal for someone like me to find me and whisper to me?" asked Riddle, but his tone contained an unmistakable pride, and he deliberately waited until the end to say his most special ability.

Dumbledore turned to the side, hesitated, and the man and boy stared at each other.

The memories dissolved into a chaotic black catkins again, and Harry broke away from Dumbledore's memories, he stood at the table panting, his mind still thinking about what he had just seen, "Did you know then, Professor?"

"Do you know you've met perhaps the most evil dark wizard of all time? Dumbledore said, "Even if I knew, I—" Dumbledore continued after a moment of silence, "During his years at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle was so close to a teacher, guess who that teacher was?"

Harry thought of what Dumbledore had taken him before school started, and he raised his eyes to look directly at Dumbledore, "You persuaded Professor Slughorn to come back not just to teach Potions, did you?"

"More than that. Dumbledore softened his tone, "Professor Slughorn has something I desperately need, and he certainly won't hand it over easily. ”

Harry seemed to understand a little more when he heard this, and he continued to ask, "You said he would want to recruit me. ”

"Yes. Dumbledore replied without hesitation.

"Do you want me to say yes?" said Harry, turning his head.

Dumbledore's gaze turned to Harry's, and he nodded again, "Yes." ”

Seeing Harry's face grow serious, his eyes resolute and his lips closed, Dumbledore knew Harry's choice.

"On top of that, I need you to bring your trusted friends like Ginny and Ron. You go to Beater Willow every day in your spare time, and I have Sirius teach you to transform into Animagus in the way they have passed down from their family. If the type of animal you transform into is right, it can be very helpful when you need to hide yourself, and I know that the cloak of invisibility is no longer able to cover all of you. Dumbledore returned to his headmaster's seat, his fingers pressed together.

Looking at Harry, who suddenly showed a happy expression, what he didn't say was that he hoped that this would allow Harry to focus on the Animagus, which took a lot of time and effort to learn, instead of allowing Harry, who had developed a liking for ancient magic, to focus all his attention on learning those dangerous knowledge, Dumbledore needed Harry's character not to be affected by the dark arts in any way, so that at the right time, Harry would not become more selfish and cause him to die willingly...