Tom Riddle.
After staring blankly for a moment, Pansy and Hermione finally realized the true identity of the wizard before them.
And after the initial shock came excitement and anticipation at being so close to the truth, because it also confirmed one thing. Draco's earlier suspicion seemed to have been correct.
Professor Horace really was deeply connected to Voldemort. In fact, it was highly possible that Voldemort's knowledge of Horcruxes had come from this very Horace, who was now smiling with obvious pride over having such a student.
It seemed they were on the right track.
As for whether Professor Horace had been forced into it or had simply let it slip by accident, there was no way to know....
Compared with the conversation taking place between the two in front of him, Draco was far more interested in the black gem ring engraved with the Deathly Hallows symbol.
That symbol carved into the black stone was not unfamiliar to Draco, because it was exactly what he had discussed in his bargain with Lovegood.
From him, Draco had learned everything, including the full details of the Deathly Hallows.
Naturally, that included the meaning of the symbol and its origins.
As for the Deathly Hallows, aside from appearing in a fairy tale passed down through the wizarding world, that symbol had also once been used as the mark of another Dark Lord as he moved through the magical world.
It was said that this Dark Lord had once possessed the Deathly Hallows.
Only...
"...Why would one of them be in Voldemort's hands? Did he already know about the Deathly Hallows at this point?"
Draco's muttering drew Hermione's attention.
In truth, that was also because Hermione had not yet noticed anything especially important in what Professor Horace and Voldemort were saying, which left her free to pay attention to something else.
She glanced at Draco from the corner of her eye. "The Deathly Hallows? Why bring that up? If I remember correctly, that's supposed to be from a fairy tale, isn't it?"
"It's difficult to explain, but that is not purely something fictional."
"Not fictional... you mean the Deathly Hallows really exist?!"
Although Hermione was a little surprised to hear Draco say that, she did not think that was the important point right now. She only frowned slightly, without showing much shock on her face.
But a second later, she turned to him in confusion.
Given what she knew about Draco, he was not the sort to bring up irrelevant things for no reason.
"Wait, why did you suddenly mention that? Did you notice something?"
"Think about it carefully. If you were Tom Riddle, what kind of thing would you choose as the vessel for a Horcrux?"
Although she did not quite understand why Draco was asking that, Hermione still answered seriously. "If it were me... I'd probably choose something special, something with great significance, to hold such a precious piece of a soul?"
Hermione spoke a little uncertainly.
In response, Draco neither agreed nor disagreed. He simply continued, "Obviously, our Dark Lord thought the same way. Just as he chose that diary, which proved he was Slytherin's heir, as one of his Horcruxes."
Hermione nodded.
For Voldemort, that diary might have had no practical value at all, but its existence did carry an extremely special meaning.
And as he said that, Draco's gaze on the ring became even sharper.
If one were talking about an object of great significance, what could possibly be more meaningful than the Resurrection Stone among the Deathly Hallows?
It was entirely possible that Voldemort had already turned it into a Horcrux at this point in time....
...
Just as Draco was thinking, the memory space before them was suddenly swallowed by a mass of white mist.
The abrupt change caught Hermione completely off guard. She let out a startled cry and reflexively hid behind Draco.
Pansy, standing to one side, froze for a moment, then glared at Hermione before doing exactly the same thing...
"What happened all of a sudden... did something go wrong with the memory?"
"We're moving to the next memory."
"The next memory?"
Before Draco could explain further, a new scene had already appeared in front of them.
Draco noticed that compared to the last memory, this one seemed to be set even earlier.
Although it was once again a face-to-face scene between Horace and Voldemort, this time the black gem ring was nowhere to be seen on Voldemort's finger.
Did that small detail suggest something?
Just as Draco was thinking that over, this memory reached what seemed to be a crucial exchange...
"By Merlin, look at the time. Hurry along, Tom. You don't want to get caught wandering around outside at this hour of night, do you? You are a Prefect..."
"Sir, I wanted to ask you something."
"Then be quick, my boy, be quick..."
"Sir, I wanted to ask whether you know... about Horcruxes."
"....."
Horace, who had been lounging in his chair so comfortably that he looked as though he might fall asleep at any moment, now widened his eyes as though he had just heard something terrifying.
Even Hermione and the others at the side could feel how shaken Horace was.
"Is this for a Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment?"
The dry voice that came from Horace's mouth carried an unmistakable note of hope.
Unfortunately, the Voldemort in front of him clearly had no intention of letting him off that easily...
"No, sir. I came across it in a book, but I didn't really understand it."
That was a lie.
Hermione, with her lips slightly pursed, looked strangely adorable.
And Horace did not seem to believe that explanation either. "Mm... yes... it's hard to find a book at Hogwarts that explains Horcruxes in detail. But Tom, that is a very evil thing, a very evil thing."
As if deliberately emphasizing it, Horace repeated those words, very evil, several times.
"But you obviously know about it, sir? I mean, a wizard like you... what I mean is, if you can't tell me, then clearly... I only know that if anyone can tell me, it would have to be you. So I thought I'd ask."
It was perfectly done.
That hesitation, the casual tone, the subtle flattery, the way he said just enough without overdoing it. It was easy to see that with every word Voldemort spoke, Horace was starting to waver.
And it was equally obvious that at this point, Voldemort truly wanted to know everything about Horcruxes.