"I don't think Moffin Gaunt is necessarily the real murderer of the Riddle family," Dumbledore said. "Even if he's mad, it's not likely..."
"You can't be certain, Professor," Harry said. "You know the rules of the Gaunt family. Technically, Melop should have been Moffin's wife... They worship pureblood... ugh..."
At this, Harry couldn't help but gag.
Partly due to the barbaric, backward customs of the Gaunt clan, and also because the musty smell in the room was unbearably strong.
"We should look for where the portrait is."
Dumbledore seemed unwilling to continue talking about this topic. He took out his magic wand and used a fluorescent flickering spell.
They continued walking forward, all the way to a seemingly sealed small door.
"Maybe it's here, Harry." Dumbledore tapped the door with his wand, and it creaked open with a click.
But he guessed wrong; inside was just a storage room.
"Not here." After rummaging through and stuffing back the moldy-covered items, the two continued their search further inside.
Further inside was a place resembling a main hall.
As soon as they entered, before they could see clearly, they heard an irritable roar.
"Who is it!"
Harry followed the sound, thrusting his wand at the face of a portrait.
The portrait looked eerily disproportionate: shoulders too broad, arms too long, a pair of gleaming brown eyes, short, stiff hair, and a wrinkled face that resembled a fierce old monkey.
"You ill-mannered brat!" the old monkey shouted angrily. "Get your wand away!"
Harry looked below the frame and saw "Marvolo Gaunt" written on the wall.
"Marvolo Gaunt?" Harry disregarded his rude words, knowing the Gaunt family members were mentally unstable. "Where's Omnius? Is he hanging in this house?"
Marvolo was about to insult him again but was startled by a familiar name. He cautiously asked, "Omnius? Who are you? How do you know my brother?"
Dumbledore stood aside with his arms crossed, leisurely intending to listen to their conversation.
"Harry Potter," Harry replied casually.
Upon hearing this name, Marvolo's half-closed eyes suddenly widened. He stuttered, "Ha-ha-ha-ha-rry Potter? The Harry Potter who quelled the fairy uprising and wiped out the Fire Ash Snake faction?"
"Yes, Omnius is my friend. He left me a letter telling me to come here to find his portrait—so, where is it?" Harry asked.
"His portrait was taken away," Marvolo replied. "By that Mudblood lineage! That mongrel! That cursed offspring!"
"Melop's son?" Dumbledore suddenly asked, "Tom?"
"Yes! Don't mention that name to me!" Marvolo yelled angrily, "It's an utter disgrace!"
"Which one are you talking about? Melop or Tom?" Harry raised his eyebrows and asked.
"Both!" Marvolo's anger still hadn't subsided. "I really never expected my daughter—even though she's a dud—to drug a Muggle; she utterly disgraced the Gaunt Clan!"
"As it turns out, even if she returned home and married Moffin, things wouldn't have gotten any better," Harry shrugged and said. "If there's time, I'll have some other portrait bring you a Biology book."
After that, Harry said again, "Alright, another question—do you know where Tom took Omnius or why he took him?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know," Marvolo said frustratedly. "You know, Mr. Potter, my brother Omnius was the most outstanding young man of my generation in the Gaunt family. Besides, he was your comrade and that mongrel's grandfather, so that's why the mongrel took him away."
"Don't tell me he lacked paternal love?" Harry raised his eyebrows and said, "I know he grew up with a mother but no father to raise him, but it's not reason enough to take Omnius's portrait, is it?"
"I don't know the reasons either; anyway..." As Marvolo said this, he glanced at Harry with some difficulty. "All I know is that back then, the mongrel seemed obsessed with following your deeds, Mr. Potter... He always looked up to you."
Harry: ...?!
Oh come on, buddy?
Dumbledore swiftly peeled off a candy wrapper and stuffed several candies into his mouth to ease the speechless feeling.
As Voldemort's professor, Dumbledore certainly knew that Voldemort had always been in pursuit of strong power and the quest for immortality.
But he never imagined that Voldemort's lifelong idol could be... Harry Potter?
If it was before knowing the true identity of Harry, Dumbledore still found it normal... But ever since realizing both Harrys were the same person, Dumbledore found Voldemort's actions quite ludicrous.
Voldemort's idol, nemesis, and enemy were all the same person...
"What's wrong with you?" Marvolo cautiously asked Harry with a complex expression.
Harry sighed helplessly.
"I don't know what to say..."
What else could be said?
"Do you have any other leads, Marvolo?" Harry asked again, "Like where Tom might have hidden Omnius's portrait?"
"I'm not sure about this either, Mr. Potter." Marvolo said helplessly. "Omnius only has one portrait at home, so he usually stays in that one... But he can come into my portrait; he just has a grudge against me, so he'd rather stay in an unknown place than come back to Gaunt's Old Mansion to see me."
"Won't you go looking for him?" Harry raised his eyebrows and asked.
"If I could, I would have gone just now," Marvolo said. "But I don't know where his portrait is, so I can't. Sorry, Mr. Potter."
"Alright." Harry nodded.
After chatting a bit more with Marvolo, Harry and Dumbledore left Gaunt's Old Mansion.
"Where do you think Omnius's portrait might be hidden, Harry?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.
Harry looked at Dumbledore with mixed feelings and said, "I think the one who knows Tom best among us should be you, Professor, not me, a second-year graduate."
"You're not young, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile.
Harry glanced at him again.
"And you aren't calling me Senior?"
"Alright, Senior," Dumbledore said in a lively tone, "I've wanted to call you that for a long time—"
"I can tell." Harry said, and he added to Dumbledore, "So where should we go next?"
"Perhaps you should head to Slytherin's Secret Chamber," Dumbledore said. "The Snake Monster Alfonso is stored there, right? Maybe Omnius's portrait is also there."
Harry thought about it for a moment and found it unlikely.
"Impossible," he said. "Snake Monster Alfonso doesn't know Omnius, which means Omnius's portrait definitely wouldn't be in Slytherin's Secret Chamber... I think perhaps we should go to Azkaban to visit Tom's uncle. Maybe he knows something?"
"You mean, go find Moffin Gaunt?"
Dumbledore seemed intrigued; he thought and said, "It's possible. But before going to Azkaban, I think we should prepare properly, considering the Dementors there are still dangerous—have you learned the Patronus Charm?"
(Seeking monthly votes)