Perhaps Tom's words had an effect, for in the following days, Professor Dumbledore was often nowhere to be seen at school.
"What is Professor Dumbledore so busy with every day that he doesn't even have time to be intimate with you? Don't you feel lonely, Professor Grindelwald?"
After a Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, facing Tom's casual question, Grindelwald again felt the urge to duel this little scoundrel in front of him. Who was to blame for Dumbledore becoming like this? Didn't you have any idea?
"No, we each have our own mission to complete, Tom. Separation is for a better reunion."
Tom looked at Grindelwald's 'mystic' demeanor and sneered inwardly. If his left fist wasn't clenched so tightly, it might have been more convincing.
For Tom, the period that followed was unusually peaceful. With Professor Dumbledore and Grindelwald, those two troublemakers, no longer constantly hovering around him, and Draco discharged from the hospital, along with Cassandra finally out of her loop, they all settled down. He enjoyed a rare period of calm campus life.
Unbeknownst to them, Christmas arrived as scheduled once again, and Tom was, yet again, one of the few students remaining.
"Are you packing Christmas presents, Tom?"
Just as Tom was alone in his dorm preparing Christmas presents, someone who hadn't appeared in front of him for a long time materialized behind him like a ghost.
"It's a big holiday, why aren't you with Professor Dumbledore? What are you doing here, Professor Grindelwald?"
Grindelwald seemed to ignore Tom's questioning, instead examining the gifts Tom was preparing with great interest.
"These toys, and the Potions for conditioning the body are..."
"For the children and the Dean of the orphanage where I stay."
"I wouldn't have guessed. But these earrings... let me guess... they must be for your little girlfriend, right?"
"When did you become as gossipy as Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Grindelwald?"
"And this set of 'Wife-Chasing Cremation Ground Series Collection,' who would like to read this kind of book?"
"Draco Malfoy. He likes to read these kinds of novels."
"Then this set of exam question books must be for Miss Hermione Granger, right?"
"But what's with these two pillows?"
"These are life-sized pillows of James Potter and Sirius Black, Professor Snape's favorite."
"What about the catnip?"
"Professor McGonagall's."
Seeing that Grindelwald was about to go through all the gifts, Tom suddenly shoved the gifts for Professor Dumbledore and Grindelwald into his arms.
"What is this?"
Grindelwald looked at the large box Tom handed him, asking in confusion.
"Christmas presents for you and Professor Dumbledore. A set of items to enhance bedroom fun for couples."
Hearing Tom's words, Grindelwald's hand holding the gifts froze. He didn't know whether to keep them or not.
Tom didn't care about his feelings. Anyway, the gifts were given and non-returnable. At the same time, he looked at Grindelwald and said coldly, "Alright, Professor Grindelwald, you've received the gifts. Can you tell me your purpose for coming here? After all, I don't think I'm interesting enough for you to just drop by for a chat."
"Why not, Tom? Our relationship is quite good," Grindelwald retorted with a smile, then became serious. "However, I really do have something to discuss this time. Would you mind accompanying this old man on a journey?"
With that, he led Tom directly to the Principal's office.
"As expected of Dumbledore's old lover, coming to the Principal's office is like coming home. You must have spent many nights here, right?"
Grindelwald, who was gradually becoming immune to Tom, didn't waste words with him and directly led him to a wide, flat, and hollow basin.
"A Pensieve? Are you trying to make me watch you and Dumbledore get intimate?"
Watching Grindelwald extract a memory and pour it into the basin, Tom couldn't help but blurt out a sarcastic remark.
As Tom and Grindelwald entered his memory, he suddenly found himself in a place that was not unfamiliar to him—the Gaunt Shack.
Tom watched as Professor Dumbledore and Grindelwald painstakingly searched for the place, then witnessed them trigger the mechanism left by Voldemort, engaging in a fierce battle with the countless Dark Arts and curses he had left behind. If it hadn't been Professor Dumbledore and Grindelwald, anyone else would have likely been pulverized.
At this moment, Tom broke out in a cold sweat, regretting his bold actions last year. Fortunately, Voldemort's mind wasn't completely broken, and he likely had an enemy-identification setting. Otherwise, with Tom's strength at the time, he would have definitely not made it to this chapter of his enrollment.
After finally dealing with the Dark Arts and curses, the two thoroughly searched the Gaunt Shack but found nothing.
Tom, having exited Grindelwald's memory, couldn't help but ask, "So why did you show me this memory, Professor Grindelwald?"
"So, you really did falsify the location of the Horcrux, and the true hidden location is as you said. But such strict protection is not simply a forgery; there must be something we don't know about inside, don't you think, Tom?"
Looking at Grindelwald's serious expression, Tom thought, "Good heavens, he's sticking up for his old lover."
"Professor Grindelwald, aren't you a prophet? Why don't you make a prophecy to see if what I said is true or false?"
However, Grindelwald shook his head. "Tom, you overestimate me. I am not omniscient and omnipotent; that is the prerogative of a god. I can only see a limited part."
That is to say, even Grindelwald couldn't confirm it. Thinking of this, Tom found the matter even more interesting.
What is the highest realm of lying? It is interspersing lies within the truth, where every sentence is true, but combined, they form a huge lie.
And Tom was now ready to add fuel to the fire for Professor Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
Thinking of this, Tom took out the Gaunt family's ancestral ring from his storage space and put it on his hand.
"You are right, but unfortunately, you guessed one thing wrong. That heavily protected old house was not there to protect a Horcrux. What it truly guarded was this ring in my hand, and I just took it away in advance. I wonder if Professor Grindelwald can recognize the origin of this ring in my hand?"
At this moment, Grindelwald also saw the appearance of the ring Tom was wearing, especially the symbol on the black, crystal-clear stone embedded in it. His pupils constricted. As one of the few people in the world most familiar with the deathly hallows, he clearly recognized the origin of this ring before him.
The deathly hallows—the resurrection stone!