"resurrection stone?"
Grindelwald asked, looking at the ring on Tom's hand with uncertainty.
"As expected of Professor Grindelwald, you recognized it at a glance. I wonder if that old shack is worthy of protecting the resurrection stone?"
Tom caressed the ring in his hand, smiling as he looked at Grindelwald.
The resurrection stone, it was indeed worthy. Grindelwald was starting to believe Tom's words.
And Tom didn't mind deepening Grindelwald's impression of the truthfulness of his lie.
"So, Professor Grindelwald, you must have learned from Professor Dumbledore the location where I told him to hide the Horcrux. As a means of self-preservation, is it better to hide a leaf in a forest so no one can find it, or hide it in the Gaunt Shack where you can easily find it given some time? I think any normal person would make the correct choice."
Grindelwald put himself in Tom's shoes and thought about it. Indeed, hiding it in the place Tom mentioned was the most suitable, but this way, the probability of collecting all of them was almost zero. No wonder Tom could speak so frankly.
Grindelwald sighed lightly, feeling a pang of sympathy for Dumbledore. He wondered how to persuade Dumbledore to give up when he returned, as it wasn't that they were too weak, but that their opponent's thought process was simply too bizarre.
"So, Professor, do you have anything else, or I still need to go back and pack Christmas presents."
Tom's words interrupted Grindelwald's thoughts. He looked at Tom with a complex expression, then shifted his attention to the resurrection stone in his hand.
"Do you want to study the secrets of the deathly hallows with me?"
Grindelwald suddenly suggested to Tom.
Facing Grindelwald's proposal, Tom instinctively took a step back, looking flustered: "Professor, you already have Professor Dumbledore. Making a move on me will displease Professor Dumbledore. Besides, I'm still young, and I really can't satisfy you."
"???"
Grindelwald was full of question marks, feeling like Tom was driving him crazy. Are you insane? He just made a suggestion, what on earth are you talking about? Do you have no demeanor of a magic world big shot? Or is your brain filled with trash?
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Grindelwald said coldly: "Put away those unrealistic fantasies in your head. I was simply suggesting we study the deathly hallows together."
Tom, however, looked at Grindelwald's words with suspicion: "But, back then in Godric's Hollow, when you were staying with your great-aunt Bathilda Bagshot, wasn't that the excuse you used to hook up with Dumbledore? Are you not trying to pull the same trick now?"
Grindelwald's back teeth were almost ground to dust. How could there be someone like Tom in this world with such a low moral bottom line? The key was that this person was also very strong.
Just as Grindelwald wanted to loudly say no, he choked on his words under Tom's playful gaze, because, in fact, his encounter with Dumbledore back then was indeed as Tom described.
This was also the most annoying thing about Tom: always using real facts to say disgusting things, and you couldn't refute him for a while.
Just as Grindelwald was about to send him away, Tom looked serious and said to him with utmost sincerity: "The resurrection stone cannot truly resurrect the dead. As someone who understands the deathly hallows, you should be very clear about this. I believe you also don't want Professor Dumbledore to be immersed in the illusion of Ariana."
So, Tom, how can you be acting crazy one second and then be so serious the next? The speed of personality split and face-changing isn't even as fast as yours, but Grindelwald had to seriously consider Tom's opinion.
"Oh, and these Principal portraits on the wall, I'll leave them for you to handle. I imagine you wouldn't want Professor Dumbledore to know everything that happened today."
After speaking, Tom left Grindelwald and walked directly out of the Principal's office.
Returning to the Slytherin common room, Tom looked at the ring in his hand and also began to ponder Grindelwald's words.
It seemed that ever since he got this thing, besides showing off, it had just been gathering dust in his storage space. Perhaps he should take advantage of the Christmas holiday to study it properly, after all, even Harry had gone to Sirius's place for Christmas this year, and he was too bored staying in the Castle alone.
However, for today, Tom glanced at the time. Never mind, he'd better sleep first; he could deal with things tomorrow.
"This is the right place, isn't it, Lucius?"
Tom looked at the manor in front of him and said to Lucius beside him.
"Yes, Master."
Lucius replied respectfully, while secretly cursing in his heart.
Recalling this morning, he was originally enjoying Christmas with his wife and child at the manor, but unexpectedly, a certain uninvited guest appeared at the breakfast table again and again.
He had thought the Dark Lord was bringing trouble again, but the first thing he did upon arrival was actually give Draco a Christmas present.
Only when Draco opened it, well, "The Collection of Chasing Wife Cremation Ground Series"—it was simply indescribable. Could the Dark Lord have some hidden meaning? Lucius couldn't imagine how wonderful his expression must have been at the time.
"Draco likes to read it. There's no harm in learning more. At least, he can interact with more people in the future, expand the family, and it can be considered a way to revitalize the Malfoy family."
Draco likes it? When did the Malfoy family become so tasteless? If it weren't for Tom being present, Lucius would have had a serious talk with Draco right then and there.
But for the latter sentence, Lucius thought about it, given the Malfoy family's population status, the Dark Lord's words made a lot of sense.
After dismissing Narcissa and Draco, Lucius knew that Tom was probably going to discuss serious matters.
"Take me to Crouch Manor."
Lucius was stunned for a moment after hearing Tom's simple and clear request, unsure what Tom wanted to do now.
However, thinking about the Dark Lord's methods, and adhering to the spirit of 'better a dead comrade than a dead me', Lucius directly took Tom to Crouch Manor.
After some communication from Lucius, they were led into the manor.
"Malfoy, what is this important matter you had to inform me about, making you visit especially before Christmas? You can speak now."
Barty Crouch frowned slightly upon seeing Lucius, a former Death Eater. If it weren't for the other party's financial power in the magic world and the claim of an important matter concerning him, he wouldn't have wanted to see him at all.
Lucius was about to make up an excuse, but Tom had already slowly walked out from behind him.
Looking at the person in front of him, who was completely covered by a hood but clearly a Young Wizard, Barty Crouch asked doubtfully: "This is...?"
Unfortunately, Barty Crouch's answer was...
"Stupefy!"