Indeed, according to his habit, he only added a little sugar.
Harry looked up again.
"Professor Dumbledore, do you have any clues? I mean—about Voldemort."
He was somewhat asking the obvious.
"Yes." Dumbledore said concisely: "Our guess was indeed correct, Voldemort's mother belonged to the Gaunt family—"
As he spoke, Professor Dumbledore twisted his body a little, looking somewhat fatigued.
He had been exhausted these past few days, constantly searching for Tom and his mother's traces.
"Really?" Harry was surprised that he had guessed correctly, his eyes glimmering with gossipy curiosity: "Can you tell me more about Tom's mother? I'm very curious."
He truly wanted to know what was going on.
"Tom's mother came from the Gaunt family." Professor Dumbledore rubbed his eyelids, speaking to Harry about the information he had gathered: "Her name was Melop Gaunt, she was the daughter of Marvolo Gaunt, which is the origin of Tom's middle name."
"Melop was born with weak magic power, and suffered cold treatment from her family. She received no affection at home, and was even deeply hurt by her family members."
At this point, Dumbledore paused.
All of this was not surprising to Harry, being born with weak magic power meant facing cold treatment in any wizard family, let alone the Gaunt family.
Harry felt that Dumbledore was even concealing part of it. According to the inherently evil ways of the Gaunt family, this Melop Gaunt must have endured the Drilling Curse at home.
No, the Drilling Curse should have been a mere appetizer for the Gaunt family.
Apart from the Drilling Curse, there must have been more cold violence, which was the true, unbearable domestic violence.
"The wealthy and handsome Muggle nobleman Tom Riddle often rode past the Gaunt Mansion, and Melop, lacking in discernment, was deeply attracted by his charm," Professor Dumbledore narrated, "But she knew her father and brother would strongly oppose her associating with a Muggle, and the arrogant and conceited Tom would certainly ridicule and despise her."
"A young girl's feelings can't be hidden. Upon discovering Melop's feelings for Riddle, her brother Moffin Gaunt and her father Marvolo felt deeply humiliated. As descendants of Slytherin, falling in love with a Muggle was something they could never accept, so they would rather break the law to attack Riddle out of anger."
"Therefore, they were naturally arrested by the Ministry of Magic, and during this period, in her selfish desire to possess this relationship, Melop used a Love Potion to make Riddle forget about his previous fiancée and fall in love with her, and they got married."
"However, Melop, believing she could use a child as leverage, gambled that Tom would choose to stay with her for the child's sake, so she told Tom about her being a witch, and also revealed that she had used the Love Potion to make him fall in love with her. Feeling tricked, Tom was extremely angry and chose to abandon her."
"Melop, pregnant, was cast out into the streets. On a snowy night, she gave birth to a son in a Muggle Orphanage," Professor Dumbledore said at this point, with a sigh, "This was Tom, the story of Voldemort's mother."
"And what about Melop?" Harry asked anxiously, eager to know the truth—so he could mock Voldemort properly next time they met.
"Even considering that a witch with weak magic power is unlikely to die from childbirth, I personally believe she didn't die from it," Professor Dumbledore pondered for a while, then continued, "I am more inclined to think that after being abandoned by Old Riddle, she lost her will to live and didn't want to raise the child, so she left him at the orphanage to fend for himself."
Harry slowly opened his mouth wide in surprise.
He thought maybe he had some talent for prophecy?
Good heavens, he swore, when he was in the basement, he had only made up things just to drive Voldemort crazy.
But he never imagined that what he had made up…turned out to be the truth?
"What's wrong with you?" Professor Dumbledore asked with concern.
Harry shook his head and said to Dumbledore: "I just remembered the things I said to Voldemort in the basement."
"What things?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry covered his face and said: "I said, 'Voldemort, you're just a poor wretch that nobody loves, your mother detested you so much that she abandoned you and threw you into an orphanage…'"
Honestly, Harry didn't think he shouldn't have said those words. He just didn't want Dumbledore to see the irrepressible smile on his face.
Good heavens, being able to verbally tear Voldemort apart—what a delightful achievement!
Harry felt that he not only should defeat Voldemort with spells but also crush him with words so that Voldemort could never lift his head again in this life.
Just killing isn't interesting enough; it's essential to wound the heart!
Dumbledore's expression became peculiar.
No, Harry…
Why are all your words like knives stabbing straight into Voldemort's heart?
Everyone knows, lies don't hurt—it's the truth that's the sharp blade.
"Your mother doesn't love you"—if this were said to a happily loved child, perhaps the child wouldn't care too much, or might explain to you that his mother loves him very much.
But if these words are said to Voldemort, well, they really are a devastating revelation with a critical hit plus real damage.