It was like a pebble thrown into the lake, raising a small ripple. Yet when the water settled, no one could find the stone. In fact, it gradually became unclear whether the splash had ever truly existed.
But Moody still managed to uncover a few clues.
He began his investigation with Tom Riddle's background.
For that purpose, he specifically sought out Dumbledore and learned that Tom Riddle had grown up as an orphan.
Aside from concealing his identity, Dumbledore told Moody nearly everything else he knew.
"Riddle." There was no doubt that this was a Muggle surname, inherited from Tom's father.
As for his mother, no one knew her name.
Even Dumbledore might not yet know that Voldemort was descended from the Gaunt family. Otherwise, he might already have located the Gaunt shack and discovered the Resurrection Stone.
In the original timeline, Dumbledore likely followed the clues and uncovered Voldemort's origins based on Harry's account of the cemetery in Little Hangleton after Voldemort's resurrection.
Only after that did he discover the Resurrection Stone, and even then he could not resist the temptation to resurrect the dead, eventually falling victim to Voldemort's curse.
But now Moody's investigation had pushed that discovery forward.
He learned that Tom Riddle was a Parselmouth.
That explained how he had been able to control a terrifying basilisk and carry out attacks at Hogwarts during the past year. By coincidence, a senior officer Moody once knew in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had once mentioned a murder case.
The murderer had also been a Parselmouth.
So Moody first searched the Gaunt shack.
There were indeed strong traces of magic there, but the person responsible had already left long ago. Moody could not be certain whether it had been Riddle.
They expanded the search area and eventually discovered a clue in Little Hangleton, not far from the Gaunt property.
Moody looked toward a beautiful house standing on the hillside in the distance.
Under the sunlight, the building still looked strangely eerie, like a silent watcher staring down at the town for the past fifty years.
"The previous owners of that house were the Riddle family," Moody said. "But fifty years ago a murder took place there. Because all the victims were Muggles, the Ministry didn't pay much attention at the time. Now it seems the incident may be connected to the tragedies that followed."
While the two were speaking, John Dolores returned with several other Aurors. The capable Auror looked dissatisfied as he reported in a deep voice.
"A foreigner did come here a few days ago and bought the Riddle mansion. But his face looks nothing like Riddle's. That should mean the new owner isn't the man we're looking for, right?"
"Looks different? Don't forget he's a wizard," Moody snapped with open disdain.
"Even so, how could he change his appearance? Tom was sent to Azkaban. He shouldn't have a wand…"
"And how can you guarantee that?" Moody said sharply.
He leaned on his crutches and started up the hillside without looking back. Tonks hurried after him.
John Dolores shot him a resentful look before following with the other two Aurors.
The five of them climbed the hillside together.
Old Frank stood waiting at the doorway, his cloudy eyes unmoving, as though he had been expecting them all along.
"Here you are, gentlemen."
"You knew we were coming?" Moody asked in surprise.
His magical eye swept over Frank's entire body in an instant. The icy blue pupil turned like a frozen whirlpool within deep water, radiating powerful magical energy.
He tried to see through Frank's disguise, but the magical eye could not penetrate the man's thoughts, let alone detect any altered memories.
"The gentleman told me that if other guests arrived, I should welcome them and then leave the place."
Frank looked somewhat lonely, though not particularly sad.
After all, the gentleman had arranged for him to stay somewhere in town.
In truth, Frank had misunderstood Elijah's words. The "guest" Elijah had meant was actually Voldemort, and telling Frank to leave had been meant to save his innocent life. But Frank naturally assumed Moody and the others were those guests.
"The gentleman? What's his name?"
"He said I could call him Elijah. Or… Riddle."
"It really is Riddle!" Tonks' eyes lit up. "Where did he go?"
"I don't know. I'm just a gardener, miss," Frank replied helplessly.
He seemed inclined to entertain Moody and the others, yet he also felt he should leave and began to gather his belongings. In truth, there was very little for him to pack.
The wooden shed he once used had already been demolished and absorbed into the newly built modern manor. Elijah had allowed him to stay inside the house.
As for his old belongings, such as the kerosene lamp and his crooked kettle, they had long since been disposed of.
In the end, Frank took nothing with him except his frail body and slowly walked toward the town with the sun at his back.
…
"So the clue is gone again," Tonks said in frustration.
"Let's search the house first," Moody replied. "At the very least we need to know why Riddle bought it and what connection it has to the magical traces left at the Gaunt shack."
Moody uncorked the bottle at his waist and took a long drink before limping aside.
"I'm going to write to Dumbledore. Maybe he'll have some idea about Riddle's purpose. If you find anything, report to me immediately."
He found a rock to lean against. A quill dipped itself in ink and began writing across the parchment.
"Tch! He sure knows how to order people around," John Dolores muttered, kicking a stone aside irritably.
After all, Moody had already retired. No one denied that he possessed great authority, but many people believed he had grown nearly mad, constantly imagining conspiracies against him.
Now this same man had come to command him again.
Naturally he was displeased.
"Everyone's gone already. What's there left to find?"
John grumbled quietly, though he did not dare disobey Moody outright.
The old Auror's reputation was still formidable. Whether facing enemies or his own subordinates, Moody never showed mercy.
John sometimes wondered how the trainee Auror Tonks could get along with him so easily.
Just then something suddenly flashed in his vision.
It was like sunlight striking a colored mirror, a brief reflection that dazzled his eyes before vanishing into the grass.
His heart tensed immediately, as though he had almost caught something important.
"You two check over there. I'll take a look around this side," he said quickly, pushing the other two Aurors aside before jogging off.
How could he possibly share such a chance for promotion and a salary increase with others?
He casually parted the grass.
There was nothing.
But when he looked up, he saw a black-green python slipping away through the grass, its scales reflecting dazzling colors.
A chill ran through John Dolores.
There was no doubt the snake was closely connected to Riddle. Tom Riddle was a Parselmouth, after all. Perhaps he used snakes like this to spy on anyone who approached..?
This snake could be Riddle's spy!
But if he followed it, perhaps he could locate Riddle himself.
Without much hesitation, John Dolores followed.
Dumbledore had repeatedly warned that Riddle was dangerous. But John Dolores' arrogance and confidence convinced him that the so-called Tom Riddle was nothing special.
After all, he himself had been the one who put Riddle in Azkaban. The boy had looked like nothing more than a novice.
Could the great John Dolores really be inferior to him?
As he followed the python, he drew his wand and cautiously observed his surroundings.
What he failed to notice was that he had already left the Riddle mansion far behind. Alone, he had wandered deep into the forest.
The light dimmed suddenly as the leaves overhead thickened into a dark green canopy.
The ground beneath his feet was slick with wet, rotting leaves, and he nearly slipped several times.
It stopped!!
From a distance he saw the python's bright body pause. He hid behind a thick tree trunk.
Sweat gathered on his forehead.
For a long time, perhaps only a few minutes, the forest remained silent except for the chirping of insects and distant birds.
Then footsteps appeared.
Leaves crunched beneath approaching shoes.
The sound grew clearer.
Closer.
John Dolores heard the person ahead lower their voice and produce a strange, horrifying hiss.
Parseltongue!
Tom Riddle!
He had never left!
Just as expected, Riddle had been spying on intruders through his snakes.
Moody had found nothing. But the man who would capture the escaped prisoner Tom Riddle was him.
John Dolores.
His breathing grew heavier.
All he needed to do was turn his head and cast a Stunning Spell. Then he could claim the credit alone.
The Aurors across the Ministry and the guards of Azkaban had exhausted themselves trying to catch Sirius Black and failed.
But he had captured Tom Riddle alone.
Perhaps that would make him the next Head of the Auror Office. Hehehe!!
He steadied his breathing.
Then he leapt out.
"Stupefy!"
A red bolt shot from his wand and exploded forward.
"Eh?"
John Dolores' eyes widened.
The spell missed.
There was nothing ahead of him except a small crater blasted into the ground by his own magic.
Tom Riddle was nowhere to be seen.
The python had vanished as well.
John Dolores instinctively turned around, but something sharp pressed against the back of his head.
"Ah…"
His heart sank.
His limbs turned cold.
A wand.
"Looking for me?"
The familiar voice froze his blood.
Only now did John Dolores remember to fight back. But before he could move, something struck the back of his hand violently. Pain flared, and his wand flew from his grasp.
"We meet again, Mr. Auror."
Elijah chuckled softly as he looked down at the pathetic Auror.
"I have to say, you're incredibly stupid to walk straight into such an obvious trap."
"Tom Riddle…?"
"I'm glad you still remember my name, sir. But…"
Elijah raised his wand slightly.
"Now, goodbye~"
…
"Where's John Dolores?"
After finishing his letter, Moody looked around but could not see him. He assumed the Auror had gone into the mansion to search.
Soon Tonks came running out and shook her head.
"This house is incredible," she said, looking around with amazement. "Much better than my father's taste."
Her father was a Muggle-born wizard. Somehow his home still carried a rather old-fashioned wizarding style.
But this place was completely different.
Tonks could hardly believe it belonged to a wizard.
The house was full of electrical appliances and even had a Sega Saturn, a game console that had only been released that very year.
"Did you find anything?"
Tonks shook her head.
"Maybe John did. I saw him running toward the forest earlier, like he was chasing something."
Moody blinked.
"And you didn't follow him?"
"Uh…"
"Dumbledore has emphasized again and again that Tom Riddle is extremely dangerous. If John Dolores really found something, he might already be dead!" Moody barked. "I said before, if you notice anything unusual, report to me immediately!"
"Which direction did he go? We need to hurry. Otherwise John might already be dead."
But the two Aurors and Tonks pointed in completely different directions.
"Which way?"
"I clearly saw him go into the forest!" Tonks insisted.
"But Mr. Dolores told us he was heading to the top of the hill," the other Aurors replied stubbornly.
Moody nearly collapsed.
What was happening with Aurors these days?
Could people like this really protect the peace of the British magical world?
If this had happened during Voldemort's reign ten years ago, these people probably wouldn't even know how they died.
Fortunately, at that moment John Dolores emerged from the forest.
"What are you all doing here?" he asked in surprise, brushing leaves from his clothes as he approached the group.
"See? I told you he went into the forest," Tonks said with folded arms.
His return eased the tension between Tonks and the other Aurors.
But Moody did not relax at all.
As if sensing something wrong, his magical eye spun wildly, scanning John Dolores again and again like a malfunctioning machine.
"Stop."
"What's wrong?" John Dolores halted and frowned.
Moody said nothing.
His magical eye examined every inch of the man's body like a beam of infrared light.
During the last wizarding war, Moody had used this eye countless times to see through Death Eaters disguised by Transfiguration and had prevented many assassination attempts against himself.