Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures - H.P.S.T Chapter 1418: Voldemort

Evan perked up — information about the homeland of the house-elves!

According to the timeline, Riddle should have graduated from Hogwarts by now. While at school, due to Dumbledore’s close watch, there were many things he didn’t dare or couldn’t do. Especially after the Chamber of Secrets incident, he knew he had once again aroused Dumbledore’s suspicion. He would certainly be even more cautious and do nothing at all.

It was easy to imagine that once he graduated from Hogwarts, the man Voldemort would become utterly unrestrained.

Without Dumbledore’s surveillance, he would no longer be so restricted.

“In the memory we are about to see, Riddle has already graduated and left Hogwarts,” said Dumbledore as expected. “I want you to understand that as he aged and grew in power, the situation before us has become murkier and stranger. If it was difficult to find evidence about the boy Riddle, it has been almost impossible to find anyone prepared to reminisce about the man Voldemort. In fact, I doubt whether there is a soul alive, apart from himself, who could give us a full account of his life since he left Hogwarts.

“However, I am pleased to have found this memory. It is a very important one because it may reveal another one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, as well as information about the homeland of the house-elves.”

As he spoke, he took out another little crystal bottle. The memory inside was not the usual pearly white but a sticky pale yellow. “I hope you are not tired of diving into other people’s memories, because this one is different from the ones you have seen before. It came from a very old house-elf by the name of Hokey.”

“House-elf Hokey?” Evan asked.

“Yes, the family she once served was the last descendant of Helga Hufflepuff in this world. This inheritance is a bit like Slytherin and the former Gaunt family,” said Dumbledore. “This is a very important memory, but before we see what Hokey witnessed, I must quickly recount how Lord Voldemort left Hogwarts.

“He reached the seventh year of his schooling with, as you might have expected, top grades in every examination he had taken. All around him, his classmates were deciding which jobs they were to pursue once they had left Hogwarts. Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Award for Special Services to the School. I know that several teachers, Professor Slughorn amongst them, suggested that he join the Ministry of Magic, offered to set up appointments, put him in touch with useful contacts. He refused all offers. The next thing the staff knew, Voldemort was working at Borgin and Burkes.”

“At Borgin and Burkes?” Harry repeated, stunned. This was another thing that surprised him tonight. Dumbledore said a lot of unknown secrets about Voldemort’s past. Each one of them was enough to cause an uproar. Even if Harry was mentally prepared, it would take him a long time to digest what he had heard all at once.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Evan in admiration. Evan’s expression had barely changed…

“Sir, are you saying that Voldemort worked at Borgin and Burkes?”

“Yes, at Borgin and Burkes, the Dark magic shop we are already familiar with,” said Dumbledore calmly. “I think you will see what attractions the place held for him when we have entered Hokey’s memory. But this was not Voldemort’s first choice of job. Hardly anyone knew of it at the time — I was one of the few in whom the then headmaster confided — but Voldemort first approached Professor Dippet, the headmaster before me, and asked whether he could remain at Hogwarts as a teacher.”

“He wanted to stay here? Why?” asked Harry, more amazed still. Voldemort actually wanted to stay in Hogwarts!

This was incredible. From what he had heard before, he had assumed Voldemort wanted to leave Hogwarts as soon as possible and escape Dumbledore’s watchful eye!

Evan quickly considered the situation. There was no doubt that Hogwarts held a strong attraction for Voldemort.

If it were him, he would have chosen to stay at Hogwarts too. Many people wondered why Evan, being as powerful as he was, still chose to remain at Hogwarts. In truth, the ancient Wizarding school still held many mysteries waiting to be explored and uncovered…

“Yes, Voldemort wanted to stay at Hogwarts. I believe he had several reasons, though he confided none of them to Professor Dippet,” Dumbledore replied. “Firstly, and very importantly, Voldemort was, I believe, more attached to this school than he has ever been to a person. Hogwarts was where he had been happiest; the first and only place he had felt at home.

“Secondly, the castle is a stronghold of ancient magic. Undoubtedly Voldemort had penetrated many more of its secrets than most of the students who pass through the place, but he may have felt that there were still mysteries to unravel, stores of magic to tap.

“And thirdly, as a teacher, he would have had great power and influence over young witches and wizards. Perhaps he had gained the idea from Professor Slughorn, the teacher with whom he was on best terms, who had demonstrated how influential a role a teacher can play. I do not imagine for an instant that Voldemort envisaged spending the rest of his life at Hogwarts, but I do think that he saw it as a useful recruiting ground, and a place where he might begin to build himself an army.”

Recruiting Death Eaters from Hogwarts was much more reliable than looking for outlaws, giants, werewolves, or vampires.

“Of course, Voldemort didn’t get the job in the end,” Dumbledore continued. “Professor Dippet told him that he was too young at eighteen, but invited him to reapply in a few years, if he still wished to teach.”

“How did you feel about that, sir?”

“Deeply uneasy,” said Dumbledore. “I had advised Armando against the appointment — I did not give the reasons I have given you, for Professor Dippet was very fond of Voldemort and convinced of his honesty. But I did not want Lord Voldemort back at this school, and especially not in a position of power.”

Dumbledore was very famous at the time and was not an ordinary professor. He went to Nurmengard alone shortly afterwards and defeated the powerful Grindelwald, ending the chaos caused by the first generation of Dark Lord Grindelwald and the large-scale war in the entire European Wizarding World, and took over the position of Headmaster at Hogwarts.

Therefore, his opinion was very important and greatly influenced Professor Dippet’s decision.

By the time Dumbledore became Headmaster, Voldemort had even less chance of returning to Hogwarts.

In other words, the reason why Voldemort did not teach at Hogwarts after graduation was mainly because Dumbledore had prevented it.

“Which job did he want, sir? What subject did he want to teach?” Harry asked instinctively.

Somehow, Harry knew the answer even before Dumbledore gave it

“Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was being taught at the time by an old Professor by the name of Galatea Merrythought, who had been at Hogwarts for nearly fifty years,” said Dumbledore. “Just now in Slughorn’s memory, we all saw that Voldemort already knew that Professor Merrythought was about to retire…”

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