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Chapter 61: The Secret of the Lavatory

"Tom was very good at acting and skilled at winning people over. During his time at school, he started forming a group within Slytherin House, which was the precursor to the Death Eaters. It was at that time he discarded the common name Tom and his Muggle father's surname, Riddle."

"Tom's performance at school was exemplary. Nearly all the professors thought of him as a model student. He managed to deceive everyone at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said with a heavy tone. "Only I, having seen his bullying of other children at the orphanage, was wary of his character. But I couldn't produce concrete evidence..."

"Oh? This is getting interesting," Dracula said suddenly, a smile creeping onto his face amidst the tense atmosphere. "Let me think—an orphan who endured humiliation and pressure under powerful professors, ultimately emerging from Hogwarts to build the fearsome Death Eaters. What an inspiring story!"

"Damn, why didn't that old Nicodemus wake me up back then? Maybe I could have seen what young Tom looked like or even been involved in his underground activities forming the Death Eaters. Just thinking about it is fascinating!"

After hearing Dumbledore's account of Voldemort's youth, Dracula finally gained a certain understanding of this nameless Dark Lord and developed a new interest in him.

At this point, Voldemort no longer seemed to Dracula a flat, brainless, insignificant character lacking in Dark Lord gravitas.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was deep in thought.

He was now unsure whether having Dracula come to Hogwarts as a professor was the right decision...

"Uncle Dracula, don't forget Tom Riddle stole my mother's diadem. You need to help me teach him a lesson!" Helena, seeing Dracula's interest, hurriedly added with a hint of grievance, fearing that his interest might lead him to join Voldemort's camp.

"Don't worry, Helena!" Dracula gave her a reassuring look. "I'll make sure to teach him a lesson and have him return Rowena's diadem to you!"

The conversation had inadvertently shifted.

It was still because Moaning Myrtle felt she couldn't interject and retreated to her usual hiding place in the toilet, splashing around again, that Dumbledore and Dracula were reminded of their task for the day.

"Professor Dracula, I believe we need to act quickly from here on," Dumbledore said seriously. "Tom daring to reveal his young self means he thinks there's nothing left to hide. In other words, he's probably figured out that we've prepared a trap and are just waiting for him to fall into it."

"But in order to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, he has no choice but to fall into the trap, right?" Dracula said with a relaxed smile, turning to Helena. "Once Voldemort falls into the trap, I'll make sure to deal with him properly and help you get the diadem back, okay?"

"Mm!" Helena nodded vigorously.

"Alright, Professor Dracula, it's time to get to work," Dumbledore said, moving aside. "It's time we check what secrets Voldemort and Quirrell have hidden in this semi-abandoned girls' restroom."

Dracula nodded slightly, taking out an old parchment from his pocket, a well-used Hogwarts map.

As he activated his magic, lines began to intertwine on the parchment, slowly forming a grid of Hogwarts Castle.

Dracula's eyes flickered, and suddenly a part of the grid magnified, revealing a diagram identical to the structure of the semi-abandoned restroom where Myrtle was. Every magical node in the restroom was vividly displayed, and every corner of the scene was shown in fine detail.

"Sometimes, seeing Professor Dracula's control over Hogwarts, I wonder what use I have as a headmaster," Dumbledore sighed as he looked at Dracula's actions.

At that moment, Dracula, absorbed in examining the map, had no time for Dumbledore's reflections. He furrowed his brow slightly.

"The magical nodes here seem a bit complicated."

He suddenly turned around and looked at the pool he had been leaning against.

The pool was very old, made of marble. The surface of the stone was worn away, damp, and moss was growing in the cracks.

Several dirty faucets were mounted above the pool, dripping intermittently with a "drip-drip" sound. Some water splashed out onto the floor, making it wet.

A large, stained mirror with cracks stood behind the pool, reflecting the figures of Dracula, Dumbledore, and Helena. Moaning Myrtle, having stuffed herself into the toilet, was not visible in the reflection.

"Is there something wrong here?" Dumbledore asked, moving closer to examine the stained pool and mirror with a puzzled expression.

Dracula spread out the parchment, placing it before Dumbledore.

"As headmaster, you should be quite familiar with the magical system that accompanies Hogwarts, Dumbledore," he said. "Look at the structure of this restroom. The magical nodes in other locations are quite normal. However, at this pool, there are suddenly four or five extra magical nodes, and these nodes' backs abruptly turn empty, as if they have been deliberately blocked."

"So, is there something else behind this pool?" Dumbledore asked. "Are there any magical nodes that are not visible with this map's permissions?"

"There are. After all, I'm just the lord of this land, while the castle was built by Salazar and Godric," Dracula explained. "So if the four founders wanted to include something in the castle's construction that isn't shown on the map, it would be normal."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding.

"Ah, it looks like one of the faucets isn't working."

He looked at one of the brass faucets, which had a small snake engraved on it...