"So, did you discover... Ravenclaw's Diadem?"
Dumbledore asked casually, but his expression gradually grew solemn.
"I discovered residual dark magic within it, so I destroyed it."
Sean made no attempt to hide the truth.
Regarding Horcruxes, there were parts he had forgotten; perhaps Headmaster Dumbledore could clarify things for him.
"Just residual dark magic?"
Having asked, Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"You understand. You've always been clever, but this is a burden that people like us should bear.
I am revealing some secrets to you in the hope that you will stay far away from danger—further still.
If you are willing to listen to an old man ramble, then have some black tea. I hope the sweetness is moderate this time."
The look on his face was one of unprecedented seriousness.
Sean took a sip. It was still tooth-achingly sweet.
"I must emphasize again, a young mind may bring about interesting changes...
But young people should focus more on fulfilling their potential," Dumbledore added.
Then, he brought out the Pensieve.
In all of Hogwarts, perhaps only the two of them used a Pensieve in this manner.
After all, people generally felt that Pensieves were dangerous objects, possessing strong power over memory and thought.
Whether it was the owner of the memories or someone else—and herein lay the danger—one could enter those memories and walk around inside them.
Inevitably, those with secrets, those ashamed of their past, or those desperate to protect their privacy would keep a respectful distance from things like Pensieves.
"Do you remember what I said last time?" Dumbledore asked.
"Tom Riddle liked to collect trophies. He preferred objects with powerful magical properties and historical significance," Sean replied.
"Ohoho—yes, let's call him Tom Riddle.
Tom Riddle. His pride, his sense of superiority, his determination to carve out a startling place for himself in magical history—these things compelled him to carefully select his Horcruxes, favoring objects worthy of such honor."
Dumbledore was always satisfied with a wizard's intelligence.
Especially when that young wizard was named Sean Green.
"It seems you are not surprised by Horcruxes?" Dumbledore asked suddenly.
Sean fell silent for a moment.
"A harmless little joke. I know some people are never puzzled by the future."
Dumbledore said meaningfully.
"Well then, later... we found Tom Riddle's diary.
Oh, although I did not see the Riddle that emerged from the diary, Harry described a phenomenon to me that I had never encountered before.
Could a mere memory act and think for itself? Could a mere memory drain the life from the girl who held it?
No, there was something much more evil in that diary... a piece of soul. I am almost certain that the diary was a Horcrux.
But this raised more questions. What interested and shocked me most was that the diary had been intended as both a safeguard and a weapon."
"So, you suspect Tom Riddle had more than one Horcrux," Sean naturally continued the topic.
"Couldn't have put it better myself."
Dumbledore nodded approvingly.
"Now, if Tom wanted the diary to be passed to or planted on some future Hogwarts student, he was being remarkably careless with the precious soul fragment inside it.
The purpose of a Horcrux is to keep a part of one's soul safely hidden, not to fling it into someone else's path and risk it being destroyed—which indeed happened:
That piece of soul is gone, as you saw.
Voldemort's carelessness with this Horcrux struck me as deeply ominous. It suggested that he must have made—or been planning to make—more Horcruxes, so that the loss of one would not be so detrimental. I did not wish to believe it, but nothing else seemed to make sense."
Sean knew Headmaster Dumbledore was wise; he had deduced a great deal from just a diary.
So, Dumbledore had likely found many clues...
Sean needed to speed up his plan. He had to deal with Slytherin's Locket before the summer holidays and get to the Gaunt Shack as soon as possible.
Thinking this, Sean stole a glance at Headmaster Dumbledore's hand, which made Dumbledore's smile even more cryptic.
"You know, for years I have tried to discover the truth about Voldemort's past, traveling far and wide, tracing his steps.
But I think the work I have done is far less remarkable than yours," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"You exaggerate," Sean said.
"I must tell you something: don't always look for the most correct answer to other people's questions. If you do that, what's the difference between life and taking exams forever?" Dumbledore said with a kindly smile.
"I only did a... trivial part," Sean said.
"Alright, alright," Dumbledore said resignedly.
"So, let me continue from where I left off—
Finding evidence about the young Riddle was difficult enough, but finding anyone prepared to reminisce about the adult Voldemort was next to impossible.
In fact, I doubt there is a living soul, apart from himself, who could give us a detailed account of his life after leaving Hogwarts. Therefore, I have some memories to share with you."
Dumbledore pointed to a small, glistening crystal phial beside the Pensieve.
"Afterward, I shall be glad to hear the opinions of a young mind."
Sean knew this was what he had been waiting for.
He knew Slytherin's Locket was in a cave, and he knew that locket was a fake. But from this, he could deduce the involvement of another person:
Regulus Arcturus Black.
That is:
R.A.B.
And through that fake locket, Sean could get a house-elf, specifically Kreacher, to help find the real one...
The problem was, Sean didn't know where that cave was.
Now it seemed Headmaster Dumbledore had already figured it out.
"I hope you are not tired of diving into other people's memories, for they are quite curious. This one," Dumbledore introduced, "comes from a very old house-elf named Hokey.
Before we witness Hokey's testimony, I must briefly explain how Voldemort left Hogwarts.
You may have guessed that he reached his seventh year with top grades in every subject.
His classmates were all considering their careers after graduation. Almost everyone expected Tom Riddle to achieve spectacular things; he was a prefect, Head Boy, and had received a Medal for Magical Merit.
I know several teachers, Professor Slughorn included, suggested he join the Ministry of Magic and offered to set up appointments for him, but he turned them all down. Later, the staff learned that he had gone to work at Borgin and Burkes."