Voldemort stood there, wandless, and Harry couldn't comprehend the reason behind this peculiar behavior.
He then looked at the wand on the floor. It was 11" long, made of holly, and possessed a phoenix feather core.
Harry recognized it. This was his own wand.
As the seconds passed, Harry's gaze shifted between the wand and Voldemort, who stood defenseless before him. The opportunity to seize the wand and cast a spell loomed before Harry, yet uncertainty held him back.
Why? Why was Voldemort doing this?
As if the dark Lord had heard his inner thoughts, Voldemort spoke in a less menacing tone than usual. "I know you hate me, Harry. And you have all the reasons to do so. After all, it is true that I killed your parents when I tried to kill you."
Immediately, Harry felt a surge of conflicting emotions as the Dark Lord spoke about the past. He remembered all the tales he heard about his parents' sacrifice and how Voldemort failed to kill him, leading to Harry being named the "Boy Who Lived."
The image of his parents became vivid in his mind. He could see them smiling at him.
Voldemort, seemingly indifferent to what Harry was thinking, continued, "I'm giving you two choices, Harry. You can take your wand, Harry, and attempt to end me or torture me. Avenge your parents and all those who fell because of my actions."
Harry's hand twitched involuntarily, and the temptation for revenge tugged at him, fueled by years of pain and loss.
"Or," Voldemort continued, "You can finally know the truth. The real truth. Have you never wondered why a powerful Lord like me wanted to kill you? Don't you want to know why, even though I had promised someone at that time not to harm Lily Evan, and yet I did so? The choice is yours, Harry. You can pick that wand, or you can finally learn the truth that binds our fates together."
Harry, torn between the desire for vengeance and the allure of uncovering the truth, found himself at a crossroads. He hesitated, his fingers hovering above his wand. The opportunity to strike down the Dark Lord, to rid the world of the embodiment of his nightmares, was within his grasp. Yet there was something that struck his mind.
What was Voldemort talking about, promising not to hurt his mom, Lily Evans Potter? Harry has been in the dark for too long. He deserved to know the truth.
Then Harry picked up the wand, carefully looking at it, and finally, he threw the wand away. Harry made sure the wand was no longer within reach, thus removing the first choice completely. With a deep breath, Harry made his decision.
"Tell me the truth," he said, his voice steady but laced with urgency. "I want to know why. Why did you kill my parents?
Voldemort's crimson eyes bore into Harry's. The dark Lord had taken a gamble. The choice was an illusion. There was never the option of revenge. Voldemort was no fool to present himself defenseless to the boy.
But that was not something the dear boy needed to know. Right now, he needed emotional support, and Voldemort was more than happy to play that role for his own gain.
He came closer and sat on the floor just in front of Harry.
"There is so much to tell Harry, and I don't want you to fall unconscious again while listening. Here, drink this." Voldemort extended his hand, and a potion appeared out of thin air.
Harry's brain did not even glance at the thought that maybe the potion was a trap. He drank it. Thankful for him, the dark Lord did not trick him as Harry felt himself gaining some strength.
"From where should I begin, hmm?" Voldemort turned his head sideways and began pondering. "You know what, let's start from the very beginning itself. The main man, Albus Dumbledore. Have you heard of Gellert Grindelwald?"
Harry knew this name but did not understand how it was related. He replied in a monotone voice, "Yes, the dark wizard who started the Global wizarding war but was defeated by Dumbledore."
Without Harry noticing, he stopped using the word Professor when addressing Dumbledore.
Voldemort followed up with more questions."Yes. But do you know his relationship with Albus? Has the headmaster ever revealed his past to you?"
"What," Harry thought. There was a past between that Dark wizard and Dumbledore.
Voldemort, watching Harry's reactions closely, continued, "Dumbledore and Grindelwald's relationship began much earlier than everyone knows. Grindelwald was a student at Durmstrang Institute, and one day, as a natural-born Seer, Grindelwald had a vision of the war that the Muggles were going to fight. He began his search for power to defend against that, which led him to Godric's Hollow, England. There he met another teenager just like him."
Voldemort paused a little and then said the name of the then-teenager.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
The two teenagers had a lot in common: they were intellectuals and talented young wizards who were also idealistic and ambitious. After a day of knowing each other, they quickly struck up a close friendship. The two of them spent days together, sharing ideas, talking, and building their relationship. Dumbledore also quickly became fascinated by Grindelwald's ideas of wizarding domination, obviously considering Grindelwald an unexpected new chance to show his own brilliance. You know, Albus's father, Percival Dumbledore, spent the last part of his life in Azkaban due to killing Muggles. There are many records that suggest he was also a supporter of blood purity. Maybe later, Harry, you can search for past newspapers and see with your eyes what I'm telling you. Albus must have taken that part from his father. Over the course of the two months, Grindelwald stayed in Godric's Hollow, and the two young men's friendship became romantic. They were lovers, Harry."
Harry's eyes widened in disbelief as he processed all the revelations.
He never knew about Albus's father being in Azkaban. And why did Dumbledore fall in love with Grindelwald? Albus also agreed on the idea of blood purity. The mere notion that the revered and wise headmaster of Hogwarts had once been romantically involved with a dark wizard was beyond his comprehension.
"Lovers?"