The wizarding and Muggle governments have an established line of communication, specifically between the Minister for Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister.
Fudge personally briefs the PM on major magical threats that could spill over into the Muggle world.
For Sirius, Fudge coordinated with the PM to create a cover story. The Ministry of Magic couldn't risk him blending into the Muggle world undetected, as wizards like Sirius could easily move between magical and non-magical societies. Alerting Muggles increased the chances of spotting him and reporting sightings, which could then be funneled back to the Aurors or Ministry.
"...reminding the public that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A dedicated hotline has been set up, and anyone who sees Black should report it immediately."
The man on TV had a gaunt, haggard face surrounded by long, dirty, tangled hair. Compared to him, Harry felt quite neat.
The news about the wanted criminal, Sirius Black, had been continuously reported on TV for several weeks. It had been in the newspapers since the first day of summer vacation, when he returned to Privet Drive from Hogwarts.
His uncle, Mr. Dursley, was always furiously wondering which prison he had escaped from so he could call and complain to the warden.
However, today's news seemed different. After Sirius Black was reported on TV again, it surprisingly didn't switch to boring programs like agriculture and fishing.
Instead, it started talking about another escaped convict.
"It is reported that another criminal, Riddle, has also escaped from prison. According to speculation, Black and Riddle are suspected accomplices, and both are armed with lethal weapons…"
Harry, who was frying an egg, immediately froze.
Hearing the name "Riddle" again made him feel as if he had suddenly been pulled from this muddy Muggle world back into the world of magic. But the emotion surging within him at that moment was not joy.
Tom Riddle. He had once thought of him as a friend and had spent almost half a school term with him. But what was the reality?
This was the person who had killed his parents twelve years ago and had even tried to kill him.
In the previous school year, he had also controlled a giant Basilisk, wreaking havoc and terrorizing Hogwarts, petrifying several people.
Fortunately, Dumbledore, whom people called the greatest wizard, had later caught him and sent him to Azkaban, a prison specifically for wizards.
Hearing the name "Tom Riddle" again, along with the news of his escape, Harry felt an inexplicable sense of confusion. He didn't know how to face this.
Logically, he should have felt angry about the escape of the enemy who killed his parents. But in reality, he didn't.
On the contrary, he was somewhat happy for him. He always found it difficult to reconcile the Mr. Riddle he had spent time with daily with the shadow of Voldemort, even though Dumbledore repeatedly emphasized that the man's greatest skill was manipulating people.
However, how had "Riddle" gotten involved with a criminal from the Muggle world?
Or was it just a coincidence of having the same name?
He looked up, furtively glancing at the TV.
The Dursleys had owned a color TV for a long time. On the screen, the handsome Tom Riddle was half-smiling, every strand of his hair neatly combed, with a small curl of black hair falling over his forehead.
It was indeed the Riddle Harry knew. Harry had seen Riddle's appearance in his memories before.
Tom Riddle looked completely different from his "accomplice," Sirius. He was clearly wearing a prison uniform, but he didn't seem worried at all. His hair and clothes were clean and tidy. He didn't look like a prisoner at all, but rather like someone about to take up a position at the prison.
Perhaps he had already foreseen this day the moment he was imprisoned.
Harry wasn't sure, but at least one thing was clear to him. If Sirius Black was Tom Riddle's accomplice, it meant that this prisoner who had been on the run for several weeks was actually a wizard.
But no matter what, he guessed he might understand what would happen tonight.
His good friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were not as out of touch with news from the magical world as he was, and they had also spent a long time with "Tom Riddle."
If they had any news, Harry believed they would definitely write to him.
Not to mention, after midnight tonight, it would be his birthday.
In the past twelve years, he had never looked forward to his birthday. Even last year, he had a terrible one.
But this year, as long as no house-elf appeared to save him again, perhaps he could receive some letters from friends.
Harry placed the fried egg, slightly burnt on one side, onto the plate, then kept an eye on the clock, waiting for the day to pass.
Time dragged on until evening, then midnight.
He looked out the window with anticipation, but there was nothing outside. For a while, Harry thought he wouldn't receive any letters for his birthday again.
However, an hour after he turned thirteen, under the golden moon, a large creature flew toward Harry, strangely crooked and flapping its wings, growing larger and larger.
Harry stood motionless, watching it slowly descend.
Then three more owls flew into his not-so-large room.
Harry was glad he had moved into this small room from the cupboard under the stairs last year; otherwise, he would never have imagined a night when he would receive so many letters.
Four birds. Two from Ron and Hermione, and the other two?
Soon he knew where the third owl came from: Hogwarts.
This owl from the school brought two letters, one from his friend Rubeus Hagrid and the other from the school.
And the fourth bird..
Harry didn't recognize the sender.
The letter looked very plain, with no name signed, and a badge with a magnificent eagle printed on the seal. He had originally wanted to read Ron's letter first, but this unsigned letter seemed to have magic, attracting him and making his hand unable to resist tearing open the seal.
If someone familiar with magic had been beside him, they might have immediately stopped him from opening a letter of unknown origin to avoid being cursed. But he never for a moment thought such an accident would occur.
He tore open the envelope, and a greeting card fell out. The card's design showed a Quidditch star in flight.
This was the first greeting card he had ever received, and it was about his favorite sport, Quidditch.
Harry's heart filled with an uncontrollable surge of joy. Now he was eager to know who understood him so well.
~~~
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday!
I guess you must be wondering who sent you this letter, Harry, and I guess you must have also heard the news of "Tom Riddle's" escape.
That's right. I am "Riddle."
~~~
The letter was from Tom Riddle!
Harry stood rooted to the spot after reading just the first few sentences. He never dreamed he would one day receive a letter from that person, and that he would even send him a greeting card filled with birthday wishes and a spell he had never heard of.
For a moment, he didn't know whether to continue reading. But surprisingly, there was no sadness or indignation in Harry's heart, only a trace of joy.
Ever since he learned certain things about Tom Riddle, Harry had found his own experiences to be remarkably similar to that person's.
He should have felt anger, disgust, or even fear at these similarities, because Voldemort was a terrible person who had killed many people, including his own parents.
His current predicament of having to live under someone else's roof was all thanks to him.
But in reality, he felt a little relieved that there was someone so much like him, almost like a ...brother.
That feeling was very strange, just like the Weasley twins he knew, who were always inseparable.
Harry felt that he regarded Hogwarts as his home, and this was also true for Mr. Riddle. They had a strong resonance with each other.
Another reason Harry couldn't hate Mr. Riddle was that Harry had already met Voldemort at the end of his first year. Therefore, it was difficult for him to equate Voldemort with Mr. Riddle.
At that time, that person was very weak but still terrifying. He possessed a professor and almost killed Harry. Fortunately, Harry had the protective spell left by his mother before she died, which made Voldemort unable to harm him. Quirrell had only touched him slightly and immediately turned to dust.
But throughout two whole semesters, Harry had many interactions with Mr. Riddle, and that spell had never been triggered once.
Perhaps the spell had failed, but Harry preferred to believe that Mr. Riddle had never intended to harm him.
In fact, he hadn't harmed anyone.
According to Hermione, the Basilisk could have easily killed everyone, and even if it couldn't, Mr. Riddle could have done it himself. It wouldn't have been difficult for him.
Yet everyone who was attacked was eventually saved.
Harry continued to read:
~~~
Yes, I am Riddle. But actually, I prefer you to call me Elijah. Riddle or Voldemort, to me, are all in the past, not the present, and certainly not the future.
As for the other things, they are largely similar to what the news said.
It was indeed Sirius Black who helped me escape Azkaban, but to say we were accomplices would be a stretch. We just made a deal, and our goals were not the same. On the contrary, you—you're going to have trouble again next semester...
~~~
Harry felt a little embarrassed. He had indeed been in constant trouble over the past two school years.
He could already imagine the teasing expression on Mr. Riddle's face as he wrote these words.
However, Harry was puzzled by the "trouble" Mr. Riddle mentioned. He really didn't understand what else could be related to him.
He continued reading, hoping to gain some information from the rest of the letter. But Elijah changed the subject and started talking about other things.
~~~
I guess you're probably wondering why I'm still writing to you now. Besides it being your birthday, I also want you to help me apologize to Ginny. Deceiving you was a last resort....
~~~
Harry noticed that the text in the letter seemed to pause here for a long time. The ink had bled into the paper, as if Mr. Riddle had more to explain but ultimately ended the topic and continued:
~~~
Let me give you a few pieces of advice, Harry. The professor of Divination you and Ron chose this semester, Sybill Trelawney, though mostly an old fraud, actually does have the gift of prophecy.
If you can still trust me and happen to hear a prophecy from her, feel free to tell me.
I'll know as long as you write it in that diary.
Please keep it a secret from Ginny. I can't handle her information bombardment. It's been nice to have a few quiet days recently...
~~~
Seeing this, Harry suddenly laughed.
That night, Dumbledore, after confirming there was no danger, had still left Riddle's diary with Ginny. Harry didn't expect Mr. Riddle to have a backup plan, especially since Ginny had persistently written many messages into the diary without any response.
~~~
Second piece of advice: you'll very likely need the spell on the back of the greeting card. It's a good idea to learn it early.
Third piece of advice, or rather a reminder. Remember, sometimes seemingly dangerous omens might be the exact opposite, and things you're with day and night might instead show their fangs.
Your friend,
Elijah.
P.S.: I imagine you won't tell Dumbledore about today, will you?
~~~
At that moment, the letter in Harry's hand suddenly caught fire, startling him so much that he quickly threw it away. A small ball of flame burned the letter completely clean in midair before falling down, leaving only the birthday greeting card. He immediately understood that the letter had been enchanted.
Harry picked up the greeting card. In one corner, amid the blessings, a spell was written:
Expecto Patronum.
Note: When casting the spell, you must recall a happy memory.
"Expecto Patronum?" Harry had never heard this spell, but he thought that since Mr. Riddle believed he needed it, he could at least remember the name.
Last year, Ginny had excelled in many subjects because of Mr. Riddle's guidance. Especially in Charms, Harry dared say that many third and fourth-year wizards might not even be a match for Ginny.
Harry held the greeting card, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.
Reason told Harry that he should tell Dumbledore everything. No one was wiser than Dumbledore.
But by some strange impulse, he felt there was nothing wrong with it.
Mr. Riddle, no, rather, Elijah and Voldemort might not be the same thing at all. Just as he said in the letter, sometimes seemingly dangerous omens might be the exact opposite.
He put the envelope away, wondering what Mr. Riddle was doing at that moment. Would he know that Ginny and Hermione missed him very much?
After the truth about the attacks came to light, no matter what Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley said, Ginny believed that Mr. Riddle might not be a bad person. Even Hermione, who had been petrified, said that he had only wanted her to sleep for a while.
"He probably thought I was too smart and a bit in the way, and he even reminded me to use a spell to weaken the Basilisk's magic," Hermione had said.
Perhaps only Ron firmly believed that Mr. Riddle was a terrible enemy.
Ginny thought Ron was just scared witless by anything related to Voldemort, while Hermione believed it was Ron's resentment toward Mr. Riddle for not helping him with his homework and exams.
But in reality, Harry just felt that Ron was overly worried about his sister, which was why he was still shaken by the incident.
However, even Ron didn't oppose Mr. Riddle on everything.
At least he thought Mr. Riddle doing a good job beating up Slytherin and eliminating the Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest were both excellent deeds.
It could be considered ridding the people of a menace.