The Fool in Hogwarts

Vade put the Galleons on the desk back into the pouch, added the Galleons he was carrying, then stuffed the pouch into his pocket in front of Quirrell.

With that, every last Knut of Quirrell’s savings at Hogwarts had changed hands and become Moria property.

"Can we begin now?" Quirrell was clearly grinding his teeth in anger, but still made his voice as gentle as possible.

No matter what happened, he could not let his disguise slip before his master achieved his objective.

Vade nodded solemnly and took several deep breaths before stepping up to the crystal ball.

This time, he needed to make some sacrifice. Otherwise, he would never fool Voldemort.

"Clues concerning The Fool."

Vade murmured the phrase seven times, quietly enough to seem natural but loudly enough for Quirrell to hear.

Shortly after the divination began, his eyes darkened and he entered a meditative state.

Within the hazy dream, he saw the familiar Card of Blasphemy, and his thoughts immediately became clear.

Vade quietly restrained his magic and strengthened his connection to the Card of Blasphemy. Amid the thick mist, he saw The Fool, who represented Sequence 0.

The crystal ball suddenly shattered. Blue-white mist rose from the fragments and dispersed in mid-air.

Vade’s eyes became bloodshot, blood ran from his nose, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

"The Fool... Gryffindor... he will be recognised by the Sword of Gryffindor... he will establish a new order with the Dark Lord, or only one of them will survive..."

Vade’s eyes widened as he muttered the fragmented prophecy in a trance. Then he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed.

Several seconds later, the convulsions stopped. He braced both hands against the floor and struggled to his feet, obvious fear and confusion still on his face.

"Professor." Vade touched his nose and stared in astonishment at the blood on his fingers. Then he noticed the pool of blood on the floor. "Is... is that mine?"

Quirrell seemed to come back to his senses and gave an awkward yet polite smile.

"I knew divining The Fool was impossible. That was practically suicide!" Vade said with lingering fear. He drew his wand and pointed it at the floor. "Evanesco!"

The red bloodstains vanished as though they had never existed.

Quirrell stared at Vade suspiciously. "The Vanishing Spell is not something a first year should know."

"You’re underestimating me a little, Professor.

"I lived at the Leaky Cauldron for quite some time. I had to wash my own dishes after every meal, so I paid one of the guests to teach me that spell. It cost me quite a lot."

After hearing this, the little suspicion Quirrell still harboured disappeared completely.

"Professor, I’m sorry, but I didn’t divine anything just now."

"You... didn’t see anything?"

A perfectly judged look of confusion appeared on Vade’s face. "I remember seeing a bank of mist, then everything became darker and darker.

"Professor, did I uncover some clue about The Fool?"

"No, no." Quirrell waved his hands repeatedly. "You didn’t divine anything. You merely convulsed for a while and then coughed up blood. I was so frightened that I didn’t know what to do."

"Professor." Vade looked serious. "I am not refunding the money."

"N-no refund," Quirrell said with an awkward smile. He handed Vade the vial on the desk. "This potion will restore your magic. Drink it, then return to your dormitory and rest."

Vade sniffed the mouth of the vial and immediately understood. "It smells rather bitter."

"But it works very well."

Vade tilted his head back and poured the entire potion into his mouth. His throat bobbed several times.

"I’ll be going now, Professor." Pulling a bitter face, Vade opened the door, picked up his books, and left.

The smile vanished from Quirrell’s face as he hurriedly shut the door.

"Master, what happened to Moria just now?"

"A prophecy," Voldemort said. "He may also possess the blood of a Seer, but it is so faint that he does not even realise when he has made a prophecy."

"If it was a prophecy, does that mean The Fool is a Gryffindor first year?"

"Yes. The prophecy was vague, but it proved one thing. The Fool may not necessarily stand against me.

"From now on, focus your attention on Gryffindor, especially any wizard who might earn the recognition of the Sword of Gryffindor.

"If you find him, bring him to me. I will speak with him." Voldemort’s voice was playful yet full of confidence. Although he was currently little more than a remnant soul, he was certain he could manipulate a young wizard.

He had possessed that charm even during his own years at Hogwarts. With nothing more than persuasive words and a grand vision of the future, he had inspired many pure-blood wizards to pledge their loyalty to him.

"M-Master, what if it is Harry Potter?"

"I will deal with him after I am resurrected."

"Yes, Master."

Elsewhere, Vade turned several corners and used a Knut to perform a quick divination.

After confirming that no one was nearby, he used Transfiguration to turn the Knut into a plastic bottle. Then he forced a finger down his throat and vomited the potion he had just swallowed into it.

Vade looked at the translucent liquid mixed with saliva and mucus inside the bottle, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

He had expected Quirrell to cast a Memory Charm on him. He had not anticipated that the professor would prepare a heavily diluted Forgetfulness Potion instead.

After drinking it, his memories would gradually blur. He would remember only that Quirrell had asked him to perform a divination, but not what he had divined.

He had to admit that the arrangement was nearly flawless.

A Memory Charm carried a certain amount of risk, but a Forgetfulness Potion would leave no obvious flaws. Even if someone questioned him afterwards, his answers would be easy to dismiss.

If he said he did not know or could not remember, others would merely assume that he was unwilling to discuss a professor’s private affairs.

"What a pity. There is always someone one step ahead.

"This arrangement suits me perfectly. A Seer might have been forced to accept it, but a Clown understands a trick or two."

Vade could not help laughing quietly. The process had been somewhat dangerous, but the rewards were enormous.

Apart from taking a vast sum of money from Quirrell, he had learnt of a main ingredient for Sequence 2 and firmly placed the identity of The Fool on Gryffindor.

He vaguely remembered that Harry Potter would draw the Sword of Gryffindor in the future. When that happened, this decoy would become almost unshakeable.

The Dark Lord’s attention would remain fixed on the great Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. Why would he care about an obscure Slytherin?

More importantly, the Sequence 8 Clown potion had been completely digested.

Vade suppressed his excitement and placed the plastic bottle containing the potion into the pouch he had obtained from Quirrell, which had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. He planned to destroy the evidence after returning to the dormitory.

Then, unable to wait any longer, he sacrificed one hundred Galleons to the Card of Blasphemy and unlocked the Sequence 7 potion formula.

The Card of Blasphemy absorbed Vade’s magic and once again became three-dimensional, forming a palm-sized booklet.

The pages turned. The first page showed Sequence 9: Seer. The second showed Sequence 8: Clown. The third showed Sequence 7: Magician.

(To be continued.)