The Fool in Hogwarts

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"All right, Professor." Vade knew he was in no position to refuse Voldemort’s test. "I can perform the divination for you, but the price..."

Quirrell seemed to realise belatedly what he meant and reluctantly placed another ten Galleons on the desk.

Vade accepted the money without hesitation and once again stood before the crystal ball.

He changed the subject of the divination, then repeated the previous process and entered the dream.

This time, he saw an elderly man whose entire body was utterly devoid of colour. Even walking seemed extremely difficult for him.

The old man’s figure was blurred, making his appearance impossible to discern. In his hand, he held a blood-red stone.

The moment Vade saw the stone, the Card of Blasphemy in his mind suddenly reacted. The stone could actually substitute for one of the main ingredients of a Sequence 2 potion.

Almost at the same moment, the mist inside the crystal ball began to churn violently. The blood-red stone emitted an intense light that stabbed into his eyes.

The glare forced Vade out of the dream, and he staggered several steps backwards.

His face was pale, and his vision was completely black. It took him quite some time to recover his sight.

"Mr Moria, are you all right?" Quirrell asked uncertainly.

Vade took a deep breath and spoke with lingering fear. "More money, Professor. You must pay more."

"Yes, more money. Of course." Quirrell also seemed frightened and nodded repeatedly. "Will another ten Galleons be enough?"

"No. At least twenty."

"You..." Quirrell immediately felt the urge to hit him. "Isn’t that rather expensive?"

"Professor, I was nearly injured," Vade said aggrievedly. "The object that prince gave you is even more terrifying than the three-headed dog."

"What is it?"

Vade said nothing and merely looked at him meaningfully.

His meaning was obvious. Pay first.

Quirrell nearly lost control of his expression. His monthly salary was less than two hundred Galleons, yet these three divinations alone were costing him a quarter of it. Why did the boy not simply rob him?

"Give it to him," Voldemort said.

Quirrell shuddered, then walked to the bed with an awkward expression. He took twenty Galleons from a palm-sized pouch and placed them on the desk.

"Can you tell me now?"

Vade put the Galleons into another pocket. "Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be a blood-red stone.

"However, it was certainly no ordinary stone. Before I could see it clearly, the light it emitted forced me out of the dream. My head is still spinning."

"Is that so?" Quirrell forced a smile. "I’m very sorry, Mr Moria."

"It’s all right, Professor.

"These three divinations have taken quite a toll on me. I would like to return and rest as soon as possible."

Quirrell nodded, then turned his attention to the vial of potion.

Just as he was about to say something, the hoarse voice sounded inside his mind once more.

"Have him divine clues concerning The Fool."

"Master, I’m afraid he won’t be able to endure it." Quirrell trembled inwardly. "If something happens to him inside my office, it will certainly attract Dumbledore’s attention."

"I want to test the limits of his divination, and The Fool is an ideal measure.

"Besides, The Fool has not truly appeared yet. Merely performing a divination should not cause anything too serious.

"If something does happen, I will intervene in time."

"Understood, Master."

Quirrell looked at Vade hesitantly. "M-Mr Moria, I would like to ask you to perform one more divination."

"What would you like me to divine?"

"Do you remember what Professor Trelawney said during the Sorting Ceremony? I would like you to divine clues concerning The Fool."

Vade’s pupils contracted instinctively, and he could not help swallowing.

Voldemort’s test was truly ruthless. Was The Fool something that could be casually divined?

Of course not. However, this was also a rare opportunity, a chance to make Voldemort completely remove him from the list of suspects who might be The Fool.

He could not refuse, but he had to appear unwilling.

"Professor, goodbye."

Vade waved, turned around, and walked towards the door.

One, two, three...

"W-wait. Please wait." Quirrell hurriedly grabbed Vade’s arm. "Is it impossible to divine?"

"Of course it is, Professor.

"There are certain people whom I cannot divine, and The Fool is one of them.

"Professor Trelawney is an adult witch with the blood of a Seer, yet she was sent to the hospital wing after making only a single prophecy.

"I’m merely a first-year student and a relatively ordinary Seer.

"If I’m lucky, I won’t see anything at all. If I’m unlucky, I may have to spend some time in the hospital wing."

"I’ll pay more."

"Professor, this isn’t about money." Vade looked troubled and tried to pull his arm free. "Professor, please let go. I truly can’t do this."

"I’ll pay ten times as much. One hundred Galleons."

"Professor, it really isn’t about money." Vade struggled harder. "I’m already doing poorly in my studies. If I’m injured and admitted to the hospital wing, I’ll miss even more lessons."

"Twenty times."

"Professor, do you understand how great the risk is?"

"Fifty times."

"Please. I have professional integrity."

"One hundred times. One thousand Galleons. That is all I can afford," Quirrell said hoarsely, naming his highest price.

He immediately noticed that Vade’s attempts to break free had weakened considerably.

Quirrell pressed his advantage at once. "If you are truly injured, I will explain everything to Headmaster Dumbledore.

"In addition, you will be excused from all Defence Against the Dark Arts homework for the rest of the school year. Consider it a small compensation."

"Well... that hardly seems appropriate." Vade spoke with false embarrassment, not expecting to receive so many unexpected benefits. "Let me make this clear beforehand. There is a very high chance that I will see nothing, so you should not expect too much."

"I understand. I understand."

"Then pay first."

Quirrell’s expression turned bitter. With great difficulty, he brought over the pouch from the bed.

Clatter!

Galleons poured from the pouch like a waterfall and quickly formed a small tower on the desk.

"Professor, how can this pouch hold so many things?"

"I cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on it to enlarge the space inside."

Vade nodded as though he only partly understood. He had not yet learnt the Undetectable Extension Charm, but it clearly seemed worth studying.

Then he began counting the money.

He stacked the Galleons neatly on the desk one by one, making Quirrell’s heart ache. More than half a year’s salary had vanished just like that.

It seemed necessary to visit Gringotts. Without some additional funds, even coaxing information out of Hagrid would be difficult.

"Nine hundred and ninety-eight Galleons.

"Professor, you’re still two Galleons short."

"What? That can’t be right. I clearly remember..." Halfway through his sentence, Quirrell suddenly remembered the vial of potion intended to restore Vade’s magic, and his face immediately fell. "Could you give me a discount?"

"How about this, Professor?" Vade looked at the now-empty pouch. "Use that to cover the remaining two Galleons. I can carry the money in it when I leave, and no one else will notice."

Quirrell smiled more miserably than if he had been crying. "That makes sense. We’ll... we’ll do as you say."

(To be continued.)