After returning to the common room, Harry immediately told Hermione and Ron about the strange feeling he'd had during the feast.
"You mean Snape wants to do something to you? Your scar is warning you again!" Ron blurted out without thinking.
"Use your brain, Ron! Harry's scar isn't a danger detector—it only reacts to You-Know-Who!" Hermione scolded, smacking the back of his head.
Still, even she hadn't hit the real point.
"So, you think… the Dark Lord has possessed Snape?" she asked.
"I don't think it's Snape," Harry said, shaking his head. "Though he is a git."
They'd been suspecting Snape for two terms already, but as it turned out, Snape hadn't been the one trying to kill Harry. According to Dumbledore, Snape's hatred came from his hatred for Harry's father.
Harry frowned, thinking back."I remember, the person sitting next to Snape at dinner was the headmaster from Durmstrang."
"You suspect him? But why? You've never even met him! Why would he want to hurt you?" Ron said between bites of his chicken leg.
"Obviously," Hermione huffed, "Harry thinks he's possessed by You-Know-Who, like Quirrell was." Then she frowned in thought. "But… the Dark Lord barely escaped last time. Why would he come back?"
"If he already knows that possessing Quirrell didn't work, then he's probably not after your life this time," Hermione went on. "As for the Philosopher's Stone—you said Dumbledore destroyed it, didn't you?"
"That's what Dumbledore told me," Harry said with a nod. "If he wasn't lying, anyway."
Ron frowned. "Another thing—do you think someone like him could even be possessed? I mean, he's the headmaster of Durmstrang! I can't imagine Dumbledore ever being possessed by anyone."
"But not everyone is Dumbledore!" Hermione shot back immediately. "Dumbledore's the most powerful wizard alive! I doubt any other headmaster could compare."
She paused, then said seriously, "I think we should tell a professor. We'll never figure out the Dark Lord's motives by ourselves. Especially since everyone thinks he ran away with his tail between his legs—no one would expect he's back again."
The next day, after Charms class, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville made their way to Charles's office.
Neville, as usual, was practicing sword techniques in the Reserve. Judging by his form, he was about to master Iaido Slash. If this Neville were sent back to that night of detention in the Forbidden Forest, he might have been able to slice through Quirrell's wand before it shattered his own.
The Gryffindor Sword Saint—truly terrifying!
"So, you're saying Karkaroff's been possessed by Voldemort?" Charles asked, surprised. He hadn't expected such a situation. If not for the "Voldemort detector" on Harry's forehead, even he and Dumbledore might've been fooled.
"What is that guy's goal this time?" Charles muttered, frowning.
He lowered his head in thought.First the Aurors from the American Ministry of Magic, and now Voldemort's supposed return—one headache after another. But the real problem was that he didn't yet understand what Voldemort was after.
If it was the Philosopher's Stone, then there was no need to worry—it was currently in his possession. In Voldemort's current state, there was no way he could take it.
In truth, though, Charles and the others were overthinking it. Voldemort's return this time was nothing but an accident.
After Quirrell's death, he had intended to return to the forests of Albania to bide his time once more. But on the way, he happened to encounter Karkaroff, who was returning from Northern Europe.
And so, the former Death Eater—terrified and trembling—became his second servant.
Of course, Voldemort didn't possess Karkaroff like he had Quirrell. If Karkaroff suddenly started smelling of garlic, everyone would notice something was wrong.
Instead, he merely possessed a snake that Karkaroff carried with him.
The reason Harry's scar burned again was because Voldemort's rage flared the moment he saw Harry, and that violent surge of emotion resonated through the cursed scar.
As for the Philosopher's Stone, Voldemort already knew it was hopeless.He wasn't a fool—he could tell Dumbledore had deliberately kept the Stone only to lure him out. It had been a duel of wits from the beginning.
But he had lost—lost to a child.
Twice.
Voldemort no longer sought resurrection through the Stone. What he needed now… was Harry's blood.
A father's bone, a servant's flesh, and an enemy's blood—he already had two. Only the blood of his enemy remained. And though there were many who might be called his enemies across Britain, Quirrell's death had left him uneasy.
He realized now that only Harry Potter's blood would do. Without it, he would never be able to destroy Harry.
So when he encountered Karkaroff, instead of sending him back to the North, Voldemort chose to take a greater risk—and return to Hogwarts once more.
Harry and the others couldn't grasp that truth. They still thought Voldemort needed the Philosopher's Stone to resurrect. But Charles knew better. He knew there was more than one way for Voldemort to return.
With that in mind, Charles began to piece together the Dark Lord's intentions.
Voldemort despised death above all else. Naturally, he would try every possible means to regain his body.This was no exception.
Looks like the plan that should've taken place during the Triwizard Tournament has been moved up, Charles thought. But this time, he's unprepared—rushing in headfirst.
Now the question was—how should he deal with this?
Tell Dumbledore and drive Voldemort out again?That sounded boring. And pointless.
Or perhaps… help him?
After all, in Dumbledore's grand plan, Voldemort was destined to return sooner or later.
But—
Charles looked down at Harry, who blinked up at him with his wide green eyes, full of confusion.
"Professor?" Harry asked.
He was still just a boy. Despite defeating Quirrell not long ago, Dumbledore would never let him face the real Voldemort yet.
Then again…Dumbledore didn't have to know.
At Hogwarts, no matter what rules you broke or what mischief you caused—if no one found out, it never really happened.
As long as Dumbledore didn't know Charles had helped Voldemort, he was innocent!
Of course, Charles had no intention of helping Voldemort out of kindness. He already had a plan—to squeeze every last drop of use out of the Dark Lord.
He smirked.
Heh… Rise again, my Voldemort!
(End of Chapter)