"Now, before we all retire for the night, let us sing the school song," Dumbledore announced loudly before drawing his wand and conjuring several colourful ribbons.
The ribbons arranged themselves into lines of words in midair, displaying the lyrics to the school song.
"Everyone, choose your favourite tune. Ready, sing."
A moment later, countless different melodies blended together, filling the Great Hall with an indescribable cacophony.
Dumbledore waved his wand and conducted with complete absorption. The spell drew power from everyone’s singing and silently established a magical contract of secrecy at the entrance to the Great Hall.
"Ah, music," Dumbledore said after the school song had ended, wiping his eyes in self-induced emotion. "A magic beyond all we do here.
It is time for bed. Return to your dormitories and get some rest!"
Everyone filed out of the Great Hall, noticing nothing unusual as they passed through the doors.
The prefects of the four Houses led the first years to their respective common rooms. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were housed in towers, while Hufflepuff and Slytherin were located underground.
However, the Slytherin common room was undoubtedly the most mysterious of the four. Its entrance was concealed behind a stone wall in the dungeons and could only be opened with the correct password.
When the new students followed their prefect, Gemma Farley, inside, they were stunned by what they saw.
The walls were built from Gothic marble, while the ceiling was a transparent crystal dome through which the rippling waters of the lake could be seen overhead.
The room was decorated in cool shades of green and blue. A fire burned continuously in the exquisitely carved fireplace, keeping the temperature from becoming too cold.
In addition, bookshelves lined the walls, soft leather sofas provided comfortable seating, finely crafted tables and chairs filled the room, and lamps suspended from chains cast an eerie green glow. Together, they gave the spacious common room an atmosphere of luxury and mystery.
"I like this place. It is beautiful," Vade said sincerely. "You can even see the bottom of the lake through the windows."
"The dormitories house four students each. The boys’ rooms are on the left, and the girls’ rooms are on the right.
Your luggage has already been placed in your rooms. Should you encounter any problems, you may come to me. Anything I cannot resolve can be brought to Professor Snape."
Vade’s luck was not particularly good. He was assigned to the same dormitory as Draco and his two followers, Crabbe and Goyle.
The dormitory was decorated in a style similar to the common room, except that it contained four four-poster beds draped with silk curtains.
The four exhausted boys found their assigned beds and immediately lay down.
Vade checked the Card of Blasphemy in his mind. The Clown potion’s digestion progress had already reached sixty percent, but he could not bring himself to feel happy about it.
Trelawney’s prophecy had completely shattered his composure. His sense of pressure and urgency had increased more than tenfold. Had he not already advanced to Sequence 8, he might have exposed himself on the spot.
Barring any surprises, both Dumbledore and Voldemort would pay far more attention to this year’s first years from now on. He would have to be even more careful.
He could not draw attention to himself and had to appear as ordinary as possible.
However, besides quietly building his strength, he also had to take good care of his shield. The more brightly Harry Potter shone, the more attention he would draw away from Vade.
On the third floor of the castle, inside Quirinus Quirrell’s office.
Quirrell abandoned his usual timid demeanour and stood before a mirror.
"Master, Trelawney’s prophecy was too exaggerated. The being she described hardly sounded human."
"To be more precise, someone among those first years possesses the potential to become a god."
"Harry Potter?"
"No, not necessarily. It could be any of them.
In addition to finding the Philosopher’s Stone, you must also find this person. He will be crucial to my future rule over the world.
Either bring him to my side or destroy him."
"But there are forty first years."
"Are you not the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor? Can you not search for him during your lessons?"
"I understand, Master, but no matter how great that person’s future achievements may be, he is still only a child at present.
Besides, no one knows how distant that future might be. It could be a hundred years away. There are too many uncertainties, and it would be very easy to identify the wrong person."
Voldemort fell silent for a moment.
"Finding the Philosopher’s Stone remains our highest priority. After that, collect information on every first-year student for me."
"Yes, Master," Quirrell replied before voicing another question. "Master, do gods truly exist?"
"To Muggles, wizards are gods. To wizards, Merlin is a god."
In the hospital wing.
Trelawney sat on a hospital bed, trembling as she held a teacup in both hands. The amber liquid reflected the bloodshot veins in her eyes.
Dumbledore sat opposite her.
"Are you feeling any better?"
"I am still exhausted."
"Professor Trelawney, can you tell me what you saw?"
"A towering figure, greater than the very world in which we live."
"Nothing else? His gender or appearance, perhaps?"
"No. I only had enough time to speak the prophecy. And..."
"And what?" Dumbledore pressed.
"I felt that the moment I saw his true appearance, I would immediately lose my mind. My sanity would be reduced to nothing.
Professor Dumbledore, you know that some beings simply cannot be looked upon directly."
"Would you recognise that person if he stood before you now?"
"I am afraid not. Even a true Seer would find that difficult," Trelawney said with growing agitation. "His level of existence is far too high."
"Very well. Get some rest."
Dumbledore did not appear particularly disappointed. He rose and walked toward the door.
As soon as he stepped out of the hospital wing, he encountered Professors Snape and McGonagall approaching together.
"I knew the two of you would come."
"Dumbledore, I do not understand," McGonagall said directly. "You could clearly have stopped her in the Great Hall. Whatever the prophecy was, you could have questioned her afterward."
"Professor Trelawney carries the blood of a Seer, but she is not a true Seer herself.
Had I interrupted her at that moment, she might not have been able to complete the prophecy."
"And now you are satisfied?" Snape asked, suppressing his anger. "The entirety of Hogwarts knows about it. By tomorrow, perhaps the entire wizarding world will know as well."
"They will not. I took precautions.
No student or member of staff will be able to reveal the prophecy. It will remain confined to Hogwarts, and after some time, perhaps no one will remember it at all."
Snape paused.
"And what if an outsider visits during that time?"
"I am not dead yet," Dumbledore replied.
He was famous throughout the wizarding world for his patience, but that did not mean he had no temper.
As long as Dumbledore had not given his permission, no one in the wizarding world would dare lay a hand on his students.
"Professor, what exactly are you thinking?" McGonagall asked.
"Before this, another Seer had already foreseen that the Fool would be among Hogwarts’ new students, but could not determine who it was.
When Professor Trelawney stood up, I knew what was about to happen. I had hoped the prophecy would reveal the Fool’s identity, allowing us to protect and guide the child, but unfortunately...
Still, we have confirmed at least one thing. The Fool does not know that they are the Fool."
"What do you mean?"
"Legend says that Merlin knew from birth that his mission was to usher in the age of magic. From what I observed, however, the Fool showed no similar awareness.
I also questioned the Sorting Hat. It did not notice anything unusual about any of the students. In other words, the Fool is currently nothing more than an ordinary first year."
(To be continued.)