Though studying was never a particularly joyful task, the young wizards of Hogwarts often shared a certain sense of pride and perseverance rooted in the school's very spirit.
Despite Hogwarts' near-masochistic dedication to never canceling classes, not even if the sky were falling, the students themselves often displayed an admirable optimism and eagerness to learn. Disasters, curses, near-death encounters… nothing seemed to deter their determination to study.
However, on this day, a day usually met with cheerful excitement as the new school term began, there was one student who seemed anything but happy.
No, we're not talking about Professor Snape, whose mood predictably soured at the mere sight of James Potter's face in Harry. Nor are we referring to Professor Quirrell, who'd stolen Snape's dream job and brought with him not only a second personality but a second face. No, the unhappy soul in question was none other than a relatively unnoticed fourth-year student, Percy Weasley, who had previously claimed to have taken a year off due to a serious illness.
Technically speaking...
After the feast ended, just as Allen was preparing to head back to the dorms with his housemates, the red-haired Percy suddenly appeared from around a corner. He called out to Allen and, in a low voice, uttered a few words, "Student consultation."
Now, this could have been the start of a scene from a German mental health PSA, but what actually followed was a rather awkwardly serious conversation.
"Um, sorry, Allen, could I have a word with you?" Percy's voice was slightly shaky, making the entire atmosphere feel... weird.
It was the sort of scene you'd normally expect in a light-hearted romance anime, a shy girl blushing as she gathers the courage to approach her crush: "Allen, may I borrow a moment of your time…?"
A lovely image, had the person calling Allen over been a bashful girl from another year. But alas... it was a fully grown red-haired boy who could not be more not that.
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But let's be clear: Percy wasn't here to enact some classic, heartwarming teen drama plot. From the original timeline, we know Percy was supposed to meet his future girlfriend around this time, not suddenly develop unexpected feelings for Allen even if he had suffered a major emotional blow recently.
In truth, Percy had come to apologize to Allen.
Though he had told his mother that he had been "bewitched" by Voldemort, both he and Allen knew the truth: Voldemort's soul fragments didn't sprout legs and walk around looking for people to mess with on their own.
Even though Horcruxes were described as pure evil, in reality, they didn't pose any real threat unless someone was stupid enough to tamper with them. After all, their primary function was to store a piece of soul, not to kill. More accurately, a Horcrux was like a magically reinforced safe, albeit one with maybe some magical security features to shock unauthorized users. If it weren't for the murder required to make one, Horcruxes would probably be the safest magical artifact ever created.
Compared to deadly enchanted books that killed you if you read your name in them, or class textbooks that bit and fought you, a bit of emotional instability seemed like child's play. (Side note: certain magical side effects also included nausea and abdominal cramps… not that this had anything to do with anything, just something the Auto-Quill jotted down on its own.)
"Allen, I'm really sorry, those things were yours, weren't they? I truly apologize. I just… I lost my mind at the time. You know how Professor Snape treats Gryffindors… he's nothing like how he is with you Hufflepuffs. I was just surprised by how skilled you were in Potions. I didn't mean anything bad by it," Percy said sincerely.
"I was only curious that day, which is why I followed you. I had no ill intentions. Please accept my apology."
Allen accepted his apology in the end, but watched Percy walk away with a troubled expression.
If Allen didn't already know what kind of person Percy was, he might have believed that apology.
Of course, losing the inheritance of knowledge had hurt him deeply, but that wasn't why he was skeptical of Percy.
He'd hoped this setback would humble Percy. But clearly… it hadn't.
This wasn't about whether or not Percy had shed tears during the apology. The problem was, Percy was hiding things.
The most obvious question: Why didn't he tell Dumbledore?
Allen had initially assumed Percy, like Ginny, had lost his memories due to confusion and trauma after being possessed. But judging from his apology, Percy hadn't forgotten anything.
And not once had Allen been summoned by Dumbledore, not even once.
For someone as eager to eliminate Voldemort as Dumbledore was, that made absolutely no sense. It was as impossible as a senior without a forehead, or a ninja whose strongest technique wasn't "Talk no Jutsu." Dumbledore would never ignore any clue, no matter how small, when it came to destroying the Dark Lord.
So why had Percy concealed the fact that someone had been researching dangerous magical artifacts?
From what they'd seen in the Room of Requirement, it was highly likely that the Horcrux had a direct connection to Allen. That alone should've been reported immediately.
We're talking about the Dark Lord.
The most feared dark wizard in the magical world. The shadow that loomed over everyone. The man whose very name terrified people. How could Percy dare hide anything related to him?
Which left only one answer, even if it sounded unbelievable.
A wizard named Tom Riddle, now a creepy old man with the vibe of a perverted grandfather, had once again lured a curious young boy with candy… just like he had done so many times before.
I mean, if even someone like Quirrell, a talented, promising young wizard, had been swayed by Voldemort, was it really so strange for an ambitious, attention-starved boy like Percy to become a not-so-obvious Death Eater?
Frankly, if Percy had been wearing a hooded cloak, Allen probably would've fired off a Stupefy right then and there and claimed his wand had "accidentally misfired due to age and overuse."
But the real mystery was: how had Voldemort ensnared Percy?
Percy hadn't just been influenced, he'd been controlled. And not even a trace of magic lingered in him. No way Dumbledore wouldn't have checked.
Could Voldemort's brainwashing skills really be that strong?
Unlikely. Death Eaters weren't running a cult. If Voldemort were that persuasive, he could've just run for Minister of Magic and skipped all the terror attacks altogether.
Allen didn't know the answer. But that was fine. He didn't need to investigate every strange possibility right away.
He just needed to keep an eye on Percy, and wait.
After all, he had a certain potion recipe in his possession…
Veritaserum.
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