At the end-of-year feast, the decorations above the Great Hall once again turned green, just like last year.
The Slytherin students looked up at the sea of green banners and smiled proudly. Although the point gap between houses wasn't huge, Slytherin had secured first place without question.
In the original course of events, Gryffindor would have overtaken Slytherin thanks to the points Dumbledore awarded Harry and his friends for protecting the Philosopher's Stone.
But things had changed.
Although the trio had still attempted to protect the stone, various circumstances required secrecy. Dumbledore hadn't awarded them any extra points.
As for Sean, aside from earning a few points in the only two classes he attended, Dumbledore hadn't given him anything additional either.
One person worth mentioning was Draco.
He basked in the praise of his classmates, looking extremely pleased with himself. Under Sean's pressure, Draco had been far more active in class. Although Hermione had earned the most points among the first-years, it didn't matter in the end—the house cup still belonged to Slytherin.
"Hmph, what's the point of getting more points than me? In the end, Slytherin still wins," Draco said, deliberately glancing at Hermione.
A few seats away, Sean leaned forward and gave Draco a look that clearly said, "Have some restraint."
Draco immediately shut up, deflated. He genuinely feared Sean.
At the Gryffindor table, the trio sat listlessly, staring at Dumbledore.
Sensing their gaze, Dumbledore looked back at them kindly.
He still held great expectations for Harry. Whether it was Trelawney's prophecy or Harry's own brushes with death, everything pointed to him as the one destined to defeat Voldemort.
But Sean's performance over the past three years had planted a seed of doubt in Dumbledore's mind.
Sean was simply too outstanding.
He was no less brilliant than Tom Riddle had been.
If not for Harry, Dumbledore might have believed Sean was the one described in the prophecy.
But Sean matched none of its conditions.
He wasn't born to a family that had defied Voldemort three times—on the contrary, his family had been opportunistic fence-sitters.
And he was born in August, not July.
"Time really flies," Cassius said with a sigh. "Feels like I just started school, and now we're already finishing third year."
"Yeah. Three years already," Sean replied.
A lot had happened.
In first year, Sean had personally dealt with the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Borisov Jovic. Because of that incident, Dumbledore had even arranged personal protection for him.
During the holidays, as long as Sean stayed at the Leaky Cauldron, Aurors would secretly watch over him.
In second year, he learned the Flying Charm, used the Time-Turner to save Hagrid and Mick, won the inter-school tournament, and protected the Golden Scepter from Haierbo.
This year…
He visited Nurmengard and met the dying Grindelwald.
Chris was kidnapped.
Voldemort nearly returned.
The mysterious Ougadis injured Dumbledore.
He somehow became the leader of the elves.
And then there was Hoff… and the Philosopher's Stone.
His magical power hadn't grown much this year, but his skill had improved significantly.
Before third year, he could only perform a single wandless, silent spell—the Levitation Charm.
After witnessing the elves, he realized that early wizards cast magic without wands.
Since returning, he had trained deliberately.
The Blinding Charm was one of the results.
"Seven years already," Theo said, joining their conversation.
Theo had devoted himself entirely to preparing for his N.E.W.T.s this year. At first, he had planned to practice becoming an Animagus, but he became too busy and eventually gave it up.
"Once Theo graduates, next year's prefect will be Caden Boyle, right?" Cassius said.
Each house selected prefects in fifth year. Fifth-years oversaw first-years, sixth-years oversaw second-years, and seventh-years oversaw third- and fourth-years.
Next year, Caden Boyle—a seventh-year and fellow Serpent Society member—would be in charge of them.
Sean barely knew him.
"Slytherin's counting on you," Theo said from across the table.
Sean forced a smile.
He didn't really care much about house affairs. The most he could do was earn a few extra points.
While Hogwarts celebrated, Malfoy Manor was shrouded in a suffocating silence.
Lucius and Narcissa knelt on the cold stone floor.
In front of them stood a brown, short-legged corgi.
Voldemort's new body.
Barty Crouch Jr. stood nearby, looking down on Lucius with disdain. The man had lost something entrusted to him by the Dark Lord.
After escaping Hogwarts, Barty had hidden at Malfoy Manor. Not long after, Voldemort arrived and demanded the diary back.
But Lucius had given it to a student—Sean Grylls—and Sean had lost it.
Voldemort was furious.
When he had given Lucius the diary, he hadn't revealed it was a Horcrux, but he had stressed its importance.
And now it was gone.
With his first attempt to recover a Horcrux already failing, Voldemort turned to the Gaunt ring.
With Barty's help, retrieving it was smooth. He successfully merged the soul fragment within, strengthening himself enough to possess a stronger body—a dog instead of a rat.
Next, he targeted Slytherin's locket.
Barty brought him to the island cave where it was hidden, filled with deadly traps and countless Inferi beneath the water.
But when Voldemort retrieved the locket—
It was a fake.
Inside was only a letter signed "R.A.B."
It read:
"To the Dark Lord,
I know that when you read this, I will be dead. But I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have taken the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as possible.
I face death willingly, so that when you meet your match, you will be nothing more than a mortal man.
—R.A.B."
"WHO?!" Voldemort's furious roar echoed through the cave.
This R.A.B. had to be someone he knew—but he couldn't recall who.
Enraged, Voldemort realized that two Horcruxes were already gone.
With his soul so fragmented, his connection to the others was weak. He had no idea where the diary or locket were.
What he didn't know—
Was that Regulus Black had taken the locket and hidden it at home, leaving it under the care of his house-elf, Kreacher.
With no other choice, Voldemort returned to Malfoy Manor to prepare for retrieving the next Horcrux.
"Do you know what you lost?" the corgi growled. "I should kill you right now."
"No—please, my Lord! Spare my husband!" Narcissa pleaded desperately.
Lucius trembled in fear.
Even in the body of a small dog, Voldemort's terrifying presence was enough to paralyze him.
After a moment of thought, Voldemort suppressed his anger.
The diary and locket were gone—for now.
Next, he would retrieve the Ravenclaw diadem from the Room of Requirement.
But after Barty's exposure at Hogwarts, Dumbledore would be on guard.
If he wanted to enter the school again, Voldemort would have to rely on himself.
In his current state, possessing an animal allowed him to slip in unnoticed—but he couldn't cast spells, which meant he couldn't merge the Horcrux.
So—
He devised a new plan.
A foolproof one.
A way to enter Hogwarts… and reclaim his power.
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