The very first night of the new term was already anything but peaceful—and once again, someone was searching for that mysterious "Adam." Ever since Quirrell found Adam last year, the man had never appeared again.
Sean was deeply intrigued by this mysterious figure. Adam seemed to know everything happening inside Hogwarts—far more than even Sean, who already had an unfair advantage.
"The day Quirrell found Adam should have been early morning on November 9th. Could the person outside be like Quirrell, wandering the halls every night for over two months?" Sean wondered.
He didn't know Adam's exact pattern of appearances. He had only seen him once. Maybe that encounter had been pure coincidence. Or maybe Adam appeared at a fixed time.
Either way, Sean had too little information. He couldn't form any reliable conclusions.
Salazar and Voldemort, however, were different.
Salazar had been the first to encounter Adam. Although it only happened once, he remembered certain details clearly—such as the time: around 12:30 a.m. on November 9th in the year 1002, in the south corridor on the first floor of the teaching building.
Before Voldemort and Quirrell entered the school, Salazar had told them a possible method to find Adam—just a possibility, since even he never saw Adam again afterward. A few years later, he left Hogwarts entirely.
Last year, Voldemort did manage to find Adam—but he concealed that fact from Salazar and Herpo. If Salazar had known, he likely would have deduced that Adam always appeared on November 9th.
The footsteps outside gradually faded until they disappeared completely. Only then did Sean cautiously crack the door open and peek out. After confirming the person was gone, he slipped out at once.
He crept quietly toward the stairwell and descended, light on his feet. But just as he reached the staircase between the first and second floors, another set of footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Sean froze.
The sound was getting closer—approaching the stairs.
In a flash of urgency, he cast a flying charm and silently floated back up to the second floor. He clung to the ceiling of the corridor, holding his breath as he stared down at the stairway below.
Judging by the rhythm, this was not the same person as before. These footsteps were faster, more compact—definitely not Filch.
Three or four seconds later, a small figure hurried up the stairs.
The moonlight was dim, making it hard to see clearly. But from the height, it was likely a younger student.
As the figure came closer, the details sharpened.
Platinum-blond hair.
"Draco!" Sean recognized him instantly.
"What is he doing?"
Sean had seen Draco on the train. Jerry hadn't reacted at all back then. If Draco had been someone suspicious—say, someone transformed using Polyjuice Potion—Jerry would have sensed it.
Sean activated his magical eye and looked at Draco.
The next moment, his pupils shrank.
Within Draco's white magical aura, there was a faint trace of black.
That same black… Sean had seen it on Herpo, on Voldemort, on Quirrell, on Horcruxes—and even on Harry.
"Is it Voldemort?!" Sean's mind raced.
But Jerry hadn't reacted at all when near Draco.
"Harry…" Sean suddenly realized. Jerry had never reacted to Harry either.
Was it because the fragment of Voldemort's soul inside Harry was dormant?
Then the same could be true for Draco.
Sean's suspicion grew—Voldemort's soul fragment might be sleeping inside Draco, even without Draco's awareness. That would explain why Draco behaved so normally.
With Draco's timid nature, if he knew he was possessed, his expression alone would have given him away.
Draco moved quickly, looking nervous as he headed upstairs. Sean kept his distance and followed.
They reached the eighth floor. Only then did Draco slow down.
He muttered something under his breath and walked back and forth three times in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.
Sean's heart skipped.
"He's entering the Room of Requirement!"
Now that he suspected Draco was influenced by Voldemort, there was only one reason for him to enter that room—to retrieve a Horcrux.
The wall shifted, revealing a stone door.
Draco quickly stepped inside, glancing behind him cautiously before the door sealed shut.
Sean clenched his teeth.
If he opened it now, Draco would definitely notice him.
"Don't find it… don't find it…" Sean muttered anxiously.
Back in his first year, Sean had already moved the Ravenclaw diadem, hiding it deeper inside the room. As for the other Horcrux—the diary—he had only placed it there last year.
If Draco had been sent by Voldemort, he would be searching for the diadem. But the Room of Requirement was filled with endless piles of junk. Without special means, finding it wouldn't be easy.
Even in the original timeline, Harry had searched for it manually.
Sean could only hope Draco didn't have any special methods.
Inside the room, Draco trembled as he held up his wand, casting Lumos. By its faint light, he searched for an ornate crown.
Before the school year began, Lucius had instructed him to find something within the school. He had even obtained a picture of the Ravenclaw diadem to help Draco memorize its appearance.
Of course, Lucius only knew about the diadem because Voldemort had told him—though not in detail.
"Where is it… where is it…" Draco muttered nervously as he searched.
While Draco slept, Voldemort had possessed him with the help of Barty Crouch Jr. The moment the possession occurred, Draco's soul instinctively resisted.
And then, Voldemort fell into a dormant state.
Draco woke up in terror, drenched in cold sweat. Narcissa had rushed over, tears in her eyes, and held him tightly.
Draco had tremblingly told her he'd had a terrible nightmare.
But Narcissa, who had witnessed everything, said nothing.
She simply soothed him, telling him it was only a dream.
Voldemort was confident in this plan. No one knew that the dusty old crown hidden in the Room of Requirement was his Horcrux. As long as Draco found it, Voldemort would awaken and take full control of his body.
"Where is it…"
Draco searched again and again, circling the endless piles of clutter. Two hours passed.
He found several crowns—but none of them were the one.
Exhausted, he finally gave up, deciding to return the next day.
Outside, Sean was just as miserable. He had found a hidden spot to watch the door. The longer Draco stayed inside, the more anxious he became.
When Draco finally emerged empty-handed, Sean let out a quiet breath.
"He didn't find it."
The moment Draco left, Sean slipped into the Room of Requirement and retrieved the two Horcruxes from their hidden locations.
Unlike dormant soul fragments, the diadem would gradually influence its holder with Voldemort's negative emotions simply by being worn. The diary, once opened, would also exert its influence.
Fortunately, Sean's magical eye had a purification effect, automatically blocking out those negative influences.
"It's time to let Dumbledore know about Voldemort's Horcruxes," Sean thought.
Originally, Sean had planned to let Dumbledore discover the truth on his own—just like in the original timeline, when Ginny was controlled by the diary and Harry saved her in the Chamber of Secrets.
But now, that scenario wouldn't happen.
However, because of Herpo's Golden Scepter, Dumbledore was already aware of the concept of Horcruxes.
All Sean needed to do was hint that Voldemort had used the same dark magic. Dumbledore would take it from there.
"But if Draco is searching for Horcruxes…"
Sean frowned.
"Then who was the one outside the girls' bathroom earlier?"
The question lingered in his mind, unanswered.
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