Trelawney's prophecy did not cause much of a stir, as it did not point to any specific individual or event. Similar prophecies were not uncommon, and the Department of Mysteries was full of prophecy orbs, each corresponding to a real prophecy.
In the group present, only Murphy was deeply shaken.
Even Tom, whom Murphy recognized as the protagonist of the prophecy, had little reaction.
The five young wizards were punished with detention for breaking school rules, and Murphy checked the antidote Snape had made, finding no problems.
So, Harry regained his male body that day and could finally attend classes normally.
When Snape woke up, he was only plagued by a splitting headache. He vaguely remembered being dragged out for drinks by Murphy and speaking about things he normally wouldn't. However, even when he tried to use Legilimency on himself, he couldn't recall if he had said anything inappropriate beyond talking about Lily.
Murphy seemed rather dissatisfied with Dumbledore, and he even talked about wanting to become the headmaster.
But Snape didn't take these drunken words seriously.
Everything seemed to return to normal, but when Tom returned to his dormitory, he found the Guiding Book had updated.
"Main Task: Obtain the Elixir of Life formula. Completed!"
"Task Reward: Polyjuice Potion."
This time, there was no "please prepare to receive the reward" notification. Tom's mind was jolted, and the knowledge about Polyjuice Potion came flooding in.
However, he felt no joy from this power increase, only a sense of fear.
He suddenly realized a problem.
How did the Guiding Book know he had completed the task?
He hadn't even accepted this task. To avoid further contact with the Guiding Book, he hadn't touched the notebook in a long time.
But now, it still determined he had completed the task.
Was it always monitoring and reading his thoughts?
The Guiding Book could forcibly instill memories into his mind, but could it control his actions?
If so, were his thoughts of escaping its surveillance also being monitored?
However, he soon exhaled and suppressed these thoughts.
Overthinking was pointless. Even if his fate was already decided, he couldn't just wait to die. He had to struggle.
Now that he knew the formula for the Elixir of Life, he would start gathering the ingredients.
…
Elsewhere, Dumbledore listened to Professor McGonagall's explanation and pondered for a while, "You mean Sybill made the prophecy while facing Murphy and Lucas?"
"Yes, her demeanor was very unusual. It seemed like a real prophecy. She even grabbed both their hands. But the prophecy is strange, with no clear indication of who the 'Savior' and 'Seer' are."
Dumbledore nodded and then recalled something, "Lucas's name appeared in the Book of Admittance just before the school year began, didn't it, Minerva?"
"Yes. I checked several times in July; there were no missed names. Lucas's name definitely appeared after that."
Dumbledore fell silent for a moment, "Who sent the letter alerting us to a student's discovery?"
"It seems to be from the Magical Accidents and Catastrophes department," said McGonagall, unable to recall the exact correspondent.
Dumbledore opened a drawer by his desk, his fingers searching through the drawer enhanced with a powerful Undetectable Extension Charm, holding thousands of letters. A letter jumped into his hand.
He unfolded it.
"Dear Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall,
During the handling of a magical outburst incident, we discovered a boy at Reed Orphanage – Lucas Tom Brighton. Our investigation revealed he was the cause of the magical outburst. As his age is close to the school entry age for Hogwarts, and the child seems unaware of Hogwarts, we write to alert you. Please dispatch a professor to contact him and arrange his enrollment.
Magical Accidents and Catastrophes Department, Memory Obliviation Command, Deputy Director, Selica Wood."
"Selica Wood." Dumbledore thought for a while and then took out a few more letters from the drawer. He read them all in a short time.
These were letters from Kingsley over the past few years. He mentioned Selica Wood twice, but more about her brother, Alex Wood.
The latter was confirmed to have worked for Murphy Darkholm, handling potion ingredient tasks.
Last year, both took positions in the Ministry, one as the Head of the Floo Network Authority and the other as Deputy Director of the Memory Obliviation Command.
Neither had relevant experience before this.
"Murphy… Tom…"
Dumbledore muttered, recalling the night after Christmas when he overheard a sentence in a corner.
"I see freedom."
Freedom.
What is binding you, Tom?
…
After Easter, the students' academic tasks became very intense. Some overachievers, like Hermione, began preparing for exams in advance.
But not all students prioritized exams.
Like Harry, he gathered his friends again one day, "I know why Snape wants the Philosopher's Stone."
"You're still suspecting Snape?" Hermione asked.
Hermione had doubted Snape since the Quidditch match when she saw him casting spells. Now that she knew Snape's reason for hating Harry, she still found it strange, but her suspicion of Snape had lessened.
"He also broke into the trapdoor, remember? He got bitten by Fluffy. If he didn't want to steal the Stone, why would he go there?" Harry said.
"Maybe he was just concerned about the Stone and wanted to check the traps?" Tom suggested.
"Maybe. But it's also possible he wanted to take the Stone to resurrect his master," Harry said.
"What?" Everyone was confused.
"Snape was a Death Eater. At least he used to be," Harry dropped a bombshell. "Sirius wrote to me about it. Although he was vague, Snape liked dark magic in school and often mingled with shady characters, many of whom became Death Eaters later."
"That's why he told Professor Murphy he knew a lot about death, and why he said Voldemort never told him the formula for the resurrection potion."
"Who else would Voldemort impart knowledge to? Only a Death Eater!"
Harry's deduction was reasonable. In fact, after hearing Snape and Murphy's conversation that day, everyone had their suspicions.
"So, you suspect Snape wants to steal the Stone to resurrect Voldemort?"
"Exactly!" Harry said.
If originally his intention to stop Snape was merely due to animosity, now Harry truly felt a threat to his survival.
Voldemort was the dark wizard who killed his parents.
He had only disappeared, and almost everyone believed he was not dead.
And if he truly resurrected, the first person he would target would likely be Harry, who had once defeated him.
What would he do then?
Wait to be hunted down?
"I've figured it out," Harry said, "Even if it's not Snape, someone definitely wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone, as the Gringotts break-in shows. And as Professor Murphy said, if a wizard is after the Stone, the Elixir of Life, or the resurrection potion, is its only purpose."
"Even if it's not Snape, someone wants to steal the Stone to resurrect Voldemort!" Harry declared.
Tom swallowed.
Brother, you're right.
That person is me.
___________________
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