Dumbledore had just taken a bite of his favourite lemon sherbet.
After hearing Lucas's words—
He froze completely.
For a moment, the old Headmaster genuinely suspected he had misheard due to age.
"…Lucas," Dumbledore said slowly, "would you mind repeating that?"
Lucas spoke clearly.
"Professor, Voldemort is currently attached to the back of Professor Quirrell's head."
This time, Dumbledore heard every word perfectly.
He shot to his feet instantly as though prepared to storm directly out of the office.
But halfway there—
He suddenly stopped himself.
Turning sharply toward one of the portraits on the wall, he spoke quickly.
"Phineas. Please fetch Severus immediately."
The white-bearded former Headmaster inside the portrait looked utterly stunned.
Then he vanished from the frame without another word.
Dumbledore slowly returned to his desk, though his expression had already become frighteningly serious.
"Can you tell me exactly how you discovered this?"
His eyes sharpened immediately.
"Did Voldemort notice you?"
Dumbledore's first assumption was obvious.
Lucas must have accidentally discovered Quirrell's secret.
And if Voldemort realised he'd been exposed—
Then there was a very real possibility he might do something catastrophic inside Hogwarts.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
Lucas's expression turned slightly pale.
"Quirrell revealed him voluntarily."
"He untied the turban himself and showed me the face on the back of his head."
Dumbledore's pupils contracted sharply.
Lucas continued quietly:
"That face claimed to be Voldemort."
"And…"
"He tried recruiting me."
Dumbledore stared at him silently.
Lucas lowered his head slightly.
"Professor… I'm sorry."
"I wasn't certain what would happen if I attacked immediately."
"So I pretended to agree temporarily."
"Only long enough to leave safely."
Then he quickly added:
"But I came directly here afterward."
Dumbledore visibly relaxed.
"You made the correct decision, Lucas."
His voice softened considerably.
"You are not currently Voldemort's opponent, even in his weakened state."
"Attempting to fight him recklessly would have been foolish."
Then, after a pause, Dumbledore smiled faintly.
"And honestly…"
"I should thank you."
His blue eyes held unmistakable relief.
"Thank you for choosing to come to me instead of truly following him."
Dumbledore genuinely feared losing another gifted student to darkness.
At that moment—
The office door opened violently.
"If I were you, Dumbledore, I wouldn't trust him so easily."
Snape strode into the room, black robes billowing behind him.
His cold eyes locked onto Lucas instantly.
"How exactly did you deceive the Dark Lord himself?"
Snape's voice became dangerously soft.
"You are lying."
Lucas answered calmly.
"You mean Legilimency?"
"The moment I learned such magic existed, I immediately studied Occlumency."
"No one enjoys having their mind searched."
To Lucas, mastering Occlumency had been easier than eating breakfast.
Snape narrowed his eyes sharply.
"Really?"
"Then explain this."
"Why would the Dark Lord personally reveal himself merely to recruit you?"
His hand subtly moved toward his wand.
It genuinely looked like he might attack if Lucas answered poorly.
Lucas met his gaze directly.
"Because I fought him multiple times."
"And during those battles, I used Dark Magic."
"He believed I resembled him."
"He assumed I would pursue Dark Arts power willingly."
Snape's expression remained icy.
"And would you not?"
"If the pursuit of ultimate power tempted you, would you truly refuse him?"
"I find that difficult to believe."
Lucas's expression suddenly darkened.
"If I wanted power, why would I need Voldemort?"
"Professor Dumbledore is the greatest wizard alive."
"I can learn from him too."
"Why must power only come from Voldemort?"
Then Lucas's voice became colder.
"I'm not the same as him."
"I have friends."
"I have people I care about."
"Why would I abandon everyone important to me just to follow a half-dead Dark Lord obsessed with Dark Magic?"
"In my eyes…"
Lucas's tone became utterly firm.
"The people I care about matter thousands of times more than any so-called ultimate power."
The office suddenly fell silent.
Snape's face turned deathly pale.
It was as though someone had stabbed directly into his heart.
If he himself had understood that truth years ago—
If he had abandoned those Dark Magic circles…
If he had valued Lily more than power…
Then perhaps—
She would still be alive.
Snape's lips trembled slightly.
For once, he found himself unable to speak.
Dumbledore finally sighed softly.
"Severus."
"If Lucas truly intended to defect, he would never have come directly here."
Snape slowly fell silent.
Lucas immediately continued:
"Professor, shouldn't we notify the Aurors immediately?"
"If we surround Quirrell together, surely we can destroy Voldemort completely this time."
Dumbledore's expression became complicated.
"That… is the difficult part."
"There exists a form of Dark Magic protecting him."
"Until I fully uncover its nature, Voldemort cannot truly die."
Lucas naturally knew Dumbledore referred to Horcruxes.
Dumbledore had already deduced their existence years ago.
He simply didn't know how many Voldemort created.
"In truth," Dumbledore continued quietly, "I already suspected Quirrell after he returned from Albania."
"That is why Severus has been monitoring him."
Lucas blinked.
"You didn't know Voldemort himself was attached to Quirrell?"
"No."
Dumbledore shook his head grimly.
"I only suspected Quirrell had become one of Voldemort's servants."
"I never imagined Voldemort infiltrated Hogwarts personally."
Lucas finally understood something important.
Originally, he assumed Dumbledore already knew everything.
But clearly—
That wasn't true.
Because now that Voldemort's presence inside Hogwarts was confirmed—
Dumbledore immediately intended to eliminate him.
Which proved one thing very clearly.
Dumbledore would never willingly tolerate Voldemort's existence inside the castle.
Lucas immediately added:
"Voldemort told me he infiltrated Hogwarts for the Philosopher's Stone."
"He believes obtaining it will restore his body."
"He also said most of the protections guarding it are insignificant."
"Except Fluffy."
At that, Lucas suddenly looked curious.
"Professor… why place the Philosopher's Stone beneath all those obstacles at all?"
"Wouldn't carrying it personally be far safer?"
"Once Fluffy's weakness is discovered, doesn't that practically hand the Stone to Voldemort?"
Dumbledore suddenly smiled.
"That is because the Stone beneath the protections isn't real."
Lucas blinked.
"It's fake?"
"Precisely."
Dumbledore folded his hands calmly.
"The protections themselves were a trap."
"At the time, we merely suspected Quirrell."
"We lacked proof."
"If he attempted reaching the final chamber himself, his guilt would become undeniable."
"And even then…"
Dumbledore's smile deepened slightly.
"The final protection was still designed specifically for him."
Lucas immediately understood.
No wonder Harry later retrieved the Stone so easily.
The real Philosopher's Stone had likely never been there in the first place.
Dumbledore simply never explained that detail to Harry afterward.
Otherwise the boy would realise he nearly died protecting a fake.
"Now then."
Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet.
The Elder Wand appeared in his hand instantly.
"We should deal with Quirrell immediately."
Lucas's eyes lit up slightly.
Beating weakened enemies was one of his favourite hobbies.
Especially weakened Dark Lords.
Just then—
The familiar system notification suddenly echoed inside his head.
"Ding!"
"System has detected that Voldemort attempted recruiting the host."
"New mission issued!"
....
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