Chapter 19: The Prophet in the Demon King's Eyes

After ten years of silence, the former Dark Lord returned to Britain from distant Albania near Greece. His primary goal was to restore his power.

He, who once led the Death Eaters and turned the British magical world upside down, knew this all too well in his heart.

True, there were loyal Death Eaters, but more were opportunistic sycophants—bloodline families who sought to use him to achieve their political aims, and unscrupulous dark wizards ready to exploit the chaos for their own gain.

Once these latter groups discovered his weakened state, no aid would come to him.

After his downfall, the trees fell and the monkeys scattered. Some of his former followers were captured, some died, some hid, some defected and cleaned their names, and some were even undercover agents from the start—he had seen it all.

Ha! Wizards were truly masters of acting.

Even Voldemort sometimes couldn’t discern who was genuinely loyal and who was a hidden trap waiting to spring.

But he was too lazy to distinguish.

He only knew one thing: as long as he regained his strength, everything would return.

Opportunists, scheming families, and profit-driven dark wizards—so long as his banner still stood, those eager to serve a tiger would gather around him like hyenas, forming a vast force ready for the next hunt.

Hunting!

As long as he remained strong and victorious.

Whether his followers were truly loyal or merely greedy pretenders—did it matter?

Heh, they were all loyal subjects.

So, upon learning about the Philosopher’s Stone, Voldemort began to act.

If he succeeded this time, many troubles would be avoided.

But unfortunately, a single misstep cost him his best chance.

Opening the vault at Gringotts, he found it empty—the Stone had long been removed.

Yet he could still trace its whereabouts: the Stone was now at Hogwarts!

Voldemort knew the useless wizard he was possessing had long been under surveillance.

Severus Snape once served under him, and Snape’s unusual behavior was almost an open secret to Voldemort.

But it didn’t matter.

People only suspected Quirrell; even if they guessed Quirrell’s intentions toward the Stone, it was harmless.

Because suspicion focused on Quirrell, the security measures would only be those appropriate for a professor who had taught Muggle Studies last year and suddenly switched to Defense Against the Dark Arts this year.

As long as he was careful not to reveal himself as Voldemort, it would actually make his moves easier.

…That was how it should have been.

But life was always full of the unexpected—those he hated most.

A Seer!

After decades, the world had produced another powerful seer who could repeatedly and accurately predict the future!

And this seer was about to enroll at Hogwarts this year, coming into close contact with him.

A curse upon Merlin!

Though he still had many Horcruxes and chances to resurrect, who wanted to die even once without reason?

In the days after the term began, he remained on edge, prepared for the worst.

But in the end, it seemed he had frightened himself.

Nothing happened.

Of course, this didn’t mean he was safe; after all, with a seer, who knew when a sudden inspiration might occur.

Believing no trouble would arise soon, Voldemort ordered Quirrell to continue monitoring the Stone while he sought to probe the seer’s background.

The deeper he looked, the more problems he discovered.

By observing Roger’s study habits and spellcasting between classes, Voldemort judged that this newly enrolled young wizard’s mental strength surpassed many Death Eaters by a wide margin!

It was only his immature magical skills and limited spell repertoire that held him back; otherwise, his current spellcasting power alone could make him a formidable warrior under Voldemort’s command.

Moreover, his ability to learn was exceptional.

He seemed to have already established the rudiments of his own magical understanding system, with precise control over his mental powers and quick mastery of spells.

He was also humble enough to ask detailed questions after class, sometimes even visiting professors’ offices to clarify doubts.

According to the young seer, most of his questions went beyond the textbook material; asking them during class would waste others’ time, but since professors had a duty to teach, students naturally sought their guidance.

After class was the perfect time.

Most professors welcomed Roger’s inquiries.

On one hand, they were good educators who appreciated eager students; on the other, who wouldn’t want to build ties with a seer who might become a guiding light at crucial turning points in life?

Shuttling daily between professors and the library, this young seer absorbed Hogwarts’ knowledge like a sponge.

Voldemort could feel his terrifying growth rate and believed Roger would soon elevate his magical prowess to match his mental strength.

And that was not the end.

He was only eleven!

What was Voldemort’s strength at eleven?

He still had a long growth period ahead.

Unless cut short, by the time he reached Voldemort’s current age, the seer’s power would be…

Unimaginable!

Even more frightening to Voldemort than this ‘monster’ feeding on Hogwarts’ resources was another fact he witnessed.

Roger was a contemplative young wizard.

For example, during subjects like History of Magic, where teachers merely read from a textbook—which he had already studied independently—he would drift into his own world, pondering unresolved mysteries.

What exactly was he thinking about?

Many wondered, and Voldemort sent Quirrell to ask, knowing it was normal for a professor to question a student who wasn’t paying attention in class.

Roger’s answer was simple: “Immortality.”

He didn’t elaborate, only saying he was researching related topics.

But those words stirred Voldemort’s mind.

Immortality?

Was this something a first-year Hogwarts student should be studying?

If Roger truly researched immortality, it was, in Voldemort’s eyes, somewhat outrageous.

And if he was lying…

“Is this little seer trying to provoke me?” Voldemort frowned, clinging behind Quirrell’s head.

Among modern wizards who sought immortality, who was most famous?

Apart from the openly longest-lived Nicolas Flamel, over six centuries old, wasn’t it himself?

Unable to grasp Roger’s true meaning, Voldemort planned a deeper investigation.

At that moment, he happened to see Harry Potter having a minor dispute with friends—quite the coincidence.

To Harry Potter now, the one who truly seemed off was Snape.

When Harry glanced toward Snape at the opening feast, a bad feeling arose, and Snape had been inexplicably targeting him fiercely in Potions class.

“Heh heh heh, the overrated Potter…” Harry sometimes even dreamt of that voice.

Snape’s skill in earning hatred made Harry overlook Quirrell, who sat beside Snape at the feast.

Because Harry still trusted Quirrell as a professor, he naturally confided in him all he knew about Roger.

“Roger, huh…” Harry pondered, not dismissing him but choosing to filter out his classmates’ biases and speak only positively of Roger.