Chapter 121: Unsolvable Hidden Dangers
Dumbledore looked stunned and asked,
"You're suggesting that Professor Rich was behind the incident between the Black and Flint families?"
Phineas nodded.
"It's a strong possibility. I don't have concrete evidence, of course. But based on what I've heard, Rich is dangerous trouble. And the tensions between the Black and Rich families aren't recent. It's entirely plausible he used the Flints to test me."
Using a wizarding family as a test... Dumbledore's eyelid twitched at the thought. If that were true, Sakaski Rich absolutely could not remain at Hogwarts—no matter how qualified he was in Defense Against the Dark Arts. A potential threat of that magnitude, embedded within the school, was unacceptable.
Of course, Dumbledore had once taught Defense Against the Dark Arts himself before becoming Transfiguration Professor. But now, there were... complications.
Rich was a member of the Rich family, one of the oldest pure-blood lines, standing on equal footing with the Blacks and the Selwyns. Even Dumbledore, with all his power and renown, had to tread carefully around the authority of the pureblood council inner circle.
Expelling the heir of a senior council family without undeniable proof would be seen as a challenge to the Council itself.
Besides, Dumbledore had other considerations. Very few wizards in Britain were even willing to accept the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He had managed to line up candidates for the next seven years—carefully chosen for the protection of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived—but none of them were available yet.
And finding someone like Sakaski Rich, a renowned dark arts expert, to accept the job had been difficult.
Rumors had long circulated in the wizarding world that the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts was cursed by Voldemort himself.
Dumbledore knew the truth: it wasn't a traditional curse. It was something deeper—something darker.
A Grudge spell, cast with soul magic. Unlike ordinary curses, a Grudge spell wasn't tied to a title or place, but to the caster's burning resentment. Voldemort's fury had stemmed from being denied the very post he'd desired most—Defense Against the Dark Arts. As long as the nature of the job remained the same, that spiteful influence lingered. Changing the name, the professor, or even the institution wouldn't help.
The curse didn't directly harm those who held the position—it merely warped their fortune, magnifying any flaw they had.
Jonathan, the vampire professor, had internal issues with his own kind, which erupted early thanks to the curse. The Auror who'd once held the post was ambushed by enemies he could usually have avoided. Quirinus Quirrell would go on to die, possessed by Voldemort himself.
Gilderoy Lockhart had always been a fraud. Remus Lupin, a werewolf. Alastor Moody was ambushed and replaced before even arriving. The curse simply turned their weaknesses into fatal vulnerabilities.
Back in the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore said,
"Then, Mr. Black, would you be willing to keep an eye on Professor Rich for me? I'll also speak to Professor McGonagall and the others. You understand, I can't act against him without evidence."
Phineas nodded.
"Of course. I want to understand why he came to Hogwarts in the first place. And whether he's truly pulling Marcus Flint's strings."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, though with a shadow behind them.
"In that case, I think we'll have our answers soon enough."
Phineas nodded again. Whatever Rich's true intentions were, it was already late November. With barely half the school year left, he would need to act soon. The longer he waited, the more unpredictable things would become.
Then Dumbledore said suddenly,
"Oh, and Phineas—"
The direct use of his name caught Phineas off guard. Dumbledore rarely used it that way unless something was important.
"Yes, Professor?"
Dumbledore considered his words, then said,
"Quirinus requested a leave of absence some time ago."
Phineas frowned.
"The Muggle Studies professor?"
If memory served, this was indeed around the time Quirrell was supposed to travel abroad—and eventually encounter the disembodied fragment of Lord Voldemort in Albania.
"So... why are you telling me this?" he asked.
Dumbledore sighed.
"Officially, Quirinus is traveling to broaden his knowledge for a future in Defense Against the Dark Arts. But that's not the real reason."
Phineas froze. If Quirrell wasn't genuinely traveling for study, then why had he gone? It couldn't be just for adventure—
Wait. Unless… it was for him. The Dark Lord.
If that were true, many of the confusing events in the original timeline suddenly made sense.
Even if the Dark Lord's mind had deteriorated from splitting his soul, he would still understand the risk of attacking Harry Potter on the open Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts. Quirrell, a Ravenclaw graduate, certainly wouldn't make such an idiotic tactical error.
Unless—he meant to be caught. Unless he was warning the other professors.
The Halloween troll? That couldn't possibly have posed a real threat to the staff. Again, it might have been Quirrell's way of sending a signal.
There were so many suspicious details. The Gringotts break-in had occurred on the exact day Hagrid removed the Philosopher's Stone. Quirrell had even encountered Harry in the Leaky Cauldron just before that.
The attack on the unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore's abrupt removal from the castle, even the attempts to bypass the protections… all too perfectly timed.
And if Quirrell truly wanted to steal the Stone, why make so many avoidable mistakes?
No wizard educated in Ravenclaw would forget the tale of Orpheus and Cerberus. He should've known instantly that Fluffy—the three-headed dog—would fall asleep to music.