Chapter 201: Beyond power
Because of the current situation, he truly no longer needed to study the Deathly Hallows. A good deal wasted—what a pity.
"All right, Professor. Take back the Elder Wand."
As mentioned before, the Elder Wand wasn't necessary for Phineas at this point. It was somewhat redundant, especially since his own wand was nearly complete. Soon, he'd find an opportunity to have it custom-crafted through the system.
Dumbledore looked at Phineas with surprise, his eyes filled with admiration. He didn't particularly value the Elder Wand himself. The only reason he had continued holding onto it was to end the chain of tragedies caused by its power. As long as he died a natural death—unbeaten—ownership would not pass. Likewise, if he was not killed, the wand would remain ownerless, unable to transfer allegiance.
Phineas's willingness to calmly return the Elder Wand pleased Dumbledore most of all. After all, it was merely an object. If it truly made its wielder invincible, it wouldn't have changed hands so many times.
In truth, Phineas saw the Elder Wand as nothing special. Its strength came from not limiting the user's magic power—but the snakewood wand could do the same. In fact, the nature of the snakewood wand made it harder to change ownership than the Elder Wand. And with Dumbledore present, it was never likely he'd be allowed to keep it permanently anyway.
Understanding this, Phineas naturally returned the wand—winning Dumbledore's approval in the process. Why not?
As for the Resurrection Stone and Invisibility Cloak, Phineas had no intention of taking them either. The Invisibility Cloak belonged to the Potter family and would eventually be returned to Harry by Dumbledore. There was no need for him to claim it, even temporarily.
The Resurrection Stone, on the other hand, left Phineas deeply uneasy after his recent experience. Unless absolutely necessary, he had no desire to ever touch it again.
The days that followed were quiet. Perhaps it was due to what Phineas had said to Harry and the others in Hagrid's hut—words that challenged their understanding—or perhaps they simply didn't want to accept the truth of what he'd shared. Either way, Harry, Ron, and Neville did not come to see him.
Hermione visited a few times to ask questions, but after some interference from the Slytherin first-years, even she came less frequently.
Phineas was aware of what Draco and the others were doing, but he didn't intervene. To most of the other Slytherins, Hogwarts was split into two factions: Slytherin and non-Slytherin. Hermione, a Muggle-born who had managed to top even Ravenclaw—home to academic elites—was a bitter pill for them to swallow.
Fueled by jealousy, immaturity, and deeper prejudices, the first-year Slytherins—and even some Gryffindors—treated Hermione poorly.
To be fair, they weren't kind to most Ravenclaws either. That house had always been viewed as a haven for oddballs.
Meanwhile, the weekly Quidditch matches continued. With Harry on the Gryffindor team, their previous losing streak seemed to be turning around. They were emerging as possible champions.
Since Gryffindor wasn't playing in the next match, Phineas didn't bother attending. Even if they had been, he wouldn't have gone. Quirrell's earlier actions had signaled to Dumbledore that their plan was underway. With that assurance, Harry's safety was no longer in question. There was no reason for Phineas to watch a game he didn't care for—unless it was something grand like the World Cup.
As December progressed and Christmas approached, Professor McGonagall began collecting names of students who would stay at Hogwarts over the holidays. Unlike in previous years, Phineas signed up. Instead of going home, he left the house to Harry and Sirius—father and son who had barely met, yet shared an unbreakable bond. They needed time together.
Phineas had other reasons for staying behind, too—namely the Chamber of Secrets hidden by Hufflepuff, which still eluded him.
From the start of December, Hogwarts had been blanketed in snow. The courtyard lay buried under several feet of it, and the lake had frozen solid—solid enough that even if Hagrid danced atop it, it wouldn't crack. The students took every chance to enjoy snowball fights between classes, which inevitably led to the Weasley twins getting into trouble.
Ron, as always, couldn't keep a secret. What Phineas had told them quickly became the talk of Gryffindor Tower. He proclaimed it loudly and proudly in the common room.
As a result, many students came to know about Phineas's suspicions regarding Professor Quirrell. While none of them told the professors, it still caused a stir within Hogwarts.
The twins, in particular, took it to heart.
Believing Phineas, they too became convinced something was wrong with Quirrell's turban. So, naturally, they decided to take action. The result? A scene straight out of a prankster's dream.
Several enchanted snowballs chased Quirrell around the courtyard, eventually pelting the scarf on the back of his head. Professor McGonagall, predictably, handed down punishment.
Phineas, meanwhile, stood quietly in a second-floor corridor, watching it all unfold. He saw Quirrell fleeing, snowballs pursuing him relentlessly, striking the scarf. He noticed the way it trembled—but never fell.
December brought more than snowballs and mischief. It brought Christmas—and a biting cold that settled deep within the Slytherin common room.
Located beneath the Black Lake, the Slytherin common room was always chilly, even with a roaring fire in the hearth. The window by the door exhaled mist with every breath, and the fireplace was a coveted spot.
Naturally, older students claimed it for themselves. Slytherin had its own pecking order. Unless you belonged to a few "special families," senior students expected obedience from juniors.
These special families included the Blacks, the Ridges, the Selwyns and the Greengrasses—each powerful pure-blooded lineages in the wizarding world. Phineas himself belonged to the black family. Draco also qualified, mostly due to Phineas's influence. As the heir of the Malfoy family—and the eccentric nephew of the Black family—he commanded a kind of respect few dared challenge.