The moment that name was spoken, the atmosphere in the dormitory shifted.
Professor McGonagall's face changed dramatically as she shot a look at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore himself gazed at Tom Cruise with grave intensity.
Only Douglas, standing near the back, was left frowning in confusion at Dumbledore's reaction—or rather, his lack thereof.
That's strange, he thought. Shouldn't there be more of a response?
There must be something going on between Dumbledore and Snape.
After all, even if Snape knew Voldemort's true name, there was no reason to bring it up now—no one had used it in decades.
If Dumbledore had asked, that would make sense. But Snape?
Something about this whole scene felt off.
Though Snape's tone and expression unsettled Tom Cruise, the boy only looked more confused.
"Who's that?" he asked.
A collective sigh of relief swept through the room.
Everyone seemed to relax—except Douglas, whose expression only grew stranger.
Tom Cruise's reaction left him uncertain: had the boy ever come into contact with that diary at all?
If three Legilimency masters couldn't spot a lie, then perhaps he really was innocent.
And yet, his physical weakness was so much like the aftereffects of having one's life force drained.
And that footprint—unless someone using Polyjuice Potion had gone so far as to steal Tom's shoes, it was almost impossible for even a Transfiguration spell to copy the exact pattern of wear on the soles.
It wasn't that Douglas underestimated wizards, but their investigative techniques were mostly primitive—apart from a few magical tricks.
Almost no one paid attention to the tiny details.
Why bother, when magic could so easily extract a confession?
"Legilimency?"
A sudden spark of inspiration struck Douglas.
He remembered borrowing Percy's pet rat, Scabbers, to practice Legilimency.
Every time he'd finished, he'd also practiced Obliviate—the Memory Charm.
He recalled something from Voldemort's school days:
At sixteen, during the summer holidays, Voldemort had murdered his father's family and framed his uncle, even using magic to alter his uncle's memory so he believed he'd killed the Riddles himself.
"Memory modification..."
Douglas stepped closer to Tom Cruise with a reassuring smile.
"Tom, mind if I have a look at your wand?"
Without hesitation, Tom Cruise handed it over.
He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he'd gathered that the professors were looking for someone else named Tom.
The other professors watched, puzzled.
From their perspective, Tom Cruise had already been cleared of suspicion, and the real culprit was almost certainly one of the other Ravenclaws.
Still, no one interrupted Douglas. He'd known about this incident from the very start—if anyone had special insight, it would be him.
Douglas took the wand and murmured, "Prior Incantato."
A silvery image of a Lumos spell flickered from the tip—just a simple lighting charm.
Unconvinced, Douglas pressed on, repeating the spell.
One, two, three, four, five—five Lumos spells in a row.
He kept going, looking for something deeper.
To the others, he might have looked like a desperate gambler, but inside, Douglas felt the thrill of a hunter closing in on his prey.
What fourth-year student would practice Lumos this many times for no reason?
Just as Professor McGonagall was about to intervene, Dumbledore held her back.
He and Snape watched Douglas's actions with mounting seriousness.
"I don't remember casting that many Lumos spells..." Tom Cruise muttered, bewildered.
On the seventh attempt, the wand finally revealed something new—a Memory Charm.
Douglas shot the others a triumphant look.
The professors' faces darkened, but none of them immediately connected this to Voldemort tampering with Tom Cruise's memory.
Professor Flitwick's first thought was of Gilderoy Lockhart, who'd been caught over a month ago—another Ravenclaw and notorious for his memory magic.
Could Cruise have learned and cast such a spell himself?
Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore seemed to have the same idea.
Only Douglas was struck by just how meticulous sixteen-year-old Voldemort had been.
No wonder he'd managed patricide, mass murder, and framing others as a student—and never been caught.
Especially considering every Hogwarts student was tracked by the Trace.
Douglas kept going, casting Prior Incantato again.
This time, a strange, unfamiliar dark spell emerged.
Everyone's face grew even grimmer.
Snape looked particularly shaken—Douglas noticed him instinctively clutching his left forearm.
Tom Cruise was on the verge of tears.
"No, I've never seen that kind of dark magic! I never cast a Memory Charm, either. I didn't—!"
Snape leaned in to whisper urgently to Dumbledore.
Suddenly, Dumbledore's expression became severe.
He turned to Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick.
"Minerva, Filius—please take Mr. Cruise to the hospital wing. Stay with him personally.
And take the other students outside to the Great Hall as well.
And... be careful."
Hearing this, Douglas quickly added,
"Don't let them take any books or belongings.
Check everything—this isn't the time to worry about student privacy."
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick hesitated, but didn't object.
Flitwick in particular nodded silently.
Finally, they'd found the infiltrator.
Now they could search the dormitory openly.
Once the others had left, Dumbledore and Snape turned to Douglas.
"Douglas, how did you know someone would have cast spells with Mr. Cruise's wand?" Dumbledore asked.
Douglas shrugged.
"There weren't any other clues, and the footprint was just too perfect a match.
Even if Polyjuice Potion was used, who'd think to steal his shoes too? If they did, they'd be almost absurdly cautious.
So I figured it had to be some kind of control or cooperation with Mr. Cruise..."
Snape shook his head, voice rough.
"No. It's the Dark Lord...
That dark magic is unique to him."
Now it was Douglas's turn to be confused.
He'd thought the Memory Charm would be the clincher, but it turned out everyone was focused on the unknown dark spell.
"What kind of magic was that?" he asked.
But it was clear Snape didn't want to discuss it further.
Dumbledore explained,
"It's a very clever spell—allows flight without any aid.
That means the culprit really did escape through the bathroom window.
I also noticed Mr. Cruise's condition—he's suffering from unnatural weakness, as if his life force has been drained.
With the Memory Charm and that dark spell,
it's almost certain that Voldemort has been lurking near Mr. Cruise in some form for quite some time.
The method is even subtler than last year.
But it seems he's already left."
Douglas stroked his chin.
"So Mr. Cruise may have unwittingly become Voldemort's accomplice, or been under his long-term control.
When the Chamber entrance was discovered to be under surveillance, Voldemort quickly erased his tracks and slipped away...
But Headmaster, is Voldemort really the type to worry about leaving evidence behind?
If he was leaving anyway, why bother to erase the boy's memory?"
Snape replied, voice still rough,
"That's why I think he infiltrated as some sort of magical artifact.
He must have known Mr. Cruise would be discovered, so he went to great lengths to modify his memory.
It makes it easier for him to stay hidden..."
Douglas nodded.
"It hasn't been long since the alarm sounded.
With all his little tricks, he probably didn't have time or opportunity to hide himself outside Ravenclaw Tower..."
Dumbledore couldn't help but applaud, then gave a sly wink.
"An excellent deduction.
But I've already checked—there's no trace of any dark magical artifact here.
Or is there something else you haven't told us, Douglas?"
Douglas froze...
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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