Only A Boy

Don't Do Anything Stupid

The Bloody Baron had long since vanished through the floor of the headmaster's office, leaving behind a silence so thick and oppressive that it bore down on them like an anvil. Severus even felt like that poor coyote at the moment, dazed from the impact.

"Did you know?" he managed to croak, meeting the Headmaster's solemn expression. "Did you know the Dark Lord might be possessing Quirrell?" Dumbledore's eyes didn't twinkle with reassuring light. And Snape deflated into his chair, a chill racing down his spine and along his arms. The Dark Lord might be inside Hogwarts and Dumbledore knew.

"I had considered the possibility," Dumbledore said quietly.

"And yet you let him wander the castle, knowing full well that he might be a two-faced monster!?" Snape spat, rising to his feet. The thought of that psychopath near his students made his blood boil. He had been young and impressionable when the Dark Lord brainwashed him, and if he dared to do the same to any of his Slytherins he had another thing coming.

"What do you propose I do?" Dumbledore asked sharply. "Unless Quirrell confesses that he is allowing Lord Voldemort to possess his body, there is very little we can do to prove any of this." He rose to his feet as well and began walking toward one of his many bookshelves. "You and I are certain he let the troll in during Halloween and for what purpose, but as there are no eyewitnesses and no sustainable proof, contacting the ministry is pointless."

Snape grimaced. Firing a professor in the middle of the school year was difficult. It required that his contract be nullified. There had to be an investigation, evidence to support the necessity of immediate termination, and then Quirrell could even call a hearing in retaliation. Unless they could present solid evidence that Quirrell was working with the Dark Lord and that he was a threat to the students, there was nothing they could do. But this task was made doubly hard by the fact that the ministry didn't even officially acknowledge the Dark Lord's continued existence, and so any claim that Quirrell was working with him was likely to be completely disregarded.

"Are we sure this information is even true?" Snape asked glancing back toward the spot the Bloody Baron had vanished. He would be lying if he said the blood-stained ghost had his utmost trust.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "My dear Severus, do you think I would have related this information if I hadn't already put the Bloody Baron through every test I could think of?" He gave a tired sigh. "I know that he must have outside connections in order to learn most of this information, a network of ghosts if you will. But, and I'm sure you know this as well; ghosts tend to not interfere with the affairs of the living. Someone has influenced them to come to join the fight."

Snape blinked. He watched as the Headmaster pulled down a book from his shelf and returned to his desk. "Who?" he questioned after a moment's silence. Who on earth could have that sort of sway over the Bloody Baron?

"Well, unless you know anyone who refers to himself as the Warlock, I'm afraid his identity will remain unknown to us – which I assume is this Warlock's intention." Dumbledore sat back down and looked up at the Potions Master.

"Is it possible this Warlock is at Hogwarts?" Snape asked quietly. He had a sinking suspicion Merlin was involved in this. After all, he defeated the troll without a scratch, not to mention how Merlin seemed to know a lot more than he should.

"Possible? Of course," Dumbledore replied, but he waved his hand. "But unlikely. I do not suspect any teachers here of being this Warlock and the magical ability required to enchant a ghost is beyond even most seventh years."

"Enchant a ghost?" Snape repeated blankly, and Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, though I pressured the Baron to reveal to me the identity of this Warlock, he was unable to divulge a name. He had been enchanted so that he could not betray the Warlock's trust. A clever idea, and a very difficult one to execute."