After his conversation with Viktor, Snape headed straight to the Headmaster's office. His heavy footsteps echoed in the empty dungeon corridors, reflecting his tense state. Snape felt deeply disturbed by Viktor's situation. The boy was not only intelligent but also quite powerful for his age. He didn't know how to control him and wanted to ask Dumbledore for advice.
When he finally reached Dumbledore's office, hidden behind a gargoyle, and spoke the password, the staircase slowly spiraled upwards. Dumbledore sat at his desk, which was cluttered with delicate, shimmering instruments that seemed to capture every wisp of magic in the castle. A cheerful fire crackled in the hearth, casting warm reflections on the walls, which were hung with portraits of former headmasters who whispered quietly among themselves.
Dumbledore, as usual, seemed serene, but the twin sparks in his eyes, twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles, were sharp and observant. "Severus, who has dared to spoil your mood on this beautiful Saturday?" he asked with a cheerful note, offering Snape a dish of lemon drops.
Snape ignored the treat. His voice was as cold as a cauldron of ice: "Viktor Moss."
Dumbledore exhaled, his smile gone. "Ah, yes, Viktor… did you figure out how he arranged that incident?"
Snape crossed his arms over his chest, his black robe rustling with the sharp movement. "Yes. He controlled one of the students. It wasn't the Imperius Curse, but the effect was the same. The student was completely under the boy's power. I even doubt he could have resisted."
Dumbledore's surprise was genuine. He tilted his head. "Is that so..."
Snape lost his patience. "'Is that so'? Is that all you can say? Control over living beings is certainly some kind of forbidden spell, and if it's discovered, he'll be in big trouble! It's a sure path to Azkaban!"
Dumbledore only smiled. "Severus, Viktor is too clever to expose himself like that. I don't think he used a spell. He wouldn't be so careless. I think he used hypnosis." As one of the most powerful and long-lived wizards, Dumbledore certainly knew more about Muggle techniques than many others.
Snape frowned, his eyebrows meeting. "Hypnosis? What kind of witchcraft is that?"
"It's not witchcraft, my dear Severus. It's a Muggle art of suggestion," Dumbledore replied with a slight chuckle. "In the Muggle world, it's used for entertainment or in medicine, but it's a very powerful technique if mastered. Suggestion, subservient to the power of the mind. Muggles have always been quite inventive when it comes to circumventing magical limitations."
"And do all Muggles know how to do this?" Snape's voice was full of disbelief. "Don't you think we should forbid its use in school? It could be dangerous for the other wizards!"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, Severus, not everyone knows how to do it. It requires a great deal of talent and a certain type of mind. And not everyone is susceptible to hypnosis, only those with weak minds, who are easily influenced by others."
Snape fell into deep thought, his eyes staring into space. So he was right. Viktor Moss was no ordinary wizard. He could be full of surprises.
"And how did your conversation go?" Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts.
Snape sighed. "I'm afraid Mr. Moss has serious mental issues. He calls himself some sort of 'Ghost Rider.' He wants to dispense justice like some kind of judge."
Dumbledore laughed heartily, his beard quivering. "Ha-ha-ha! I know about that, Severus. He's already managed to scare all of Slytherin. What else can you tell me about him?"
Snape looked at the Headmaster, his eyes a mix of suspicion and outright dislike. "Headmaster, I know you already have plans for him, or you're making them. You want to know if he hates Dark wizards. My answer is yes. His hatred for them is so strong that he will stop at nothing to destroy them. He could become the strongest Auror, he can be turned into a perfect weapon." Snape stepped closer, his voice becoming quieter and more dangerous. "But just so you know, he's not so easy to control. As you yourself said, he's too smart for that. You might regret this later."
Dumbledore asked sternly, "Severus, what are you talking about? I have no such plans as you think."
Snape replied, "Am I not right? After the death of You-Know-Who, your Order of the Phoenix is empty. Those who are left are too old to fight. Alastor Moody isn't what he used to be. Tonks is still just a child. You're looking for a new weapon. And Viktor Moss is the ideal candidate."
Dumbledore exhaled, and his face became serious. "Severus, I know that after Lily's death, you don't trust me. I am not looking for a weapon, I do not want to use him like another unfortunate boy I sent into the clutches of Voldemort. I want to help him. And I have no special plans for Viktor."
Snape looked at him skeptically, turned around, and began to leave. "Then I don't understand why you accepted him into the school with his mental problems."
After the door closed behind Snape, Dumbledore sighed and looked out the window at the Forbidden Forest. One of the Headmasters in a portrait asked, "Is he truly mad?" Dumbledore, lost in thought, replied, "I'm not sure. I think he's just hiding behind a mask. That boy has been through too much."
Viktor, who had no idea he was being discussed, was walking through the castle when he was interrupted by a clear voice.
"Viktor!" Hermione Granger caught up with him in a third-floor corridor. She looked flustered and full of determination to tell him something.
"Hello, Hermione," he nodded, his expression unchanged.
She didn't waste time on pleasantries. "There's something important. Harry, Ron, and I... we recently found a corridor on the third floor that we're not supposed to go into..." She began to explain how they had found Fluffy and how the beast was guarding a trapdoor.
Viktor just nodded and feigned surprise, though inside his mind, as if behind a glass wall, he was thinking about the books he had read on alchemy.
Hermione, not noticing his acted reaction, nodded energetically. "Yes! And I want to go to the library to look for information about that creature."
Viktor continued to nod, but other words were already ringing in his head. He recalled a passage from one of the books: "…To create the Sorcerer's Stone, a Sorcerer's Stone is needed. This paradox is solved only with the help of the Sorcerer's Stone..."—and he wondered what the author meant.
Not losing her enthusiasm, Hermione grabbed his hand and started to pull him. "Come on! We need to get to the library right away!" Viktor, coming to his senses, realized he was in danger and began to look for ways to escape. Pointing his finger to the end of the corridor, he asked, "Is that a flying cat with wings?" Hermione quickly looked in that direction. "Where? I don't see anything!" Turning back, she noticed that he had vanished, and instead of his hand, she was holding the iron gauntlet of a statue. "How did he..."—she froze, examining the gauntlet in confusion. "Ahem, miss, would you mind returning my hand to me?" asked the iron knight, who was now missing one arm. Back in his room, Viktor laughed. "She really thought I'd spend my weekend in a library on books?" Then he looked at his alchemy books, and his smile disappeared. He sighed. "Yeah, I'll do it." He continued to study alchemy.
In the evening, there was a knock on his door. He was sprawled on the floor in front of a book, swinging his legs in the air, and said without taking his eyes off the text, "Come in." Daphne entered and said, "Viktor, Gemma is waiting for you."
Viktor sighed and replied, "Alright, let's see what she wants." He and Daphne headed to the room where the explosion had recently occurred. Upon entering, he surveyed the room and said cheerfully, "My goodness, magic is so convenient! They repaired the whole room in just one day. It makes me want to stage another act of terrorism!"
He then walked over to a table where Gemma and three other students he didn't know were already sitting. Approaching the table opposite Gemma, he looked at the chair and pulled out his wand, which made everyone else flinch. Seeing their reaction, he smiled, tapped the chair, and it transformed into an Iron Throne from Game of Thrones with a soft pillow, because he didn't want to sit on the hard, cold throne. He elegantly settled in, crossing one leg over the other and resting his head on his hand. Daphne rolled her eyes but came and sat next to him. Viktor looked around at everyone and asked, "So, what shall we talk about?"