When no one was paying attention, Lykos quietly slipped away from the group of first-years.
Since he had already decided to report Voldemort's information, he naturally needed to hand that intelligence to someone absolutely trustworthy.
For Lykos, this wasn't a difficult decision.
After all, he was familiar with the plot that would unfold in the coming years. He knew which professors could be trusted—those who understood the truth and might actually believe him.
One suitable candidate was not far from the Slytherin common room. Lykos had passed the professor's office earlier while following the new students.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Standing in the cold corridor, Lykos knocked on the door.
"This is rest time. If you need something, go find a prefect."
A light, greasy voice came from behind the door, sounding extremely impatient.
"Professor, I have something very important to report," Lykos said, suppressing the nervousness in his voice.
The professor inside was well known for having a terrible temper.
If the other, kinder professors had known Voldemort was still alive—and if reaching Dumbledore's office didn't require a password—Lykos would never have chosen to deal with someone this difficult.
With a creak, the door suddenly opened.
"You'd better truly have something important to say."
The same cold voice sounded again.
Lykos took a deep breath and stepped slowly into the office.
The room was dimly lit. Along the walls stood shelves filled with large glass jars containing sticky, grotesque, nauseating things—fragments of animals and plants floating in liquids of various colors.
A man with greasy hair and waxy skin rose from behind a desk cluttered with bottles and vials.
He had a large hooked nose, and the wide black robes behind him fluttered as he moved. In the gloomy office, he looked like a giant bat.
"Good evening, Professor Snape," Lykos said, forcing himself to remain calm as he approached.
"A first-year?" Snape frowned.
He clearly hadn't expected that his usually deserted office would be visited by a new student on the very first day of school.
"Yes, Professor. I was sorted into Slytherin," Lykos replied.
"I'm well aware of which house you belong to, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here," Snape sneered, his deep black eyes fixed on Lykos. "Now explain what this 'very important matter' of yours is."
Lykos nodded and gathered his thoughts before preparing to reveal the truth about Voldemort.
"Actually, Vold—"
Before he could even say the name, something seemed to catch in his throat. The words refused to come out.
At the same time, a buzzing filled his head. The Dark Mark on his left forearm erupted in intense pain, as if a blade were scraping viciously across his muscles.
A curse buried deep within his body was warning him.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through the robes on Lykos's back.
He realized immediately that he had been careless.
How could Voldemort possibly trust a young Death Eater without leaving some kind of safeguard behind?
A spell from the books flashed through his mind—
The Unbreakable Vow.
He could not break the vow and reveal Voldemort's secrets to Snape.
If he tried to force it, the price would likely be his life.
"What exactly are you trying to say? I don't have time to play guessing games with you."
Snape's icy voice cut through his thoughts.
Lykos slowly lifted his head and stared into Snape's dark eyes, his mind racing.
"Professor… actually, there's something I never quite understood…"
In a flash of inspiration, he remembered the three questions Snape had once asked Harry in the original story. He randomly chose one.
"What's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
Snape fell silent.
His expression became frightening.
"This is your 'very important matter'?"
"Get out."
With a violent sweep of his sleeve, Lykos was thrown out of the office.
…
Lykos sat slumped beneath a faintly glowing green candle in the corridor, feeling that his future at Hogwarts was just as dark as the hallway before him.
The Dark Mark on his arm still throbbed with pain.
With the Unbreakable Vow binding him, the plan he had prepared earlier now seemed like a complete joke.
Did he really have no choice but to act as Voldemort's spy?
Rubbing his forehead, Lykos felt increasingly helpless.
With his knowledge of the future, he understood something clearly.
Dumbledore had brought the Philosopher's Stone to Hogwarts as bait.
Dumbledore wanted to confirm his suspicion that Voldemort was still alive, so he used the Stone as bait.
And Voldemort was the starving fish.
Even knowing it was a trap, he had no choice but to bite.
Under Dumbledore's watchful eyes, serving as Voldemort's undercover agent carried an enormous risk of exposure at any moment.
"Ah… this is hopeless."
Lykos leaned back against the rough stone wall, staring blankly at the spider webs on the ceiling.
"Little fellow, what's wrong?"
At that moment, a curious voice sounded beside him.
The next second, a pearly white transparent figure drifted into Lykos's view.
Startled, Lykos jumped to his feet.
Floating before him was a ghost with long curly hair and an enormous ruffled collar around his neck. Even so, his head wobbled loosely above the collar.
"Ah, I don't believe I've introduced myself yet," the ghost said politely, bowing deeply.
Unfortunately, his head slipped off during the bow.
He quickly adjusted it back into place and cleared his throat.
"Ahem! I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower. Though occasionally I come down here to chat with Baron."
"By the way, young man, you were just saying something about 'having no choice.' Are you facing some kind of trouble?"
Lykos paused for a moment.
Then an idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Yes… I do have a bit of trouble," he said, nodding seriously. "While studying my textbooks on my own, I encountered many questions I couldn't understand. I just went to see our Head of House, but he refused to answer them."
He quickly adopted a troubled expression.
"Ah!" Nick cried dramatically. "To think I've encountered such a diligent young wizard—this is truly touching!"
"And that Professor Snape! How irresponsible of him!"
"Exactly," Lykos replied with a slightly guilty smile.
"Um… Sir Nicholas, could you take me to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office? I still have a few questions that need answering."