A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I planned for this chapter to be down way before now but I kept getting sick and busy with collage. I also started doing a few things to help with my mental health that took up a good amount of my time, one of which was trying to use screens less and be outside more. Sadly that meant less time for writing this. I'm glad for all of you that have stayed with this story despite it's terrible update rate. Now, please read and enjoy :).
Chamber past the obstacles on the third floor, October 30th, 1993
Damian stood in the large circular stone chamber that was past the various obstacles the base curriculum teachers and Hagrid set up. He had used the invisibility cloak, now restored to the proper power it should have unlike the books since the magic Dumbledore used on it is gone. With the cloak he easily passed Fluffy, simply used a light charm to go through the Devil's Snare, opened the charmed door with a powerful unlocking spell meant to open magically locked doors, and walked passed the chess set and the troll. The chess set didn't react to him since it needs to sense magic to activate and the cloak hides his magic completely.
The potions riddle was easy, even if Severus didn't tell him the answer he'd have been able to pass. Thus all this lead him to the chamber with the Mirror of Erised, where Damian would set his trap. He used a spell that allows him to float in the air and carved a runic circle into the ceiling. The spell is only able to be used to float in place and in order to move you need to go back on the ground. So he spent about three hours carving in one spot, landing, moving, floating up to another spot and repeating the prosses.
In the end though Damian got the circle carved and all that was left was to put down the activation rune. So he walked right in front of the mirror and carved a small rune into the ground that would activate once someone stepped on it. After he was done Damian looked up and accidentally looked into the mirror.
The mirror showed a grown up Damian in good looking robes, surrounded by people. Some of the people looked his reflections age, others younger or older. Remus and Severus were in the back smiling at him, Sirius was healthy and looked at him with pride. Young children were around him, some hugging his legs, others running around the woods that were in the background. The ones that were his age were unfamiliar to him except two, the others shifting in a way that made them unclear to him. The two he recognized didn't surprise him, Hermione and Daphne.
In all, he looked happy surrounded by loved ones and a world at peace. Damian knew what he was seeing, what his true desire was. To have lots of loved ones and for the world to be at peace around him, free of those that would destroy his happiness. Damian then immediately summoned up his Occlumency shields and was able to look away.
"That is dangerous, especially to those without mind shields" Damian spoke aloud to himself.
Shaking himself off he looked over his work again before putting the cloak on and leaving. As he settled into his bed that night he had one thought.
'See you later bastard' Damian thought as he went to sleep with a smile on his face.
Third Floor Corridor, October 31st, 1993
Severus lead the Dark Lord down the corridor to the door he knew that Cerberus that Hagrid called Fluffy was. It was late and he had told his 'master' how to get past all the obstacles without triggering any alarms. He'd contacted Lucius and told him he needed him to call an impromptu meeting of the Wizengamot, that costed him a favor Lucius owed him. It was worth it though for Dumbledore to be preoccupied by the Dark Faction complaining about regulations on dark artifacts. It wouldn't even draw suspicion since many over the years have done the same, even a few times on Halloween like this time. The old headmaster didn't technically have to be there even with his position, but he'd never allow even the slightest chance of the dark faction succeeding even a little bit.
Regardless Severus was to accompany the Dark Lord through the traps just in case of any unforeseen complications. At least that's what he told the beast pretending to be a man. In reality it was so he could sell the idea of his 'loyalty' to Tom and then alert Damian through a coin with a protean charm that the plan succeeded.
"Severus, tonight will mark the beginning of a new era, my era" the demon wearing Quirrell's face said.
The Dark Lord had decided that since his plan was close to fruition, he would fully possess the former Muggle Studies teacher. This fully killed the man and also resulted in Voldemort gaining better control of his body, it also made it so he could speak like a person again. Personally, Severus thought part of the reason he did it was so he didn't have to deal with Quirrell anymore and to properly speak with his 'subordinate'.
"And a glorious era it will be my lord" Snape said with a bow to hide his light sneer of contempt that couldn't be found in his fake voice of reverence.
They made their way through the obstacles one by one. Voldemort put the three headed hound to sleep by conjuring a harp and charming it to play a lullaby. The Devil's Snare was taken care of by a flame the Dark Lord conjured, and the door was unlocked with a powerful unlocking spell used by curse breakers. It was the chess set that took them the longest since he wanted to prove his intellect, a show of superiority Severus deduced.
Damian had explained some of the tactics that the Dark Lord used to subjugate his followers to him so he would be better equipped for when such things happened. That, coupled with his past experience serving the man made him understand the actions of his 'lord' more. After that detour they went made it to the troll which Voldemort simply killed. They passed through the potions riddle quickly and made it to the mirror.
"This is where my knowledge of the protections end my lord. Dumbledore wouldn't explain his last protection to anyone, not even me after all I've done to gain his trust" Severus said with a not faked sneer when he said the headmaster's name.
Voldemort walked towards the mirror.
"Not a problem Severus, it shan't take me but a moment t-" he was cut off from his monologue as his body was seized by some force.
The single rune on the ground glowed as it was stepped on by the body the Dark Lord possessed, then the runic circle on the ceiling glowed as well. Magic thrummed and the tattered soul of Voldemort thrashed inside the body of Quirrell.
"Ah! What is this! Curse you Albus!" Voldemort screamed from the pain his soul was in.
"My lord! How can I help you?! What is happening!?" Severus yelled as he put on the performance of a lifetime pretending he was worried for the monster.
"There is nothing you can do Severus! I will return, mark my words! Prepare for my return Severus, prepare and wait for your lord! Ah!" he screamed out as his soul was forced out of Quirrell's body and expelled from the grounds of Hogwarts.
Quirrell's body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut as a white blur left it. The white blur, the soul of the Dark Lord, then left the room with a silent wail of pain. Severus took all this in and stood there for a few seconds. He saw as all the runes seemed to stop glowing and then become misshapen until it was indistinguishable from the cracks present throughout the rest of the stone of the room. It was once he knew that it was all over that Severus let a smile grow on his face and take out the coin.
"See you later, you monster" he said as he scratched a 'S' into the coin.
Severus then straightened his robes and left the chamber, then the corridor all together. As he made his way to his quarters he spoke aloud.
"I guess a celebratory cup of tea wouldn't be remiss of me" he smirked to himself as he walked.
Room of Requirement, Around the same time
Damian looked at the ritual circle he'd carved into the ground of the ritual room he asked the RoR to make in pride. It was a somewhat complex ritual to preform and went like this:
First he carved a equilateral triangle into the ground, each side being a length determined with by a arithmancy calculation. Next was carving a thirteen pointed star large enough for the triangle to fit perfectly in the center, the length of the lines determined the same way as the triangles sides. Then he put the item he needs cleansed, the diadem in this case, in the center of the triangle. Fourth, he put a special ingredient on the points of the triangle, a bezoar, a dead Yew branch, and phoenix ash.
All that was left was to say the chant.
'The triangle is for the magic number meaning balance, among other things. The star because thirteen is the magical number of death, same with the Yew branch. The bezoar for cleansing and the ash for new life. Perfect' Damian thought to himself as he went over it all for the hundredth time that night.
He then noticed the coin in his pocket buzz and pulled it out. He looked at the coin and saw the 'S' carved into it, causing him to smile.
"S for success" he smiled before taking a deep breath.
Damian had decided to wait until Voldemort was gone from the castle before cleansing his horcrux. That was just in case the Dark Wanker would feel it happen with the proximity he had to it. Now it was perfectly safe and time to commence the ritual.
This ritual was created by merging the ancient Egyptians ritual to get rid of phylacteries and a druidic ritual made to cleanse an area of curses. Both were recorded by the Greymores and then turned into this ritual to cleanse one of the objects Herpo the Foul's student made into a horcrux.
Yes, the student of that madman was actually the first to make multiple horcruxes, making three in total. It was due to this that Damian gained more information an the effects that Voldemort was experiencing/going to experience since Herpo recorded what his student was going through. After killing Herpo and finding one of the horcruxes of his student the Greymores found and confiscated his journal. That was to learn how Herpo did what he did and how to fight it, as well as to stop anyone from doing what he did again.
Sadly he wrote more than one journal and his student took them and made more copies before he was finally killed. The student had left the journals all over the world during his time running from the royal families and thus lead to the situation of the modern day. Tom Riddle making half a dozen horcruxes in a bid for immortality.
Remembering all this Damian sighs before beginning the ritual chant.
"Death cleanse thy, Nature reject thou, May the taint of their creation be removed, May this shard of vile soul be given to the one it sought to escape, Magic I ask thou to what once was and give this in offering" Damian spoke the chant in ancient Egyptian seven times in a row.
When the chant was spoken for the first and second times there was no change to the ritual site. Then, when it was chanted for a third time the ritual engravings started to glow and got brighter and brighter with each reciting of the chant. After the seventh reciting the glow turned from the bright white it was to a dark purplish-black and a chill entered the air. The diadem glowed silver and the items at the three points of the engraved triangle glowed bright white.
A black, smoky, thing came out of the diadem with a shriek of pain and malice. It moved erratically, sometimes seeming to take the form of a face screaming in agony and rage. Soon though the shrieking stopped and the smoke seemed to fold in on itself, disappearing from the realm of the living. The glow of the sacrificial items disappeared, the trio of items with it. The diadem's glow turned from silver to gold before fading, the room returning to normal shortly after.
Damian breathed a sigh of relief after it was all done, tired mentally from the stress of the day. He picked up all the supplies he'd brought, a ritual carving knife and the containers for the items used, and put them into a chest. The young wizard walked over to the diadem and grabbed it. He took the diadem back to where the chest with the supplies is and grabbed a small velvet lined box like jewelry is put in.
The young wizard put the diadem gently into the box, closed the box, and put it in the chest. He closed the chest, took out his wand, and tapped the chest with it making the chest shrink. Damian took the shrunk chest and put it in his pocket. He then walked out of the room and entered the hall of the seventh floor, the door disappearing behind him. Damian took a second to straighten his robes and procced to leave the hall for his dormitory.
He walked quietly to his dormitory, making there quickly by taking some hidden passages. Damian entered his common room and then made his way to his room without stopping for a moment. Once in his room he quickly placed the shrunk chest away, changed for bed, and fell into his mattress. The moment he laid his head down he was asleep, the mental strain of the past days catching up to him.
Great Hall, November 2nd, 1993
Damian sat in the great hall eating with his friends at the Ravenclaw table. The previous day he'd gotten some curios looks from his friends, though nothing to bad. Daphne in particular told him she thought he was doing some old Samahan rite that wasn't seen favorably nowadays. A few upper-year Slytherins did something similar apparently. He'd just smiled and didn't say anything.
There was some commotion when yesterday's DADA classes hadn't been met with the turban wearing professor like they expected. The while day the professor wasn't seen and the students used it as a free period, the fifth years liked that a lot. Damian and Snape had shared a nod when passing in the halls that day unnoticed by anyone. Today no one saw the professor as well, and it seemed the headmaster was going to address it now at the evening meal.
The headmaster had only returned yesterday after all the classes had finish for the day, except astronomy. He'd been in the impromptu meeting on Halloween until the early morning of November 1st. He'd then been held up by several allies and other people wanting to talk to him. Albus had needed to take a pepper-up potion that day and practically crashed into bed when he finally got back to the castle. Thus he didn't even know of Quirrell's disappearance until this morning.
That all leads up to now, Dumbledore standing up during the evening meal to make an announcement.
"Excuses me everyone" the aged wizard said with a slightly magically enhanced voice while ringing his glass with the aid of his spoon "I have an announcement to make this evening."
"As many of you know by now, Professor Quirrell has not shown up to his classes for two days now. After I was informed of this, I looked into the matter. It seems that after reading a note left behind in his desk, that the Professor had grown steadily more paranoid about the Vampires he'd encountered over the summer. On Halloween night he grew even more paranoid and fled the castle. I will be contacting the ministry for replacements for DADA for the year, thus for the next week all DADA classes are free periods" Dumbledore explained to the students.
"With that said, thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of your evening" he canceled the magic enhancing his voice and sat down.
Damian turned to the rest of his friends, all of them sporting similar faces of bewilderedness. The three girls had that look due to how odd it was for their professor to be that paranoid to have fled. Damian on the other hand made that face because he thought Dumbledore's cover up was comically far from the truth and he was trying not to laugh. After all, the idea of Voldemort running from Vampires of all things was funny, living up to his name by fleeing from the undead.
"Well, he did have all that garlic in his classroom. Just didn't think he'd be that scared though" he said, breaking the silence.
The three witches nodded.
"Yeah, that is incredibly unprofessional for a professor" Hermione said with a slight grumpiness in her voice at the 'unprofessionalism' of their now former professor.
"Yes it is quite unseemly for a professor to do such a thing, though I can't say it particularly surprises me. He did seem the sort to cower from his own shadow" Daphne said, showing how convincing Quirrell's sniveling coward act was.
Tracy nodded along to what was said by her companions. The conversation changed to other topics after that. Damian enjoyed the atmosphere that was made with his friends, liking that he had such moments of peace. Afterall, in the coming years he wouldn't have such a luxury most likely.
December 13th 1993, Room of Requirement
Damian had configured the room for this Monday lesson into something different than usual. Instead of something reminiscent of a classroom, the room looked like a clearing in a forest with beautiful evergreen trees growing to signal the boundary. Next to Damian was a large chest that Hermione recognized as his trunk. Behind the wizard was a wooden blackboard for aid in his teaching.
When Hermione and Daphne walked into the room they didn't know what to expect for this lesson. Especially since there were no desks or chairs to sit at. At the bewildered look from the witches Damian decided to reveal this lessons subject.
"Ah, yes I can understand why you're a bit confused. Today we'll be determining your elemental affinities for elemental magic, as well as learning some basic uses of your element. Being in a place that is more natural then manmade felt appropriate" he explained to them.
"Seriously! We finally get to learn about this!" Hermione exclaimed in her joy, her eyes shining with excitement.
"This should be fun" Daphne responded, more subdued then Hermione but her eyes sharing the same gleam of anticipation.
"Yes, now normally I would tell you to go to Gringotts since their method is easier, and I still recommend you go their during break for the tests, but since I wanted to teach you something special before break we'll do thins the old way" Damian told them as Hermione was almost vibrating in place from her excitement.
She couldn't help it, the idea of controlling the elements, throwing fire balls and the like. It was what she first thought of when she was told she was a witch. Now her fantasy could become reality.
"Alright, now before we do the ritual that will tell us your affinities I need to explain a few things. So sit down crisscross, you'll need to do so for the ritual anyway" he waits for them to sit before beginning.
"So the first thing you need to know are the elements that you can possibly have an affinity for. There are six elements and they are: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind/Air, Darkness/Shadow, and Light. If you have more than one affinity then some can combine them to make more complex elements, like ice or lightning. Some magical races are born with a shared affinity, Veela with fire comes to mind. However human magicals can have any elemental affinity, their bloodline and personality influencing what they have an affinity for" Damian explained to his eager 'students'.
Daphne asked a question after that short explanation.
"What do you mean by someone's bloodline influencing what elements we have an affinity for?" she asked in curiosity.
"Well, what I mean is that if say your father and mother both have an affinity for fire, you're more likely to have an affinity for fire yourself. Sometimes though a magical family has become so tied to an element it is neigh impossible for someone in that family to not have that affinity. That happens more in the east though, especially with some magical clans in China and Japan. It is rare in the western part of the world" the wizard answered Daphne as best he could.
"Moving on, I'll now describe what this ritual will entail so your prepared. I will draw a six pointed star on the ground with a circle connecting each point. The points of the star will all be an equal distance from the center, which you will be sitting at. Then I will place a gem at each point of the star, each gem being different and represent one of the six elements. Red-Ruby for Fire, Blue-Sapphire for Water, Green-Emerald for Wind, Yellow-Topaz for Earth, White-Diamond for Light, and Black-Obsidian for darkness" he explained the ritual to them.
"These gems will be placed in a specific order. The diamond will be placed at the point of the star that is pointing north, and the obsidian to the south. The ruby will be placed on the point facing east next to the diamond, and the emerald will be placed at the western point next to the diamond. The sapphire will be placed opposite the ruby, and the topaz opposite the emerald. This order is important so that opposite elements aren't close to each other in case you have opposing affinities, sometimes that can cause problems" he finished explaining the set up for the ritual.
Damian motioned for the two to stand, which they did. He then opens his trunk and takes out twelve gems, two of each he'd listed. He also took out a piece of chalk.
"Dragon-bone chalk, the best for rituals like this" he told them after Daphne gave him a weird look as she noticed that it didn't look like normal chalk.
Damian than drew two six pointed stars encased in a circle, proceeding to place the gems in order for each circle. He then motioned for the two to sit in the circles. As they did so, they noticed that the gems didn't look like what they expected. Each gem was cut into a different cut, adding to their distinctiveness from each other. The gems also had a glow to them that made them seem, for lack of a better word, magical to the witches.
At their looks Damian explained.
"Oh, yeah I forgot to mention that. You can't just use regular gems for this. You need to use gems started with raw magic, that makes them into more magically conductive gems. Now for what you need to do. You need to control your internal magic and push it outwards from your body. This will cause the gems representing your affinity to glow bright and move all the other gems out of the circle. I'd recommend closing your eyes to focus and block out the light, and when you open your eyes the gems you see still in the circle are your affinities" he told them with an encouraging smile.
The girls blushed and closed their eyes. They focused inwards, feeling the energy inside them that they knew was magic. They had gotten better controlling with the training method given to them back in September. Now they had enough control to push the energy outwards, and push they did. Both witches saw a glow through their eyelids, now sure it worked.
Damian watched as both his friends focused deeply and pushed their magic outwards. Then the glow came and he closed his eyes, only opening them once the glow abated. When he opened his eyes he saw both witches trying to catch their breath, and some gems still in their circle.
Hermione looked at her circle and saw three gems still there, the sapphire, ruby, and emerald. She smiled in excitement and gave a whoop out of joy. She then turned to Daphne to see how she did. In Daphne's circle there was both an emerald and a sapphire. Even though she had one less than Hermione she was equally happy at the results. Then Damian clapped his hands.
"Well that makes things easier and harder for teaching you two. You both share two affinities, however I don't have water as an affinity like you two. Water is actually the second rarest element to have for humans, only Light is rarer" he told them with a smile on his face.
Daphne and Hermione looked at each other before looking back at their 'teacher'.
"So what does that mean for us learning how to use water?" Daphne asked him.
"Not much really, just that for the other elements you two have I'll be able to teach from experience, while for water I'll be using books to teach you more than I normally would" the wizard explained, easing the worries of the two witches.
The rest of the lesson, after Damian packed up the gems, was about basic control and summing of the girls' elements. By the end of the lesson Hermione and Daphne could summon forth a small ball of their elements and control them. The process was hard for them at the moment but they knew they would get better in time. As the lesson came to an end Damian asked the witches something.
"Hey, I wanted to ask you two something. Would you two like to come over for the holidays? I mean, you'd have to ask your parents but I figured I'd give the offer" he asked them with an earnest and slightly anxious expression.
Hermione made a humming sound while Daphne put on a pondering expression.
"I think me and my parents could come, though you'd have to arrange transport since their not magical" Hermione responded "when exactly were you thinking?"
"I was thinking from December 21st to the 24th if that's ok. My house is plenty big enough to house you and your families for the deration. It will also allow us to do some Yule celebrations alongside other activates" he answered after thinking for a bit "And transport was already something I was planning to take care of, since no one not invited by a Greymore can enter the grounds."
Hermione nodded and said she'd send an owl to her parents so he'd have a definitive answer before Friday. Daphne then asked some questions of her own.
"Dose your invitation extend to my sister as well? And who all is going to be there besides yourself and us? I know why you're not inviting Tracy, so I know she won't be there but who else?" she asked her questions.
Damian nodded, knowing what she meant about Tracy. Tracy had told them all the other day that she and her parents will be away in the states with her mother's family. She wanted them to know so they wouldn't send her owls since she'd be unable to respond over break. She also told them not to tell her about any plans they make with each other over the holidays, so in her words 'I won't be super bummed out all break'.
"Yeah, it's a shame I can't invite her. As for who'll be there? Just you two and your families, me, and my guardian. Maybe a close family friend as well if he can make it" Damian told her, to which she nodded.
"Then I think we'd be able to make it. Hell my dad wouldn't miss such an opportunity to go to the Greymore estate" she said the last part with found annoyance.
"Then I look forward to the holidays" Damian said with a smile that lit up his face.
The three then went back to their dorms, in comfortable quite as they walked together. Hermione broke off first to head to the Ravenclaw dorm, bidding her two friends goodnight before going their separate ways. Damian and Daphne made it to the Slytherin common room together soon after. They said their own goodnights to each other before going to their respective dorms.
As Damian lay in his bed that night he thought to himself.
'I trust them, this holiday I tell them the truth. Though first I'll have them go to the goblins, those test should reveal something interesting if I'm right. After all, with what I sense from them they shouldn't be having as much difficulty with elemental magic' he thought to himself with a grim look at the last part.
When he was teaching the two he had to hide his shock. They were struggling with basic elemental control and summoning, and they shouldn't be. That's why he had waited for them to have better control of their magic before doing that lesson, why he had them get good at the exercise he gave them months ago. He could tell it wasn't something wrong with them personally or skill wise, some outside influence was causing them difficulty. Something hidden from his normal level of magic senses.
Damian doesn't use advanced magic senses on his friend's, seeing it as an invasion of privacy. Even with him not looking to deeply though, he was sure. Something was going on, and not something good. All he could do for now was wait for the break, then both his friends and himself would be getting some answers.
December 17th 1993, Severus Snape's Privet Office
Severus sat at his desk in comfortable clothes, a cardigan and slacks all black and dark green. He had a cup of hot black tea on his desk and looked more relaxed then any student of his would believe the man capable of. Across from him, sitting in a plush leather chair, was Damian. The young wizard was dressed in similar attire, a black sweater with the Slytherin crest and matching slacks that highlighted his white hair.
The young wizard had a matching cup, full of green tea that he was currently drinking from. He set it down after taking a long sip, releasing a sigh of contentment after he was done.
"So, what did you want to ask me?" Severus asked his student with a raised brow.
"Ah, yes. I couldn't ask you before since it seemed to slip my mind in our past meetings. That and I haven't had a moment alone with you like this since the second week of November. Regardless, I wanted to ask if you'd like to come over for the holidays, you could come as soon as you get the chance" Damian asked who he saw as his honorary uncle.
Severus was slightly taken aback and took a moment to collect himself. After he did so he responded.
"And… Remus would be there?" he asked Damian, a slight tinge of hope in his voice.
"Yes, he'll be there since he lives at the estate. On the 21st I'm expecting Daphne and Hermione to come over until the 24th with their families as well" he told the older Slytherin.
Severus calmed himself and answered.
"I'd be delighted to come." He said with a small smile.
The two drank their tea in silence for a while before the professor spoke up again.
"I take it your planning to reveal somethings to the two and their families?" he asked in a way that felt more like a statement.
"Yes, though with some magical oaths for the more sensitive stuff. Like my old name" Damian replied.
Severus nodded in a way that made it seem that he was far older then he was.
"Good on planning on asking for the oaths, means you're not too trusting" the older man said, showing his experiences in that statement.
Damian chuckled in response.
"I'm definitely not in a position where I can give my trust to easily. But those two, it's impossible for me not to. You know why" he said to Snape in a blasé tone of voice.
The man just nodded and they enjoyed their tea for the rest of their time together, interspersed with light conversation. It was a nice time that they both look on fondly, the fireplace in the office not the only thing adding warmth to the chilly night.
December 18th 1993, Hogsmeade Station
Damian entered his compartment with his three friends. They all sat down and got their luggage in order. Soon the train took off and they began their journey to London. The four talked the whole ride, playing card games and discussing inane things. The journey seemed so short to Damian while spending time with his companions.
However, all to soon in his mind, the train arrived at the station in London. They all got off the train and Damian saw as Daphne and Tracy meet up with their families. He gave a polite nod when he saw the two's families looking his and Hermione's way before heading for the exit to mundane London. Damian had asked to escort Hermione to make sure she found her parents easily.
The two of them made it safely and unbothered to the mundane side of Kings Cross. They quickly found Hermione's parents waiting for her. They walked over and after some quick polite introductions Damian handed Hermione a spare tie of his.
"This portkey will take you right to the property line once you say the keyword I told you. Make sure you and your parents hold on tight, the first time can be a little disorientating" he told her before excusing himself and telling the family he looked forward to sharing the holidays with them.
Damian made his way out of the station, and found an alleyway soon after that he made sure was out of view and didn't have any cameras. He took a deep breath and then the world spun. After a second Damian's surroundings changed. Now he was in the forest he knew so well with the large manse in front of him.
"Home, sweet home" he said with a smile and proceeded to walk in.
December 18th 1993, Dumbledore's Office
The headmaster sat in his office, frustrated and smug. He was frustrated because Tom had left early, which wasn't part of his plans. He'd gone down to the chamber with the mirror immediately after he'd heard of Quarrels disappearance. Their he found the man's body in front of the mirror, dead as a door knob.
After running some tests he found that the body had damage that lined up with a forceful, and sudden exit of a possessing spirit. After looking into the readings more, and using what he knew of Tom it was easy to find out what happened. Tom had tried to get the stone while Dumbledore had been away and when he couldn't get it out of the mirror he grew enraged. He must have grown so frustrated that he forcefully abandoned the old Muggle Studies teacher, the damage left on the body lines up with that happening.
This lead to why he was so smug, in part at least. This meant that Tom was growing more irrational and easily angered, he was losing his edge. That made it all the easier for the headmaster to predict and control the situation with his old student. That helped ease the sting of his plans being upended for this year even more. As well as making it more bearable to deal with the ministry for replacement teachers, since no one wanted or was able to take the position full time.
Regardless that wasn't the only reason for Albus's smugness. He'd finally started to come up with a plan on how to get the Greymore brat as his new piece. He saw how close the boy had gotten to the three girls, his only friends from what his and his professors have observed. That was good news for Albus, it meant there was a weak point to exploit.
However it was too soon, he'll wait till at least next year to act. That way the boy becomes more attached to them and Albus could plan a threat to use. Once something happens to one or more of those girls, then the Greymore will be despite. He'll be vulnerable to the headmaster's manipulations, the 'wisdom' he'll offer. That will be Albus's way to get started on growing loyalty in the boy.
Now, all there was to do was wait and plan. Now that's something he is quite experienced in.
"This is truly a merry Christmas indeed" Dumbledore said aloud while looking out his window at the snow falling, a smile on his age weathered face.
