Dumbledore's Grand Expedition (Not)

Roger Virgil was someone Dumbledore had saved from the Wizengamot, the highest court.

To many members of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore's silence at the time had been a statement in itself.

Strictly speaking, his actions had carried a certain amount of risk.

After all, the matters hanging over Roger's head had been no small thing. Beyond the charges themselves, there had even been diplomatic risks involved to some extent.

Yet Dumbledore had still chosen to help him.

However, Dumbledore was not the sort of despicable person who acted recklessly just because he pitied someone, then made innocent people pay for the consequences.

After Roger had been declared innocent, Dumbledore had kept watch over all of Roger's actions, lest he had accidentally unleashed a menace.

The events in the Middle East showed that Roger Virgil was someone who truly dared to think and act. If a person like that turned evil, the disaster they could cause would be immense! Fortunately, Roger had not betrayed Dumbledore's trust.

Professor McGonagall's feedback had been that this child would surely become a pillar of society in the future.

And after his enrollment, Roger's various actions had put most of Dumbledore's worries to rest.

...Though seeing him use Iron Fist Suppression on his fellow students to settle a dispute after some Slytherin and Gryffindor students got into a group brawl had been a little absurd.

But whenever someone came to him for help, or whenever he witnessed injustice happening before his eyes, he truly stepped forward.

The matter with Hermione and Ron had not been the first time Roger had helped a fellow student, nor would it be the last. Having gained even more of Dumbledore's trust, he decided to place a little more burden on this Little Seer.

Of course, that was only if Roger was willing to accept it. If he was unwilling, Dumbledore would not force him.

After all, Roger Virgil's circumstances were different from Harry Potter's. Harry bore the prophecy Voldemort had chosen, and his future was destined to be anything but peaceful. Training him was necessary if that child was to survive.

Roger had no fated enemy, so if he did not wish to do it, Dumbledore would make other arrangements for the Philosopher's Stone.

Roger was a blunt and straightforward person. Other than the true details of his prophetic ability, which concerned his own life, he had always spoken his mind on most matters.

He did not beat around the bush with Dumbledore, asking directly why he had thought of entrusting the Philosopher's Stone to him.

"Because I need to travel far away soon to take care of something. What I'm dealing with is a little troublesome, and it wouldn't be suitable to carry the Philosopher's Stone with me, so I thought of you," Dumbledore said with a kindly smile.

Dumbledore did not find it strange in the slightest that Roger had not asked what the Philosopher's Stone was, or why it was in his possession.

Roger was a seer. It was perfectly normal for a seer to know information that others did not.

Having once been close friends with Grindelwald, he understood all too well the inexplicable intelligence-gathering abilities of powerful seers.

"Travel far away? Where to?" Roger frowned slightly.

In the original fate, Dumbledore had also "left the school" for a period of time, but Professor Quirrell—after being possessed by Voldemort—had been the one to trick him out with a letter supposedly from the Ministry of Magic. That had happened near the end of the school year, so it was still far too early.

Strange...

But Roger's confusion was quickly answered.

"To the Middle East." Dumbledore remembered that Roger was a child who disliked lies.

Besides, playing riddles in front of a seer was rather like showing off before an expert, so he simply told the truth.

"Is it what I think it is?" Roger narrowed his eyes.

"Yes." Dumbledore understood Roger's look and nodded in confirmation.

Dumbledore had never been someone who liked leaving a mess for others to clean up. He always planned everything out, arranging things in the best possible way.

Not everyone liked his methods, but all his actions truly stemmed from a desire to make everyone better.

This trip to the Middle East was the same. Saving Roger had provoked some reaction over there. Dumbledore had no intention of letting the British wizarding world serve as a shield, so he intended to personally head to the Middle East and "reason with them."

"I need to watch out for Quirrell?"

"Yes." Dumbledore knew that his choice could not possibly be wrong.

Without needing any explanation from him, the Little Seer already knew everything.

No matter whom he entrusted the Philosopher's Stone to, unforeseen circumstances could arise. But not with a seer. A seer could foresee the future; everything was under his watch!

"If you encounter any problems, you can seek help from a trustworthy professor. I'll give you a letter in my own hand as proof." Knowing that the Little Seer had not yet fully matured, Dumbledore had also arranged support for him.

As he spoke, Dumbledore took out a red crystal and a letter.

"...Did you know that Quirrell has a fragment of Voldemort's soul inside him?" Roger looked at the Philosopher's Stone before him, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"Huh?" Dumbledore froze for a moment.

Seeing Dumbledore's expression—somewhat shocked, but not surprised—Roger resolved another question in that instant.

It seemed Dumbledore had not known from the beginning that the person in question was Voldemort.

...With Quirrell alone, a useless professor who had still been teaching Muggle Studies last year, there was no way he could have broken into Gringotts' vaults. Dumbledore had probably started harboring suspicions from then on.

Judging from the original path of fate, Dumbledore had likely only confirmed that the person behind Quirrell was Voldemort after Voldemort sustained his life by drinking unicorn blood.

There were not many wizards powerful enough to do that, whose lives were in danger, and who could not seek Dumbledore's help through legitimate means.

Then he thought of Dumbledore telling Harry in the hospital wing at the end of the school year that "everything was part of my plan," as well as all the events from the original fate...

So your every move usually serves multiple purposes, and you always have more than one plan ready, adjusting them at any time according to changes? Seeing Dumbledore freeze after hearing his words, then reveal a hesitant expression and slowly draw back the hand holding the Philosopher's Stone and letter, Roger guessed what he was likely worried about based on his understanding of Dumbledore.

"All right, give it to me. I'm just telling you so you won't make a wrong judgment due to missing information." As he spoke, Roger reached out and took the Philosopher's Stone and letter from Dumbledore's hand.

"You..." Dumbledore was clearly still hesitating.

After all, that was Voldemort!

"It'll be fine." Roger tapped lightly beneath his eye, the meaning obvious.

A seer's prophecy—solid!

Roger's precognition might not have been like Grindelwald's, but he could sense any danger connected to himself. If someone capable of harming him was plotting against him, Roger would feel it.

Though the feeling was not especially clear, merely a vague premonition.

But at Hogwarts, there was only one powerful person who might try to make a move against him. There was no fog of war on his side, and he could even use Dumbledore's letter to call for help. How could he possibly lose?

"But—"

Roger cut him off. "You can't always be the one helping me. I should help you too, shouldn't I?"

The matter in the Middle East had never truly ended. Religious prophets were by no means a minor issue there. During the peaceful days Roger had enjoyed, Dumbledore had been the one standing in front of him, sheltering him from the wind and rain.

He had kept every trace of malice from reaching Roger.

Roger had never been in the habit of letting others give endlessly for his sake. If there was something he could help with, then of course he would do so without hesitation!

"All right, then. Let's talk about the other matters concerning the Philosopher's Stone." Seeing Roger's insistence, Dumbledore said no more and instead began discussing the second reason he had come to see him.