Chapter 206: How is Quirrell Still Alive?
Chapter 206: How is Quirrell Still Alive?
"You figured out who Nicolas Flamel is just from the short conversation we had with Hagrid?"
In the Gryffindor common room, Ron was astonished. He and Harry had just returned, and Hermione had already given them such a big surprise.
"But how did you figure it out?" Harry asked.
"From Dumbledore's chocolate frog card!" Hermione said in an annoyed tone. "You two keep talking about your card collection, and yet neither of you knew about him!"
Hearing Hermione's words, Harry paused, suddenly realizing why the name had seemed so familiar. That's right; he had seen it on the train—Dumbledore was the first card he had collected.
"Also, I found this."
Hermione pulled out a thick, old book and began flipping through the pages rapidly in front of them.
"Nicolas Flamel, the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"
"What stone?" Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.
"Oh, come on, don't you two ever read books...?" Hermione huffed, pushing the book toward them. "See for yourselves."
Harry and Ron felt like novice gamers who had just been carried through a dungeon by a high-level player, only to find that the boss had already been defeated by the time they caught up.
Not only had Hermione discovered Nicolas Flamel, but she had also guessed what was hidden beneath the trapdoor.
The Philosopher's Stone... no wonder Snape was after it.
A stone that could produce gold and grant eternal life would tempt anyone.
"So, what about you two..." Hermione closed the book, "Did Hagrid say anything about what happened yesterday?"
"No," Ron shook his head dejectedly. "Hagrid wouldn't tell us anything, and no matter how much we asked, he didn't give away any information."
"But we noticed that Hagrid seemed to be injured," Harry added thoughtfully. "There was a bottle of Essence of Dittany in his hut. I remember learning about it in Herbology class; it's a specific remedy for healing wounds."
"Essence of Dittany?" Hermione frowned. So, Hagrid's visit to the hospital wing wasn't to help Madam Pomfrey but because he was injured.
Her initial suspicion had been correct; Hagrid was definitely involved in yesterday's incident.
"Maybe we can ask Kyle again," Ron suggested.
"That won't work," Hermione shook her head. "If he wanted to tell us, he would have done so already. Besides, do you really think he's as likely to let something slip as Hagrid?"
"She's right," Harry nodded in agreement. He wasn't very keen on approaching Kyle either.
The main reason was Quidditch.
Ever since Slytherin's unexpected loss to Ravenclaw, they had lost their chance at contending for the championship.
And although Ravenclaw had won their match, being shut out in the first game meant their score wasn't particularly high.
So, the upcoming match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor became crucial; whoever won would secure the upper hand in the race for the House Cup.
As a result, within just one afternoon, the relationship between the two houses had rapidly deteriorated, with Harris and Wood nearly coming to blows in the corridor.
Under these circumstances, even if they went to look for Kyle, he might not pay them any mind.
Harry didn't want to risk being rebuffed.
Seeing that they both disagreed, Ron could only drop the idea.
This left many feeling disappointed. Some had even entertained the idea that the absence of a professor might mean the cancellation of their upcoming end-of-term exams.
However, it was noticeable that Professor Quirrell had injured his arm again, with thick bandages wrapped around his wrist, and his complexion seemed even paler than before.
He explained that he had been in a hurry a couple of days ago and accidentally fallen down the stairs, resulting in his injury.
Many students couldn't help but express their sympathy...
Kyle clearly heard someone from Slytherin mutter, "With an atmosphere like this, how is it just a broken arm?..."
Perhaps due to his injury, Professor Quirrell didn't even bring his 'assistant' this time. He delivered a standard reading lesson, causing some to mistake it for a History of Magic class.
No, that's not right either... Professor Binns would at least read out the lengthy content himself, but Professor Quirrell had the students read it aloud while he sat at the teacher's desk and even seemed to doze off before the bell rang.
The young witches and wizards in the class wore unhappy expressions.
Anyone could read out loud... It seemed too easy a job, and if Hogwarts had a competition for slacking off, Professor Quirrell would undoubtedly be the champion.
Even replacing him with a Corgi would not make the class worse; it was a wonder why Dumbledore hadn't fired him yet.
If the Defense Against the Dark Arts class had simply become more and more boring, then Potions class was a form of torture for Kyle.
Perhaps to vent his frustration over losing the match, or maybe to shift his displeasure onto Kyle, Snape's attitude towards him had worsened.
Each deduction now started at five points with no upper limit.
Although these points would eventually be returned to Kyle for various reasons, thanks to Connor, he still couldn't help but feel angry enough to want to slam Michael's crucible over Snape's head more than once.
As for why he didn't do it to his own head... That was because he brewed standard potions, and even if he poured them over Snape's head, it wouldn't cause much harm, and Snape could easily remedy it.
But Michael's potions were different; they were akin to Schrodinger's cat in a crucible. No one knew what effect they would have until they left the pot, and it was challenging to find a corresponding solution.
Harry also shared a similar experience, as Snape targeted him as well, although he didn't lose quite as many points.
Moreover, after hearing about Kyle's situation from others, Harry's initially foul mood improved significantly, and he felt more composed even when encountering Snape outside of Potions class.
"Fred and George were right," Harry said casually during a game of Wizard's Chess. "Looks like Snape really does hate Kyle more."
"Does that mean we have a good chance of winning the match?" Ron asked excitedly.
If Snape kept causing trouble for Hufflepuff during the match, it would be fantastic for Gryffindor.
"Don't say that, Ron," Harry instructed as he directed his knight to take another pawn. "Even without Snape as the referee, we'll definitely win!"
(End of Chapter)
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