Chapter 222: Quirinus' Strange Adventure
Chapter 222: Quirinus' Strange Adventure
Late at night, in the silent corridors, a figure clad in black robes avoided the patrolling Filch and stealthily made his way to the fourth floor.
Ever since his encounter with the Dark Lord in Albania, Quirinus Quirrell's once mundane life had taken a dramatic turn.
He now had a new life goal: to aid the Dark Lord in his rise back to power.
Should he succeed, he would attain a position he had never dared to dream of.
Perhaps he could even replace Bartemius Crouch, becoming the new Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, or dare he think... the Minister of Magic himself!
It wasn't an impossible dream.
Although he wasn't one of the earliest Death Eaters, if he could successfully steal the Philosopher's Stone and help the Dark Lord regain his body, he would surpass all others and become the greatest contributor to his cause.
What of Bellatrix and Sirius Black? They were certainly famous, but to what end?
Where were they when the Dark Lord needed help the most... locked away in Azkaban.
Now, the only one who could aid the Dark Lord's resurgence was him, Quirinus Quirrell!
What right did those others have to compete with him? Did they think their time as a Dementor's delicacy gave them an advantage?
Moreover, the Dark Lord had promised that whoever helped him regain his body would be rewarded with unparalleled power and untold riches.
And most importantly... immortality!
As he stood before the old wooden door, Quirinus' face suddenly flushed with an unnatural crimson hue.
Beyond that door lay challenges set by the professors, but beyond them lay power, wealth, and status, all within his grasp!
Throughout the school year, he had secretly and subtly gathered information, and he now had a good understanding of all the obstacles except for Snape's.
Even the troublesome three-headed dog had been dealt with, thanks to a dragon egg.
To be honest, it hadn't been easy. Ever since last year's incident with Ron, the Ministry of Magic had been rigorously inspecting magical creatures.
He had nearly emptied his entire fortune, paying a European wizard ten times the market price for the dragon egg.
Although he felt like a fool for spending so much, it would all be worth it once he obtained the Philosopher's Stone.
Now, Dumbledore had been tricked into going to London with a letter, and Snape was in the Forbidden Forest searching for a non-existent Death Eater.
Everything was progressing according to his plan, and nothing could stop him now!
Quirinus took out a large harp and cast a spell to make it play soothing music. Then, with a trembling hand, he pushed open the door.
"Sleep, my friends, sleep well..."
However, as he stepped through the doorway, Quirinus froze in confusion.
The room was empty; there wasn't a trace of the three-headed dog, not even a stray hair.
"Have I come to the wrong room?"
Quirinus backed out, his confusion evident as he looked around.
No, this was definitely the right place... he recognized the axe-wielding statue across from him; he couldn't be mistaken.
"You fool, don't waste time here!"
Suddenly, a voice that wasn't his own echoed inside Quirinus' mind.
"Forgive me, Master," Quirinus whispered, his pace quickening as he stepped into the room.
But as he laid eyes on the trapdoor, unprotected by any enchantments, he felt a pang of regret.
All those years of saving galleons, gone... If only he had known, he wouldn't have wasted it on that dragon egg.
"Hurry up!" Voldemort urged again. "What are you waiting for? Dumbledore could return at any moment!"
At the mention of Dumbledore's name, Quirinus shuddered and quickly opened the trapdoor, descending into the darkness.
"Thud!"
With a dull impact, Quirinus found himself flat on his back, having tripped and fallen onto the hard floor.
"Ouch... my legs... my arms... my back..."
Quirinus curled up on the floor, moaning in pain. The fall had been hard, and he felt like every part of his body was tearing with pain.
"Damn Sprout, how dare he trick me!" Quirinus raged inwardly.
Just as he was about to explain himself, he suddenly heard Voldemort's angry roar!
"You fool, get up now! Do you want to die here?!"
Quirinus lifted his head and saw a pile of round, green objects in front of him... they looked like cabbages? But who would grow cabbages here? It made no sense.
As he stared, one of the "cabbages" rolled forward slightly, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth!
Then another... and another...
Quirinus' face turned deathly pale.
He remembered—these were the Muggle-eating plants, just as dangerous as the Venomous Tentacula. In close proximity, just two of these plants could kill a fully grown wizard.
And here, there were dozens of them...
In that moment, Quirinus felt like he was facing the greatest malice in the world.
"Sprout... you'll pay for this!"
"Ahhhhhh!"
The next second, the room echoed with Quirinus' bloodcurdling scream.
The scream carried anger, resentment, and terror... it was piercingly loud.
...
"Hmm?"
In the room at the end of the corridor, Kyle, who was studying the Mirror of Erised, suddenly looked up and asked curiously, "Did you guys hear that?"
There was no response.
But that was normal, as besides him, the only other occupant in the room was Sniffles, who was looking into the mirror.
"What did you see?" Kyle asked as he walked over.
Sniffles jumped in surprise, turning his head to look at Kyle with a frightened expression, and then took a few steps back. His small hands instinctively covered the pockets of his robe.
"That's a bit much..." Kyle pouted, "As if I always take your things."
Sniffles huffed indignantly.
"Fine, fine, just that once. But you still remember it, and what you had then wasn't even yours. I was just returning it to its rightful owner."
Sniffles turned away, refusing to acknowledge Kyle.
It had found it, so it was rightfully his...
Seeing its reaction, Kyle shook his head with a smile, "Don't worry, I won't take your things. Besides, a bad man who loves eating Sniffles sandwiches is on his way here, and his favorite kind is a young Sniffles like you, under a year old..."
Sniffles' eyes widened, and he quickly scurried over to Kyle, jumping into his arms and voluntarily climbing back into the box.
(End of Chapter)
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