Chapter 395: The Story of Quirinus Quirrell (Part III)
Chapter 395: The Story of Quirinus Quirrell (Part III)
In the morning, Quirrell was awakened by the sound of rain pattering against the window. He shot up in bed, his body racked with a searing pain that caused him to grit his teeth.
The previous night, his master—the infamous Dark Lord—had punished him with Dark Magic, dissatisfied with his progress.
Lord Voldemort was not a merciful master, and the Cruciatus Curse's after-effects left Quirrell in agony.
He reached up to cover his face, concealing the pained expression that threatened to betray him. It wasn't that he was inefficient, but that this task was inherently difficult to expedite.
The professors invited by Dumbledore to set up challenges for the Sorcerer's Stone were all highly capable. Even if he could overpower one or two and force them to reveal the protective mechanisms, he would undoubtedly expose himself. At that point, stealing the stone would be the least of his concerns; escaping the school alive would be a challenge.
Moreover, Dumbledore had expressly instructed the professors not to divulge the protections to anyone. Each professor only knew about their own challenge and was unaware of the others.
Quirrell was no exception, and he dared not boldly inquire with the other professors. He could only attempt to steer conversations casually during their daily interactions, hoping to glean some information. For instance, he might mention that he spotted someone sneaking into the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor and almost getting bitten by the three-headed dog.
However, more than a month had passed, and Quirrell had learned nothing. His master's patience was wearing thin. The punishment from the previous night had been a warning. If Quirrell failed to complete his task, Voldemort would take matters into his own hands once he had regained sufficient strength. Quirrell's life would then swiftly burn out like a dazzling firework.
Quirrell struggled out of bed and poured himself a potion to suppress the pain. He stood before the mirror, gazing at the pale young man reflected there.
Quirrell turned his head slightly, and in the mirror, he saw the terrifying face growing from the back of his own skull—the face of Voldemort. The Dark Lord's eyes were tightly shut, and below them were two slender nostrils. At a glance, one might think this face lacked a nose altogether.
This was the horrific punishment Voldemort had inflicted on Quirrell after his previous failure. He had attached himself to Quirrell, using his life force as nourishment to slowly regain his strength.
However, considering the difficulty of Quirrell's task, Voldemort had remained in a semi-dormant state, gradually accumulating energy while avoiding excessive consumption of Quirrell's life force.
Yet, from the moment Voldemort had attached himself to Quirrell, the countdown on Quirrell's life had begun. If he failed to obtain the Sorcerer's Stone, his demise would come swiftly. Thus, Voldemort had no concerns about Quirrell's dedication to the task. Nonetheless, the slow progress irritated the Dark Lord.
"I will succeed," Quirrell muttered to himself as he stared into the mirror. He retrieved a large scarf from the nearby shelf and wrapped it around his head, concealing the face growing from the back of his skull. He didn't forget to enchant the scarf to prevent anyone from pulling it off when he wasn't looking.
Quirrell was cautious, remembering a recent incident with a mischievous poltergeist named Peeves. The spirit had taken an interest in the scarf atop Quirrell's head and even tried to pull it off, suspecting garlic was hidden underneath. Quirrell had been lucky to react in time; who knew what might have happened otherwise?
Ever since that incident, Quirrell had been extra vigilant, regularly enchanting his scarf to prevent Peeves or any other students from forcibly removing it.
After pulling himself together, Quirrell made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast as usual. As he passed the fourth floor, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure approaching and quickened his pace, turning down several corridors to shake off the other.
Albert Anderson.
The brilliant young wizard of Hogwarts.
However, this student, beloved by most professors, was one of the last people Quirrell wanted to encounter at Hogwarts.
He couldn't comprehend why this person had so many probing questions. The entire student body of Hogwarts combined might not match the number of questions Albert had asked.
During every Gryffindor third-year class, this Hogwarts prodigy would invariably question him. It wasn't enough that he had to deal with these inquiries during class; Albert would also accost him after hours, demanding answers to intricate questions. Quirrell felt like he was constantly on the verge of being driven mad by this relentless inquisitor.
As a result, Quirrell now went out of his way to avoid Albert. Yet, despite his efforts, he still found himself running into the young wizard frequently, as if Albert knew his exact whereabouts.
Quirinus had once consulted the other Hogwarts professors about this, and they all said that Albert had a good relationship with the previous two Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.
It was quite normal for students to frequently seek guidance from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
However, when Quirinus learned that his predecessor and the professor before that often invited Albert for afternoon tea, his expression froze, and he had to forcibly restrain himself from cursing out loud.
Damn genius, damn Albert! Inviting him for tea?
Hmph! If he could, he wouldn't mind inviting that person to taste the Cruciatus Curse as well.
Quirinus thought viciously.
As he dined in the Great Hall and casually chatted with Professor Flitwick, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the Gryffindor table where Harry Potter was eating.
The famous Harry Potter.
Perhaps, if he could find an opportunity, killing him would surely earn him a reward from the Dark Lord?
Quirinus knew that Harry Potter was interested in the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor, and he thought about letting that three-headed dog bite him to death. Yes, that seemed like a good idea.
Or, he could make him fall to his death during a Quidditch match.
As Quirinus contemplated ways to get rid of Potter, a large number of owls carrying letters and packages flew into the Great Hall. Among them, a white owl flew towards the staff table and dropped a small package in front of Quirinus.
Quirinus had not expected to receive any owl post.
After all, he hadn't ordered anything recently.
Who could it be from? Quirinus' gaze fell on the sender's name: Harry Potter?
At that moment, his mind was filled with confusion, and he instinctively looked towards Harry Potter's location.
Quirinus couldn't understand why the famous savior would send him a package.
However, Quirinus didn't immediately open the package. Instead, he kept it with him and only opened it after returning to his office following the morning classes.
Inside the package was a letter and a strange bottle.
Quirinus first read the letter, which explained what was inside the bottle.
But he couldn't fathom how this had anything to do with the treasure indicated on the map? And what was this 'Vampire Repelling Amulet'?
The moment Quirinus opened the bottle, he regretted it as the terrible smell filled the room, making him nauseous.
Instinctively, he resealed the bottle.
At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Quirinus' mind. Had he been played by the savior, Harry Potter?
No, it probably wasn't the case.
Could it be that the sender wasn't Harry Potter at all, and someone had sent it in his name?
Quirinus suddenly remembered something.
Not long ago, a pair of red-haired twins had tried to sell him a vampire amulet that emitted a strong garlic scent.
Could it be... them?
Had they sent this to him in Harry Potter's name just to make a fool of him?
As this thought crossed his mind, Quirinus' cheeks contorted with anger.
However, he soon calmed down as he realized that this possibility was not high.
Unless the Weasley twins wanted to frame Harry Potter?
But why would they do that? No, it didn't make sense.
After all, one of the Weasley boys was friends with Harry Potter, so they wouldn't likely try to frame him.
Now, there was only one possibility left.
This must be a gift from Harry Potter himself.
But why would Harry Potter do such a thing?
Quirinus carefully considered Harry Potter's motive and re-read the note, suddenly realizing something.
So, the amulet was meant to protect him from vampires.
Previously, during class, Quirinus had mentioned his fear of being targeted by vampires.
Even though he now understood the reason behind the gift, Quirinus couldn't bring himself to feel grateful to the savior who had sent it. Instead, he found himself wanting to get rid of Harry Potter even more.
(End of Chapter)
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