Chapter 451: The Story of Quirinus Quirrell (Part 5)
Chapter 451: The Story of Quirinus Quirrell (Part 5)
In the morning, as the sun rose over the horizon, the sky began to lighten, heralding the start of a new day. The ancient castle atop the hill bustled with renewed vigor. Near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid stepped out of his cabin, ready to tackle the day's tasks.
Filch, the caretaker, had already inspected the bathrooms in the boys' and girls' dormitories and was now preparing to unlock the oak front doors of the castle.
At that moment, the sun cast a golden glow on the west side of the castle, illuminating the wooden desk beside the bed in one of the rooms. The owner of the room, Quirinus Quirrell, stood before a mirror, his face ashen. His lips twitched slightly as he felt his life slipping away.
Lord Voldemort had once told Quirinus that if he grew too weak, he would have to venture into the Forbidden Forest and hunt a unicorn, as their fresh blood could prolong his life and restore the Dark Lord's strength.
Quirinus was aware that unicorn blood could sustain him, but unicorns were herd creatures with strong magic, making them difficult opponents. He wasn't sure if he could successfully hunt one in his current state.
Even if he managed to hunt a unicorn, using its blood to extend his life would come at a terrible cost.
Using fresh unicorn blood meant succumbing to the unicorn's curse, resulting in a half-life existence.
In the history of magic, very few wizards had resorted to such measures, and the limited records provided little useful information to Quirinus.
He wasn't exactly sure what a cursed, half-dead existence entailed, but he knew it must be dreadful, and he didn't want to end up in such a state.
Otherwise, once Lord Voldemort left his body, Quirinus' life would still be cursed by the unicorn, and that situation would undoubtedly be horrible.
However, the worst-case scenario wasn't just that. Given the current situation, Quirinus himself might not even make it that far. Lord Voldemort had warned him more than once that he must obtain the Sorcerer's Stone as soon as possible, yet Quirinus hadn't even figured out how to deal with Hagrid's blasted pet dog.
At times, Quirinus was tempted to use magic to kill the three-headed dog directly, but he always restrained himself. He had to be cautious; the plan to steal the Sorcerer's Stone could not fail, and he must not attract Dumbledore's attention. There would be only one chance.
It was a matter of life and death, and Quirinus would not tolerate failure, nor could he afford it.
As for Severus Snape, who had already grown suspicious of him, Quirinus couldn't be sure if he would go to Dumbledore. But Lord Voldemort had told him that Snape had once been a Death Eater, one of his loyal servants. Would Dumbledore trust such a person? Although Voldemort assured him that Snape was his man and that he need not worry about him snitching, Quirinus still had his doubts.
Quirinus had also considered asking Snape for help in stealing the Sorcerer's Stone, but that suggestion was rejected by the Dark Lord, who didn't want anyone else to know of his condition.
After all, the fewer people who knew, the more secretive and safe he would be.
Quirinus trusted Lord Voldemort's words, but he still felt that the Dark Lord didn't fully trust his former servant, especially now that he was in such a weakened state. Perhaps he didn't want others to know the truth! Even Lord Voldemort knew fear.
Quirinus found this intriguing; perhaps the Dark Lord worried that, upon seeing his pathetic state, Snape would turn around and betray him.
After all, Snape had protected the savior, Harry Potter, when Quirinus had tried to kill him. Snape's allegiance was now difficult to determine, and he might very well reveal Lord Voldemort's condition to Dumbledore.
After all, he was a Slytherin, and it was only natural for a wizard from that house to use any means necessary to achieve his goals.
Of course, Quirinus didn't want anyone else to diminish his standing in Lord Voldemort's eyes. He was gambling, and if he won, he would gain everything, but if he lost, he would be left with nothing. Quirinus didn't believe he would lose.
Although Snape was suspicious of him, his presence still provided Quirinus with some benefits.
There was no helping it; Snape was simply unlikeable, always flying around like a giant bat and acting like a stereotypical villain.
With Snape attracting everyone's attention, who would suspect the pitiful, stuttering Professor Quirrell?
"Pull yourself together," Quirinus muttered to himself as he wrapped his freshly laundered turban around his head and patted his cheeks. "You must get your hands on the Sorcerer's Stone as soon as possible."
Recently, Quirinus had avoided lingering in the corridor outside the fourth-floor restricted area. He had noticed that Harry Potter seemed to be taking an interest in the Sorcerer's Stone, and he didn't consider it a good sign. The savior was far too meddlesome.
On Halloween night, Potter seemed to have spotted him checking on the Sorcerer's Stone's trap, and Snape had also rushed to the fourth-floor restricted area. Quirinus couldn't be sure who Potter had seen or who he suspected.
Moreover, whenever Potter encountered him, he would give Quirinus a strange smile. What could that possibly mean?
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Quirinus made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Finally, the morning owl brought him some good news: his request for a dragon egg had been fulfilled.
The smuggler had managed to obtain the egg, and they needed to arrange a meeting place to finalize the transaction.
Excellent! Now he could deal with that pesky three-headed dog.
As Quirinus rose to write a reply to the smuggler, he suddenly felt a strange discomfort in his stomach. The excitement he had felt a moment ago vanished, and his face contorted. Oh no...
Quirinus immediately recalled the incident from a few days ago where several Slytherin students had suffered from stomachaches due to Peeves tampering with their food and adding a small amount of Blasting Powder.
Could it be that even the professors weren't spared...? Quirinus feared that he, too, had fallen victim to Peeves' prank.
Clutching his stomach, he rushed to the boys' bathroom nearest the Great Hall, attracting curious glances from the other professors.
A short while later, Quirinus emerged from the bathroom stall, his face even paler than before. He dragged his weak body to the infirmary on the second floor to seek Madam Pomfrey's help.
Quirinus only asked Madam Pomfrey for a small cup of anti-diarrhea potion; he dared not let her examine him, as he didn't know what she might discover.
In the infirmary, Quirinus spotted two unfortunate souls—Slytherins Flint and Montague—who had been bedridden for two days due to severe diarrhea and were just starting to recover.
(End of Chapter)
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