"The earliest snot curse was... very complex, a compound curse that could cause severe diarrhea, persistent high fever, and skin ulceration..."
Quirrell's stutter was so bad that within three minutes, the students, who had finally managed to stay alert, couldn't hold on any longer and started nodding off.
Vizette's earnestness touched Quirrell, prompting him to open up and offer an in-depth interpretation of the Snot Curse, almost as if he were sharing all his knowledge.
Only Vizette listened with great interest, filling a whole page with notes.
The bell rang, and Quirrell approached Vizette, his expression anxious and his voice hoarse, asking, "Wh...how are you? Can you...understand me?"
"Excellent!" Vizette smiled with satisfaction. "This is the first time I've encountered composite magic. Do all the magic I've encountered before have similar characteristics?"
Quirrell laughed happily, "A wonderful association… No wonder Professor Flitwick and the others always praise you."
"Want to learn more about this kind of magic? Come to my office at noon, and I'll recommend some books!"
Vizette nodded and replied, "Of course, no problem. Then I apologize for disturbing your lunch break."
"No...it's nothing!" Quirrell waved his hand, his smile even wider than before. "It's rare to meet such a good...eager student."
He walked heavily back to his office, his back against the door, his eyes filled with pain.
"I have to do this…it's my master's order…" he said hysterically, "but he's just a studious Ravenclaw, just like I used to be…I'm sorry…"
"Hiss!" Quirrell gasped, instinctively clutching his head. The pain made it hard for him to breathe; it was Voldemort's signal to him.
He walked to the middle of the office and took off the purple headscarf in front of the mirror.
The mirror reflected the back of his head, where a terrifying face was located.
Its face resembled a snake's, with only two slits where a nose should be, and its sinister eyes gleamed with an eerie red light.
Voldemort, who was originally attached to the snake, had transferred to Quirrell, forming an irresistible subordinate relationship.
Voldemort spoke in a chilling, serpentine voice, "Quirinus... I hope you've brought me good news this time!"
"Master…" Quirrell trembled slightly, his tone extremely respectful, "I have already invited one of the two boys you asked me to keep an eye on."
"Harry Potter?" Voldemort's eyes gleamed red, then dimmed again. "No! That boy is no good… You invited Vizette Lovegood?"
"That's right! I explained the Snot Spell today and successfully caught his attention," Quirrell said quickly. "I invited him over at noon and recommended some books to him."
"Just like you, a Ravenclaw, the allure of knowledge is deadly to you!" Voldemort chuckled sinisterly.
"Very good! Quirinus, you've done a great job! After all this time, you've finally accomplished something real for me!"
"Hurry up and find out how to get into that room on the fourth floor. Once it's done, I'll give you everything you want!"
"Thank you! My master!" Quirrell closed his eyes, his cheeks twitching slightly. "What should I do next?"
"What was the content of your lesson today? Why did it capture his attention?"
"The Snot Curse, I recounted the history of this magic. Vizette felt that since this magic was a curse, it shouldn't be so simple."
"His intuition is sharp!" Voldemort sneered. "Those fools used such a silly and common name as the Snot Curse to cover up the true name of this curse in order to deceive others."
"The Curse of Sickness! Master, you just told me about this spell yesterday." Quirrell asked, puzzled. "But I don't understand, what do you intend to do with Vizette? It's not just about Harry Potter…"
"Quirinus, do not presume to know my intentions!" Voldemort shouted.
Quirrell suddenly felt like his head was going to explode, and he could barely maintain his balance. He broke out in a cold sweat and knelt down on the ground.
"Master... I know I was wrong!" he pleaded hastily. "Master... what should we do?"
"Release everything, Quirinus..." Voldemort's voice was seductive, "I will impart to you the secrets of the Curse of Sickness, and you will then teach this magic to him!"
Quirrell didn't have time to reply. He tried to shake his head, but his consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred. He could only nod with difficulty.
He dragged his heavy body and struggled to walk towards the chair not far away.
A flood of knowledge suddenly overwhelmed him, but the excruciating pain in his head caused him to lose consciousness instantly, collapsing into a coma in his chair...
"The soul's resistance to me is weaker now," Voldemort chuckled sinisterly. "Putting aside his incompetence, he's certainly a competent servant!"
He focused his gaze on the mirror. "The Obscurial... Finding an Obscurial these days is no easy task."
"I hope Quirrell can hold out a little longer so I can properly explore the potential of this Obscurial and make him a suitable vessel!"
...
Around noon, Vizette knocked on the office door.
"Please come in!"
This office, located on the third floor of the castle, has good natural lighting, yet it gives off a cold and gloomy feeling.
There weren't many things in the office. In the corner, there was an iron cage half-covered with linen. In addition to the smell of garlic, there was another strange fishy smell in the air.
"Mr. Lovegood!" Quirrell called out, "Have a seat! The lesson will begin soon."
Compared to when he was teaching in the morning, his face was as pale as paper and his lips were bloodless, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.
"Professor Quirrell, are you alright?" Vizette asked in a low voice. "Why don't you rest first? I'll come to visit another day?"
"No need!" Quirrell said quickly, waving a chair over and placing it behind Vizette.
"I remember telling you before that I met some vampires and witches during the summer vacation and they cursed me. It happens to me from time to time."
"It's the same in class. Too many people remind me of those days, and I start to stutter unconsciously. I'm much better when there are fewer people."
Vizette said politely, "It seems the curse is truly terrifying! Professor Quirrell, you should take good care of yourself."
Quirrell shuddered and suddenly began to stammer again, "You are still the... the first student who cares about me."
Vizette smiled noncommittally, took out his notebook and quill, and prepared to take notes at any time.
Quirrell didn't mince words, his speech returning to normal, "I remember this morning you said you were interested in composite magic."
"Yes!" Vizette laughed. "Actually, I'm interested in anything related to magic."
"That's good, that's how Ravenclaw should be!" Quirrell forced a friendly smile, a somewhat stiff one, as if he hadn't smiled like that in a long time.
"Let me use the Curse of Sickness as an example to show you what a composite spell is and what characteristics it has!"
Vizette asked, "The Curse of Sickness? Is that the real name of the Snot Curse?"
Quirrell nodded and said, "That's right, it was given a new name after its power was weakened."