After Vizette left the headmaster's office, the place grew a bit quieter.
Dumbledore drew his wand and traced a perfectly round circle. "Expecto Patronum!"
A dazzling silver light burst from the tip of the wand, transforming into a lifelike phoenix in the air.
"Newt, how have you been lately? My student has come up with a new spell; the casting process is like this… the incantation is 'Scourgify'…"
"Yes, an extremely efficient and practical life magic. I vaguely remember that you seem to have kept an Obscurus there."
"So I'd like to know if it helps suppress the Obscurus? Please reply to me as soon as possible. Best wishes to you and Tina."
With a flick of his wand, the silver phoenix spun once and flew out of the headmaster's office, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
"Occlumency!" After doing all this, he let out a long sigh, weariness creeping into his eyes. "I have to go see him again..."
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Quirrell's office.
Snape stood up and looked down at Quirrell.
"Quirinus Quirrell, since you want more time to think it over, then use that big brain of yours to figure it out!"
"Are you sure you can help the Dark Lord on your own? In fact, I'm more reliable than you!"
Quirrell gritted his teeth, still stubbornly denying everything. "Professor Snape, I really don't... know anything about the Dark Lord."
"Very well!" Snape shrugged, tossing out a sentence as he walked away. "I'll come back to find you!"
Bang!
A loud bang came from the direction of the door.
After Snape left, Quirrell seemed to have all his energy drained away, and he collapsed to the ground.
Suddenly, he sprang up like a spring, clutching his head and letting out a wounded beast-like roar.
He quickly cast a spell toward the door to keep the sound from leaking out, and then tore off the cloth strip from his head.
Voldemort's hideous face appeared in the back of his head...
Voldemort said in a calm tone, "You did a good job. Snape wasn't a reliable person, and it was right not to mention me to him."
"But I don't understand…" Quirrell gasped for breath, the tearing sensation in his head lessening considerably. "But he knows so much about you; isn't he a Death Eater?"
Voldemort hissed, "He's a traitor!"
Quirrell roared again, the tearing sensation in his head suddenly intensifying, almost causing him to faint.
"Quirinus, your ignorance makes me laugh," Voldemort sneered. "Even I know that most of the truly loyal servants have ended up in Azkaban."
"Only people like Snape, who used all sorts of excuses to exonerate themselves, were able to live a carefree life for ten years! A full ten years! They are all traitors!"
"Of course... it's perfectly normal for them to want to find me and atone for their sins after learning about me... after all, I told them that I have achieved immortality!"
"Is that so…" Quirrell covered his head. "So he hid what I did tonight from me…"
Voldemort said impatiently, "Quirinus, I don't need your reminder. I know everything about you."
Quirrell shuddered, his eyes flashing with boundless regret.
"Feeling regretful?" Voldemort wore a pleased expression. "I never lied to you. Didn't you master those dark magic techniques?"
"Isn't it with my help that you've been able to advance your silent spellcasting to a higher level? Help me get the Philosopher's Stone, and I'll reward you even more!"
"And that Obscurial—this time it was the Obscurus that saved his life. So... continue to teach him more dark magic, understand?"
Quirrell shuddered and hesitated. "But..."
Voldemort gave a soft hum. "Hmm?"
"Yes… my master!" Quirrell's groan echoed through the office like a sound from the abyss.
Voldemort burst into laughter, as if to drown out the only echo. "That's right—I'm watching you from behind. Remember that!"
"I'm very dissatisfied with your performance tonight. How dare you stop the Obscurial from going berserk? And just now, you don't actually want to be a good professor, do you? That's ridiculous!"
"Since that's the case..." His laughter grew even more arrogant. "Then endure it! Endure my wrath!"
Quirrell covered his head again, his head enveloped in a black and green light that even drowned out his screams.
Only his body trembled violently, like someone having an epileptic seizure, telling of his endless suffering...
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"When you are silent, you know my true name; when you speak, I will cease to exist."
Standing before the bronze doors of the Ravenclaw common room, Vizette pondered the riddle posed by the eagle knocker.
He had lived here for two months, and the knocker always came up with new riddles, which was very interesting.
"It's 'silence'," Vizette realized. "Not speaking is remaining silent. Once I open my mouth, I will no longer be silent, and naturally, I will cease to exist."
"That was a great answer."
With the approval of the eagle knocker, the eagle statue spread its broad wings, and the bronze door slowly opened.
It was already midnight, and Vizette was surprised to find that there were still quite a few people in the common room.
Seemingly hearing his footsteps, team captain Arsenal stood up and looked around. "You're finally back! It's so good to see you're alright!"
His roommates and other Quidditch players also remained in the common room, seemingly waiting for his return.
"Thank goodness you're back!" Cho Chang patted him on the chest, a look of relief on her face.
Penelope put away her study materials and looked at Cho Chang, saying, "Didn't I tell you? Nothing will happen!"
Roger ran over and put his arm around Vizette's shoulder. "First-year students fighting trolls? This is like something out of a Lockhart novel!"
Anthony asked eagerly, "That was a dangerous creature of the XXXX level! Tell us, how did you defeat it!"
Everyone gathered around.
"Yes! Fred and George are arguing, but we still believe what you say."
"I remember the troll's weakness is its head. If it were me, I would use a Stunning Spell to attack that area!"
"Trolls are highly resistant to magic. Are you sure a Stunning Spell can stun it? Trolls are very tall; aiming at them won't be easy."
"Perhaps we should add Transfiguration, which could restrict the troll's movements and at least ensure its own safety."
"I think potions are also a good choice. Baruffio's Brain Elixir is a good option. Anyway, trolls aren't picky eaters, so they should be able to eat it."
...
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