Chapter 65: Chapter 65
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In the dead of night, the two roommates had too much energy and talked until very late.
"How can I get Snape to take over the Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"
After thinking about seven or eight ways, I finally fell asleep contentedly.
Only then did Wayne have time to check the reminders that had been ringing in his mind all day.
After the little badgers handed over the letter, several prompts appeared on the system panel.
[It has been detected that the host is showing potential, allowing Hogwarts to feel the joy of chaos. The event is being activated.]
[Ding! The setting for the large-scale event 'The Power of the Badger Yard' has been completed. The final reward will be comprehensively assessed based on the event's influence and results.]
[Ding! The chain mission 'Evil Professor' is opened, with rewards assessed based on Quirrell's level of misery.]
[Note: 'The Power of Badger Yard' is the first major event since the system upgrade. The final reward is ten times the critical hit. Please continue to add excitement to the world.]
Wayne had experienced big events in the system before. Most of his previous points were earned through such events.
Not only are the point rewards generous, but there are also final event rewards.
Especially this time, the system promised ten times the critical hit. The reward would definitely be impressive.
Unfortunately, Wayne knew Quirrell would likely stay at Hogwarts, reducing the reward.
"Those who are content will always be happy," he thought. Regretful thoughts flickered through Wayne's mind but vanished quickly.
He had already made a lot with the ten times the critical hit.
The second mission was like a freebie, but Wayne still needed to work hard in terms of Quirrell's misery.
He glanced at the points on the panel.
Things weren't settled yet, and the event rewards hadn't been generated, but in just one day, his points had soared by more than 2,000.
The impact was still ongoing, and there would be another wave tomorrow.
Wayne decided to keep the points for now and spend them once everything was settled.
***
As Wayne anticipated, the impact of the incident continued to unfold.
His action seemed to have activated some strange switch.
In the morning, the Gryffindor table was almost empty, and Quirrell didn't appear in the Great Hall.
It was said that he took sick leave.
Snape led two Defense Against the Dark Arts classes in high spirits in the morning, then was invited to the principal's office at noon along with Professor McGonagall.
Half an hour later, they emerged with grim expressions.
Professor McGonagall took a small bottle of potion from his robe pocket and drank it.
"Professor Snape, would you like some?"
"This is what Pomfrey prepared for me. I drink some when I feel stressed."
"Thanks, but no." Snape refused and said quietly, "If you can control those daring students, it would be more effective than any potion."
With that, Snape walked away.
Professor McGonagall was furious, but not with Snape. Her anger was directed at the students from her house.
They had actually reported Snape—not just a couple of students, but almost the whole house!
Seeing those letters Dumbledore sent him, McGonagall wished he could disappear.
Can Snape and Quirrell even be compared?
Snape was the youngest dean in the history of Slytherin and had strong ties to many pure-blood families.
His potion skills alone made it impossible for Hogwarts to replace him with someone equally qualified.
This was entirely different from Quirrell, who lacked real talent and could only write books.
Because of these reasons, even though everyone knew Snape was biased, the professors didn't take it seriously.
When the Gryffindor students reported him, they hit a wall.
Snape, in a vengeful move, deducted 66 points from Gryffindor. He left five points to save face with Professor McGonagall.
With Potter's Potions class coming up, they'd likely lose those five points too.
Seeing the near-empty score board, the Gryffindor students were distressed.
"Don't you dare laugh!" Hermione pinched Wayne angrily. She thought Wayne was just gloating.
If it hadn't been for his bad influence, her house wouldn't have written those reports.
"He's a menace!"
"Hey, hey, don't do that." Wayne dodged her delicate hands. No matter how beautiful, they still hurt when pinching.
"I'm just happy for you."
"It's all over anyway. If you have no desires, you'll stay strong. Now, even if Snape targets you, he can't really do anything."
Wayne's words of nonsense unexpectedly found belief among some.
The Weasley twins' eyes lit up, and after exchanging looks, they laughed.
"Looks like we're free, George."
"Yes, now we can show off our skills, Fred."
Hermione was dumbfounded.
What kind of house had she been assigned to? Whatever they do, they seem to land in trouble first!
On the fourth floor, in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office.
Under the soundproof barrier, Quirrell trembled, letting out shrill screams and moans.
"Master, please forgive me this time. I also followed your arrangements and hid my true skill!"
"Who would have thought Lawrence was so bold and dared to report me!"
At this time, Quirrell hated Wayne deeply.
If not for him, he wouldn't be punished by the Dark Lord. He wouldn't be cowering in his office.
"You blame me?" Voldemort's voice was cold in Quirrell's mind.
"No, Master." Quirrell quickly excused himself.
"It's all Lawrence's fault! That mudblood ruined your plan!"
"All I see is your incompetence." Voldemort's voice was chilling. Quirrell felt pain throughout his body and screamed again.
The pain lasted a long time before stopping, leaving him soaked in sweat.
"I don't care what you do, get me dragon's blood, mandrake juice, and winged demon venom quickly."
"What do you want to do?"
"Dumbledore will speak with you, and I must hide deeper to avoid detection."
Voldemort would not leave Hogwarts; he had to get the Philosopher's Stone.
Quirrell, fearing delay, left the school through the office fireplace.
After spending all his savings and robbing several dark wizards in Knockturn Alley, he gathered the materials Voldemort needed.
The next night, Quirrell returned to Hogwarts.
Soon, a knock sounded at his office door, and Snape's voice came through:
"Quirrell, I know you're in there. Dumbledore wants to see you."
Standing at the door, Snape had a playful expression on his face. He wanted to see how Quirrell would get through this. Would the fox tail be exposed?
Two minutes later, the office door was pushed open, and Quirrell walked out with a calm expression. "Let's go, Professor Snape."
Seeing his state, Snape frowned slightly. "Didn't you say you had a cold?"
"Thank you for your concern, but I bought some medicine yesterday and I'm much better now."
Snape looked at him pitifully. "If you need potions in the future, just come to me. It's free."
"No need, I can handle it myself," Quirrell cursed inwardly. If I ask you to get some medicine, who knows if there are any strange things added to it, like truth serum.
Since the beginning of school, Snape has been monitoring his actions overtly or covertly. He hasn't even found out the specific situation on the fourth floor yet. Therefore, he doesn't know how many times he was scolded by Voldemort.
Quirrell also hated Snape, second only to Wayne. The two came to the eighth floor, took the people there, and Snape left.
The gargoyle stone beast had received instructions in advance and opened the passage directly without a password. Forced to calm down, Quirrell clenched his fists and walked in.
"Quirinus, glad to see your cold is gone."
Dumbledore was still as approachable as ever, but Quirrell was already on alert. This was his first personal contact with Dumbledore after successfully applying for Defense Against the Dark Arts. To be honest, he was a little panicked. What if Dumbledore suddenly explodes and takes him down directly? Voldemort's puppet, in his master's current state, is no match for this white-bearded old man.
"Took the medicine twice and I feel much better, Professor," Quirrell replied softly, deliberately not looking into those bright eyes.
Dumbledore nodded. "Then I'm relieved. You must have heard about what happened recently, right?"
"I know everything," Quirrell responded according to the method taught by Voldemort. "The curse of ghouls and vampires is constantly eroding my brain. Sometimes my reaction is slower. I'm sorry for the impact this has had on students."
"Then what are you going to do?" Dumbledore followed Quirrell's words. "The curse of dark creatures is indeed very difficult to deal with, and even I need to handle it carefully. I sympathize with your situation, but the students' Defense Against the Dark Arts cannot be delayed."
"Quirinus, my suggestion is that you go back and recuperate for a while. Other professors can take turns teaching, and it will last for a while. It won't be too late to come back when you have fully recovered."
Quirrell, of course, heard the implication. If it's still like this, you don't need to take classes anymore. Cursing Wayne again in his heart, Quirrell forced out a smile. "Professor, I think it's better not to. I am safe inside Hogwarts. You know, I've been avoiding those guys. As for the issue of classes, please don't worry. I will definitely do my best to help the students."
"Oh?"
Dumbledore's expression suddenly became much more serious, and he looked at Quirrell. "Are you sure? If there are any more complaints, I'm afraid your departure will not be too dignified."
"I'm sure." Quirrell calmed down. "But I still need some help suppressing the curse."
Dumbledore was noncommittal. "What do you want, Snape's potion?"
"No, I need the tears of Phoenix."
Silence fell in the office, and neither of them spoke anymore. Only Fawkes shouted twice in dissatisfaction. Quirrell was sweating in his heart.
What he said was all taught by Voldemort. In order to ensure that he could stay at Hogwarts, Voldemort had already fought hard. Isn't it Defense Against the Dark Arts? I teach it myself! When he failed to apply for this position, Voldemort has always been resentful about it, and even more so, he hated Dumbledore. Now it can be regarded as a different way to realize the dream. Using the curse as an excuse to let Quirrell's contrast between before and after dispel Dumbledore's suspicion, the only problem was energy consumption.
Although he could control Quirrell's body movements, he couldn't do it for long. Voldemort planned to trick Dumbledore into using Phoenix Tears first to respond to the emergency, and then go to the Forbidden Forest to find unicorns and use their blood to restore his strength. Compared with white magic, black magic works faster and is more in line with Voldemort's appetite. In order to completely hide himself, Voldemort had completely fallen into a deep sleep before coming here. Now Quirrell is extremely nervous, wondering whether Dumbledore will agree to this condition.
"Well, for the sake of your body, I have no choice but to give in to Fawkes."
Dumbledore finally spoke, then walked to the phoenix and stroked its feathers. Although Fawkes was dissatisfied, he still squeezed out a small bottle of tears. Then he angrily pointed his butt at Dumbledore and flew out of the window.
Quirrell, who was in tears, left happily and promised that after one more day of rest, normal classes would begin.
Not long after, Snape came again.
"What did you see?"
"Many and very few," Dumbledore turned into the Riddler. "Quirrell asked for a bottle of Phoenix Tears, or rather, this was what Tom asked for."
Snape's expression changed, and his body twisted unnaturally. "Then you gave it to him?"
"I gave it." A wise light flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. "If I didn't give it, he would definitely take more drastic measures to achieve his goal. Instead of asking Quirrell to do something we don't know about, let me help him. At least we still have the situation under control."
"Can't you just arrest the person?" Snape clasped his hands irritably. "If you give me a bottle of truth serum, I guarantee he will tell you everything."
"The results are as important as the process, Severus." Dumbledore swept away the tea that Quirrell had left untouched. "You can't completely kill Tom. Even capturing Quirrell would just make him hide again. I'm getting old, and new people have to step up."
In Dumbledore's eyes, today's Tom and Quirrell are just a whetstone, used to sharpen Harry and Wayne. What he has to do is control the hardness of the whetstone so as not to hurt the knife. Dumbledore had no intention of gathering a trio. He just wanted Harry to have more friends and helpers. This way, at least he would have someone to rely on when he actually faced Voldemort in the future. Wayne is the best candidate in his eyes. If Wayne gets a Gryffindor, things will be much easier. Unfortunately, this little guy seems to have more Hufflepuff qualities.
Snape obviously knew what Dumbledore expected of Harry. He didn't want Harry to be involved in the turmoil, but there was nothing he could do about it. What Dumbledore decides is no different from what Voldemort decides because no one can resist.
Looking at Snape's worried expression, Dumbledore chuckled and comforted, "Severus, don't think so much. I'm going to bother you with the Defense Against the Dark Arts class tomorrow. Let's wait and see what kind of surprises Quirrell can bring."
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