Chapter 35: Voldemort And Harry
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"Dyroth?, why is he sitting in the back row?"
"It goes without saying, Professor Quirrell only knows how to read from textbooks, and he can't even do that well. Who wants to listen?"
"I really don't know what Dumbledore was thinking, hiring a loser like him as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Dyroth stayed silent, listening to the conversations around him but not offering an explanation. Seated quietly in the back row, he picked up a book and placed it in front of himself, knowing that Quirrell wasn't as simple as he appeared.
Once an exceptional student from Ravenclaw, Quirrell had a strong desire to explore magic, even daring to venture into the Dark Forest alone. If he were truly incompetent, Voldemort wouldn't have chosen him as a host. His timid persona at Hogwarts was merely a method to cover for Voldemort.
The classroom filled quickly, but with students avoiding the front rows as if they were public university classes. Quirrell's reputation wasn't great, so most students squeezed toward the back, leaving the front empty. Latecomers had no choice but to settle in the middle, grumbling under their breath.
The strong smell of garlic preceded Quirrell's entrance, instantly sparking coughs throughout the room. Quirrell smiled awkwardly as he approached the podium.
"Take out...our textbook, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection," he stammered. "Turn...turn to the first page."
His words dragged, wasting several seconds of class time. He began lecturing on Puffskeins, harmless magical creatures rated XX by the Ministry of Magic, far from dangerous. Despite their harmlessness, Quirrell fumbled through the lesson, reading from the textbook with little structure. Even something as simple as Puffskeins, which some wizards kept as pets, became confusing under his disjointed lecture.
At first, Dyroth wondered why no one bothered listening to Quirrell. Now, it became clear—no one could follow his lesson.
As Quirrell droned on, he attempted to engage the students with a few questions, but no one paid him any mind, leaving him visibly uncomfortable.
Suddenly, a voice rasped in Quirrell's mind. "Give me your body!"
An overwhelming force overtook him. His eyes shifted, and his demeanor changed instantly. No longer aimlessly reading from the textbook, Quirrell—or rather, Voldemort—began to stroll around the classroom with interest.
Dyroth, who had been watching Quirrell closely, was alarmed. He lowered his head, hoping to avoid attention.
Voldemort snapped his book shut with a soft click. The sound wasn't loud, but it drew the attention of everyone in the room.
"If textbooks bore you, let's try something different." Voldemort casually took out his wand, enjoying the wide-eyed attention of the students. He had always longed to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts but had been denied by Dumbledore.
"Put down your textbooks and take out your wands," Voldemort instructed.
With a wave of his wand, all the textbooks in the room closed and slid off the desks in unison, leaving the students in awe. Voldemort reveled in their reaction, moving around the room as though delivering a grand speech.
"To learn Defense Against the Dark Arts, you must first understand what dark magic is!"
Several students, captivated by his earlier display of magic, eagerly raised their hands. Voldemort smiled. "There's no need to raise hands in my class. Just speak your mind."
"Dark magic is any magic that harms people!" one student ventured.
"Magic without counter-curses is dark magic!" added another.
"Dark wizards use dark magic!" chimed a third.
The answers flowed, but they were all oversimplified. Voldemort listened patiently before turning his gaze to Dyroth.
"Mr. Grindelwald, what do you think?"
Dyroth narrowed his eyes slightly, preparing a generic response. But then, Voldemort spoke again.
"With your vast knowledge, surely you can give us a more insightful answer. I'm certain you wouldn't refuse an opportunity to earn points for your house, right?"
Dyroth mentally cursed. The old fox had set him up! Using house points to pressure him, Voldemort had skillfully cornered him. In previous classes, Dyroth had consistently shown his intellectual prowess. If he answered casually now, the other Slytherins would see it as him not caring about the house's reputation—a blow to his image.
Reluctantly, Dyroth stood up, considering his answer.
"The nature of dark magic depends on the caster's intent—whether it is used with malice. For example..."
He pointed his wand at the podium. "Aguamenti!"
Several streams of water gushed forth, pooling at Voldemort's feet.
"Aguamenti is a simple water spell, commonly seen as harmless. But if the water continues to flow unchecked, it could drown a person. In that sense, any spell cast with ill intent could be considered dark magic."
"A unique perspective," Voldemort remarked, clearly impressed.
Voldemort had expected Dyroth to recite textbook knowledge or summarize the other students' answers. Instead, Dyroth had offered something original, which surprised even him.
"Mr. Grindelwald, please sit down. Five points to Slytherin for your perfect answer!" Voldemort flicked his wrist, and the water vanished, showcasing his impressive wandless and silent spellcasting, which once again stirred excitement among the students.
"As Mr. Grindelwald said, magic used with malicious intent can become dark magic. However, to most, dark magic is typically divided into three categories. Mr. Grindelwald?"
"The three main types of dark magic are jinxes, hexes, and curses," Dyroth replied. "Curses are the most dangerous, jinxes are the least harmful, and hexes fall somewhere in between."
"Excellent!" Voldemort said approvingly, his tone growing colder. "But you've forgotten one category... the Unforgivable Curses."
He turned sharply to face Harry.
"Mr. Potter!" Voldemort's voice echoed in the silent room. "Can you tell us what the Unforgivable Curses are?"
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