下載應用程式
61.62% Harry Potter: Returning from Hogwarts Legacy / Chapter 53: Ambush Quirrell

章節 53: Ambush Quirrell

Harry slipped the biting Chinese cabbage into a small pouch—an item he'd purchased earlier in Diagon Alley from a rather mysterious wizard.

The pouch, enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, was no longer legally sold to the general public. Such enchantments were now restricted, with exceptions made only for school trunks that first-years had to buy from certified vendors.

He also slid a pair of dragon-hide gloves into his pocket. Without proper protection, handling a Chinese biting cabbage could wreak havoc on one's hands.

"I should grab some biting cabbage seeds next time I'm in Diagon Alley," Harry mused to himself. Neville was adept at cultivating peculiar plants like these—delegating the task to him seemed like a no-brainer.

But seeds for biting cabbage weren't sold to young wizards in Diagon Alley. For those, one would need to venture into the shadowy recesses of Knockturn Alley.

Tucking the enchanted pouch securely, Harry tiptoed out of the dormitory.

When he reached the Great Hall, the Weasley twins were already waiting—and visibly impatient.

"Oh, finally!" Fred exclaimed.

"Fred thought you'd chickened out and decided to bail," George added with a smirk.

"Relax. Even if you two ran off, I wouldn't," Harry retorted, his tone firm. "Gryffindor doesn't lack courage, right?"

"Courage like persuading Quirrell to take off that suspicious turban of his?" The twins exchanged glances and clapped their hands together in unison. "Yeah, sounds about right!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Listen up." He sat down, drumming his fingers on the table. "Here's the plan: the three of us will follow Quirrell as scheduled. You two are in charge of throwing snowballs. If he takes off the turban, perfect. If not, I'll handle the next part. Got it?"

"Got it, Lion King," the twins chorused.

"Good." Harry glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's 7:50 now. We've got ten minutes to set up—"

Before he could finish, Hedwig swooped into the hall, wings laboring against the bitter cold. She seemed so drained that she practically crash-landed into Harry's arms, like a bird shot from the sky.

"Your owl doesn't look great," Fred observed. "You should get her some tonic. The weather's brutal."

"You're probably right," Harry agreed, carefully taking a letter from Hedwig's beak.

"Ooh, ooh!" George's eyes lit up as he spotted the handwriting on the envelope. "Looks like it's from a girl…"

"Enough, George! Respect his privacy," Fred chided, dragging his brother back before turning to Harry. "We'll scout ahead for you."

"Thanks. I'll catch up soon," Harry replied.

Once the twins left, Harry unfolded the letter. A faint scent of vanilla drifted up as he read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

I must apologize for yesterday. Being a Slytherin Prefect carries not only honor but also responsibility.

Might you have time today? I'll be waiting in the empty classroom on the second floor. Please send your reply with your owl. I'll await your response.

Sincerely,

Gemma Farley

"Gemma Farley?" Harry murmured, folding the letter and slipping it back into the envelope.

What could she want?

An invitation was an invitation, and Harry saw no reason to decline.

I'm a Gryffindor—why should I be afraid of a Slytherin?

Borrowing paper and a quill from a cheerful Hufflepuff boy nearby, Harry quickly penned a response and handed it to Hedwig.

"Thanks for the quill and parchment," Harry said, returning the items. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter."

"Of course I know who you are!" the boy said with a bright grin, extending a hand. "Cedric Diggory. Just call me Cedric."

"Thanks, Cedric," Harry nodded before pointing toward the door. "Sorry, the twins are waiting for me outside."

"Don't let me keep you, Harry," Cedric chuckled. "Go on before they get impatient."

Downing a quick glass of water, Harry bade Cedric farewell and hurried out.

The twins were crouched behind some bushes, shivering against the icy wind.

"Guys."

Harry ducked behind the bushes and froze. His eyes fell on the massive stockpile of snowballs behind them—enough to supply Napoleon's artillery corps.

"What the—?! The plan was to hit Quirrell! Not every professor on campus!"

"Relax," Fred said nonchalantly, grabbing a snowball the size of two fists. "These are the ordinary ones." He crushed it with a dramatic flourish.

"This," George added, holding another, "is the enhanced version." He brushed off the surface snow, revealing a gleaming ice core.

Harry's eyelid twitched. Good grief, these two are terrifying.

All I wanted was to chuck a Chinese biting cabbage at Quirrell. But this? What are they even trying to do?!

"Isn't this overkill?" Harry ventured cautiously.

"Well," Fred shrugged, "it beats sitting through another class of garlic fumes. Honestly, I'd rather have Snape teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. At least we'd learn something useful—even if Gryffindor lost a hundred points."

"Shh!" George suddenly grabbed their sleeves. "Someone's coming!"

The three of them peered over the bushes to see Quirrell strolling toward the Great Hall, a book clutched under one arm.

"Ready—" Fred whispered.

The twins lobbed their snowballs at Quirrell's turban.

"Who's there?!" Quirrell yelped, swatting at his head. But no matter how frantically he flailed, the turban remained firmly in place.

As the twins prepared their "enhanced" snowballs, Harry stopped them.

"Let me."

Donning his dragon-hide gloves, Harry reached into his enchanted pouch. The twins watched as he pulled out the Chinese biting cabbage, now wriggling slightly in the frigid air.

Harry approached Quirrell, feigning a stumble as he neared.

The flowerpot shattered with a sharp crack, sending the cabbage bouncing across the ground like a rogue Bludger.

In seconds, it latched onto Quirrell's neck.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

Quirrell's piercing scream echoed through the grounds.

----

you can read more advance & fast update chapter on my patreon:

pat reon.com/windkaze


章節 54: Quirrell Secret

The anguished scream was so loud that even the students in the Great Hall heard it clearly.

Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Muggle-born Hufflepuff dozing at his table, jerked awake.

"Whose cat is that?"

----

Outside the hall, Professor Quirrell was frantically pounding at the biting cabbage latched onto the back of his head. His pained howls echoed through the castle.

"Professor Quirrell?"

Professor McGonagall hurried over, flanked by Professors Flitwick and Sprout.

Seeing the cabbage stubbornly clamped down, Professor Sprout rushed forward. She used some unknown method, and the cabbage finally let go, twisting its round body before leaping obediently into her arms.

"Professor Quirrell, are you all right?" Professor Sprout asked with concern. "Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

Lying in the snow, Quirrell eyed the cabbage trembling in Sprout's arms with visible dread. He scrambled backward on his hands and knees.

The pain from the bite was secondary; what worried him was the wrath of that man...

The memory of the torment he had endured after cursing Potter's broomstick during the last Quidditch match sent a shiver down his spine.

Just the thought made him break out in a cold sweat.

"I... I'm fine," Quirrell stammered, even as blood trickled from his wounded scalp.

The crimson seeped into his turban, darkening it. With every movement, cloves of garlic soaked in blood fell to the ground.

"I'll just... go handle this... excuse me," Quirrell stuttered, clutching his turban tightly as he fled awkwardly.

Harry had been watching the scene and couldn't help but notice Quirrell's odd behavior. Normally, a professor targeted by such a prank would at least scold the students involved. But instead of getting angry, Quirrell's first reaction was to flee.

Could it be... that there really was a secret hidden under his turban?

"Weasley twins?" McGonagall's sharp tone interrupted his thoughts. She had caught sight of Fred and George sneaking back into the Great Hall.

"Why are you two here?" she demanded. "And don't tell me that biting cabbage was one of your pranks!"

"Sorry, Professor," Harry spoke up quickly before the twins could respond. "That biting cabbage was a gift from Professor Sprout. This morning, I noticed it wasn't behaving quite right, so I brought it here to show her."

"Is that so?" McGonagall's gaze scrutinized Harry.

Behind her, the twins let out a silent sigh of relief, giving Harry discreet thumbs-up signs.

Good lad. Loyal to a fault.

Harry nodded earnestly. "Yes, Professor."

"That's correct, Minerva," Professor Sprout chimed in. "The cabbage was a gift from me to Mr. Potter."

"And what exactly is wrong with it?" McGonagall pressed.

"It seemed a bit listless," Harry replied.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the cabbage snapped its jaws with an audible clomp-clomp, as though it hadn't bitten enough.

"You call that listless?" McGonagall's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

For a brief moment, she thought she saw James in Harry. But she quickly shook off the thought.

Merlin's beard, no! Potter is just like his mother, not his father. He couldn't possibly be as mischievous as James.

It must have been her imagination.

"Apologies, Professor. It really was like that earlier today," Harry said, putting on a woeful expression and looking up at McGonagall with wide, pleading green eyes. "It's my fault. I wasn't careful and tripped, flinging the cabbage. I didn't think it would..."

McGonagall's heart softened instantly.

Yes, Lily's child couldn't possibly have done such a thing on purpose.

It had to be an accident.

Her expression softened as she said, "Since it wasn't intentional, I won't punish you further, Mr. Potter. However, Gryffindor will lose ten points."

"As for you two..." She turned her stern gaze on the Weasley twins.

"Professor, we—" Fred and George began.

But McGonagall cut them off, her face hard. "The snowball cannons behind the shrubbery... that was your doing?"

"Yes, Professor," they admitted in unison.

"Both of you will serve detention in my office after the holidays," she declared, leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, Professor," they replied. As soon as she turned away, they exchanged a glance of relief.

Whew! Detention? Could've been worse.

Once McGonagall left, the twins flanked Harry, throwing their arms over his shoulders.

"Well done, mate," they chorused. "Didn't sell us out."

Harry shrugged. "It's nothing. But now I'm even more curious about what's under Professor Quirrell's turban. Think about it—hit by snowballs, bitten by that cabbage, and he still wouldn't take it off. There's definitely something he's hiding."

"Yeah, you're right," Fred agreed. "He'd rather let us off the hook than risk exposing what's under there. That's strange."

"Could it be something on the back of his head?" George wondered. "Like a nasty growth? Or... what if it's dragon pox?"

"If it were dragon pox, it wouldn't only affect his head," Harry pointed out. "His face and hands would show signs too. It's unlikely."

He paused, then added thoughtfully, "I don't think it's an illness. Maybe he's dabbling in some kind of dark magic and doesn't want anyone to know."

"Dark magic?!" the twins exclaimed in hushed voices. "But he's the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Why would he be studying dark magic?"

"Well, as the saying goes, 'Know your enemy to defeat your enemy,'" Harry replied with a shrug. "Anyone skilled in defending against dark magic would have to know it well. Otherwise, how could they counter it?"

"That makes sense," the twins said in unison. "But how do you know?"

"It's simple," Harry explained. "If it were just an illness, even dragon pox, there wouldn't be any reason to hide it. But he's clearly desperate to keep the turban's secret, even at the cost of his dignity. If it's not dark magic, what else could it be?"

The twins' eyes lit up.

"So, what should we do?" they asked together.

----

you can read more advance & fast update chapter on my patreon:

pat reon.com/windkaze


Load failed, please RETRY

每周推薦票狀態

批量訂閱

目錄

顯示選項

背景

EoMt的

大小

章評

寫檢討 閱讀狀態: C53
無法發佈。請再試一次
  • 寫作品質
  • 更新的穩定性
  • 故事發展
  • 人物形象設計
  • 世界背景

總分 0.0

評論發佈成功! 閱讀更多評論
用推薦票投票
Rank 200+ 推薦票榜
Stone 71 推薦票
舉報不當內容
錯誤提示

舉報暴力內容

段落註釋

登錄

tip 段落評論

段落註釋功能現已上線!將滑鼠移到任何段落上,然後按下圖示以添加您的評論。

此外,您可以隨時在「設置」 中將其關閉/ 打開。

明白了