HP • Legilimency | 𝐍. 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐅𝐎𝐘

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭

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In front of them, right in front of a mirror, stood the biggest fool of Hogwarts ─ Professor Quirrell. "You!" exclaimed Harry, surprised. Quirrell smiled, his face without any twitch. But of course, the deceitful one had been pretending the whole time, and Astria almost laughed in scorn, as her suspicions were correct.

"Me," he said calmly, like a third-rate movie villain, "I've been wondering if I would find you here, Potter. But I'm surprised to see you managed to bring Shafiq along. Two birds with one stone."

"I thought that... Snape..." Harry began to stutter, and Astria didn't hesitate to slap the back of his head, whispering, "Idiot."

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't that shaky laugh as usual; it was cold and cutting. "Yes, Severus fits the bill, doesn't he? So useful to have him flying around like a bat. Next to him, who would suspect poor stuttering Prof. Quirrell?"

Harry was clearly struggling to grasp the situation, mouth open in bewilderment.
"You're quite bold to still be alive, Potter. Running through the school like a hero, I imagine you saw me discover what the stone was guarding. And you, little girl, facing my troll and killing him. I'd find it more impressive if it weren't so foolish."

"You let the troll in?" Astria raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"Of course, I did. I have a special talent for handling trolls. You must have seen what I did to that one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while the rest were occupied with the troll, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to hinder me. And not only did my troll fail to knock you out, but the three-headed dog couldn't even properly bite Snape's leg. Now be quiet. I need to examine this curious mirror. This mirror is the key to finding the stone," Quirrell murmured, lightly tapping the frame. "One can trust Dumbledore to invent something like this... but he's in London... and I'll be far away when he returns."

They would have to keep this clown talking to distract him. It didn't seem hard, considering he's quite the talker.

Astria nudged Harry, subtly trying to alert him of the idea. To her surprise, he was thinking the exact same thing.

"I saw you with Snape in the forest," Harry blurted out quickly, his voice sounding somewhat bored. As if life and death were being discussed in casual conversation.

"Yes," said Quirrell indifferently, walking around the mirror to examine its back. "By then, he had already realized my intentions and was trying to figure out how far I had gotten. He was suspicious of me the whole time. Tried to threaten me, as if it were possible, when I have Lord Voldemort by my side..."

Quirrell stepped out from behind the mirror and stared at it eagerly. "I'm seeing the Stone... I'm presenting it to my master... but where is it?"

"I heard you sobbing a few days ago. I thought Snape was threatening you..." Harry continued to chatter.

For the first time, a spasm of fear crossed Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes, I have difficulty following my master's instructions. He's a great wizard, and I'm weak."

"Wait, are you saying he was with you?! At Hogwarts?" exclaimed Astria, amazed. "I thought it wasn't possible for Voldemort to enter the castle."

"He's with me wherever I go," Quirrell said softly. "I met him while traveling the world. I was a foolish young man at that time, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good or evil, only power, and those too weak to desire it... Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I disappoint him often. That's why he needed to be very severe with me." Quirrell shuddered suddenly. "He doesn't forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts, he was very displeased. He punished me... decided to watch me more closely..." Quirrell's voice trailed off.