In the outskirts of Hogsmeade village, a black shadow moved stealthily along a secluded path. After looking around and confirming no one was present, he knocked on the door of a somewhat dilapidated cottage.
A few seconds later, a middle-aged woman opened the door. She glanced at the person in front of her, a flash of regret and disgust in her eyes, but still shook her head and stepped aside to let him enter.
"It's been a long time."
The black shadow slowly raised his head, revealing his appearance beneath the hood.
It was none other than Professor Quirrell, who had been missing from Hogwarts for over a week.
"Mm."
Not very warmly responding, after Quirrell had fully entered the room, the woman curled her lips and spoke in a helpless tone.
"What you mentioned in your letter isn't easy to handle, but fortunately, that Umbridge woman seems to have gone mad recently, getting into a feud with some reporter, which gave me an opportunity."
"The matter has been arranged now. Just wait."
With that, the woman picked up some documents from a nearby table and handed them to Quirrell.
"I first had someone commission Kettleburn to handle an incident involving magical creatures. Of course, he couldn't handle it well with his missing limbs, but this way his favorite student could step in to help solve the matter."
"Although this incident alone wouldn't warrant a Merlin Order, his previous books have gained some recognition."
"In half a month, once this matter passes, that Kahn will be summoned by the Ministry to receive an award. Third-class Order of Merlin, for his contributions to protecting magical creatures and research into magical creature abilities."
"Dumbledore will accompany him that day. The Minister has business with him regarding the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, plus quite a few formalities to handle."
"This is the best I can do."
Having said this, the woman looked at Quirrell with disappointment, sat down on a nearby sofa, and waved her hand dismissively.
"Although I don't know what you're planning with all this, I've helped you as requested."
"From now on, never contact me again."
"Okay."
Quirrell nodded, but instead of turning to leave, he remained standing and began talking to himself.
"In that case, Master, we can begin our operation in half a month."
"Good."
A hoarse voice suddenly echoed in the room, startling the woman sitting on the sofa.
"What are you up to?" She looked at Quirrell with some confusion, not understanding what had gotten into him.
But Quirrell ignored her and continued talking to himself.
"But Master, I heard the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dumbledore found is..."
"Don't worry about her."
The hoarse voice interrupted Quirrell's words, speaking in an extremely arrogant tone.
"Just an Auror. This isn't the First War period anymore."
"During the last war I started, they didn't dare show their faces. This time, they won't dare either."
"Who are you talking to?"
The woman finally sensed something was wrong. Fear flashed in her eyes as she slowly stood up and backed away, reaching for her wand.
The appearance of two different voices from the same person struck her as incredibly eerie.
But before she could draw her wand, she watched in horror as Quirrell removed his hood, his head turning smoothly to reveal a pale face on the back of his skull.
That face had no hair, no nose, not even lips. Two narrow nostrils were imprinted on the face, looking somewhat fierce.
The woman who saw that face collapsed to the ground in terror, her eyes instantly filled with horror and despair.
Any wizard her age would know that face by heart.
How could this be? How could he possibly still be alive?
If he was somehow still alive...
After a moment, the woman snapped back to reality and frantically reached for her wand.
But just as her hand touched the base of her wand, accompanied by a flash of sickly green light, a hoarse voice rang out in the room.
"Avada Kedavra."
…
"How is it? Did you find any clues?"
Ron, who had been keeping a close eye on Snape, saw Hermione close her book out of the corner of his eye and turned to ask.
"No, same as before, didn't find anything special." Hermione's expression was somewhat dejected.
"I suspect we're missing some clue. What Snape wants to find in this book might not be related to the three-headed dog, but something else." She looked up at Ron. "You've also looked through this book. Any thoughts or ideas?"
"Me?" Ron curled his lips and shook his head with complete self-awareness. "None."
That book was like hieroglyphics to him. He couldn't even understand it, let alone have any insights.
But after answering, Ron glanced to the side, his voice taking on a mocking tone.
"Maybe you could ask Malfoy? He seems to love studying now."
Also glancing at Malfoy not far away, who was holding a book and occasionally looking up at the match before lowering his head again, Hermione's eyes also flashed with bewilderment.
She had never imagined she would see such a Malfoy. Although he still bickered with Harry and Ron daily and occasionally got into fights, this inexplicable enthusiasm for studying struck her as very strange.
Shaking her head and pushing Malfoy's oddness from her mind, Hermione set the book aside and began watching Harry's match seriously.
Although Ron had said Snape had made four biased calls in the dozen-plus minutes of the match, the score wasn't actually too disadvantageous.
But that was only if Harry could catch the Snitch that represented victory first.
Circling in the sky, Harry's gaze constantly searched below for that possible flash of light.
For some reason, the black shadow he had seen earlier kept appearing in his mind, and his scar even ached faintly.
Could that black shadow be the person from his dreams?
Shaking his head, Harry tried to focus all his attention on the match at hand, not thinking about such things.
Although the score difference wasn't large, Gryffindor was still behind by 20 points.
Snape's four biased calls had contributed significantly to this.
As his gaze swept across the field below, suddenly Harry's eyes lit up.
He keenly caught a flash of gold near Snape that quickly darted to the right.
Pressing his broomstick downward, wind rushed past his ears. The exhilarating sensation of speeding through the air filled Harry's mind, and that flash of light grew closer and closer.
Finally, just before hitting the ground, Harry reached out and grasped that fleeting golden light.
Cheers erupted like ocean waves from the surrounding spectator stands. Harry, having caught the Snitch, could see Snape's ugly expression nearby, which made his mood even more joyful.
While immersed in the joy of victory, Harry suddenly felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Dumbledore's smiling face.
"Well done," Dumbledore's voice was very quiet, audible only to Harry. "I'm very pleased you haven't become lost in that mirror's illusions. A fulfilling life. That's wonderful."
After saying this, he paused for a moment before continuing.
"Remember to attend tomorrow's banquet. I'll introduce everyone to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor then."
"She's very interested in you."
[Chapter Complete]
***
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