HBWnovel Chapter 26 – Quirrell's mental breakdown
Chapter 26 – Quirrell's mental breakdown
Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office.
Quirrell sat on the sofa, shouting hoarsely at Dumbledore behind the desk.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, every word I say is true!" Quirrell's injuries had completely healed by now, thanks to the reliable medical system in the wizarding world, leaving no trace of his previous misery.
"Did he say, You-Know-Who," at the mention of the name, Quirrell shivered all over, as if in great fear, "Did he say, I'm You-Know-Who's servant."@@@@
"But think about it, You-Know-Who, why would he want a weak, incompetent servant who reeks of garlic? He is... You-Know-Who, after all."
Dumbledore hadn't been paying much attention to Quirrell's words until he heard the last sentence.
He thought of Tom, that child, who always disguised himself as kind and friendly at school, but his inherent disdain and contempt were too intense to ignore.
Someone as arrogant as him would indeed not think much of Quirrell.
A quick look at " will leave you more fulfilled.
"Headmaster, think about it, ever since that child came to Hogwarts, hasn't the place been plagued with disasters?" Quirrell noticed Dumbledore was contemplating and quickly leaned closer, sitting on the stool in front of the desk, continuing, "Think about it. Such talent, and in Slytherin, it really doesn't seem like..."
Quirrell didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to, because Dumbledore's eyes had already told him that he had achieved his goal.
A hint of hesitation flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.
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"Professor Little William~" Draco called out playfully, hooking his arm around Hoare's shoulder as they walked out.
"Can you give us a hint about the content of the headmaster's upcoming exam?" Blaise whispered.
Draco and Blaise squeezed in on either side of Hoare.
"The content of the exam—" Hoare suddenly said loudly, causing Draco and Blaise to quickly cover his mouth in a panic.
"Hey, hey, hey, Henry, keep it down, if someone hears us, we're done for!" Blaise was pushed away as Hoare turned his head.
"Just tell me directly, you idiot!" Draco's hair gel was coming undone.
The three of them were playfully tussling in the corridor, and the younger students passing by greeted Hoare enthusiastically, making him quite the popular figure.
"You're way more popular than that Potter from Gryffindor," Draco said with schadenfreude, having taken a liking to watching Harry's troubles since their first day.
Hoare shrugged indifferently; fame didn't matter to him. Once the Squib potion was successful, he could have as much fame as he wanted.
A little school fame wasn't enough to make him proud.
This was—Occlumency.
Hoare was surprised, wondering what had happened that even in the safety of Dumbledore's office, the professor was using Occlumency.
And the place he was covering—Hoare vaguely remembered, in the original story, that was where the Dark Mark was.
The Dark Mark was the symbol of Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters. Besides being used to punish, it also had communication and tracking functions, allowing one to notify the other of their location promptly.
Thinking of this, Hoare suddenly realized, isn't this just like a magical pager!
Could Voldemort really distinguish whose mark was calling him?
A mental image flashed in Hoare's mind.
Voldemort waking up every day amidst a cacophony of ringing, surrounded by countless ringing phones, some even just greeting him good morning.
Hoare stifled a laugh, trying to maintain a serious expression as he looked at Snape.
"What have you noticed, Henry?" Dumbledore's voice came from the shadows, sounding both like and unlike his usual self.
Hoare hesitated, "The professor's arm is injured?"
Quirrell jumped up immediately, "Only You-Know-Who would know where everyone's mark is! He must be, he must be."
"He's back! He's back!" Quirrell repeated frantically, trembling as he spoke, eventually hiding under Dumbledore's desk.
Hoare, not a real child, naturally understood Quirrell's implication.
He couldn't help but laugh in anger.
"Are you questioning my identity?" His tone was very unfriendly.
In his previous life, he had no ill feelings towards Voldemort, even somewhat admiring him after watching various videos and essays.
Until he became a Weasley.
The Weasley family was always at the forefront in the fight against Voldemort!
Even his family member Fred had died!
These reasons were enough for him to be at odds with the man with a snake face!
And now, they were questioning his identity.
Dumbledore emerged from the shadows, his blue eyes filled with scrutiny, even though his words were apologetic, it was still very annoying.
"I'm very sorry, my child, Professor Quirrell has suffered too much and his mind has collapsed."