Chapter 75: Conversation

Professor Quirrell’s office.

Since Allen left, the office had fallen into silence...

Professor Quirrell sat motionless in the shadows...

After a long while, a young voice broke the stillness: “Master, are we just going to let Finis go?”

A cold, sharp voice responded after a pause: “What else can we do? Let him go? This is Hogwarts! And I am now so weak...”

The young voice hesitated before speaking cautiously: “Master, weren’t we too hasty today? That was an Unforgivable Curse!”

“Hmph!” The cold, sharp voice sneered. “Taking a risk for a talent like Finis is worth it!”

The young voice offered eager, fawning agreement.

“But the one thing I didn’t anticipate was that Finis managed to break free of my charm halfway—I was so close to breaking him, to making him one of us!” the cold, sharp voice added.

“Master, what do we do now?” the young voice asked, worried.

“The seed is already planted in Finis’s heart! The Unforgivable Curse isn’t so simple...” the cold, sharp voice explained. “It’s a nuisance that so many spells don’t work on him!”

The young voice hesitated again before asking cautiously: “Master, is that kind of training really the fastest way to master the Cruciatus Curse?”

“Of course it is! This is a method I’ve refined over years of research!” the cold, sharp voice replied with disdain, as if the young voice’s master had asked a foolish question.

The young voice fell silent, no longer responding as quickly as before...

The master of the cold, sharp voice sensed something and added: “Today, I taught two students—one is you, the other is Finis...”

The young voice instantly brightened: “Thank you, Master! Your foolish servant failed to understand your profound intentions—and even began to doubt you! Waaah...”

The one with the young voice began to cry...

The cold, sharp voice comforted the one with the young voice: “Quirinus, you are the successor I have chosen. Though you’ve made mistakes, I have never wavered in that belief!”

The crying of the young voice grew louder...

The cold, sharp voice remained unmoved by the tears and continued: “All the knowledge I possess will be passed to you—but don’t rush. When the time comes, you will learn it naturally. I do not teach you now because you still lack certain qualities; mastering such power prematurely would endanger you.”

The one with the young voice expressed heartfelt gratitude.

After a long while, the one with the young voice finally regained composure.

The young voice returned, tinged with concern: “Master, aren’t you worried Finis will report us? That boy is so cunning—what if he does?”

The one with the cold, sharp voice sneered: “Finis might indeed try to report us.”

“But by the time he has that thought, he will remember what oath he swore! Then it won’t be a matter of whether he wants to—it will be whether he can!”

The young voice spoke again, this time with a hint of curiosity: “Is the Unbreakable Vow really that powerful? Can it stop Finis from reporting us?”

“A proper oath, combined with the power of the Unbreakable Vow, produces unexpected results. Cunning without sufficient knowledge is merely laughable,” the master of the cold, sharp voice sneered.

“But what if Finis is willing to sacrifice his life to report us?” the young voice asked cautiously.

The master of the cold, sharp voice laughed coldly: “I know people well. Finis is not that kind of person. Everything is still under my control!”

“Master, you are wise!” the young voice flattered.

The cold, sharp voice continued: “But Finis did bring one useful piece of information today!”

“The eastern shore of the Black Lake!”

“The unicorn!”

“We need it now!”

After releasing the rabbit, Allen returned to Gryffindor Tower. Passing the common room, he found Harry and Ron playing wizard’s chess, with Hermione reading nearby.

After greeting them, Allen collapsed into a chair.

His condition immediately drew their attention.

“Allen, what happened?” Hermione noticed his disheveled state and asked with concern.

Allen looked at his concerned friends, wanting to tell them what he’d discovered—but as soon as he opened his mouth, that coldness in his heart returned. He instantly understood and fell silent.

The three stared at him, more puzzled than before.

“Didn’t you go to the library today? Did you get into a fight with Malfoy?” Harry asked, confused.

Allen groaned inwardly—he’d never told his friends where he’d gone Saturday night. They all assumed he’d gone to the library, and he’d never corrected them. Now he’d trapped himself.

“No!” Allen said painfully.

“Then why are you so messed up? And you reek of sweat!” Ron joined in.

“You were running from Filch, weren’t you?” Harry guessed, nodding as if he’d figured it out.

Allen tried several times to speak, but each time the coldness in his heart returned.

Finally, he gave up on revealing anything now and slumped: “Yes.”

At that, Harry and Ron perked up and began enthusiastically discussing how to evade Filch.

But Allen paid no attention—he sat there, lost in thought.

Hermione noticed Allen’s unease and quietly tugged at Harry and Ron.

They too sensed something was off and wisely fell silent, returning to their chess game, giving Allen space.

Allen sat alone in thought, but soon the quiet was shattered by Harry and Ron’s whispered argument.

They were debating whether to take back a move...

The more Allen listened, the more agitated he became—some emotion inside him pushed him forward until his patience snapped.

“Shut up!” he shouted.

Instantly after shouting, he realized his mistake and snapped back to awareness—only to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione staring at him in fear.

He looked down and saw his wand gripped tightly in his hand, pointed at Harry and Ron.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Allen mumbled, then stumbled out of the common room, dazed.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances...

When Allen finally finished bathing and lay on his four-poster bed, he made up his mind: he must find a way to break the Unbreakable Vow and expose Professor Quirrell’s true nature.