Chapter 88: Decision

Harry and the other two exchanged glances, each seeing shock and a trace of fear in the others’ eyes.

They never expected to encounter Lord Voldemort tonight...

But Allen grew more and more uneasy—he suddenly rushed to the floating unicorn, sniffing furiously at its wound.

Though Ferocious’s powder had clouded his senses, he still recognized a familiar scent from the unicorn’s wound.

Today he had randomly acquired a dog’s nose, and as he caught that familiar odor, memories tied to it surged back in his mind.

It was Professor Quirrell’s scent—though his office reeked of potions, and he always smelled of garlic, Quirrell had pressed close to him multiple times, and those scents had lain dormant in his memory.

Allen’s scalp prickled as he repeatedly compared the wound’s scent against his memories.

The conclusion remained unchanged...

He realized a terrifying truth: the shadow tonight was likely Professor Quirrell, and Ferocious had implied that shadow was Lord Voldemort—so Quirrell and Voldemort were probably the same person.

The thought made Allen gasp; scenes of his time with Quirrell began flashing through his mind...

From his first visit seeking guidance, to believing Quirrell had multiple personalities, to their debates on Dark Magic, to the Unbreakable Vow, and finally to the Cruciatus Curse lessons...

When viewed from a different angle, the same memories yielded entirely different conclusions...

All of it pointed to one outcome—Professor Quirrell and Lord Voldemort were one and the same, or rather, Voldemort was possessing Quirrell.

He had spent a year in close proximity to the Dark Lord?!

Voldemort had taught me magic for a whole year?!

Allen’s emotions churned chaotically, and then he remembered everything he’d done in front of Quirrell...

From arguing Voldemort would inevitably lose, to preaching political correctness, to claiming Voldemort had a narrow-minded worldview...

At this thought, Allen felt utterly hopeless.

What was this? Pointing at a monk and cursing a bald man? Dancing on a grave—only for the corpse to wake up?

Allen shuddered with dread and heart-pounding terror—he had defied Voldemort so brazenly and still walked away unscathed, alive and kicking—he was truly blessed by fate!

Allen wanted to weep silently—he’d only wanted to quietly grow stronger and stay far from danger, so he’d chosen a respectable-looking mentor to guide him, only to find that respectable-looking man was the greatest dark lord.

Professor Quirrell, you respectable-looking traitor—you betrayed the magical world, then let that ugly man, Voldemort, possess you, and lived with him for a whole year! All year long, together... together... together...

Pfft! Disgusting! (Please send a Tang Shiye meme.)

Then Allen realized another grave problem—he remembered the three earth-shattering farts he’d let loose on Quirrell’s head on Halloween Eve!

This time, Allen truly lost control—he collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head in agony, wishing he could slap himself hard enough to knock himself out.

What was this? From dancing on a grave to shitting on his head?

Who could possibly tolerate this? I’m probably the first person Voldemort would want to kill after his return—probably even before Harry.

No! Voldemort probably wouldn’t kill me right away—he’d use the Cruciatus Curse to slowly torture me! Thinking of the Cruciatus Curse’s power, Allen involuntarily shivered.

I hope Voldemort is only a fragment of a soul and feels no physical sensations! Allen prayed desperately in his heart.

At this moment, Harry and Hermione noticed Allen’s strange behavior and gently roused him from his inner turmoil.

What happened afterward, Allen couldn’t recall—he only knew Hagrid hadn’t caught the shadow, returned safely, Ferocious vanished the moment Hagrid appeared, and the group carried the wounded unicorn to Hagrid’s hut to recover, then returned to Hogwarts Castle.

Allen walked through it all like a zombie; everyone assumed he’d been terrified by today’s events.

Allen could never remember how he passed his first-year finals at Hogwarts—he only recalled spending those days in a daze, desperately searching for a way to break the Unbreakable Vow, but all efforts ended in vain.

The only comfort was that Quirrell hadn’t moved yet—the three-headed dog on the fourth floor still faithfully guarded the trapdoor, and the Philosopher’s Stone was about to be moved, according to Hagrid.

But then another event plunged him into despair: Harry learned from Hagrid that a cloaked figure had traded a dragon egg for the secret to bypassing Fluffy.

Now Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all panicked!

They couldn’t find Professor Dumbledore; when they sought Professor McGonagall, she scolded them—but told them Dumbledore wouldn’t return for two days.

They gradually sank into anxiety...

The four of them began meeting in an abandoned classroom to discuss the Philosopher’s Stone.

“I’m sneaking out tonight—I’m going to get the Stone first,” Harry said calmly.

“You’re insane!” Ron shouted. “You can’t do this!”

“You’ll be expelled!” Hermione cried urgently.

Allen remained silent.

“So what?” Harry shouted. “Don’t you understand? If Snape gets the Stone, Voldemort will return! If I’m caught before I get it, I’ll just go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to come for me—only delaying death by a little. Nothing you say will stop me! Voldemort killed my parents!”

Harry’s eyes were red.

“You’re right, Harry,” Hermione whispered softly.

Allen’s mind raced—if this were normal circumstances, he’d think whoever came up with this plan was mad. But now, he actually thought it was decent—he was the one who least wanted Voldemort to return.

If they could get the Stone before Voldemort, they could hide it somewhere else, or even send Hedwig flying with it for two days—by then, Dumbledore would likely return, and Voldemort could never take it from him.

“I’ll use my Invisibility Cloak,” Harry said. “Thank goodness I found it again.”

“But can it cover all four of us?” Hermione asked.

“We—we four?” Harry exclaimed.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Allen finally spoke, giving Harry a firm look. “Do you really think we’d let you go alone?”

“Of course not,” Hermione said sharply. “How could you even imagine leaving us behind to find the Stone alone? I should check my books—maybe I’ll find something useful...”

“Allen, can your Talent Transformation produce something to help us tonight?” Hermione began assigning tasks.

“No! Allen can only perform Talent Transformation after falling into deep sleep—that’s too late!” Harry insisted.

“Exactly,” Allen added with a bitter smile. “After learning about tonight’s plan, I won’t be able to sleep at my usual time!”

“So what organ did you transform today, Allen? You’ve been hiding it all day!” Ron asked curiously.

Harry and Hermione turned curious glances his way—Allen had worn a large mask since morning, refusing to remove it even during meals, leaving them baffled.

“You really want to see?” Allen asked with a wry smile.

“Yes! It might help us tonight!” Hermione whispered.

Allen hesitated, then removed his mask—he figured it was better to let them see now and prepare mentally than to have it fall off mid-battle and terrify them.

Harry and the other two drew in a sharp breath at the sight of Allen’s face.

Today, Allen’s random transformation was:

A snake’s nose!