Chapter 88: Decision

The three of Harry exchanged glances, and each saw shock and a hint of fear in the other's eyes.

They never expected to encounter the legendary Voldemort tonight...

But Allen thought it over and over, finding something wrong; suddenly, he rushed to the unicorn floating in midair and sniffed frantically at its wound...

Although Ferren's powder had caused him much interference, he still smelled a familiar scent from the unicorn's wound...

Today, he had randomly received a dog's nose; when he smelled this familiar scent, memories associated with that scent in his mind were awakened one by one...

This was Professor Quirrell's scent. Although his office reeked heavily of potions, and although he usually always smelled of garlic, Professor Quirrell had approached him closely many times before, and the scents he had smelled during those few occasions lay dormant in his memory.

Allen felt his scalp go numb; he repeatedly compared and verified the scent of the unicorn's wound against the scent in his memory.

The final result remained unchanged...

He realized a terrifying problem: the shadowy figure today was likely Professor Quirrell, while Ferren had hinted that the shadowy figure was Voldemort! Then Professor Quirrell and Voldemort were likely the same person!

Thinking of this, Allen drew in a sharp breath, and scenes of his interactions with Professor Quirrell began to surface in his mind...

From the first time he went to request guidance, to believing Professor Quirrell had multiple personalities, to the subsequent debate on Dark Magic, to the later Unbreakable Vow, and finally to the lesson on the Cruciatus Curse...

When the same memory is viewed from a different angle, it yields different results...

All of this pointed to one conclusion—Professor Quirrell and Voldemort were the same person, or rather, Voldemort was parasitic upon Professor Quirrell.

Had he actually spent a year in close proximity to the Dark Lord?!!!

Had Voldemort actually taught him magic for a year?!!!

Allen's heart suddenly turned bitter and complex, and then he thought of his own actions in front of Professor Quirrell...

From the theory that Voldemort must be defeated, to politically correct thinking, to finally claiming Voldemort had a narrow perspective...

Thinking of this, Allen was completely devoid of any will to live!

What do you call this? Pointing at a monk and cursing a bald man? Dancing on a grave, only for the grave's owner to wake up?

Allen felt a wave of fear and palpitations; having provoked the Dark Lord so greatly and yet remaining unscathed, hopping around lively, he truly had great fortune and a long life!

Allen felt like crying but had no tears in his heart; he had just wanted to quietly strengthen himself and stay far away from danger, so to become stronger, he had chosen a straightforward-looking person to guide him, only for that straightforward-looking person to turn out to be the greatest Dark Lord...

Professor Quirrell, you straightforward-looking man, betraying the Wizarding World yourself was bad enough, but you even let that ugly man Voldemort possess you, and you lived together for a year! That year together... together... together...

Pfft! Disgusting! (Please, great master, send a Tang Shiyi meme!)

Then Allen realized another very serious problem: he thought of the three earth-shaking, heaven-weeping farts he had let out on top of Professor Quirrell's head on Halloween Eve!

Now Allen truly could not control himself; he suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in pain, wishing he could slap himself hard several times!

What do you call this? Turning from dancing on a grave to defecating on someone's head?

Which normal person could endure this? He was probably the first person Voldemort wanted to kill after his resurrection! The priority was probably even higher than Harry's...

No! Voldemort probably wouldn't kill him immediately; he would slowly torture him with the Cruciatus Curse! Thinking of the power of the Cruciatus Curse, Allen involuntarily shivered.

He hoped Voldemort was merely a fragment of a soul with no physical sensations! Allen offered a final prayer in his heart.

At this moment, Harry and Hermione also noticed Allen's abnormality; they carefully woke the Allen who was immersed in his own world...

What happened next, Allen could not recall clearly; he only knew that Hagrid had not caught the shadowy figure and returned safely, while Ferren disappeared when Hagrid appeared; the group took the injured unicorn to Hagrid's hut to recuperate, and then the group returned to Hogwarts Castle...

Allen followed the whole way like a zombie; everyone thought he had been terrified by today's events...

Allen could never clearly remember how he passed his exams at the end of his first year at Hogwarts; he only remembered that those days he was completely dazed, and he searched even more frantically for a way to break the Unbreakable Vow, but all was in vain...

The only thing worth comforting was that Quirrell had not yet started his action; the four-legged dog on the fourth floor still faithfully guarded the trapdoor, and the Philosopher's Stone would soon be moved, according to Hagrid's words.

But the next event completely plunged his mood into the abyss: Harry had learned from Hagrid that a person in a cloak had obtained the method to pass Fluffy from Hagrid in exchange for a dragon egg.

Now Harry, Hermione, and Ron all began to panic!

They could not find Professor Dumbledore either; when they sought Professor McGonagall, they were criticized, but Professor McGonagall told them that Professor Dumbledore would not return until two days later.

They gradually fell into anxiety...

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

"I will sneak out from here tonight; I must strive to get the Philosopher's Stone first," Harry said calmly, stating his own thought.

"You're mad!" Ron said. "You can't do this!"

"You'll be expelled!" Hermione said urgently.

Allen remained silent.

"So what?" Harry shouted loudly. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets the Philosopher's Stone, Voldemort will return! If I am caught before I can get the Philosopher's Stone, then I will just have to return to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to come find me there. That is only dying a little later than now; nothing you say will stop me! Voldemort killed my parents!"

Harry's eyes were already red.

"You're right, Harry," Hermione said softly.

Allen's brain was working rapidly; under normal circumstances, he would certainly think the person who came up with this plan was mad, but now he actually felt this plan was not bad; he was now the person least wanting to see Voldemort resurrected.

If they could obtain the Philosopher's Stone before Voldemort, they could hide the Philosopher's Stone again in a secret place, or simply have Hedwig carry the Philosopher's Stone out to fly for two days; by then, Dumbledore would probably have returned, and Voldemort certainly could not snatch the Philosopher's Stone from Dumbledore's hands.

"I will use my Invisibility Cloak," Harry said. "Fortunately, I found it."

"But can it cover all four of us?" Hermione countered.

"We—four of us?" Harry said in surprise.

"Oh, don't be silly; do you think we would let you act alone?" Allen finally spoke up then, giving Harry a determined look.

"Of course not," Hermione said sharply. "How could you think of leaving us behind to find the Philosopher's Stone alone? I'd better go through my books; maybe I can find something useful..."

"Allen, can you use your wand talent to transform something that can help our action?" Hermione began assigning tasks.

"No! Allen can only perform talent transformation after falling into a deep sleep; that will be too late!" Harry said firmly.

"Right! Knowing about tonight's action, I simply cannot fall asleep at the usual time!" Allen added with a bitter smile.

"Then what organ did you transform today, Allen? You've been covering it all day!" Ron asked curiously.

Harry and Hermione also cast curious glances; today, Allen had worn a large mask since early morning, and he didn't even take it off while eating, which made them very curious.

"Do you really want to see?" Allen said with a bitter smile.

"We do! This might help our action tonight!" Hermione said quietly.

Allen thought for a moment, then removed his mask; better to let them see it now and prepare themselves psychologically than to have the mask fall off during battle and terrify them.

Harry and the other two gasped sharply at the sight of Allen's face.

What Allen had randomly obtained today was:

A snake's nose!