Time flew by, and Hogwarts' new term was very peaceful.
For Harry, there had been plenty of good news lately.
His Quidditch training was going very well. His teammates unanimously believed he had outstanding Quidditch talent, and in recent practice matches, he had successfully caught the Golden Snitch every time.
Also, his performance in class was quite good. Even in Snape's Potions class, Snape rarely found opportunities to deduct points from him.
Occasionally, though, he would still lose a point for ridiculous reasons like "daydreaming for a few seconds while stirring a potion."
Finally, there was one more surprising development.
Defense Against the Dark Arts with Quirrell—whether he had finally figured things out or something else had happened, his classes had become much more interesting.
In recent classes, not only had he stopped stuttering through the textbook, but he had also taught them a lot of useful knowledge.
Harry had even learned a few harmless minor spells in the class.
Of course, he still thought Professor Westeros's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was superior.
On an important day in late February, the Quidditch pitch was packed to capacity.
Today's Quidditch match was extremely important for Harry.
Not only were they facing the formidable Slytherin, but the referee was also from their side—Professor Snape.
It could be said that this match was very unfavorable for Gryffindor.
Moreover, almost every student and professor at Hogwarts had come to watch the match. Harry even spotted Headmaster Dumbledore in the professors' stand.
And there was—he saw Adrian sitting in the front row, discussing something with Professor McGonagall.
If he lost this match... he would surely disappoint his Professors and classmates.
Harry silently gripped his broomstick tighter.
Looking at the professors' stand, Adrian was discussing Quidditch with Professor McGonagall.
He had wanted to sit next to Quirrell, but Quirrell hadn't come to watch the Quidditch match this time.
This made Adrian feel slightly disappointed. He had wanted to tease Quirrell a bit.
Professor McGonagall was truly a passionate Quidditch enthusiast. Although she didn't show it much normally, when talking about Quidditch matches, she could analyze everything thoroughly.
From tactics to implementation, from team members to broomsticks, she appeared completely professional.
The match finally began!
And Adrian was ready to enjoy a tense and exciting Quidditch match.
However... About five minutes later.
"Harry has caught the Golden Snitch!!"
An excited voice came from the commentator's booth.
"?"
'It was over already?
Hadn't it just started?
Were the Slytherins that weak? They couldn't even last five minutes?'
Adrian looked toward Professor McGonagall.
But Professor McGonagall had already left her seat—she had gone to celebrate Gryffindor's victory.
Meanwhile, Harry had landed on the ground with the Golden Snitch in hand.
A crowd immediately surged toward him, cheering.
Even after leaving the changing room and returning his Nimbus 2000 to the broomshed, he still felt dazed. He had simply seen a golden figure in front of him, grabbed it, and won.
Hmm, Malfoy must be furious—he had been taunting Harry before the match.
Tomorrow, he would definitely show off his latest record in front of Malfoy.
His expression would be priceless...
After putting his broomstick away, Harry leaned against the doorframe and watched the sunset for a while.
Then, he saw an unexpected figure quickly descending the stairs leaving the castle.
It was Snape!
Judging by the direction he was walking, he seemed to be heading for the Forbidden Forest.
Harry was instantly on alert. What was he going to do?
For some reason, Harry felt a nagging unease inside him, a feeling that compelled him to follow.
After standing at the door for a moment, Harry returned to the broom cupboard, mounted his Nimbus 2000, and flew toward the Forbidden Forest.
He wanted to see what Snape was really up to. Snape was now walking quickly toward the Forbidden Forest. Just now, he had seen a black shadow heading into the Forbidden Forest. He was almost certain it was Quirrell.
Dumbledore had instructed him to keep a close eye on Quirrell long ago, so Snape immediately followed.
Several minutes later, Snape arrived at a clearing, and by then it was completely dark.
"You kept me... waiting... a long time..."
Snape heard a familiar voice coming from behind a tree, and his hair stood on end.
Though it was Quirrell's voice, the tone was distinctly different.
Finally, "Quirrell" appeared in front of Snape.
Snape immediately drew his wand.
Though the person before him still looked like the familiar Quirrell, Snape knew it was definitely not Quirrell.
After a few seconds of standoff, a voice that made Snape's skin crawl reached his ears: "I thought... you were still loyal to me, Snape."
Snape's pupils contracted sharply, and the tip of his wand trembled slightly. The identity of the person before him was unmistakable.
"Master..." Snape bowed his head slightly, his voice even hoarser than usual. "I am certainly loyal to you."
Quirrell—or rather, Voldemort—slowly walked up to Snape.
At that moment, the inside of Snape's left forearm burned slightly. This sensation was all too familiar—the Dark Mark!
"Raise your head," Voldemort said. "It's time to prove your loyalty, Snape."
"I have always been loyal to you, Master," Snape raised his head and looked directly into Voldemort's eyes. "Have you been resurrected?"
Voldemort slowly shook his head and said slowly: "This body is pathetically weak, it can barely contain my soul..."
At that moment, a night breeze blew by.
Snape saw Quirrell's turban, which covered half his face, get blown up. He clearly saw that the hidden face was covered with dense cracks.
It seemed Quirrell's body was completely incompatible with Voldemort and could collapse at any moment.
However, the fact that Voldemort was still alive was now right before his eyes.
"What do you need me to do, Master?" Snape asked cautiously.
Voldemort slowly paced around Snape, his eyes gleaming slightly red in the moonlight, and said in a hoarse voice: "The Philosopher's Stone."
"Do you need me to retrieve it for you?" Snape asked.
But Voldemort merely shook his head. "Tell me how to get past that dog. I will get it myself."
Snape was puzzled—how could the mighty Dark Lord be stopped by a dog?
But he dutifully replied: "The Killing Curse would work, Master."
"Fool!" Voldemort suddenly roared in rage. "Don't use the Killing Curse here! That old man would sense it!"
Snape quickly lowered his head. It seemed Voldemort's emotions were very unstable at the moment.
"Find a way past that dog," Voldemort finally calmed down and said. "Don't disappoint me."
At the same time, Snape felt his Dark Mark burning slightly again.
"As you command."
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Author's Note: Hey everyone! I know most of you commented for double simple chapters over single improved-reworked ones, but I'm trying to do better—I'm going to try for double improved-reworked chapters with daily uploads now starting from Chapter 142, Chapter 143 on Patreon.
You'll see the same quality double chapters out on Webnovel from Chapter 142 as well, assuming I can maintain the pace.
Just to clarify, I won't be going back to rework the earlier chapters (that would be a ton of work), but moving forward, you can expect the reworked chapters from Chapter 142 on Webnovel.
Thanks for your patience and continued support!
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You can read more chapters on:
patreon.com/IamLuis