As Dumbledore departed, he carried with him not only the Philosopher's Stone and the Mirror of Erised but also Quirrell's discarded invisibility cloak. Left behind, Quirrell's body slumped to the ground, his emotions swinging from euphoria to despair, his spirit weighed down by a heavy burden.
"Master... what now?" Quirrell's thoughts drifted to Voldemort, a flicker of fear dancing in his mind. He feared his own uselessness to Voldemort, dreading the possibility of Voldemort's wrath should he fail.
"Go... hunt the unicorns," Voldemort's voice echoed weakly in Quirrell's mind. "In the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts... and in Liguria, Italy... find them."
But Voldemort's command remained unfinished, his strength waning. Quirrell sensed Voldemort slipping into a deep slumber, his own relief palpable as he waited for the darkness to consume his master's consciousness. With cautious movements, Quirrell gathered his belongings and departed the desolate island.
The unpredictability of Dumbledore's actions left Quirrell unsettled. Despite his efforts, he found himself back at square one, haunting the unicorns. Fearful of returning to Hogwarts, Quirrell resolved to seek his fortune in Italy.
Yet, the hunt for unicorns proved daunting. Their elusive nature tested Quirrell's patience, and the weight of their blood on his hands weighed heavily upon his conscience.
"Even without the Philosopher's Stone, Mr. Saruman claims he can restore the master..." Quirrell lamented, a tinge of regret evident in his voice. "It's a shame the master isn't inclined to cooperate with Mr. Saruman, otherwise..."
If only Voldemort would acquiesce to Saruman's authority, Quirrell thought, managing him would be considerably simpler.
Saruman's words struck a chord of truth within Quirrell; he even dared Voldemort to verify them. If that were the case, what if Voldemort yielded to Saruman?
"The allure of immense power, of eternal life... If I were to submit to Saruman..." A sudden realization dawned on Quirrell. Initially, he had aligned himself with Voldemort due to the promises of great rewards, but none seemed as enticing as Saruman's propositions.
Yet, Quirrell acknowledged that he was not Voldemort, and it seemed that Saruman was a worthy master for him.
...
In the Slytherin dormitory at Hogwarts, Artel stowed away the Ithil crystal, reclining on his bed and shutting his eyes.
"With Dumbledore in possession of the Philosopher's Stone, Voldemort's menace is diminished, allowing me to focus on Gandalf," he mused.
"When Voldemort awakens from his slumber, he'll likely turn to me. By then, the world will be abuzz with tales of Gandalf, confirming to him that I spoke the truth and he lost the Philosopher's Stone. Despite his grand schemes, I remain his optimal choice."
Artel recognized Voldemort's incapability to truly surrender or form a pact with him, but that was inconsequential; he merely sought to exploit Voldemort.
Though Artel harbored no fondness for Voldemort, he understood the use of his name in the poorblood faction of the British wizarding world.
With Voldemort brandishing the banner of Sauron's servant, the dread of Sauron within the British magical community would swiftly peak.
"There's not much on the agenda... I need to brainstorm some additional plot twists... How about I tackle the giant snake in the secret chamber? Maybe I can use Nagini to subdue it. After all, she's a magical creature with a deadly gaze, perfect for instilling fear and chaos."
Feeling drowsy, Artel succumbed to sleep.
Thankfully, it was Saturday, granting Artel the luxury of sleeping in. Waking up at eleven felt like a blessing compared to the usual early mornings.
Upon awakening, Artel noticed Malfoy sitting on the nearby sofa, staring blankly at his bed.
"Malfoy, what's caught your eye?" Artel inquired as he rose from bed.
"Oh! Thank Merlin you're up..." Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief, rising to his feet. "Hermione has been waiting for you in the common room basement for ages... She mentioned you skipped breakfast and haven't been seen since, so she grew concerned and sent me... But, you know, you've got some magic mojo around your bed... I couldn't get close..."
Malfoy explained, and Artel nodded in understanding.
Realizing he had overslept and that Hermione had been worried, Artel expressed his gratitude to Malfoy.
"Thank you," Artel said sincerely as they exchanged appreciative nods before both going to change out of their pajamas.
"It's nothing... I mean, it's what a friend would do," Malfoy responded, though Artel's gratitude oddly warmed him. If his father knew, he'd likely be in for an earful.
....
Once dressed, Artel made his way to the common room basement, where Hermione stood near the entrance.
Instead of engrossed in a book, Hermione appeared anxious, her gaze fixed on the Slytherin common room entrance.
"Artel! You're finally here! Are you feeling unwell?" Hermione rushed over upon spotting him.
Artel felt a surge of affection and gently patted Hermione's head. "I'm okay. I was experimenting with some magic last night and overexerted myself mentally, so I overslept this morning... I apologize for causing you worry."
"As long as you're not sick," Hermione sighed in relief, offering a reassuring smile. "Just avoid risky spells in the future. What if something had happened to you? You skipped breakfast, so you must be hungry now."
Glancing at the clock, Hermione noted it was past eleven.
"It's lunchtime. Let's head to the Great Hall for some snacks," she suggested, leading Artel toward the first floor.
Since it was Saturday, most third-year and above students had gone to Hogsmeade, making the Great Hall less crowded than usual.
Artel and Hermione found a spot and ordered some fruit pudding.
"This morning, something peculiar happened..." Hermione began, her tone conspiratorial.
"Harry's invisibility cloak, which he thought Professor Snape had taken, inexplicably turned up beside his bed this morning."
"Also, the ban on the fourth floor has been lifted. Harry mentioned that the three-headed dog has been relocated, and everything's back to normal there..."
"And... the Daily Prophet ran a story about Headmaster Dumbledore... concerning the Philosopher's Stone."
Hermione retrieved a copy of the Daily Prophet from her bag, showing Artel the front-page article featuring Dumbledore.
The headline read, "Dumbledore, Wizarding World's Sinner!"
"It appears Rita... or the Daily Prophet, decided to cover Voldemort... Fudge has only been Minister of Magic for a year and hasn't fully controlled the Daily Prophet... Though it's possible this is the work of his political adversaries..."
Artel recalled that in the original story, Voldemort had returned, but Fudge dismissed Dumbledore's warnings, allowing the Daily Prophet to publish slander against him. However, by then, Fudge had been in power for several years and wielded considerable influence over the Ministry of Magic.
"But... Dumbledore managed to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone," Artel remarked, a sly grin spreading across his face.
With such a colossal blunder, the Daily Prophet was sure to be in a frenzy...
.....
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