After leaving the basement, Tewell did not go to check the situation on the fourth floor, but went straight back to his office, playing the role of an excellent, naive, pure-hearted professor.
At this point, it was wise to stay far away from Quirrell.
Then, this professor, seemingly as innocent as a white rabbit, pulled out a large parchment—"All is Permitted"—and immediately, a large ink spot appeared on the parchment.
From the center of the ink spot, black lines extended, continuously outlining all the buildings within the confines of Hogwarts Castle.
However, this professor was not deeply familiar with the school, so the details were a bit rough, with some ink lines thick, some thin, and others tangled up in a mess.
Nevertheless, these were all trivialities. The key thing was that thirty names appeared on the map, slowly moving around.
The Weasley brothers were lingering in the kitchen, probably asking the house elves for food;
Cedric was coincidentally on his way to the kitchen, and with a quick move, the three met in the kitchen;
There was also the only name shimmering in gold, very conspicuous—Harry Potter.
He was staying still in the common room, with Hermione Granger's name nearby.
Tewell moved his wand over Harry's name, and with a flash of light, a clear voice came through.
"...I was actually just a second away from hitting the troll before Malfoy did!"
"I saw it, Hermione was clearly creating an opportunity for you, but Malfoy snatched it!" This was Ron's voice.
"So, you guys aren't fighting anymore?"
"If she wasn't so high and mighty."
"If he'd stop badmouthing me." Hermione's voice then arose.
After a bit of noisy quarreling, their relationship eventually returned to normal, discussing the evening's lesson like friends.
After confirming that the badge and map were functioning correctly, Tewell put away the parchment—"All is Illusion."
This was Tewell's version of the Marauder's Map, only with a badge as a medium and a small modification mimicking the principle of the Mirror of Erised, allowing him to hear voices from those wearing the badges.
As for "All is Permitted" and "All is Illusion," they were his favorite declarations, so he used them as spells for the map.
The focus was now on Quirrell, just when—
"Knock, knock, knock."
A sudden knock on the door interrupted Tewell's thoughts.
He reluctantly looked towards the door.
It was Quirrell, whose stench could be smelled even through the door.
It seemed deliberate that he would come here when Tewell was avoiding him.
But no matter how reluctant, he had to open the door; if he kept knocking, it would attract unwanted attention.
As the door opened a crack, Quirrell, more agile than usual, darted inside.
Gently closing the door, Quirrell walked over with a smug step and sat down in front of Tewell.
After putting away the parchment, Tewell looked emotionlessly at him, their expressions a stark contrast.
"It seems you had quite the haul tonight?"
Quirrell became even more smug, his leg shaking uncontrollably.
"That's for sure, I've already found out that only one person is watching that corridor, guess who?"
"Snape."
"?"
Quirrell's shaking leg instantly stopped, and he asked in disbelief, "How did you know?!"
Tewell looked at Quirrell with a smirk, "You tell me about your findings first."
Recalling the events, Quirrell spoke hesitantly, "After leading the students and professors away tonight, I sneaked up to the fourth floor, but I didn't go in. Instead, I opened the door and hid nearby, observing."
"Not long after, Snape hurriedly arrived and, seeing the door open, he rushed in."
Quirrell chuckled maliciously, his expression twisted. "He even got scratched by that three-headed dog and limped out."
"So, you had me delay Snape tonight just to confirm this?" Tewell shook his head disapprovingly. "
Isn't that enough?!" Quirrell stood up abruptly.
"Now that we've avoided Snape, we can go get the Philosopher's Stone!"
Tewell shook his head in frustration. "You never think, do you? Besides Professor McGonagall, who assists Dumbledore in managing school affairs? It's Snape. And you're making such a fuss just to confirm the obvious."
Kid, I'm really disappointed in you.
"I... I..." Quirrell stammered, unable to form a coherent response.
He felt foolish tonight, especially since Snape had tracked him earlier, like using a cannon to kill a mosquito – it was overkill.
"Don't 'I-I-I' me. What's your next plan?"
"Why should I tell you?" Quirrell suddenly became defiant.
"Then don't come asking for my help next time. It's hard enough for me to prepare lessons for the students, unlike you, playing like Lockhart." Quirrell panicked; his abilities and cunning couldn't match Tewell's, and without him, progress would surely slow down.
"Wait, I've been investigating Snape's setup; I can confirm it involves potions!"
"Are you an idiot? Snape, the master of potions, needs you to confirm potion matters?!"
"Uh, well, okay," Quirrell chuckled awkwardly, "you handle the chessboard, I'll handle the potions. As long as we overcome these two challenges, we can get the Philosopher's Stone!"
Tewell glanced meaningfully at Quirrell's somewhat pale face.
It's me, only I can get the Philosopher's Stone.
"Then I'll count on you to work harder. Remember, the Philosopher's Stone is our priority, don't get distracted by trivial matters."
Quirrell nodded indifferently and left the office cautiously.
"He won't live much longer,"
Quirrell said as soon as he left, the ring eager to speak.
"Half of his life force has been absorbed by the main body, much like your situation, or even worse. If things go as expected, he might only live for a few months, at most half a year."
Tewell took out the ring and played with it in his hand. "I remember, absorbing life force to condense a semi-entity. So why does your main body keep attaching itself to Quirrell?"
"Ha, obviously to escape!"
The ring chuckled, and Tewell understood.
In a soul state, only by making a horcrux could one be bound.
But it's different with a semi-entity; he had at least ten ways to trap Voldemort.
"So, Voldemort also knows this is a trap against him?"
"Of course, except for that fool Quirrell, who wouldn't know it's a trap? It's as if there's a sign at the door saying 'Philosopher's Stone Inside.'"
"Of course, that fool Quirrell might have realized it too..."
Tewell ignored the chatter of the ring and looked at the symbol on his wrist.
This was Dumbledore's gambit, but even if it was a trap, he would step into it!
"By the way, your main body can't deal with this curse either?"
The ring abruptly stopped and then smirked. "You forget, curses are evil prophecies, once tainted, there's no escape~"