Tewell certainly knew that the students now both loved and hated him. In fact, despite their complaints, when it came to the Light Ball game, they actively participated, didn't they?
Moreover, he had more pressing issues now.
From that evening's encounter, either Snape or Dumbledore must have a special skill to sense something unusual on the fourth floor.
If someone were to steal the Philosopher's Stone, Dumbledore would probably be everywhere.
Luckily, he had his Good Quirrell.
...
After nightfall, the castle returned to its peaceful atmosphere.
"All things are transient."
Tewell put away the magic dot map.
According to the time he and Quirrell had agreed upon, he came to the Forbidden Forest under the cover of night.
This was his "second time" here.
He didn't know if the magical power left by Hagrid was working, but he felt an inexplicable closeness to the Forbidden Forest.
He also clearly felt where Quirrell was.
Following the trail, Quirrell was also chasing a unicorn.
The poor unicorn was fleeing, its wounds bleeding, but Quirrell seemed to be toying with it, using various magic to block its escape routes. When all the routes were blocked, the unicorn found itself with nowhere to run, only able to face Quirrell.
Tears of sadness flowed from its eyes as the unicorn stared firmly at the wizard who wanted to harm it.
"Poor little creature, remember to stay away from me in the next life," Quirrell's wand flipped, "Avada Kedavra!"
A green light flashed, and the unicorn closed its eyes in resignation. But seconds later, it felt no discomfort.
Opening its eyes, it saw a golden membrane dissipating in front of it.
"Don't be so impatient. Didn't we agree to act tonight?" Tewell emerged from the shadows, smiling at Quirrell. "I've heard that killing brings misfortune to one's future actions."
The unicorn was puzzled for a moment, not understanding the scene before it. But realizing it was still alive, it quickly fled into the pitch-black depths of the Forbidden Forest.
"So, you're already thinking about weakening my strength before we even start our mission?"
Quirrell's pale face contorted slightly, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, his wand never lowering.
Tewell paid no attention,
casually extending his hand to cast "shielding" magic around them as if they were truly intimate partners.
After completing everything, Tewell smiled as he walked up to Quirrell.
"It seems your master is quite harsh on you, forcing you to extract unicorn blood every day to prolong his life," he said, holding his hands in front of him to show he meant no harm.
"Don't worry, let's discuss tonight's plan instead."
Quirrell's eyes twitched, staring at him for a while before darkly saying, "Ten minutes ago, Dumbledore received a letter from the Ministry of Magic and left Hogwarts."
"Very good. What about the other professors in the castle?"
"Isn't that your responsibility?!"
"Sorry, it's just a bad habit of mine after being a professor for so long, always asking questions." Tewell smirked.
"I will personally stay here, pretending to harm Harry Potter, who is in solitary confinement tonight, causing a commotion. Then everyone's attention will be in the Forbidden Forest."
Now it was Quirrell's turn to nod in satisfaction.
"Good. After obtaining the Philosopher's Stone, we'll use the secret passage to go to Hogsmeade and leave here far away!"
"Yes, far away."
The two of them laughed insincerely.
Little did they know, behind a nearby tree, Harry and Ron were pale with fear, not daring to make a sound.
They trembled, mouths opening but no words came out until the two left. Only then did they dare to exhale.
"Hu... hurt us," Ron's teeth chattered in fear, emitting a squeaky sound, "Professor Fawley wouldn't do such a thing, right?"
"Didn't you hear? It's pretend. The professor is supposed to pretend to harm us, then distract the other professors so Snape can steal the Philosopher's Stone!"
Harry was also very afraid, but he didn't show it. Instead, he forced himself to calm down.
Ron anxiously said, "Shouldn't we hurry up and inform the other professors?"
This idea lingered in Harry's mind for a second before he dismissed it.
"No, Fawley is watching. If we boldly go to find the professors and run into him, what we say as students won't be as convincing as what he says!"
"Then not only won't we inform the professors, but we'll also risk exposing ourselves!"
"Think fast, what should we do? It would be great if Hermione were here now. She's so smart, she'll definitely come up with a good idea!"
He paced anxiously in circles, continuously tapping his head with his hand, as if this could knock out a good solution.
Unexpectedly, it was Ron who calmed down at this moment. He tapped Harry on the shoulder expressionlessly, "Then why don't we just go directly to find Hermione?"
The two stared at each other.
"..."
Embarrassed for a second, they didn't say anything and just ran back the way they came with their heads down.
Not long after they left the Forbidden Forest, there was a loud "bang" behind them, like a thunderclap.
Though they didn't see any flames, both Harry and Ron's hearts trembled with fear.
"It must be the professors starting their move. We must act quickly!" The more it came to this, the calmer Harry felt in his heart.
Infected by his composure, Ron also nodded firmly.
For some reason, they didn't encounter anyone along the way. Not even curious students, let alone professors.
But they didn't have time to think about it. Hurrying back to the common room, they heard another deafening noise from the Forbidden Forest, causing the castle to tremble.
Accompanied by this loud noise, through the windows, Harry saw flocks of birds flying away in panic, scrambling in all directions, just like his restless heart.
Some students in the common room stood up in surprise, peering out through the windows.
Others wanted to leave the common room to investigate the Forbidden Forest.
Percy immediately stood at the door, continuously stopping students from trying to run out, especially his eager twin brothers.
"It's curfew now. You can't go out!"
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, realizing the professors' plan was underway. They didn't dare to waste time and quickly found Hermione, who was anxiously watching them nearby.
"What happened to you guys?" The clever young witch saw the seriousness on their faces and immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Our detention is in the Forbidden Forest, searching for injured unicorns!" Harry quickly but clearly whispered their recent encounter to Hermione.
Hearing that Professor Fawley and Snape were going to steal the Philosopher's Stone tonight, Hermione trembled slightly.
"But... but the Philosopher's Stone is guarded by a three-headed dog, right?"
"Although I dislike Snape," Harry said helplessly, "you have to admit, he probably has at least ten thousand ways to make that fierce three-headed dog behave like a little puppy now."
"So what should we do now?" Ron said anxiously, his fists clenched tightly.
"Dumbledore is not at school. We should go and inform the professors. With them here, Snape won't be able to steal the Philosopher's Stone," Hermione hesitated as she made the suggestion.
Ron immediately shook his head in disagreement. "I bet all the professors are in the Forbidden Forest now. By the time we find them, Snape will have conjured up a pile of gold!"
Suddenly, Harry felt extremely calm, looking at his two companions with determination.
"So, we have to stop Snape!"