Harry Potter and the Way of Reason

The Defense Professor had set up the cauldron: with a wave of his wand, the cauldron floated into place, with another wave, and a fire lit beneath it.The Defense Professor's fingers circled a little, and a ladle began to move, then continued to stir despite being left alone.Now the Defense Professor weighed out a bunch of flowers from the vat, which Harry guessed were bellflowers; the indigo petals glowed in the white light from the wall, and the petals curved inward as if shyly.The first flowers in the pile were immediately added to the potion, but for a while the cauldron just continued to stir on its own.

From where the Defense Professor was standing, he had only to turn his head slightly to see Harry, and Harry knew he was in the corner of the Defense Professor's eye.

In the corner, a Fiendfire phoenix waited; the stone near the phoenix gradually melted and became smoother, showing a slick luster.The crimson light from the flaming wings stained everything in the room with blood, reflected in the crimson flames shining from the glass vessels.

"Time is ticking," said Professor Quirrell. "If you have a question, ask."

Why, Professor Quirrell, why, why do you have to be like this, why do you turn yourself into a monster, why do you want to be Voldemort, I know what you want may be different from what I want, but I can't imagine what you want What do you want, the best way to get it may be this way...

This was what Harry's brain wanted to know.

And what Harry needed to know was... how to prevent what was going to happen next.But the defense professor has said he won't talk about his future plans.It was odd enough that the Defense Professor was willing to open his mouth to talk about something; it would certainly be against one of his Dark Lord rules...

"I'm thinking about it," Harry answered.

Professor Quirrell smiled slightly.He was grinding the potion's first magic ingredient - the glowing red hexagons - into powder with a pestle. "I quite understand," said the Defense Professor, "but don't think about it for too long, boy."

Goal: Prevent Voldemort from harming others, find a way to kill him or subdue him, but first get the Philosopher's Stone, bring Hermione back to life...

...convince Professor Quirrell to stop, stop this...

Harry swallowed, suppressing emotion, trying to keep the tears from welling up in his eyes.Tears probably didn't make a good impression on Voldemort.Professor Quirrell was already frowning, although from the direction of his gaze, he was examining a brightly colored leaf of white, green and purple.

There is no obvious way to achieve any of the above goals, and there is no way yet.All Harry could do was ask questions that were most likely to provide useful information, even if Harry hadn't planned yet.

So let's just pick the most interesting thing to ask?Harry's Ravenclaw said, I strongly support it.

Shut up.Harry commanded the voice; then thought about it, and decided not to pretend it was a real voice in the future.

Four topics came to Harry's mind, and they were the highest priority in terms of curiosity about what was important.Then, he would try to finish asking these four questions, the four main questions, while the potion was brewing.

Four questions...

"My first question," said Harry, "was, "What the hell happened on the night of October 1981, 10?" Why was this night different from the others... "I want to hear the whole truth, please."

How and why Voldemort survived the illusion of his own death is probably important for setting future plans.

"I guessed you were going to ask that," said Professor Quirrell, dropping a bellflower and a shimmering white stone into the potion. "First of all, everything I told you about the Horcrux spell was true; you should have realized it, because I was speaking in Parseltongue."

Harry nodded.

"After you learned the details of this spell, within a few seconds, you saw its most serious flaw and began to wonder how it could be improved. Do you think the behavior of young Tom Riddle would be any different from yours? ?”

Harry shook his head.

"Ah, he doesn't react the way you do," said Professor Quirrell. "Every time I'm about to despair of you, I remind myself that I was an idiot when I was twice your age. Made my first Horcrux myself, following instructions from a certain book; Abigail Myrtle died under the watchful eye of a Slytherin basilisk, and I took advantage of her death. I plan on leaving Hogwarts Create a new horcrux every year after twilight; this is my fallback if other hopes of immortality are dashed. Looking back, young Tom Riddle was just trying to grab at straws. As for making better horcruxes The idea of ​​not being content with the spells I've learned... I never had it until one day I understood the stupidity of ordinary people and realized what absurd behavior I'd been imitating them. But gradually I Acquired a habit: Every time I encounter a case, I ask how I can do it better. You also inherited this habit from me. Should I be content with the mantra I learned from the book, which is far from satisfying my real desire A joke! So I started trying to create a better spell."

"And now you're really immortal?" Harry knew that, with all the great things going on, the question was far more important than war and strategy.

"Indeed it is," replied Professor Quirrell.He paused the potion brewing operation and turned to face Harry; his eyes were full of ecstasy that Harry had never seen before. "In all the darkest witchcraft I could find, in all the forbidden secrets that the monsters of Slytherin had given me a key to, in all the legends that wizards have passed down to the present, I found only a hint of what I needed. And so I reprogrammed it, remade it, created a new ritual on a new principle. The ritual burned in my mind for many years; Fine adjustments, waiting for my intentions to take shape. Finally, I mustered up the courage to perform the ritual—a sacrificial ritual invented, based on a principle untested by any known magic. I survived until the Now." There was a quiet sense of triumph in the Defense Professor's voice, as if the feat couldn't be overstated no matter the rhetoric. "I kept the title 'Horcrux,' but only for nostalgia. It's something completely new, and it's my greatest creation."

"As one of the questions you said you would answer, I asked how to cast the spell," said Harry.

"Refused." The defense professor turned around and continued to operate the potion.He added a gray-speckled white feather and a bellflower: "I thought about teaching you when you were a little older, or no version of Tom Riddle would be enough; but I changed my mind. "

Sometimes it's really hard to recall memories.Harry tried to remember if Professor Quirrell had given any hints on the subject before.Professor Quirrell's phrasing awakened a memory: maybe when you're older you'll tell you...

"You still need material support for your immortality," Harry blurted out, "the new spell has at least this similarity to the old Horcrux spell, which is another reason why you still call the new creation a Horcrux." It's pretty dangerous to come out, but Harry needs to know if that's the case, "If I'm wrong, you can deny it in Parseltongue."

Professor Quirrell smiled evilly: "[Snake] You guessed it, boy, but it won't help you. [Snake Bi]"

Unfortunately, this weakness wasn't hard to cover up if the enemy was smart; Harry usually didn't give good advice to the enemy in case the enemy hadn't figured it out himself, but this time, he had already suggested it. "A Horcrux was thrown into an active volcano, and the Horcrux was added weight to ensure that it would sink into the mantle;" Harry said heavily, "Exactly what I thought, if I couldn't destroy the Dementor, I would put the Dementor Throw it in this place. Then you ask me, if I want to hide something, never want someone to find it again, where would I hide it. A horcrux buried thousands of meters deep in the earth, flat in the earth's crust A horcrux was thrown into the Mariana Trench by you. A horcrux was invisible and floated high in the stratosphere of the atmosphere. Even you didn’t know where those horcruxes were, because you forgot yourself Blank, got the specifics out of my head. The last horcrux was the metal plate of Pioneer 11 that you infiltrated NASA and manipulated. When you cast the astral spell, your image of the stars is taken from it. Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Void." "Like a puzzle," was how the Defense Professor had described it, so Harry memorized it.Like a puzzle [1].

"That's right," said the defense professor. "I was surprised that you remembered it so quickly; but I don't think it matters. These five Horcruxes are all out of my reach, and so are you. Same."

Not necessarily, especially if there is some way to trace the magical connection and thus locate the Horcruxes... But it is predictable that Voldemort will definitely do his best to hide the Horcruxes... But maybe everything that magic can do is also possible. Can be broken with magic.Pioneer 11 may be far away by wizarding standards, but NASA knows exactly where it is, and if you can magically tell the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation to fuck off,[2] then reach the Pioneer 11 will probably be much easier...

Harry suddenly felt a little worried: no one stipulated that the professor of defense must reveal which interstellar probe he turned into a Horcrux; if Harry remembered correctly, after the Pioneer 10 probe flew by Jupiter, it soon Soon lost contact and trace.

Why doesn't Professor Quirrell turn both No. 10 and No. 11 into Horcruxes?

The next obvious thought popped into Harry's mind.If the enemy hadn't thought of it, he shouldn't have brought it up; but it seemed likely that the enemy had.

"[Snake] tell me, teacher, [Snake Bi]" Harry asked in a snake language hissing, "[Snake] if all five Horcruxes are destroyed, will you die? [Snake Bi]"

“[Snake] Why do you ask? [Snake Bi]” the defense professor replied hissingly, the ups and downs in the hissing in Snake language indicate the snake’s interested tone, “[Snake] Do you doubt that the answer is no? ? [Snake Bi]”

Harry couldn't think of an answer, although he strongly suspected it didn't matter what he answered.

"[Snake] You're right in your suspicions, kid. Destroying those five won't make me immortal. [Snake Bi]"

Harry's throat was a little dry again.If the Horcrux Charm didn't have to pay a catastrophic price... "[Snake] How many did you make? [Snake Bi]"

"[Snake] I usually wouldn't say it, but you've obviously guessed it. [Snake Bi]" the defense professor's smile deepened, "[Snake] the answer is that I don't know either. Do about a hundred No more counting at zero and seven. Just get into the habit of doing one every time you murder in private. [Snake Bi]”

Murdered more than 100 people in private before Voldemort stopped counting.And there's even worse news - "Your immortality spell still requires the death of a human? Why?"

"[Snake] My great invention sacrifices the lives and magic of others to create treasures that can sustain life and magic. [Snake Bi]" He hissed again, "[Snake] I like the old soul very much The wrong description of the Horcrux Curse, and I was disappointed when I realized the truth, so the idea of ​​​​the improved Horcrux Curse became like this. [Snake Bi]”

Harry wasn't sure why the Defense Professor was giving him such vital information, but he certainly had a reason; it made Harry uneasy. "So you're really a ghost possessed by Quirinus Quirrell."

"[Snake] yes. If this body is killed, I will return soon, very displeased and vindictive. [Snake Bi] told you this so you don't do stupid things."

"I understand," Harry said.He tried to gather his thoughts, remembering what he was going to ask next, and the Defense Professor turned his gaze back to the potion, dropping crushed shells into the cauldron with his left hand, and another bellflower with his right. "So what actually happened on October 31st? You... tried to convert a baby Harry Potter into a Horcrux, either an old Horcrux or a new Horcrux. You did it on purpose because You said to Lily Potter," Harry took a deep breath.Now that he knew why he was creeped out, he could live with the feeling, "Fine, I take the deal. You die, the kid lives. Now drop your wand and let me kill you." Turn back It seemed obvious that Harry's memory of the event was mainly from Voldemort's perspective, and until the very last moment he was viewing it from the perspective of baby Harry Potter. "What did you do? Why did you do it?"

"Trelawney's prophecy," said Professor Quirrell, tapping a bellflower with a copper bar before dropping it into the cauldron. "I've spent a long time thinking about the prophecy after Snape brought it to me. Prophecies are never trivial things. How can I tell you so you don't try to do something stupid... well, I'll just Said; but I'd be annoyed if you were stupid. The prophecy asserts that someone will be my equal, which fascinates me, because it might mean that the person can have a non-stupid conversation with me. Surrounded by loud, ignorant humans In 50 years, I don't care if my reaction falls into a narrative cliché. I don't intend to pass up the opportunity without thinking. Then, you see, I have a good idea." Professor Quirrell sighed He took a breath, "I thought of a way to achieve the prophecy in my own way, and let the prophecy be used by me. By casting the old Horcrux spell, I can imprint my soul on the baby's blank state, so that I can mark the baby as my own. and since there is no old self to mix with the new self, the baby will be a purer copy of myself. When many years from now, when I tire of ruling England and turn to other things, I will have another Tom Riddle 'beat' me, and he will rule over the England he saved. We can play the game forever as rivals, and have fun in a world of fools. I know dramatists will predict our ultimate destruction each other; but I deliberated long and hard, and finally decided that we would both just refuse to act like that. It was my decision, and I'm sure it wouldn't change; both Tom Riddles, I think, were too smart to be real Go that way. The prophecy seems to imply that if I destroy Harry Potter until nothing remains, our souls won't be too different, and we'll be able to coexist in the same world."

"Something happened," said Harry, "that blew off the roof of the Potters' house in Godric's Hollow, and left me with a scar on my forehead and your charred corpse."

Professor Quirrell nodded and slowed down his potion work. "That's when our magic resonated," said Professor Quirrell softly, "when I shaped the baby's soul to resemble myself..."

Harry remembered the moment in Azkaban when Professor Quirrell's Death Curse collided with his own Patronus.There was a searing, tearing pain in his forehead, as if his head was about to split open.

"I can't count the number of times I think back on that night, on my mistakes, on the wiser moves I could have taken," Professor Quirrell said, "and then I decide I should have dropped the wand , into my own Animagus form. But that night...that night, I instinctively tried to control the chaotic fluctuations in my magic, even though I could feel myself on fire at the time. I made the wrong decision, So I failed. So my body was destroyed, although I had rewritten the mind of baby Harry Potter; we were all destroyed by each other, except for a small remnant of it. And then..." Professor Quirrell The expression appeared restrained, "Then, when I regained consciousness in the Horcrux, I found that my greatest creation was not working as I hoped. I should have the ability to float out of the Horcrux, untethered, and possess Victims who allow me to enter, or are too weak to deny me. But at this point, my great creation does not do what I want. Like the original Horcrux spell, I can only enter the body of the person who has physical contact with the Horcrux. body...and I hid my countless Horcruxes where no one could find them. Your instincts were right, boy, now is not a good time to laugh."

Harry remained absolutely silent.

The potion making has temporarily come to an end, no more raw materials will be added at this time, and the crucible is simmering on a low fire. "Most of the time, I'm looking at the stars." Professor Quirrell's voice was softer now.The defense professor looked at the white glowing room wall, and no longer turned to the potion, "My only hope is on the horcruxes I hid in my youth, when I was too stupid to be cured. Fill the horcruxes with the curse into ancient lockets, instead of nameless pebbles; and hide Horcruxes under a well of poison in the middle of a lake full of Inferi, instead of sending Horcruxes into the sea with portkeys. If anyone finds out what I did when I was young Horcruxes, and broke their ridiculous protective measures... However, this hope is too slim, I am not sure if I will ever have a body again. But at least I am immortal. My great creation at least Saved me from the worst of fate. I had nothing to look forward to and nothing to fear. I decided not to go crazy, since it would do no good. I turned to the stars and started thinking, while the sun slowed behind me. Slowly shrinking. I reflect on the mistakes of my past life; in hindsight, I have made many mistakes. In my imagination, I create powerful new rituals; if I can use magic freely again, I am sure that I can Eternal life, I may try these rituals. I have spent far longer than before pondering the ancient riddle, because the patience I was proud of in my previous life seemed to be worthless at the time. I know that once I break free from prison, Will be much stronger than myself in the previous life. But I basically don't expect myself to escape." Professor Quirrell turned to face the potion, "Nine years and four months have passed since that night, a man named Querrey Nath Quirrell's adventurer wandered past the protection of the horcruxes I made when I was young. You know the rest. Now, boy, you can say what we both know what you're thinking something."

"Well," said Harry, "it doesn't seem wise to say that—"

"It's not wise, Mr Potter. It's not wise at all to say that to me. Not at all. Not at all. But I know what you're thinking, and you'll keep thinking, and I'll know you Thinking about it until you say it. So say it."

"So. Um. I know this kind of thing is easier to see in hindsight than predict in advance, and I'm by no means suggesting that you correct this mistake now, but if you're a Dark Lord and you happen to hear of a prophesied Defeat your child, there is a spell in the world that is defenseless, irresistible, absolutely effective on all creatures with brains—"

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Potter. In the nine years since then, I have had this idea many times." Professor Quirrell picked up another bell flower and began to crush it with his bare hands. "I made this principle the cornerstone of my combat magic tutorial, but that was after I learned at great cost how important it was. It wasn't number one on young Tom Riddle's list .Which principles take precedence over which others have to be learned by hand, because on paper they seem equally important.In retrospect,it would have been better to have sent Bellatrix Black to Boston instead of me. But I have a rule that such things must be done in person, not by sending a trusted minion. Yes, I have considered using a Death Curse, but I am concerned that putting a Death Curse on a baby will somehow Causes a rebound, hits me, and fulfills the prophecy. How would I know then?"

"Then use an axe, it's hard to miss a spell with an axe to fulfill a prophecy," Harry said, and shut his mouth tightly.

"I decided the safest move was to try to fulfill the prophecy in my own way," Professor Quirrell said. "Needless to say, the next time I hear a prophecy I don't like, I'll do everything possible to dismantle it completely, rather than let it lead me by the nose." Professor Quirrell crushed a rose, as if to Squeeze juice out of it and still use only your bare hands. "And now everyone assumes that, for some reason, the Death Curse didn't work on the Boy Who Lived, completely ignoring the fact that the Death Curse doesn't destroy the house or leave a charred body, just because it doesn't occur to them that Voldemort could Use other spells."

Harry remained silent.It occurred to him that there was another obvious way Voldemort could avoid his mistake.Maybe Muggle's growth environment is more conducive to the formation of this way of thinking, but it is difficult to use the way of thinking that wizards are used to.

Harry hadn't yet decided whether to tell Professor Quirrell what he thought; pointing out the mistake would have both advantages and disadvantages.

After a while, Professor Quirrell picked up the next magic ingredient, which looked like a strand of unicorn hair. "I tell you this out of admonition," said Professor Quirrell, "don't think you can drag me out for another nine years just by destroying my present body in some way. Immediately upon my return I will be placed in a better place." Horcruxes, and now I don't even need that. I know where to find the Resurrection Stone, thanks to you. Of course, the Resurrection Stone can't really bring the dead back to life, but it holds a magic that is older than my magic. Spells, capable of projecting what appear to be souls, and because I have conquered death, the Hallows of Cadmus accept me as master, and submit to my will. I have incorporated it into my great creation." Quirrell The professor smiled slightly. "I considered making the Resurrection Stone into a Horcrux in the early years, but I rejected it because I realized that there was unknown magic in that ring... Ah, life is so full of irony. But I said far Yes. You, child, it is thanks to you that you set my soul free to roam freely and tempt the most suitable prey, because you are too bad at keeping secrets. This is true to all who resist me Devastating blow, you lightly raised your hand and drew a pattern in the saucer and it was done. If you learned the virtue of secrecy at an early age like a pure blood wizard, the world would be a lot safer for everyone. [Snake ] Everything I just told you is true. [Snake Bi]" The last words were hissed in Parseltongue.

Harry closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead; if he had been able to see from the outside, he would have seen himself exactly as Professor Quirrell had been in deep thought.

Even by the standards of unsolvable puzzles that Harry had already solved, beating Professor Quirrell looked increasingly difficult.If Professor Quirrell's purpose had been to make Harry understand the difficulty of the problem, he had succeeded.Harry had begun to seriously consider whether it would be better to offer himself as Voldemort's non-killer proxy to rule England in his stead, if Professor Quirrell would agree to stop killing people casually.Even if he agrees to basically not kill people casually.

But that's unlikely.

Harry sat on the ground, staring at his hands, feeling the sadness turning to despair.Voldemort, who gave Harry his dark side, thought it over, and spent a long time examining his own thought process...and then, finally, came the calm, cool, still murderous Professor Quirrell.

Professor Quirrell adds a lock of blond hair to the Radiance Potion, reminding Harry that time is still passing; bright hair has less ingredients than bellflowers.

"I'm going to ask my second question," said Harry. "Tell me about the Philosopher's Stone. Does it serve any purpose other than keeping Transfiguration permanent? Can more Philosopher's Stones be made, and why is it so difficult?"

Professor Quirrell was bending over the potion, Harry couldn't see his face. "Well, I'll tell you the history of the Philosopher's Stone that I infer. The only power of the Philosopher's Stone is to cast eternity, to turn temporary forms into real and permanent substances-this power is definitely beyond the ability of ordinary magic. Like Huo Creations like Gwartz Castle are sustained by a steady source of magic. Not even a Metamorphmagus can conjure golden nails and then cut them off and sell them. Theorists speculate this is because a Metamorphmagus can only recombine Their flesh and blood, like a Muggle blacksmith with a hammer and pliers; and their bodies do not contain any gold. Not even Merlin himself could create gold out of thin air, at least not in history. So we don't need to study it at all As you can guess, the Philosopher's Stone is an extremely ancient thing. By comparison, Nicolas Flamel was only 600 years ago. Tell me, boy, if you want to trace the history of the Philosopher's Stone, your next obvious question is What?"

"Er," said Harry.He rubbed his forehead, concentrating on thinking.If the Philosopher's Stone is extremely ancient, Nicolas Flamel only appeared 600 years ago.  … "Has there been any other extremely long-lived wizard who disappeared around the time that Nicolas Flamel appeared?"

"Almost," said Professor Quirrell. "Do you remember that six centuries ago there was a black witch known as the Immortal, Granny Yaga? It was rumored that she could heal any wound in herself, and could transform into any shape she wanted... Apparently, she holds The Stone of Eternity. Then one year, Grandma Yaga agreed to teach combat magic at Hogwarts, protected by an ancient and sacred truce." Professor Quirrell looked . . . angry, Harry It's rare to see him like this. "But people didn't trust her, so a curse was added. Some curses are easier to cast when the same constraints are placed on all parties involved. Slytherin's snake spell is one example. And this time, Granny Yaga's The signature, along with the signatures of all the students and professors at Hogwarts, were put together into an ancient magic vessel called the Goblet of Fire. Granny Yaga swore that she would not let the student shed even a single drop of blood, nor would she take any of the students' belongings. Take things for themselves. At the same time, the students swore not to bleed Granny Yaga, nor to take anything from her. So they all signed a peace treaty, as evidenced by the Goblet of Fire, and will punish anyone who breaks the agreement."

Professor Quirrell picked up a new ingredient, a pinch of disgusting-looking substance wrapped loosely around a gold thread. "Among the students who had just entered the sixth grade at that time, there was a witch named Perenal. Although her youthful beauty had just begun to bloom, her heart was already darker than Granny Yaga—"

"You're calling her evil?" Harry said, before realizing that he'd just committed the logical fallacy of calling her hypocritical[3].

"Be quiet, child, I'm telling a story. Where did it go? Ah, yes, the beautiful and greedy Perenal. Perenal spent months, with her clever teasing and disguise The innocence of the black witch seduced the black witch. She captured the heart of the black witch, and they became lovers. Then one night, Perenal whispered to her lover, saying how she had heard that Granny Yaga had the ability to transform, and the idea How to tease her to burn her body. So Perenal persuaded Granny Yaga to bring the Philosopher's Stone to see her, changing countless bodies overnight to please each other. Perenal let Granny Yaga change the shape One was a man's body, so they had intercourse. But Perenal was a virgin until that night. Because that era was quite conservative, the Goblet of Fire judged that this was to make Perenal shed blood and was taken away. Taking away what belonged to her. The black witch was conspired to become a breach of contract in this way, and the punishment of the Goblet of Fire made her lose all defenses. Perenal then killed the defenseless Granny Yaga who was sleeping peacefully on her bed , killed the Dark Witch who loved her and came to Hogwarts peacefully and in peace. This ended the contract between Dark Wizards and Dark Witches to teach battle magic at Hogwarts. For the next few centuries, the flame The mug was only used to oversee meaningless games between schools, and then sat in an unoccupied room at Beauxbatons until I stole it." Professor Quirrell took a small pale pink-brown The twig was thrown into the pot, and it turned white as soon as it touched the surface of the liquid. "But I'm going too far. Perenal stole the Philosopher's Stone from Granny Yaga and created Nicolas Flamel's name and identity. She also kept Perenal's identity and claimed to be Flame Er's wife. The so-called husband and wife have appeared together in public, but there are countless simple ways to create the illusion."

"And what about the making of the Philosopher's Stone?" said Harry, his brain working to process it all. "I saw the recipe in a book—"

"It's also a lie. Perenal created such an illusion, as if 'Nicolas Lemay' accomplished a feat that anyone can try, and obtained immortality by legitimate means. At the same time, she pointed out a false one for others Keeping them on the run, so they don't come after her plotting for the one true Philosopher's Stone, like she plotted for Granny Yaga." Professor Quirrell looked rather displeased. "You shouldn't be surprised. I spent years trying to realize that fake formula. Then you will ask me why I didn't kidnap, torture, and kill Perenal after I learned the truth."

Harry hadn't actually thought of the question.

Professor Quirrell went on: "The answer is that Perenal foresaw the ambitions of a dark wizard like myself. 'Nicolas Flamel' publicly swore an unbreakable oath not to surrender under any form of coercion." Philosopher's Stone - he claims to prevent greedy people from gaining immortality, as if he was serving the public good. I was worried that if Perenal died without revealing where he was hiding, the Philosopher's Stone would be lost forever , and the oath she made made the torture ineffective. Furthermore, I had hoped to obtain Perenal's knowledge, as long as I could figure out a way to make her speak. Although Perenal was not legendary when he debuted, but With the life of a wizard greater than herself in her hands, she traded bits of healing for secrets, bits of youth for power. Perenal wouldn't really rejuvenate anyone but herself, but If you ever heard of a wizard who lived to be 250 years old with a gray beard, you can be sure she played a role in it. By my generation, Perenal had amassed enough advantages to single-handedly beat Albus Dumbledore Pulling up to equal position with the Dark Lord Grinwald. When I played as Voldemort, Perenal pulled Dumbledore even higher, and every time Voldemort seemed to have the upper hand, she would draw from her hoard of secrets Dumbledore. I kept thinking I should come up with some clever idea to solve the situation, but in the end I didn't. I didn't attack her directly, because I still didn't fully grasp the greatness of my creation. ; maybe someday I'll need to go and beg her for some youth." Professor Quirrell dropped both bellflowers into the potion at the same time, and they seemed to melt into one when they touched the bubbling liquid. "But now that I have confirmed that my creation was successful, I have decided that the time has come to forcibly seize the Philosopher's Stone."

Harry hesitated. "I want you to answer in Parseltongue. Is all this true?"

"[Snake] has no falsities as far as I know, [Snakebi]," said Professor Quirrell, "and telling a story means filling in the gaps; I wasn't there when Perenal seduced Granny Yaga. [Snake] I think,