"Nothing that happens in this castle can escape Adam's notice," Quirrell said.
The vial of Veritaserum rolled to Sean's feet. Quirrell no longer wasted words. "Pick it up. Drink it. Tell me where the Philosopher's Stone is. You have ten seconds. Otherwise, I'll kill her."
Sean didn't hesitate. He bent down and picked up the vial. Whether Quirrell had the nerve to kill, he didn't know, but Voldemort certainly did.
Staring at the dark red liquid inside the vial, Sean's mind raced. "Weren't the professors supposed to be watching him? Wasn't someone supposed to protect me? Where are they? Why hasn't anyone arrived yet?"
As for revealing the Stone's location, Sean wasn't completely opposed. In Voldemort's current half-dead state, stealing the Philosopher's Stone from Nurmengard was nothing but a fantasy. Moreover, after the recent breach, the prison's defenses would only be tighter.
If things truly went beyond control, Sean could only resort to using the Killing Curse within the school. But if he did that, Dumbledore would start treating him the same way he once treated Tom Riddle. Staying at Hogwarts would become impossible.
"I'll drink it," Sean said. He pulled out the stopper and swallowed the Veritaserum in one gulp.
Quirrell smiled triumphantly. Now he would finally learn the Stone's location.
Under the influence of Veritaserum, Sean would have no choice but to speak the truth. His incomplete Occlumency wasn't enough to conceal reality.
The taste was unbearably bitter, like medicine brewed for three days straight. Sean shuddered violently. His head began to spin, as if he were drunk.
He grabbed onto the desk for support. Seeing the potion take effect, Quirrell immediately asked, "Where is the Philosopher's Stone?"
Sean's mouth answered before his mind could react. "Nurmengard prison. Grindelwald's cell."
"What?" Quirrell was stunned. He had never imagined the Stone would be hidden there.
"What other protective measures did Dumbledore set up?" he pressed.
"He sealed the Stone inside a fragment of the Mirror of Erised and gave it to Grindelwald," Sean replied.
Quirrell sneered. "How predictable. Does he have no creativity at all?"
Sean's head throbbed, as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. Only now did he understand how Veritaserum worked.
At that moment, five minutes had passed since Sean entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Snape finally arrived.
"Professor… you're finally here," Sean said weakly.
Snape glanced at the vial on the ground and immediately understood what had happened. He turned to Quirrell in fury. "You used Veritaserum on a student? Despicable. Unforgivable."
Quirrell, who normally stammered in front of Snape, had completely dropped his disguise. He smiled indifferently. "For the Philosopher's Stone, this is nothing. Even killing him wouldn't make me hesitate."
Snape instantly drew his wand, his eyes sharp like a striking serpent.
At that moment, Professor McGonagall also arrived. Seeing Chris unconscious and Sean weakened, she was equally furious. "They're just children! How could you harm them like this?"
"Professor McGonagall, don't waste time talking," Snape said, preparing to attack.
But McGonagall stopped him. "No, Severus. Chris is still in his hands."
christina crouch, granddaughter of Barty Crouch. If anything happened to her at Hogwarts, the Ministry might shut the school down entirely. Last year, Crouch had already warned Dumbledore—if anything happened to Chris, he would show no mercy.
With both professors present, Sean thought Quirrell would be subdued immediately and Chris would be safe.
He was wrong.
Quirrell was far stronger than before.
"christina crouch… I won't return her yet," Quirrell said coldly. "If you want her back, trade the Philosopher's Stone."
He grabbed the unconscious Chris and leapt out of the third-floor window.
"No!" Sean shouted. He hadn't expected Quirrell to take such a risk.
The three rushed to the window. Under the moonlight, Quirrell rose into the air. On his face was a mask, and Sean recognized it instantly.
"The Mask of Pain… there's another one!"
Last year, Conrad Coates had worn this magical artifact and his power had skyrocketed, to the point that even Snape couldn't handle him.
Quirrell had mentioned Haerpo earlier. The mask must have come from him. How many of these terrifying artifacts did Haerpo have? Were they mass-produced?
Although Quirrell's magic had surged, the flight spell wasn't his—it was being cast by Voldemort on the back of his head.
The weakened Voldemort had regained some strength through the Mask of Pain, to the point where he no longer needed to feed on unicorn blood.
Sean's head was still spinning. He tried to give chase, but couldn't focus enough to cast a flight spell. Snape, however, wasted no time and flew out after them.
"Damn it… how did things turn out like this?" Sean muttered in frustration.
"Severus, are you going to betray your master?" Quirrell called out.
"Everything you do, my master can see. He resides within me."
Snape froze midair. Then, from Quirrell's body, another voice spoke—a voice he both recognized and feared.
"Severus… are you trying to stop me?"
"Master…" Snape's expression changed. He hadn't expected Voldemort to be inside the school.
"That girl is from the Crouch family. Taking her will provoke them. You have not yet recovered, my Lord. It is unwise to make more enemies," Snape said.
He wanted to save Chris, but Voldemort dismissed it arrogantly. "The Crouch family? Even better."
Quirrell flew away. Snape didn't pursue.
He couldn't risk exposing himself in front of Voldemort. If Voldemort discovered that he had defected to the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's plans would be ruined.
Snape returned to the window. "Inform Dumbledore immediately," he said to McGonagall.
Sean stood there, staring blankly outside like his soul had left his body. Even with his knowledge of the plot, he was now completely lost. Everything had gone off track.
"She won't be harmed until they get the Philosopher's Stone," Snape said, looking at him.
"Professor… I need a Time-Turner," Sean said suddenly.
"It's too late. The process to obtain one is far too complicated," Snape replied.
"Mr. Crouch… he could get one without going through the process," Sean said urgently.
"No. We can't tell him. If he finds out, whether for personal or official reasons, he'll shut down Hogwarts. We have to rescue Chris ourselves."
Sean's mind was in chaos. At a time like this, who cared whether the school would be shut down?
But from the perspective of the school—and even the wizarding world—this matter couldn't be made public.
If word spread that the granddaughter of the Crouch family had been kidnapped by the Dark Lord, it would cause widespread panic.
For now, all they could do was wait.
Wait for Voldemort's next move.
And find a suitable explanation for Chris's disappearance—one that wouldn't raise suspicion from Cassius and the others.
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