"I sll sothing... extrely potent," Kane muttered, furrowing his brow as he signaled Harry and Ron.
"We sll it too," Harry and Ron replied, teeth gritted. They finally understood why the students who walked in after them had such bizarre expressions when they saw the three of them sitting in the very front.
So... why didn't anyone warn them?
"H-h-hello, everyone. I-I am... your D-Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. You may c-call ... Quirrell—"
Kane's lip twitched as he watched Professor Quirrell stamr through his introduction, pick up the textbook, and... start reading from page one. He read word-for-word, starting from the author's biography, and continued for the entire period!
In the final ten minutes of the lesson, perhaps because he was tired from reading, Quirrell allowed the students to take out their wands and practice any spells they found interesting, while he stayed on the podium boasting about his past "exploits."
Kane finally let out a long, shaky breath. Attending Quirrell's class felt like a targeted attack on his Sanity; he felt like he'd need to sleep wearing a Garland of Flowers tonight just to recover.
Poof!
"Don't you think there's sothing wrong with this man?" Maxwell suddenly appeared in front of Kane, leaning his hands on the desk and nodding toward Quirrell.
"Got a theory?" Kane leaned back, curious.
"I feel like he's very similar to —extrely similar. A pathetic figure seduced by power, eventually reduced to a puppet."
"The difference is, I was seduced by the Codex Umbra and beca the King of the Constant. But him? I don't know what lured him, but I can clearly see his life force draining away like water from a sieve."
"He likely won't live to see next winter," Maxwell said, his tone dripping with mockery.
"So Professor Quirrell has so dark secrets we don't know about. Then what did Dumbledore an last night? 'Make a good impression'..." Kane's eyes widened as it clicked. "Does he want to draw Quirrell's attention?"
"I don't like that old man. I can't see through him, but if I stood before him, I feel he could see through ." Maxwell tapped his finger on the desk. "So, are you going to do it?"
Kane raised an eyebrow. "A request from a lonely old man? It's just a small favor for . Why not?"
The bell rang shortly after. Harry and Ron bolted for the exit, then turned to see Kane lingering. It was one thing to stay behind for Flitwick or McGonagall, but staying for Quirrell was madness. There was no knowledge to be gained there.
More importantly, they finally had a chance to get a hot lunch!
To their horror, Kane clutched his textbook and marched resolutely toward Professor Quirrell, who was packing his things.
"rlin's beard," Ron groaned.
"How is this any different from eating trash?" Harry was genuinely shocked.
Almost every student in the room shared that sentint. Wait, mate? Do you have so kind of weird fetish for garlic and stuttering?
Hermione watched from the door, caught a whiff of the "authoritative" scent in the air, and decided that being a "Magical Aristocrat" was clearly harder than it looked. To subject oneself to that sll for extra credit... the price of power was high indeed!
The only person as surprised as the students was Quirrell himself. Given his teaching style, he had enough self-awareness to know that no one would ever seek him out for advice.
Yet here was a student, eyes bright with "curiosity" (though the dark circles under them were a bit concerning).
"D-do you... have a q-question?" Quirrell asked softly.
"Of course, Professor. You spent fifty minutes discussing specific counters for Dark creatures. I was wondering... is there a universal one?" Kane had stopped breathing through his nose, timing his inhalations for when he was speaking so he could filter the air through his mouth.
"U-universal? Yes... Yes, of course, there is a m-thod. This was s-supposed to be... for after H-Halloween, but since you a-asked, I shall t-tell you."
Quirrell took a piece of parchnt and scribbled a spell. "This is n-not in the book. It is v-very simple, no s-specific wand movent required... good for l-learning non-verbal magic. It is the Knockback Jinx (Flipendo). It has a d-distinctive forceful attribute."
Kane folded the parchnt. "If I have more questions, may I co to you?"
Quirrell's expression turned gleeful. "I'm sure a b-bright boy like you will m-master this quickly. But if you n-need , do c-co by."
"Thank you, Professor." Kane waved politely and practically sprinted out of the room. If he stayed any longer, he'd suffocate. If soone handed him a plain bun right now, he was convinced it would taste like garlic bread.
"You've made contact. Now what? Tell Dumbledore?" Maxwell asked, reappearing at his side.
"Otherwise, I slled that garlic for nothing. If I just wanted a jinx, I could have asked literally anyone else." Kane patted the parchnt in his pocket.
"Aren't you afraid of the danger?" Maxwell sneered before vanishing.
"Danger? I survived Charlie's kisses in the Constant; I'm not about to lose face here," Kane rolled his eyes.
Harry and Ron caught up and sniffed him. "If a dragon tried to eat you right now, it would use you as a palate cleanser after eating Hagrid."
"The sll will fade. Anyway, is lunch still served?"
The three exchanged a look.
Clang... Clang... CLANG!
"The atballs are ready. Dig in."
Back in the dormitory, Kane had scavenged so snacks and used his cauldron to "craft" a batch of atballs. After the trio had eaten their fill, they slumped back, finally feeling human again.
"What's next on the schedule?" Kane asked lazily.
Harry checked the titable on the wall. "Potions."
Kane sat bolt upright. He looked at the cauldron he had just used to make lunch, then at his own reflection. His "passive skill" of throwing ingredients into a pot and automatically creating food was about to et its greatest challenge.
Potions class... it was finally here.
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