Chapter 237 "Professor Snape Confronted Quirell"

While Harry and Ron immersed themselves in their studies while searching for more notes in the Room of Requirement, Quirrell could be seen with a curious expression was, slowly immersing himself in the Book of Admittance in a tower at Hogwarts.

The dense record of names chronicled many wizards who left their mark on the magical world. As Quirrell flipped through the pages, the names of countless individuals unveiled their illustrious deeds.

"Found it!" Quirrell exclaimed as Wentworth's name finally manifested on the page before him. "Wentworth Grindelwald... Grindelwald? Grindelwald!"

A sudden, uncontrollable tremor coursed through Quirrell as he encountered the Grindelwald surname behind Wentworth. Utterly incredulous, he stammered, "Lord... Master... Is this the same Grindelwald that ruled as the previous Dark Lord before you...?"

Before Quirrell could complete his sentence, uproarious laughter erupted from the back of his head. "Haha...haha! Fate favors me! I never expected that Dumbledore's ardent efforts to conceal were centered around a scion of the Grindelwald family!"

"Though I'm uncertain why that immortal old man brought the progeny of his arch-nemesis to Hogwarts, but this time, I must express my gratitude. He has presented me with a golden opportunity!"

"As long as Wentworth Grindelwald willingly submits to me, uniting the Death Eaters and the Alliance, who in the entire wizarding world can thwart my ambitions? Who?!"

Upon hearing the voice behind him, Quirrell uncharacteristically interjected, "Master, but how do we make him submit? You witnessed what happened that night; Wentworth is no fool."

Snorting coldly, the voice behind Quirrell replied disdainfully, "Idiot, no matter how capable he is, he's just a child! We have a method to deal with him. The only thing to heed is avoiding Dumbledore's attention!"

Quirrell, acknowledging the caution regarding Dumbledore, nodded in agreement.

Having found the information he sought, he didn't linger. After placing the Book of Admittance back in its location, Quirrell descended from the Hogwarts Tower.

However, a sudden black shadow emerged from the side as Quirrell traversed a few steps into Hogwarts Castle.

Seizing the opportunity when Quirrell was unguarded, the elusive figure twisted Quirrell's neck with one hand and thrust him against the adjacent wall.

Being attacked at Hogwarts was an unforeseen turn of events for Quirrell.

After all, within Hogwarts, the person most likely to engage in such actions appeared to be Quirrell himself.

Confronted with the unexpected assault, Quirrell instinctively reached into his robes, intending to retrieve his wand.

However, the assailant was quicker. Before Quirrell could draw his wand, the adversary's wand was already pointed at Quirrell's forehead.

Witnessing this, Quirrell halted his attempt to retrieve his wand, raising his hands above his head as a sign of surrender. Illuminated by the moonlight, he recognized the assailant as Severus Snape.

With a resounding thud, Quirrell, having abandoned resistance, was swiftly pressed against the wall by Snape.

The impact jolted the back of his head against the hard surface, prompting a pained scream from Quirrell.

On the other side, in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, Harry was engrossed in flipping through his mother's notes when he suddenly clutched his forehead and emitted a sharp scream of pain.

Ron who was nearby, reacted swiftly to his scream and rushed toward Harry's side to assist him.

Ron lifted Harry from the ground with a concerned expression before inquiring, "Harry, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

Wincing in pain, Harry, with his hands gripping his forehead, replied, "I don't know. Just a moment ago, I felt an intense pain in my forehead, like... as if I hit a wall!"

Sensing Harry's discomfort upon hearing him talk, Ron reassured him while patting his back, "It's probably just the excitement from everything that happened tonight. We should head back to our dormitory and rest."

Agreeing with Ron's suggestion, Harry nodded, and with Ron's support, they left the Room of Requirement.

However, upon opening the door, a swift shadow passed by, causing both Harry and Ron to startle.

The two quickly turned their attention in the direction the shadow had passed, catching only a glimpse of a cat's tail disappearing around a Hogwarts corner.

Ron had shivers sent down to his spine, tense and still on the edge as he exclaimed nervously, "M... Professor McGonagall?!"

Harry shook his head with frustration before stating, "If it were Professor McGonagall, we'd likely be facing detention by now. It's probably Mrs. Norris."

Hearing Harry's response, Ron sighed in relief before saying casually, "Phew, you scared me. It's just Mrs. Norris!"

However, a sudden realization struck Ron, and his expression shifted to shock as he exclaimed, "Wait a minute, Mrs. Norris? Filch's cat?"

Harry found himself uninterested in delving into this discussion and swiftly said, "Let's keep moving; if Mrs. Norris is here, then Filch is probably nearby."

With that, Harry produced his invisibility cloak, covering both himself and Ron.

Just as they secured the cloak, a light flickered at the corridor's edge.

Soon after, Filch emerged from the corner, carrying a lantern and trailing Mrs. Norris from behind.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, then quickly moved in the opposite direction to avoid the approaching caretaker and his vigilant feline companion.

At the same time, Filch's voice echoed from behind the two, "Haha, I saw you! The nocturnal mice are out and about! Don't think you can escape. Stand still, and don't you dare move!"

Undeterred by Filch's demand, Harry and Ron increased their pace by running with all their might, distancing themselves from Filch's pursuit.

"Keep moving your feet. We don't want to be in detention!" Ron exclaimed.

"I am trying my best!" Harry replied.

The sudden headache felt by Harry earlier is now gone, now it's all replaced by the adrenaline caused by running away from Filch's chase.

Unbeknownst to them, in their haste, a valuable possession slipped from Harry's grasp – the note from Lily Evans and the delicate Thousand Paper Cranes tumbled to the ground, unnoticed by Filch who was invested as he chased the two into another corner of Hogwarts.

"Stop right there while I'm still being nice with you two rascals!" Filch yelled.

With no intention of stopping anytime sooner, both Harry and Ron ran even faster than before.

Meanwhile, Professor Snape, who had pressed Quirrell against the wall, furrowed his brow as he questioned the figure before him.

Amid the confrontation, he vaguely registered two distant screams.

"Stop right there!"

"Aaaaa!"

However, before Snape could ponder the sounds further, Quirrell, enduring pain and frustration, demanded, "Professor Snape, what do you think you're doing?!"

Meeting Quirrell's inquiry with composure, Snape retorted, "Professor Quirrell, the question should be directed at you. What business do you have at this late hour?"