CHAPTER 38

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CHAPTER 38

Elmi decided he was going to change the event flow of the first year; he was not going to wait until the end of the year to get rid of Quirrell. He knew the only thing he had to do was to make Harry touch him, and thanks to Voldemort's soul inside of his body, he would turn into a pile of dust. 

But the problem was how he was going to do that since Quirrell only touched Harry when he had his gloves on, and he ran away from the child like he was the plague. He most likely didn't know he would turn into a dust pile or he wouldn't touch Harry in the books; he was most likely keeping his distance and touching him with gloves because Voldemort must be afraid something could happen to himself since his spell rebounded on him even when he was at his peak.

Voldemort was a brilliant wizard, but he was so afraid of death that he wouldn't take any chances since he would know some kind of ancient magic caused his spell to rebound rather than a special boy like everyone believed it to be.

When Elmi informed the trio about the dark aura around Quirrell, Harry believed him right away, but Hermione and Ron took more convincing. Elmi turned to Harry and said, 

"You have an invisibility cloak, right?"

Harry and Ron were shocked at how he knew it; Elmi knew what to say.

"Next time you sneak into the restrictive section of the library, keep your lantern inside your cloak."

He smiled at him and continued,

"You are not the only one who likes to take night strolls."

Harry scratched his head and embarrassedly said,

"You saw me; I didn't see any other light."

Elmi, with a smirk on his face, said,

"Moonlight is enough for me to read; I don't need a lantern since I don't want to get caught. Do you know how lucky you were that I had spiked Madam Irma's tea so she would fall asleep?"

Elmi had sneaked into the restricted sections multiple times; he was there when Harry snuck in, too. He always liked gaining more knowledge, and his aim was to read every book there before he graduated. He continued,

"Anyway, you have that cloak, so use it, follow Professor Snape, but you guys need to follow him constantly, especially at night. He is an asshole, but he is Dumbledore's asshole."

Ron said,

"I can't believe it, are you saying he is working for Dumbledore, but everyone says he was a Death Eater."

Elmi nodded his head,

"He mostly was, but either he changed sides because of something, or he never was since Dumbledore himself defended him against the allegations."

Elmi knew he had changed sides to protect Lily Potter, but he could not explain how he knew that, so he talked in conjectures.

Hermione asked confusedly,

"How do you know all of this?"

"I grew up in a noble house and visited many other ones; some had neutral members like my parents, and some had more extreme stances, and all of them had one thing in common: they love to gossip. You pick up things here and there."

He looked at all of their faces one by one, then said,

"I am one hundred percent sure Professor Snape works for Dumbledore, but if you are not, just follow him around. I am warning you, do not follow Quirrell, he is more dangerous than you could ever imagine."

Hermione voiced her concern,

"If he is so dangerous, we should inform other Professors about him."

Elmi said,

"What are we going to say? Headmaster Dumbledore, your DADA teacher is a dark wizard."

He acted like someone asked him a question,

"Oh, why? Because I can see a dark magic aura around him."

He turned to Hermione and said,

"do you think they will believe us?"

Of course, Elmi could always say he had another face behind his head, but he did want to explain to Dumbledore how he knew what he did. He wanted to get rid of Voldemort, but not at a cost to himself. He never believed Dumbledore to be a manipulative mastermind like most people who read the book believed him to be. 

In his eyes, he was just a good man trying to do good things, but he wanted perfect; he wasn't all-knowing; he was only human. Like all humans, he had his flaws. When everyone looks for you to find the answers to their problem, you try to solve them, and he does it to the best of his abilities. It was a fact all that experience made him a cautious man, and he always had a plan; Elmi didn't want one of those plans to center him.

...

Harry, Ron, and Hermione took turns wielding Harry's prized invisibility cloak to monitor Professor Snape's every move. The decision to keep a close eye on the enigmatic Potions Master. Under the cover of the invisibility cloak, they discreetly followed Snape. Their vigilance extended beyond the classroom, through the dimly lit corridors and secret passages of the castle.

The trio observed Snape's interactions with other faculty members, his movements during peculiar hours, and any suspicious encounters that might unveil his true intentions. Each member of the trio takes shifts to ensure Snape's activities are thoroughly scrutinized. Their mission was fueled by a mix of curiosity, concern, and a determination to uncover any potential threats looming within the castle's walls.

As the weeks passed, despite their meticulous observations, Snape's true motives remained elusive, shrouded in the same mystery that surrounded the castle itself. 

...

On a chilly evening beneath the dim glow of the castle's torches, Harry found himself beneath the comforting folds of the invisibility cloak. His breath hung in the cold air as he eavesdropped on a conversation echoing through the drafty stone corridors, a clandestine encounter that held the promise of unraveling secrets.

A pair of hushed voices reached his ears, revealing Snape's low and measured tones engaged in a discussion with another figure. The air carried the faint scent of parchment and potion ingredients emanating from Snape's study.

In the dim light, Harry listened intently as the conversation unfolded. Snape's voice, though typically veiled in sternness, now seemed tinged with a tone of cooperation, and he sounded vulnerable. The other voice, bearing a hint of weariness yet maintaining gravitas, belonged to Dumbledore. He spoke about the delicate balance between secrecy and trust, his words echoing with the wisdom of experience.

Realizing Dumbledore was inside, Harry refrained from getting too close to the door, fearing discovery. Despite the limitations, he caught snippets of their conversation. Dumbledore and Snape discussed Snape's allegiance, a promise of service owed to Dumbledore. The mysterious "she" remained unnamed, but Snape spoke with evident pain, expressing the inability to save her. Snape's voice sounded really hurt when he talked about her.

Then, they talked about their shared disbelief that the looming threat of Voldemort was far from over. As the conversation wove through the chilly air, they touched upon the philosopher's stone, emphasizing the need to safeguard it. The cloak veiled Harry as he absorbed the revelation that Snape, despite his stern exterior, was intricately entwined in Dumbledore's plans, and the secrets unveiled in that dimly lit corridor would reshape the course of events within Hogwarts' ancient walls.