Your Tricks Can't Fool Me

He was truly wronged!

Quirrell was speechless. With his acting skills and power, he had no need for such high-risk tactics to find ways to break through the barriers.

But Quirrell could tell from Snape's furious demeanor that the man must have some solid evidence to confront him like this.

Yet it wasn't him! Who was the scoundrel trying to frame him?

Quirrell's mind raced through a list of wizards with whom he had terrible relations, but none of them were at Hogwarts, and it was highly unlikely they would travel all the way here just to set him up.

Unable to figure it out, Quirrell could only assume he was incredibly unlucky, having coincidentally encountered some foolhardy young wizard stealing potions, which led Snape to suspect him due to his previous odd behavior.

Life was indeed tough for Quirrell...

With no tears to shed, Quirrell, though feeling extremely aggrieved, dared not lash out. He could only try his best to appear weak and fearful, stammering out his defense.

"Severus, I swear the theft of the potion has nothing to do with me..."

"Is that so? Where were you on the afternoon of the third day of term? I asked around; no one saw you," Snape's piercing gaze bore into Quirrell's eyes.

Quirrell was momentarily lost for words. He couldn't very well say that he had sneaked into the Forbidden Forest that afternoon, attempting to hunt a unicorn to restore the Dark Lord's strength, could he?

"I was in my office all day," Quirrell said, biting the bullet and sticking to his alibi.

"Students went to your office that day, and you were nowhere to be found!" Snape interrogated.

"I might have gone to the bathroom momentarily..." Quirrell stuttered, searching for an excuse, but then he suddenly realized Snape was deliberately trapping him.

Given his rock-bottom reputation at Hogwarts, no student would willingly seek him out...

"Your little tricks can't deceive me!" Snape's lips curled into a smirk, his conviction that Quirrell was the thief growing even stronger.

Quirrell's face flushed with anger, and he nearly burst into expletives...

Damn little tricks, he hadn't stolen any potions, hadn't even touched them!

He was engaged in the grander cause of aiding the Dark Lord's resurrection!

Who had time to steal some measly potions?

It's not like he was short on money; couldn't he just buy the ingredients himself?

Yet Quirrell could only swallow his thousand grievances... Unable to explain his whereabouts, he had to try and look as weak, innocent, and trembling as possible to garner sympathy, which, of course, had no effect on Snape...

Just as Snape was about to press further, his keen senses detected eavesdropping and hastily issued a warning for Quirrell to consider who he was really working for before briskly walking away.

Evan, hiding in the shadows, nearly laughed out loud. He hadn't expected his impulsive act of passing the buck to land Quirrell in such a miserable predicament.

Harry and the others emerged from around the corner only after Snape and Quirrell had departed.

"It really was Quirrell who stole Snape's potions? How is that possible?" Harry was incredulous.

Although Evan had mentioned this possibility before, Harry had been reluctant to believe it. After all, Professor Quirrell was known as a timid and exceedingly kind person at the school. Even when students misbehaved during his classes, Quirrell never got angry, or rather, he seemed incapable of managing the class.

How could such a person steal Snape's potions?

Yet Harry had clearly heard Snape's interrogation of Quirrell. On the day the potions went missing, Quirrell's whereabouts were unaccounted for, and he had lied about being in his office all day—making him highly suspect.

"Let them be. Professor Dumbledore will take care of it. Let's go see the dragon hatch at Hagrid's," Evan was eager to move on, as the imminent hatching of the dragon was of utmost importance to him.

"Evan, I never knew you were so fascinated by dragons..." Hermione commented, sensing Evan's enthusiasm for dragons rivaled even Hagrid's.

"But it's a dragon! The magical world's most majestic creature!" Evan explained, though he didn't voice his full reasoning.

With dragon's blood, he could complete the Blood Fusion Potion, enhance his talents, and gain some self-preservation strength in the magical world. It would also give him some confidence when returning home at the end of the term.

Before they left, Evan solemnly reminded Ron to avoid discussing anything about dragons on the way, not wanting to encounter Malfoy at Hagrid's hut as in the original story.

The four made their way to Hagrid's cabin, where Hagrid greeted them with more enthusiasm than ever. It was clear he was overjoyed.

The doors and windows of the cabin were sealed shut, with only a few small vents open. A blazing stove by the bed radiated heat incessantly.

Upon entering, Evan's gaze immediately fixed on the table where the dragon egg lay, already sporting a deep crack and occasionally wobbling.

Leaning in close, Evan saw the crack in the shell suddenly widen significantly, followed by a piercing sound. A bald, triangular head with leathery skin poked through the gap, and then the thin, black body wriggled out of the shattered shell, its limbs skinny and shaky, struggling to stand.

How ugly... Evan couldn't help but comment internally, but Hagrid was ecstatic, thinking it was beautiful and eager to give it a resounding name.

"Norbert... how about we call it Norbert?" Hagrid reached out a finger to play with Norbert, only for the dragon to snap its mouth full of sharp teeth onto him. But, being a half-giant, Hagrid's thick skin was impervious to the bite.

"Look how much it likes me!" Hagrid was unfazed by Norbert's behavior, interpreting it as a sign of affection. He was convinced Norbert saw him as its mother.

This left Harry and the others feeling rather helpless, but given Hagrid's excitement, it was hard for anyone to say anything.

However, Norbert had its own ideas. After enduring Hagrid's teasing for a while, it grew irritable and suddenly spewed a burst of flame, directly hitting Hagrid's face and igniting his beard.

"Hey, you little mischief-maker!" Hagrid frantically slapped at his flaming beard, momentarily flustered.

"Aqua Eructo..." Evan waved his wand, summoning a jet of water that cascaded down directly onto Hagrid's head and face...

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