Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 51 Something's Wrong

The atmosphere in the principal's office wasn't exactly tense or dull, but it was anything but relaxed either. They were talking about the infamous Voldemort, the bloodthirsty butcher.

Snape, who hadn't said much, first looked at Dumbledore. The headmaster remained calm and showed no emotional fluctuation despite the alarming speculation.

Then Snape looked at Belvina, whose elective professor frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat disappointed by the principal's composure.

Snape lowered his head, thinking to himself: So, the reason he asked me to pay close attention to who Quirrell contacted in private was to find out who was behind Quirrell and in control of everything.

As the youngest headmaster of Slytherin, Severus Snape's talent is undeniable. He may have had his flaws, but he was indeed a brilliant wizard.

The young Potions Master, who gained the trust of both Dumbledore and Voldemort, and was even able to infiltrate the cunning and cruel Voldemort's inner circle, demonstrates his remarkable abilities.

Aside from Hagrid, who was running errands for Gringotts, Snape was almost the first person to know about Dumbledore's plans. He chose to trust the decision made by the greatest wizard of his time, even though he couldn't fully understand why it was necessary.

Now, there's another person Snape can't understand: Belvina Black.

There were many things that the Potions Professor couldn't understand. Why did she secretly meet with Quirrell, and why did she tell Dumbledore after the meeting? Did she want to infiltrate Quirrell's inner circle and turn against him at a crucial moment?

Then why did she give up her high-ranking position and lucrative salary at the Ministry of Magic to become a minor elective professor at Hogwarts, even going so far as to defy her own background and openly befriend Muggles?

This was the first time Snape truly confronted Belvina, and the first time he tried to understand this troublesome young witch. As a result, he discovered a whole host of unsolvable and tangled mysteries.

Just as Snape was still struggling with his decision, Dumbledore finally spoke up and explained his original plan.

"My theory is very close to yours. I also believe that Voldemort is behind Quirrell," Dumbledore said. "What's even closer is that neither of us has found any evidence that he has actually returned, and is in the school."

When Voldemort's name appeared in the headmaster's office, the two Slytherins did not flinch or make a fuss like the others.

Snape shifted uncomfortably. Even though he had long been determined to rebel against Voldemort, the fearsome name still made him feel awkward.

Belvina, on the other hand, showed no reaction; Voldemort's intimidation was far less than that of Mrs. Walburga Black.

Whether he possessed great magical power or was a ruthless killer, Belvina had never directly faced the terror of Voldemort. She held awe for this most dangerous dark wizard in history, but the degree of awe was limited; she would not be so terrified by the mere mention of his name that she would lose her ability to live independently.

On the contrary, Mrs. Black, whom she saw every day, made her even more uneasy, especially the cursing that rang out in Grimmauld Place every day at the same time.

"Quirinas Quirrell, he may not have been good enough, a little timid, a little weak, but he was once a kind and good boy..."

Dumbledore spoke slowly, as if opening a yellowed diary, which recorded Quirinus Quirrell's past, his past self who had been abandoned by Quirrell.

As many people know, Quirrell was quite gifted in his student days. He was handed over to Ravenclaw by the Sorting Hat, where a wisdom as vast and boundless as the ocean awaited him.

However, due to his timid nature and slight neuroticism, Quirrell was ridiculed by many people during his school days.

His terrible circumstances made him increasingly dissatisfied with the status quo, and he desperately wanted to prove himself and show that Quirinas Quirrell was far better than the clowns who mocked him.

Poor, pathetic, and insignificant Quirrell longed to prove himself and for the whole world to look at him with new eyes.

Perhaps it was his terrible circumstances and desire to prove himself that ultimately led Quirinus Quirrell astray and made him the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the 91-92 school year.

"I waited passively because I held onto hope that the Quirinus of the past could rediscover the kindness and integrity he had abandoned," Dumbledore continued. "I've been waiting for him to come to me. But—"

Dumbledore paused, stood up and walked down the steps, then said, "But he didn't do that. I had to have Severus keep an eye on him, partly to monitor him, and partly to put pressure on him so that he would see the error of his ways."

At this moment, Dumbledore no longer looked confident; his crooked nose looked particularly comical.

Belvina lowered her head, her right hand clenched into a fist and pressed against her mouth, her pearly teeth gently biting her index finger knuckle. She wanted to laugh, but felt it was very inappropriate.

There's nothing wrong with having Severus Snape as the watcher, but it's completely unnecessary to have him act as a confidante. Good people are easily driven to despair by his words, let alone Quirrell, who is already somewhat neurotic and has been misled.

"So when did you realize that the Dark Lord might be right next to Quirrell?" Belvina asked, taking the lead and playing the role of a curious and inquisitive person, not wanting to let her leader do the talking for herself.

"I still have some power; figuring out where Quirinus has been shouldn't be too difficult." Dumbledore didn't answer directly. "I also know you've traveled to many countries after graduation—Europe, America, Africa, and the Far East. Please forgive me, Belvina, I had to do this."

As he spoke, Dumbledore bowed slightly to express his apology.

"It's nothing. You can't send someone back to school without knowing them at all," Belvina said, without any displeasure.

Graduation meant unemployment, and Belvina, now jobless, chose to travel. She submitted applications for each country she visited, and her entry procedures were always legal and legitimate, passing any background checks. Therefore, Belvina had nothing to be unhappy about.

"Quirinus's trip is completely different from your graduation trip; it seems more like he's on a treasure hunt." Dumbledore returned to Quirrell, "What caught my attention was that I discovered Quirrell went to Albania."

Albania, the land of eagles, the land of fortresses, a country isolated from the world, a country known for its gangs.

The Muggles living in this country don't choose to celebrate the New Year with firecrackers; instead, they fire several bursts of bullets into the sky, which shows how chaotic this country is.

"Is he searching for the Dark Lord's trail?" Belvina asked in surprise. Quirrell is truly a man of few words but might be a leopard in action. Is there anything he wouldn't dare to do?

Ever since that night in Godric's Hollow, the Ministry of Magic had been tracking Voldemort, but the Aurors had found no clues. However, Quirinus Quirrell actually found Voldemort!

"I think so," Dumbledore nodded. "He wants to find Voldemort to prove how great he is and make everyone look at him with new respect."

Snape curled his lip in disdain and said coldly, "He's insane. Even if the Dark Lord were truly weak, he wouldn't be able to handle him. Foolish, arrogant, ridiculous."

Belvina rarely agreed with Snape's opinions, but she strongly agreed with his almost harsh assessment of Quirrell.

Quirinus Quirrell's ridiculous behavior could only come from a foolish megalomaniac. Facing Voldemort, who was extremely adept at manipulating people, alone, did he think his mind was made of steel?

"We don't know exactly what happened, but what we do know is that Quirinus failed." Dumbledore crossed his arms, looking somewhat helpless. "Not only did he fail to reveal Voldemort's whereabouts and gain everyone's attention, he also set his sights on the Philosopher's Stone."

I know the answer. Quirrell was fooled by the Dark Lord and believed his lies! Belvina thought to herself.

Dumbledore continued, "At first, I wasn't sure if the person who broke into Gringotts was Quirinus, but his unusual behavior after the start of the semester, and his avoidance of me, aroused my suspicion. To boast a bit, I'm not entirely incompetent; Quirinus's little schemes didn't escape my notice."

This isn't boasting; it's pure modesty. If Dumbledore were merely somewhat capable, the Ministry of Magic could simply be renamed the Ministry of Magical Ignorance.

Snape thought for a moment, then asked directly, "What do we do now? Should we wait for him to suddenly realize his mistake? I don't think he'll realize his error."

"Not only did he fail to realize how foolish his actions were, he even recruited accomplices," Belvina continued, "hoping someone would join his grand scheme to steal the Philosopher's Stone and allow the Dark Lord to return."

Dumbledore nodded and said, "That's right, so he approached the two of you. One of you used to be a trusted lieutenant..."

Snape turned his head away, giving Dumbledore an unpleasant side profile.

"The other one used to be a loyal fan."

Belvina blinked, offering no rebuttal.

"Ah, speaking of helpers, I did indeed provide him with assistance," Belvina suddenly said. "I subtly told Quirrell about Louie's weakness. I think it won't be long before he gets past that dangerous Cerberus."

"You found out from Hagrid? He likes to keep some unusual pets and takes very good care of them."

Dumbledore didn't ask Belvina why she did it; their relationship was merely that of headmaster and teacher, and in stopping Quirrell from stealing the Philosopher's Stone, they were more like cooperators.

Snape's doubts deepened. Was Belvina hedging her bets, or was she trying to use Cerberus as a pledge of allegiance to infiltrate Quirrell's inner circle?

It's difficult to determine in a short time.

"No, Hagrid just accidentally let slip that Cerberus was his pet," Belvina explained for Hagrid, after all, she had recently extorted money from the poor gamekeeper.

Belvina continued, "There's something else you need to pay special attention to: Harry Potter and his friends are also investigating this matter, but they believe Severus is the suspect in the theft of the Philosopher's Stone. What can we do? Our Potions professor is always so annoying!"

"Ha! Exemplary Gryffindor!"

"You're right, I'm on your side this time."

Listening to the two Slytherins arguing back and forth, the only Gryffindor in the room felt a little awkward.

"Harry still needs time to grow, and it's normal for him to lack discernment," Dumbledore said. "He's only a first-year student—"

"I knew more spells in first grade than seventh graders did."

"When I was a freshman..." Belvina trailed off, as she had nothing particularly noteworthy to say about her freshman year. "I was already a proponent of purebloods, a priority target for Death Eaters!"

Belvina's self-deprecating behavior amused Dumbledore, and even Snape shrugged.

"Let's get down to business—cough cough—let's get down to business." Dumbledore had probably finished laughing. "Quirinus will definitely choose a time when I'm not at school to make his move. If I can't return in time, the Philosopher's Stone is yours to keep."

Dumbledore thought for a moment, then continued, "Severus, you keep an eye on Quirrell and protect yourself. You know better than I do what you need to do."

Snape nodded solemnly, without saying a word.

Then, Dumbledore said to Belvina, "I want you to continue to maintain close contact with Quirrell; I need to ascertain Voldemort's condition."

Belvina nodded instinctively, accepting Dumbledore's order.

Wait a minute, something's not right. Didn't I come here to lie down? Why does this arrangement feel like I'm being forced to get up and be Kerry?