0:00

Chapter 107, The Truth, Part 4. The

0:07

spiraling leaves of the gigantic Diefenbachia

0:10

felt like forest loam beneath

0:13

Harry's shoes, not as unyielding

0:15

as concrete, but supporting his

0:17

weight.

0:19

Harry kept a wary eye on the tendrils,

0:21

but they remained passive. When

0:25

Harry reached the bottom of the leafy spiral

0:27

staircase, the tendrils suddenly

0:29

whipped out and grasped Harry's arms and

0:32

legs.

0:33

After a brief struggle, Harry

0:36

allowed himself to go limp. Interesting,

0:41

said Professor Quirrell as he floated

0:43

down from above, not touching

0:46

any of the plant's leaves or tendrils.

0:49

I notice that you seem

0:52

to have no trouble losing

0:55

to a plant.

0:57

Harry looked more closely at

0:59

the defense professor, seeing

1:01

him now without the lens of panic.

1:05

Professor Quirrell was upright

1:07

and moving, flying without

1:10

apparent difficulty. The sense

1:12

of doom about him was strong.

1:16

But his eyes were

1:18

still sunken in the skull, his

1:21

arms thin and wasted.

1:23

The sickness had not been

1:26

bluff, and the obvious

1:29

hypothesis was that the defense professor

1:31

had recently eaten another unicorn

1:34

to temporarily regain

1:36

some strength.

1:38

And the defense professor

1:40

was also speaking like the

1:42

mask of Professor Quirrell,

1:44

not like Lord Voldemort,

1:47

which might not be a bad thing

1:50

from Harry's perspective. Harry

1:52

didn't know why, unless

1:55

it was that the defense professor still

1:57

needed him for something. But it certainly

1:59

wasn't.

1:59

It certainly seemed to be in Harry's

2:02

own interests to play

2:04

along. "'You

2:07

specifically let me walk

2:09

into this trap, Professor,' Harry

2:11

answered, just the way he would have

2:13

spoken to Professor Quirrell. Roll's

2:18

masks remind

2:20

him of how it was between

2:22

us.

2:24

On my own, I'd have used my

2:26

broomstick." Perhaps.

2:30

How would an ordinary fast

2:32

year solve this challenge? If

2:35

they had their one, that is. The

2:38

plant was now reaching tendrils out

2:40

toward Professor Quirrell, but

2:43

Professor Quirrell was hovering just

2:45

out of their reach.

2:47

Harry had now remembered Professor

2:50

Sprout talking about a devil's

2:52

snare plant, which the herbology

2:54

textbook had said liked cool, dark

2:57

places, like caves, though

3:00

how that could be true of a leafy

3:02

plant was anyone's guess.

3:05

"'I'd guess. I'd say this

3:08

is a devil's snare plant, and

3:10

it might retreat from light or heat.

3:13

So maybe a first year

3:15

could use Lumos? Today,

3:19

I'd use inflammation, but

3:21

I didn't learn that spell until May.'

3:24

A twirl of the defence professor's wand

3:27

and a pattern of sprays of liquid shot

3:29

out from it, striking the plant

3:31

near the bases of its tendrils, hitting

3:34

with a quiet splat, and

3:36

then a quiet hissing.

3:39

All the tendrils touching Harry frantically

3:42

shot back and began to beat at the growing

3:44

wounds appearing on the plant's skin, as

3:46

if trying to remove the pain stimulus.

3:50

Something about the plant gave the impression that

3:52

it was screaming soundlessly.

3:55

Professor Quirrell finished drifting

3:57

downward.

3:59

Wow, it is afraid of light,

4:02

heat, acid, and me.

4:07

Harry stepped off the final leaves onto

4:10

the floor, after a careful glance

4:12

at his robes, and then the floor, make

4:14

sure that none of the acid had splashed

4:16

anywhere.

4:18

Harry had begun to suspect that Professor

4:21

Quirrell was trying to make some sort

4:23

of point, but Harry

4:25

did not know what that point

4:27

might be.

4:30

I thought we were on a mission,

4:32

Professor. I can't stop

4:34

you, but is it smart

4:37

to spend this much time on messing

4:39

with me?

4:41

Oh, we have

4:44

time, said Professor

4:46

Quirrell, sounding amused. There

4:49

would be a great uproar if we were

4:52

discovered here, guarded

4:54

by an inferious. You

4:56

did not act like you had heard

4:59

of such an uproar at your Quidditch

5:01

match, before you arrived

5:03

in this time and spoke to Snape,

5:06

as you did.

5:08

A slight chill came over

5:11

Harry as he comprehended this.

5:14

Anything he did to beat Professor

5:16

Quirrell would have to not

5:19

disrupt the school,

5:21

or at least the Quidditch game, because

5:23

it hadn't disrupted

5:26

the Quidditch game.

5:28

Even if enough forces could be called in

5:30

to subdue Lord Voldemort, it

5:33

might not be easy to do it without

5:35

Professor McGonagall or Professor

5:37

Flitwick, or anyone

5:39

else at the Quidditch game

5:41

noticing. Fighting

5:44

a smart enemy was hard,

5:48

and even so. Even

5:51

so, it seemed to Harry

5:53

that if he stood in Professor Quirrell's

5:56

shoes, he would not be having

5:58

leisurely conversations and playing

6:00

mind games. Professor

6:03

Quirrell was gaining something

6:06

by taking his time here. But

6:09

what? Was there some other

6:11

process that had to run to completion? By

6:15

the by, have you betrayed me yet?

6:20

Said Professor Quirrell. Have

6:23

not betrayed you yet? Harry

6:26

hissed. The defence

6:29

professor gestured pointedly with the

6:31

gun he was now holding in his left

6:33

hand, and Harry walked

6:35

ahead to the great wooden door at the

6:37

end of the room and opened it.

6:42

The next chamber was smaller

6:44

in diameter with a high ceiling. The

6:47

light shining out of the arched alcoves

6:49

was white instead of blue. Around

6:52

them whizzed hundreds of winged

6:55

keys beating frantically through

6:57

the air. After watching

6:59

for a few seconds it became clear that

7:02

only a single key was the golden

7:04

colour of a snitch, though

7:06

it was moving slower than a snitch in

7:08

a real Quidditch game. On

7:11

the other end of the room was a door containing

7:14

a large prominent keyhole.

7:17

Against the left wall leaned a broomstick,

7:20

the school's workhorse cleansweep

7:22

seven. Professor,

7:25

Harry said, staring up at the clouds

7:27

and flocks of whizzing keys. You

7:31

said you would answer my questions.

7:34

What exactly is all this

7:36

about?

7:37

If you think you've secured a door

7:40

so that it won't open without a key,

7:41

you keep the key in

7:44

a safe place and only give

7:46

a copy to authorised entrants.

7:49

You don't give the key wings

7:52

and then leave a broomstick

7:54

propped against the wall. So

7:57

what the heck are we doing in here and what's

7:59

going on? It's an

8:01

obvious guess that the magic mirror

8:04

is the only real factor guarding

8:06

the stone,

8:07

but why the rest of this, and

8:09

why encourage first years to come

8:12

here?" "'I

8:14

am truly not sure,'

8:18

said the defence professor. He

8:21

had entered the room and taken up station

8:23

well to Harry's rights, maintaining

8:26

the distance between them.

8:28

But I shall answer,

8:31

as I said I would.

8:34

Dumbledore's way is to

8:36

do a dozen things which seem

8:39

mad, and then only

8:41

eight of them,

8:42

or perhaps nine, conceal

8:45

an inner meaning.

8:47

My guess is that Dumbledore

8:49

intends to make it seem like I am invited

8:52

to send a student as my proxy,

8:56

precisely so that Lord

8:58

Voldemort, as Dumbledore

9:00

conceives of him, is

9:02

less tempted to think

9:04

himself clever by doing so.

9:07

Imagine Dumbledore first considering

9:10

the issue of how to ward

9:12

the stone.

9:14

Imagine Dumbledore

9:16

considering whether to set true

9:19

dangers to guard the mirror.

9:21

Imagine him imagining

9:25

some young student blundering

9:27

through those dangers at my

9:30

behest.

9:31

I think that

9:33

is what Dumbledore is trying

9:36

to avoid, by making it

9:38

seem as though that strategy

9:40

is invited, and

9:43

so not cunning. Nonetheless,

9:45

of course, I

9:47

have misunderstood what Dumbledore

9:50

thinks Lord Voldemort

9:52

will think."

9:54

Professor Quirrell grinned, and

9:56

it looked just as natural on him

9:58

as any grin his shown Harry before.

10:02

Plotting does not come naturally

10:04

to Dumbledore, but he

10:07

tries because he must.

10:09

To that task, Dumbledore

10:11

brings intelligence, dedication,

10:15

the ability to learn from his mistakes,

10:18

and an utter lack of

10:20

native talent.

10:22

He is marvelously hard

10:24

to predict for that reason

10:27

alone. Harry

10:29

turned away, looking at the door on

10:32

the opposite side of the room. It wasn't

10:35

a game to him, Professor. My

10:38

guess is that the intended solution

10:40

for first years is to ignore the

10:42

broomstick and use Wingardium

10:45

Leviosa to grab the key, since

10:47

this isn't a Quidditch game and

10:49

there are no rules for bidding that. So,

10:52

what absurdly overpowered

10:55

spell are you going to unleash on this

10:57

one then?

10:59

There was a brief silence, but for

11:01

the whizzing of keys. Harry

11:05

took several steps away from Professor

11:07

Quirrell. I probably

11:10

shouldn't have said that, should I? Oh

11:14

no, Professor Quirrell

11:16

said. I think that

11:18

it is a quite reasonable thing to

11:21

say to the most powerful dark

11:23

wizard in the world when he is

11:25

standing not a dozen bases

11:27

from you.

11:30

Professor Quirrell put his wand back into

11:32

the sleeve of his other hand, the

11:34

hand that sometimes held the

11:36

gun.

11:38

Then, the defence professor reached

11:40

into his mouth and took out what appeared

11:42

to be a tooth. He

11:45

tossed the false tooth high in

11:47

the air and, when it came down,

11:50

it had transformed into a wand

11:52

that sparked a strange sense

11:54

of recognition in Harry's mind, as

11:57

though some part of him recognised

11:59

the

11:59

that wand as being part

12:04

of him. 13 and

12:07

a half inches, you, with

12:10

a core of Phoenix Feather.

12:13

Harry had memorized the information

12:16

when the wand maker, Olly

12:18

Something, had given it, because

12:20

it had seemed like it might be plot

12:23

relevant.

12:24

The event and the thinking

12:26

that had underlain it both felt

12:28

a lifetime distant.

12:31

The defense professor raised that

12:33

wand and traced in the air

12:35

a flaming rune that was all

12:38

jagged edges and malevolence.

12:41

Harry took another instinctive

12:43

step back.

12:45

Then Professor Quirrell spoke.

12:48

OZReth, OZReth, OZReth!

12:54

The flaming rune began pouring out

12:56

fire that was... twisted,

13:00

as though the jagged edges of the rune

13:03

had become the nature of the fire

13:05

itself. The fire

13:07

was blazing crimson, shaded

13:10

further red than blood, glowing

13:12

as searingly intense as an arcwelder.

13:16

That brilliance in that shade

13:18

seemed wrong in its own

13:21

right, like nothing shaded so far

13:23

red should give off that much light,

13:26

and the searing crimson was shot

13:28

through with veins of black that seemed to

13:30

suck the light from the fire.

13:33

Within the blackened fire, outlined

13:36

in the interplay of crimson and darkness,

13:39

animal shapes twisted wildly

13:41

from one predator to another, cobra

13:45

to hyena to scorpion.

13:48

OZReth, OZReth,

13:51

OZReth! When

13:54

Professor Quirrell had repeated the word

13:57

six times, as much

13:59

black crimson. and fire had poured out

14:01

as the volume of a small bush.

14:05

The cursed fire slowed in

14:07

its changes as Professor Quirrell locked

14:09

eyes upon it, taking on a single

14:12

form,

14:13

the form of a blackened,

14:15

blood-burning phoenix.

14:19

And something told Harry

14:21

with a terrible certainty that

14:24

if that black-burning phoenix

14:26

met forks,

14:28

the true phoenix would die

14:31

and never be reborn.

14:34

Professor Quirrell made a single gesture

14:37

with his wand, and the blackened

14:39

fire went soaring across the room.

14:42

It met the door at its keyhole, and

14:45

with a single sweep of crimson burning

14:47

wings, most of the door and

14:49

part of the archway was consumed.

14:52

Then the tainted crimson

14:55

blaze swept on.

14:57

Harry had only a glance through

15:00

the hole to see huge statues

15:02

just beginning to raise swords

15:04

and clubs when the blackened

15:06

fire came among them and they

15:09

cracked and burned.

15:12

When it ended, the blackened fire

15:14

phoenix swept back in through the hole

15:17

and hovered above Professor Quirrell's left

15:19

shoulder,

15:20

the sun-intense crimson claws

15:23

staying an inch from his robes. Harry

15:34

walked forward, needing to invoke

15:36

his dark side's cognitive patterns

15:39

in order to maintain calm enough to

15:41

do it.

15:42

Harry stepped over the glowing

15:44

edges of the remaining part of the door

15:47

and gazed at a chessboard

15:49

of ruined, huge chess

15:52

pieces.

15:54

The alternating tiles of black and

15:56

white marble on the floor started five

15:59

metres after the ruin. in doorway and

16:01

extended from wall to wall,

16:04

but stopped five metres

16:06

short of the next door on the opposite side

16:09

of the room.

16:10

The ceiling was significantly higher

16:12

than any of the statues should have

16:14

been able to reach.

16:17

I would guess, Harry

16:19

said, and his dark side's cognitive

16:21

patterns kept his voice calm, that

16:25

the intended solution is to fly

16:27

over the statues using the broomstick

16:30

from the previous room since it

16:32

wasn't actually needed to get the

16:34

key.

16:36

From behind, Professor Quirrell

16:38

laughed, and it was

16:40

Lord Voldemort's laugh.

16:43

Haha, proceed,

16:47

said a voice grown colder and

16:50

higher. Go

16:52

to the next room. I

16:54

wish to see what you will make

16:57

of what is there.

17:00

Arranged by Dumbledore

17:03

for first years, Harry

17:05

reminded himself, it

17:08

will be safe, and

17:11

he walked across the ruined

17:13

chessboard, laid his hand

17:15

upon that door's handle, and

17:18

pushed it inward.

17:22

Half a second later, Harry slammed

17:25

the door and leapt back. It

17:27

took Harry several seconds to master

17:30

his breathing and master himself.

17:32

From behind the door came continued

17:35

loud bellows and great slams

17:38

as of a rock club pounding the floor.

17:41

I suppose, Harry

17:44

said in a voice grown cold as

17:46

well, that since

17:48

Dumbledore would hardly put a real

17:51

mountain troll in there, the

17:53

next challenge is an illusion of

17:55

my worst memories, like

17:58

a dementor with the memory produced.

17:59

projected into the outside world. Very

18:03

amusing, Professor." Professor

18:06

Quirrell advanced himself toward

18:08

the door, and Harry stepped

18:10

well aside.

18:12

Besides the sense of doom that

18:14

was now strong about the Professor, Harry's

18:17

dark side, or just plain

18:20

instinct, was advising him not

18:22

to get anywhere near that black

18:25

crimson fire hovering above Professor

18:27

Quirrell's shoulder.

18:29

Professor Quirrell swung open

18:31

the door and looked in. "'Mmm,'

18:35

Professor

18:37

Quirrell said. "'Just

18:39

the troll, as you say.

18:43

Ah, well, I'd hoped to learn

18:45

something about you more interesting

18:48

than that.

18:50

What lies within is

18:52

a corkohecus, also

18:55

known as the common boggart.

18:59

A boggart? What

19:01

does that... No, I suppose

19:04

I know what it does. A

19:07

boggart, Professor Quirrell

19:09

said, and now his voice was

19:11

again that of a Hogwarts professor

19:14

lecturing.

19:15

"'Gravitates to dark enclosures

19:18

that are rarely opened, such

19:20

as a neglected cupboard in the attic.

19:24

It seeks to be left alone, and

19:26

it will manifest in whatever form

19:29

it thinks will scare you away.'

19:33

"'Scare me away?' Harry

19:35

said. "'I killed the troll.'

19:39

You leapt backward out

19:41

of the room without thinking.

19:44

A boggart seeks out the

19:46

instinctive flinch, not

19:48

the reasoned threat. Else,

19:51

it would have selected something

19:53

more believable.

19:55

In any case, the standard

19:58

counter charm for a boggart is... of course,

20:00

feigned fire. Professor

20:03

Quirrell gestured and the blackened

20:05

fire leapt off his shoulder and

20:08

poured through the doorway.

20:10

From within the room, there was

20:12

a single squeak, and there

20:14

nothing. They

20:17

advanced into the Bogarts' former

20:19

room, Professor Quirrell going first

20:22

this time. With the seeming

20:24

mountain troll gone, the room was

20:26

just another huge chamber lit

20:29

by sconces of cold blue light.

20:33

Professor Quirrell's gaze seemed

20:35

distant, thoughtful. He

20:38

crossed the room without waiting for Harry

20:40

and swung open the door on the opposite

20:43

wall of his own accord.

20:45

Harry followed after and

20:48

not closely. The

20:51

next chamber contained a cauldron,

20:54

a rack of bottled ingredients, chopping

20:57

boards, stirring sticks, and

20:59

the other apparatus of potions.

21:03

The light coming from the arched alcoves

21:06

was white instead of blue, presumably

21:08

because colour vision was important

21:11

to potions brewing.

21:13

Professor Quirrell was already standing

21:15

next to the brewing apparatus, scrutinising

21:18

a long parchment he had picked up.

21:21

The door to the next chamber was guarded

21:23

by a curtain of purple fire that would

21:25

have looked a lot more threatening if

21:28

it hadn't seemed pale and weak by

21:30

comparison to the blackened flame hovering

21:32

over Professor Quirrell's shoulder. Harry's

21:35

suspension of disbelief had

21:37

already checked out on vacation at this

21:39

point, so he didn't say anything about

21:42

how real-world security systems

21:44

had the goal of distinguishing authorised

21:47

from unauthorised personnel, which

21:49

meant issuing challenges that behaved

21:51

differently around people who were, or

21:54

weren't supposed to be there.

21:57

For example, a good security

21:59

challenge would be testing whether the entrant

22:02

knew a lock combination that only

22:04

authorized people had been told,

22:07

and a bad security challenge

22:09

would be testing

22:11

whether the entrant could brew a potion

22:13

according to written instructions that had been

22:16

helpfully included.

22:19

Professor Quirrell tossed the parchment toward

22:21

Harry and it flooded to the ground between them.

22:25

"'What do you make of this?'

22:28

said Professor Quirrell, who then stepped

22:30

back so that Harry could come forward

22:32

and pick up the parchment.

22:35

"'Nope,' Harry

22:37

said after skimming the parchment. Testing

22:40

whether the entrant can solve a ridiculously

22:43

straightforward logic puzzle about the order

22:45

of the ingredients is still not

22:47

a challenge that behaves differently for authorized

22:50

and unauthorized personnel. It

22:53

doesn't matter if you use a more interesting

22:56

logic puzzle about three idols or

22:58

a line of people wearing colored hats, you're

23:01

still completely missing the point.'

23:03

"'Look

23:05

at the other side,'

23:08

said Professor Quirrell. Harry

23:11

turned over the two-foot parchment.

23:15

On the other side, written in tiny

23:17

letters, was the longest

23:20

list of brewing instructions Harry

23:22

had ever seen.

23:25

"'What on earth?' "'A

23:28

potion of effulgence

23:30

to quench the purple fire,'

23:33

Professor Quirrell said.

23:35

"'It is made by adding the same

23:38

ingredients over and

23:40

over again in slightly different

23:43

ways. Imagine some

23:45

eager young group of first-years

23:47

passing all the other chambers, thinking

23:50

they are just about to reach the magic

23:53

mirror, and then encountering this task.

23:58

This room, is the

24:00

handiwork of the potions

24:02

master indeed." Harry

24:06

glanced pointedly at the black fire

24:09

shape on Professor Quirrell's shoulder. "'Fire

24:13

can't beat fire.' "'It

24:17

can,' said Professor

24:20

Quirrell. "'I'm not

24:22

sure it should. Suppose

24:25

this room is trapped.' "'It's

24:28

not.'

24:29

"'Harry did not want

24:31

to be stuck brewing this potion for laughs,

24:34

or for whatever other reason Professor

24:38

Quirrell was taking them through

24:40

these chambers so slowly. "'The

24:42

potions recipe had 35 separate occasions

24:45

for adding bell flowers, 14 times

24:48

to add a lock of bright

24:50

hair.'

24:52

"'Maybe the potion gives off a lethal

24:54

gas that's fatal to adult wizards

24:56

but not children, or any

24:59

of a hundred other deadly tricks. If

25:02

we're suddenly being serious, are

25:05

we being serious?' "'This

25:09

room is the handiwork

25:11

of Severus Snape,'

25:14

Professor Quirrell said, once more

25:16

looking thoughtful.

25:18

Snape is not a bystander

25:21

in this game.

25:22

Not quite.

25:24

He lacks Dumbledore's intelligence,

25:27

but possesses the killing intent

25:29

that Dumbledore never had."

25:33

"'Well, whatever's going on

25:35

here, it doesn't actually keep

25:37

out children,' Harry observed.

25:40

"'Lots of first years made it through,

25:42

and if you can somehow keep

25:45

out everyone, except

25:47

children, then that,

25:49

from Dumbledore's perspective, forces

25:52

Lord Voldemort to possess a child

25:54

to enter. I

25:55

don't see the point, given

25:58

their goals.'

26:00

Indeed,

26:03

Professor Quirrell said, rubbing the bridge

26:05

of his nose.

26:07

But see, boy, this

26:10

room lacks the triggers and

26:12

trip signs that are upon the others.

26:16

There are no subtle wards to

26:18

be defeated. It is

26:20

as if I am invited

26:22

to bypass the potion and simply

26:25

enter.

26:26

But Snape knows

26:29

that Lord Voldemort will perceive

26:31

this.

26:32

If in fact there was a trap

26:34

laid for anyone who did not brew

26:36

the potion, then it would be wiser

26:39

to lay wards and give no

26:41

sign that this room was different

26:44

from the others.

26:47

Harry listened, frowning in concentration.

26:51

So, the only

26:54

point of leaving off the detection webs

26:56

is to make you not

26:58

bulldoze this

27:00

room. I

27:02

expect Snape expects me

27:05

to deduce that as well, the

27:08

defense professor said.

27:10

And past that point, I

27:13

cannot predict at what level

27:15

he thinks I will play. I

27:19

am patient, and I have given

27:21

myself plenty of time for

27:23

this endeavor.

27:25

But Snape does not

27:28

know me.

27:29

He only knows Lord Voldemort.

27:33

He has sometimes seen Lord

27:35

Voldemort shriek in frustration

27:38

and act on impulses that appear

27:41

counterproductive.

27:43

Consider this matter from

27:45

Snape's perspective. It

27:48

is the potion master of Hogwarts

27:51

telling Lord Voldemort

27:54

to be patient and follow

27:56

instructions if he wants to enter. As

27:59

though... Lord Voldemort were a

28:01

mere schoolboy. I would

28:04

find it easy to comply, smiling

28:07

the while, and take my

28:10

vengeance later. But

28:12

Snape does not know that Lord

28:15

Voldemort finds it easy to

28:17

think this way."

28:20

Professor Quirrell looked at Harry.

28:22

"'Boy, you saw

28:25

me floating in the air by

28:27

the devil's snare, did you not?"

28:30

Harry nodded. Then he noticed

28:33

his confusion. "'My

28:37

charms textbook says that it's

28:39

impossible for wizards to levitate

28:41

themselves.' "'Yes,'

28:45

said Professor Quirrell. "'That

28:47

is what it says in your charms

28:50

textbook.

28:51

No wizard may levitate

28:53

themselves or any object

28:55

supporting their own weight. It

28:58

is like trying to lift yourself up by

29:00

your own bootstraps. "'Yet

29:03

Lord Voldemort alone

29:05

can fly.' "'How?

29:09

Answer as quickly as you can.' "'If

29:12

the question was answerable by

29:15

a first-year student, you

29:18

had someone else cast broomstick enhancements

29:20

on your underwear. Then you

29:23

obliviated them.' "'Not

29:25

quite,' said Professor

29:27

Quirrell. "'The broomstick

29:29

enchantments require a long,

29:32

narrow shape, which must be

29:34

solid. Cloth will

29:37

not do.' "'Harry's

29:39

eyebrows furrowed.'

29:41

"'How long

29:43

does the shape have to be? Can

29:46

you attach some sort of broomstick rods

29:48

to a fabric harness and fly

29:50

using those?' "'Indeed.

29:52

At first

29:55

I strapped enchanted rods to

29:57

my arms and legs, but that's what I wanted.' "'We'll do it.' "'I'm going to do

29:59

it.' "'You've been

29:59

was only to teach myself a new

30:02

mode of flight. Professor

30:05

Quirrell drew back the sleeves of his

30:07

robes, revealing the bare

30:09

arm. As you

30:11

can see, I have nothing

30:14

up my sleeve right now. Harry

30:18

absorbed this further constraint. You

30:23

had someone cast broomstick

30:25

enchantments on your bones?

30:29

Professor Quirrell sighed. And

30:33

that was one of Voldemort's

30:36

most feared feats, or

30:38

so I am told.

30:41

After all these years, and

30:44

some amount of reluctant legitimacy,

30:46

I still do not truly

30:49

comprehend what is wrong

30:51

with ordinary people.

30:54

But you are not

30:56

one of them. It is time

30:59

for you to begin contributing to this

31:01

expedition. You

31:03

have known Severus Snape more recently

31:06

than I. Tell me

31:09

your own analysis of this room. Harry

31:13

hesitated, trying to look thoughtful.

31:17

I will mention,

31:19

said Professor Quirrell, as the blackened

31:21

fire phoenix on his shoulder seemed

31:23

to extend its head and glare

31:26

at Harry.

31:27

But if you knowingly allow me to fail,

31:30

I will call it betrayal.

31:33

I remind you that the stone

31:35

is key to Miss Granger's resurrection,

31:38

and that I hold hostage the lives

31:40

of hundreds of students.

31:44

I remember, Harry

31:46

said, and on the heels

31:48

of this, Harry's wonderful

31:51

inventive brain came up with

31:53

a thought.

31:54

Harry wasn't sure if he

31:56

should say it. The

31:59

silence... stretched. ''Have

32:02

you thought of anything yet?''

32:05

said Professor Quirrell.

32:07

''Answer in Baseltown!''

32:11

''No, this was not going

32:13

to be easy. Not against a smart

32:15

opponent who could force you to tell the literal

32:18

truth at any time.

32:20

Severus, at least the

32:23

modern day Severus, respects

32:25

your intelligence a great deal.''

32:28

Quirrell said instead. ''I

32:31

think... I think he

32:34

might expect Voldemort

32:36

to believe that Severus wouldn't believe

32:39

that Voldemort could pass his test of

32:41

patience,

32:42

but Severus would expect

32:45

Voldemort to pass it.'' Professor

32:48

Quirrell nodded.

32:50

''That is a plausible

32:52

theory.

32:54

Do you believe it yourself? Answer

32:57

in Baseltown!''

32:59

''Yes!'' harried

33:01

hissed. ''It might not

33:03

be safe to withhold information, not

33:06

even thoughts and ideas.''

33:10

''Therefore, the point of this room

33:13

is to delay Lord Voldemort for

33:15

an hour. And if I

33:17

wanted

33:17

to kill you, believing what Dumbledore

33:19

believes, the obvious thing to try

33:22

would be a dementor's kiss. I

33:24

mean, they think you're a disembodied

33:26

soul.

33:28

Are you, by the way?'' Professor

33:31

Quirrell was still.

33:33

''Dumbledore would not think

33:36

of that method,''

33:38

the defence professor said after a time.

33:41

''But Severus might.''

33:45

Professor Quirrell began to tap a finger

33:47

against his cheek,

33:48

his gaze distant. ''You

33:52

have power over dementors, boy.

33:55

Can you tell me if there are any

33:58

nearby?''

34:00

Harry closed his eyes.

34:02

If there were voids in the world,

34:05

he could not feel them. None

34:09

that I can sense. Answer

34:12

in parcel tongue. Do

34:15

not sense life eaters.

34:19

But you are being honest

34:22

with me when you suggested the possibility.

34:25

You intended no clever trickery.

34:29

Was honest no

34:31

trick?

34:33

Perhaps there is some means

34:36

by which dementors might be concealed,

34:39

being told to leap out and

34:41

eat a possessing soul if they

34:43

see one.

34:45

Professor Quirrell was still tapping

34:47

his cheek.

34:49

It is not impossible that I

34:51

would qualify, or it

34:54

can be told to eat anyone

34:56

who passes through this room too quickly,

34:58

or anyone who is not a child.

35:02

Bearing in mind that I hold Hermione

35:04

and hundreds of other students hostage over

35:07

you, would you use your

35:09

power over dementors to defend me

35:11

if a dementor unmasked itself?

35:14

Answer in parcel tongue. Don't

35:18

know, Harry Hist. Life

35:23

eaters cannot destroy

35:25

me, I think, Hist.

35:28

Professor Quirrell, and I

35:30

will simply abandon this

35:33

body if they approach too

35:35

close. Shall return

35:38

swiftly this time, and

35:40

then there will be no stopping

35:43

me. We'll torture your

35:45

parents for years to

35:48

punish you for bulking me. Hundreds

35:52

of hostage students die,

35:55

including those you call

35:57

friends. Now,

36:01

I ask again, will

36:03

you use power over

36:05

life eaters to protect me

36:08

if life eaters come?"

36:12

Yes, Harry

36:14

whispered. The sadness

36:17

and horror that Harry had

36:19

pushed down flared up again, and

36:22

his dark side had no stored

36:25

patterns for handling the emotions.

36:29

Why, Professor Quirrell, why

36:32

are you like this?

36:35

Professor Quirrell smiled. That

36:39

reminds me. Have you betrayed

36:42

me yet? Have

36:46

not betrayed you yet? Professor

36:50

Quirrell went over to the potions

36:52

equipment and began chopping a root,

36:55

one-handed, the knife moving almost

36:58

invisibly fast and with no apparent

37:00

effort.

37:01

The fiend fire phoenix drifted

37:04

over to the opposite corner of the room and

37:06

waited there.

37:08

All matters considered

37:10

in their uncertainty, it seems

37:13

wiser to expend the time to pass

37:16

this room as a first year

37:18

would,

37:19

said the defense professor.

37:22

We may as well talk while

37:25

we are waiting. You

37:26

had questions, boy.

37:30

I said that I would answer them. So

37:33

ask.