"Why?" Snape asked without betraying any emotion.
Quirrell spread his hands, his face filled with devotion and fervor. "How could I possibly presume to guess the Dark Lord's intentions? As his most loyal servant, all I need to do is complete the task he assigned me."
"Then you had better make sure nothing goes wrong," Snape said slowly.
"Something goes wrong?" Quirrell let out a shrill laugh. "Severus, you're far too conservative and cautious. What were you doing before? Let me guess... Oh, you wanted to win that boy over?"
"And instead, that boy found your weakness. Ha—Severus, you're getting worse with age."
Snape's expression did not change in the slightest. He gave Quirrell a cold look. "A word of advice: don't drink any water for the next few days."
Ever since leaving the castle, Quirrell's utterly unrestrained expression finally stiffened.
"Severus, it was only a joke." He gave an awkward laugh.
Snape raised his chin slightly, narrowing his eyes. "I do not like jokes."
"...I understand."
Snape glanced at Quirrell, but a small glass vial quietly slid out from his sleeve. The blue liquid inside dripped onto the ground, then vanished without a trace.
"We should go find that boy. You're sure there won't be any problems?"
"Don't worry, Severus." Quirrell drew his wand as well. "The Carrow siblings have been guarding the place. At most, that boy will take a Cruciatus Curse. He won't die."
Snape's face turned stiff. "If anything happens, you'd better pray to the Dark Lord, so that your death will be a little less miserable."
With a sharp crack, the two vanished from where they stood.
Meanwhile, Sean was in something of a bind.
The trouble before him had been dealt with, but he now faced a problem: how was he supposed to