"1, 2, 3, 4, 5... This row, the third bookshelf."
Cradling a thick stack of books, Voldemort turned and walked into the darker aisle between the shelves.
Secrets of Time... Secrets of... Here it is.
Setting down the books in his arms, Voldemort picked up the massive tome. Its spine was as wide as his palm, and its pages were as large as a child's body.
"Could a Repairing Charm really have this much written about it?" Voldemort murmured, lowering his gaze to the book's cover.
It showed an animated scene: a wizard using his wand to mend a child's wound. The magic didn't look anything like the Mending Charm.
"The Repairing Charm can't mend wounds. Why is he doing that?"
Voldemort murmured as he slowly opened the book, and then...
"Oh, damn it, that hurts like hell..."
A roar of pain burst from the book, loud enough to carry throughout the library. Several students turned in surprise toward the Restricted Section.
"Use Silencio, Professor Quirrell! I forgot to tell you," Madam Pince called loudly, letting the students know which professor was inside.
"Of course, Madam. I know."
After replying, Voldemort hurriedly took out his wand and cast the Silencing Charm on the book, which was still roaring.
"Oh, damn it, that hurts..."
The sound cut off abruptly. The students lost interest, though no doubt they'd discuss what had just happened with their friends.
"What's Professor Quirrell doing? Is he torturing a student in the Restricted Section?"
The guess was baseless, but the students liked it. Many mischievous children wanted to sneak into the Restricted Section to find out what was going on, but Madam Pince stopped them all.
"Lumos."
Voldemort waved his wand and cast an Illumination Charm. A ball of light floated off the wand and hovered above his head. But before he could use it to look at the book in his hands, the light was sucked away.
"Whoosh—"
The light vanished. Voldemort blinked, then curiously walked toward the book that had swallowed it. There Be Light—that was the name of the book that had absorbed the light.
"The magical world is amazing."
Voldemort thought this, but didn't reach for There Be Light. Instead, he closed the book in his hands, picked up the stack he'd set down earlier, and left the Restricted Section.
He decided to read in his office instead. There were too many unknowns in the Restricted Section, and he didn't want them distracting him.
As he headed toward Madam Pince to fill out the required borrowing form, he suddenly noticed that the little girl he'd seen earlier was silently crying not far away.
Voldemort stopped, hesitating...
Would getting too close to the Golden Trio increase his risks?
But Miss Know-it-all had traits of both Eagle House and Snake House.
Hermione's intelligence clearly suited Eagle House, while her eventual rise to Minister for Magic showed her ambition for power—a clear Snake House trait.
Perhaps he could try to influence her a little... Voldemort pondered as he walked toward the quietly weeping Hermione.
"Child, what's wrong?"
Setting his thick stack of books on the table, Voldemort asked softly.
Hermione first saw a pair of feet stop beside her table, then a tall stack of books being set down.
When she looked up, she saw the professor who'd recently acquired all sorts of nicknames.
"Oh, Professor Quirrell. I'm sorry, Professor, I'm fine. I just..."
Miss Know-it-all answered in a fluster, but at eleven, she clearly wasn't very good at making up lies.
"I saw you crying over your notes. Is there something you can't figure out?"
Voldemort asked gently, then naturally sat down beside her. "As a professor, I think I can help answer some of your questions."
After saying this, he made an exaggerated face. "Of course, I can't help with anything too difficult."
"Pfft—"
Miss Know-it-all laughed at his joke, but, unfortunately, a strand of snot flew out and landed on her notebook.
"..."
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
"I've been studying a household spell lately, the Repairing Charm. It's perfect for a situation like this."
In the end, Voldemort was the thick-skinned one who broke the awkward silence. He cast the Repairing Charm, wiping the snot off the notebook.
"That's amazing." Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she ran her fingers over the notebook, clean as before.
"You'll learn household spells in your first year of Charms," Voldemort said with a smile.
"Can I learn this spell this year?"
Miss Know-it-all asked happily, but then her eyes fell on the stack of books in front of Voldemort. "Are all these books about this spell?"
Voldemort nodded. "I'm doing some research on the Repairing Charm. It's amazing, isn't it?"
"It really is." Miss Know-it-all looked away from the books, then gazed at Quirrell admiringly. "I heard that you were a brilliant student when you were at school. Is that true?"
"Of course. But it's nothing to be proud of. Every Ravenclaw is like that. It's a house full of wisdom," Voldemort said modestly.
Miss Know-it-all nodded, her face full of regret. "The Sorting Hat said it would put me in Ravenclaw, but I chose Gryffindor, and it didn't refuse. I don't know if that was the wrong decision."
"There's nothing to regret. Every house is excellent."
Voldemort offered a few words of comfort, then steered the conversation back. "Have you run into some difficulty? I think we should solve it quickly. The library's about to close."
"Oh, yes."
Miss Know-it-all finally remembered what she'd been there for and immediately told Voldemort, "It's my essay, Professor Quirrell. I don't know how to write the Transfiguration Class essay."
"Did you have trouble understanding the lesson?" Voldemort asked, puzzled.
As he recalled, Miss Know-it-all had been excellent in Transfiguration Class.
She was practically a top student, only a little behind the exceptionally gifted witches and wizards.
"I understood it, Professor. I just don't know how to write an essay. I've never had an assignment like this before."
Voldemort blinked, thought for a moment, then asked tentatively, "You mean you just don't know the format for an essay?"
"Yes. I have no idea where to start. I've never had an assignment like this before," Miss Know-it-all said glumly.
"Oh, all right. This is a matter that only takes a little experience, and luckily, I know the answer."
Voldemort's joking words lifted the gloom from Miss Know-it-all's face again.
"First, you need a title. Make it direct, specific, eye-catching, and concise."
Miss Know-it-all immediately picked up her notebook and began writing it all down.
"Next is the abstract. Briefly explain the purpose of the essay. This part should also be concise and highlight the main points."
"Mm-hmm. What comes next?" Miss Know-it-all asked, scribbling furiously without looking up.
"Then comes the main body. First, clearly state the topic you're going to discuss. Then explain it. You can include your own opinions, but it's best not to let your emotions show."
"Emotions? What kind of emotions?" Miss Know-it-all looked up, her big eyes filled with confusion.
"I mean, don't write too much about your subjective feelings, such as 'I think this spell is too difficult' or 'too easy.' That sort of thing has nothing to do with the topic," Voldemort explained.
"I understand, Professor. What comes after that?" Miss Know-it-all asked after carefully recording everything Voldemort had said.
"Next, write your conclusion—that is, what you learned from the topic. You can also briefly discuss what the future might hold for it."
Miss Know-it-all nodded vigorously and wrote all of that down, including Voldemort's words, "You can also." She didn't leave out a single word.
"Lastly, list the articles or materials you used while writing the essay. You only need to include the most important ones."
Miss Know-it-all glanced at the stack of books in front of Voldemort, then at Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration in front of herself, and pouted in annoyance.
Miss Know-it-all had high standards for herself, and she was very competitive... Voldemort thought.
Before you continue