Who Was She?

After awarding the points, Professor Quirrell resumed his lecture.

Luke's vigilance did not ease in the slightest until the class ended.

When the bell rang and he followed everyone out of the classroom, he did not look back at the person teaching up front.

In his current ordinary state, he lacked the strength. The farther he could stay from danger, the better.

At the same time Luke left, Professor Quirrell's gaze followed his retreating figure until he was out of the classroom.

The moment the last student left, the confidence and pride vanished from Professor Quirrell's face.

They were replaced by the same timidity, weakness, and nervousness as before.

As though his chair had burned him, he sprang up at once and looked around fearfully, as if something were watching him.

Then, taking two steps at a time, he hurried into a small door above the classroom. That was his office.

Bang! The door slammed shut.

Quirrell threw himself onto the sofa. His face was filled with worry and fear, and his body hunched over. He looked utterly exhausted, like a college student dragged out to run three kilometers after pulling an all-nighter.

"M-Master, i-isn't this too risky? Even if you wanted to see him, you didn't have to personally teach his class. I-I could have kept him behind after class."

"Heh, idiot."

A cold, arrogant voice rang out in his mind.

"An orphan of the Gaunt Family suddenly appeared, and he said those things at the opening feast. Do you think Dumbledore would not keep an eye on him?"

"If you kept him behind alone, wouldn't that be openly declaring that there was something wrong with you?"

Faced with Voldemort's rebuke, Quirrell could only tremble without stopping.

"But teaching such an effective class so suddenly..."

"Then I will teach all the classes from now on!"

Before Quirrell could finish, Voldemort spoke.

Quirrell's already pale face turned even whiter. He now looked like a corpse.

"B-But, th-this would be harmful to your recovery."

When Quirrell said this, his voice even carried a sob.

"Harmful to your body, you mean."

Voldemort sneered again, but in the next moment, his voice became exceptionally gentle.

"Don't worry, Quirrell. You are now my most loyal servant. How could I possibly be so cruel to you? We are one now. Using your body to teach is merely to avoid the scrutiny of that old fool Dumbledore."

"I care greatly about Luke Gaunt because he bears the name Gaunt. He is now the heir of the Gaunt Family. He could become an excellent servant. Even if he cannot become a servant, he could become an excellent body."

"On the day he becomes my body, you will be free, Quirrell. After I am reborn, I will give you power, status, and everything you desire."

"Because you helped me when I was at my weakest. The Dark Lord never disappoints his loyal servants."

Voldemort's words echoed continuously in Quirrell's mind, as though they were both persuasion and a brand seared into him.

The second class that morning was Charms Class. Luke let out a sigh of relief. At least in this class, he would not have to endure boredom or danger.

I hope future Defense Against the Dark Arts classes can proceed normally...

Luke silently prayed in his heart.

"Luke, why did you stop me just now?"

Taylor walked beside Luke and asked in a puzzled voice that only the two of them could hear.

Luke looked at Taylor's innocent, clear eyes and smiled. "Don't you believe I'm the Savior?"

Taylor nodded. Her grandmother had said so, so of course she believed it.

"Then just listen to me. You don't need to know about this for now, and don't tell anyone else about it or use your talent to spy on Professor Quirrell."

Luke instructed her seriously, "Dumbledore must know some of the things I know, so don't worry. Nothing major will happen."

Although Dumbledore appeared indifferent when facing many matters, Luke still had great faith in that old man's ability to keep things under control. The current situation most likely had not gone beyond his expectations.

At the very least, Luke did not need to personally take the field and confront Voldemort head-on yet.

That was what Luke thought, but what he did not know was that something which would force him into a direct confrontation was about to happen.

Taylor looked at Luke suspiciously. A sharp gleam gradually appeared in her azure eyes, but when she saw the resolve in his gaze, the gleam slowly faded, and she nodded.

She did not activate her talent. For one thing, Luke knew Legilimency. As long as he did not want her to, she had no way of seeing his thoughts.

For another, since she had chosen to trust Luke, she would trust him to the end. She firmly believed that her grandmother would never harm her.

When Luke saw Taylor withdraw her talent, he clenched his teeth.

He had already prepared himself for Taylor to read his thoughts. Luke knew very well that Legilimens faced all sorts of unpleasant things in the world, so when dealing with others, the thing they trusted most was their own ability.

The fact that he had not felt seen through just now meant that Taylor had not activated her ability. In the end, she had chosen to trust Luke. His heart tightened at that.

"Come on. It's time for class."

The two of them had fallen behind the rest of the Slytherin House students, and no one paid much attention to what they were doing. After their conversation, they gradually caught up with the main group.

The students poured into the Charms Class classroom in a swarm.

This classroom was even more unusual. It resembled a place for meetings or displaying results more than an ordinary classroom.

Semicircular tiered desks stood on both sides, while a large circle at the back of the classroom held a desk and a blackboard.

A short man stood there. Though he was not even as tall as some of the students, the smile on his face was natural and confident.

The Slytherin students were once again among the earliest arrivals. They shared this class with Gryffindor. Compared with the Little Snakes, the Lions cared more about time.

However, among the relaxed and carefree Lions, there were also people who cared greatly about punctuality and were eagerly looking forward to this class.

Because they were taking it together with Slytherin.

Just as Luke found a seat near the front and sat down, with Taylor sitting beside him as she had in the previous two classes—

A puzzled voice suddenly sounded nearby, startling him into shuddering.

"Luke, who is she?"