No sooner had the question arisen in Voldemort's mind than he heard something slice through the air beside him—a golden spear shot straight at him...
He made a split-second decision. Black mist enveloped him, and he instantly broke free of the chains, flying into the air to evade the incoming golden spear.
Once airborne, he immediately locked onto his attacker and discovered that it was Quirinus Quirrell.
Quirrell did not dodge in the slightest. He met Voldemort's gaze with fierce eyes while bringing his hands together before his chest.
A mass of red light radiated from his chest, while two giant hands appeared on either side of Voldemort and violently clapped together around him.
Alchemy!
Realizing something, Voldemort slashed his wand through the air. The two giant hands were immediately split in half by invisible blades, turning into golden motes that quickly faded into the air.
He realized that the magic Quirrell was using was, in essence, alchemy.
This stirred memories from the past. Back then, he had tried to use Quirrell to steal the Philosopher's Stone. In the end, Quirrell had been saved by Dumbledore, and the method seemed to have been... embedding the Philosopher's Stone into Quirrell's chest.
Clearly, Quirrell was using the Philosopher's Stone, the ultimate product of alchemy, to wield alchemy against him.
Because of alchemy's peculiar nature, Quirrell's attacks were relatively difficult to detect. That was why he had been caught around the ankle by that chain.
And only because the Philosopher's Stone was the ultimate alchemical product, greatly accelerating Quirrell's use of alchemy, could Quirrell's attacks come in an unending stream.
While Voldemort was thinking, Quirrell had already cast another spell.
Several golden arrows appeared around him. As if they possessed tracking abilities, they traced strange arcs through the air and shot toward Voldemort