Professor Quirrell

As the stone statue clattered aside, Kane raised his brows at Harry and Ron. "Going in?"

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. "Of course."

The three of them kept climbing the stairs until they reached the actual door to the headmaster's office. Then they stopped and sat in a row on the steps.

Behind the door, they could hear a buzzing murmur, as if people inside were arguing. The soundproofing charm on the door had reduced it to that indistinct hum.

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall pushed the door open from within. Looking back at Dumbledore, who was seated in his chair, she said sternly, "You'll regret this one day."

Dumbledore's voice drifted out as well. "Minerva, I am the headmaster."

Professor McGonagall looked ready to explode. But when she turned around and saw Kane and the other two sitting in a row on the stairs, she took a deep breath, stepped around them, and left.

"I'm already starting to regret coming here," Ron said gloomily. Who would have thought they would stumble upon the headmaster arguing with the head of their own House over something or other? Weren't the three of them walking right into the line of fire?

But the furious Dumbledore they had expected did not appear. Instead, a calm voice asked, "It's you three. What can I do for you?"

Kane stood up and dusted off his backside. "What were you and Professor McGonagall arguing about just now? You were pretty loud."

"It was because of a rather special professor. But don't worry, everything is under control." Dumbledore smiled. "Now then, back to our question. Why have you three come?"

"Harry and Ron wanted to ask what your opening remarks meant." Seeing Harry and Ron standing there as meek as quails, Kane asked the question for them.

"They truly had no particular meaning. If you ask the older students, you'll find that my opening remarks are different every year, much like the Sorting Hat's songs." Dumbledore explained patiently.

"Alright, Headmaster Dumbledore, we understand. We'll be leaving now." Harry and Ron obediently got to their feet. After saying goodbye to Dumbledore, they were about to leave.

But Kane still had something to ask. He figured there was no harm in trying. "Do you have any bright yellow, glittering, shiny gold here?"

"You need some? Ah, I think I know what you intend to do. But unfortunately, although I am Hogwarts's headmaster, most of my money has been donated to the Hogwarts Orphan Fund. Coming to me may not have been the best approach." Dumbledore shook his head.

"Alright. Sounds like that fund is pretty strapped for cash?" Kane asked.

"That's right. Because of Voldemort, the number of orphaned students at Hogwarts has remained high in recent years. Pure-blood families would rather spend several hundred Galleons on a magical work of art than give an orphaned wizard the chance to wear a brand-new robe."

After Dumbledore finished speaking, Kane and Harry did not feel much of anything. Ron, however, suddenly shuddered. But when he saw that it was Dumbledore who had said it, he relaxed.

No matter how powerful or terrifying Voldemort had been, he had been missing for so long. And with Dumbledore at Hogwarts, could he really act right under Dumbledore's nose?

What a joke!

"Alright then. Let's hope those pure-blood families learn to behave themselves again soon. We'll be going now." Kane turned to leave with Harry and Ron, so smoothly that it seemed as though they had come here merely to bother Dumbledore before bed.

"Oh, and Defense Against the Dark Arts is tomorrow morning. I think you should turn in early and make a good impression on Professor Quirrell," Dumbledore reminded them.

"No problem."

The three of them hurried back to the Gryffindor common room, making it in during the very last minute before curfew.

The instant they returned to the dormitory, Harry and Ron could no longer hold it in. "Why?"

"Why could you get into Headmaster Dumbledore's office?"

"And why do you seem so familiar with him?"

Sitting on his bed, Kane tried hard to keep his cheeks relaxed. "Didn't I tell you that Dumbledore was the one who delivered my acceptance letter?"

Harry and Ron fell silent at once. There were relatively few Muggle-born young wizards at Hogwarts, so professors did not often need to personally go and collect them.

Yet on the rare occasions when it did happen, it created a special bond between the professor and the young wizard.

Parents brought children into the world, while the person who first brought a young wizard into the Wizarding World naturally would not be too distant from them. At the very least, before the Sorting Ceremony, the two would maintain a relatively reserved relationship.

And if, during the Sorting Ceremony, that young wizard ended up in the same House as the professor, the young wizard would gain something akin to the status of a direct disciple. Perhaps one day, they might even leave behind a touching tale of mentor and student in Hogwarts history.

Of course, if they were sorted into different Houses, their relationship would still be better than usual. When that professor went looking for someone to pick on, they would deliberately avoid that young wizard—unless the professor was particularly lacking in character, in which case that was another matter entirely.

"If the person who first brought me into the Wizarding World had been someone like Professor Dumbledore... Hmph... hehehe... hmph hmph, heheheha..."

Kane and Harry simply stared at Ron, who had already begun daydreaming.

The kid was getting a little foolish. At this point, they might as well go to sleep.

The next day, the three arrived early for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Just listen to that name: dark magic and defensive magic. You could tell from the name alone that this class had to be packed with useful material.

A little while later, several other Gryffindor young wizards entered the classroom. Seeing Kane and the other two already seated in the front row, their expressions turned rather strange.

The three of them were all fairly well-liked. So had no one told them about Professor Quirrell?

Neville and the other two exchanged looks, then spoke in unison. "I thought you told them."

"Should we remind them to sit farther back?"

"Mm, better not. Look at Kane's expression. He's looking at us kind of strangely."

Kane was indeed looking at them strangely. Why had they specifically mentioned that they needed to sit farther back in Professor Quirrell's class?

And it was not just them. Dumbledore had also mentioned the night before that they should sleep early and make a good impression on Professor Quirrell.

Could Professor Quirrell be the strictest professor at Hogwarts, the kind of ruthless figure who docked points at the slightest disagreement?

But Kane was not afraid. So what if points were deducted? It was not like they were deducting money.

Just as he clung to that childish thought, an overpowering smell of garlic wafted into the classroom from outside.