When the classroom suddenly fell silent, Quirrell asked again, "Can no one answer my question?"
"Malfoy, I've noticed that you seem quite interested in Dark Magic. Can you try answering the question I just asked?"
Malfoy's stomach tightened at Quirrell's question.
He swallowed, shook his head, then sat down without a word.
Malfoy's arrogance vanished, replaced by fear. He lowered his head, not even daring to meet Professor Quirrell's eyes.
"It seems no one knows the answer!" Quirrell glanced over the Slytherin students, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
Just as Jerry decided to play dumb too, someone appeared beside his desk, accompanied by the pungent smell of garlic.
"Jerry Green, can you tell me the answer?"
The moment Jerry saw Quirrell standing beside him, he knew this was bad. Quirrell had come for him.
Jerry felt a little aggrieved. Harry Potter, the Chosen One, was sitting right there in the front row. Why did they keep coming after him instead of Harry?
It was bad enough that Dumbledore was watching him. Why was Quirrell coming after him now too?
What, Quirrell? Are you switching sides too?
Jerry stood and frowned. "Avada Kedavra?"
"Yes! Well done, Jerry Green. Five points to Slytherin!" Quirrell sounded strangely excited by his answer.
No one cheered when Professor Quirrell awarded Jerry the points. Even the Slytherin students gave no reaction. The entire classroom fell silent.
Almost every young wizard stared at Jerry with fear in their eyes.
Watching Quirrell, Jerry strongly suspected that Voldemort was controlling his body right now.
After class, Jerry had just packed up his books and was about to leave with Hermione when he stood and noticed a change in everyone's attitude. They seemed to be deliberately keeping their distance from him.
Harry and Ron came over to them. Ron hesitated, then said, "Jerry, you'd better not say those words in public again. They're terrifying!"
Jerry thought they were making too much of it. He couldn't cast the Killing Curse, and he hadn't even held a Wand. All he'd done was say the incantation.
But when he saw how nervous and frightened everyone around him looked, he nodded and agreed.
"It's all Professor Quirrell's fault," Hermione said. "How could he ask such a horrible question? In Defence Against the Dark Arts, we should be learning how to defend ourselves against Dark Magic, not discussing things that frighten everyone!"
As they complained about Quirrell, a Slytherin student came over and interrupted them. "Jerry, Professor Quirrell wants you to come to his office. He needs to see you."
A sense of foreboding swept over Jerry. He had no idea what Quirrell—or rather, Voldemort—wanted with him.
After saying goodbye to Hermione and the others, Jerry handed his books to Hermione too. They agreed to meet at the library.
Then he climbed the stairs to Professor Quirrell's office.
Jerry felt uneasy. He had no idea what awaited him.
He knocked and went in. A large desk stood in the middle of the office, piled high with magical books and scrolls. Some of the books looked ancient, their covers yellowed with age.
An enormous window filled one wall. Ancient stained glass depicted mysterious magical designs.
A huge bookshelf stood in a corner on the other side of the office, packed with heavy magical books. Jerry didn't dare look too closely. He was afraid he might see something he wasn't supposed to.
"Welcome, welcome, Mr. Green! Sit down, and let's talk."
Quirrell showed none of the timidity he had displayed in class. Even his stutter was gone.
"Professor Quirrell, what did you want to see me about?"
"Nothing much," Quirrell replied. "You said that incantation in class, didn't you? I was worried it might be weighing on your mind, so I wanted to reassure you."
The Dark Lord was worried Jerry might be tempted by Dark Magic, so he'd come to give him counseling? Was this some new kind of sick joke?
"Professor Quirrell, I'm fine, really. It hasn't affected me much. My friends are waiting for me, though. May I go?"
Quirrell ignored him. "You have ability, talent, and most importantly, ambition. Jerry, I truly admire you. Would you like to see real Dark Magic?"
Without waiting for an answer, Quirrell drew his Wand and aimed it at a rat by the corner of the desk.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A ghostly green light burst from the tip of his Wand. Like a venomous snake, it shot through the air and struck its target.
The rat was instantly engulfed in light. It gave one shriek, then lay still. Only a faint green glow flickered in the air around its body.
Ding! Avada Kedavra Lv1, 76.5%
Seeing Jerry frozen in place, Quirrell cast another Killing Curse on a second unfortunate rat.
Ding! Avada Kedavra Lv2, 1.65%
Holy shit. So this was what a talent for Dark Magic beyond human limits looked like!
Jerry stumbled back several steps. The Killing Curse had frightened him, but he was far more afraid that Voldemort was about to reveal himself. If that happened, Jerry might never make it out of this office.
Jerry hurried to stop Quirrell from doing anything else. "Professor, how can you use an Unforgivable Curse in front of a first-year?"
Seeing Jerry's panic, Quirrell said, "Jerry, you're different from them. You're more talented and more capable than any of them. Exceptional students always receive a little special treatment from their teachers, don't they?"
Jerry wiped the sweat from his forehead. If Dumbledore heard that, would he treat me as one of Voldemort's accomplices?
Quirrell took a piece of parchment from a drawer and handed it to Jerry. "This bears my written authorization. It will let you into the Restricted Section of the library. Have a look around! Trust me, you'll gain a great deal."
Jerry took the authorization, said goodbye to Quirrell, and left his office.
By the time Jerry came out of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, cold sweat had soaked his back.
He hurried toward the end of the corridor, eager to leave that nerve-racking place behind. The morning had been far too eventful.