"Poor child, he's been hit with the Imperius Curse!"
John had still been planning to stab Quirrell in the back, but as soon as he heard voices approaching, he pretended to be under the Imperius Curse.
Professor Sprout hurried to John's side, her heart aching at the sight of him.
Professor McGonagall was like an enraged lion. Her lips had gone white from how tightly she pressed them together. Harming a Hogwarts student crossed a line she would never tolerate.
Light flashed repeatedly from the wand in Professor McGonagall's hand as she advanced relentlessly. With a sweep of her arm, she transformed a nearby tree into a lion that pounced on Quirrell.
"You will pay for this!"
Never underestimate an angry professor, especially one who was also an Animagus.
Quirrell tried to fight back, but Professor McGonagall transformed into a tabby cat and nimbly dodged every attack. She sprang forward, her sharp claws leaving slash after slash across his cloak.
Returning to human form, Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and attacked Quirrell.
"Stupefy!"
Quirrell was struck and sent flying. McGonagall was about to pursue him when the commotion drew the patrolling Little Wizards over.
"Professor McGonagall?!"
Harry cried out in surprise, and Professor McGonagall inwardly cursed.
"Get under cover, Potter!" she shouted, frantic.
Quirrell, who should have been unconscious, rose into the air and slithered about like a snake. As he approached Harry, Professor McGonagall attacked again.
Quirrell changed direction and vanished into the Forbidden Forest.
"What happened here?"
Hagrid arrived as well. The burning Fiendfyre was difficult to extinguish, and only with Professor McGonagall and the newly arrived Professor Flitwick working together did they finally put it out.
Even so, the battle had been extremely dangerous.
Hermione looked anxiously at Harry and sighed with relief when she saw that he was unharmed.
But as her gaze shifted, she saw the Little Wizard lying on the ground and screamed.
"Oh my God, John!"
Ignoring the danger, Hermione ran down to Professor Sprout's side and asked in a trembling voice, "He'll be all right, won't he?"
Professor Sprout was the Head of Hufflepuff, as well as a short, plump, kindly witch.
At Hermione's question, she stroked John's head sympathetically. "He's been hit with the Imperius Curse. We need to get him to the Hospital Wing."
"An Unforgivable Curse?!"
The notorious name of the Imperius Curse made Hermione's heart tremble.
Harry and Neville ran over too. Even Malfoy had not left, staring in disbelief instead.
Professor McGonagall looked grave. Someone had entered Hogwarts and used the Imperius Curse on a student.
"The filthy bastard!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed shrilly in fury.
A centaur had been drawn over by the disturbance. He looked young, with platinum-blond hair and the body of an Abraxan.
"Hagrid. Professors."
Firenze arrived and took in the scene, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Centaurs could glean prophecies by observing the stars, yet what had happened now went somewhat beyond his expectations.
"Hagrid, take them back and get Mr. Wick to the Hospital Wing. We're going to search this area thoroughly."
Professor McGonagall assigned their tasks. Hagrid picked John up, with the frightened Little Wizards following beside him.
Firenze accompanied them as well, talking to Harry about the mysterious wonders of the stars.
The group headed out of the Forbidden Forest, and John gradually relaxed.
Three professors should give Quirrell a hard time. Assuming they find him, of course.
John was secretly delighted. Now he would not have to see Quirrell for a while.
The unicorn had survived too. Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, who taught Care of Fantastic Beasts, had already hurried over to tend to it upon hearing what had happened.
Now that he had relaxed, John's eyelids felt heavy.
It made sense. To keep Quirrell from spotting anything amiss, he had needed to stay tense the entire time. Now that he was safe and could relax, drowsiness set in.
Just as John was about to enjoy a good sleep, he heard a rustling movement, and his newly settled heart lurched.
Opening his eyes, he saw those venomous eyes.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Fuck!"
John had never expected that lunatic Quirrell to dare show himself again, much less that he himself would save anyone.
From Hagrid's arms, John kicked Harry and Malfoy out of the way ahead of him. The force of the kick sent him tumbling down.
The green light struck John, and the amulet activated in that instant.
A Shield Charm appeared in front of him, colliding with the Killing Curse and weakening it.
Quirrell had already been weak because of Voldemort, and the beating Professor McGonagall had given him had left him half crippled.
This Killing Curse was pitifully weak, and the Shield Charm had blunted it further.
John was still sent flying when it struck him, but he was certain it was not enough to kill him.
Before he closed his eyes, John heard a multitude of hoofbeats. The centaurs had arrived.
Quirrell did not dare linger either. After casting the Killing Curse, he turned and fled without even checking the result.
He paid for his stupidity, spending the entire night being chased by centaurs.
Ever since acquiring Sleepless One, John had not slept this long.
When he opened his eyes, it was still dark around him.
He had slept for three full days, and during those three days, Hogwarts had erupted in uproar.
An evil intruder had entered the Forbidden Forest and taken a Slytherin student captive with the Imperius Curse.
As participants in the incident, Harry and the others could have made themselves the center of attention with their firsthand accounts, but they had not.
Even Malfoy was in no mood for fooling around. His mind was filled with nothing but the green light flying toward him and John's sudden kick.
He saved me. Wick. Why?
Malfoy was lost. He and John had never gotten along, and he had even called John a Mudblood, yet in the end, John had saved him.
He did not know what to do.
It was much the same for the Golden Trio. Harry and Hermione were too worried to sleep.
Harry in particular felt that the green light he had seen was just like the one in his dreams.
He knew exactly what it meant.
His friend John might die because he had saved him, and Harry could not stop trembling.
Those three days felt like years.
Dumbledore visited the Hospital Wing several times. Even Snape, who disliked John, wore a dark expression all day, fixing Quirrell with a murderous stare as though he might cast a Killing Curse at him at any moment.
John woke in the middle of the night, but several professors still received word and came over.
Professor Snape arrived first, his expression even darker than before. In his distinctively oily voice, he demanded, "What exactly were you doing, John Wick!"
"Calm down, Severus." Dumbledore appeared and interrupted Professor Snape.
His eyes behind his half-moon spectacles were full of relief. "This is good news, isn't it?" Dumbledore said with a warm smile. "Though we should be thankful that the caster was so weak-weak enough for John Wick to survive."
Professor Snape's expression eased a little, though his face remained dark.
"John Wick, do you recognize the person who cast the curse on you?"
At Dumbledore's question, John thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I couldn't see clearly, but he seemed very familiar with Hogwarts."
Of the four Heads of House, everyone except Snape had been in the Forbidden Forest. And Snape was a double agent who could not possibly turn against them, so the culprit's identity was obvious.
John had all but named Quirrell outright. Dumbledore smiled without saying anything.
When Harry and the others visited the next day, however, they told him about the unicorn. It had survived. Professor Quirrell had also taken several days of sick leave and might not even be around during the exams.
In the days that followed, John no longer had to be troubled by Quirrell.
All he needed to do was wait patiently for Exam Week to arrive.
Nor had John forgotten what Dumbledore had said last time. The thought of the Philosopher's Stone set his heart burning with excitement.
Amid all that waiting and anticipation, Exam Week arrived.
Before you continue