Professor Quirrell was bald

Over the next few days, Su Er never entered the Room of Requirement again.

Hermione still ignored him, but her attitude had improved considerably. She also visited the Library more and more often, almost working her way through every book there about wizarding history.

Harry and Ron had been dragged into it too, groaning endlessly over the thick tomes they faced every day.

The trending topics at Hogwarts Castle changed every day.

But that morning, a piece of news swept through the entire school, rocketing straight to the top and knocking plans for the Christmas holidays into second place.

The reason their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor always wore a scarf had been exposed-he was bald!!!

It wasn't just the students who were shocked. Professor McGonagall and the others couldn't help whispering among themselves about why Quirinus Quirrell was bald.

Su Er was shocked too. He knew perfectly well why Quirrell had refused to take off his scarf since the start of term.

That bald, socket-faced freak was living on the back of Quirrell's head.

And now you're telling me he'd vanished into thin air?

This was utterly ridiculous. Nobody in my previous life ever mentioned that he could leave his host's body.

For no apparent reason, panic crept into Su Er's heart. The plot was still the same plot, and the people were still the same people, but something seemed to have changed along the way without his knowledge. His advantage of knowing what lay ahead was slowly disappearing.

So how had Quirrell been exposed?

It all began with a snowball fight outside the castle that morning. Ever since the start of term, Hogwarts had had an unsolved mystery-why Professor Quirrell refused to take off his scarf even when he slept.

Countless theories had sprung from this mystery, but no one had ever dared to risk their education at Hogwarts by actually pulling Professor Quirrell's scarf off.

Just as no one had ever dared to tell Professor Snape to his face to wash his greasy hair.

Then the brave souls of Gryffindor stepped forward.

Ah, yes. None other than our kings-the brothers Fred Weasley and George Weasley.

While having a snowball fight on the lawn outside the castle, they spotted Quirinus Quirrell passing by the entrance.

The brothers secretly enchanted some snowballs to chase the back of Professor Quirrell's head. Whether the snowballs were too powerful or Professor Quirrell simply hadn't tied his scarf tightly enough that day, nobody knew.

In any case, Professor Quirrell's scarf fell off, revealing a gleaming, bald! Head!

It shone in the sunlight.

Every young wizard present stopped breathing. Even the drifting snowflakes seemed to freeze in that moment.

By the time their excited chatter erupted, Professor Quirrell had already snatched up his scarf and fled in a panic, covering his head with one hand.

George and Fred were punished, naturally.

Nobody knew exactly what their punishment was, but judging by Filch's grin of sweet revenge...

Rumor had it that they would spend their entire Christmas holidays in detention and serving punishments. Best of luck to them...

Uh, but they didn't seem unhappy about it?

At the Gryffindor table, the Weasley twins were animatedly boasting about their heroic exploits, each picking up where the other left off.

Still, it was absurd that Professor Quirrell, the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, hadn't managed to fend off enchanted snowballs from two third-years.

Unless he had done it deliberately...

Right up until the day the holidays began, the students' behavior in Dark Magic Defence Against the Arts and the talk after class were exactly as Su Er had expected. Everyone was very... well... gentle with Professor Quirrell.

Nor did anyone try to investigate what was beneath his scarf anymore.

Of the countless rumors explaining Quirrell's baldness, the most convincing blamed the curse on the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Believing that Professor Quirrell might not have long to live, the young wizards expressed their goodwill and pity in all sorts of ways.

It was worth mentioning that among the countless versions of the rumors, one explained why Professor Snape always had greasy hair-because he was afraid of going bald!

However, no one dared to ask Professor Snape for confirmation, not even the Slytherin students he "favored" most.

Su Er only agonized for a day before setting aside the question of where Voldemort had gone.

As the saying went, even if the sky fell, someone tall like Professor Dumbledore would be there to hold it up.

Besides, the holidays had begun!

That morning, Hogwarts Castle was bustling from the crack of dawn. Many students heading home for Christmas had packed their luggage and piled it in the common rooms.

They noisily discussed what they planned to do over the holidays.

Su Er found time to visit Hagrid's hut and collect the cat he intended to give Hermione.

Good grief. In just the few days it had stayed with Hagrid, the cat had practically become the master of the hut. When Su Er arrived, it was perched on Fang's head, surveying its territory.

"Oh, you've put on quite a bit of weight." As Su Er picked it up, he hefted it in his hands.

"Meow!!!"

"Stay in there and behave. I'll let you out when we get home," Su Er told the cat before putting it, cage and all, into his little cloth bag.

"Meow..." It yawned lazily, indicating that it understood.

He didn't tie the opening of the bag shut. Living creatures needed air to breathe, after all.

A little while later,

The students going home for the holidays had all gathered on the castle lawn, but Su Er looked around and couldn't find Hermione anywhere.

Mr. Granger was picking them up that day, and Su Er was hitching a ride.

"She hasn't forgotten we're going home today, has she..."

"Miss Granger..." Su Er tapped helplessly on the long table in the Library, startling the young girl poring over a book.

"Tell me, have you forgotten we're supposed to catch a train today?"

A flurry of commotion broke out in the Library, and Madam Pince directed a murderous glare at them. Under that glare, Hermione hurried out, though before leaving, she didn't forget to give Harry and Ron a few instructions where they sat on the other side.

"Keep looking while I'm away, all right? If you find anything, send me a letter by owl."

By the time Su Er and Hermione reached the lawn, the other students had already begun boarding the carriages.

"Hurry up, Su Er. It's almost time to leave." Hagrid stood on the lawn, waving them over.

"It's amazing that the carriages can move without horses to pull them," Hermione murmured before bending down to climb into a carriage.

She couldn't see the creatures pulling the carriages, but Su Er saw them clearly.

Thestrals. Su Er had read about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They were pitch-black, tall and skeletal, with dragonlike heads, horses' bodies, and a pair of enormous bat wings on their backs.

These creatures had once been considered ill omens. Only those who had witnessed death firsthand could see them.

"What are you looking at?" Seeing Su Er staring fixedly at the front of the carriage, Hermione couldn't help asking curiously.

"Su Er?"

Su Er came back to himself, turned to look at Hermione, and smiled as he shook his head. "Nothing. I'm curious too, how the carriage can move when nothing's pulling it."

"But you're finally willing to talk to me?"

"No, I'm not!" At the sight of Su Er's smile, Hermione's little face flushed. She lifted her chin and turned away with a haughty little huff, shifting her bottom farther away from him.