59 59. The Shock That Phoenix Brought To Snape, And Voldemort’s Covetousness

Back in the common room, Wayne noticed something was amiss.

Many people were seated in the room, but the atmosphere was unusually quiet and everyone seemed deep in thought.

Wayne sat in the vacant chair next to Cedric and asked with curiosity, "What's going on here?" Cedric looked perplexed and replied, "Your two roommates asked two questions that no one could answer."

Wayne was taken aback and said, "Everyone is pondering."

Wayne found it hard to believe since His two roommates were as good as each other, and Snape praised Toby as an idiot on the same level as Neville.

"Toby, what on earth did you ask?" Wayne inquired.

Toby looked up at Wayne with a serious expression and asked, "Do you think laxatives are still effective after they expire?" Norman also chimed in, "If you drink and ride a broomstick, is that considered drunk driving?"

Wayne responded incredulously, "You two should be transferred to the hospital. Hufflepuff can no longer handle you. Hurry up and cause mischief in Ravenclaw."

The following week, Harry and Ronald entered the auditorium looking downcast.

They hadn't fully healed from their injuries and both sported black eyes and bumps on their heads. When other students asked what happened, they claimed they had fallen down the stairs. However, no one believed falling down the stairs could cause such injuries. As fate would have it, Malfoy, who was eating, looked up at Harry as he walked by, and their eyes met. "Snort!" they both exclaimed simultaneously.

Malfoy, looking worse for wear with his disheveled blond hair and obvious bruises around his mouth, grinned menacingly, ready to taunt Harry.

Unexpectedly, Harry laughed first. "Hahaha, Malfoy, why is one of your teeth missing?" Ronald also joined in on the laughter, and the two of them openly mocked Malfoy, visibly changing his expression.

Gritting his teeth, Malfoy slurred his words, "Potter, do you want to fight again?" That evening, Malfoy discovered that one of his teeth had been accidentally knocked out by the fool Crabbe. He was so angry he almost burst a blood vessel.

Today, Harry reopened his wound. If it weren't for Wayne rescuing him and Ronald on Friday night, they would have been in serious trouble. The best-case scenario would be getting caught by Filch, but the worst...It was likely used as rations for the three-headed dog, with one portion for each head, so there was no need to grab it.

"Coward." Malfoy snorted and turned his head to eat, ignoring Harry's lack of response.

Just as Harry was about to taunt back, a familiar annoying voice came from behind him.

"Potter, don't Gryffindors have their place to eat?"

"No, Professor," Harry forced himself to stay calm, turning around. "I was just saying hello to my classmates."

Upon seeing the injury on Harry's face, Snape narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a couple of seconds before speaking.

"For deceiving the professor, Gryffindor will have five points deducted."

With that, Snape floated away, moving like a giant bat during the day. Harry looked at his back with disgust.

"Sometimes I feel like I've stolen his girlfriend and he hates me so much," Harry said.

"You two are more than 20 years apart," Ronald mercilessly complained. "Your dad is the one who stole his girlfriend."

"Okay, let's go eat," Harry said.

Harry nodded and was about to return to the long Gryffindor table with Ronald when he accidentally caught sight of Wayne approaching the guest of honor seat to speak to Snape, who had just sat down.

"Professor, here are the materials you requested," Wayne said, handing over a paper bag with a pained expression.

To obtain these tears, Wayne had to discard all the kind words he had spoken to Fox the previous day, and it took him two small bottles to collect them.

If Snape dared to hide his incompetence, Wayne promised himself to give him a potion containing Umbridge's hair!

Whoosh!

In an almost blurred movement, Snape swiftly put the items away before Wayne could react, even offering a rare smile.

Over the weekend, Snape had already used the materials provided by Wayne with surprisingly good results.

Especially the rebirth potion he had refined, which included tears of the phoenix, had produced some changes that he couldn't even comprehend.

After a weekend of research, Snape was convinced that Wayne's phoenix was different.

Like Fawkes, its tears had a strong healing effect, but only for healing purposes.

But Wayne's phoenix...

Snape wasn't entirely sure because the time frame was too short.

But based on the existing information, Fox's tears contained incredible vitality.

Even individuals without injuries experienced an increase in lifespan and could even return to youth after using them.

What on earth did this mean?

It was essentially a high-end version of the Philosopher's Stone!

No, the Philosopher's Stone was nothing more than garbage.

It could only grant eternal life but couldn't prevent aging.

Now Nicholas would probably have a heart attack even if he sneezed. But if you rely on the tears of the phoenix, you will not only live forever, but you will also be able to maintain your body's peak function indefinitely.

Snape no longer dared to use the two bottles of tears freely.

He believed that none of the potion formulas he knew were deserving of these tears.

"Come to my office tomorrow night," Snape said weakly, prompting a displeased look from Wayne.

However, all eyes were now fixed on them, the honored guests captivated by their conversation.

Even Professor McGonagall found it hard to believe when she saw Snape smiling.

"Lawrence, what were you and Professor Snape discussing?"

As the dean, Sprout was the most qualified to ask, and she had no intention of hiding it.

"Um, Dean, I think my potions skills are too poor, and I want Professor Snape to give me some make-up lessons."

Wayne lowered his head and said sheepishly: "I just gave the professor some class materials."

As he spoke, he also took out a jar of Fox's excrement to make fertilizer for his dean and gave each to Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall a feather.

Professor Sprout laughed so much that she didn't know how fertile Phoenix's feces were. This was the first time she used it.

Immediately, she looked at Wayne, and her eyes became gentler. "Then you're welcome. If you need any plants in the future, you can come to me and get them."

A young wizard who is talented, studious, and disobedient is rare.

There was Cedric in the third grade, and there was Wayne in the first grade.

Sprout seems to be able to see that an era of Hufflepuff is coming.

After receiving the gift, they naturally had to do some work. McGonagall and Flitwick also smiled and told Wayne that he could come to them if he encountered any problems during the study process.

"Mr. Lawrence..." Dumbledore, who had been silent all this time, spoke up and sighed in frustration.

"You will never forget this old man like me..."

Wayne was startled, "Professor, don't you already have Fawks? Do you still need these materials?"

"Of course." Dumbledore blinked. "Every phoenix is unique, not to mention yours is called 'Fox'?"

Recently, Fawks and Fox often went to Old Dumble's place to eat and drink. Even Snape could find something unusual, let alone him?

It's a pity that Dumbledore is not an expert in the field of magical animals. He can only sense the power and difference of Fox from a magical perspective and cannot gather more effective information.

But it doesn't matter; he has already written to an old friend and asked the expert to give some advice.

The principal openly asked for a bribe, so it was hard for Wayne to refuse.

He took out another feather and handed it to Dumbledore.

The old man rubbed it carefully for a moment, felt the warmth in his hands, and put it away with a smile. He planned to send it to his old friend later.

Feeling that there were still eyes on him, Wayne turned his head and raised a playful smile on his lips.

"Why, Professor Quirrell also wants some materials?"

Quirrell waved his hands in panic: "No, no, I... I'm just curious.

"Can, can you let me see your phoenix?"

"Of course..." Under Quirrell's expectant gaze, Wayne made a sharp turn.

"No."

"Professor, if you teach us some useful spells in the next class, I will call Fox back. What do you think?"Except for McGonagall, who frowned slightly, none of the other teachers reacted to Wayne teasing a professor so recklessly.

Quirrell indeed did such a poor job that all the young wizards had many complaints against him. No one else can blame him.

The teachers were also disgusted with the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, who had an unpleasant smell all day long.

Faced with Wayne's harassment, Quirrell just stammered and said, "I'll do my best," without providing any guarantee.

Dumbledore tilted his head slightly, and his eyes were not visible in the reflective mirror.

On the fourth floor, in Quirrell's office.

After breakfast, Quirrell did not have morning classes and went directly to his office.

Only a few of the young wizards he encountered greeted him, and they all looked at him with disdain and disgust.

In response, Quirrell always lowered his head and did not react.

He closed the door and locked it.

Quirrell took out his wand once again and cast several trap and warning spells. Then, he stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror and removed the turban that all the young wizards were curious about.

A face appeared on the back of his head.

What a face it was.

It was gray and fierce, with a perpetually pained expression.

Just looking at it could make a child cry.

This was the tail sealed within the jinchuriki's body...well, it was Voldemort.

Wayne would be shocked if he were here.

Although he was ugly, at least he had a nose. Who knows what will happen in the future?

"Master..."

Quirrell knelt on the ground respectfully, allowing Voldemort's face to bask in the sunlight.

"Idiot, you can't even handle a first-year wizard. Why would I choose a useless person like you?"

Voldemort's curses were sporadic and sounded very weak, but Quirrell still trembled in fear and softly defended himself,

"Master...Master, I can't help it. If I show too much enthusiasm, Dumbledore will suspect something is wrong with me."

Voldemort sneered, "You think Dumbledore doesn't know that you are mine?"

Quirrell was shocked, "What? Then why hasn't he..."

"Why haven't we exposed you and gotten rid of you?" Voldemort questioned with great malice in his voice.

"I know Dumbledore is aware of my presence."

"Dumbledore knows that I know that he knows that I..."

The presence.

"I know too..."

"This is a balance, a game between me and him, but Dumbledore would have never imagined that I, a lonely ghost, would have the audacity to go to Hogwarts in person."

"In his eyes, I'm sure you are just a poor individual who I enchanted."

Quirrell also stopped trembling and flatteringly said, "No, master, I have changed from darkness to light. Only after following you did I realize how hypocritical Dumbledore is."

"Then prove your worth! I don't need useless trash," Voldemort scolded.

"I need the tears of a phoenix, particularly Lawrence's phoenix," Voldemort exclaimed, aware of his weakened state and recognizing that he could only replenish his power through the use of obscure practices and wicked rituals.

And one of those things includes Phoenix tears and even blood.

That damn little first-year wizard was relentlessly tormenting his servants every day, and even he couldn't stand to hear some of the things he said.

What does it mean to pretend to be a teacher?

"Master, I will do my best," Quirrell quickly expressed his loyalty. "I will obtain the Phoenix Tears for you and assist you in regaining your strength."

Speaking of this, he hesitated. "Master, Snape used to be your subordinate. Why didn't you allow me to seek his help?"

"Snape?" Voldemort's voice was faint.

"He is indeed much better and smarter than you."

Quirrell lowered his head in shame.

However, I still couldn't completely convince myself.

Voldemort continued, "But it is precisely because he is too good and outstanding that I cannot reveal myself to him at this time."

"Ten years have passed... I am no longer the Dark Lord I once was. Will a Slytherin as ambitious as him still be willing to acknowledge me as his master?"

"If he betrays you..." Quirrell's eyes flashed with cruelty. "Then I will kill him!"

"It doesn't matter if you sacrifice your life, but if my existence is exposed, even if you die ten thousand times, it won't be enough!"

Voldemort said coldly, "I'll give you a week. If you still can't handle that little wizard, you know the consequences."

After saying that, Voldemort closed his eyes and rested.

The power he has accumulated is too weak. Each word he utters further depletes his life force.

Quirrell gently raised his wand again, his eyes glinting with coldness.

Wayne Lawrence...

"Wayne, please stop bullying Professor Quirrell," Hermione warned in a hushed voice during History of Magic class.

"He is our teacher after all..."

Wayne yawned and casually asked, "Then, Miss Granger, what have you learned from this teacher?"

After hesitating for a long time, Hermione finally found a reason.

"About warding off vampires?"

"Haha, you know how to make me happy."

Wayne smiled but said, "You might as well learn how to deal with vampires from me. There's no tuition fee, and you only need to give me a half-hour massage."

"You're going to regret it." The young witch lightly patted him and didn't bring up the matter of Quirrell again.

In reality, Hermione didn't like the useless Quirrell, and her admonishment to Wayne stemmed from her respect for teachers as a student.

Secretly, Hermione had written several complaint letters to Dumbledore.

There were stories about Quirrell, stories about Cuthbert Binns, and even stories about astronomy classes that were affecting students' sleep.

But Dumbledore only responded to Hermione with a letter, telling her that she could take a nap during astronomy class since it would be pointless anyway.

The young witch was infuriated.

On the podium, Cuthbert Binns continued with his monotonous lecturing.

Today, he was discussing the various feats of wizards who assisted different city-states in conquering Persia during the ancient Greek period. What should have been a magnificent epic became mundane under his narration.

Wayne's eyes grew thoughtful as he pondered Quirrell's recent behavior.

It seems that he has other plans for Fox.

What does Voldemort want?