I will be loyal to you!

Chapter 63 I will be loyal to you!

dong dong dong.

"Who...who is it?"

"Professor Quirrell, it's me, Ken."

"Yes, Ken. Please come in."

The muffled voice coming through the door had barely faded when the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office clicked open automatically, and Avada stepped inside: "You should have told me beforehand, Professor."

As he closed the door, he said, half complaining and half feeling lingering fear, and then, as expected, he felt his brain blockade being invaded again, though to a very mild degree.

After the troll attack, all the students retreated to their respective common rooms. Upon hearing that the troll had been dealt with, they relaxed and resumed their feast in the common rooms—in fact, apart from the younger students, few were truly nervous. The troll, as a dangerous magical creature, had virtually no fighting power; any student of decent skill level above the fourth year could easily take it down. For top wizards like McGonagall and Flitwick, the troll posed less of a threat than an owl that sheds feathers in breakfast.

So, with everyone in a stable mood and the atmosphere quite relaxed, people quickly returned to their normal lives. Avada, immediately after the banquet, left the Hufflepuff common room and went to the third floor to knock on the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts office.

"Is there a problem? It's just a giant—even you could handle it easily, right?"

Quirrell—no, Voldemort—said with a chuckle, while secretly using Legilimency to "read" Avada's thoughts.

"But there was a first-year student there! The troll almost killed her!"

Avada exclaimed excitedly, "I can't even imagine how terrible it would be if a student were killed in school by a giant that suddenly appeared out of nowhere!"

"How bad can it be?"

Voldemort seemed completely unfazed by Avada's attitude, maintaining his gentle demeanor: "I've inquired; it was just a Mudblood who almost died, and besides, she wasn't even injured. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal?"

Avada seemed genuinely angry, and for the first time, she revealed her dissatisfaction to the professor: "A student has died on campus! The principal will be suspended pending investigation, the school will be closed for rectification, and all students will be forced to leave! And I will be returning to that damned orphanage!"

"I don't want to go back! I want to stay at Hogwarts all summer! This is where I belong, not hanging out with a bunch of Muggles and being treated like a freak!"

Voldemort suddenly laughed, a genuine, heartfelt laugh.

"You consider Hogwarts your home? And you want to stay here forever?"

"certainly!"

"So, if you had the opportunity in the future, would you be willing to come to Hogwarts and teach as a professor?"

"I can't imagine a better future."

"...You are luckier than me," Voldemort sighed.

"Lucky?"

"Our experiences are almost identical. Ken... grew up in an orphanage, suffered a lot of exclusion, was taken in by Dumbledore, had outstanding talent, and had a deep and unwavering dependence on Hogwarts."

"But the only difference is that you had a better name from the start. Ha, a name that is truly revered by all the strong and feared by all the weak and fools... It took me a lot of effort to get such a name, but you were born with it."

"Moreover, the Sorting Hat gave you a choice, sending you to Hufflepuff, making Dumbledore less wary of you, and allowing you the freedom to learn and develop. Unlike me back then, although I entered the glorious Slytherin, I had to maintain a smile that made me sick under Dumbledore's nose, and pretend to be friendly with everyone..."

"Teach...Professor?"

Avada looked utterly confused, wondering why Professor Quirrell was saying all this to her: "Weren't you a Ravenclaw graduate? How did you become a Slytherin? And do you have a special name?"

A mysterious smile appeared on Quirrell's face.

"I think, Ken, you might have some things wrong."

"The person who has always been giving you lectures in the office, teaching you knowledge that you can't learn from textbooks, has never been Professor Quirrell."

Avada's eyes widened suddenly.

"I am delighted to invite you to witness my true face and real name..."

Quirrell stood up from his chair, turned his back to Avada, and then raised his hand to slowly remove his headscarf.

"Nice to meet you, I am Voldemort."

A strange and sinister smile appeared on the pale face on the back of Quirrell's head.

thump.

Avada's face turned deathly pale, and he involuntarily tumbled off his seat, sitting on the ground staring at the face with utter astonishment, unable to utter a sound, seemingly terrified by the bizarre scene.

"Master, are you really going to show yourself like this? Aren't you afraid...?"

"Shut up, Quirrell."

Voldemort scolded him with displeasure, then looked at Avada with a gentle smile: "That's right, the one who has been teaching you knowledge all along is the Dark Lord, feared by the entire wizarding world, and also the person Dumbledore feared the most."

"Professor, no, Dark Lord..."

Please continue to call me Professor.

"Yes, Professor... why are you telling me this? And, didn't you already...?"

Are you trying to say, "Dead"?

Voldemort scoffed, "I will not die, Ken. I've already gone further down the path to immortality than anyone else..."

"Eleven years ago, I was the victim of a despicable and shameless ambush. Those who plotted against me thought they could kill me completely, but they underestimated Voldemort's power and greatness... But that ambush did indeed inflict considerable damage on me, which is why I am the way I am today. And even though I am now so weak, Dumbledore still fears me and is trying every means to completely destroy me..."

"But he couldn't do it, and nobody could. How could those who hinder the development of the entire magical world for their own selfish reasons possibly stop the great Voldemort?"

"Don't even think about whether or not to tell Dumbledore."

Voldemort watched with satisfaction as Avada's face paled again, and slowly said, "You have no idea what that old man is really like—insidious, despicable, and a master of deception and manipulation. If he knew you'd been learning skills from me and even released that giant monster yourself, he would have thrown you into Azkaban without hesitation, or even killed you outright. He's just that terrified of me, and he's driven mad to destroy everything connected to me..."

"I...I..."

Avada looked terrified and stammered as if trying to say something.

"But you don't need to worry," Voldemort said softly, "Dumbledore has no idea I'm back at the school. Besides, I've returned here to retrieve something that will allow me to regain my body. And once I have a body and my powers are restored, Dumbledore will be no match for me!"

"All you need to do is follow me and study peacefully. Once I take over Hogwarts and become the headmaster, I will bestow upon you honor, wealth, power, and even the secret to my immortality... Then we can openly and legitimately practice our great ideals together."

"So, Ken, I now extend an invitation to you—are you willing to follow me and become my 'Death Eaters'?"

Voldemort smiled—he had actually already seen the answer in Avada's mind.

"Me? Am I qualified, Professor? I heard from the Slytherin people that only those who become Death Eaters are..."

"Of course you do. Your future achievements will surpass those of the vast majority of my Death Eaters. I believe that."

"...In that case, there's only one answer."

Avada slowly rose from the ground, his gaze towards Voldemort filled with unwavering resolve: "I am willing to pledge my allegiance to you."

"Then, roll up the sleeve of your right arm."

Voldemort suppressed his joy, manipulated Quirrell's body to turn around, picked up his wand, and lightly tapped Avada's right upper arm—Avada only felt a slight sting, and then saw a faint, birthmark-like snake-headed skull branded onto his skin.

The Black Magic Mark.

Avada: ...

Alright, now his trust level is maxed out. If he could fail at this, he might as well find a rock and smash his head against it.

As for this mark, we'll analyze the principle behind it later, and then we can erase it in two minutes after Voldemort is dealt with.

"Alright, go back now. I look forward to the day when you grow up and serve me."

Voldemort put his turban back on, and with a smile, used Quirrell's body to escort Avada out of the office. He then said to Quirrell with a grin, "Are you worried that boy will betray me?"

"I didn't mean to question you, Master, but..."

"You have no idea what I just saw in his head."

Voldemort said softly, "It is an unparalleled excitement, joy, anticipation, and loyalty."

……

At the same time, Avada Kedavra, who had just been incredibly excited, joyful, and expectant to pledge his loyalty to Voldemort, skillfully cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself and ran like the wind up to the eighth floor, arriving at the stone beast in front of the principal's office.

(End of this chapter)