We Meet Again

Quirinas forced himself to remain calm, undisturbed by others, and unmoved by their influence.

The Mirror of Eris is the primary objective. Once the mechanism of the mirror is solved, the Philosopher's Stone can be obtained, and everything will be alright once the Philosopher's Stone is obtained.

Whether it's intrigue or underhanded tricks, these paper tigers will be crushed by absolute power, and Quirinus Quirrell will become the number one person after Voldemort.

Thinking this, Quirrell let out a chilling laugh and said coldly, "You still want to influence me with magic? Give up. You can't do it. No one can stop me from getting the Philosopher's Stone!"

He spoke with great conviction, as if the Philosopher's Stone was already his, and the elixir of immortality was just a piece of cake.

"Please, can't you use your rusty brain a little bit?" Belvina said helplessly. "Professor Dumbledore's goal is to trap you here; you've fallen into his trap."

Upon closer inspection, the challenges the professors set up to protect the Philosopher's Stone seem very difficult at first glance, but upon closer examination, the difficulty is not that great.

Professor Sprout's Devil's Web could be easily passed even by a first-year student who had seriously studied herbalism, let alone an adult wizard who wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone.

Professor Flitwick's design is ingenious, combining spells and flight to give challengers a taste of Quidditch Seeker. In reality, if the magic is used properly, catching the Golden Snitch is a piece of cake.

Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard looks very intimidating, the expressionless chess pieces, the brutal way of capturing pieces, and the extremely difficult wizard chess game all make this level much more challenging.

However, the giant chessboard is not a mandatory game; it serves more as a deterrent to newcomers. Moreover, it is not necessary to rigidly win high-difficulty games; one can also use one's own pieces to achieve the goal of clearing the level, just like Quirrell.

The troll level was prepared by Quirrell himself and is not relevant to reference; therefore, it will be omitted.

Next came Snape's logical reasoning segment, which appeared to be a carefully prepared trap targeting the wizard's weaknesses: either advance or retreat, or drink poison. But Quirrell didn't make a choice; he simply forced his way through.

Snape's goal in this situation is not to poison the intruder, but to trap him in place, leaving him helpless and at the mercy of his captors.

Even if a wizard who dares to set his sights on the Philosopher's Stone is not very good, how bad can he be? Besides, he is someone who can stroll around Gringotts. Do you really think the professors' childish setup can trap him?

In Belvina's view, the professors' arrangements were more about delaying and hindering.

On the one hand, it slowed down the intruders' pace, and on the other hand, it gave the professors time to react, allowing them to gather together and carry out the arrest.

In the room illuminated by the firelight, Quirrell stared intently at the Mirror of Erised. Belvina stopped pacing and stood about seven or eight steps behind Quirrell.

"Dumbledore noticed you from the very beginning. All those traps and mechanisms outside were just for show, all there to impress you," Belvina said. "Only you were foolish enough to think you'd fooled Professor Dumbledore; that old man is shrewd!"

"Shut up!" Quirrell roared. "Are you showing off your intelligence or your sense of superiority?!"

"Ha! My good intentions have been taken for granted." Belvina curled her lip. "I haven't stooped so low as to seek superiority over you; I'm just being merciful by letting you die knowing why."

Even as he angrily rebuked Belvina, Quirrell did not turn around, his eyes fixed on the Mirror of Erised, on his reflection holding the Philosopher's Stone.

Quirrell raised his hand and lightly touched the surface of the magic mirror. His pale fingers brushed across the smooth surface as he gazed at everything reflected in the mirror, mesmerized by his own success.

That was a wonderful experience that Quirrell had never had in real life, and it was what he longed for most.

Belvina stood there quietly, watching Quirrell, who was obsessed with the Mirror of Erised, her gaze growing colder as if she were looking at a dead man.

If you can't persuade them or stop them, then that's fate.

If even one person refuses to listen to advice even at the cost of their life, it means that they are destined to take this detour and must endure certain hardships.

Quirinas Quirrell is the kind of guy who refuses to listen to reason, a damned devil who can't be reasoned with.

Belvina had no time or energy to patiently persuade Quirrell to turn back from his misguided ways; in her eyes, Quirrell was already a dead man with one foot in the grave.

The reason Belvina rambled on for so long was simply to complete the task assigned by Dumbledore. Dumbledore had asked her to stall for time as much as possible and leave Quirrell here.

Indeed, Quirrell's supposedly successful diversionary tactic failed completely. Dumbledore wasn't tricked by the note; he left the school voluntarily.

Only after Dumbledore left the school did Quirrell, who had been lurking in the shadows, dare to take action and target the Philosopher's Stone.

Connery Fudge frequently corresponded with Dumbledore, and Belvina was Fudge's "spy" planted at the school; she would reply to Fudge's letters during the day.

Even if Hogwarts is too far from London to Apparate, the Floo Network can be used to reach the Ministry of Magic directly. Quirrell's diversionary tactic itself had a fatal flaw.

Quirrell's little trick only fooled himself, not anyone else.

Dumbledore pretended to be deceived, left the school first to lure Quirrell into making a move, and then returned to the school at the right time to capture the treacherous Quirrell.

Belvina, who appeared in front of the Mirror of Erised ahead of time, was merely a part of Dumbledore's plan, a supporting character of moderate importance.

Perhaps Dumbledore has other plans, but that's not something Belvina needs to figure out right now. What she needs to do now is stall Quirrell and prevent him from leaving.

At this moment, only Quirrell's delirious murmurs filled the room. He said, "Help me, master. What's with this mirror? Where is the Philosopher's Stone hidden? Help me, master!"

As Quirrell spoke, he took a step back, reluctantly averting his gaze. He began circling the Mirror of Eris, seemingly hoping to find the hidden mechanism within the mirror.

Three circles to the left, three circles to the right, touching this and tapping that, Quirrell tirelessly explored.

He cursed in a low voice.

"I really don't understand... Could the Philosopher's Stone be hidden inside the mirror? Should I break the mirror?"

Helpless, Quirrell moved back to the Mirror of Erised and pleaded again in a low voice, "My master, please help me, I beg you, I really don't know what to do!"

Then, a voice came from Quirrell's own body.

"Ask her... ask her..."

Belvina, who had been standing there listlessly, suddenly perked up. She heard Voldemort's voice again, which was the real reason she was willing to act as a pawn tonight, to face Voldemort again, and to face the fear in her soul again.

This time, Belvina must tear open her wounds herself, overcome her fears, sweep away the gloom, and be herself again.

Severe cases require immediate and potent treatment!

"We meet again, Voldemort."

As she spoke, Belvina gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt at her side, stepped back with one foot, bent her knee, and smiled as she lowered her head.

Body language can often convey a wealth of information, and the information conveyed by combining body language with language is even richer.

Belvina was still bowing, but her composure and elegance, her chilling gaze, and her act of calling Voldemort by his name were completely different from the weak and frail woman she had been that night.

"You... have changed..." Voldemort's voice came. He seemed to be in better condition than that night, but he was still very weak.

"People change, don't they?" Belvina said with a smile. "Like you, you used to be powerful and influential, making all the wizards in this land feel suffocated."

Belvina continued, "But now, you've lost your body, possessing Quirinas like a lowly ghost. Ten years ago, who would have believed this? Who could have believed it?"

The truth is a sharp knife, and Belvina's knife pierced Voldemort's heart.

But Voldemort was not afraid of a mere verbal attack. He was the real linguist, and he manipulated people's hearts with words before Belvina was even pregnant!

"Heh... I can let bygones be bygones for your rudeness."

With a single word, a glance, and a gesture, Voldemort had already determined that Belvina had "betrayed" him, and judging from the circumstances of her appearance here, she had clearly jumped to Dumbledore's side.

Since possessing Quirrell, Voldemort had been hiding and dared not tell the Death Eaters who had escaped his fate about his return, precisely because he feared that the Death Eaters would use his information to claim credit and rewards.

Human hearts are fickle, and Voldemort never trusted people's hearts. He gave Death Eaters his trust because he could take it back at any time.

But now, in his frail state, he cannot offer that trust; the only person he can rely on is Quirinas Quirrell.

If Belvina hadn't lost control and lashed out that night, and if Quirrell hadn't been so useless, Voldemort wouldn't have risked confronting Belvina directly, but instead would have had Quirrell constantly hint at things and put pressure on her.

Even though he had temporarily subdued Belvina that night, Voldemort still chose to lie in wait and observe from the shadows rather than continue to swagger around the school.

As it turns out, Voldemort's distrust was not a problem at all; Belvina Black was a complete traitor, turning around and betraying her meeting with Voldemort to Dumbledore.

And tonight, Belvina's words, her eyes, her actions—everything showed that she was no longer afraid of Voldemort and would no longer be subdued by him because of personal issues.

For Voldemort, this was an immense humiliation, a betrayal he could never tolerate.

For Belvina, this was her chance, her chance to reclaim her lost dignity, and her first opportunity to settle scores with Voldemort.

"To forgive and forget, that's such a hypocritical phrase!" Belvina said softly. "I'm not as magnanimous as you."