Chapter 138, Section 136. Quirrell: I'm a bit short on cash lately
. Professor Quirrell is currently very troubled.
He's in financial trouble.
His master, the Dark Lord, recently asked him to pay for a bottle of expensive unicorn blood. It's too expensive; even if he emptied his entire fortune, he couldn't afford 30,000 Galleons.
But he can't disobey his master's orders, so he has no choice but to borrow from the gang in Knockturn Alley.
Not even middle-aged, without a car, a house, or a girlfriend, Professor Quirrell has accumulated a huge debt.
This makes him extremely anxious.
He can only comfort himself with the promises his master made to him each day.
So what if he owes a lot of money? Once the Dark Lord rules the British wizarding world, he'll be the greatest contributor. Then, none of those loan sharks will dare come to him to talk about repayment.
It will happen, it will happen…
cars, houses, girlfriends, he'll have them all.
Professor Quirrell satiated himself with these empty promises Voldemort had made for him.
But the future is the future, and the present is the present.
Lately, he's been having the same dream repeatedly: he's hiding from Avada Kedavra, who's been harassing him while he's trying to collect his debts, while the Dark Lord has vanished. Then, just as a Killing Curse is about to strike him, he wakes up in a panic.
In the pitch-black, cold night, Quirrell could only gasp for breath, touching the back of his head where the Dark Lord was, recalling his words, and needing a couple of bites of mental sustenance before he could finally fall asleep.
But as the days went by, Quirrell was almost at his breaking point.
He was now pale every day, with huge dark circles under his eyes, listlessly reading his textbooks in class. Several times, he hadn't even finished a few sentences before his head started spinning and he almost fainted.
The day of the agreed-upon deal was drawing closer, and every time Quirrell thought about how the large sum of money he had borrowed was about to be spent, a sharp pain would pierce his heart.
That evening, Quirrell was staring blankly into his office when Snape suddenly approached him.
Snape's gaze was unfriendly as he stared into Quirrell's vacant eyes and spoke in a harsh tone,
"The Hogwarts professors are planning an operation tonight. A group of escaped convicts have appeared in Hogsmeade, and their bounty at the Ministry of Magic is quite high. Several professors have discussed it and decided to capture them all and split the bounty. Do you want to join?"
Quirrell's previously numb and empty eyes suddenly lit up!
He grabbed Snape's arm with trembling, claw-like hands and asked in a hoarse voice,
"How much is the bounty?"
Snape frowned and dismissively slapped his hand away.
"Four people, the bounty is 15,000 gallons. There are about four professors joining tonight's operation. If all goes well, each person will probably get over 2,000 gallons."
"Wow!" Quirrell replied excitedly.
Over 2,000 gallons, that's a lot, and with so many professors involved, the operation is sure to be a success. This money is practically free.
Snape looked at him coldly: "Are you short of money?"
Quirrell awkwardly clutched the corner of his robe: "I'm a bit strapped for cash lately."
"You'd better not try anything funny," he warned. "Meet at the school gate at 1 a.m.."
After Snape left, Quirrell couldn't calm his excitement and paced back and forth in the office.
The prize money is one thing, but real peace of mind comes from having the money in your hands. To put it bluntly, if the Dark Lord's plan fails, he needs to have a backup plan.
If he really uses all his money to buy that bottle of unicorn blood, and his master abandons him after the plan fails, what other outcome will he have but to starve to death? He
needs to hide all the bounty and have a way out for himself.
It was only because Voldemort's condition was deteriorating and he was often in a deep sleep that Quirrell dared to think this way; otherwise, he would never have dared to have such a treacherous idea as leaving himself a way out.
Quirrell hadn't rested, and when there was still half an hour until 1 a.m., he went out to the gates of Hogwarts.
Two professors were already there:
Vice-Headmaster Professor McGonagall and Ravenclaw's Head of House Professor Flitwick.
All set!
Seeing these two present, Quirrell suddenly felt that tonight's plan was as simple as children playing house.
"Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick," he stammered as he greeted the two deans. "Are you also participating in tonight's operation?"
Professor McGonagall frowned at Quirrell. She didn't have a good impression of him because several young wizards had complained to her that Quirrell's teaching was ineffective.
She nodded slightly and said,
"Albus sent Philius and me to prevent any accidents. We won't participate in the final bounty distribution."
Quirrell was overjoyed.
What perfect tools!
They didn't have to wait long at the school gate before all the professors participating in the operation arrived.
Astronomy Professor Aurora Sinister, Ancient Runes Professor Basilda Barbling, Muggle Studies Professor Karedy Bubbaggie, plus the three Headmasters—Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout—who were there to keep things under wraps and not participate in the money-sharing, and Quirrell himself.
With such a lineup, what dark wizard could possibly escape!
Quirrell secretly tightened his grip on his wand.
Although he had made a little money recently, he was still a Ravenclaw graduate, and he needed to perform exceptionally well tonight so he could have a stronger voice when it came to the money-sharing.
The seven professors left Hogwarts and went to an alley near the Hog's Head.
There, a long-bearded old man reeking of mutton awaited them.
Quirrell recognized him; he was the owner and waiter of the Pig's Head Bar.
"There are only four people left in the bar now. They've already gone to sleep, so I didn't dare add anything to their drinks. Remember to keep a low profile," the old man muttered. "Don't forget, Dumbledore promised to give me two thousand Galleons."
Even the Pig's Head Bar owner had joined in!
Quirrell was no longer excited; instead, he was somewhat unhappy.
One more person meant one more share of the money, meaning he'd get less.
He grumbled to himself.
Professor McGonagall was the overall commander of this operation. Once inside the Pig's Head Bar, she began quietly assigning targets to the four people sharing the money.
"Quirk, you go to the first room on the left, Sinesta's second room on the left, Barbling's sixth room on the right, and Bubbaji's third room on the right. Philius, Pomona, and I will stay downstairs. Remember, use the Stunning Charm three times upon meeting them, then bring them down."
A simple plan, as simple as he recited in class.
Quirrell's palms were slightly sweaty as he gripped his wand.
He and the other three professors silently made their way to the second floor of the Hog's Head Bar.
Once they reached their respective target rooms, they exchanged glances, nodded simultaneously, and kicked open the doors together!
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(End of Chapter)