However, in light of Draco and Ron's prior offenses—specifically referring to their confrontations, fighting on broomsticks, and ultimately both breaking their legs—the moment a spark of animosity flared between them, Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall shot sharp looks from the staff table.
They ultimately did not come to blows.
Snape, as usual, was at odds with Harry, nearly getting himself worked to death every class, yet Harry simply didn't care about anything, leaving Snape's every action seeming like impotent rage.
Snape felt that in just over a month since the term started, that Potter brat had shaved three years off his life.
Incidentally, Gryffindor's gem count had never gone up.
According to the intelligence Harry received, Snape's identity was confirmed: he was a Death Eater, of that there was no doubt, yet he was also heavily entangled with the Order of the Phoenix.
This easily led Harry to think of a spy.
If that were true, then Snape's true allegiance was still to be determined, yet Dumbledore seemed to place immense trust in him, which inevitably made one wonder.
Whether there was some undiscovered reason behind this.
And also, the history of grievances between Snape and the Marauders.
Well, Harry understood the resentment in the heart of a victim, but that didn't mean he was willing to accept Snape's displaced anger.
On the night of October thirtieth, heading into the thirty-first, Harry draped his robe over himself and quietly left Hogwarts, setting out for Godric's Hollow.
It was the place where his parents had died, and where the Potters' small home had been.
He placed a bouquet of white lilies before the grave, and when he stood up, Hubert, Agatha, and the others had already appeared behind him.
Harry tossed a dead rat over, and Mary promptly locked the rat into a special cage.
"Peter Pettigrew," Harry said succinctly, pointing at Scabbers. "I'm at school and don't have time to deal with him. Take him to the interrogation team and have them prepare a report for me."
Although Harry had already found time to search through the dead rat's mind, he was merely an amateur after all; when it came to interrogation, it was better to leave it to the professionals.
They might even dig up something else.
"Oh, and tell them to take it easy, don't kill him. I'll take the dead rat to the Ministry of Magic to exchange for Sirius Black during the holiday."
Harry paused, his tone ambiguous. "I heard he's my godfather?"
Though it was a question, Harry didn't expect an answer. He turned around, and Agatha stepped forward promptly, handing Harry a stack of paper documents.
Harry's expression instantly froze.
Agatha's face was utterly expressionless as she relayed in a rigid tone, "Master, Conti asked me to tell you that these are the documents you've been overdue on, urgently needing your approval. He hopes you won't neglect your business because of your studies."
Harry was speechless.
His mouth twitched as he tried to decline. "I'm just a lowly student."
Agatha continued relaying, "Conti said that if you called yourself a student, I was to tell you that students at least have weekends, whereas your dear old butler Esposito barely gets three hours of rest each day."
Agatha said, "Conti feels he won't live much longer with all this staying up late."
Harry was speechless.
"…Oh," Harry complained softly. "I don't want to work. This is child labor exploitation."
Agatha's expression didn't change.
Harry still accepted his work.
At that moment, Hubert stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Master, the map of Hogwarts is nearly complete."
He handed a map to Harry, then hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Conti said that very interesting things were discovered from the surveillance and listening devices. The relevant intelligence will be sent to you by noon tomorrow."
"Also," he glanced at Agatha, "regarding that prophecy, we've found that the crystal ball recording it is locked in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic."
"Do we need to raid the Ministry and borrow that crystal ball for examination?"
Hubert proposed gently.
Harry was speechless.
Harry said flatly, "I remember when I first picked you up, you were a down-and-out conscientious businessman, shaking even when you tried to steal something."
Hubert's expression remained unchanged as he responded with a smile, "Times have changed."
Thus, Harry calmly nodded. "It's worth considering."
"But no rush. You all know what a disaster the Ministry of Magic is. To avoid complications, let's get Black out first before thinking about storming the Ministry."
Hubert nodded. "Yes."
Harry returned to Hogwarts unnoticed.
He had to admit that what Conti had called "very interesting things" truly was very interesting.
Harry received a file, accompanied by an edited audio clip.
Quirrell had furtively appeared near the fourth-floor corridor several times and had a definite altercation with Snape. The argument centered around positioning; a key point was that the two repeatedly mentioned "which side."
Combined with the audio, it was clear that another voice was present near Quirrell, yet no other person was there.
Quirrell addressed this voice as "Master" and appeared to have suffered the punishment of the Cruciatus Curse.
Quirrell swore oaths, claiming he would retrieve "that thing" Dumbledore had hidden on the fourth floor for his "Master," and sought help from his "Master" due to a physical abnormality.
He asked his "Master" whether he should eliminate the Boy Who Lived first, a suggestion his "Master" rejected.
This "Master" instructed him that, as a last resort, he could hunt unicorns and extend his life by drinking unicorn blood.
Besides this, Quirrell planned to create a disturbance on Halloween to provide cover for his exploration of the fourth floor.
Based on the known information, it could be roughly inferred that the "Master" Quirrell spoke of was the second-generation Dark Lord, Voldemort, who had been declared dead by the magical world and was supposedly killed by the Boy Who Lived.
Harry was silent.
After a moment, he put away his phone and computer, revealing a smile. "It really is interesting."
Quirinus Quirrell.
Harry was assessing the value this man could bring.
Quirrell harbored ill will towards him; Harry absolutely could not let him live on peacefully and would have to deal with him eventually, but he needed to wait for the right moment to do so.
Also, what was on the fourth floor?
On Halloween, Harry arrived at the Great Hall early. It had already been decorated with a strong Halloween atmosphere. He scanned the staff table; most of the professors were already there.
Except for Snape and Quirrell.
Not long after, Ron walked into the Great Hall, complaining about something to Seamus Finnigan, and plopped down beside Harry, muttering, "Calling her Know-It-All really fits…"
Ron began chattering incessantly, his topic focused on complaining about Miss Hermione Granger.
Harry listened briefly and then stopped paying attention.
He did remember Miss Granger; she was a very bright girl, standing out among the Gryffindors.
As for Ron's grievances, it was obvious what the reason was; after all, his academic performance was not excellent.
Harry kept watching the staff table, but Quirrell never appeared, even after the young witches and wizards filled the four House tables and Dumbledore announced the start of the feast.
Harry absentmindedly ate a few lamb chops and then quickly stood up.
Ron looked at him strangely, his mouth still full of chicken, and asked indistinctly, "Harry… where are you going?"
Harry remained composed. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"Oh," Ron said, then continued burying his face in his food.
Harry deliberately kept a low profile and, without disturbing the excited young witches and wizards, walked out of the Great Hall.