Tsk, tsk, tsk. Good thing this is Diagon Alley. If it were Knockturn Alley next door, these three would probably be robbed until they didn't even have their underwear left."
Chu Yang took the cotton candy Hermione handed him, eating it while complaining, but soon, he felt malicious gazes from the crowd sizing them up.
Chu Yang didn't make a sound, quietly releasing his Observation Haki.
In the dark corner of the street, Professor Quirrell, who had recently gone missing, was staring with venomous eyes at the trio led by Harry.
Through Observation Haki, Chu Yang sensed the whispers between Professor Quirrell and Voldemort.
"It's all because you exposed yourself and attracted Dumbledore's attention. He moved the Philosopher's Stone from the Chamber of Secrets, and now there's no trace of it."
"Please forgive me, my Lord. If I hadn't met that weirdo in the Forbidden Forest, I would have definitely gotten the Philosopher's Stone for you."
"Enough! Shut up! I don't want to think about that again. Now, I only want you to do one thing: capture Harry Potter and exchange him for the Philosopher's Stone with Dumbledore!"
"You can rest assured, I will definitely fulfill your wish."
"Idiot!"
With Voldemort's curse, Professor Quirrell awkwardly ended the conversation, and Chu Yang understood their intentions.
The street became increasingly crowded, and Professor Quirrell gradually disappeared around the corner. A moment later, his figure appeared in Knockturn Alley.
At this point, the trio seemed tired from playing. Chu Yang took them to a frequently visited restaurant, and after they were seated, he excused himself and slipped away.
After much thought, Chu Yang decided to deal with Professor Quirrell and Voldemort while they were both weak. Otherwise, it was highly likely that Hermione, Ron, and even Mr. Ollivander would be affected.
After shrouding himself in a long black robe, Chu Yang followed the hidden path to Knockturn Alley.
Knockturn Alley, already very gloomy, appeared even more bizarre and grotesque against the backdrop of the festival.
All sorts of strange figures lurked in the narrow alleyways, letting out malicious chuckles at Professor Quirrell, who had just arrived.
But they clearly didn't know that Professor Quirrell's subservience only existed in front of Voldemort.
No one saw Professor Quirrell's lips moving slightly.
A magical light shot out from Professor Quirrell's wide sleeve, striking the black wizards who provoked him with lightning speed.
The spell hit one unlucky person, then spread into a strange halo, knocking back the rest. Some onlookers who were watching the show then saw Professor Quirrell's wand beneath his robes.
Immediately, they scattered like startled birds, quickly disappearing to the edges of the alley.
In just one round, Professor Quirrell showed these ill-intentioned individuals how formidable he was.
The empty alleyway was eerily quiet.
Professor Quirrell put away his wand and continued walking with his head down.
But after only a few steps, he suddenly saw a person standing at the end of the alley. The person was completely shrouded in a black robe. Professor Quirrell couldn't make out their face, but their short stature gave him a familiar feeling.
"Who are you?"
Professor Quirrell frowned, asking the other person in an almost scolding tone, his hand again reaching for the wand hidden within his robe.
However, the person opposite him reacted much faster. The moment Professor Quirrell made a move, a magical light illuminated the darkness.
The spell crossed the narrow alley, precisely hitting Professor Quirrell's wand hidden beneath his robe, knocking it away.
"Expelliarmus…" Professor Quirrell's expression was ugly. He had never seen such swift and accurate spellcasting, capable of hitting his wand hidden in his sleeve from such a long distance.
Damn it, do you come with a telescope when you cast spells?
"Run!" Voldemort, who was possessing Professor Quirrell, suddenly shouted, "He's that guy from the Forbidden Forest!"
Professor Quirrell's face changed. He finally knew where that familiar feeling came from.
"Quite the quick reaction," Chu Yang scoffed.
Then he brandished his wand, casting Stupefy as Professor Quirrell turned.
Magic trailed through the air like a meteor, striking Professor Quirrell's back.
Professor Quirrell's movements froze.
Chu Yang slowly walked from the other end of the alley.
As he neared Professor Quirrell, a large amount of grey, misty substance suddenly burst from the top of the latter's head.
That was Voldemort in his soul form!
Sensing danger, Voldemort instinctively lunged at Chu Yang, attempting to scare him away. But before he could get close, a red light suddenly erupted from Chu Yang, and a flame-like aura spewed from his mouth and nose, swirling around him.
It was as if a sun had risen in the pitch-black alley!
Voldemort's fragmented soul was fiercely scorched by the sun-like aura, and he immediately let out a shrill scream.
Chu Yang hadn't expected Sun Breathing to cause such powerful damage to a soul.
If this continued, Voldemort's remnant soul would likely be completely incinerated.
However, Voldemort's willpower was also extremely resilient. He endured the pain, forcefully broke through the fiery coverage, and vanished into the darkness at the end of the alley.
Only Professor Quirrell, still under the Stupefy spell, remained standing there in fear. If Chu Yang left him, he would likely freeze to death in Knockturn Alley tonight.
The sounds of the battle caused most of the black wizards lurking nearby to flee quickly. At least for tonight, they wouldn't dare approach this place.
"I'm very sorry to see you here, Professor Quirrell."
Chu Yang approached Professor Quirrell, took off his hood, and smiled politely.
Professor Quirrell's eyes widened instantly, revealing an expression of disbelief, but unfortunately, he couldn't utter a single word now.
"I actually quite liked your Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Chu Yang smiled, then pointed his wand at the ground by Professor Quirrell's feet and chanted, "Deprimo!"
The Deprimo spell blasted a large pit by Professor Quirrell's feet, scaring him into low groans.
Chu Yang showed no mercy.
He decisively kicked him down, then quickly sealed the hole.
Having done all this, Chu Yang then disappeared into the darkness, leaving Knockturn Alley.
...
"Chu Yang, what took you so long? Ron and the others have almost finished all the food!"
Hermione complained angrily to Chu Yang, who had been gone for a while, showing that his silent disappearance had worried her greatly.
"Sorry, Hermione, my stomach felt a bit unwell just now. Considering you all were about to eat, I didn't say anything."
Chu Yang explained with an apologetic look.
"Oh, I see. Are you feeling better now? Roast chicken might not be good for you. Do you want me to order something lighter for you?"
Hermione's anger came and went quickly. Hearing that Chu Yang was unwell, she immediately asked with concern.
Ron and Harry, who were feasting nearby, also put down their food.
They all looked at Chu Yang, expressing their concern.
Chu Yang didn't want to spoil their mood, so he smiled and said, "I'm much better now. Don't worry about me."
After speaking, he forked some food from the table into his mouth, chewing with an expression of enjoyment.
Only then did the trio relax and resume snatching the delicacies from the table. At this point, Hermione had already forgotten about being a lady. Chu Yang hadn't returned earlier, so she hadn't eaten much and was starving.
Just as Chu Yang and his friends were happily celebrating Halloween, Voldemort, having lost his temporary host, wandered alone in the wind and snow, like a flickering lamp that could go out at any moment.
The Halloween holiday quickly passed. Chu Yang and Hermione returned to Hogwarts together. Before they left, Mr. Ollivander still tried to persuade Chu Yang to temporarily leave the wizarding world and lay low.
He didn't know that Voldemort, the instigator of all the turmoil, would find it very difficult to cause trouble again in the short term.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore noticed that Voldemort and Professor Quirrell had left Hogwarts, and the tense atmosphere at the school eased considerably.
Chu Yang also didn't need to extend his holiday any further.
Everything returned to normal.
But for someone in particular, his life plummeted from heaven back to hell.
"I really like the bed by the window, Mr. Malfoy. Would you mind moving your luggage a bit?" Chu Yang said calmly, smiling at Draco. "Also, don't you think a room for two people is a bit too crowded?"
Draco nodded furiously, indicating that he strongly agreed with Chu Yang's opinion, then without another word, began packing his luggage.
A moment later, he was back in his familiar large dormitory, sleeping "happily" sandwiched between Goyle and Crabbe.
Compared to the trembling and cautious Draco, Chu Yang's return made his classmates very happy, and the first-year circle became extraordinarily lively.
After all, who doesn't like a classmate who helps them with tutoring and even lends them homework to copy?
The professors and teachers were also very happy. Even the always sharp-tongued and cold Snape didn't say anything sarcastic to tease Chu Yang.
On Chu Yang's second day back at school, Dumbledore pulled him into the headmaster's office for a long heart-to-heart talk. Most of the time, Dumbledore was concerned about Chu Yang's progress during this period.
So, in the headmaster's office, Chu Yang used the tools Mr. Ollivander had given him to craft an exquisite wand on the spot, which made Dumbledore exclaim in wonder.
Towards the end of the conversation, Dumbledore suddenly asked a question that caught Chu Yang off guard.
"Have you seen Professor Quirrell in Diagon Alley?" Dumbledore instinctively wanted to probe Chu Yang's memories, then suddenly remembered the palace deep within Chu Yang's mind, and quickly abandoned the idea.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, I haven't seen Professor Quirrell since Halloween," Chu Yang said with a polite smile, looking very sincere.
Dumbledore chuckled, "Perhaps I've been too sensitive lately. How could you have seen Professor Quirrell? My apologies, Chu Yang. Old age and lack of sleep do this to you. Please don't mind."
"How could I? Headmaster Dumbledore! I know you're concerned about me," Chu Yang said earnestly.
"Hmm…" Dumbledore nodded, chatted with Chu Yang for a bit longer, then told him to return to his dormitory to rest.
Until the moment Chu Yang closed the headmaster's office door, Dumbledore was watching him. Even without using Observation Haki, Chu Yang felt Dumbledore's gaze.
This wise old man seemed to be suspecting something...
However, Chu Yang was not worried that Dumbledore's attitude towards him would change once he guessed the truth, because he had long since proven that he would not become a second Voldemort.
After that, Chu Yang received special permission from Dumbledore.
He was allowed to participate in the O.W.L. exams as a first-year student.
This was originally an exam only for fifth-year students.
And if all went well, Chu Yang could also participate in the subsequent N.E.W.T. tests.
Chu Yang, having resumed his normal campus life, immersed himself in the library as usual.
Spring turned to autumn, and winter turned to summer.
...