Cohen rushed to Quirrell's office. The garlic smell was stronger than usual, indicating that Voldemort's influence on Quirrell's body was deepening.
[Soul Strength: 5 (Incomplete)/25]
[Soul Strength: 40+10]
Voldemort had stolen a full 20 points of Quirrell's soul strength, while the temporary value transferred to Voldemort's own soul was only 10 points.
Once Voldemort left Quirrell's body, the temporary increase would disappear—Cohen didn't really need to worry much.
"Mr. Norton, come, come in—" Quirrell stammered, leading Cohen into the office, cautiously peeking out to look around.
Then, Quirrell locked the door and added a spell to it.
"Cohen, the Dark Lord really needs that Philosopher's Stone now, I need to speed things up..." Quirrell said, his face pale.
Voldemort must be pressuring him—just like a teammate who dies in a game always puts pressure on the still-living teammates.
"Then go steal it! You've been saying it for six months," Cohen said listlessly. "The big dog you saw last Halloween—"
"It was a protective measure left by Hagrid, the gamekeeper," Quirrell quickly replied. "I've already figured out a way to get him to tell me how to deal with that dog…"
Cerberus is a magical creature for which almost no spells can directly threaten its life—therefore, wizards in the past assumed it was a guardian from hell.
Its only weakness is that it falls asleep to music—Cohen had intended to say that directly.
But Quirrell pulled a huge, dark egg from the table.
"You told me I couldn't let dragons into the castle, but you brought one in yourself, didn't you?" Cohen looked at Quirrell with a stiff gaze.
"This is to trick Hagrid into giving us information," Quirrell explained. "Dragon eggs are still available on the black market—but some adult dragons are—difficult to transport."
"Get me a few too?" Cohen asked. "That way I can try out a lot of magic—you know, capturing people is easy for Dumbledore to discover, but raising animals is different. I can practice my previous magical ideas on them—like chained Avada Kedavra curses."
"After all, dragons have higher resistance to magic—"
"Dragon eggs are expensive," Quirrell said awkwardly. "I've already spent all my savings. Those dragon egg smugglers are crazy…"
"Alright…" Cohen replied reluctantly. "When are you going to ask? As soon as possible. I want to start before my final exams, so as not to delay my studies."
"The Dark Lord thinks you'll follow him after you succeed…" Quirrell expressed his confusion about Cohen's thoughts.
"Knowledge and diplomas are not the same," Cohen admonished earnestly. "You're still confining yourself too much to the academic realm—what I need isn't just knowledge, but power."
"A diploma is needed to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, then climb the ranks step by step using Imperius Curses and assassinations. That's called a peaceful coup—I've already studied the deeds of the two Dark Lords. They were too brutal. You know, people often prefer gentler changes. Once I rule the Ministry, I'll spend a few years inciting conflict between Muggles and wizards…"
Quirrell listened to Cohen's several rounds of plans, dumbfounded.
"Good boy…your plan does have its merits…" Voldemort's voice slowly rose from beneath Quirrell's turban, "but it has many flaws…detecting a Dark Wizard isn't just about outward behavior…"
"Oh?" Cohen raised an eyebrow, pulling out his wand. "What if I take out this?"
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"Palmtopsus!"
A thick plume of white smoke billowed from the tip of Cohen's wand.
"How is this possible!" Quirrell's voice rose several octaves as he stared in disbelief at Cohen's Patronus Charm.
Though it had no physical form, it was indeed released—
but Cohen had used dark magic hundreds of times in the past six months! The number of creatures he had killed in Quirrell's office could almost cover the Great Hall of Hogwarts!
"Magic, isn't it amazing?"
"But you... aren't you..." Quirrell remembered that the experiment at Burke Manor was a fusion performed by that dark magic creature...
"I went there the day before yesterday," Cohen said. "Although there were some twists and turns, I've roughly figured out the cause and process of that experiment—it's probably because they added some strange creatures."
"So..."
Quirrell substituted the fact that "Cohen can disguise himself as a normal wizard" into the plan Cohen had just mentioned.
It seems... this kid can really do it?
How is the Ministry of Magic going to prove that Cohen is an evil thing? Say he's a Dementor? Say he's an evil dark magic creature?
"What kind of Dementor can summon a Patronus?!
Most people in the Ministry of Magic don't even know that spell!"
Quirrell and Voldemort behind his head were silent for a while.
"So if you interfere with my plans, I won't hesitate to feign defection to protect my own identity," Cohen cautioned. "However, you are excellent partners, and we share the same goal."
Cohen was referring to Voldemort, who wanted to create chaos and seize power.
"Of course… we'll have more opportunities to cooperate in the future…" Voldemort's voice was like a viper's hiss, but for now, he seemed to accept Cohen's terms.
"So how do you plan to meet Hagrid? You certainly can't go to him to sell dragon eggs in your current capacity." Cohen shifted the focus to Quirrell.
"Perhaps at the Hogsmeade pub?" Quirrell asked. "I remember he often goes to the Three Broomsticks for drinks…"
"You do your illegal dealings at the Three Broomsticks, huh?" Cohen was a little exasperated with Quirrell's plan. "At least go to the Hog's Head, right? Here's what we'll do: I'll go tell Hagrid I want some butterbeer from the Hog's Head—you wait there, and when he gets there, you can get him to play cards or something, bet on a dragon egg. He definitely won't be able to resist the temptation…"
"But how do you get Hagrid to buy the butterbeer for you?" Quirrell was a little uneasy about the plan.
"I've already built a good relationship with Hagrid. Do you think I'm running around the school every day just for exercise? These are connections. The future of the British wizarding world is all in Hogwarts." Cohen waved his hand. "Besides, I have a condition he can't refuse…"
Apart from Cohen, there was only one person in the entire Hogwarts who wouldn't panic or drive away the Nightmare Unicorn with hostility after seeing it—
Hagrid would definitely be attracted to this creature he had never seen before, and he certainly wouldn't refuse the unicorn's request.
For example, it wanted to drink the butterbeer from Pighead Bar.
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(End of Chapter)