Professor Quirrell ran frantically through Hogwarts Castle, leaving the students he passed stunned. It was the first time they had seen him looking so anxious.
At this moment, Quirrell no longer bothered to conceal himself. The Dark Lord, attached to the back of his head, was furiously urging him on. If Peeves were released and revealed that Quirrell had imprisoned him, Dumbledore's attention would surely be drawn, and their plan would be disrupted.
Five minutes later, Quirrell shoved open his office door with a loud bang, panting as he surveyed the room. The desk showed no signs of disturbance, but the box that had sealed Peeves was gone from the bookshelf.
The Dark Lord had laid anti-theft spells on the bookshelf, and surrounded the box with protective Dark Magic.
Yet now the anti-theft spells still functioned, but the box was missing. Inspecting the spot, Quirrell found no trace of Dark Magic. Voldemort's protective enchantments had never been triggered.
This was thanks to Loren's anti-magic field. Through his research, Loren had discovered that all magic relied on magical fluctuations to function. Exploiting this principle, he developed the anti-magic field.
The anti-magic field stabilized the magical flow around the body with sheer power and fine control, forcibly halting all fluctuations. In that zone, magic couldn't be used—not even by Loren himself.
In combat, the anti-magic field was nearly useless. Its range was only a few meters, and maintaining it drained focus, leaving Loren vulnerable to being kited.
But against traps and enchanted devices, it was ideal. This time, Loren had enveloped the entire office in the anti-magic field, freezing all magical reactions, which allowed him to take the box with ease. After he left, the traps remained undisturbed.
While Quirrell checked for losses, several curious students poked their heads through the door. After all, Quirrell had rushed to his office in a panic—something was clearly amiss.
Bolder students had followed him, hoping to see the cause. From Quirrell's movements, they realized he had lost something important.
Soon Quirrell—and the Dark Lord at the back of his head—noticed the crowd. Cursing under his breath, he ordered Quirrell to drive the students away.
The fleeing students quickly spread rumors that Quirrell's beloved turban had been stolen. Attention once more turned to the back of his head, and George and Fred's betting pool thrived again.
Meanwhile, in the Room of Requirement, Loren didn't disturb the twins as they pored over the diagrams. Instead, he went to another corner, activated his anti-magic field, took out the special chest from his personal space, removed the sealed box, and opened it.
With the anti-magic field active, he didn't fear the Dark Magic on the box. But what he saw inside left him troubled.
Dark Magic had been cast directly on Peeves and linked to the box's enchantments. If the box were opened, or Peeves removed, the Dark Magic would trigger.
Inside the field, all was stable. But once he disabled it, the Dark Magic would activate instantly. To study Peeves, Loren needed magic; to use magic, he had to end the field.
This wasn't a difficult problem—though Loren didn't want to destroy the box, since it had research value. Instead, he would swap Peeves out with a substitute.
He pulled another box from his space. Inside was one of his recent creations: an animal ghost.
After learning the cause of ghost formation through his talks with Hogwarts' spirits, Loren had crafted these ghosts from the souls of small animals used as food.
The best test subjects would have been Farm Tools, but the last batch had already been disposed of. Loren decided that during the Christmas holiday he would collect more Farm Tools, hand them to Peter, and use them to populate his small world.
Refocusing, Loren used the anti-magic field to transfer the Dark Magic from Peeves to the animal ghost, placed the ghost back into the box, sealed it inside the special chest, and stored it away.
With the Dark Magic gone, Peeves regained his consciousness. Yet under the field's suppression, he couldn't move. Clearly, ghosts and Peeves were different, since the field didn't restrain normal ghosts.
Seeing Peeves restored, Loren released the anti-magic field.
Freed, Peeves immediately knelt beside him, loudly declaring in his odd voice:
"Ah! Great Lion King, thank you for saving your insignificant servant!"
His cry caught George and Fred's attention. Spotting Peeves, they abandoned the diagrams and rushed over, worried—after all, this was tied to their money-making scheme.
"Peeves, where have you been these days? Did you see what's under Quirrell's turban?" Fred asked first.
"Oh, that cursed Quirrell! I hadn't even seen it before he caught me and locked me away. If not for the great Lion King, I'd still be trapped!"
Peeves shuddered. He didn't fear death, being a spirit of the castle born from student mischief. Killed, he would simply respawn.
But Voldemort had known his nature, sealing him intact, with awareness intact yet stripped of all agency. It was a torment worse than death.
"We'll have to teach Professor Quirrell a lesson, let him know Hogwarts' prank master isn't so easily bullied," George said, seeing Peeves hesitate. He knew Peeves now feared Quirrell and needed encouragement.
But Peeves didn't answer, only looking to Loren. After all, messing with Quirrell had been Loren's order. He had failed—what would Loren do with him now?
Loren understood and turned to George.
"We do need to teach Quirrell a lesson. Here—ten Galleons. Put a bounty on him in the betting pool. Anyone who snatches Quirrell's turban gets the reward."
He flicked ten Galleons from his robe; they floated into the twins' hands.
"As you wish, Lion King. Tomorrow, the news will spread across Hogwarts," they said, bowing and pocketing the coins.
Seeing this, Loren turned to Peeves.
"For now, it's not safe for you in Hogwarts. I'll find you a place to hide, somewhere Quirrell won't find you."
Peeves had already doubted Quirrell's identity—that was why he obeyed Loren's command to target him.
After this ordeal, Peeves had sensed more of Quirrell's secrets. His perception was sharp, and Voldemort's proximity had confirmed his fears.
Now Loren offered him sanctuary. Peeves eagerly agreed.
It wasn't that Peeves couldn't report Quirrell to Dumbledore. But he knew better—if he, a castle spirit, could sense Quirrell's oddity, then surely the Headmaster already knew.
And if by some chance Dumbledore truly didn't, reporting now could expose Loren and his secrets, earning his wrath.
Peeves couldn't lie to the Headmaster, and his instincts warned him: cross Loren, and he wouldn't just die—he would vanish from Hogwarts forever. Another Peeves might appear, but it wouldn't be him.
He wouldn't risk his existence. Better to follow Loren's lead.
Seeing his agreement, Loren pulled out the chest containing his small world, opened it, and let Peeves hop inside.
"OK, new test subject—get!" Loren cheered inwardly. Peeves was now both research material and a willing assistant, far more useful than Peter.
As Loren secured Peeves, George and Fred came over, each slinging an arm around his shoulders, grinning.
"Great Lion King, how's that for teamwork?"
"Cut it out," Loren said. "This time we really need to cause Quirrell trouble. Spread the word quickly."
The twins' smiles froze. They were only in their third year—too young to openly challenge a professor. Facing Filch was one thing, but Quirrell was another matter entirely.
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