After Leonardo bid farewell and left the office, Quirrell's face instantly turned deathly pale. His whole body was drenched in sweat as he collapsed to the floor with a thud.
"Master, why did you teach Leo Dark Magic? Won't this expose your plan?"
Surprisingly, Voldemort didn't get angry at Quirrell's question, merely saying eerily, "He does have great talent. He could actually detect it, and even learned this magic in such a short time—far superior to you, worthless fool. But didn't you notice? He didn't hesitate to try this curse directly, as if it didn't bother him at all. When I offered to teach him the true essence of this magic, you saw how readily he agreed. What do you think this means?"
Quirrell kept his head down, answering carefully. "Forgive me, Master. I truly don't understand."
Voldemort snorted. "He doesn't just have talent—he has ambition! Whether it's more profound knowledge or more powerful magic, that brat wants it all. Since he wants to learn, I'll teach him!"
He paused, then continued, "Mix Dark Magic lessons into Defense Against the Dark Arts. The more he learns, the better. Do you think Dumbledore will tolerate a student learning Dark Magic? Since we're not using curses to control him, let's silence him another way. Once Leo becomes hooked on the power of Dark Magic, do you think he'll still report to the headmaster and teachers?"
Voldemort recalled his younger self. While still studying at Hogwarts, he had been monitored by Dumbledore, targeted by him! He was the most outstanding student, surrounded by admirers, the most talented and charismatic wizard of his generation—yet Voldemort had been constantly suppressed and guarded against by Dumbledore!
As long as Leo walked a similar path, he would inevitably drift further from Dumbledore.
What Voldemort wouldn't tell Quirrell was that he felt Leonardo resembled his younger self. Of course, definitely not as good as him. Birth was a bit inferior—just a wizard from a Muggle family. But Leo had considerable talent, desire, and ambition for power, and skill at disguising his true nature.
Clearly an eagle, yet willing to flock with sparrows, pretending to be some companion or friend.
These traits of Leonardo actually stirred some thoughts in Voldemort—thoughts of cultivating him as his follower. Voldemort confidently believed that once Leo encountered more powerful Dark Magic and witnessed its might, he would understand and submit!
Inside the Headmaster's office, Leonardo lifted the teacup before him, taking a small sip to moisten his dry lips. "Headmaster, what do you think about the magic Professor Quirrell taught me? Does it seem normal to you?"
After hearing Leo describe his entire tutoring session with Professor Quirrell, Dumbledore dropped another sugar cube into his teacup. At the sight, Leonardo's eyes widened, and he glanced at the thick, syrupy tea in Dumbledore's cup. 'Add any more sugar and it'll be pure syrup!' he thought.
Dumbledore sipped his tea but remained silent. Though he made no sound, the headmaster portraits on the walls couldn't restrain themselves. Instantly, various voices rang out simultaneously.
"Albus, Hogwarts safety..."
"Don't let this child be in danger..."
"What did I say? That's obviously Dark Magic..."
"What's there to hesitate about? Just go..."
However, the portraits had barely begun speaking when Dumbledore waved his hand, making the curtains snap shut, covering the portraits and cutting off their words.
"Sigh..."
Dumbledore sighed softly, looking at Leo with an expression full of conflicted emotions. His original plan had been for Quirrell to appear calm on the surface while gradually revealing himself through his own actions.
But Leonardo's appearance seemed to have completely thrown everything off balance. Both Dumbledore's plans and Quirrell's—or rather, Voldemort's.
Neither Quirrell nor Voldemort could have imagined that Leo would immediately run to Dumbledore to report him. But what was Dumbledore supposed to do? He could, of course, act at any time, shutting down Voldemort's current plan entirely.
But Dumbledore knew he couldn't actually destroy Voldemort. The prophecy foretold that only Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, could vanquish the Dark Lord—that "neither can live while the other survives." So Dumbledore had to help Harry grow, give him experiences and challenges, and ensure he was ready to face Voldemort himself when the time came.
But what Leonardo reported made Dumbledore feel deeply unsettled.
"You have very good talent in many areas. You're also a very smart child. About Professor Quirrell's matter..."
Hearing Dumbledore's rare, hesitant tone, Leo understood. It seemed Dumbledore wouldn't directly deal with Quirrell—he must continue his Savior cultivation plan.
The prophecy was clear: to truly defeat Voldemort, one had to destroy his Horcruxes first. Fortunately, there were several known methods to destroy Horcruxes—basilisk venom, the Sword of Gryffindor, which had absorbed basilisk venom, and Fiendfyre.
First, you had to find the Horcruxes, then destroy them, and only then could you defeat Voldemort. But it seemed like only Harry Potter, the child from the prophecy, could do all this.
Prophecy, destiny... Leonardo thought of centaur Firenze's assessment of him—that he would change many people's fates. Because of his special nature, could he cause changes outside prophecy?
"Headmaster, so what do you hope I'll do?"
Leo asked directly. Because that was Dumbledore's way—whether people liked it or not, they ended up following his plans. Even the desire to break free from his orchestration would somehow be woven into his strategy.
The perfect example was Newt, who in his youth had traveled the world on Dumbledore's behalf, yet always believed it was his own choice, that he was simply pursuing his own dreams.
Hearing Leonardo's frank question, Dumbledore sighed again softly. "You're indeed very smart. I hope you can continue to follow Professor Quirrell for your studies. Whatever knowledge or magic he teaches you afterward, I hope you can chat with me about it like today."
Regarding Dumbledore's request, Leo felt indifferent. He'd originally planned to learn from Quirrell—or rather Tom—anyway, getting some magic and knowledge.
Moreover, Dumbledore's meaning also tacitly permitted him to learn Dark Magic. He certainly felt Leonardo was also taking on risks.
Perfect. Asking now made no sense, but once Harry and the others learned about the Philosopher's Stone, he could use that opportunity to question Dumbledore and secure the Stone ahead of time.
'After all, I need to use the Philosopher's Stone to brew a potion to repay the Qilin loan. The sooner I can start experimenting, the better. If I wait until Harry gets the Stone, it'll be too late and far too complicated,' Leonardo thought.
'Using the Philosopher's Stone to brew potions won't be simple. I'll need plenty of practice. If I do Dumbledore this favor today, he'll be more likely to agree when I ask about the Stone later.'
Leonardo smiled at Dumbledore. "Of course, Headmaster. I'd be delighted to expand my knowledge and magical abilities."