On the way back to Gryffindor Tower, Ron tried dragging Ethan and Harry off to play Exploding Snap.
But while passing the third floor, Ethan spotted Quirrell standing near a corridor corner.
Quirrell secretly waved toward him.
Clearly, he had something urgent to discuss.
"I genuinely wanted to play with you this time," Ethan said sincerely.
Harry and Ron immediately gave him deeply suspicious looks.
"But I really do need to speak with Quirrell," Ethan continued. "I already promised him."
"You don't want him collapsing under pressure from Snape before revealing how to bypass the protections around the Philosopher's Stone, do you?"
"…Fair point," Harry admitted after thinking it over.
"Professor Quirrell honestly looked like he was about to have a breakdown after the last Quidditch match."
"Do you need backup?" Ron offered enthusiastically. "Maybe having three of us there would make him feel more confident."
"Three people would make him feel like he'd accidentally confessed to murder," Ethan replied immediately.
Then he refused Ron's application to join the operation.
After all, if Harry and Ron followed him inside, discussing plans to steal the Philosopher's Stone would become slightly inconvenient.
"Don't forget," Ethan reminded them, "officially we still know nothing about the Philosopher's Stone."
After separating from Harry and Ron, Ethan turned back and headed toward Quirrell's office.
The moment he entered, he realised Quirrell somehow looked even more stressed than Hermione rushing toward final exams.
"What happened?" Ethan asked while sealing the office door behind him. "Did losing your nose again cause psychological damage?"
"It's not that this time…" Quirrell muttered fearfully.
Even his stutter sounded real now.
"Dumbledore called me to his office…"
"Did he harass you again?" Ethan asked darkly. "That evil Englishman really is energetic for someone over a hundred years old."
"?"
"?"
Quirrell stared at Ethan in utter confusion.
Ethan stared back equally confused.
"…What are you talking about?" Ethan finally asked.
"Dumbledore didn't secretly pursue a relationship with you?"
"He's a man!" Quirrell cried incredulously. "So am I!"
"Yes," Ethan replied reasonably, "which is exactly why I became suspicious."
Quirrell looked like he was beginning to suffer brain damage.
"Actually," Ethan continued thoughtfully, "from Dumbledore's perspective, you're fairly attractive. Aside from being bald."
"If you eventually abandon the Philosopher's Stone because of emotional trauma and get yelled at by Voldemort, I'm willing to comfort you."
"I—he didn't do anything to me!" Quirrell nearly screamed. "Dumbledore only spoke with me!"
"Then you suspect he already knows you're trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone," Ethan concluded immediately.
"So your fear has nothing to do with Dumbledore seducing you."
"Of course not…" Quirrell whimpered weakly.
"Then you're just a coward."
Ethan sounded genuinely disappointed.
Honestly, if Quirrell backed out now, how exactly was Ethan supposed to steal the Philosopher's Stone naturally afterward?
This man's faith in evil truly lacked commitment.
"If you don't steal the Stone," Ethan continued patiently, "how is Voldemort supposed to resurrect?"
"How am I supposed to help?"
"How are we supposed to overthrow the Ministry of Magic and rule the world?"
"You can't always think only about yourself."
Quirrell's expression slowly stiffened.
At this point, Ethan somehow resembled a horrifying fusion of Dumbledore and Voldemort simultaneously.
"Be brave," Ethan encouraged earnestly. "Once you get the Stone, just run away."
"First, lure Dumbledore out of Hogwarts somehow."
Then Ethan suddenly paused.
"…Wait."
A new idea appeared instantly.
"There's a way."
The Ministry of Magic already possessed records about Ethan.
Those Aurors from before had clearly recognised him immediately.
Which meant the Ministry definitely monitored him at least partially.
And from that perspective…
…the Ministry suddenly had an excellent reason to urgently summon Dumbledore away from Hogwarts.
Even if Dumbledore recognised the trap immediately, he would still leave temporarily.
Because Dumbledore wanted Harry and Voldemort to meet.
As Dumbledore himself once believed:
Overprotection only drowns people inside greenhouses.
Storms create stronger trees.
After Ethan explained the basic plan, both Quirrell and Voldemort agreed immediately.
Simple.
But effective.
"As soon as possible…" Voldemort hissed eagerly from the back of Quirrell's head. "Do not delay…"
"So when do we begin?" Ethan asked enthusiastically.
"Preferably two weeks before final exams."
Then he added very seriously:
"You can cast Avada Kedavra on me and I'll pretend to die until exams finish."
"That way I won't need to revise."
"???"
Quirrell looked genuinely traumatised.
"…What did you just say?"
"What curse are you asking me to cast on you?!"
"Avada Kedavra," Ethan repeated impatiently. "Don't you know it?"
"You said you'd teach me dark magic before."
"If this isn't possible," Ethan added thoughtfully, "perhaps Voldemort should reconsider his staffing choices."
"The standards for evil accomplices seem a little low."
"I mean," Quirrell said weakly, "the Killing Curse actually kills people…"
"It's just final exams…"
"It's not that serious…"
"Just cast it," Ethan insisted calmly. "I'll handle the details."
"Otherwise how am I supposed to clear my name after you steal the Philosopher's Stone?"
"You're already evil anyway."
"I'm different."
"I'm still young. My clean educational background matters."
Voldemort immediately approved the plan personally.
Which effectively overruled Quirrell's concerns.
After enduring ten years as a wandering spirit, Voldemort now cared about only one thing:
Obtaining the Philosopher's Stone.
Eventually, they settled on a final timeframe:
Two weeks before exams.
At that point, most professors would already be occupied preparing test materials, giving Quirrell more freedom.
The Ministry would also begin sending recruitment paperwork and evaluation forms for graduating students around that period.
Naturally, even the apocalypse required bureaucracy.
"By the way," Ethan suddenly asked, "did Snape come looking for you earlier?"
"Harry says they all suspect Snape's trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone now."
Then Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"And last time, I heard Snape asking questions about me."
"Are you cooperating with him?"
....
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