Quirinus slipped in through the window, put away his broom, drew his wand, and quietly walked towards the side door in the room.
He pointed his wand and whispered, "Alohomora," but there was no reaction. Frowning slightly, he pushed the door, but it didn't budge.
This made Quirinus frown. This door was clearly enchanted with Goblinprotection magic. His previous attempts to infiltrate had been smooth, so it seemed he had caught a big fish. But with the fish right in front of him, how to catch it was the problem.
If he were to force the door open, in this quiet environment, he could only imagine the consequences.
He was considering whether to enter through the nearby window, but he figured the window should also be enchanted with protection magic.
"Idiot, let me do it." Lord Voldemort's furious roar came from his ear, and then Quirinus felt his right hand move uncontrollably. His right hand felt filled with a strength far exceeding what he had ever possessed. He raised his wand, a flash of light appeared, a few streaks of light flickered on the door, and then it slowly opened inward.
Quirinus quietly stepped inside, the bright moonlight spilling in through the window.
By the moonlight, he could see that this room was not small at all; it was much larger than the office outside. A large bed was placed by the window, even bigger than a human bed by more than half. A short, stout Goblin lay on the bed.
Quirinus slowly walked to the bed, raised his wand, pointed it at the sleeping Goblin, and softly chanted the spell, "Imperio."
One of the three Unforgivable Curses, the Imperio.
"Get up," Quirinus whispered.
The Goblin on the bed opened its eyes and sat up.
"Has Dumbledore deposited anything valuable in Gringotts recently?" Quirinus asked.
"No," the Goblin replied.
"What about Hagrid?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"I don't know. We Goblins never inquire about our clients' secrets."
"Where is it kept?"
"Vault 713."
"Take me there."
"Alright."
...
Quirinus maintained his Disillusionment Charm, following the Goblin named Ragnok, and took the Goblin subway all the way to Vault 713.
"Open it." Although he already knew the result, Quirinus was still a little nervous, worried that Hagrid might have temporarily not taken the Philosopher's Stone. After all, if Lord Voldemort really took the Philosopher's Stone, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Yes, sir," Ragnok replied.
As the key turned, the vault door slowly opened, revealing nothing but emptiness...
Quirinus secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his face was filled with anger as he asked, "Where is it?"
"It must have been taken," Ragnok replied.
Upon hearing this, Quirinus vaguely felt that Lord Voldemort on his head was about to explode.
"Hagrid!!! Kill him!" Lord Voldemort's furious roar came from his ear.
Clearly, the enraged Dark Lord wanted to release his anger through slaughter.
"Master..." Quirinus said with difficulty.
"Kill him!" Lord Voldemort roared again, and Quirinus even felt a stinging sensation from his head, indicating that Lord Voldemort's patience had run out.
"Yes, my Master." Quirinus was a little nervous but secretly gritted his teeth.
Quirinus raised his wand, pointing directly at Ragnok, but he hesitated, and as time passed, his arm even trembled slightly.
When it came to killing, the most efficient spell was the Avada Kedavra. Quirinus also knew it. When Professor Quirrell was traveling the world, he had studied Dark Arts, and as a benchmark in Dark Arts, the three Unforgivable Curses were mandatory.
However, in his previous life, as a socialist youth with four virtues, he had never even killed a chicken. Now he was forced to kill an innocent person. Although Goblins were not human, they were intelligent humanoid creatures with their own unique culture and heritage.
Quirinus found it very difficult to overcome his inner struggle.
Killing, it sounded simple, just a flick of the wand, but in practice, it was not so easy.
Of course, if Lord Voldemort's true body stood defenceless before Quirinus right now, he would not hesitate to stab him to death.
"Do it, Quirinus. Think about it, with just a flick of your wand, a vibrant life will end in your hands. How wonderful this feeling of life and death, of giving and taking, is." Lord Voldemort's seductive voice poured into his mind, making Quirinus's mental defenses tremble.
"Yes..." Quirinus's voice was a little nervous, and he gripped his wand tighter.
"Look at him, he's just a filthy, inferior Goblin, not even a human. Killing him is no different from killing a chicken. In fact, a chicken can even struggle a bit. Hurry up, do it. As long as you kill him, power, authority, I can give you everything." Lord Voldemort's voice was like a demonic enchantment.
The Imperio is terrifying. A person controlled by the Imperio would not hesitate even if you told them to commit suicide. The wand was pressed against Ragnok's forehead, and the Goblin stared at Quirinus with dull, lifeless eyes.
"Quirinus, you know the Killing Curse, don't you? Then do you know why those hit by the Killing Curse are certain to die?" Lord Voldemort's voice was unusually gentle, and without waiting for Quirinus to answer, he continued,
"The Killing Curse, also called the Death Curse, is a spell whose purpose is to kill the target, killing everything, and there is no counter-curse. This is my favorite spell. A flick of the hand can take a life, and the target feels no pain when hit. What a beautiful and gentle spell, hahahahaha, hahahahaha." The laughter gradually turned from deep to deranged.
"Killed by the Death Curse, even the Dark Lord might not withstand it, especially in his current ghostly form. Even if he can't temporarily die due to the existence of Horcruxes, it would be enough to give him a hard time." Quirinus's heart trembled.
"To be killed by the Death Curse is a gift to him. Grant him death, and you will be the Dark Lord's most loyal servant." Lord Voldemort's voice was full of pleasure, seemingly enjoying the feeling of leading someone into the abyss.
Quirinus took a deep breath, his eyes gradually becoming firm.
Living a new life, even though he was now forced to serve the Dark Lordunder his oppression, he still had to maintain his own bottom line and principles. After all, the education he received since childhood was to be kind to others. The inherent gentleness and upbringing in his bones prevented him from wantonly killing innocent people. Even if he forced himself to believe that it was forced, there would be a void in his heart.
Perhaps one day he would. No, in this world, having glimpsed a corner of the future chaos, he would definitely kill in the future, but that would also be a choice made from his heart. Eliminating evil and protecting the innocent, and bringing peace to the people, are also traditional virtues of the Chinese nation.
"Stupefy." Ragnok collapsed instantly, and Quirinus breathed a sigh of relief.
Having made his choice, Quirinus felt his mind clear.
"Quirinus Quirrell, how dare you defy the command of the great Dark Lord!" Lord Voldemort said hysterically, angrily.
"Ma... Master, I wouldn't dare." Quirinus's voice was a little stammering, and he seemed somewhat fearful.
"Useless!" Lord Voldemort said angrily. Just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly heard a chaotic shouting, and immediately said, "Go."
Quirinus also heard it and didn't hesitate. He took out a worn-out goblet, a goblet from The Leaky Cauldron, from his magically expanded lizard pocket, which had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it.
He quietly chanted a spell, "Mentos," and like a hook catching his belly button, it instantly pulled Quirinusaway, making him vanish.
Portkeys often have miraculous effects in places where Apparition is blocked. Originally, Quirinus would not have known this, as this spell was strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. Lord Voldemort taught him.