Quirrell's matter came and went quickly. He was not innocent; his choice to become a follower of Lord Voldemort was entirely his own.
He was intelligent, but wisdom and desire were like two gladiators in a long contest, sometimes winning, sometimes losing.
Under Lord Voldemort's incitement, his desire clearly defeated his reason at that time.
He chose a path of no return.
"By becoming a loyal believer of the Dark Lord and helping him reclaim his throne, the one who would ultimately receive the highest honor would surely be myself, who helped the Dark Lord revive!"
At least, that's what Quirrell thought.
Ultimately, he died in that empty classroom underground.
His death was concealed, and Dumbledore casually dismissed the Ministry of Magic.
Days later, inside the Principal's office.
"Can't this course simply be removed and replaced with a new one under a different name, like 'Anti-Dark Arts Studies'?"
Dumbledore shook his head, "Completely useless, and it would only lead to more severe consequences from the Curse."
"What if, for example, I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts for one year, then switch to Transfiguration the next, with teachers rotating among themselves?" Howl asked, while teasing Fawkes.
Fawkes buried its head under its wings, ignoring him.
"Also useless." Dumbledore couldn't help but smile at Fawkes's posture.
"Want to try it out? The Curse!" he said.
Howl thought for a moment, then nodded...
Dumbledore opened the side door of his office and walked with Howl on the eighth floor. He said somewhat tiredly, "I've never been good at Curses. If you want to see, that would be for the best."
"I'm not very good at Curses either." Howl shook his head. Dumbledore always tried to flatter him, as if that would easily trick him into doing things.
"You're not good at Curses? I heard Borgin has been missing for a long time!" Dumbledore suddenly changed the subject. "I know it was you who did it. Besides you, I can't think of a second person!"
"Why are you so sure?" Howl glanced at him.
"Because he had been tormented by that Curse for decades. More than twenty years ago, he repeatedly begged many renowned Wizards, hoping someone could help him lift the Curse.
But no one was ever able to help him. That Curse was so difficult, so difficult that... Borgin stopped mentioning it, and now perhaps few people remember him or his Curse.
But you know, old people always like to look back on the past."
"I just happened to know how," Howl said.
"We have to try, don't we!" Saying this, he led Howl to a very secluded small corridor on the eighth floor, then turned around to face a wall.
Hogwarts has many doors and walls that like to switch appearances. Some that look like walls are actually doors that can be pushed open.
Some that are doors, when pulled open, reveal an impassable wall inside.
Evidently, this was the former.
Dumbledore walked towards the wall, and immediately, under the sunlight pouring in from the corridor window, the wall rippled like flowing water.
Howl followed closely behind him, entering as well.
As soon as they entered, a smell of dust filled their nostrils. Clearly, this was an abandoned tower. Before them, there was only a straight staircase leading upwards.
"Are there no House-elves to clean here?!" Howl waved his hand, and a strong wind swept through the entire empty tower, instantly freshening the air.
"Entry and exit are prohibited here," Dumbledore explained, leading the way up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs was a platform located on one side of the tower. Sunlight streamed in through the window. As the two walked onto the platform, they saw only a very old long table on the empty platform.
On the table was an ancient book with a black dragon-skin cover that was somewhat peeling. Beside it, a small silver inkwell was placed, with a long, faded quill inserted into it.
"Is this the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance?" Howl stepped closer, carefully examining the book and the quill.
Dumbledore nodded, gently raising his hand without touching the pages, and the pages automatically began to turn slowly.
His gaze swept over one name after another, and he murmured, "This is the core of Hogwarts. The four founders jointly created the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance. They have existed since the school's founding, and no one has touched them since.
Not even Minerva, who comes here every year to register new students, directly touches them with her hands."
As he was speaking, the pages suddenly broke free from Dumbledore's control. It turned pages on its own, quickly settling on a page for the year 1992.
The Quill of Acceptance also jumped out of the inkwell and added a new name.
"Luna Lovegood - February 13, 1981."
"I think this child might be the last one added to the book for this year's class," Dumbledore said.
"Hmm..." Howl casually responded, "No Little Wizards would accidentally wander in here, would they?"
"Of course not, few people ever come here," Dumbledore said.
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