Support me on patreon.com/c/Striker2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Merry Christmas 🤍May today hold a quiet kind of warmth, soft moments, gentle light, and a little peace finding you exactly where you are
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Tuesday Evening - 10:47 PM]
The Room of Requirement materialized around Darius with familiar precision. He'd made it through another exhausting day of classes and social obligations, maintaining his facade of normalcy while anticipation coiled tight in his chest.
Tonight was the final deployment. Two cameras remained—one for Quirrell's quarters, one for the third-floor corridor near Fluffy's chamber.
[Status update: CAM-TEST-01 operational 30 hours, zero detection. CAM-QUIRRELL-OFFICE operational 10 hours, Subject Quirrell observed alone twice. Recordings archived. Concealment holding perfectly across all deployments. Confidence in final phase: High.]
"Show me what the office camera caught," Darius said, settling into the workshop chair.
The visual overlay flickered to life, displaying recorded footage from earlier that evening. Quirrell had entered his office around 7:30 PM, immediately dropping his characteristic nervous demeanor the moment the door closed. His movements became fluid, confident—the trembling hands steadying, the fearful posture straightening into something predatory.
He'd spent twenty minutes reviewing what appeared to be architectural drawings of Hogwarts, specifically the third-floor corridor. His lips had moved occasionally, though the camera captured no audio—a limitation of the visual-only surveillance system.
[Analysis: Subject's behavioral shift when alone confirms hypothesis of performance. Public persona: Fearful, incompetent. Private behavior: Calculated, purposeful. This unit recommends audio capability for future iterations. Visual surveillance provides valuable data but misses crucial verbal intelligence.]
"Audio would require microphones, amplification, another layer of parts," Darius mused. "But you're right—we're missing half the intelligence. Can you try to read his lips?"
[Attempting lip-reading analysis... Partial success. Fragments captured: "...third floor... music soothes... Potter... after Halloween..." Insufficient data for complete reconstruction. Audio enhancement: High priority for future development.]
Darius filed that away. For now, visual surveillance was better than nothing. And tonight's deployment would at least put eyes on Quirrell's most private moments.
"Let's finish this."
[Tuesday Night - 11:34 PM]
The staff quarters occupied the eastern wing's second floor—a restricted corridor that students had no legitimate reason to visit. Darius moved through the darkened castle with practiced stealth, his wandless notice-me-not effect and enhanced awareness combining into near-perfect infiltration capability.
[Navigation: Staff wing access via eastern stairwell. Filch current location: Fourth floor, western wing. Mrs. Norris: Dungeons. Patrol pattern suggests 14-minute window before potential intercept. Quirrell's quarters: Second door on left, marked with standard faculty nameplate.]
The corridor was silent, lit only by intermittent torches casting dancing shadows. Darius could hear faint sounds from behind various doors—Professor Flitwick's high voice speaking to someone (probably his collection of singing teacups), the distant scratch of quill on parchment from Professor McGonagall's quarters, a faint snoring from what might be Professor Sprout's rooms.
Quirrell's door stood closed and dark. No light leaked from beneath, no sound emerged from within. Either he was elsewhere in the castle, or already asleep.
[Detecting minor ward on door: Standard privacy enchantment, prevents unauthorized entry and muffles sound. Not an alarm system. Alohomora should bypass without triggering notification. However, entering occupied quarters significantly increases risk.]
"I'm not going inside," Darius whispered. "Just need line of sight to the interior."
He examined the door carefully, noting the narrow gap between door and frame near the top. If he could position the camera there, angled downward, it might capture the room's interior through that slim opening.
Darius levitated himself silently, bringing his eyes level with the door's top edge. The gap was barely five millimeters—but for a camera less than three millimeters in diameter, it was sufficient.
He carefully positioned the surveillance unit in the gap's shadowed recess, angling it downward and securing it with the gentlest Sticking Charm. The camera's enhanced optics would handle the limited viewing angle, and the nano machine could digitally adjust for optimal coverage.
"Nano, verify feed."
[Establishing connection to CAM-QUIRRELL-QUARTERS... Signal acquired. Video stream: Active. Viewing angle: Limited but functional. Room interior visible: Empty. Furniture, desk, bed observable. Subject Quirrell: Not present. Deployment: Successful within parameters.]
Darius descended and moved swiftly down the corridor. The entire operation had taken less than three minutes—quick enough that even if Quirrell returned now, he'd have no way to know anyone had been there.
[Staff quarters surveillance: Active. Final deployment: Third-floor corridor. Recommend immediate execution while patrol window remains open.]
The third-floor corridor was forbidden to students—a restriction that made it simultaneously dangerous and rarely patrolled. If you weren't supposed to be there, why would anyone guard it? The protections were the deterrent.
Specifically, Fluffy. The massive three-headed dog that Hagrid had loaned to Dumbledore, currently sleeping in a chamber at the corridor's end, guarding the trapdoor that led to the Philosopher's Stone.
Darius didn't need to get close to Fluffy—the opposite, actually. He wanted his camera positioned where it could observe anyone approaching that chamber. A spot that would capture Quirrell's reconnaissance, his eventual attempt on the Stone, and any other suspicious activity in the forbidden corridor.
[Optimal position: Ceiling alcove thirty meters from Fluffy's chamber. Provides clear line of sight to corridor approach while maintaining safe distance from guardian creature. Stone gargoyle creates natural shadow for concealment.]
Darius examined the suggested position—a decorative alcove housing a snarling stone gargoyle, positioned where ceiling met wall in a shadowed corner. Perfect.
He levitated up, carefully placing the final surveillance unit in the deepest shadow beside the gargoyle's base. The camera's angle would capture anyone walking toward or away from Fluffy's chamber, their identity clearly visible in the corridor's torchlight.
"Last one. Verify feed."
[Establishing connection to CAM-THIRD-FLOOR... Signal acquired. Video stream: Active. Corridor coverage: Excellent. Distance to Fluffy's chamber: Thirty-two meters. Three-headed dog audible but not visible. Deployment: Complete and successful.]
All four cameras were now active. Library test unit confirming concealment effectiveness. Office surveillance capturing Quirrell's private behavior. Quarters coverage monitoring his most personal moments. And third-floor surveillance watching his approach to the Stone's defenses.
[Mission status: Complete. Full surveillance network operational. Partner has successfully deployed unprecedented intelligence-gathering capability. Strategic advantage: Significant. Beginning continuous monitoring protocol across all four feeds. Any significant activity will trigger immediate Partner alert.]
Darius felt a wave of accomplishment wash over his exhaustion. Two nights of intense work, innovative spellcraft, and dangerous infiltration—all culminating in a surveillance network that would give him eyes on one of the most dangerous threats in Hogwarts.
"Now we watch," he murmured, making his way back toward Ravenclaw Tower. "And we find out what Quirrell is really planning."
[Affirmative. The waiting begins. This unit will process all footage, identify patterns, flag anomalies. Partner should maintain normal schedule, conserve energy, prepare for eventual action based on gathered intelligence. Halloween approaches in eight days. Timeline: Rapidly closing toward critical events.]
[Wednesday Morning - 2:17 AM]
Darius had been asleep for less than an hour when Nano's alert jolted him awake.
[PRIORITY ALERT: Subject Quirrell detected entering quarters. CAM-QUIRRELL-QUARTERS feed showing unusual activity. Recommend immediate observation.]
Darius sat up carefully, ensuring his bed curtains remained closed. His roommates' breathing continued undisturbed—they were all deep in sleep.
"Show me," he subvocalized, barely breathing the words.
The visual overlay activated, displaying the camera feed from Quirrell's quarters. The professor had indeed returned, lighting his room with a wandless Lumos that revealed surprising magical control for someone who supposedly struggled with basic spells in class.
But he wasn't alone.
Quirrell removed his turban with careful, reverent movements—and Darius felt ice flood his veins. On the back of Quirrell's skull, barely visible in the dim light, was a face. Pale, serpentine, with slitted red eyes that burned with malevolent intelligence.
Voldemort.
[Analysis: Confirming presence of secondary entity. Visual characteristics consistent with recorded descriptions of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's appearance before first defeat. Possession: Complete. Subject Quirrell is host to Dark Lord's surviving consciousness.]
Darius had known this before from the movies, all pointed to Quirrell being possessed. But seeing it, watching that inhuman face move and speak on the back of a living man's skull, was indeed shocking to see.
The face-that-was-Voldemort began speaking, and Quirrell responded—a conversation between parasite and host, between Dark Lord and servant. Darius couldn't hear the words, but he could see Quirrell's lips moving, see the strange puppet-like way both faces coordinated their discussion.
[Implementing enhanced lip-reading analysis. Attempting to reconstruct conversation from visual cues alone. Processing... Stand by for partial reconstruction.]
Darius watched, transfixed, as Nano's analysis began providing fragments of the conversation:
Quirrell (facing mirror): "...third floor defenses... music soothes the beast... Sprout's Devil's Snare... Flitwick's keys... McGonagall's chess set..."
Voldemort (visible on back of head in mirror reflection): "...and the final protection... Dumbledore's mirror... cannot retrieve... unless..."
Quirrell: "...Halloween... troll... distraction... while you..."
Voldemort: "...my form grows weaker... unicorn blood... Forbidden Forest... soon..."
Darius felt his breath catch. Unicorn blood. The most cursed substance in the magical world—killing something pure and defenseless, drinking its blood to sustain a half-life. Canon had mentioned this, but hearing it confirmed his immediate plans...
[Additional fragments captured:]
Voldemort: "...the boy... Harry Potter... the more I observe him... the more incomprehensible... that he defeated me..."
Quirrell: "Perhaps... his mother's magic... ancient protection..."
Voldemort: "...finish what I started... after the Stone... after I regain my body... I will end him..."
The conversation continued, Quirrell nodding obediently while the face on his skull hissed instructions. Then Voldemort's expression shifted—something calculating entering those red eyes.
Voldemort: "...and the other one... the Ravenclaw boy... Kael..."
"…I understand," he murmured at last. "I'll handle it in the coming days."
The conversation concluded shortly after, Quirrell carefully rewrapping his turban and extinguishing the light. Darius sat frozen in his bed, processing everything he'd just witnessed.
[Analysis complete. Intelligence gathered: Significant. Key findings:
Voldemort confirmed present as parasitic entity on Quirrell
Third-floor defenses mapped: Music (Fluffy), Devil's Snare, flying keys, chess set, final protection (mirror)
Halloween plan: Troll as distraction, Stone retrieval attempt
Unicorn blood hunting: Imminent, location Forbidden Forest
Harry Potter: Confirmed target for elimination post-resurrection
Partner identified as person of interest: Recruitment or elimination pending
Post-Halloween approach: Quirrell will make contact with Partner]
"They're going to kill unicorns," Darius whispered, horror and anger warring in his chest. "To do such a... thing."
[Affirmative. Unicorn blood provides cursed half-life. Voldemort requires it to maintain current form until Stone acquisition enables full resurrection. Hunting will likely begin within days. Location: Forbidden Forest, where unicorns inhabit deepest regions.]
"I need to stop them." Darius's hands clenched into fists. "I can't let them murder unicorns for that monster's survival."
[Caution: Direct intervention poses extreme risk. Subject Quirrell possessed by most dangerous dark wizard in recent history. Combat capability: Beyond Partner's current level despite enhancements. Recommendation: Intelligence gathering continues, indirect intervention strategies only.]
"Indirect how?" Darius demanded quietly. "They're going to kill innocent magical creatures. Canon showed one unicorn already dead by the time Harry stumbled on it. I can prevent that."
[Proposal: Surveillance of Forbidden Forest approaches. When Quirrell attempts hunt, Partner can alert Hagrid, trigger Centaur intervention, create disturbances that prevent successful kill without direct confrontation. Unicorn protection achieved, Partner's involvement concealed.]
Darius considered this, his mind racing through possibilities. He couldn't fight Voldemort—that was suicide. But he could interfere with the hunting, make it difficult or impossible for Quirrell to succeed. The Forbidden Forest was vast, dangerous, and full of beings who wouldn't tolerate unicorn slaughter.
"And what does Voldemort even want with me?" Darius muttered."Is he planning to kill me? Is he jealous? I— I don't know what's going on with that bald-headed bastard."
[Affirmative. Presents both danger and opportunity. Danger: Quirrell will probe for loyalties, possibly employ Legilimency, report findings to Voldemort. Opportunity: Partner can feed false information, appear sympathetic while gathering intelligence, manipulate their perception of Partner's allegiances.]
"Playing double agent with Voldemort," Darius muttered. "Wow, yeah… that's definitely not terrifying at all."
[Risk assessment: Extreme but manageable with preparation. Partner's Occlumency prevents mental intrusion. Verbal responses can be carefully controlled. Performance of ambiguous loyalty positions Partner as potential recruit rather than immediate threat, buying time and access to higher-level intelligence.]
Darius lay back on his bed, mind spinning. In one surveillance session, he'd confirmed Voldemort's presence, discovered the Halloween plan, learned about unicorn hunting, and found out he was on the Dark Lord's radar as either a potential recruit or an elimination target.
"We need multiple plans," he decided. "One for protecting unicorns. One for Halloween troll incident. One for handling Quirrell's approach. And one for if everything goes wrong."
[Affirmative. Strategic planning required across multiple scenarios. Recommend:
Phase 1 (Immediate): Forest surveillance, unicorn protection protocols
Phase 2 (Halloween): Troll incident intervention, Stone protection
Phase 3 (Post-Halloween): Quirrell interaction management, double agent performance Phase 4 (Contingency): Emergency responses if Partner identity compromised or direct combat unavoidable
Timeline: Eight days to Halloween. Preparation window: Critical.]
"Start monitoring the quarters camera continuously," Darius instructed. "Any conversation with audio-visual correlation, any mention of timelines, any detail about their plans, record all of it."
[Acknowledged. Continuous monitoring active. All four camera feeds processing in parallel. Pattern recognition enabled for Subject Quirrell movement, conversation indicators, suspicious activity. Partner will be alerted to any significant intelligence regardless of time.]
Darius closed his eyes, but sleep felt impossible now. The face on Quirrell's skull haunted his thoughts—those red eyes, that serpentine voice commanding murder and plotting resurrection.
He'd known this was coming. The timeline, the canon events, all pointed toward this Halloween. But having it seeing the actual planning, knowing he had just over a week to prepare...
"I need to be ready for everything," he whispered. "Because when Halloween comes, reality is going to collide with all my preparation. And I can't afford to fail."
[Partnership acknowledgment: We will be ready, Partner. Intelligence gathered provides unprecedented advantage. Strategic planning, enhanced capabilities, surveillance network—all culminate toward successful intervention. Probability of favorable outcome: Improving. But caution remains essential. This enemy does not forgive mistakes.]
No, Darius thought grimly. He doesn't.
He'd just have to make sure he didn't make any.