Chapter 102 - Face to Face 2
Unimaginable fury was written all over Quirrell's face and showed in his body language.
Voldemort was also incensed now. Even the already twisted face of Voldemort on the back of his head somehow looked even more distorted with anger and terrifying.
His red eyes stared at me for another moment.
Then the cold voice ordered Quirrell, "Kill him."
Quirrell did not hesitate even for a moment. He raised his wand at once.
"Crucio!"
A jet of red light burst from his wand and rushed towards me.
I stepped to the side without trying to block it with a spell. The curse flew past me and struck the stone wall behind me.
This was exactly why I had trained my body every day. Not every spell needed to be blocked. Some could simply be avoided with athleticism. A fit wizard had an advantage over one who stood still and relied only on magic.
Quirrell did not stop. and continued his barrage of spells.
"Crucio!"
"Diffindo!"
One after another dark curses shot towards me. I kept moving.
One step right, another step backward, two steps diagonally, a quick turn here, another dodge there. I moved erratically and continuously.
Then I fired back.
"Stupefy!"
The red Stunning Spell flew towards him.
Quirrell quickly blocked it.
More spells followed from both sides.
"Impedimenta!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
I deliberately used only simple spells like the Stunning Spell, Hindering Spells like Tarantallegra and other minor jinxes. I did not use any spells that revealed the true extent of my magic.
I could say with confidence that, among all people present in Hogwarts, very few could defeat me now, including the professors. Only professors like Dumbledore and other Heads of Houses like Professor McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout truly stood above me in magical knowledge and power.
But this was not the time to reveal everything as some secrets were better kept hidden.
I could easily overpower and defeat Quirrell but that was not my goal. My goal was to simply wear Quirrell down.
His body was already failing due to prolonged possession of Voldemort's injured soul. Every spell he cast drained him further. And Dark Magic curses took more toll on body and mind than neutral charms.
I had seen him becoming weaker day after day during the whole year. His face had grown paler. His hands had become thinner.
Even his breathing had weakened.
After failing to drink unicorn blood because of what had happened in the Forbidden Forest, he had lost his last chance to strengthen and sustain himself.
Voldemort had even been injured by my Patronus that night. Everything had pushed Quirrell's body closer to his limit.
So I only had to keep him fighting and exhaust him.
Quirrell, however, neither knew nor understood my plan. He continued throwing powerful dark curses one after another.
"Crucio!"
"Imperio!"
Dark green and red flashes crossed the chamber. Some spells I recognized while some of them I did not recognise.
I made sure never to stand in one place for more than a second.
Some dark magic had AoE damage, which means they could affect the area around where the spell hit. One of the simple example is the Bombarda and Confringo Spells. I had no intention of finding out which spell did what by letting it hit me.
The chamber slowly became more damaged. Pieces of stone broke away from the walls and chunks of rock fell from broken pillars.
I used them as cover.
Whenever a dangerous spell came towards me, I moved behind the fallen stones or ducked behind one of the thick pillars supporting the ceiling.
Green and Red lights smashed into stone and shattered broken rocks. Dust filled the air. The sound of exploding stone echoed through the chamber.
After few minutes of heavy spell firing, I noticed it.
Quirrell was breathing heavily. His face had become almost completely white like there was no blood left in his body. Sweat covered his forehead and even his wand arm trembled.
He looked on the verge collapse.
Suddenly, the cold voice behind his head hissed,
"Useless..."
"Let... me..."
"Control."
Quirrell froze in shock.
"N-no... my Lord..."
"I can still..."
Before he could finish speaking, he cried out in pain. His whole body shook violently. His fingers tightened around the wand and his face was twisted in agony.
Then everything became still.
Something had changed. I could feel it immediately.
The magic radiating from Quirrell's body became different. Before, it had been dark and evil.
But now...
Now it was something else.
It felt foul and wrong. It was like something that should never exist. Every instinct I possessed screamed the same thing. The world itself rejected this being. Nature rejected it. Even the air around him seemed heavier.
Quirrell's body no longer belonged to the living anymore. Voldemort had forced himself into complete control and possession. Quirrell was barely holding on.
I doubted Voldemort cared about Quirrell. To him, Quirrell was simply a tool. It was a body to use until it finally broke.
The face which was on the back of the head now smiled.
"You... have... delayed... the inevitable."
His wand slowly rose.
I immediately became more alert than ever before.
Then he went directly to his ultimate spell.
"Avada Kedavra."
A brilliant green beam shot across the chamber. Unlike every other spell before it, this one carried only one purpose. Its intent was pure and absolute Death.
I did not even think about facing it. Instead, I flicked my wand and several broken stones flew into its path.
The green light blasted through them easily as though they did not exist. The rocks exploded into dust.
Meanwhile, I had already dived behind a thick stone pillar. The Killing Curse struck it instead.
The entire pillar shook violently and even the chamber seemed like quaking a bit.
Small cracks spread across its surface and stone fragments rained onto the floor.
I slowly breathed out.
Never.
Never take chances against the Killing Curse. Especially not when it was cast by Voldemort himself.
For a brief moment, both sides stopped moving. The room became strangely quiet.
Then I felt something from my wand. It vibrated gently inside my hand.
It gave the same feeling and hint like in the Forbidden Forest.
I looked down at it. The wand was almost vibrating.
A feeling reached my mind with one clear thought.
Patronus.
I frowned.
A Patronus?
Against Voldemort?
I could not understand why. It made no sense.
But this wand had already guided me once before.
And because I had trusted it, a unicorn had lived and I had witnessed the strange actions of the Patronus.
This time I decided to trust it again.
I stepped out from behind the pillar, raised my wand, focused on my happiest memories and then spoke clearly.
"Expecto Patronum!"
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End of Chapter 102 - Face to Face 2