At Dumbledore's formal request, he was finally served a dish of the same fiery ice cream mountain as Regulus Black.
The old and the young man sat quietly in the headmaster's office, savoring the dessert. Both of them seemed to have completely forgotten the question from earlier.
Watching the two eat, a chorus of admiration echoed from the surrounding portraits. Although the former headmasters in those paintings couldn't eat anything themselves, that didn't stop them from appreciating others' enjoyment—and even empathizing with the experience!
After finishing, Regulus Black set his plate aside. The wizarding world didn't have the habit of using napkins—it was terribly inconvenient.
Elegantly pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, Regulus waited patiently for Dumbledore to finish eating.
Finally, after a long and deliberate indulgence, Dumbledore also set down his plate. Eating a flaming ice cream—this truly was a rare pleasure.
"Quirinus… I watched him graduate. As a Ravenclaw, he was exceptionally talented," Dumbledore began. "But a person's character can change with time. Even someone good can fall into darkness due to a single misstep."
His tone shifted from excitement to melancholy, as if blaming himself for not guiding Quirrell better and letting him stray from the right path.
"Sometimes, all it takes is one reason for a person to turn evil. But there are countless ways to make it happen."
Regulus Black stared hard at Dumbledore. After all, Voldemort had once been the headmaster's brightest student!
And as someone from a dark wizarding family, Regulus had seen countless ways people could be tempted into corruption and submission. Someone like Quirrell, a simple-minded Ravenclaw, could be forced toward Voldemort's side through any number of methods.
Especially when Voldemort himself made the move—even if it was just 2% of his soul—that was enough. Otherwise, how could he have become the Dark Lord everyone feared?
"So, what are you implying?"
Naturally, Dumbledore understood that he bore some responsibility. But as a headmaster—a person in power—his way of thinking was fixed. There were certain things he would never personally interfere with. He would rather watch them unfold, even if disaster was inevitable.
"Quirrell has already drunk unicorn blood," Regulus said, carefully watching Dumbledore's expression to confirm that he already knew about Quirrell's fusion with Voldemort. "Since he has become a cursed lifeform, then let that curse become even stronger—to sustain him."
"Oh? And how did you come up with that idea?"
Dumbledore now looked like an eager child, clearly intrigued by the idea of saving someone through a curse.
"That's a family secret. I'll be billing Quirrell handsomely for it afterward."
Regulus Black stood and prepared to leave. There was no way he'd tell Dumbledore that he didn't actually have a plan yet!
That's right—Regulus Black was making a bold promise without any assurance behind it. If he managed to find a way to save Quirrell, that would be ideal. But if he failed, he wouldn't be blamed—it would simply be Quirrell's fate. On the other hand, if he did succeed, then with Dumbledore's backing, Quirrell would owe him a massive favor. And the rise of the Black family would require every bit of strength it could gather.
As Regulus left, Dumbledore's eyes reflected a trace of confusion.
Had he made a mistake? He had known about the situation between Voldemort and Quirrell but had chosen to let events play out. Now, even Regulus had discovered the problem and was trying to save Quirrell, while Dumbledore himself was still hesitating—unsure whether Quirrell had truly pledged allegiance to Voldemort.
"Dumbledore, do you believe Regulus?"
Snape emerged from a side door into the headmaster's office. Clearly, he had been there the entire time and had overheard everything. He did not agree with what had been said.
This was the first he'd learned that Quirrell and Voldemort were working together. And Dumbledore clearly had known, yet had never shared this with him.
Placing Harry Potter in the same school—and even the same space—as Voldemort… Snape could barely imagine how much danger that child was in.
If he had the chance to eliminate Voldemort, Snape wouldn't hesitate to go out right now and cast an Avada Kedavra on both Quirrell and the Dark Lord—even if it meant being branded a murderer and thrown into Azkaban.
"Headmaster, I have one more question—"
Just as Regulus Black had already left, he suddenly returned to the headmaster's office, only to find Snape and Dumbledore standing extremely close—almost face-to-face—deep in conversation.
"Looks like I came at the wrong time. You two carry on."
Raising an eyebrow, Regulus turned to leave again.
"Stop right there!"
Snape instantly drew his wand and pointed it at Regulus. Clearly, he realized what the other had misunderstood. Just imagining himself "involved" with the old man made Snape want to scrub himself raw with disinfectant.
"Regulus, I'm truly sorry. Snape arrived here before you. I was the one who had him stay hidden and listen in."
Dumbledore admitted the fact straightforwardly—it was he who had arranged for Snape to eavesdrop.
"So it seems I misunderstood. Since Professor Snape has already heard our conversation, then there are certain matters that require his involvement as well. In fact, I had hoped for his inclusion from the start."
Regulus Black acted as if nothing had happened at all, completely ignoring Snape's raised wand and returning to his seat.
"Thank you. I'll have a cup of honey tea, but not too sweet. That Ice Cream Flaming Mountain we had earlier was far too sweet."
"A cup of honey tea… not sweet?"
Dumbledore looked stunned. What did 'not sweet honey tea' even mean? How could honey tea not be sweet? He was visibly troubled by the contradiction.
Snape watched the two act like fools and slowly put his wand away, sitting in the chair opposite Regulus.
"I assume the Headmaster has based his assumption on the belief that Quirinus has sincerely sided with Voldemort?"
Dumbledore didn't deny it. He simply nodded in acknowledgment and passed over a cup of honey tea.
Regulus Black accepted it without hesitation, taking a sip without commenting on the sweetness.
"My view of Professor Quirrell is based on the belief that he is being forced into Voldemort's control. Precisely because he is being forced, we've seen those strange incidents happen. But each time, it was Quirrell who was signaling us—pleading for help, in a sense."
Regulus Black found Snape's attitude rather strange. At that moment, he seemed indifferent. He showed no anger that Quirrell might be working for Voldemort, nor did he question the logic behind Regulus's words.
Although Regulus didn't know exactly what Snape was thinking, he had a vague idea.
The woman Snape loved had chosen the side of the Order of the Phoenix, while he himself stood with the Death Eaters. For her sake, Snape was willing to become a double agent, just so he could protect the one he loved at a crucial moment—even though she was now someone else's wife and had already given birth to a child.
Of course he chose to forgive her.
Such a twisted love was destined for heartbreak. A painful end was inevitable.
Yet, even so, Snape still lost the woman he loved. Lily would forever remain a memory.
"Regulus, I truly regret what happened with Quirinus…" Dumbledore suddenly sighed.
"Regret?" To Dumbledore's surprise, Regulus gave a carefree laugh. "Headmaster, I think we should be happy about this. Not just anyone would dare drink unicorn blood—and not every wizard who drinks it gets discovered."
"This is an opportunity. A chance to study the effects of unicorn blood with a wizard as the test subject. It's extremely rare."
Snape's voice was ice-cold, but he echoed Regulus Black's sentiment.
What a rare opportunity this was! At that moment, the hearts of two Potions Masters were brimming with excitement.
"This…" Dumbledore was initially taken aback, then broke into laughter as well, clapping lightly. "Why didn't I think of that? It seems that through Quirinus, you two may indeed gather a wealth of academic data—specifically on the curse associated with unicorn blood."
"Well then! The current issue is this: we need to control the timing of Professor Quirrell's visits to the Chamber of Secrets, and also separate him from Harry Potter to avoid any contact between the two."
Regulus Black turned his gaze toward Snape and Dumbledore.
"If Professor Quirrell appears to be busy with work, then his trip to the Chamber will likely happen after final exams. Naturally, Headmaster, you must be away from Hogwarts by then. But I believe Quirrell will plan that part himself."
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