A ruined Hogwarts

In the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, the flickering candlelight was extremely dim, and the windows were covered by thick curtains. Only the sound of continuous rain penetrated softly, which seemed to bring the cold moisture from outside.

The room was also filled with a pungent smell of garlic, which was much stronger than in the classroom. The surrounding furnishings were also messy, and the desk was in a mess. Next to it was a crucible that had been cooked but not cleaned. The dark residue inside made Owen want to recite a few more "Clean Up" spells. .

It's been a while since Quirrell came back from the Forbidden Forest, and the two people in the office still haven't exchanged a word. Quirrell huddled in his chair and shivered, letting out a low whine like an injured animal, which sounded pitiful. Obviously, Voldemort's use of his body caused him great burden and harm.

Owen was minding his own business and approached the warm fireplace, immersing himself in the orange light emitted by the flames, without caring about the other person at all. The wet clothes and heavy mud on his body made him feel very uncomfortable. He wanted to recite a spell to himself, but his wand had not been returned yet.

Taking out the little kitten Nizi who had been hiding in his collar, Owen kept stroking the little guy who was also shivering, but what he was thinking about was the fax machine that he missed again tonight. This thing is indeed a scam. It's just that Owen didn't find it, and he almost got himself involved.

The kitten Nizi in his hand shrank into a small ball, its beautiful big ears drooped listlessly, and its long tail rested feebly on Owen's wrist. It was frightened tonight, and was soaked by the rain again. At this time, it was drooping its head, and its eyes were narrowed into thin slits.

Owen held it close to the fire in the fireplace to dry its fur.

"Professor, it seems that you are in a very bad condition." Owen turned his head and looked at Quirrell who was sobbing quietly with a calm expression. He bent his index finger and popped open the pocket watch cover in his hand with a "ding" sound, and said in a soft and melodious tone. .

"It's getting late. If I don't go back, my roommates might think I'm missing and report it to the dean in a hurry. We might as well wait until you feel better... and we'll talk." He glanced lightly. He glanced at his own wand held in Quirrell's hand, and slowly stroked the dial of his pocket watch with his fingers.

"No, no...I'll be fine soon..." Quirrell suddenly opened his eyes, tremblingly took out a bottle of red potion from under his desk, and poured a big sip into his mouth. , and then coughed fitfully.

Owen glanced at him. The current Quirrell was completely different from the one he was talking to in the Forbidden Forest. He didn't have the aloof coldness and cruelty in him at all, nor did he have the creepy but still making him think. Feeling of oppression.

It has to be said that although the previous confrontation was full of invisible dangers, he felt a tit-for-tat heartiness for the first time in a long time. It was like performing a thrilling and exciting escape magic in front of the audience, which made him want to stop.

"You can't do this, you'll die if you indulge too much." Owen licked his lips, squinting his eyes like a lazy and cunning cat, silently examining Quirrell's current state.

"Judging from his current miserable condition, it is very consistent with the situation of his body being taken over by a ghost-like black magic creature..."

"But, what exactly is that? It seems that no dark magic creature can have such a clear mind and even be able to use magic proficiently." Owen thoughtfully pinched the front paw of the cat in his hand, "This In this case, it seems like a ghost, but the ghost has lost all its magic power, and it is impossible to even possess it... Maybe it is some kind of special ghost?"

"It looks very dangerous." He muttered in his mind. Quirrell's body is obviously being eroded. What if he can't hold on any longer and this ghost targets him? Judging from the current situation, this does not seem to be impossible.

At this time, Quirrell finally returned to normal, but his face looked even paler, as if he had been seriously ill. He looked at Owen deeply, then struggled to stand up from the chair, raised his wand and waved it at the surrounding walls and windows. Misty and dark mist spurted out from the tip of his wand, blended into the air and disappeared.

After releasing the spell, he held his head again and gasped for a long time, then staggered back to the chair.

"The magic of isolating sound, you know, this is not a safe place for me." Quirrell let out a sharp and harsh laugh, and then pointed to the chair on the other side, "You can sit there."

Owen lowered his eyes and looked at the unknown dark stains on the chair, and goosebumps appeared on his body. He shook his head slowly and hugged the warm little kitten tightly in his arms.

"Haha, if you are willing to stand and talk, that's fine." Quirrell said lazily, the smile on his face looking weird and malicious in the dim environment.

"Professor Quirrell, this is the real you. It seems that your usual appearance is all pretending." Owen smiled.

"Yes, as you said, the more cowardly and weak a person is, the less likely they are to attract attention. Who would doubt... the poor, stuttering... Professor Quirrell? Quirrell smiled coldly, feeling very proud of what he did.

"Well..." You are really smart! Don't you know that if a normally normal person suddenly becomes abnormal, it will attract others' attention? Owen complained in his mind, but his face just smiled and agreed.

When facing this kind of guy who is full of confusion and self-righteousness, what you have to do is to strongly agree with him, let him be immersed in the waves of praise and forget about himself, and then wait for him to destroy himself.

Quirrell coughed lightly, raised his face slightly, looked at Owen, and said: "Since you agreed to become my servant..."

"Professor, do you think you have misunderstood something?" Owen interrupted him with a smile, leaning casually against the fireplace, "If I remember correctly, I was just talking to the one in your body... then Being, we reached a deal. I am willing to help you to a certain extent in exchange for my life at that time...and my freedom."

Seeing Quirrell's frozen expression, the smile on Owen's face deepened a little: "This is just a transaction, so I am cooperating with you, no, to be precise, with the person in your body. Relationship, not affiliation. You paid the remuneration first, and I will naturally pay the corresponding price...until the money and goods are settled."

Initiative! No matter at what time, you must have a certain amount of initiative! Even if you are at an absolute disadvantage, you must not easily put yourself in a subordinate position, and you must never let others easily control you... What's more, the Quirrell in front of Owen is really not very smart in Owen's opinion. At this time, you should seize the opportunity to rephrase what you said before and change it to a more favorable one.

Blindly giving in will only lead to ruthless oppression. Only by maintaining the bottom line can you negotiate terms. Even if you sell, you can get a good price. Quirrell obviously doesn't understand this.

After hearing Owen's words, Quirrell's expression turned gloomy in an instant. He instinctively raised his hand to cover the purple scarf on his head, and said in a sharp voice: "You know there is something in my body..."

"Isn't this obvious? I'm not a fool." Owen tilted his head and looked deeply at Quirrell's scarf. "You guys give me a completely different feeling. I can even tell, You have a subordinate relationship with him..."

"Of course, this has nothing to do with me. I will not go back on my word, and I have no intention of commenting on your situation, Professor." Owen's words were always gentle and polite, not overbearing. "I just hope you can convey to me that I can help." What are you doing?"