The next morning, Professor Quirrell was missing.
Hogwarts, however, made no move to address it.
To the students, this wasn't particularly surprising. Professor Quirrell had always been eccentric—his sudden appearances and disappearances had become a norm rather than an anomaly.
But for Hermione, the day passed in a distracted haze. Both Harry and Ron noticed her uncharacteristic behavior, but it wasn't until the evening that they learned the reason why.
In the Gryffindor common room, Hermione pulled her two best friends into a secluded corner and whispered last night's revelations.
"You're saying Voldemort appeared last night?" Harry hissed, his voice sharp with urgency.
Ron's face turned ghostly pale. "Bloody hell, Harry! Don't say that name—it's terrifying!"
"He's not terrifying!" Harry snapped, his frustration boiling over. "You both heard what Hermione said. Last night, Nolan caught him—alone! Do you see now? Even an underage wizard can deal with him. That's the so-called Voldemort everyone's been afraid of for years!"
"Harry, Nolan isn't just any underage wizard," Hermione interjected, her voice low but firm. "He ambushed the Dark Lord, giving him no chance to fight back. He even severed Voldemort's wand arm! And let's not forget—" she hesitated, "—Voldemort wasn't at his full strength last night. Half the time, he seemed distracted. Nolan said it's likely because of the effects of drinking unicorn blood… He described it as being akin to taking cocaine."
Harry's expression hardened. "He's only a year ahead of us! The gap between us can't be that wide!"
"Dumbledore doesn't seem to think so," Hermione said gently, though she knew it might sting. "Did I not mention? Dumbledore personally asked Nolan to escort me and Neville into the Forbidden Forest last night. Doesn't that imply he believes Nolan has the strength to rival a professor?"
Ron muttered darkly, "No wonder the girls are all fawning over him..."
Harry and Hermione ignored Ron's grumbling. They both knew he was harboring feelings for the silver-haired girl who always seemed to hover around Nolan. She was undeniably beautiful.
But everyone at Hogwarts understood one thing: it wasn't going to happen.
Not far from them, Neville—his body now occupied by Voldemort—sat alone, withdrawn. Everyone assumed he was traumatized from the Forbidden Forest. No one suspected he was eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Why girls are infatuated with him isn't something we should be worrying about," Harry muttered irritably. He was clearly restless.
Perhaps it was everything he'd experienced in the wizarding world over the past year. For Harry, defeating Voldemort had become a personal mission, a unique purpose that made him feel special.
But now, hearing that Nolan had nearly succeeded where he had not, Harry couldn't sit still. Perhaps he hadn't even realized it himself.
He turned to Hermione, his green eyes bright with urgency. "We've never asked ourselves this question before: why is Nolan so powerful? He's just a thirteen-year-old wizard. How could he be stronger than full-grown wizards?"
"You mean..." Ron began, his excitement palpable. He loved where this line of thought was heading.
"Exactly. He might be a Death Eater!" Harry said in a low voice. He turned to Hermione, speaking with an almost feverish intensity. "What if last night was all an act? You said he almost caught Voldemort, right?"
"Don't say that name—"
"Voldemort," Harry repeated firmly. "Quirrell, who was possessed by him, ends up dead, and Voldemort conveniently escapes. How is that not suspicious? And what about the person who killed Quirrell?!"
"Nolan chased after him," Hermione murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "But he didn't catch the dark wizard. Oh, Harry, please! Just because you don't like Nolan doesn't mean he's a Death Eater. Last night, he went into the Forbidden Forest to deliver food to a friend—that blonde elf girl. You both saw her today..."
"You mean that girl?" Ron nearly shouted, his face a mix of frustration and disbelief. "For Merlin's sake, why is every pretty girl somehow involved with that guy?"
Today, the entire school had witnessed the peculiar arrival of Ligeitoli, the half-elf.
She had made herself at home at the Slytherin table, devouring what seemed like an entire year's worth of Nolan's meal allotment with wild abandon.
Of course, it wasn't surprising that Nolan rarely ate. He seemed to subsist on nothing but his peculiar tomato juice.
The younger students adored Ligeitoli, not just because she was a sharp-eared elf but because she lacked the typical arrogance and aloofness of her kind.
That evening, Dumbledore himself announced at the dining table that the elf girl was a guest of Hogwarts. The professors had even prepared a room for her on the seventh floor. Ligeitoli gladly accepted Hogwarts' hospitality, though she remained as carefree and idle as ever, claiming it was all in the name of "enjoying freedom."
Harry, however, wasn't ready to let go of his suspicions. "What if that elf is in cahoots with him? Think about it—why would an elf suddenly show up at Hogwarts in the first place?"
"Enough, Harry!" Hermione snapped, her patience wearing thin under the weight of Harry's relentless doubts. "Professor Dumbledore approved her entry into Hogwarts. That means the professors know where she came from. How can you make baseless accusations like this? Or are you suggesting you're smarter than Dumbledore himself?"
"I…" Harry sighed, deflating. After a long pause, he muttered, "Fine. Maybe you're right."
But before retreating to his dormitory, he left her with one last warning: "Even so, I still don't trust Nolan. The power he's shown—it's not normal for someone our age. Hermione, you should stay away from him."
Harry left, leaving Hermione simmering with frustration. She felt it was unfair for Harry, even as a friend, to dictate her relationships.
The three of them had only become close after the Halloween incident—an event where Nolan had saved them all.
But now, it seemed Harry and Ron had conveniently forgotten that.
Ron hesitated before adding cautiously, "Maybe you should listen to him..."
"What? You too?" Hermione whirled on Ron, her temper flaring. "Do you actually believe Harry's ridiculous theory that Nolan is a Death Eater?"
"Oh, no… no, of course not…" Ron stammered, startled by her outburst. "But you have to admit, that guy is dangerous." Lowering his voice, he continued, "Sneaking into the Forbidden Forest at night to deliver food? What kind of normal person does that? Hermione, you're acting out of character. Remember? You're the one who always lectures us about following the rules. 'Oh, don't do this,' 'Oh, don't do that.' But Nolan gets a free pass? Is it because, as he says, he has special privileges? Does he have special privileges in your mind too?"
"I…" Hermione opened her mouth to argue but found herself at a loss for words. Ron had a point. Her behavior had been unusual lately.
"Honestly, there's something about that guy—something that pulls girls in," Ron said with genuine frustration. "I don't know what it is, but it's there. He's so cold, and yet, I've never seen him treat any girl with real kindness. But somehow, every girl in school seems to have fallen for him. That's not normal. Hermione, you really should keep your distance. If you don't, you might end up falling for him too."