HP: Pure-Blood Glory

George and Fred forced themselves to appear calm, though their expressions were stiff—like two kids caught in the middle of a prank.

Or rather, instinctively, they put on the face they knew best.

Luke, on the other hand, immediately activated Occlumency, mentally fortifying himself in an instant.

"Nothing, Professor. We weren't saying anything"

Luke said with a slightly embarrassed look, as if a secret had just been discovered.

Quirrell smiled gently.

"Don't worry, Luke. If there's anything troubling you, feel free to tell me. If I can, I'll help you"

He said in such a warm tone that Luke almost felt like he was speaking to Dumbledore.

But the strong smell of garlic from Quirrell made it hard for the twins to bear, and they were now trying to breathe as little as possible.

Luke focused intensely, trying to gauge Quirrell's emotions.

As his concentration sharpened, Luke began to faintly perceive a strange, colored dust swirling around Quirrell,

Dark red particles—almost like coagulated blood.

Luke instinctively knew this color represented contempt.

Luckily, it was just contempt and not something more dangerous, like hostility. This meant Quirrell—or rather, Voldemort—hadn't overheard too much of their conversation.

Luke, putting on a slightly embarrassed expression, said, "Well, Professor, it's like this. I was pranked by Peeves the other day, and I was thinking of ways to teach him a lesson."

"George and Fred suggested I ask the Bloody Baron for help, saying he might lend a hand. But I feel that's not a permanent solution, so I thought I'd tell Professor Dumbledore and see if he could help."

Luke spoke with great sincerity.

The twins, with their strong nerves honed by years of pranks, quickly caught on and adapted. 

"Dumbledore won't help you with something like that," Fred said, feigning deep disappointment. "He'll just tell you to be brave and face Peeves head-on."

"He probably sees Peeves as a way to toughen up students," George added with a mischievous smirk, sharing his own suspicion.

Luke silently praised his choice of teammates. Their psychological resilience and quick thinking were impressive. Of course, it helped that they were unaware of Quirrell's true identity.

More importantly, their ability to read the room was remarkable. With just a small hint from Luke, they immediately started making fun of Dumbledore. Following this line of conversation, Luke thought they could avoid any serious trouble today.

Sure enough, when the twins finished bad-mouthing Dumbledore, a subtle smile appeared on Quirrell's face.

It was a small change, but Luke could see that the dark red dust had shifted toward a lighter red.

Proof that Quirrell's mood had improved.

"Dumbledore may not be as kind to you as you think, Luke," Quirrell said in a soft tone. "For many years, he has not been friendly toward students with grand ambitions, those who want to change the status quo."

"We can understand an old man's stubbornness—he's so old now that he doesn't want to see the world he knows change in ways he can't adapt to."

"And you, Luke… your speech at the feast showed you're a child with those kinds of ideas. He won't like that."

Luke gave a surprised expression at just the right moment.

Quirrell patted Luke's shoulder. "But I admire you. Your ideas are still immature, but a child's ambition should never be stifled."

"You want to deal with Peeves, right? I know a spell that might help you."

As he spoke, Quirrell took a small piece of paper and a quill from his chest pocket, scribbled down a spell, and handed it to Luke.

"This is a little spell I picked up during my travels abroad. It can deal significant damage to souls, making it very effective against ghosts or other non-corporeal entities. It could even extinguish a ghost entirely."

Fred and George exchanged glances. Although there were four people present, it seemed as if Quirrell didn't even acknowledge their existence. He completely ignored them, not even glancing in their direction.

His behavior now was entirely different from how he acted during Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons.

The Quirrell standing before them felt like a stranger.

Luke took the paper, studying the spell and the brief casting instructions written on it, and nodded seriously.

"Thank you, Professor. I appreciate your help."

"No need to thank me, Luke. I'm always happy to help students like you." Quirrell paused, giving Luke a deep, meaningful look. "Any kind of help."

With that, Quirrell turned and walked away without even glancing at the twins, as if they didn't deserve his attention.

After he left, Luke exhaled deeply, visibly relaxing.

"Professor Quirrell… definitely seems strange"

Fred murmured, watching Quirrell's retreating figure. A moment later, he shivered, as if being watched by something ominous.

Luke noticed Fred's reaction. "Don't stare at him. If something's wrong, trust me, there are people who know more about it than we do."

Fred understood Luke's unspoken message. Of course, Dumbledore had to be more aware of these things than mere students. Unlike Harry or Ron, the twins weren't naïve.

They knew they weren't the only clever people in the world.

"What spell did Quirrell give you?" 

George asked curiously.

Fred also looked at Luke with interest.

Luke examined the spell again, frowning.

"I've never tested it... and I wouldn't dare to. It's a spell I've never seen before."

George and Fred weren't particularly surprised by his response, thinking Luke was just being cautious. After all, it was common sense for a wizard not to try unfamiliar spells recklessly.

What they didn't realize was that Luke's reluctance to test the spell came from the fact that he truly had never seen it before. 

Despite having read countless books and memorized numerous spells—many of which he couldn't cast—he still retained an impression of most of them.

But this spell was entirely new to him, which likely meant it was something Quirrell, or rather Voldemort, had created himself. 

Considering further, as it dealt with souls, it was probably tied to Voldemort's research into Horcruxes... Luke would be mad to try and use it.

*****

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