Salzburg, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

G-5 ward, A-2 corridor, Quirinus Quirrell's room.

"It seems you're recovering quite well..."

Grindelwald flicked his wand gently, summoning two chairs beside the bed.

"In any case, welcome back from your nightmare, child. Relax, this isn't an interrogation, otherwise, it would be the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic here, not this old bone about to be buried."

"Whether it's the Ministry of Magic Aurors or Mr. Apocalyps..."

Quirinus Quirrell looked around, shaking his head woodenly.

"Madam Elizabeth has already told me about my condition. Apart from the damage to my body due to overexertion, the curse from unicorn blood on my soul, and the sequelae of certain dark magic have fundamentally destroyed my magic power—logically speaking, someone like me should have died long ago. Of course, perhaps this is also a kind of punishment..."

"Being alive is the best outcome."

Grindelwald grinned, taking a thick parchment envelope from his pocket and placing it on Quirrell's lap.

"Before coming to St. Mungo's, Professor Dumbledore specifically instructed me to ask you, if you woke up, whether you would be willing to return to Hogwarts to teach after you recover—of course, except for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The parchment envelope did not have an address or recipient written on it, only sealed with a wax seal of the Hogwarts crest.

"Return to Hogwarts? Professor Dumbledore..."

Quirinus Quirrell's dim eyes flickered, then quickly dimmed again.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Apocalyps, you should know what happened before. I helped the Dark Lord infiltrate Hogwarts Castle, poached unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, almost injured you and Miss Kaslana, and even wanted to..."

"Oh, I don't remember you harming me or Aileen."

Quirrell was interrupted by Grindelwald waving his hand before he could finish, the old man said with a gentle smile.

"As for the guilt in your heart, I think you might have to go to Professor Dumbledore to confide in later, or go to a Muggle church to confess."

"Oh, and that unicorn you hurt, you have to apologize to it after you recover."

Grindelwald looked Quirrell up and down, raised his eyebrows, and said meaningfully.

"Think about it carefully during this time. Losing magic may not be a bad thing. Besides, I don't think all the courses at Hogwarts require deep magical abilities, do they, Professor Quirrell?"

Before the last school year, Quirinus Quirrell was not the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

As one of Hogwarts' most outstanding graduates of all time, Quirinus Quirrell, who stayed at the school to teach directly after graduation, was once regarded as the next Ravenclaw Head—whether it was from personality, knowledge, or focus, this young wizard was much more reliable and down-to-earth than that flamboyant Gilderoy Lockhart.

"But, I before..." Quirrell hesitated, his eyes struggling.

"Are you still tangled up in being controlled by Voldemort? Ha, that's completely unnecessary."

Grindelwald grinned, looking at Quirinus Quirrell seriously.

"During the days when the Dark Lord's forces were the most rampant and prosperous, many wizards more outstanding than you were once controlled by Voldemort. You were just unlucky to have encountered the most troublesome dark wizard in the world during your first practical experience. It's already remarkable that you survived. In my opinion, you were just unlucky, that's all."

"It's not bad luck. The reason I chose to go to the Albanian Black Forest was to find Voldemort. I once thought I could be the one to find Voldemort's whereabouts, and even go a step further to capture him. Unfortunately..."

Quirinus Quirrell shook his head dejectedly, smiling miserably.

In Quirrell's school career, although he gained recognition from many peers and professors because of his solid theory and intelligence, he also received a lot of ridicule because of his cowardice and nervousness—like those who thought he was insignificant or even ridiculous, Quirinus Quirrell had a latent desire to make the whole world look at him with admiration.

Because of this, Quirrell was not only satisfied with being a professor in a marginal subject.

He deliberately began to look for traces of dark wizards, partly out of curiosity, and partly out of his desire for the importance that he had never been paid attention to—Hagrid's judgment of Quirrell "having a clever head" was very correct. Quirinus Quirrell guessed Voldemort's possible hiding place, and he was even faster than Dumbledore on this point.

The only pity is that this Hogwarts teacher thought he could control the confrontation with the weakened Voldemort.

Facts have proved that even when Voldemort was in his weakest state, this idea was naive and arrogant.

When Voldemort realized that Quirrell was teaching at Hogwarts, he immediately controlled Quirrell. The powerful gap in strength and the erosion of soul power made it impossible for Quirinus Quirrell to resist.

"The Dark Lord is too terrible. In front of him, I seem to have returned to when I first entered Hogwarts."

Quirinus Quirrell said softly, his face seeming to become paler because of fear.

"Now that I think about it, trying to capture the most dangerous dark wizard in history alone, I was really overestimating myself..."

"The most dangerous in history? Ha, a pitiful wandering soul hiding and lingering, licking the blood stains in the dirt! This is indeed a bit embarrassing, but that's all. It's not a bad thing for young people to suffer a little."

Grindelwald waved his hand impatiently, a hint of undisguised disgust appearing on his face.

"A pitiful... remnant soul?"

Quirinus Quirrell was slightly stunned, his gaze lingering on the old man for a moment before sighing softly.

"Of course, of course, you naturally have the qualifications and confidence to say that. But not everyone can be like you, fortunate enough to snatch so much time from Death, right, Professor Apocalyps... or rather, the greatest healer in nearly ten centuries, one of the two known possessors of the Philosopher's Stone, Mr. Paracelsus."

Otto Apocalyps is Paracelsus' alias, which is not a secret among Hogwarts professors.

Long before this old wizard threatened the Dark Lord and coerced them to hand over his share of the meal, Voldemort had already guessed the other party's true identity. The encounter in the Forbidden Forest was just the end of this guess.

"Paracelsus? Oh, yes, that is indeed one of my identities."

Grindelwald chuckled, winking and pointing to the envelope on Quirrell's lap with a smile.

"Then would you be kind enough to tell me your current choice—whether to accept Professor Dumbledore's suggestion and return to Hogwarts Castle to teach? It's not a big problem for young people to go astray, it's like having a slightly long nightmare. As long as you wake up in time..."

"No need, Professor Apocalyps..."

Quirinus Quirrell's eyes reddened with emotion.

He knew very well how terrible those things he had done before were in the current magical world. Even if he hadn't done anything substantial, it was enough for him to be imprisoned in Azkaban and spend his life miserably.

Perhaps, only a great wizard like Albus Dumbledore would tolerate him regardless of past grievances.

However, for Quirrell, since he succumbed to the desires in his heart and cowardly allowed Voldemort to control and command his body, he understood that he might never be able to stand on the Hogwarts podium with peace of mind again—now, he can no longer confidently talk in the classroom like he did when he first stayed at the school to teach two years ago.

In the long history of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there has never been a precedent for a Squib to be a professor.

Not to mention, he might not even be as good as a Squib now.

"I'm very sorry, Professor. If you can, please convey my apologies to Professor Dumbledore."

Quirinus Quirrell reluctantly stroked the parchment envelope on his lap, a trace of determination and pain flashed in his eyes. He took a breath and solemnly pushed it aside, laughing mockingly.

"Besides the knowledge in books, I can't think of anything else I can tell them? How to quickly succumb in front of powerful, terrible dark wizards? Or how to presumptuously seek and serve the Dark Lord? Hogwarts students deserve better wizards to teach them, not a... cowardly bookworm like me."

"That's fine, too. Actually, I think—although, Albus might not allow it."

The old wizard shrugged his shoulders, giving the little girl beside him a strange look.

Then, much to Quirinus Quirrell's surprise, the expression on the old wizard's kind face became even more radiant, as if he wasn't disappointed or frustrated by his answer at all.

"So, can I interpret it as you rejected Professor Dumbledore's proposal?"

Seeing Quirrell nod again, the old wizard raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat.

"In that case, it's my turn to propose a second plan—dear Mr. Quirinus Quirrell, I think you should know that you were able to survive after Voldemort left, under such severe magical trauma, it's simply a miracle. We paid a lot of price and effort to find a way to save your life."

"Yes, I'm very grateful..." Quirrell nodded, saying uneasily.

"But, as everyone knows, hope and miracles are not free."

"Huh?"

Before Quirinus Quirrell could react to what the old man meant, the old wizard drew his wand for the second time, waving it casually in the air.

Silently, a nearly solidified magical barrier appeared in the ward, enveloping them.

Even Quirinus Quirrell, who was extremely weak, could vaguely feel the somewhat creepy magical fluctuations.

"I said before, Paracelsus is just one of my many identities. And more than fifty years ago, the people of this world, millions of people, they usually prefer to call me by another name..."

The old man grinned, his smile becoming more radiant, and said softly.

"Gellert Grindelwald."

"Wh-what?!"

"Shh... don't get too excited, young man, you just woke up."

In Quirinus Quirrell's shocked gaze, Grindelwald spread his hands and smiled shyly.

"Well, as you can see, I am a very fair, idealistic person who hates being rejected, likes to discover potential young people. Do you understand what I mean? I am not a crazy, terrifying bad wizard like Voldemort. Now, let's talk about the life-saving grace, and the price to be paid for attacking me..."

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Goo Ya! A long chapter!