You step toward the bound figure, wand steady, and tug the hood back in one sharp motion. Candlelight falls over a face gone bloodless with fear: Professor Quirrell, his eyes darting wildly between you, Snape, and the trembling book. The sight lands like a jolt through the chamber, because Quirrell should be nowhere near a place like this, and yet here he is, trapped in the middle of it. Your scar flares so hard it feels as if the hidden room itself has recognized the name before you do.

Quirrell makes a strangled sound, trying to twist away, but the ropes hold him fast while Snape stares in grim, furious silence. The blue flames around the circle burn lower, then suddenly leap, and the trapdoor beneath the floor gives a deep, answering thud. Whatever lies below has become aware of every heart beating in the room, and the air tastes metallic with imminent danger. You realize the secret beneath Hogwarts is tied not just to dark ritual, but to a person standing before you who should already be your enemy.