Chapter 64: Descent into Madness (1/2)
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A/N: This the start of the two-part CLIMAX of the [COLORS ARC].
- [Climax Part 1: Descent into Madness] -
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The day after Quinn went into the Chamber of Secret and killed the first Tom Riddle/Voldemort's Horcrux, Quinn was sitting in his office, cleaning his tools and other things in his office.
Diary-Horcrux of the sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle was destroyed when Quinn stabbed it with Basilisk venom while making small talk with the soul-split tied into the Horcrux. From that entire ordeal, Quinn took his payment for doing the job. The fee was in the form of liters of Basilisk venom and a dozen fangs from the Basilisk.
Last night, he also made sure that the four students it out of the Chamber of Secrets by checking their location status on Recon. And as he expected, three out of the four people were in the hospital wing. The three being petrified Ivy Potter, Basilisk-bit Harry Potter, and Horcrux-possessed Terence Higgs.
Ronald Weasley, who was untouched from the Chamber of Secrets, was back in the Gryffindor dorm, sleeping at night in his own dorm bed.
Quinn, who was the invisible participant, was able to enter and exit the Chamber of Secrets without being detected. Reaped some benefits and slew a part of the dark Lord Voldemort. There was nothing in the entire ordeal that was detrimental to Quinn.
The owner of the A.I.D consultation service sat in his workshop, doing spring cleaning of his various tools and utensils in the workshop. It was a good day, followed by a fruitful day.
As Quinn worked away in silence, there was a knock on his door, followed by the door chime ringing with the door opening.
Quinn set down equipment in his hand on the table and walked to the office to meet the client. Waiting for him in the office was Gilderoy Lockhart, Hogwarts' current Defense Against Dark Arts professor.
”Ah, good afternoon, professor,” Quinn greeted as he sat behind the table and gestured Lockhart to take a seat. ”How may I help you, professor?”
To Quinn, Lockhart was a cash cow he had milked throughout the year, and if that cash cow walked to his doorstep, he won't reject it and welcome it in pleasantly because of its services. Plus, Lockhart had signed an all-year pass to the Restricted Section of the Library, so Lockhart, who Quinn previously considered as an annoying bug, was now his golden egg-laying goose.
”Quinn, just the student I was hoping to see,” said Lockhart, his every motion brimming with theatrics. He sat down and put on that blinding, million-watt smile. ”I have a matter of utmost importance to discuss with you.”
”Of course, professor, do tell,” smiled Quinn, being polite to the man who had bought him close to his goal of filling a tub with sickles. The man had single-handedly given Quinn the asset, which allowed Quinn to complete ninety percent of his aim. According to his estimates, he would reach the target by the end of the school year.
”Quinn, I want to talk to you about the fan club,” said Lockhart, opening the conversation.
”Professor, I am sure that you would be able to gain more by talking to the managers of your club,” Quinn put on an apologetic smile. ”I am not involved in the daily activities of the fan club.”
”I am not talking about the club,” Lockhart shook his head and explained. ”I am talking about the merchandise sold in the club.”
Quinn's eyes sparkled as he clapped his hands in excitement. ”Professor, do you have a new product idea,” Quinn took out a sheet of paper and uncapped his pen, ready to take notes. ”Do tell.” He wasn't going to let this opportunity pass by.
”Yes, I am talking about the products you sell. But I am not here to tell you about a new product.”
Quinn's shoulders slumped as he capped his pen and put it down on the table. His initial excitement, deflating in an instant.
”So, what is it do you want to talk about, professor.”
Lockhart cleared his throat and spoke. ”Those merchandises that you have been selling through the club are all based on me.” Lockhart puffed his chest and bragged. ”Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming-Smile Award.”
”So, it is normal that you should divide the profits with me,” Lockharts' voice was filled with confidence. He spoke like the thing he was saying was obvious. ”How about we spit up the profits ninety-to-ten? Of course, ninety to me and ten to you.”
Lockhart looked down on Quinn as he spoke, ”Your products only sold because of my reputation. Without me, no one would buy things from a child.” Lockhart looked at Quinn as an easy-to-push-around child who would buckle under his words.
Quinn tilted his head in confusion, putting on an expression of confusion. All the previous politeness from him draining from his face and eyes.
”What are you talking about, professor?” Quinn opened a drawer on his table and took out a sheet of parchment. ”This is not what we discussed.”
Quinn slid the parchment towards Lockhart so that he could read it.
”This document clearly states that you relinquish all earnings of my sales. The profits from anything I sell will go to me and not to you.”
Lockharts' eyes popped when he saw the signature on the page while Quinn talked.
”T-This!” stuttered Lockhart as he looked up from the document. ”I have no recollection of this. I don't remember signing this.”
”I don't know what to say, professor,” said Quinn. Putting on an oblivious expression. ”You were the one to sign it; it is your sign. You can even have it checked for magic forgery.”
”With this document, you have no right to ask me for even a single knut of what I made from selling the products even though they are based on you,” Quinn intertwined his fingers and finished, ”Sorry, professor, but I can't help you in this matter. You are already signed over the rights to me.”
It stunned Lockhart into silence, which was a lot to say because the man rarely stopped talking. He just kept staring at the document in front of him.
”... Does anyone else know about this,” asked Lockhart, staring at the document, ”And, do you have a copy of this? I want one so that I have a copy.”
”This is a private venture, professor. I, alone, handle the production and supply of the merchandise,” Quinn took the document which Lockhart placed on the table and said. ”This is the original. I will make a permanent copy and bring it out to you just in a minute.”
Lockharts' eyes shined as he immediately took out his wand and pointed it at Quinn. ”Then it is settled. I will do you a favor and erase the memory of this document from your mind, and then you will give me the money you made from the sales. Previously, I was going to give you a ten percent share, but now, I am going to cut that in half, and you will only get five percent.”
Lockhart loudly laughed as he watched Quinn, ”You might not know this, but the Memory charm is my premier skill. It is my bread-and-butter as to speak. I built myself on this charm, so don't worry about accidents because I am really good at it.”
The Memory Charm (Obliviate), also known as the Forgetfulness Charm, was a charm used to erase specific memories from an individual's mind.
”I focused my considerable talents solely on the Memory Charm until I perfected it, making it the only spell I can perform without fail,” Lockhart eyed Quinn with delight in his eyes. ”In my pursuit of fame and glory, I utilized the charm extensively on people who performed heroic feats after interviewing them on every detail of their works, so they would not go 'babbling' while I take their credits in the form of my books.”
He smiled appreciatively at Quinn and spoke, ”I am planning to leave Hogwarts tomorrow. This school has dangers lurking in every corner. The monster of Slytherin is still on the loose, and it struck again yesterday. I have to leave this place before it gets to me.”
No one had told Lockhart that the monster of Slytherin was already taken care of, and the school was safe from further petrification. The fraud author still believed that the horror was still roaming in the castle.
”The money I get from you will be more than enough for another expedition to a foreign land to interview another fellow and do 'research' on my ext book,” he pointed his wand at Quinn, ready to cast the charm, and grinned. ”Maybe I will thank you in my next books for your help. Not that you will remember it.”
Quinn stood in his place looking at Lockhart with an expression that showed no fear, horror, or any negative emotion and conversely portrayed boredom. His face screamed, 'why did I expect anything else' through the expression.
He glanced at Lockhart's wand, and the next moment Lockhart's hand was forced open as the wand shot out his hand into Quinn's grasp.
”And here I thought you escaped your original fate yesterday,” a sigh escaped Quinn. He looked up at the shocked fraud in front of him and spoke. ”That is the problems with villains. They spend too much time explaining their plans. You should have straight out erased my memories without the monologue. Not that it would have worked.”
An alternating yellow and red flashed on Quinn's nape as he used magic, and Lockhart's knees buckled. The blonde pompous fraud fell onto the chair that Quinn expertly positioned just underneath him.