Chapter 68

Hector faced a similar problem. Compared to Harry, pulling the wool over the sharp-witted young witch Hermione's eyes was no simple task. Hector chose to tell the whole truth about what happened after they parted ways. He knew this matter was impossible to keep under wraps forever and Hermione and the others would find out sooner or later, so he figured it was better to come clean beforehand to earn their trust. Hermione raised questions much like Harry's; they were both puzzled as to how Hector had figured out so early on that the true mastermind was Quirrell rather than Snape, whom they had all suspected. It took Hector a great deal of effort to patch up his story—starting with his observations, then linking them to the strange daily behaviors he had noticed in Quirrell, as well as Quirrell's steadily worsening physical condition. In fact, Hector had mentioned Quirrell's odd behavior to Hermione and the others long before, but they had preferred to trust their own judgment. After all, Quirrell—looking cowardly and stammering—didn't seem at all like a major villain, whereas Snape, who spent his years wandering around in black robes and radiating cold gloom, fit the villain profile to a tee.