The thing about curses is that it's a lot easier to cast them than to take them back—even worse, Voldemort had cast it when he was very young and in a deep rage so he doesn't even remember the way he went about it. If he wants to lift it without causing damage to his (or, in this case, Quirrell's) body, he needs to be very careful about how he studies it.
…Which is how he nearly dies simply because Ron Weasley walks into his office. Voldemort, who had been carefully peeling bits of magic up from the room's walls to inspect, lets out a screech and involuntarily yanks on the curse. The entire room shudders and Weasley squeaks, immediately leaping forward to grab Voldemort and drag them both under his desk. "Earthquake!" he says.
Voldemort stares at the boy, waiting for the rumbling to stop. He says, "This is n-no earthquake, Mr. Weasley—I'm a-afraid this is the c-curse on my position. We'd best g-get out of the office a-altogether."
"Oh!" exclaims Weasley. And then, just as quickly as he'd dragged them both under the desk, he snatches Voldemort's arm in a vice-like grip and makes a break for the exit.
Voldemort follows, confounded.
On the other side of the door, as Weasley lays panting, trying to stave off the last tendrils of adrenaline, Voldemort asks, "Y-You should have g-gone out b-by y-yourself, Mr. Weasley. Helping me c-cost y-you precious time."
Frustrated, Weasley says, "Well, I couldn't just leave you in there!"
"I'm a professor, Mr. Weasley, I c-can handle myself."
Weasley's face goes as red as his hair. He mumbles, "I know that…it was just instinctive…"
The instinctive urge to put yourself in danger to help another. Gryffindors never change, do they? Gripped by the sudden fear that Weasley—one of his students!—would attempt to do something like this again, Voldemort says, "Y-You must learn t-to stop that impulse, Mr. Weasley! I w-would be very u-upset if y-you got hurt because of it."
Weasley all but lights up. "You would?"
"Of c-course!"
"Well…it is an impulse I can't make any promises, Professor—and I'll definitely do something if my friends need help! But…if it's you or another professor…I'll leave you to it."
Well, that's as good as he'll get from a Gryffindor, he supposes. "Good enough. Now, w-why w-were y-you here?"
"Oh, right—Hermione's busy with a Potions essay, see, and I need some help with the homework and these are your office hours, so…"
And Voldemort falls right back into the lull of teaching. Blood Traitor or not, Weasley could be exceptionally brilliant at times…
A/N: whoops i forgot this existed lol. here's the next chapter.
also, i will not accept any ron slander. in this house we love and cherish ronald bilius weasley.