Chapter 94. Inside Wesson's Office
The trio stepped into Professor Wesson's office.
It was as empty as before, with not a soul in sight—not even the Devil's Snare they'd encountered last time.
"It looks like the professor isn't here," Hermione remarked, glancing at Harry. "Where do you think Professor Wesson might be?"
Harry shook his head, then began to survey the room.
Compared to their last visit, the layout seemed unchanged, save for a haphazard arrangement of crooked tables and chairs along the left-hand wall.
Hmm, hideous.
His attention was drawn to a suitcase tucked away in the corner. His eyes lit up.
Harry approached the suitcase and hefted it to the center of the room—it was heavier than he'd anticipated.
"Let me think, how do you use this thing..."
With Hermione and Ron watching in confusion, Harry tossed the suitcase into the air.
It soared gracefully, twisting and reshaping mid-flight. By the time it landed, it had transformed into the shape of a door.
"Wow."
Ron's mouth hung open, nearly wide enough to fit a Quaffle.
Hermione's eyes gleamed. "What spell is that? Transfiguration? Or something else?"
"Professor Wesson is probably inside," Harry explained, tapping the door.
"Why not just go in?" Ron asked, puzzled.
Harry shook his head. "Professor Wesson said no one can enter without his permission."
Of course, Harry himself was permitted.
Hearing this, Ron and Hermione grew curious about what lay beyond the door.
Ron grinned. "Don't be like that, Harry. You know Professor Wesson likes you—he won't mind. Let's just take a peek—"
He was cut off as the doorknob suddenly turned.
The door swung open, revealing Professor Wesson standing before them.
"Oh, it's you three," he said, not at all surprised.
The morning plantation had left his robes damp.
He waved his hand, and the robes floated off to the coat stand by the door.
Then, with a flick, he closed the portal, allowing it to revert to its suitcase form and set it aside. Turning to the trio, he smiled warmly. "Sit down. Hagrid's made me a set of tables and chairs lately—his craftsmanship is truly impressive."
Harry glanced at the shockingly ugly furniture along the left-hand wall and found them suddenly more tolerable.
Once seated, Wesson looked at them and smiled. "So, what brings you to see me this time?"
"The Philosopher's Stone stored on the fourth floor, Professor," Harry said matter-of-factly. "Quirrell and Snape are after it."
At Harry's words, Wesson paused mid-sip, his hand hovering over his teacup. "...How did you find out?"
Harry recounted what he'd overheard in the Forbidden Forest, including Snape calling Quirrell "Master" and Quirrell instructing Snape to find a way past Fluffy.
He also shared his theory that the room on the fourth floor was a challenge designed for students who enjoyed adventures.
Wesson listened thoughtfully, impressed by Harry's imagination.
At this point, Hermione interjected. "Also, Professor, we know you want the Philosopher's Stone too. You might want to act quickly—if Snape and Quirrell figure out how to get past Fluffy, it'll be too late."
"?"
Wesson raised an eyebrow, looking at them in confusion. "When did I ever say I wanted the Philosopher's Stone?"
The trio exchanged glances.
Hermione pointed to the bookshelf in the office. "We noticed you were reading books about the Philosopher's Stone and Nicolas Flamel..."
Wesson chuckled softly.
"Ah, I see you've misunderstood," he said with a smile. "It's not as complicated as you think. Since you already know about the Philosopher's Stone, I'll tell you: the room on the fourth floor isn't a challenge at all. It's a safeguard set by Headmaster Dumbledore to protect the Stone. Snape and I each contributed to it."
"Ah?"
Harry glanced at Hermione, who was deep in thought, then at Ron, who looked bewildered, and asked Wesson, "Then... why would Snape and Quirrell want to steal the Philosopher's Stone?"
"That, I don't know."
Wesson shrugged. "But I'll report this to Headmaster Dumbledore."
Relieved, the trio nodded.
"All right," Wesson winked at Harry. "You don't need to worry about this."
After leaving the office, the three of them walked briskly back to their common room.
Most of the mysteries about the fourth-floor room had been solved; the only remaining question was—why did Snape and Quirrell want to steal the Philosopher's Stone?
They were curious, but it wasn't their problem.
Since Wesson said he would report it to Dumbledore, there was no need to worry.
Meanwhile, Wesson sat at his desk, staring thoughtfully at the wall.
Harry's earlier remark had left him with some doubts.
Snape had addressed Quirrell as "Master"!
As everyone knew, there was only one person Snape would call that—Lord Voldemort himself.
Considering Quirrell's recent behavior, Wesson deduced that Voldemort had fully taken over Quirrell's body.
Meaning the one teaching the students lately was Voldemort, not Quirrell.
Hmm...
How would Dumbledore handle this news?
Stamp Voldemort out early?
Or do nothing, following the original course, and let Harry face Voldemort to test him?
For Wesson, he still leaned toward the former.
Though Voldemort probably wasn't much of a threat at the moment, he was still Voldemort.
Who knew what other tricks he might have up his sleeve?
Of course, letting Harry face Voldemort wouldn't matter either.
Just a petty little fragment of soul.
Under the deliberate protection of himself and Dumbledore, Wesson didn't think Harry's life would be in danger.
However, Wesson had no intention of reporting this to Dumbledore.
For him, it was better to keep his distance from this matter in the open; he had no desire to draw Dumbledore's attention.
And in all likelihood, Dumbledore already knew about it.
Others might not, but he did: Snape was now loyal to Dumbledore's camp.
Voldemort choosing to confront Snape... what a terrible choice.
Wesson couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the Dark Lord.
A bleak road ahead.
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