[Note: Read up to Chapter - 160 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"The Philosopher's Stone!!!"
Harry suddenly blurted out, eyes wide as if he'd pieced something together.
"So, the thing hidden in the corridor on the fourth floor is most likely the Philosopher's Stone… and Snape's trying to get it?" He glanced between Aris and Hermione for confirmation.
Seeing Aris and Hermione exchange slightly shrugging looks, Harry quickly added, "Well, it's also possible Professor Quirrell's after it…"
"Wait… what are you lot on about? I don't follow," Cho piped up, looking utterly baffled.
"Yes, it was Harry," Aris said, raising an eyebrow, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "He's discovered a few secrets in Hogwarts—about that corridor on the right side of the fourth floor that Dumbledore specifically told students to steer clear of."
"The corridor on the fourth floor?" Cho glanced at Harry, her expression thoughtful. Then she added, "I've heard there's a three-headed massive dog in there. Really fierce, apparently. It'll go for any little wizard who dares sneak in, right?"
"—Spot on," Aris replied with a nod. "But… how did you know that?"
Harry looked a bit flummoxed. Shouldn't Cho be as clueless as she seems at school? It seems this little girl isn't quite as clueless as she looks!
"We should be talking about the Philosopher's Stone now, shouldn't we?" Ronald suddenly piped up, fixing Aris with a keen look. "So, what exactly is this Philosopher's Stone, and what does it do? I'm betting you know."
"Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione's voice cut in before Aris could answer. "It's the pinnacle of alchemy. They say it can turn stone into gold and perform all sorts of miraculous alchemic feats, but its most famous—and utterly mad—power is the creation of the 'Elixer of Life' that is said to extend life."
"It's said that Nicolas Flamel and his wife celebrated their 665th birthday not too long ago… and all thanks to the Elixir of Life!"
"Until now, he's been relying on the Philosopher's Stone to keep himself alive!"
"The Philosopher's Stone… the one that extends life…" Harry's frown deepened. "But Snape… or Professor Quirrell—why on earth would they want it?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Harry, is there anyone in this world who doesn't want the Philosopher's Stone?"
"As for the Philosopher's Stone and someone wanting to steal it… we'll discuss that later, at the moment, now that everyone's here, let's each pick a room, and then we can get started on the elemental magic training for the holidays!" Aris clapped his hands and pointed at Ronald, who was trying to edge away.
"Don't even think about legging it. I know everything you get up to in this castle. Of course, if you truly don't want special training, I can speak with Professor Dumbledore and have you sent back to Hogwarts."
"But Aris!" Harry protested, still a bit reluctant. "We should tell Professor Dumbledore that Snape or maybe Quirrell is after the Philosopher's Stone, shouldn't we? He should be on his guard… whatever their ultimate goal is in nicking the Philosopher's Stone!"
"Do you reckon Professor Dumbledore hasn't noticed anything?" Aris looked at Harry with a hint of exasperation. "Think about it—Hogwarts… Dumbledore's the one calling the shots! There's nothing in that castle he doesn't know! So, don't get yourself wound up over it. Just focus on how to boost your strength quickly and efficiently in the next magic training, yeah? Got it?"
"Uh…" Harry scratched his head, replying a bit gloomily. Still, after Aris' words, he felt a measure of relief. When you really think about it, it makes sense. Dumbledore is that capable—what could possibly escape his notice at Hogwarts?
"Aris… where do you live?" At that moment, Cho, who was picking a room upstairs, popped her head out and asked. Hermione also feigned casual interest and pricked up her ears.
"I live in the tallest tower on the east side of the castle," Aris replied casually, paying them little mind.
"Oh!" Cho nodded thoughtfully, then piped up, "Then… can I live in the room next to yours?"
"Of course!" Aris nodded without hesitation.
"Brilliant!" Cho's face lit up, and she practically bounded toward the east tower.
Hermione cast a quick glance at Cho, then at Aris, bit her lip lightly, and followed her toward the east tower. She recalled there were three rooms in total. Aris had one, Cho had one, leaving a single room still free.
They'd be living in this massive castle for the next fortnight. The little girl naturally wanted the room closest to Aris—she had no sense of security otherwise. After all, in this castle, the only ones who could make her feel safe were the boys.
"What about you two?" Aris asked, turning to Harry and Ronald.
"We'll just take the room upstairs in the living area," they chorused.
Really, it didn't matter much—all the rooms in the castle were practically palatial. They just wanted somewhere nearby, so after each day of special training, they could flop into bed as soon as possible.
They couldn't understand why the two girls were so keen to live all the way in the east tower… weren't they knackered?
Aris, of course, didn't bother himself with their thoughts. He just gave a slight nod and said, "Right, off you go and get packed. We'll meet in the open space in front of the living room in half an hour."
With that, he stepped out of the living room. His plan was to convert a magic practice field, not far from the small Quidditch pitch, into a temporary special training base. Plenty of props for spell practice were already there—magic dummies, simulated terrain, and so on.
"Moss!" Aris called softly, and a cute little elf in green clothes appeared beside him.
"First, draw two energy-gathering elemental magic circles here. Then, set up a weakened version of the automatic elemental ball attack magic circle…"
Once he'd instructed Moss to prepare the magical apparatus, Aris surveyed the empty training area again. Then he waved to Shelia, who was standing patiently to the side, and gave her the next set of instructions.
"Shirley, hand me some galleons so I can sort out a few cushions in the corner of the training ground!" Aris called. "If anyone ends up unconscious or injured during training, they can rest there."
He paused, then added, "And over here, we've got these two areas…"
He thought for a moment, then waved his wand lightly under Shirleya's gleaming eyes. The easternmost section of the training ground began to shift. Grass sprouted rapidly over the stone bricks, and the terrain reshaped itself into hills, low-lying pools, and patches of woodland.
To make the simulated environment even more lifelike, he used the Traceless Extension Spell to expand the area several times. Then he repeated the same procedure on the west side, transforming it into a desert-like terrain.
"With these two simulation fields," he said, "we can train several young wizards simultaneously, focusing on combat and reaction skills in realistic scenarios."
And these fields weren't just about terrain—Aris had sprinkled in a few surprises: the occasional snake slithering out of the grass, mice darting through underbrush…
In just about twenty minutes, everything was ready. Aris surveyed the transformed training ground with a satisfied nod.
"Well, this looks like a proper training ground for elite wizards."
He grinned. "Maybe in the future, we could hold a training class every holiday and invite different wizards to visit the castle."
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 160 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]