[Note: Read up to Chapter - 189 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Inside the Gryffindor common room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had no mind to rest. Their conversation circled endlessly back to the Philosopher's Stone—and, more than anything, to Voldemort.
"Harry, d'you reckon… if he really comes back, would he… would he go straight for you?" Ron asked, worry etched all over his face.
"Of course he would," Harry replied firmly. "But if he could've done it already, he wouldn't have waited this long." His jaw tightened, but there was a rare calmness in his eyes.
"At least Harry's safe here, haven't you thought of that?" Hermione cut in, her voice steady as she reasoned things out. "Who's the one person You-Know-Who fears most? Professor Dumbledore. And where are we? At Hogwarts."
"As long as Dumbledore's here, he won't dare lay a finger on Harry," she finished with conviction.
"That's right," Harry nodded in agreement. "It's just like Aris said—we don't need to lose our heads over it."
"But… what if Dumbledore leaves the castle?" Ron asked quietly, his voice laced with doubt.
"Then we really ought to be worried!" Hermione said, taking a deep breath.
"Well, the final exams are right round the corner. I reckon you two should spend less time panicking about You-Know-Who and more time revising if you want to scrape a pass in every subject!" She gave a little shrug and added, "I'm off to the library. What about you lot?"
"Wait…" Harry suddenly clutched his forehead, his face twisting in pain. "My scar—it's burning again, like it's on fire…"
"What? How's that possible?" Ron blurted, rushing over to get a closer look at Harry's scar as if he could do anything about it.
"I reckon it's some sort of warning… just like in the Forbidden Forest. A sign that danger's close," Harry said through gritted teeth. He forced himself to stay calm, trying to do as Aris had taught him—clearing his mind and shutting out every stray thought.
But then, out of nowhere, a sharp thought struck him.
"No—Hagrid wanted a dragon so badly, and he got one off some stranger… but who just happens to wander about with ten dragon eggs in their pocket? It doesn't add up! Something's been dodgy from the start!"
"Hagrid said the bloke seemed dead keen on magical creatures, and the two of them had a right pleasant chinwag, didn't he?" Ron muttered, frowning as he dredged up the memory.
"So if that stranger sought Hagrid out on purpose, talking beasts and monsters with him… then maybe they also talked about the three-headed hellhound? I remember Hagrid boasting he knew how to handle it!"
Harry's thoughts were coming quicker now, his face tight with worry.
"I'm telling you, there's something fishy about all this—I swear it!"
With that, he shot up from his seat and strode towards the common room exit.
"What d'you think you're doing? Aris told us not to act rashly!" Hermione cried, hurrying after him. Ron bolted up too, trailing close behind.
"It's too late to sit about waiting! I've got a strong feeling about this—I've got to tell Professor Dumbledore right away. Whoever's skulking in the shadows is about to make their move!"
Harry felt a strange premonition—perhaps it really did come from that lightning-shaped scar of his. He didn't stop to think; he bolted straight for the Headmaster's office.
"Hold it right there, Potter! What's got you tearing down the corridor like a madman?" a sharp voice called from behind. Professor McGonagall stood frowning at the trio, who looked as though they'd legged it straight out of Transfiguration.
"Professor, I need to see Dumbledore—right now!" Harry blurted, not even pausing for breath. "It's urgent—we've got to report it to him!"
"Professor Dumbledore?" McGonagall's brow creased as she peered at the three of them. Then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you can't. He's just had an urgent owl from the Ministry and left Hogwarts not long ago."
"But this is serious—it's about the Philosopher's Stone!" Harry pressed on desperately. "Someone's after it, and they could strike any minute. We've got to act now, or something awful's going to happen!"
Aris had told them: if you run into any trouble, go straight to a professor. That's exactly what they were doing now, hoping Professor McGonagall would take them seriously.
For a moment, McGonagall looked genuinely startled.
"How on earth do you know that? Who's trying to steal it—no, nonsense! Impossible! That object is under the strictest protection; no one could possibly nick it!"
Her expression hardened.
"This isn't a matter for you to meddle in. Back to your dormitories—at once. I don't care how you came by this, but you mustn't breathe a word of it to anyone else!"
"But, Professor—" Harry began hotly.
Before he could finish, a silken, cutting voice drifted from behind them.
"Professor McGonagall, might I borrow a moment? Dumbledore left instructions with me before departing—he wished to pass something on to you. Urgently."
Harry didn't even need to turn. That oily drawl, full of scorn, could belong to no one else but Snape.
The three of them wheeled round, and sure enough, Snape stood framed in the doorway, his black eyes glinting.
McGonagall pursed her lips. "Very well. Off with you, back to your common room—now!"
Professor McGonagall rose from her seat and moved towards Snape, who was waiting by the classroom door.
Snape's eyes flicked to Harry, sharp and warning.
"You three… best not go wandering about without purpose. Otherwise, folk might start to think you're either breaking school rules… or plotting to."
The implication in his tone made Harry's fists clench, but he kept quiet. He and the others still weren't sure whether Snape was Voldemort's spy, or worse, someone the Dark Lord had possessed. Either way, none of them trusted him in the slightest.
"Come on, let's go," Harry muttered, spinning on his heel and heading off without another word. Hermione and Ron hurried after him.
Snape watched them leave, stroking his chin in thought. Then he turned back to McGonagall.
"Professor Dumbledore asked me to remind you—if anyone comes prying about the Philosopher's Stone, you're to keep silent. And while he's away from the castle, you'll need to keep a close eye on… matters."
His black eyes glinted.
"You do understand what he meant, don't you?"
Professor McGonagall frowned, then gave a small nod.
"I understand. I'll check over there later to make sure nothing's amiss. Just now…"
Her words trailed off as she recalled what Harry and the others had said. Her brow furrowed even deeper.
"What is it?" Snape asked, watching her closely.
"It's nothing. I daresay I'm just overthinking." McGonagall shook her head, then turned back towards the classroom.
"I've still things to attend to. Please, make yourself at home, Professor Snape."
Meanwhile, after Harry left with Ron and Hermione, he deliberately steered them away from the path to Gryffindor Tower.
"Where are we going?" Ron asked, baffled.
"I've got a bad feeling," Harry said quickly, his pace picking up. "We've got to check the fourth-floor corridor. If something's going to happen, it'll be there. Hermione—try to find Aris. If anything kicks off, he's the one with the experience to handle it."
"Alright," Hermione nodded, understanding straightaway. "I'll do my best, but you know what he's like—always vanishing, turning up who-knows-where. I can't promise I'll track him down."
"Hmm." Harry gave a short nod.
With that, the three split up—Hermione heading briskly towards the Ravenclaw common room, while Harry and Ron made straight for the fourth-floor corridor.
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Drop Power Stonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 189 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]