"Malfoy, come here for a moment," Audrey waved at Draco Malfoy. "I have something to tell you."
Draco ran over like a little lackey, completely devoid of the reserve of a young aristocratic master. Crabbe and Goyle were used to this scene, while Pansy once again chipped her plate with her fork.
"Cousin," Draco greeted silently, then whispered, "Is there something wrong?"
Audrey walked toward the common room and said, "Gringotts will be borrowing money from the major families soon. Hurry up and inform your father that no matter how high the interest promised by those goblins is, do not lend it."
Draco tilted his head like a puppy in confusion.
"Why?"
"Because they won't be able to pay it back," Audrey warned. "I'm only telling you this for the sake of Aunt Narcissa. If you and your father dare to spread this around, you will bear the consequences."
Audrey was clearly looking out for their family, but her tone was a cold threat. Draco felt like she was giving him a split personality.
However, the little dragon still knew the gravity of the situation and hurried back to the common room to write a letter.
Audrey walked leisurely out of the Great Hall, thinking about how to return a gift to Mrs. Weasley.
She had been busy lately (rolling excitedly in bed) and managing a myriad of affairs (remotely controlling Edmond and the others to acquire assets), so she had forgotten about the return gift that should have been sent during Christmas.
Mrs. Weasley had very thoughtfully knitted her a sweater and a scarf. They were a Gryffindor family, usually only needing to buy red and yellow yarn; this time, for her sake, they had specially prepared green and silver yarn, which must have taken great pains.
Although the Slytherin-colored sweater with her name on it was incredibly ugly, the sentiment was the most sincere among all the people who gave her gifts.
It was all about warmth\!
The second most sincere was Isaline, who gave her a pure gold Greek-style pitcher—worthy of being a best friend, she really understood her\!
The third most sincere was a mysterious person who didn't leave a name. He gave her a Slytherin-colored mask inlaid with two emeralds of excellent quality\! The mask was an alchemical item that could automatically cast the Shield Charm. Audrey tested it, and this enchanted Shield Charm was actually much stronger than her own\! She wondered which big shot it was\!
Okay, that wasn't the point.
The point was returning a gift to the top supporter, the auntie.
Hmm... what would be a good return gift for the Weasley family?
Galleons? Too tacky, too tacky\!
How about giving a tank\! Mr. Weasley would definitely like it\!
And give Mrs. Weasley a Huaxia cookbook?
...
Lost in thought, Audrey was stopped by Harry Potter and his little friends.
Caught off guard, Audrey was startled, a sense of déjà vu washing over her as if she were the villain.
Wasn't this the rhythm of the protagonist team looking for trouble with a minor boss?
"Audrey, I have something to tell you\!"
Audrey, completely bewildered, was led by the trio to a staircase near the Great Hall where few people would come.
"We need your help, Audrey\!"
Harry said with a serious face, while Hermione and Ron nodded vigorously in agreement beside him. "During Christmas, Snape tried to go to the fourth-floor corridor to steal the Philosopher's Stone and was driven back by the three-headed dog guarding it\!"
Audrey: ?????
No, what was going on? Snape had been 'monitoring' her throughout the Christmas holiday\! He was more responsible than a personal bodyguard; where would he find the time to sneak back to Hogwarts to steal the Philosopher's Stone?
And, isn't your progress a bit too fast\!
In the original story, from being provoked by Draco after flying class and accidentally entering the fourth-floor room, it took months to figure out about the Philosopher's Stone. Now, just after one Christmas holiday, they had caught up to the original progress?
What powerful plot correction force this is\!
However, Harry seeing "Snape" meant someone was stirring things up.
Quirrell wouldn't do this, so there was only one truth\!
That old man Dumbledore had personally stepped onto the stage and started directing\!
Audrey shrugged. "How did you think of coming to me for help?"
Hermione spoke up, looking serious. "We are Gryffindors; tracking Snape would be too obvious, so we thought of you\!"
Harry: "Audrey, can you help us monitor Snape? Neither Dumbledore nor Hagrid believes us, so we can only come to you\!"
Ron nodded repeatedly. "Yeah\! If Snape gets the Philosopher's Stone, he will resurrect You-Know-Who\! Everyone knows he's a Death Eater\!"
Audrey looked at a painting of a rural landscape hanging in the stairwell. The farm girl in the painting was peeking at the four of them while cutting grass.
Sensing Audrey's gaze, the farm girl gave her a sly look.
Alright, Dumbledore is watching you.
Audrey, who was already too lazy to get involved in this matter, now had an even more sufficient reason—Dumbledore's request.
"How did you know the Philosopher's Stone is hidden there?"
"It was Hagrid\!" Hermione said. "Hagrid let it slip and mentioned Nicolas Flamel\!"
Harry added, "We all know Nicolas Flamel was one of your tutors before school started, so we understood after looking up some information\!"
"Great\!"
Audrey gave them a thumbs up. "But, I still have to take my O.W.L.s this year\! I got exemptions for ten subjects just so I wouldn't waste time and could self-study alone in the dormitory... so—I'm afraid I don't have spare time to monitor Snape."
Hermione covered her mouth. was it like that? Those rumors spreading from Slytherin that Audrey was a lazybones were indeed all false rumors\!\!
Audrey lived in seclusion; it turned out she was studying hard\!
Thinking about it this way, the few of them troubling her was simply asking too much\!
Just then, Audrey continued, "However, I can keep an eye on Professor Snape's whereabouts for you. If there's anything unusual, I'll notify you."
What could be unusual about Snape? He was one of the setters of this trap. Snape knew better than anyone that the Philosopher's Stone inside was a fake\!
Hehe, gaining a favor just by moving her lips, that was so Slytherin\!
Harry nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much\! We... we didn't expect you to be so busy. I'm really embarrassed... but you are still willing to help us\! Audrey, you really are a great person\!"
After parting with Audrey, Ron suddenly remembered something and asked doubtfully, "Didn't Audrey hold a concert during the Christmas holidays? Is she really busy with her studies?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "That's called balancing career and studies\! Who knows how much sleep she sacrificed to make up for lessons for those ten days of concerts\!"
See, this is what you call a fan filter.
As Audrey's 'son fan', Harry supported her even more. "Yeah, Ron, don't think nonsense. Audrey wouldn't lie to us\!"
He thought for a moment and brought the topic back on track. "Although Audrey is willing to help now, I'm afraid we can't count on her. We still have to protect the Philosopher's Stone ourselves\!"
Ron nodded. "Yes, Harry, it's up to the two of us\!"
...
After leaving the trio, Audrey walked to a place where no one was paying attention.
Crack\!
When she reappeared, she landed right on her own bed.
Ah, originally she just wanted to inherit the Lestrange fortune, but now the situation had changed drastically, and she was suddenly about to become the richest person in the wizarding world\!
Hmm, how should she spend the money later?
She wouldn't do silly things like tilling the land with a golden hoe.
Wear clothes made of jade and gold wire? Pfft, pfft, pfft, that's for dead people to wear; it's unlucky.
Taste all the food in the world? How much money would that cost\!
Live in a big house? Please, fundamentally speaking, Hogwarts belongs to my family. Could there be a better big house than this?
Audrey didn't know how to enjoy herself anymore.
The best life she could think of was to dig a big cave, fill it with gold, silver, and jewelry, and then sleep buried in this mountain of treasure\!
Why did it suddenly feel a bit boring?
This wasn't even as good as using a golden hoe or a golden toilet\!
Crack\!
Momo appeared in the room, interrupting Audrey's thoughts.
"Momo, shouldn't you be busy in the kitchen right now?"
"Little Master," Momo rubbed his hands. "Headmaster Dumbledore is looking for you."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]