Triggering the Prerequisite Quest

For wizards, breaking a few bones really was no big deal. The next day in Potions class, Harry saw Malfoy attending class perfectly well, which made his strange mood ease a little.

That thought did not last long. After class, Malfoy mocked Harry again for failing to answer Professor Snape's question, saying his brain was like a Troll's. Harry gritted his teeth in hatred. Why had Malfoy not been killed by that fall?

Loren was improving Snape's favorability, laying the groundwork for potion-related matters later on.

"Professor, when extracting juice from beans here, wouldn't crushing them with a knife work better than slicing them?" Loren asked Snape, pointing at Common Magical Materials and How to Process Them.

Snape stopped organizing the equipment and looked into Loren's eyes. "I admit that you do possess a little talent."

"However, you cannot hide your ambition from me."

"Do not attempt to use me to obtain anything, Loren Morgan!"

Even so, Snape still upheld his duties as a Potions Master. He gave Loren a long list of books and told him to seek the answers himself. Until then, he was to follow what the textbooks said.

Loren looked back into those eyes. They were like an abyssal pool, without a ripple. Even when they spoke words of rejection, they carried no emotion. They stared straight at him, as though they could see the deepest part of his heart. He almost suspected Snape had used Legilimency on him.

Loren did not know how he had walked out of the classroom. He admitted that he had been a little frightened.

In the corridor, Harry was telling Ron about being chosen as Seeker. Ron was delighted too, enthusiastically explaining all kinds of Quidditch knowledge to Harry and solemnly arranging his training schedule. The smile on his face practically seemed ready to take flight.

But the Weasley twins quickly exposed him. Ron's knowledge and training plan had all been picked up secondhand. He did not even know how many legal direct attacks Beaters had, and some of what he said was simply wrong. Ron kept stubbornly arguing even after they had left the courtyard.

Harry was very worried about making a fool of himself. Being a Seeker was not just about knowing how to fly; he practically determined the outcome of a match.

Hermione suddenly came over and inserted herself into their conversation. "I know Harry will be an outstanding Quidditch player. It's in his blood."

"Blood?" Harry asked in confusion.

Hermione led them to the Prefects' bathroom and stood before a shield engraved with, "Seeker, James Potter, 1971."

Ron cried out, "Oh, Harry, you never told us your father was a Seeker too."

Harry smiled unconsciously. "I... I didn't know either."

Twenty years later, he had become a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team just like his father. That coincidence gave him a sense of companionship and warmth.

The three walked up the Staircase, and Harry could not help joking about himself. "Even Hermione knows more about my parents than I do."

Hermione denied it. "I just happened to see your father's name."

She did not mention that Professor McGonagall had once been a Quidditch player too. It was not something that could not be said, but she did not intend to share it. She wanted to be the only one who knew.

Just then, the Staircase suddenly swayed from side to side before rising and falling.

Feeling that familiar sensation of weightlessness, all three complained in unison, "This damned Staircase!"

The Staircase turned toward a door on the Fourth Floor, and they pushed it open and went inside. They were not yet familiar with the patterns of the Staircases on this side. If they did not get out quickly, there was no telling how long they would be trapped there.

Harry led the way, with Hermione bringing up the rear. Once inside, the surroundings abruptly darkened. In the center of the room stood a strangely posed statue, covered in cobwebs and looking thoroughly sinister.

"Does anyone else think we came to the wrong place?" Ron asked with a shiver.

"This is the forbidden area on the Fourth Floor. Dumbledore emphasized at the start of term that we were forbidden to enter!" Hermione said in a low voice, afraid of being discovered.

"Meow!" A piercing cat's cry rang out, and a yellowish-gray cat darted out behind them.

Harry was the first to react. "It's Mrs. Norris! Run!"

Filch was usually not far from Mrs. Norris. Getting caught by him would lead to no good outcome.

Mrs. Norris, a single cat, chased the three young wizards around until they reached a locked door. In their panic, Hermione drew her wand and cast an Unlocking Charm. "Alohomora!"

"Nicely done!" Harry praised.

The three quickly hid inside the room. Hearing the cat's cries gradually fade, they pressed themselves against the door and panted for a while before finally catching their breath.

Three wizards being chased by one cat—Ron wanted to make a joke about it. But when he turned and saw what was inside the room, his expression became terrified. "Merlin's beard!" Ron's voice was trembling.

Ron's reaction made Harry and Hermione freeze. They slowly turned around at his words and looked toward the center of the room, their expressions becoming equally terrified.

A monstrous giant dog sat behind them. Its enormous body nearly filled the entire room, stretching from floor to ceiling. It had three black heads and sharp, terrifying teeth. A single fang was about as large as their heads. The giant Three-headed Dog continuously drooled foul-smelling saliva from its mouth, its eyes fixed viciously on the three of them.

"Ah!" Hermione's voice was so shrill it became distorted. The three shoved open the door and fled, leaving Fluffy in the room, still somewhat bewildered.

"No wonder Dumbledore wouldn't let us come to the Fourth Floor!" Ron said, still shaken. "But why would they keep something like that in the school?"

Hermione caught her breath and spoke in an irritating tone. "Are you blind? Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"It was a Trapdoor. It was obviously guarding something!"

Harry's eyes widened at that. He remembered the small package Hagrid had taken out of Vault 713 and was just about to say something.

Hermione interrupted him. "All right, I'm going back. I advise you not to meddle with that dog's business anymore, unless you don't mind being bitten to death—or worse, expelled from school!" With that, she tossed her hair and left.

Ron thought she was a foolish girl. "Can't she tell which one is worse?"

Back in the common room, Harry kept thinking about the small package. He could not even focus on chess. Before long, Ron told him to get out of the way and give up his seat; he wanted to play Seamus and Dean at once.

Harry went over to Loren and began voicing his doubts. "What is Hagrid hiding? Is that Three-headed Dog guarding the small package he brought out? What's inside it?"

Loren raised his head from a stack of Potions Master books taller than he was. Yes, he had borrowed five books from the list Snape had given him, and those five alone were already taller than him while seated. The full list had twenty-five books; he probably would not finish them all before Christmas.

Harry continued chattering away. He had a strong feeling that the package contained something very important.

Loren knew Harry was about to enter the instance. "If I were you, I'd go directly to Hagrid and ask him."

"Hagrid won't tell us. He changed the subject last time," Harry said helplessly. He began analyzing it. "It's either extremely valuable or extremely dangerous."

Loren added, "Or both."

"Why don't we just go and see what it is?" Loren put on that expression again, like a devil tempting a lost fawn. Pedal to the floor, brakes welded shut—accelerate, just accelerate.

Harry was stunned. "B-but there's a Three-headed Dog."

"I have a way to deal with a Three-headed Dog."

"But Dumbledore..."

"We aren't going to steal it."

Thump, thump. Harry could hear his own heart beating rapidly.

Harry was still a good student. Going straight into an adventure sounded like a good idea, but being expelled was obviously not a good outcome. He decided to find out what had been hidden first.

Hehehe, he had been picked up and signed to a contract. Hehehe.