The day after Hogwarts' final exams ended, Hermione came to Tierra's office.
"Professor Tierra?" Hermione knocked playfully on the door. Before Tierra could respond, she pushed it open a crack and peeked through the gap into the Dark Magic Office where Tierra was—
"Aha, Hermione." Tierra removed his glasses and looked at Hermione kindly. "Come in, though you already have."
"Tierra, I came to collect the Philosopher's Stone," Hermione said, then walked in of her own accord and sat down at the desk closest to Tierra's own.
Tierra's Dark Magic Office was also the Dark Magic Classroom. The girls' bathroom where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets had once been was transformed by Tierra into a Dark Magic research laboratory and his own office.
"Of course." Tierra took a small brown leather pouch wrapped in golden thread from a drawer, placed it on his broad desk, and pushed it toward Hermione—
"Keep it safe," Tierra reminded her.
Hermione picked up the leather pouch and carefully untied the golden thread around it—
As the cloth gradually unfolded, a blood-red radiance rapidly spread outward, forming shimmering ripples around it.
The light was warm and brilliant, like flames beneath sunlight, intoxicating to behold.
Under the intense light streaming in from the window, the details within the ruby gradually emerged—
There seemed to be a miniature world inside the gem, flickering with wondrous, marvelous scenes. Enchanting crimson interwove with shifting hues, forming a dazzling spectrum.
Tiny uneven textures covered the gem's surface, becoming more three-dimensional and vivid beneath the light.
"This Philosopher's Stone..." Hermione stared at it blankly, utterly captivated.
Not until Tierra reached out and gently closed the Philosopher's Stone's wrapping.
Placing the barrier of the Material Dimension between the Philosopher's Stone and Hermione.
"Th-this is the real Philosopher's Stone?" Hermione asked,