The Gap

Albert reached out and knocked on the wooden door of the Hunting Cabin.

A moment later, some noise came from the room. As soon as the wooden door opened a crack, Fang poked its head out and excitedly wagged its big tail, running around Albert.

"Come in, I have something to ask you."

Hagrid seemed to have not slept all night; his eyes were bloodshot, his hair was messy, and he opened the door with a slightly hoarse voice.

Are you sick?

Albert, seeing Hagrid's appearance, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask.

"No, I just didn't sleep well last night."

After Albert went inside, Hagrid peeked out the door and looked around to make sure no one was there before closing the door again. He also pulled the curtains closed. A roaring fire burned in the fireplace, steam rose from the copper kettle, and on the table sat Hagrid's favorite Rock Cake.

"You didn't sleep all night because of Nicolas Flamel, did you?"

Albert took off his cloak, shook off the snow, and hung it on the clothes rack next to him. He then squatted down and began rubbing Fang's head, without even looking at Hagrid's expression.

In fact, Albert knew without even looking that Hagrid's expression was quite something.

In fact, Hagrid was completely taken aback, not expecting Albert to bring up the matter so directly.

"Harry came to see you yesterday," Albert said with certainty.

"How did you know?" Hagrid blurted out almost without thinking.

"The day before yesterday, the three of them asked me about Nicolas Flamel, but I didn't tell them." Albert didn't care about Hagrid's surprised expression. He took out his wand from his pocket and waved it at the copper kettle boiling on the fireplace. The already boiling copper kettle immediately flew over and began to automatically brew tea in front of them.

"Then how did you know that what was hidden in the school was the Philosopher's Stone?" Hagrid asked in a low voice.

"Because Harry mentioned Nicolas Flamel."

"I don't believe it." Hagrid gave him a look that said, "Don't try to fool me."

"Nicolas Flamel and Dumbledore are friends, it's on the Chocolate Frog card." Albert saw Hagrid's suspicious look, took a sip of his tea, and said with a smile, "Well, actually I know Nicolas Flamel. I just spent a few days with him this summer, Dumbledore took me there, and I heard he's in some trouble... well, you know, some things aren't hard to guess."

At that moment, Hagrid was stunned, standing there dumbfounded, seemingly unsure of what to do.

"What did you just say?" he asked again, as if he hadn't understood Albert's words.

"I told you I'm friends with Nicolas Flamel, so you don't need to worry about me trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone." Albert looked up at Hagrid with a hint of helplessness. "Actually, you don't need to worry at all. Even if I did try to steal the Philosopher's Stone's Stone, do you really think I could fool Dumbledore and successfully escape after getting Philosopher's Stone?"

Hagrid's expression froze instantly.

Yes!

If they really steal the Philosopher's Stone and run away, how will they ever be able to go to school?

Moreover, is it really possible to steal the Philosopher's Stone and run away? Obviously not.

This is Hogwarts, after all! "And another thing, Hagrid, how do you know that Philosopher's Stone is real?" Albert looked at him with an expression that said, "You already know that someone is eyeing the Philosopher's Stone, would you still use it as bait?"

"A decoy?" Hagrid was a little confused, feeling like his intelligence wasn't up to par.

"Of course, it's to lure out the thief who wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone," Albert said matter-of-factly.

"But... wait, you said a thief? Dumbledore put the Philosopher's Stone in the school to lure a thief into a trap?" Hagrid was completely baffled; he couldn't understand what was going on at all.

"It must be the Lord Voldemort, or his henchmen, who have their eyes on the Philosopher's Stone, so Dumbledore is planning to use Philosopher's Stone to lure it out," Albert briefly stated his guess. "As for whether the Philosopher's Stone is real or not, it's really hard to say. After all, most people have never seen the Philosopher's Stone, and even if it's fake, they probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

"You mean the Philosopher's Stone at school is fake?" Hagrid's hands trembled slightly.

"I don't know either." Albert shrugged, indicating that it was just a guess. If you know someone is going to steal it, why risk something real? There's absolutely no need for that! "You're right, I actually..." Hagrid was about to say something when he saw Albert make a shushing gesture. He pointed out the window, and Hagrid walked over in confusion. When he opened the window, he heard footsteps.

He was stunned.

"It was Harry and his group. They spotted me when I arrived." Albert opened the Task Panel, where a "Trust Crisis" mission was displayed as completed.

This quest appeared yesterday when I received a letter from Hagrid. The letter said that Hagrid had become suspicious of me because of the Philosopher's Stone, and I needed to dispel Hagrid's suspicions. The quest only gives 500 experience points and 10 points of Hagrid's favorability.

"You mean Harry?" Hagrid's expression changed, just then there was a knock on the door.

"Don't worry, they just arrived," Albert said calmly.

Hagrid was slightly relieved. When he went to open the door, he saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione all standing outside wearing cloaks.

"Come in!" he said leisurely.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on the faces of all three.

"Albert, you should know him," Hagrid introduced. "These three are Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

"We already know Hagrid," Harry said dryly.

"Alright, Hagrid, I'm off now. I'll come back another day for tea." Albert picked up his cloak, draped it over himself, nodded to Harry and the other two, and then left on his own.

"What's he doing here?"

"Let's discuss some things." Hagrid seemed reluctant to elaborate.

"About Nicolas Flamel?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"This is none of your business. Alright, damn it, forget about Nicolas Flamel," Hagrid said with a sigh. "I hope you came to me not for this. Don't use curiosity as an excuse; it will get you killed."

"What?"

"Curiosity killed the cat," Hagrid said, taking a sip of tea. "I don't want to discuss this anymore."

"I'm sorry, Hagrid." Hermione noticed Hagrid's displeasure and immediately apologized.

"Don't overthink things. Do you think someone can steal what Dumbledore left at the school, or are you planning to take advantage of it?" Hagrid scrutinized the three of them with a discerning eye. "I don't want to talk about other things, but I don't want you to doubt Dumbledore's judgment. That would only insult your intelligence."

Harry had something else to say, but after meeting Hagrid's gaze, he felt a little guilty and quickly shut up. Hermione and Ron both looked a little embarrassed.