An Unexpected Outcome

These past few days, even though nothing has happened, many people are still unable to calm down.

Ever since Albert spoiled the whole thing, Hagrid has been thinking about the dragon egg. Can he really get his hands on the dragon egg that Albert mentioned?

Hagrid wasn't entirely sure how expensive dragon eggs were, but as someone who loved dragons, he knew that getting one would cost a fortune.

Raising a dragon has always been Hagrid's wish. The thought that his wish might soon come true makes him inexplicably anxious, and he often paces back and forth in his Wooden House, grinning foolishly.

However, Hagrid was unaware that he himself had become the source of others' entanglement.

Not long ago, Quirrell, who had successfully obtained the dragon egg, was also very annoyed because Hagrid showed no signs of leaving Hogwarts.

This was not good news for Quirrell, whose health was deteriorating.

His body really couldn't hold on much longer.

Aside from the first time he was possessed by Voldemort, Quirrell had never sensed death so strongly, and the joy he had originally felt from obtaining the dragon egg had completely vanished.

He's really dying!

However, Quirrell did not go completely insane despite being on the verge of death, perhaps because he knew he still had a way out, a way out Voldemort had left for him.

Hunting unicorns and sucking their blood to prolong his life will be Quirrell's last resort.

At this moment, the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor was still secretly monitoring Hagrid, waiting for him to leave Hogwarts and for an opportunity to arise.

Compared to the previous two, Hermione, who was completely outmaneuvered by Albert's antics, didn't lose her temper. Instead, she increasingly felt that Albert was surrounded by a mysterious aura.

Perhaps he's just putting on airs.

Perhaps, he is like a treasure waiting to be discovered.

Hermione never told Harry or Ron about these things; she kept their agreement and silently kept Albert's secret.

Whether Hermione was distracted during the knockout stage or simply had bad luck, she encountered Truman, her strongest opponent so far, and was crushed 2-0, thus ending her run in the quarterfinals.

Ron was still disappointed by Hermione's elimination. He had thought Hermione would fight her way through to win the final Wizard Card Competition and get her hands on the Ten Galleon, but...

I always felt that Ron was even more disappointed by the loss than Hermione.

Harry didn't care at all about the Wizard Card Competition. Winning or losing was completely unimportant to him, and the ten Galleon reward was even less important, since he wasn't short of money.

Harry has also been feeling very irritable lately.

Professor Quirrell was growing paler and thinner. Harry was worried that the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor would succumb to the pressure and give in to Snape, revealing how to bypass the mechanism protecting the Philosopher's Stone.

"Harry," Hermione said after a moment's Harry, "I think your worries are unnecessary."

"Required?" Harry's face showed shock and confusion.

"Do you know something?" Ron asked in a low voice after glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"Are we really the only ones who know someone wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Hermione asked in a low voice. "I mean, do the professors involved in Protect the Philosopher's Stone, even Dumbledore, really know someone wants to steal Philosopher's Stone?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, neither speaking, and listened quietly as Hermione continued.

"Impossible, right!" Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "After all, it was almost stolen from Gringotts. And I think there must be a reason why that stone is here. I don't believe Dumbledore has gone senile."

"Dumbledore?" Ron asked abruptly.

"Probably... over a hundred years old!" Hermione replied uncertainly.

"Even you have to admit that the headmaster is getting old," Harry stated explicitly.

"Perhaps Dumbledore is indeed getting old, but he won't make a mistake, and..." Hermione shook her head and said, "Albert also believes that the headmaster had other intentions in leaving the Philosopher's Stone at the school."

"He told you?" Harry glanced toward the Gryffindor table, where Albert was presiding over the final match.

"Well, he thinks there's a reason the rock was in the school," Hermione hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "And I think he probably knows how to subdue Fluffy."

"You're saying Albert might know how to subdue Fluffy?" Harry looked at Hermione in shock and said urgently, "But... Hagrid shouldn't tell anyone other than Dumbledore."

"Albert and Hagrid have a good relationship, and he seems to know a lot about Hagrid keeping Fluffy." Hermione noticed the shock and confusion on Harry and Ron's faces and whispered a reminder: "It is said that Albert is also good at Prophecy. If he really knows how to Crystal Ball Divination, it's not surprising that he knows how to subdue Fluffy."

"If, I mean if Anderson wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone's Stone!" A very absurd idea suddenly popped into Harry's head.

"He wouldn't do that?" Hermione shook her head, denying Harry's words.

"I was just saying if." Harry didn't dwell on it further; he knew Hermione had a bit of a crush on Albert.

Ron also turned his head to look at the place where the final was taking place, his lips trembling slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

This year's Wizard Card Competition is coming to an end.

Among the students vying for the championship in the final match, there was no Shanna, but rather Ravenclaw's genius Isobel and Hufflepuff's Prefect Truman.

Unlucky Shanna faced Isobel in the semifinals and was eliminated 2-1.

Although the final championship was supposed to be a best-of-five series, the two only played three games. Truman lost all three games and suffered a crushing defeat, to the point that he began to question his existence.

"I knew it would turn out this way," Katrina said expressionlessly. It would be a lie to say she wasn't envious, but since it was her sister who had won, she was still happy for her.

Isobel's victory was entirely within Katrina's expectations, just as it always has been.

Isobel is always the winner, no matter what, as long as he wants to be.

"Some people say you've played Wizard Card so many times you can count them on two hands. Is that true?" Lee Jordan asked, stepping forward with Mike as Albert handed the championship prize to Isobel.

"No, that's not true. I play Wizard Card occasionally, Albert can vouch for me." Isobel gave Albert a charming smile. "He taught me how to play Wizard Card. I remember him saying that Wizard Card would definitely be a hit in the entire Wizarding World, and how could a student not know how to play Wizard Card Wizard Card? I was able to win more because I learned about the game from Albert when I played with him."

Of course, they had no idea that Isobel's words were pure nonsense, meant to avoid being too offensive.

"Looks like you didn't lose unjustly," Diggory said, patting Truman on the shoulder in a consolation.

Truman looked at his runner-up prize, stuffed the bag of candy he'd bought from Honeydukes into his pocket, and went to help Fred and George distribute Butterbeer to everyone.

Albert found several senior students who knew how to use the Replenishing Charm and had them take turns casting spells on the Oak Barrel to provide everyone with a continuous supply of Butterbeer.

This year's Wizard Card Competition concluded successfully amidst laughter and clinking glasses.

Outside the hall, Professor Quirrell watched the students inside drinking and celebrating the successful conclusion of the Wizard Card Competition, and felt a strange sense of unease.

"Quirinus, perhaps we should have a talk." Snape appeared unexpectedly beside Quirrell, staring blankly at the scene in the hall, and said calmly.

"Okay—alright!"

Harry happened to see Quirrell and Snape leaving, and the savior secretly tried to follow them to eavesdrop, but as expected, he was discovered by Snape.