The More You Think About It, the More Terrifying It Becomes

Soon after, Harry finally awoke from his coma and learned the truth from Dumbledore. Afterwards, he didn't forget to share the thrilling story with his two friends.

Harry also learned some of what happened afterward from Hermione and Ron.

As the two hurriedly left the dungeon to send a letter to Dumbledore reporting on the situation, they encountered Dumbledore, who had just returned from the Ministry of Magic, outside the Fourth Floor Forbidden Area Corridor.

Actually, Hermione and Ron were both too hasty.

How could it possibly be possible to send a letter to the principal in time?

By the time Dumbledore receives the letter and rushes back to Hogwarts School, it will be several hours later. By then, let alone stopping Quirrell, Harry Potter's body will probably be cold by then.

Fortunately, Dumbledore returned "ahead of schedule," otherwise it would have been too late.

Hermione lowered her voice and said to the two of them, "I think Dumbledore did this on your behalf."

"You mean he gave the Invisibility Cloak to Harry, deliberately leading Harry to do that?" Ron was shocked and couldn't understand why Dumbledore would do such a thing.

"If that's really the case—it's terrible—I mean you could very well be killed." Hermione's tone was tinged with unease.

After this experience, Hermione realized that Albert was right. The Philosopher's Stone was indeed very safe, having been under Dumbledore's strictest protection from the very beginning. Otherwise, how could the headmaster have appeared at such a convenient time? There are no such coincidences in the world.

Quirrell had no chance of stealing the Philosopher's Stone.

"I think Dumbledore probably wants to give me a chance," Harry said, frowning. "He knows more or less about what's going on, and may even know what we're planning to do, but instead of stopping us, he's secretly taught us a lot of useful things."

"Why did the headmaster do that?" Hermione pondered for a moment before arriving at an immature answer: the headmaster might be training Harry; if Voldemort were still alive, then...

If Hermione hadn't spent some time with Albert, she might not have noticed these issues, but upon reflection, many things became clear.

Some of the things Harry did were very likely guided by Dumbledore.

It was no coincidence that they were sent to the Forbidden Forest to help Hagrid find his injured unicorn while they were in solitary confinement.

Hermione had checked the school records and found that Hogwarts School in solitary confinement, but the professors would never joke about a student's life.

"Actually..." Ron hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I think Albert probably knows most of the things as well."

"Albert?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Why do you say that?"

"Don't forget, it was he who told us about Nicolas Flamel's connection to the Philosopher's Stone."

Ron picked up the candy piled on the table, handed it to Harry and Hermione, and then tore open a chocolate wrapper for himself, took a bite, and said, "You don't know, George let it slip. He said they've already gone to try out the magical challenges set by the professors."

Harry stared in shock, mouth agape, at a loss for words.

"You didn't even tell me," Hermione said, glaring at Ron angrily.

"Actually, I only found out today." Ron scratched his head and explained, "Fluffy is gone, and many students are trying to go through the Trapdoor to risk going down there."

"Many people?"

"Many people," Ron said seriously, "But the vast majority of students were blocked by Professor McGonagall's Giant Chessboard Array. I heard that a few students who tried to force their way through were injured as a result."

Ron was a little smug as he said this.

"Then what?"

"I saw that Fred and George didn't go on the adventure with the others. I know them better than you do. In the past, they wouldn't have given up such an opportunity." Ron's expression was complicated. "Guess what they said."

"How so?" Hermione asked.

"He said we've already made it through," Ron reminded him. "That dog only disappeared today, and don't forget, Albert knows how to get through Fluffy. I'm not surprised they made it through those checkpoints."

Hermione agreed with Ron; she didn't believe that the magical traps she could overcome could stop Albert, this genius.

Hermione even suspected that Albert had already guessed Quirrell was the thief, and his assessment of Snape was always. "He certainly doesn't look like a good person."

Harry fell silent. He had actually asked Dumbledore about it before, and the headmaster only said that Albert knew Nicolas Flamel and that they kept in touch through letters.

"By the way Harry, you missed the last Quidditch Match."

Ron's words sent a shiver down Harry's spine. He knew he was the team's only Seeker, and if they lost him...

Harry was just thinking that when Ron's words stunned him again.

"However, we still won the Quidditch Cup. Albert replaced you and successfully caught the Golden Snitch."

"That's really great." A smile appeared on Harry's stiff face. He knew that Wood had always wanted to lead Gryffindor to win the championship. Hearing that Albert had done it for him, Harry couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He would feel guilty if Gryffindor missed the chance to win the trophy because of him.

"Of course, Slytherin still came in first place. You know, because of that incident, we're completely out of the running for the House Cup," Ron said with a hint of regret.

"Don't worry," Hermione suddenly said. "I heard from Albert that this year's House Cup belongs to Gryffindor."

"Do you believe we can win the House Cup?"

"Yes, I believe Albert."

In the past, Hermione wouldn't have believed such nonsense, but if the speaker has Prophecy abilities, why not give it a try?

Anyway, I won't lose out.

In the brief time she spent talking with Albert, Hermione saw so much incredible in that genius.

Over the next few days, Harry remained in bed recovering, Hagrid brought him a photo album filled with pictures of Harry's family, tearfully apologizing to him.

Harry was happy with the photo album, even though it didn't contain any pictures of his family.

With Madam Pomfrey's permission, Harry was finally discharged from the hospital to attend the End-of-Year Feast. He also witnessed a dramatic scene: Slytherin, which was initially in the lead, was reduced to second place by Dumbledore's manipulation of points, while Gryffindor, which was at the bottom, inexplicably turned the tables and won the House Cup.

As for Harry, the savior who defeated Quirrell and saved the Philosopher's Stone, he also became a hero of Gryffindor, and those unpleasant past events were quickly forgotten.

At that moment, in the High Table, Snape was shaking hands with Professor McGonagall. Everyone was surprised to find that the Potions Professor's expression was so interesting that they wished they could take a picture of it.

The End-of-Year Feast ended amidst laughter, a perfect ending at least for the Gryffindor students.