Harry's excitement at becoming Gryffindor's Seeker had not yet fully calmed down when an even greater mystery quietly descended. In a corner of the library, Hermione pushed several open, hefty tomes toward Lynn, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Look here, and here!" Her fingertip traced the yellowed parchment pages, her voice lowered. "Secrets of Modern Alchemy, Studies of the Legend of the Philosopher's Stone, and the appendix of this Illustrated Catalogue of Medieval Magical Items... they all mention the same legendary master alchemist! He spent his life pursuing the ability to turn stone into gold and the Elixir of Life, leaving behind countless legends, but the most crucial information—his name—has been deliberately erased from every one of these reliable documents! All that remains is the abbreviation 'N.F.'!"
Lynn's gaze swept over the passages blacked out with ink or torn away. The Star Stone against his chest gave off a faint warmth, tinged with warning. Such widespread, deliberate erasure was anything but ordinary.
"And Hagrid!" Hermione continued, her little face flushed with excitement. "Do you remember what he said? Fluffy was guarding 'the most important thing at Hogwarts'! What could possibly need a three-headed giant dog to guard it? Combined with the lifelong pursuit of that alchemist whose name was erased..."
"The Philosopher's Stone." Lynn calmly completed her deduction. The words seemed to carry magic, making the air around them still for a moment. The ultimate alchemical creation said to turn stone into gold and produce the Elixir of Life.
Hermione nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Only a treasure of that level would require such tight protection! And that 'N.F.' was very likely a former owner of the Philosopher's Stone, or its creator! Was his name erased to protect the Stone's whereabouts? Or because of some other danger?"
The clues were like scattered beads from a broken string. They all pointed in the same direction, yet could not be linked together. Just as the two sank into thought, Harry and Ron came running over, panting, their faces filled with the excitement and nervousness of explorers discovering a new world.
"You'll never guess!" Ron lowered his voice, his eyes wide as saucers. "We were near the Third-Floor Forbidden Corridor just now... and we heard something! It was Snape! He was threatening Professor Quirrell! We heard it perfectly clearly! Snape said, 'Have you made up your mind?' and 'Don't try any tricks!' Professor Quirrell was so scared he could barely get the words out!"
"What does Snape want from Quirrell?" Harry added anxiously. "It has to be connected to the Philosopher's Stone! He wants to force Quirrell to tell him how to get past Fluffy!"
Snape's involvement instantly escalated an already bewildering situation. Hermione's expression turned grave. "Snape... he has always coveted the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but Headmaster Dumbledore gave it to Quirrell. If he really wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone..."
"We have to stop him!" Harry declared firmly, determination burning in his green eyes. "Before Snape gets his hands on it!"
Stop him? Easier said than done. Their opponent was the unfathomable Potions professor, and the thing being guarded was a legendary treasure whose name could barely be spoken. The group of four fell into a brief silence, the atmosphere heavy.
One evening a few days later, Harry found Lynn and Hermione with a mysterious air, cradling a large, tightly wrapped bundle in his arms. "Look at this!" He undid the wrapping, revealing a piece of fabric that shimmered with a silvery-gray sheen like rippling water, cool and silky to the touch—the Invisibility Cloak!
"My dad left this to me!" Harry's voice brimmed with excitement. "It was sent anonymously at Christmas! With it, we can sneak into the Third-Floor Forbidden Corridor! We can find out what Snape is really up to, and maybe even... discover the protections around the Philosopher's Stone!"
A midnight expedition into the forbidden area! The proposal was both dangerous and irresistibly tempting. Ron was eager to try it, while Hermione looked deeply worried, her little face taut. "It's too risky! Breaking school rules is the least of it. If Snape or Fluffy finds us..."
"We only need to investigate. We won't go near Fluffy!" Harry insisted. "With the Invisibility Cloak, we won't be discovered if we're careful! What do you think, Lynn?" He looked at Lynn, who had remained silent.
Lynn's fingers unconsciously stroked the cool shaft of the Pen of Stars. The Star Stone gave off a steady warmth—not a warning, but more like... confirmation. The secret of the Philosopher's Stone, Snape's ambition, and that erased name all pointed toward a vortex that had to be uncovered. Waiting passively carried even greater risks.
"All right." Lynn's voice broke the silence. "But we only investigate. We do not touch anything."
Harry and Ron cheered. Hermione looked into Lynn's calm eyes, and the unease in her heart strangely subsided somewhat. She took a deep breath and nodded. "All right... but we have to plan everything carefully! And..." She looked at Lynn, her eyes holding a trace of reliance she had not noticed herself. "We... go together."
As midnight drew near, the castle sank into sleeping silence. The only sounds in the corridors were the occasional crackles from the torches on the walls. The footsteps of Filch and his skeletal cat, Mrs. Norris, drifted in and out from the distance.
Four figures squeezed beneath the Invisibility Cloak, their movements becoming clumsy and slow. Harry led the way, Ron followed close behind, Lynn took the rear, and Hermione was wedged in the middle. The cloak had limited space, and the four were pressed tightly together, clearly able to feel one another's warmth and breathing.
Hermione was especially nervous. She stood close against Lynn, her back nearly pressed to his chest. Lynn's steady heartbeat and the clean scent clinging to him, like a forest after rain—mingled with the Star Stone's faint starlit aura—reached her through the fabric, becoming the only anchor in the darkness and calming her racing heart slightly. She could feel one of Lynn's hands hovering protectively by her waist. Even through the Invisibility Cloak, that protective gesture gave her inexplicable peace of mind. The Moon White Stone against her chest gave off a gentle warmth.
They carefully avoided the patrolling suits of armor, which had been enchanted to report unusual disturbances, detoured around the portraits that loved to tattle by covering their eyes with cloth, and held their breath as Mrs. Norris elegantly sauntered past along the adjacent corridor. Every step was like walking on thin ice.
At last, they reached the end of the strictly forbidden third-floor corridor. A heavy oak door stood shut, and a faint light leaked through the door crack. From inside came the indistinct sound of... heavy, wet breathing? And it came from more than one source!
Harry took a deep breath and signaled for everyone to stop. He slowly, silently pushed the door open by the narrowest crack.
The sight inside made all four beneath the Invisibility Cloak hold their breath at once!
The room was large and empty. Its only "furniture" was the enormous beast in the middle, like a small mountain! It had three gigantic, ferocious dog heads dripping with thick saliva! Six blood-red eyes glimmered in the darkness like burning coals, flashing with savage light! Its huge body was covered in tangled black fur, and its thick claws were like stone pedestals. At the moment, it seemed drowsy, its three heads hanging low as thunderous snores and wet breaths rumbled from its throats. Between its massive, pillar-like hind legs lay a square opening in the floor, covered by a heavy trapdoor!
The trapdoor! The entrance to the Philosopher's Stone really was here!
Just as the four were stunned by Fluffy's enormity and ferocity, something suddenly changed!
Fluffy's middle head seemed to catch an unfamiliar scent—perhaps a magical fluctuation from the Invisibility Cloak, perhaps the scent of the four of them—and jerked up! Its blood-red eyes instantly locked onto the crack in the doorway! A low, threatening growl rumbled in its throat! The other two heads immediately snapped awake as well, all six eyes sweeping the doorway like searchlights! A foul stench rushed toward them!
"Oh no!" Hermione's heart leaped into her throat! Ron nearly cried out, but Harry clamped a hand tightly over his mouth.
Fluffy's enormous body began to turn toward the door, its heavy claws scraping against the floor with a sound that made their teeth ache! Three gaping maws opened, revealing dagger-like fangs. Low growls echoed through the room as it prepared to pounce!
At that critical instant!
Lynn moved! His left hand, hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, shot out like lightning. Instead of reaching for his wand, he tightly grasped Hermione's cold, faintly trembling hand in front of him! Their fingers interlocked!
The instant the Star Stone and Moon White Stone made contact, they both erupted with intense warmth that only the two of them could clearly feel! An invisible energy field, gentle yet powerful, spread outward from them in an instant, like ripples spreading across a lake after a stone had been cast into it!
This energy field was not an attack. It was more like an extraordinarily subtle form of soothing and concealment. It cleverly imitated the peaceful presence of their surroundings while carrying a natural serenity born of starlight and moonlight.
Fluffy, about to explode into action, suddenly froze! The savage gleam in its six blood-red eyes was replaced by confusion and uncertainty. Its enormous noses twitched hard, as though trying to distinguish the fleeting scent of a threat, but the gentle, tranquil energy field disrupted them. Fluffy let out several confused, sneeze-like snorts, turned restlessly in place twice, and finally, soothed by the continued spread of that peaceful force, its three heads slowly drooped again. Its heavy eyelids began to sag, and thunderous snores soon resumed.
The crisis was over!
Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, the four of them let out their breaths as though all strength had drained from them, cold sweat nearly soaking through their inner clothes. Hermione's hand was still tightly clasped in Lynn's. She could clearly feel the warmth of his palm, the unquestionable strength in his grip, and the trembling relief after danger passed, transmitted in unison by the Star Stone and Moon White Stone. She even forgot to be embarrassed, instinctively gripping his hand more tightly, as if it were her only support.
Harry carefully closed the door crack. Like startled rabbits, the four fled the forbidden corridor with their quickest, lightest movements. Only after they had raced back to the safe area behind the Fat Lady's portrait in Gryffindor Tower and pulled off the Invisibility Cloak did they dare to gasp for breath.
"Merlin's beard! That scared me to death!" Ron collapsed onto the common room carpet, his face deathly pale.
"That monster... was terrifying..." Harry said, still shaken, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
Hermione leaned against the cold stone wall, her chest rising and falling sharply, her little face still pale. She looked at Lynn with a complicated expression filled with lingering fear, gratitude, and an indescribable flutter. At that life-or-death moment, he had tightly held her hand. He had drawn forth that strange power... and calmed the giant beast's rage.
"Thank you, Lynn." Hermione's voice trembled slightly. Her gaze fell on the hands they had clasped so tightly moments ago, now separated, her fingertips seeming to retain his warmth.
Lynn merely gave a slight nod. His breathing was somewhat hurried as well, and the Star Stone's warmth had not fully calmed. Forcibly drawing on the resonance of the two stones to create such a wide-ranging calming field had taken a great deal out of him.
"We found the entrance! The trapdoor!" Harry brightened, temporarily pushing down his fear. "It's right beneath Fluffy's feet! But... how do we get past him?" The thought of those three ferocious dog heads instantly doused his enthusiasm.
"Music!" Hermione suddenly remembered, her eyes lighting up. "Hagrid told us! Fluffy has a fatal weakness—he falls asleep whenever he hears music! Last time, Hagrid used a broken accordion to put him to sleep! We only need to play music before going in!"
That crucial piece of information was like a dawn light in the darkness!
"Great!" Ron jumped up. "I have a Muggle recorder! Fred and George modified it, and it's loud enough! We can record something!"
Their plan seemed to have found a breakthrough. But beneath the excitement, an even larger question surfaced.
"But..." Harry frowned. "What's under the trapdoor? How would Snape, or anyone else trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone, get past Fluffy? Would they bring an instrument too?"
Hermione and Lynn exchanged a look. The question struck at the heart of the matter—the protections around the Philosopher's Stone could not possibly consist of Fluffy alone. Beneath the trapdoor, there had to be more complex and dangerous trials, arranged personally by the Hogwarts professors. And whoever coveted the treasure had clearly already learned some crucial information.
The danger of their midnight expedition had temporarily come to an end, but the undercurrents surrounding the Philosopher's Stone had only just begun to stir. Lynn looked out at the deep night beyond the tower window. The Star Stone rested steadily against his chest, giving off a warm glow as though silently answering the coming storm. And the gaze of the girl beside him, filled with reliance and trust, became the clearest guide through this fog.
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