After hearing Lin Yue's explanation, Harry stood there in silence for a long time. Hermione and Lin Yue remained locked in an embrace until Harry closed his eyes briefly and spoke again. Only then did they let go.
"I'm going to the Forbidden Corridor on the fourth floor tonight. I'll get the Philosopher's Stone before Professor Quirrell does."
"No! Harry, it's dangerous!" Hermione stared at Harry, clearly disapproving of his plan.
"We can tell a professor, tell Headmaster Dumbledore. They'll deal with this. We shouldn't be taking risks like this when we're only first-year students."
Harry thought it over and realized Hermione was right. He nodded at once.
"All right, I agree. Let's try telling a professor first."
The four of them immediately set off, sprinting across the grass toward Hogwarts Castle.
Hermione pulled Lin Yue along at the back of the group. Meanwhile, Lin Yue's mind raced as she sorted through and analyzed what they knew.
Her meticulous mind quickly connected all the events of the term: the Duel with Malfoy, and how they had eventually fled into the Forbidden Corridor on the fourth floor, where they found the Three-headed Dog and what it was guarding.
The Invisibility Cloak Harry had received at Christmas from an unknown sender, supposedly his father's, and how soon afterward he had happened upon the Mirror of Erised.
The top-secret information Hagrid had revealed to them, like Nicolas Flamel and the Three-headed Dog, Fluffy.
There were so many things, one after another. There was too little information and too little evidence for Lin Yue to work out the truth, but she couldn't shake the feeling that none of it was coincidental. Someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
He was pushing Harry—or rather, pushing all of them—to do something. A coincidence could happen once, even twice, but if everything was a coincidence, then someone was deliberately creating them.
Though the thought had occurred to her, nobody asked, so Lin Yue said nothing. Wearing her usual blank expression, she let Hermione pull her into Hogwarts Castle, where they ran straight into Professor McGonagall.
Seeing the three Gryffindors running into the castle with Lin Yue in tow, Professor McGonagall gave them a fairly warm smile. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Lin Yue, why aren't you relaxing after your exams? The sunshine is lovely today."
"Sorry, Professor McGonagall, but we have something urgent. Could you tell us where Headmaster Dumbledore is?" Harry asked anxiously.
Professor McGonagall clearly paused at the sight of him. "Headmaster Dumbledore has gone to the Ministry of Magic for a meeting."
"At a time like this?!" Harry could hardly believe it. Voldemort might take the Philosopher's Stone at any moment, and Headmaster Dumbledore—the one person Voldemort feared—had gone to a meeting at the Ministry of Magic?
"Headmaster Dumbledore is very busy. He has a great deal to take care of." Professor McGonagall frowned. "Mr. Potter, may I ask what this is about?"
Harry blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "It's a secret."
Hermione took a deep breath, and Ron couldn't help covering his face with one hand. Harry had definitely said the wrong thing!
Only Lin Yue, who had no emotions, thought Harry had told the truth. The Philosopher's Stone was a secret, after all—a top-secret one.
Professor McGonagall's nostrils twitched slightly at Harry's answer. "Very well, Mr. Potter. In that case, you can wait until Headmaster Dumbledore returns tomorrow and then go see him in his office."
Harry's heart gave two hard thumps. He spoke urgently. "Tomorrow might be too late. All right, it's about the Philosopher's Stone. Someone's going to steal it!"
Crash! All the books in Professor McGonagall's arms spilled onto the floor.
She reacted quickly, bending to pick up her books. Then she looked sternly at the four children in front of her.
"I don't know how you learned about the Philosopher's Stone, but it's being closely guarded. You don't need to worry."
"Now," Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head as Harry started to speak again, "go and relax."
With that, Professor McGonagall strode away. Before leaving, she nodded at Hermione, apparently telling her to make sure Lin Yue got some rest.
When Professor McGonagall nodded to her, Hermione guiltily looked away. She knew very well that if they couldn't get a professor's help... they would probably have to handle it themselves.
Sure enough, Harry turned to his three friends and said, "You all go and get some rest. I'll go prepare. Tonight, I'll go through the Trapdoor and get the Philosopher's Stone."
Hermione looked at him as if to say, What stupid thing are you talking about? Ron looked at him as if to say, Are you kidding?
Even Lin Yue stared at him blankly. "Personal analysis: the probability of them agreeing to let you go alone is infinitely close to zero."
Lin Yue said it while looking at Harry. Hermione and Ron nodded along without thinking.
Hermione lifted her chin slightly. "It's understandable that the professor didn't believe us. It's absurd for students to suddenly claim that someone's going to steal the Philosopher's Stone."
"So I was already prepared to go with you tonight and get the Philosopher's Stone."
"Exactly," Ron agreed. "Did you think we'd let you risk your life alone?"
"Wait, you don't have to..." Harry waved his hands anxiously. Didn't they understand? They might have to face Voldemort this time. They could die!
"It doesn't matter." Ron came over and put an arm around Harry's shoulder. "If Voldemort really comes back, none of us will be any better off."
"My family's pro-Muggle, and Hermione's a Muggle-born. So rather than wait for him to get the Philosopher's Stone and come back to life, we should strike first."
Hermione walked behind the two boys with her arm linked through Lin Yue's. "Exactly. Besides, the three of us will have a better chance together."
She had already unconsciously left Lin Yue out of the plan. It was one thing not to be able to take Lin Yue along to relax; she absolutely didn't want to bring her along on something this dangerous.
Harry and Ron clearly felt the same way, so they didn't discuss their plan to get the Philosopher's Stone early in front of Lin Yue again.
If anyone had to make a sacrifice, the three of them would be enough. There was no need to drag someone else into it.
Without any emotional response, Lin Yue let Hermione lead her by the arm to the entrance of Ravenclaw Common Room.
Hermione straightened Lin Yue's collar, then looked up into her eyes.
"Get some rest. We'll be going now."
After saying that, Hermione turned to leave. She had a feeling she couldn't stay any longer. If she did, she might not be able to make herself leave.
Lin Yue watched Hermione and the others go. She knew perfectly well they were going to prepare to enter the Forbidden Corridor on the fourth floor that night and get the Philosopher's Stone.
She also knew perfectly well that Hermione and the others had brought her back because they didn't want her involved.
But without emotions, she didn't understand—or perhaps couldn't comprehend—what it meant to worry about someone. So she couldn't figure out why Hermione and the others hadn't brought her along, when taking her would make them safer and more likely to survive.
Mechanically lowering her head, Lin Yue answered the Bronze knocker's question and entered Ravenclaw Common Room.
Back in her dormitory, she sat down and instinctively reached for a book to continue studying. But she couldn't recall a single thing she'd learned.
Her mind was a complete muddle, and her heart felt as if someone had seized it in a tight grip. She couldn't think at all. She could only sit there, staring blankly.
What was happening to her...? What was this? Why did her heart keep tightening? Why was her mind shuddering and screaming at her?
This had never happened to her before... Wait, it had. When was that?
It seemed like a very long time ago, so long that the memory had grown blurry. She must have been only a few years old, watching two people in full military gear, armed with guns, drag a woman she knew away from next door.
She'd felt the same way then. But why? She'd been... been... what?
Lin Yue's mind kept stuttering, like a computer trying and failing to start up.
She sat motionless in her chair for hours, until Qiuzhang and Marietta had finished dinner, spent a long time playing with their friends, and returned at curfew.
Seeing Lin Yue sitting blankly in her chair, Qiuzhang and Marietta both froze.
Qiuzhang frowned and walked over slowly. Bending down to look, she was surprised to see that Lin Yue's eternally unchanged face had the faintest crease between her brows.
Qiuzhang's heart gave a hard thump at the sight. Lin Yue was frowning?! What could have happened to make her do that?
"Lin Yue, Lin Yue, what's wrong?"
The faint furrow in Lin Yue's brow vanished at once. Her expression returned to its usual blankness. She turned to Qiuzhang and, in a completely toneless voice, asked a question.
"I thought of several people and what they're going to do. My mind is confused, and my heart is beating irregularly. Why?"
Qiuzhang was at a loss for a moment, but Marietta, standing behind her, spoke gently.
"If you were talking about one person, I might say you liked her. But since you're talking about several people, perhaps it means... you know they're going to do something dangerous, and you're worried about them."
"Worried..." Lin Yue raised a hand and gently touched her chest. Inside, her heart was beating wildly. "So this feeling is what being worried is like." Not just a word defined in a book.
"Lin Yue, did something happen?" Qiuzhang crouched down, gently took Lin Yue's hand, and looked at her with concern.
Lin Yue turned to look at Qiuzhang. Her gaze was calm, and her mind immediately pictured what would happen if she told the truth: Qiuzhang Senior Student and Elder Sister Marietta would go with her to the Forbidden Corridor on the fourth floor.
Her heart tightened painfully again, for no reason. Worry. This was worry...
"It's a secret," Lin Yue said honestly, while also making sure Qiuzhang and Marietta wouldn't go with her.
Yes. She was going to the Forbidden Corridor on the fourth floor. Now that she understood what worry was, her mind had immediately made the decision.
Lin Yue jumped to her feet and strode toward the door. "Wait..." Qiuzhang called after her.
Lin Yue turned around and looked at her, her face expressionless. Qiuzhang tried to suppress her own worry and smiled gently.
"You haven't had dinner yet, have you?"
"No." Lin Yue shook her head.
"We'll get some for you. When you come back... it'll be here for you." So make sure you come back!
"All right. Thank you, Senior Student." Lin Yue nodded, opened the door, and strode out.
Marietta went to stand beside Qiuzhang, looking uneasily at the dormitory door. "You're really letting her go alone?"
"With our abilities... we'd probably only get in her way if we went along."
Qiuzhang shook her head. "Come on. Let's go out once more. At least we can make sure she doesn't come back to an empty stomach."
Marietta nodded, sighed, and followed Qiuzhang out, heading straight for Hogwarts Kitchen. Hopefully Lin Yue would be back safe and sound soon. Then she might still get to eat something warm.
When she reached the Forbidden Corridor on the fourth floor, Lin Yue remembered that she was out after curfew and about to break into a forbidden area. She reached for her left thigh, but then thought about what she had to do.
Lin Yue withdrew her hand. She needed to be able to move quickly, she thought without feeling. So she would wait until everything was over before accepting her punishment.
Facing the wooden door blocking her way, Lin Yue raised her wand and cast an unlocking charm. The door swung open at once.
As she stepped inside, all three heads of the Three-headed Dog turned toward her.
Before the Three-headed Dog could start barking, Lin Yue gripped her wand and shouted at it in a flat voice, "Stupefy!"
Bang! The powerful spell sent Fluffy flying, and he crashed heavily to the floor behind him.
But it didn't do much damage to the tough Three-headed Dog. It merely forced him to enjoy a sound, comfortable nap.
Lin Yue opened the Trapdoor in the floor and jumped down without hesitation.
After falling for a while, Lin Yue landed steadily on the Devil's Snare below. She recognized the plant immediately and, expressionless, brandished her wand.
"Fire-Making Spell!"
A fierce fire sprang up beneath the Devil's Snare. The plant frantically recoiled its tendrils, and Lin Yue dropped through. Her mind didn't falter or panic for a moment. She adjusted her position in midair and landed neatly on the floor.
She waved her wand again, and the fire went out. Looking up at the Devil's Snare, she saw that even though she'd deliberately weakened the spell, she had still caused some damage.
The Three-headed Dog, Fluffy, belonged to Hagrid, and the Devil's Snare belonged to Professor Sprout.
Both fell under the category of personal property. Although she'd had no choice but to damage them, she had still broken the rules and damaged their belongings.
That made two more things she'd need to be punished for. Lin Yue firmly committed them to memory, then walked forward without a trace of emotion.
She opened the door and entered the next room. Looking up, she saw a swarm of keys flying beneath the ceiling. Then she looked at the door opposite and the keyhole in it, and immediately understood what the room wanted her to do.
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