"Sorry, Hagrid. I was just curious."
Harry sincerely apologized afterward. He felt that what he'd done had been a bit much for Hagrid. After all, he was still a good kid, unlike Ezio, who wouldn't have felt the slightest bit of guilt doing something like that—though Ezio wouldn't have used such a clumsy method in the first place.
"You, Harry... Honestly..." Hagrid sighed. "Your dad used to be just as mischievous. It took nearly half my life to drive those troublemakers out of the Forbidden Forest. I spent the other half dealing with the Weasley Twins."
Exhausted, Hagrid didn't want to say another word. He just waved them off, urging them to hurry back to the castle.
After promising that they'd come help him look after Norbert whenever they had time, Harry sheepishly slipped away. On the way back, he excitedly told Ezio what he'd just learned.
"The thing Fluffy's guarding is connected to Nicolas Flamel, and the package Hagrid took out back then was tiny, almost as if—"
Harry's mind raced, and then he arrived at a bold conclusion. "Could it be the Philosopher's Stone? The moment Nicolas Flamel came up, that was the first thing I thought of. And only something as precious as the Philosopher's Stone would make Professor Dumbledore put those kinds of protections in place!"
"But why?" Harry asked himself. "Why would Nicolas Flamel give the Philosopher's Stone to Dumbledore? Could Professor Dumbledore be in poor health and need it to make the Elixir of Life? That doesn't make sense."
"What if Dumbledore doesn't need it himself?" Ezio prompted.
"Dumbledore doesn't need it?" Harry frowned. "Then why bring something so valuable to Hogwarts...? Unless he's using the Philosopher's Stone as bait?"
Ezio said nothing. He felt that the effort he'd spent guiding and teaching Harry