A Certain Scientific Harry Potter 41

"Nicolas Flamel... are you investigating the Sorcerer's Stone?" Harry's expression turned stern upon hearing this!

"Hmph! I knew it, you must know about this too~" Hermione feigned anger and glared at Harry.

She didn't blame Harry for keeping it from her this time, because in her view, the fact that Harry was willing to mention the Sorcerer's Stone meant he had already intended to tell her.

It was just that she had beaten him to it this time, hehe~

"Wait... where did you get this information?" However, while Hermione was secretly feeling smug, Harry gradually furrowed his brows.

According to his current deductions, apart from Dumbledore, all the professors at Hogwarts, including Hagrid, should not know that what was being hidden was the Sorcerer's Stone!

So... where did Hermione find the clues?

"I overheard it~" Hermione giggled like a little beaver that had stolen a pinecone. "On Christmas Eve, I accidentally overheard Snape threatening Quirrell. During the conversation, he mentioned the name Nicolas Flamel, so I decided I had to investigate thoroughly after returning to school. Look here~"

Hermione pointed to the text on the page, which recorded content related to the Sorcerer's Stone.

'The Sorcerer's Stone is a product created using ancient alchemy. It has the amazing power to turn metal into pure gold. It can also create the Elixir of Life, which makes the person who drinks it immortal.'

'The only remaining Sorcerer's Stone belongs to the famous alchemist and opera lover, Nicolas Flamel. He celebrated his 665th birthday last year and is currently living in seclusion in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (658 years old).'

The records in the book were quite detailed, but the only thing Harry truly cared about was one item: the Sorcerer's Stone was a product created using ancient alchemy!

The Space Ring that Scamander had given him was also crafted using alchemy, so... could there be a connection between the two?

"In short, I've completely figured it out now!" Hermione smiled triumphantly. "The thing Hagrid brought back from Gringotts is the Sorcerer's Stone, and this stone is currently being kept in a secret room under the trapdoor on the fourth floor, guarded by that Three-headed Dog."

"Furthermore, through my tailing of Quirrell and Snape during this time, I also know that... other professors in the school are involved in setting up the traps, working together to guard the Sorcerer's Stone!"

Brilliant~

The proud young scholar held her head high like a swan, while Harry, standing to the side, offered his applause in genuine admiration.

Hermione's brain was truly something else; the clarity of her logical thinking could even rival those maddening computers in games~

He was able to know these things because of his foresight regarding the plot, but Hermione had deduced it bit by bit entirely from fragmented information!

So, what exactly was the Sorting Hat thinking back then to sort such a smart girl into Gryffindor?

Was it trying to meet its annual KPI?

"However, I still have some questions... Why would Snape argue with Quirrell about the Sorcerer's Stone? Also, who exactly is targeting this stone?!"

The current Snape did not have a terrible relationship with Harry like in the original work, so Hermione did not rashly assume that he was the first boss trying to seize the Sorcerer's Stone.

"He probably just wanted to confirm the status of the Sorcerer's Stone. As for Quirrell... he really isn't just a weak, stuttering man."

When Harry gave Snape an injection that day, the man clearly hesitated regarding the existence of the Sorcerer's Stone. It was evident that Snape, like the other professors, was involved in setting up the traps but didn't know what he was guarding.

And the reason he was questioning Quirrell about the Sorcerer's Stone now might be because he had become suspicious of what everyone was protecting.

Of course, another possibility was actually more likely: someone had assigned him to contact Quirrell!

On Halloween, Snape was bitten by the Three-headed Dog. Harry roughly recalled a bit of the plot... In the original book, Quirrell said Snape was rushing to the fourth floor to stop him.

So... Snape was clearly going to stop Quirrell, yet he ended up getting bitten himself; this logic simply didn't hold up!

But if someone had instructed him to do so, if the so-called 'stopping' was actually 'feigned collusion,' everything would naturally fall into place.

It was obvious that some people knew from the very beginning that Quirrell was the true villain.

I'll manually tag the scheming Headmaster here~

By now, Harry could be absolutely certain that the Sorcerer's Stone was not in Hogwarts at all!

The reason Dumbledore sent Hagrid to Gringotts, and subsequently made a big show of finding a bunch of professors to set up traps, was to set a trap to fish, letting that blockhead Quirrell-Voldemort walk blindly into the snare~

Just imagine, Quirrell excitedly rushing ahead of Hagrid, successfully invading the vault, only to find that there was no Sorcerer's Stone inside, but rather a fake that would immediately make him think of Dumbledore. What kind of expression would he have?

In his panic, this guy would definitely subconsciously assume that the Sorcerer's Stone had already been taken away by Dumbledore, and thus he could only leave the scene as it was and rush back to school to search.

His abnormal behavior of going back and forth during the holiday was enough for Dumbledore to lock onto his identity as a mole.

After that, Dumbledore gathered a group of faculty members to busily set up traps. Seeing this, Quirrell would naturally be absolutely convinced that the Sorcerer's Stone must be inside Hogwarts, and of course, he would continue to jump around trying to crack the traps!

However, only Dumbledore himself might know where the real Sorcerer's Stone was.

But he used such a non-existent stone to successfully lure Quirrell into the trap.

His ultimate goal in doing this was, naturally, to allow Harry, the Boy Who Lived, to encounter Quirrell...

And then face Voldemort head-on!

(p.s. Actually, if you look back at the original work, whether this Sorcerer's Stone thing existed or not didn't really make much of a difference. Voldemort made a huge fuss trying to grab it for ages, only to end up with nothing; the protagonist suffered and worked hard to protect it for ages, only for the thing to be destroyed in the end... Poor Mr. and Mrs. Flamel, they were written out after just being mentioned, that's all~)

Chapter 77: The Librarian is Also on My Side (10/10)

"In short, Snape wants to protect the Sorcerer's Stone, and Quirrell is the one with the problem, right~"

After discussing it with Harry for a while, Hermione's previous two questions were finally resolved.

But immediately after, a clear look of unwillingness to lose appeared on her face.

"I still can't figure out where I lost!" Hermione pouted indignantly. "I didn't see you investigating this much, and you even spent a long time in the Room of Requirement. Why did you know Quirrell had a problem before I did?"

For the competitive Hermione, investigating the Sorcerer's Stone was a long-awaited competition between her and Harry before the final exams. Even if she lost, she had to lose with a clear understanding!

"Because Quirrell is just a pawn; there is someone else who truly wants to seize the Sorcerer's Stone!" Harry silently covered the scar on his forehead. "You know, this place has been hurting a lot lately..."

"This... could it be?!" Hermione was stunned for a moment, then instantly became incredibly flustered. "No! We must tell the professors about this immediately, and Headmaster Dumbledore! That Vol..."

"Hermione, calm down first!!" Harry hurriedly grabbed the little witch's restless hands.

Her hands were ice-cold, clearly showing she was nervous and worried to the extreme.

"This matter is far too serious; if it leaks, it could even cause panic throughout the entire wizarding world! Besides, do you remember what happened with Dobby?" Harry looked earnestly into Hermione's eyes. "Until we have concrete evidence, the Headmaster and the professors won't believe us. Therefore, we can only stay put for now and try our best to gather more evidence... Uh, why are you looking at me like that?"

While patiently comforting her, Harry suddenly noticed that Hermione was looking at him with a strange expression.

"I thought... you would refuse to say anything like you did before and try to shut me out again." Hermione's nostrils wrinkled inadvertently. "At least you still have a bit of a conscience this time~"

"Of course I didn't want you involved, but... I knew you wouldn't listen to me anyway." Harry shook his head with a bitter smile, his gaze gradually becoming firm. "And now I feel that you are only truly safe when you are with me!!"

The current situation was already very clear; Quirrell would certainly fall into the trap because of the non-existent Sorcerer's Stone, and in Dumbledore's script, a battle between himself and Voldemort was inevitable!

Hermione had accompanied him to the very end in the original story, and now that they were a family, she would be even less likely to allow him to take risks alone. Therefore, it was better to tell her who the real enemy was in advance so she could prepare early.

As for not letting Hermione go to the other professors, it was because even if they did, it would be useless.

Dumbledore would certainly place restrictions on the professors, so in the end, it was likely that only Snape would step up to help.

But if that happened, his secret efforts to win over Snape would be discovered by Dumbledore, which would only complicate things.

In short, since the situation could not be changed, it was better to go with the flow and, while ensuring the safety of himself and Hermione, maximize the gains and accumulate strength during this "test" of a confrontation!

"Harry... we can get through this crisis, right? Both of us... we'll be fine, right?" Still looking worried, Hermione leaned her head on Harry's shoulder and whispered his name.

"Yes, we will! We will definitely be fine! Not just this time, but in the future as well!!"

Holding the girl's hand tightly, Harry's tone was more resolute than it had ever been before!!

Ever since their heart-to-heart talk, Harry and Hermione's lives had returned to a normal routine on the surface, moving between the classroom, the Great Hall, the library, and the dormitory every day.

But in reality, they had secretly transformed the Room of Requirement into a training ground and started working on improving their strength in a targeted manner.

Harry had mentioned to Snape, whether intentionally or not, that his scar hurt so much it affected his potion brewing, and so, after Snape scowled and spat out a "None of my business"...

He started secretly giving Harry extra lessons.

Spells like Expelliarmus, Stupefy, Diffindo, and Levicorpus, along with all sorts of messy potion recipes and materials—regardless of whether Harry could master them or not, he dumped them all on him.

Well, Snape's actions were always more honest than his words~

Time flew by, the spring semester and the Easter holidays passed quickly, and the students at Hogwarts entered the final exam term, keeping Harry and Hermione busy accordingly.

Then, one afternoon in the library, they encountered Hagrid, who had no business being there.

"Hagrid, are you here to borrow books too? What are you borrowing?"

Harry was just asking out of curiosity, but to his surprise, Hagrid started stammering strangely.

"N-nothing! Hey, just some light reading, that's all. I have other things to do, so I'll be going now~"

With that, Hagrid hurried away in a panic.

"What exactly is he afraid of?" Hermione looked at Hagrid's retreating back, puzzled. "We weren't going to ask him how to get past the three-headed dog."

"For things like this, you just have to ask~"

Harry smiled mysteriously and led Hermione into the office of Madam Pince.

"You're asking about Hagrid? Hmm... in principle, I wouldn't disclose this, but I'll make an exception this time. See the records yourself; Hagrid checked out several books, all related to dragons."

The librarian of Hogwarts, Madam Pince, was definitely a strict and rule-abiding witch.

She was a thin, elderly woman with a terrible temper who was always yelling at students, so much so that in Hermione's eyes, she often looked like a malnourished, mean-spirited vulture.

However, Hermione noticed today that Madam Pince's attitude toward Harry was quite friendly; not only was she pleasant, but she even allowed Harry to browse the library's borrowing records at will!

"So that's how it is. Thank you so much, Madam Pince!" Harry smiled and handed back the records. "By the way, you look even more beautiful lately~"

"What nonsense are you spouting, you brat! Get lost once you're done, don't hold up my work~"

"You got it!"

Hermione: w(?Д?)w

Watching the harmonious interaction between Harry and Madam Pince, Hermione began to doubt reality.

"No... what is going on here?" Hermione asked with a dazed expression. "Why is your relationship with Madam Pince so good?"

"Hehe, you don't understand~" Harry winked at Hermione with a grin. "My relationship with Madam Pince isn't exactly great, but my roommate happens to be close to her, so she's willing to take special care of me."

"Roommate... you mean Mr. Filch?"

The sudden piece of gossip nearly made Hermione bite her tongue~

(p.s. As for the relationship between Filch and Madam Pince... go watch The Half-Blood Prince. Also, here are the ten chapters for the second day, thank you all for your support. Starting tomorrow, I will return to two chapters a day. Unless there's a problem, I won't miss or break the update schedule. Please witness the character of Sanmiao since coming to this site, that is all~)

Chapter 78: The Dragon Egg Was Deliberately Pushed to Hagrid

For Hermione, Argus Filch and Irma Pince, two people who had absolutely nothing to do with each other, simply...

Uh, well, they actually did have a little common ground.

After all, both of them were thin, both hated students, and both were caretakers.

So... could they be having an affair in private?

"Of course there's something going on!" Harry said, looking at her as if she were making a fuss over nothing. "Otherwise, who do you think Mr. Filch is showing off for every day by wearing that new trench coat I gave him?"

Many principles of interpersonal communication are actually universal across both Eastern and Western societies.

The notions circulating on the internet in the Great Celestial Empire during his past life—such as "the West isn't a society based on human relationships" or "Westerners follow rules, so knowing someone doesn't make things much easier"—were, in large part, rather one-sided.

Only after truly transmigrating to England did Harry realize that Western society also requires the cultivation of interpersonal networks, and it also holds true that "the more friends you have, the easier the path."

As for the idea that knowing someone doesn't make things much easier, that is indeed the norm, but there are times when it's simply because you and your so-called acquaintance aren't close enough yet.

"Hmph... so you're saying you established a connection with Madam Pince a long time ago, aren't you?" Suddenly, Hermione's tone and expression darkened inexplicably.

"That's right~" Harry, still unaware that a catastrophe was about to befall him, continued to show off in a death-defying manner.

"So... you also knew from the very beginning that as long as I told Madam Pince I was looking for clues about Nicolas Flamel, she would take the initiative to find the books for me?!"

"Uh, y-yes, that's right~" Harry gradually sensed that something was wrong, and beads of cold sweat uncontrollably began to seep from his temples.

"And you, you scoundrel of a brother, didn't even tell me?! You made me search for information in the library until I felt like vomiting!!"

By this time, the Little Lion had already exploded in fury, pouncing on Harry with claws and fangs, shouting and swinging at him.

"Raising a dragon... what do you think Hagrid wants with those books?" After playing around for a while, Hermione straightened her clothes and asked, utterly baffled.