"What's wrong? Neville, what happened?" Silan asked.
Neville ran all the way to their side before he dared to breathe a sigh of relief, "It's Professor Snape..."
"I ran into him when I went downstairs just now," Neville said, panting. "He looked really unhappy."
"Snape" is now considered a sensitive word for Harry.
Upon hearing Neville's words, Harry immediately asked, "Where did you see him?"
"On the fourth floor, he went into the corridor. Headmaster Dumbledore said it was a forbidden area."
"Oh no!" Harry exclaimed. "He must have gone to get the Philosopher's Stone!"
"What should I do?" Ron was both frustrated and anxious. He scratched his head vigorously, but he just couldn't come up with a good solution.
Harry's face was pale, but his eyes shone brightly. "Let's sneak through the Trapdoor now and try to get the Philosopher's Stone before Snape!"
"Is it too late now?" Ron asked.
"You're insane!" Hermione exclaimed. "Professor McGonagall will expel us."
Harry, somewhat annoyed, shouted, "Don't you understand? If Snape gets his hands on the Philosopher's Stone, Voldemort will return!"
At that moment, Harry's heart was filled with the frustration of not being understood, the helplessness of Dumbledore not being at school, and the fear buried deep in his heart.
How could he not be afraid?
Voldemort killed his parents, destroyed his family, created his tragic childhood, and left him with a scar that could never be removed...
He had too many reasons to be afraid.
Even Harry hesitated when faced with the questioning gaze of his best friend.
Harry noticed that only Silan was looking at him intently.
"Silan, what do you think?" Harry looked at Silan as if he had grasped at a straw.
He now desperately needs the support and advice of this reliable friend.
"There's nothing to be afraid of. Do what you want. I support you."
Noticing Harry's hesitation, Silan encouraged him.
In this drama already orchestrated by Dumbledore, Silan doesn't need to vie for the lead role. He only needs to act as a behind-the-scenes facilitator, allowing the Chosen One to step onto the stage arranged by Dumbledore.
"Thank you, Silan," Harry said sincerely.
Silan's words were like a shot of adrenaline, igniting courage within him. Harry declared loudly, "If I'm going to be a coward now, I'd rather go back to the Dursley family."
"Wait for Voldemort to come and kill me, because I will never side with the Dark Lords. Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"
In the end, Harry's cowardice and fear vanished, replaced by unwavering determination and courage.
"Silan, I'd like to ask you to write a letter to Dumbledore; perhaps it's not too late to bring him back," Harry pleaded.
"No problem, I'll come find you after I mail the letter."
"Okay, let's go to the fourth floor first."
Harry called out to Hermione and Ron and was about to leave when Neville stopped him.
"What Philosopher's Stone? What Trapdoor?" Neville asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, Neville, you haven't left yet."
"It's nothing, Neville, it's nothing." Harry tried to squeeze past him but failed.
"You're planning to go to the forbidden area on the fourth floor," Neville blocked their way. "Don't underestimate me; I know you definitely want to go there."
Harry hurriedly climbed two steps, almost touching Neville.
But Neville refused to give way.
Harry thought to himself, "We can't afford to waste any more time. Snape might have already put Fluffy to sleep. If this keeps up, he'll get the Philosopher's Stone."
"Please, Neville, get out of the way, don't be an idiot..." Ron shouted impatiently.
"Don't you dare call me an idiot!" Neville shouted angrily. "I know what you're thinking!"
"No, you have no idea!"
"Alright," Neville nodded in admission, "I really don't know. But as a friend, I can help you. I've learned a lot of Spells. Silan taught me, and they'll definitely be of help."
Neville looked at Silan with unwavering determination.
Harry and the other two turned to look at Silan, seemingly seeking confirmation from him.
Neville did indeed practice a lot of Spells with him this semester and learned a few common Spells. Although their power wasn't very great, he could be considered quite proficient at them.
Silan nodded, agreeing with Neville's words.
Perhaps because he had gained Silan's approval, Neville puffed out his chest, his face beaming with pride.
Such recognition was as dazzling to him as a badge.
"Alright, Neville, come with us." Harry agreed when Silan nodded.
"Silan, are you alright?" Hermione asked with some concern. "I heard you were..."
Hermione, come quick!
"Don't worry." Silan smiled and squeezed Hermione's hand, as if to inflate it. "You guys go first, I'll be there soon. Be careful."
The warmth of Silan's hands felt like air from an air pump, filling Hermione with confidence. She nodded vigorously. "Be careful too."
Ron, standing behind them, muttered somewhat helplessly, "How long have they had these symptoms?"
After they left, Silan wrote a letter and took it to the Owlery, which Melba then delivered.
Dumbledore receives this letter or not is irrelevant, but he has to have it.
After doing all this, Silan thought for a moment.
Dumbledore might be watching Harry through the Trapdoor right now, and if he wants to maximize his own interests, he'll have to step in too.
But there's no need to rush.
He wasn't really interested in those few minor challenges; he figured he could wait until they were done before going himself.
However, Quirrell and Voldemort are not so easy to deal with, so it's best to make some preparations.
Thinking of this, Silan blew the dragon whistle and used a Sonorus to send the sound far away.
It's you I choose, Norbert!
Putting everything else aside, Norbert is more than capable of being a meat shield, and since it currently lacks official status, it will be disposed of sooner or later.
Why not take this opportunity to let it earn some credit with Harry Potter, so that it can then ask Dumbledore to keep it?
A short, sharp whistle rang out, its sound waves spreading like invisible ripples.
The whistle startled a flock of birds into flight from the distant Forbidden Forest, followed by a resounding dragon roar.
Norbert flapped his wings and burst out of the Forbidden Forest, circling over Hogwarts Castle and casting a huge shadow.
All the young wizards who saw Norbert stood frozen in shock, staring in disbelief at the scene. Some of the more timid ones hurriedly hid in the classroom.
Many more young wizards gasped in surprise.
"Look, it's Dragon!"
"How come there's a Dragon at Hogwarts?"
"Look! There's someone on its back!"
Many of them had heard that Dragon were inherently violent and aggressive, extremely difficult to tame, yet now someone was able to ride on a dragon and fly freely.
This made them all doubt whether there was something wrong with the knowledge they had previously acquired from books.
To their even greater surprise, the fire Dragon swooped down, folded its wings, and charged into the castle.
Where is it going?