Old Mischief-Maker, Tell Me About the Sorcerer's Stone

"All right, everyone, but Professor Snape is a teacher at the school. If we suspect him, shouldn't we tell Dumbledore too?" Muya decided to throw the problem to Dumbledore. After all, he was the headmaster.

"Oh, Mya Mu, we really should hurry and tell Headmaster Dumbledore." Hermione excitedly set her cup on the table.

Harry and the others had no objections. Even Hagrid agreed with Muya.

"Sweet and Sour Pork." That was Dumbledore's new password.

Dumbledore paused his writing, raised his brows at the four young wizards entering, and said, "Oh, it's you children. What brings you to see me?" He put away the parchment.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron hesitantly looked at Muya. She sighed and met Dumbledore's eyes directly. "Actually, Harry and the others suspect that Professor Snape had something to do with the broom losing control today. They also suspect that he wants to steal something guarded by Fluffy."

Dumbledore's eyes shifted around before he stroked his beard and said firmly, "Severus may have a somewhat special attitude toward Harry, but he would never harm him."

Dumbledore looked at them and continued, "Besides, Severus is also one of Fluffy's fellow guardians."

"What are they guarding?" Muya suddenly asked.

"Oh, that cannot be revealed, children." Dumbledore stood up and smiled as he patted Muya's head. "It's dinner time. There's delicious sweet and sour pork tonight. Would you like to come along?"

Muya was instantly drawn in by the sweet and sour pork. Since Harry and the others could get no answers, they planned to ask Hagrid again that night and investigate who exactly was trying to harm Harry.

After dinner, Muya went to Snape's office. "Professor, what potion are we brewing today?"

"Veritaserum," Snape said as he prepared the potion ingredients they would need shortly.

"Professor, how many days of detention will I get this time?" Muya asked as she handled the ingredients.

"One day. What, Miss Muya? Have you grown attached to detention?"

I was just asking.

After Muya finished the potion, she told Snape to take good care of his injured leg, then quickly ran off.

She decided to visit the Headmaster's office again. Even an idiot could tell that Dumbledore was hiding something from them.

"Old Mischief-Maker, I'm back." Muya suddenly rushed in, only to find that there was no one there.

Fawkes perched on his stand, nodding off. The portraits on the walls all had their eyes closed, but the Sorting Hat opened its eyes at the sound.

"Oh, I remember you. Mya Mu, the one I sorted into Hufflepuff." The Sorting Hat spoke through its wide mouth.

"A mind-reading hat? I can't believe I didn't notice you before." Muya walked over and lit the lamps in the room.

"Oh, perhaps because I was asleep. You know, living too long isn't necessarily a good thing. My daily routine mostly consists of sleeping. Hey, stop poking me with your wand, little one."

"Sorry. Do you know where Dumbledore went?" Muya withdrew her hand.

The Sorting Hat pursed its lips. "No idea. I only know that he left not long ago. Just wait here. He went out wearing pajamas."

"All right, then may I ask you something?" Muya moved a stool in front of the Sorting Hat and sat down.

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"What do you want to ask me?" The Sorting Hat narrowed its eyes as it studied Muya.

"I want to know what Fluffy and Professor Snape are guarding."

"Oh, that thing? It's a Sorcerer's Stone." The Sorting Hat thought about it. Since Dumbledore had never said Muya could not be told, it simply told her.

Muya was puzzled. Just how powerful could a Sorcerer's Stone be, for Hagrid to call it top-secret? "Come to think of it, is it really okay for you to tell me something so important?"

"It's nothing. Dumbledore is right behind you, anyway." After saying that, the Sorting Hat went back to sleep.

A chill ran down Muya's back. She stiffly turned around and, sure enough, saw Dumbledore in his pajamas. "Those pajamas..." They were covered in stars and moons, yet they somehow did not look out of place on Dumbledore at all.

"If you like them, we can wear matching parent-child outfits together." Dumbledore had clearly guessed her true thoughts wrong.

He sat down, glanced at the Sorting Hat pretending to sleep, then looked at Muya. "Mya Mu, perhaps there are some things you can ask me directly—your only guardian."

All right, since he had put it that way.

I'll lay my cards on the table.

"Old Mischief-Maker, tell me about the Sorcerer's Stone."

"All right, as you wish." Dumbledore put on a troubled expression for Muya's benefit, but when he turned to fetch something, a triumphant smile appeared on his face.

The Sorcerer's Stone had been made by Dumbledore's old friend, Nicolas Flamel. He was an alchemist, and because the stone could create an elixir of immortality, he was being hunted by a group of people in black robes.

To keep the Sorcerer's Stone from being taken, Nicolas Flamel entrusted it to Dumbledore for safekeeping.

Dumbledore placed it in a classroom on the fourth floor and set up layer upon layer of obstacles.

"So Professor Snape provided the potion obstacle?" Muya asked.

"Yes, child. But when he went to set out the potions last week, he accidentally disturbed Fluffy." Muya did not need him to explain the rest.

"All right, but when will you investigate who is trying to harm Harry?" Muya had not forgotten about that. She thought perhaps the greatest wizard could use some magic to find the culprit.

"Actually, child, on the night you encountered the Troll, I followed you and had already roughly figured out who let the Troll in and caused Harry's broom to lose control." Muya felt that Dumbledore looked like a cunning old fox at that moment.

"Who was it?" So Dumbledore had been following her that night. No wonder he had suddenly appeared behind McGonagall and Snape later.

"Oh, it's already very late. If you don't go back to sleep now, you'll probably be late for class tomorrow." Muya was speechless and could only return to the common room.

In the morning, their first class was Professor Binns's History of Magic. Muya found it as sleep-inducing as high school history, and she yawned through nearly every lesson.

After class, she told Shalian and the others before running to the Gryffindor common room to wait for Hermione and the others. She had decided to tell them what Dumbledore had told her last night, since Harry was the victim.

She ran into Fred and George. "Hey, Little Badger, what are you standing here for?"

"Waiting for us?" The two of them each squeezed one side of Muya's face and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"No, I came to find Harry and the other two." Muya hurriedly rescued her hair.

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