"I thought the exams at Hogwarts would be terrifying. I didn't expect them to be quite fun."
"Weasley, you must have had a rough time during the Potions exam!"
"Shut up, Malfoy! I'll at least get an E in all of them!"
A line of five students walked out of the classroom, having just finished their final exams, with Ron and Draco bickering the whole way.
That was right, Malfoy had also squeezed his way in, turning the original golden trio into the current point-deduction quintet.
Of course, Draco changed because of Eli. Ever since the Forbidden Forest incident and the subsequent Dueling Club battle, he had already become Eli's little fanboy.
He pestered Eli all day to teach him magic.
Well, they had wrangled a dragon and faced danger together after all, so Draco's relationship with the trio had improved a lot.
At least it was not as antagonistic as before, though they still liked to take digs at each other whenever they had the chance.
Especially with Ron; those two simply could not stand each other's sight.
Anyway, Eli still brought many influences to them.
Ron was no longer a bottom-feeder in studies, having been promoted to a mediocre student.
Harry was obsessed with dueling, and his innate talent finally got to shine.
Hermione was also influenced by Eli, joining the Dueling Club and turning the knowledge from books into practical combat experience.
And there was Draco, who finally kicked his catchphrase of "I'm going to tell my father" to the curb.
"I wonder how the Philosopher's Stone is doing, and if it's well protected!"
Harry was still dwelling endlessly on the matter of the Philosopher's Stone.
"The Philosopher's Stone? None of you have explained that to me yet."
Draco wore a baffled expression once again. He had wanted to ask about it the moment he heard about it in Hagrid's Hut, but he had held it in all the way until now.
Seeing this foolish child looking like his curiosity was about to explode, Eli patiently explained it to him anyway.
After a lengthy spiel of explanations, Draco shocked himself as he touched his slicked-back hair.
"Snape is going to steal a stone protected by Professor Dumbledore?"
Disbelief was practically written all over his face.
"You guys probably don't know how much wealth Snape has. He has connections with many families; he couldn't possibly steal the Philosopher's Stone just for gold!"
As a member of the Malfoy Family, Draco was indeed privy to some of these things.
"But the evidence is already laid out right here. There's simply no washing away his suspicion!"
Ron went head-to-head with Draco again.
Harry separated the two like needle points against awl points. "Draco, Snape isn't doing this for gold at all!"
"Then what is he doing it for?"
Harry's voice dropped much lower, purely afraid that passing people might overhear. "He's doing it for Voldemort! He's working for Voldemort!"
That name was spoken out by Harry just like that, without a single care. Draco's face instantly paled, and Ron looked very uneasy as well.
Only Eli and Hermione showed no particular reaction.
Eli felt that way because he would have to face Voldemort sooner or later, and plus, the latter had not resurrected yet, so saying it aloud was fine.
Hermione, on the other hand, was Muggle-born and had never witnessed the terror of Voldemort.
"You shouldn't bring up that name." Draco hurriedly stopped Harry.
"Why?"
Draco's voice dropped even lower. "There were rumors at the time that You-Know-Who cast magic on his own name, so he could accurately know the location of anyone who called it!"
"But isn't he..."
Hermione had never heard of such bizarre magic and found it a bit incredible.
"No, he's not dead."
Harry's words drew the gaze of several people.
He touched the scar on his forehead. "The dark shadow we encountered that day was him! My scar was left by him, and it hurt terribly when I ran into him that day."
Eli knew Harry was spot on; at that moment, Voldemort was hiding on the back of Quirrell's head.
The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy. As members of Pure-blood Families, Draco and Ron had naturally heard of that man's terror.
"Still, he's already been reduced to relying on Unicorn Blood to sustain his life right now, so there's nothing to be afraid of! He wants to rely on the Philosopher's Stone to recover his strength. If he succeeds, that nightmare will become reality!"
Eli broke the heavy atmosphere, leaving Harry and Ron especially electrified.
"Right! We have to go stop him."
The group walked out of the castle. Hagrid's Hut was not far away, and Hagrid was sitting at the doorway playing a tune.
Harry was momentarily stunned, and a sudden flash of insight made everything click for him. He abruptly began walking briskly toward Hagrid.
"Harry, where are you going?"
"No wonder! Don't you guys find it strange? Why would Hagrid want a dragon, only to happen to run into someone carrying a dragon egg? I ask you, what kind of person walks around carrying a dragon egg everywhere?!"
A trace of sudden realization flashed across Hermione's face, while Ron and Draco looked somewhat bewildered.
Eli felt a thrill. It's coming, it's coming, the obstacle course mini-game is about to begin!
No, how can I be like a reckless little lion? I need to stay calm, heh heh...
"Hagrid, do you remember what the person who gave you the dragon egg looked like?"
The group was slightly out of breath.
Hagrid looked in surprise at the few brats who had suddenly rushed over, a reminiscent expression appearing on his face. "He was wearing a black robe at the time, and I couldn't see his face clearly."
The expressions of the group shifted. Wearing a black robe? Wasn't that shady as hell?
Anyone wearing a black robe was no good!
"Then did he say anything to you?"
"Oh, of course. He asked me what kind of animals I've ever raised, and I told him—lots of them!"
Hagrid looked rather proud of himself.
"Did he show a lot of interest in Fluffy, then?"
"Aye, he did ask a few questions about Fluffy. I told him the trick to dealing with animals is knowing how to make them quiet—like Fluffy, as long as you play him a bit of music, he falls fast asleep right away!"
Hagrid's expression was exceptionally warm when he mentioned his Fluffy, but then his expression suddenly changed. Oh no, I blabbed again.
The five of them spun around and sprinted toward the castle.
Hagrid muttered, "I shouldn't have told you that."
Professor McGonagall was still in the classroom grading some assignments when several young wizards suddenly burst in.
"Professor, we need to see Professor Dumbledore, right now!"
Before he had even steadied his footing, Harry shouted.
Professor McGonagall was startled, looking dissatisfied as she gazed at the group. Why was it always these ill-fated kids?
"Professor Dumbledore received a letter from the Ministry of Magic and rushed off to London. What on earth is the matter with you all?"
The group exchanged glances.
"Someone's going to steal the Philosopher's Stone!"
Professor McGonagall's expression instantly changed. "How do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?! But regardless of how you found out, it is very well protected right now. You students had better stay in your dormitory right this instant; this isn't something you should be concerning yourselves with!"
The group was chased out looking rather dejected.
How could Dumbledore have been called away to the Ministry of Magic at such a coincidental time?
This was not normal! The young wizards also realized that something was wrong.
"We're going to the Trapdoor tonight, tonight!"
Harry said decisively, and Gryffindor's bravery was vividly displayed at that very moment.
Draco found it somewhat incredible. "Tonight? You mean we're going to go fight... that person ourselves?"
"Malfoy, are you scared?"
Ron seized the opportunity to take a jab at him.
Draco instantly flared up. I can lose to anyone, but I cannot lose to this guy.
He puffed out his chest.
"We'll go then! Who's scared?!"
Before you continue