Confirmation

Since Hagrid suggested to Dumbledore that security be tightened Fourth-Floor Forbidden Area of Hogwarts to prevent Harry and his friends from trying to sneak in, Filch has started passing by this area from time to time.

By the end of Easter, most students had finished their homework. The reason Harry and his friends only finished today was because Ron and his friends had kept them entertained during the first few days of the holiday.

This also led to the fact that almost all students used to spend their time in the library.

Now, the weather is clear and sunny, and few students linger in the castle.

Harry hid in the corner on the 5th floor, glancing down at the 4th floor every now and then.

"Harry, maybe we should just forget about it. It was just a dream," Ron whispered from behind.

"Harry, if you insist—what are you prepared for?" Draco asked, also hiding behind him.

Then Harry took out the flute that Hagrid had given him for Christmas, which Harry had been carrying ever since his trip to the Forbidden Forest.

"Harry! You weren't planning to break into the restricted area all along, were you?!"

"Harry, in my opinion, your dream is very likely caused by your mindset. I suggest you think about it more," Ron and Draco whispered to each other.

"Don't worry, I'm just taking a look. I'll leave once I've confirmed what Fluffy looks like," Harry said reassuringly, turning around.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Harry from behind and choked him. Just as Harry was about to draw his wand to retaliate, a voice rang out, "Hey, look? Who's this?"

"Isn't this the bane of the mischievous sprites, our Phoenix Guardians and the Malfoy family's bad boy?"

It's Fred and George!

"Damn it! Can you two please stop calling me that?" Ron said, his ears turning red.

"I have a name!" Draco said irritably, his little face drooping, his head looking like a lemon with his light golden hair.

"Harry, you don't need to say anything, you want to go to the restricted area on the fourth floor, right?"

"If it's something this fun, why didn't you call us?" Fred and George said in hushed tones.

"We're not playing a prank!"

"We have serious business to do!" Ron said angrily. Even though he was taller than the twins, anyone could tell that he was the younger brother.

"Alright, alright! Our dear little brothers, is there anything 'serious' we can help you with?" Fred and George said in unison, releasing Harry at the same time.

"Could you distract Filch for me?" Harry asked.

"Okay, well, what can I do? You're Harry."

"Owner of the Weasley sweater."

"What if Mom finds out we're ignoring your requests?"

"She'll definitely blame us!" Before Harry could even thank them, they vanished like ghosts.

"She'll definitely blame us." Ron mimicked his brothers' tone. "I'm their younger brother, and they wouldn't even give me a belated Christmas present when I asked them to."

After Fred and George disappeared, Harry kept staring intently at the fourth floor, while Ron started complaining.

"Harry, why don't we go back to the common room and get the Invisibility Cloak?"

"That way we won't have to wait," Ron complained, before regaining his intellectual edge.

"If you had said so earlier, I would have—" Harry turned and complained, then stopped mid-sentence and held his breath.

When faced with an emergency, or even just seeing a dangerous situation on a video that requires your full attention, you might find yourself almost forgetting to breathe.

The same applies to Harry, Meghan, and Harry.

"Ugh! Sizzling slugs... frog brains... rat intestines... I've had enough... I'm going to make an example of them... This is Easter..." Filch muttered angrily as he disappeared down the fourth-floor corridor.

"Hurry! Time is of the essence!" Harry hissed.

Fortunately, perhaps due to some unknown prank by Fred and George, not only Filch, but also the fourth floor and the surrounding area are now deserted.

A few seconds later, they arrived outside the corridor on the fourth floor.

At the end of the corridor, a wooden door locked with chains appeared before Harry and the others.

"Should we just peek through the crack in the door?" Ron suggested, backing down as the door was locked.

"This is a forbidden area where the Philosopher's Stone is hidden, and this lock—" Draco began, but his words trailed off.

"Alohomora!" Harry knocked on the lock and whispered, "Draco, what's this lock again?"

"It's nothing." Draco looked shocked, then muttered that the professors had already set up defenses, so the door didn't need to be a concern.

Harry took a deep breath and then opened the door.

He glanced at it once— Harry slammed the door shut.

A series of deafening roars came from inside the door, and Harry took off running—no, he practically ran.

The three of them were panting heavily. Ron and Draco, seeing Harry run, also started running after him.

"Harry, why—didn't you—want to see Fluffy?" Ron asked breathlessly, his words broken. Draco also looked at Harry with a puzzled expression.

"I've already seen it."

"It's huge," Harry said with a relieved tone. "I finally understand."

"What?" Draco couldn't help but interrupt.

"Norberta is just a child after all. Hagrid wasn't wrong." Harry's face turned pale.

"What does this have to do with Norberta?" Ron couldn't quite grasp the idea for a moment.

"Weasley, how did you get into Ravenclaw?!"

"It's obvious, Fluffy is too big, Norberta is just a little kid compared to him," Draco retorted irritably.

"Yes, it was so big it filled the entire space from ceiling to floor. I really don't know how he got in there, what he ate, or where he pooped?"

"I didn't see a place for it to relieve itself either," Harry remarked after regaining his senses.

"Perhaps there are House-elf," Draco explained.

"What are House-elf?" Harry asked. Before Draco could even return, Ron eagerly replied, "They are close relatives of Goblin. As slaves in ancient wizarding families, they must obey all the demands of their masters, the family members, unless they are freed."

"My mom really wants one, so she won't have to do housework."

Harry's eyes widened. "Slaves in the Wizarding World?"

"They are Magical Creatures that cannot live without their masters. Without their masters, they would feel worse than if they were dead."

"As Percy mentioned before, the Department of Magical Creature Management and Control at the Ministry of Magic has issued guidelines on the rights of House-elf to prevent them from being mistreated," Draco casually mentioned, preparing to change the subject.

He didn't mention that although this policy had existed for some time, it was never enforced. As a result, many wizarding families, such as the Malfoy family and Black House, mistreated their House-elf.

If he says too much, Harry might distance himself from him.

"By the way, is that Fluffy the same as the one in your dream?" Draco asked.

"Exactly the same," Harry said in a low voice.

This means that, in addition to Quirrell and Voldemort, there is another powerful wizard who has his eye on the Philosopher's Stone.

He even put Three-Headed Dog to sleep with just a single sentence, something Voldemort couldn't do.