The moment Sean stepped out of the headmaster's office, Harry and Ron blocked his path in the corridor.
"You know what's hidden in that room on the third-floor corner, don't you?" Harry asked.
"No, I don't." Sean denied it firmly—so firmly that it only made him look more suspicious.
"On the first night of Christmas break, after curfew, I saw you sneaking into that room. You looked like you were searching for something," Harry said, laying out his reasoning with confidence.
The test for Harry was still ongoing. Dumbledore had already forgotten everything that happened in the elven village. If he still remembered that Sean had drawn the elves' sacred sword, he wouldn't be paying this much attention to Harry anymore.
Back in the elven village, Dumbledore's thinking had begun to shift. Perhaps Sean, the one who had drawn the sword, was the true savior. But now that memory was gone, everything continued according to his original plan.
Sean hesitated, then mysteriously pulled Harry and Ron to the corner of the stairs. Lowering his voice, he said, "I'm guessing you used the Invisibility Cloak that night, right?"
Harry nodded. Sean had already misled him about the cloak before, so this didn't surprise him.
"From what I can tell, the defensive traps in that room last year were set up to guard against Professor Quirrell."
"You mean Professor Quirrell was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. They had suspected Snape before—but it seemed they were wrong.
"That's right. He was sent by the Dark Lord to steal it," Sean said seriously.
"Then why didn't anyone expose him?" Ron asked, confused.
Sean put on a mysterious expression. "There's a lot more involved than you think. It's not something you should know—it wouldn't do you any good. Anyway, once Quirrell was gone, Professor Dumbledore lifted the restriction."
Harry immediately asked, "So… the Philosopher's Stone is still there?"
"Shh." Sean lowered his voice. "Even though the restriction's gone, I think the Stone is still in that room. That's why I snuck in that night—curiosity got the better of me."
His words were a careful mix of truth and lies, subtly guiding Harry into the trap.
"What about Draco?" Harry continued. "He also snuck into that room. I think he's trying to steal the Stone too."
Ron nodded. "His dad was a Death Eater. Maybe he's following his orders."
"You shouldn't make accusations like that," Sean said, pretending to disapprove. "You're classmates. Competing is one thing, but don't slander each other behind their backs."
Sean understood Harry well—the more someone doubted him, the more determined he became. From now on, Harry would definitely keep a close eye on Draco.
The Philosopher's Stone was already gone. This entire setup was just meant to give Harry some experience. But the disappearance of the Golden Scepter worried Sean far more.
Quirrell and Voldemort had hidden it somewhere inside Hogwarts. With a castle this large, there were countless places to conceal it.
"I still need to find Adam first," Sean thought.
In Knockturn Alley, inside a potion shop, Haerpo let out a sharp, eerie laugh. "Something as valuable as the Philosopher's Stone—how could there be only one?"
From the fragments of memory Nicolas Flamel had failed to completely erase, Haerpo had discovered a clue. Besides the destroyed Stone, Flamel had created another one.
The trail was faint, but it pointed to Flamel's student—Hoff Stark. Haerpo suspected the second Stone was in Hoff's possession.
Nearby, the rat that Voldemort possessed was deep in thought.
Haerpo's method of resurrecting the dead was no less impressive than Horcruxes. The difficult part wasn't placing a soul into a new body—it was retrieving the soul of the deceased.
At the castle ruins, Voldemort had seen Flamel's crushed body with his own eyes. He had truly died. But Haerpo had taken out a crystal orb and cast a spell on it for a full minute. The dim orb suddenly lit up—revealing Flamel's recently departed soul.
"I didn't get the method to create the Stone… but there's still another one. If I can obtain it, I won't have to suffer living inside a rat," Voldemort thought.
But Haerpo was a massive obstacle. Voldemort had to find Hoff and seize the Stone before Haerpo did.
At that moment, Hoff had already arrived in Britain.
Before his death, Nicolas Flamel had told him that if he ever needed help, Albus Dumbledore would be his best choice.
After fleeing France, Hoff had traveled using both Muggle transportation and magic. Now in Scotland, he rode a broom toward Hogwarts.
Four days later, the Christmas break finally came to an end. Students gradually arrived at King's Cross Station, preparing to board the Hogwarts Express.
Near Platform 9¾, a scruffy gray rat hid beneath a pillar, watching the passing crowd and searching for a suitable target.
Voldemort needed to get onto the platform and board the train. To do that, he would rely on returning students.
Cassius pushed his trolley up to the platform entrance. Two large suitcases and one small one were stacked on it, leaving just enough space underneath for something to hide—but Cassius kept a close eye on his luggage, giving Voldemort no chance.
"Graham! Over here!" Cassius stopped and waved at his roommate approaching the station.
Seizing the opportunity, Voldemort darted forward and climbed onto the trolley. Just like that, Cassius unknowingly brought him through the barrier.
Once inside the platform, Voldemort immediately jumped off. Amid the bustling students boarding the train, he slipped aboard unnoticed.
Before the train even reached Hogwarts, Hoff had already arrived at the school. Riding his broom into Hogwarts' airspace, he triggered the crystal ball in Dumbledore's office—it glowed with a red light.
Dumbledore walked to the window and looked out at the sky.
Professor McGonagall happened to be outside. Seeing Hoff, she waved at him. With Nicolas Flamel dead, his student's sudden visit to Hogwarts could only mean something serious.
"Is Dumbledore here?" Hoff asked the moment he landed.
"He is. Come with me," McGonagall replied, leading him toward the headmaster's office.
After entering, Hoff stated that he had something important to discuss privately with Dumbledore. McGonagall had no choice but to leave.
No one knew what was said during that conversation.
When it ended, Dumbledore summoned Hagrid and arranged for Hoff to stay in his hut.
Last term, Mike had just moved out—and now another guest had arrived. Hagrid's home was practically being used as an inn. Fortunately, his warm personality meant he didn't mind. Anyone else would probably have complained.
By evening, the returning train arrived at Hogsmeade Station. The students boarded Thestral-drawn carriages and returned to the castle.
As they lined up at the main gates, Voldemort slipped inside right under everyone's noses.
The crystal ball on the headmaster's desk showed no reaction.
Clearly, it had mistaken him for nothing more than an ordinary rat.
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