Dudley walked over and reached out to pick up the Philosopher's Stone, meeting no resistance whatsoever.
The stone displayed a deep crimson hue, slightly cool to the touch, with mysterious and powerful spiritual energy constantly pulsing within it.
"So this is the Philosopher's Stone... so easily fallen into my hands."
For a moment, Dudley felt the entire situation was surreal. Looking back at everything that had happened, he had originally only wanted to assess the protective measures in place. He never expected to clear through every obstacle and arrive here so effortlessly, claiming the legendary artifact without breaking a sweat.
This was completely beyond his expectations for this place.
Was the repository for the Philosopher's Stone really protected by such simple obstacles? Why had Dudley barely sensed any real danger here? Instead, it felt like a final exam at Hogwarts, testing nothing more than first-year curriculum.
Dudley didn't linger. After securing the Philosopher's Stone, he immediately turned and left, retracing his path through the various chambers and returning to the third-floor corridor. After checking his surroundings and finding nothing unusual, he quietly slipped back to Gryffindor Tower.
Slipping out of his black robes, Dudley prepared for sleep. Beside him, Harry appeared to be caught in the grip of a nightmare, suddenly jerking upright and staring at Dudley with wide, terrified eyes.
"Where did you go?" Harry asked, his voice still unsteady.
"I went to the bathroom. What's gotten into you?" Dudley responded nonchalantly.
"I just had a dream that Voldemort was hunting me down! He had countless followers in black robes surrounding him. It was absolutely terrifying," Harry said, his words still quavering.
"And then what happened?" Dudley inquired with genuine curiosity.
"Then... then their horses couldn't keep up with mine," Harry continued.
Dudley's lips quirked slightly. "So Voldemort pursued you on horseback, his mount was slower than yours, and you managed to escape?"
Harry nodded with complete seriousness.
"How... peculiar," Dudley remarked.
Dreams were merely dreams, after all—utterly without logic or reason.
"Maybe this dream is a warning that Voldemort knows how to ride," Harry pondered aloud.
"Fascinating that the Dark Lord apparently has equestrian skills," Dudley replied with subtle sarcasm.
Harry mulled this over, concluded the dream was probably meaningless, and settled back down to resume his sleep.
Dudley lay in bed but didn't fall asleep immediately. The Philosopher's Stone rested in his palm, and he turned it over repeatedly, feeling its weight and power.
"I increasingly feel that this matter might not be so simple," he thought to himself.
He had just reviewed the entire sequence of events and discovered many details he had previously overlooked.
"Why did Dumbledore suddenly transfer the Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts to Hogwarts? Did he foresee something, or did he discover something specific?"
"Moreover, from my experience tonight, Hogwarts' protective capabilities aren't much stronger than Gringotts. In some aspects, Gringotts might even be superior. The only advantage Hogwarts has over Gringotts is the presence of a powerful wizard like Dumbledore."
"So... what if Dumbledore transferred the Stone to Hogwarts specifically to lure someone here?"
The thought struck him like lightning, and suddenly many previously incomprehensible details became clear.
"What's special about this year's Hogwarts? Harry Potter arrived!"
"So is it possible that Dumbledore did this to attract Voldemort to Hogwarts? Or rather, he had already discovered Quirrell's problems and specifically moved the Stone here to provoke Voldemort into action."
"As for Harry... wait. Based on the methods I used to clear that gauntlet, would it be possible for actual first-year students to succeed?"
Dudley began analyzing each obstacle:
The Three-Headed Dog: Harry was familiar with Hagrid, so he might know how to bypass this challenge.
Devil's Snare: This was first-year Herbology curriculum. Even if Harry hadn't paid attention in class, Hermione would know the solution, and of course, there was Dudley himself.
The Flying Keys: Harry possessed exceptional talent in this area, which wouldn't stop him at all.
Wizard's Chess: This would depend on Ron, who loved the game and played quite skillfully. From Dudley's experience, Ron wouldn't find the chess puzzle too challenging.
The Troll: They had faced one before, so handling it wouldn't be difficult.
The Logic Puzzle: Both Hermione and Dudley could solve it easily.
The Final Challenge: This actually wasn't that difficult. The magical copies were matched to one's own strength level. The more powerful the wizard, the more trouble they would encounter in that place.
"So could it be that all of this was designed by Dumbledore specifically for Harry and Voldemort?"
"Then what is his ultimate purpose?"
"To orchestrate a confrontation between Harry and Voldemort in that place? What would be the benefit of doing this, or what is he trying to prove?"
Dudley frowned deeply. He had indeed uncovered some crucial information, but due to missing pieces in his knowledge, he couldn't see the complete picture. However, based on what he had reasoned so far, this was probably close to the truth.
"What masterful calculation. He didn't just account for Harry's abilities, but also included me, Ron, and Hermione, because he knew that as Harry's friends and brother, we would definitely help him."
"This would also explain why Dumbledore didn't act against Quirrell after I reported him."
"Wait... I seem to have overlooked one crucial point. A factor beyond Dumbledore's expectations."
"The Night Emperor!"
"The appearance of the Night Emperor should have disrupted many of Dumbledore's arrangements. He asked me to help find evil influences. I always thought his target was Quirrell, but now it seems what he wanted me to help him locate might be the Night Emperor, not Quirrell. Because he knew about Quirrell's problems from the beginning and had sufficient confidence to handle them."
"What he truly feared was the suddenly appearing Night Emperor... a powerful existence he couldn't spy upon, a third-party force whose intentions he couldn't determine."
Dudley's gaze grew distant as he stared at the canopy above his bed.
"Dumbledore, what exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
"I don't like the feeling of being manipulated, and I don't like being arranged by others."
"Fortunately, I've now disrupted your arrangement. The Philosopher's Stone is in my hands, Quirrell can no longer succeed, and Harry will never venture behind that trapdoor."
"Before, you watched us perform. Now, it's my turn to watch your performance."
"Professor Dumbledore... don't disappoint me."
[Chapter Complete]
***
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