[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]
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Harry radiated joy.
"I knew it, this is fantastic!"
He happily opened a packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from the pile of sweets. However, the moment he put one in his mouth, he let out a strange cry and spat it out.
"By Merlin's beard, I swear this looks like boogers!"
"Huh? My name is written on it? And yours, and Harry's too. One for each of us."
Amanda picked up one of the gift boxes; a tag with her name was attached to it.
"Can I open it and take a look?"
"Ah, I'm curious too about what my Father sent us. Let's open them and see."
Amanda opened the box. Inside was a small object wrapped in green silk. She unwrapped it, revealing a delicate snake-shaped brooch engraved with a capital letter M.
"What is this? A brooch?"
Amanda picked it up. The design was intricate, with a pin clasp on the back, but the faint magical aura emanating from it made her feel it was far from ordinary.
"Hm? No, this is…"
Draco took his own box, as did Harry. He lifted the pin and examined it against the light.
"It's a brooch, but it's also a protective item."
"Protective equipment?"
"Yes. A curse-resistant brooch. Ordinary curse-resistant items can repel some minor spells and curses, but this one is far more effective and can even defend against certain dark magic."
Hearing this, Harry immediately pinned the brooch to his chest.
"The pattern is the Malfoy family crest. It seems Father gave us a family heirloom from the Malfoy vault…" Draco pursed his lips. "He only let me see these things a few times."
Amanda fastened the brooch to her chest. Although she felt no physical change, she felt noticeably calmer.
Even if it couldn't protect against an Unforgivable Curse, at least it meant she wouldn't have to fear a random, malicious curse flying through the corridor.
Lucius had given them such a precious gift not only as thanks, but also to ensure their safety, and to ask them to look after Draco.
However, they may have forgotten that they were still the center of attention today. Every day in the Great Hall, Hogwarts students closely followed the latest developments surrounding the Slytherin trio.
Today, however, far fewer students were seated at the long tables.
Perhaps it was because it was a day off, or because yesterday's events had frightened them, or because they were afraid of running into Merlin and Harry.
In short, only a small number of students showed up for breakfast, yet those who did couldn't help but watch them from the corners of their eyes.
When they saw the two pinning on the brooches, many students, except those at the Slytherin table, exchanged puzzled looks.
"That looks like the Malfoy family crest…"
Ron nudged Seamus and Neville with his elbow, gesturing for them to look.
"They seem to get along really well. Malfoy's parents even gave them family items."
Seamus offered an objective assessment.
Neville was dumbfounded. "Didn't you say yesterday that Merlin used evil dark magic to torture Malfoy until he was unrecognizable?"
He remembered how, the day before, Seamus had helped a laughing, out-of-control Ron back to the Gryffindor common room, where Fred and George mocked Ron for a long time before Percy finally came to his rescue.
After that, Ron became furious and complained around the dormitory for a long time, even threatening to go to the library to learn some dark spells to curse them.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Ron flushed slightly and tried to clarify his judgment.
"Well, actually, when Seamus and I saw them carrying Malfoy back yesterday, we felt that maybe it wasn't what you were thinking."
Neville puffed out his cheeks and nodded blankly.
"Actually… I don't think they're that scary. Do you remember in Potions class on Friday, when I accidentally melted Seamus's cauldron? That horrible corrosive liquid spread all over the floor and burned a huge hole in my shoe. Merlin was the one who cleaned everything up in time."
Cedric, who had been sitting with his back to them, overheard the conversation. He turned around and leaned across the long Hufflepuff table to join in.
"I think Harry is a very kind and upright person. Amanda gave me the impression of being gentle, polite, and studious. Draco… I don't know much about him, but he seems like a spoiled young master, though not a bad person at heart."
Cedric frowned in exasperation and shook his head.
"But people don't believe that. They stubbornly believe only what they want to see."
Ron's face grew even redder, and he quickly changed the subject.
"Uh… it's their own fault for always causing trouble. In the end, what exactly happened in the Forbidden Forest that day? How did they end up there? And who did that to Malfoy? I don't understand why the professors won't tell us, otherwise, we wouldn't be making baseless guesses."
"I don't believe I'm obliged to explain such things to you, Weasley."
A deep, velvety voice brushed against the back of Ron's neck.
"When your brain manages to retain anything other than slugs, I find it disappointing that you waste your day off gossiping instead of enriching your mind. Five points from Gryffindor."
Snape stood expressionlessly behind Ron, deducting points with his usual casual indifference. Then he lifted the hem of his billowing robes and strode toward the Slytherin table.
Ron stared in shock at Seamus and Neville, who were now pretending to eat with intense concentration.
"When did he get here? Why didn't you warn me?"
Neville and Seamus continued to focus on their food in silence. "…"
Snape approached Amanda and the other two from behind, delivered a cold remark, and then headed toward the staff table.
"Draco, and you two troublemakers, come see me after breakfast."
"Yes, Godfather."
"Yes, Professor."
"What do you think Professor Snape wants to talk to us about?" Harry asked.
Amanda shook her head. "I'm not sure. It could be about Draco's father, or it could be about Voldemort or Dumbledore. We'll find out soon enough."
Harry lowered his head and whispered nervously to the two of them.
"Speaking of Snape… that night when I was waiting for you outside the Forbidden Forest, something suddenly occurred to me."
Amanda looked at him with keen interest. "What did you realize?"
"Even though Snape has been very nasty to me… and has a terrible temper, I can understand him a little when I think about what my dad and his friends did to him."
Harry seemed to recall something painful, and his voice fell quiet.
"His situation reminds me of my own. I used to be bullied by Dudley and his friends all the time… and by the Dursleys as well. But then I came to Hogwarts and found all of you as my friends. But what about Snape?"
"He's always been isolated and bullied, came from a poor family, and is still alone… without friends or family."
…
Once again, they arrived at Snape's dark, cramped underground office.
"Godfather?" Draco spoke first.
"I received Lucius's letter this morning. It seems the old fox is still standing on Hogwarts' side, for now. That said, I have other reasons for calling you here today."
As Snape spoke, he remained standing by his desk, stirring a potion.
Amanda glanced around. The office was not only as plain as a Slytherin dormitory, but upon closer inspection, there wasn't a single personal item in sight. It contained only potions, ingredients, and a few books that looked dense and obscure.
"First of all, my dear godson, your father wants you to stay away from those matters, anything related to the Dark Lord. He wants you far from danger, as far as possible."
Draco paused briefly before replying, "Yes, Godfather."
"As for you, Merlin and Potter, stop meddling in the Dark Lord's affairs. Hogwarts is the safest place in the world. No one can harm you here, not under Dumbledore's nose, unless you actively seek your own death."
Harry burst out urgently, "But, Professor, Voldemort wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone! And he's already broken in once!"
Amanda said calmly, "Professor, the Philosopher's Stone is in the corridor on the right side of the third floor, isn't it?"
She stared intently at Snape's raised eyebrows, trying to glean something from his expression, while Snape returned her gaze coldly.
"Since it was announced as a restricted area at the opening feast, I assume some obstacles have been set up there. But are you certain those obstacles can truly stop Voldemort?"
"And what if…" she changed direction smoothly, "if even a few first-year students like us could break through them, are you sure you can really stop Voldemort?"
After safely returning to her dormitory the night before, she had reorganized her thoughts. A few days earlier, during the afternoon tea at Hagrid's hut, the three of them had discussed the plan to explore the third-floor corridor.
Although she hadn't told Draco and Harry exactly what lay within, she already knew the original storyline and the trials that the original trio, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, would face.
But once everything settled, she felt that something was wrong. The original plot was limiting her thinking.
She had a bold theory: if she, Harry, and Draco ventured into the third-floor corridor, the challenges they would face would not be things like searching for keys, playing wizard's chess, or solving logic puzzles with potions.
Those checkpoints were likely never designed to stop Voldemort.
After all, the small tricks set up by Dumbledore and the professors couldn't even stop a few first-year students, let alone Quirrell and Voldemort.
If Quirrell and Voldemort used Dark Magic to force their way through, it would probably be even faster.
Even in the original story, Quirrell reached the final chamber before the trio, completely unharmed.
The only thing that could truly prevent Voldemort from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone was the Mirror of Erised, and the only one who could retrieve the Stone from the mirror was Harry.
Even Harry's obsession with the Mirror of Erised during Christmas seemed to have been orchestrated by Dumbledore himself.
He had deliberately given Harry the Invisibility Cloak, allowing him to wander aimlessly during the holidays, and had placed the Mirror of Erised inside an empty classroom.
It was likely that all the obstacles on the third floor had been placed there simply to prevent Harry's companions from reaching the finish line. Those challenges were designed specifically for Harry's friends, each of the later trials deliberately left one person behind.
The goal was to ensure that, by the final challenge, only Harry would be left to face Voldemort alone.
That way, Voldemort would not kill Harry immediately, because he needed him to obtain the Philosopher's Stone from the Mirror of Erised. Harry, of course, would want revenge and to stop Voldemort from acquiring the Stone.
If they were lucky, Voldemort and Quirrell would be destroyed by the protective magic placed on Harry during the confrontation.
However, in the original story, Voldemort abandoned Quirrell and fled in panic during the crisis, surviving by chance, while Quirrell died on the spot.
A chill ran down her spine as she reached this conclusion. What a clever tactic, using someone else to do the dirty work.
Although she could understand Dumbledore's reasoning, she couldn't help but feel deeply impressed by the meticulousness of his planning.
"I suspect those obstacles were never meant to stop Voldemort, were they?"
"Dumbledore wanted to leave us behind so that Harry would face Voldemort alone…"
She looked straight into Snape's deep, unfathomable eyes. His expression did not change at all.
"Miss Merlin, your imagination truly leaves me speechless."
She hadn't expected to glean anything useful from Snape's face, given his exceptional skill in Occlumency. Still, she knew that aside from herself and Draco, the only person who genuinely did not want Harry to die was Snape.
"I'm warning you, you little monsters: if you don't wish to die of curiosity, stay away from the corridor on the right side of the third floor. The Dark Lord will never obtain the Philosopher's Stone from there."
Snape seemed to say nothing, yet at the same time, he said everything.
And he was right. As long as Harry did not enter the third-floor corridor, Voldemort would never obtain the Philosopher's Stone.
Why would Dumbledore treat something as important as the Stone like a prize at the end of a level, placing it behind a series of lesser challenges for someone to collect?
If Harry had never gone there, he would not have been in danger, and Voldemort would not have obtained the Stone. But that would also have meant losing a chance to confront Voldemort and possibly destroy him.
Voldemort had temporarily abandoned Quirrell, and although no one knew where he was now, he could return at any time.
It seemed she would have to be extremely careful from this point onward. What they experienced next would certainly diverge even further from the original story.
She realized how important it was to learn more spells, combat magic, wandless magic, and nonverbal spells.
In particular, wandless magic and nonverbal casting could play a decisive role at critical moments in real combat.
Their support team still had a long way to go.
Snape shot Harry a furious look. "Especially you, Potter, always causing trouble, just like your arrogant father…"
Harry flushed.
"Professor, you can't say that about my father," Harry argued heatedly.
Amanda tugged at Harry's robes from behind, trying to pull him back.
She knew Snape had warned Harry not to go to the third floor out of concern for his safety, but Snape's harsh words seemed to have the opposite effect.
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