"Finally, I must tell you all solemnly that anyone who does not wish to suffer an accident and die a painful death should absolutely not step into the corridor on the right-hand side of the fourth floor."
Bursts of laughter immediately erupted in the Great Hall, and students whispered to each other as if Dumbledore's warning was just a joke.
Adelaide, sitting among the students, did not laugh. She didn't even move the corners of her mouth, simply staring blankly at the burning candles in front of Dumbledore.
Just then, Adelaide suddenly felt something bump into the palm of her right hand. She looked down and found a small ball of paper had appeared in her hand at some point.
She picked up the paper ball in confusion and opened it, only to see written clearly on the note: 12 o'clock tonight, meet outside Ravenclaw Tower.
Hiss~
This scene feels somewhat familiar!
Adelaide jerked her head up to look at Armandina, only to see the other girl winking at her with a mischievous grin... Fine then.
Adelaide quietly tucked the paper ball away, while secretly wondering in her heart what was about to happen recently—
"...Before everyone retires to bed, let us sing the school song together!"
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a long golden ribbon writhed in the air like a snake, then coiled into lines of text, floating above the dining tables.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," Dumbledore's voice was full of excitement, seemingly completely oblivious to the stiff smiles of the other teachers, "Ready, sing!"
Adelaide followed along as everyone finished singing the song in a disjointed manner, ending this year's opening feast feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
She took Cho Chang's arm and wound her way up the marble staircase to Ravenclaw Tower and back to that familiar dormitory. Changing into her pajamas, she collapsed onto the bed draped with deep blue velvet curtains.
After an unknown amount of time, Adelaide suddenly felt something gently pecking her back.
At first, she was in a half-asleep state and didn't pay much attention, but the thing kept pecking incessantly, making it impossible for her to continue sleeping.
Adelaide slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was still a bit blurry, and it took a while before she could see the scene in front of her clearly.
To her surprise, she discovered that the fellow pecking her back was actually Haskui, whom she hadn't seen for a long time!
This little traitor who had abandoned her for a new flame had vanished for the entire summer vacation ever since being lured away by the Phoenix Fawkes.
"Yo, you little rascal finally decided to come back, huh!"
Adelaide said crossly, "Wait, what's that you're holding in your claws?"
Her gaze was suddenly drawn to the object held in Haskui's right claw. It was a small red stone that looked very special.
"Merlin's nails!"
Adelaide was instantly startled awake. She hurriedly reached out to grab Haskui, wanting to snatch the small red stone held in its right claw.
Haskui didn't seem to want to let go easily and even started a tug-of-war with Adelaide.
After a brief struggle, Adelaide finally succeeded in getting the small red stone into her hands.
She looked closely and was immediately so shocked that her mouth hung open—this was actually the legendary Philosopher's Stone!
"My little ancestor, where did you steal this from?"
Adelaide stared at Haskui with wide eyes, her face full of disbelief.
Haskui was completely indifferent to Adelaide's questioning. It just kept pecking at Adelaide's shoulder, seemingly asking her for snacks.
Adelaide sighed helplessly and sat up to check the time.
It was already 11:20 PM, and only forty minutes remained until her scheduled meeting with Armandina.
At this time, her roommates, exhausted from the journey, had long since entered the land of dreams, and the entire dormitory was quiet.
Adelaide knew that time was pressing and could not afford any delay. She quickly grabbed Haskui and touched the sapphire ring on her hand to teleport to Iceland.
Adelaide had originally planned to find an opportunity to talk to Nicolas Flamel after Harry completed Dumbledore's trial. Even if she couldn't get the whole stone, she could get some powder for experiments—she hadn't expected this treasure of the Wizarding World to unexpectedly fall into her hands.
However, the main use of the Philosopher's Stone at the moment was to deceive Lord Voldemort. Adelaide didn't plan to keep it for herself for now; she only thought about secretly grinding off some powder to save.
This way, she could ensure the integrity of the Philosopher's Stone while also leaving a precious material for herself.
No sooner said than done, Adelaide immediately began to act.
She found a bag of nuts nearby as a reward for Haskui, and then focused all her attention on the great undertaking of fleecing the Philosopher's Stone.
Unfortunately, Adelaide underestimated the hardness of the Philosopher's Stone—despite putting forth all her effort for a full half-hour, she only managed to scrape off 15 grams of powder.
Adelaide knew very well in her heart that excessive greed is often the fuse for disaster.
Seeing that it was almost 12 o'clock, she decisively stopped her powder-grinding project. After putting away the Philosopher's Stone powder, she placed the slightly worn Philosopher's Stone back into Haskui's claws and teleported back to the dormitory with it.
Adelaide put on a cloak and went out with Haskui to keep her appointment with Armandina.
Perhaps because she had a few extra drinks that evening, Armandina had become unusually passionate and unrestrained, catching Adelaide a bit off guard.
As soon as they met, Armandina pounced on Adelaide like a hungry tiger. Before Adelaide could react, she was held tightly by Armandina.
She only felt a rich, delicate fragrance wafting into her nose, instantly enveloping her entire head in softness, as if she were placed in a valley full of flowers.
"My little master My life's faith"
Armandina's voice rang in Adelaide's ear, carrying a hint of drunkenness and blurred consciousness.
"Let go of me first, Armandina. I have urgent business to tell you!"
While struggling to break free from Armandina's embrace, Adelaide quickened her breathing frequency, trying to gather more oxygen from Armandina's chest.
"I have urgent business to say too~"
Not only did Armandina not let go, but she also took the opportunity to force Adelaide back against the wall, then propped her right hand against the wall, giving Adelaide a standard wall-slam.
Her left hand moved from bottom to top, gently stroking Adelaide's cheek, and she said somewhat ambiguously, "Little master, have you heard of the Philosopher's Stone? It's that product of ancient Alchemy that can turn base metals into gold and produce the Elixir of Life; its production process is tedious and difficult, and only one remains in today's Wizarding World."
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