"Dumbledore actually borrowed the Philosopher's Stone from my master—"
"Wait a minute," Adelaide's heart skipped a beat when she heard Armandina mention that Nicolas Flamel was her master. She caught the keyword and asked with a face full of shock, "You're saying Nicolas Flamel is your master?"
Armandina didn't seem surprised by Adelaide's reaction. She explained with a slight smile, "Yes. Otherwise, how could Dumbledore have agreed to let an intern Auror like me, who hasn't been graduated for long, teach at Hogwarts?"
Adelaide clicked her tongue, secretly marveling at the depth of Armandina's background.
Armandina seemed to sense Adelaide's thoughts. She smiled dismissively, brushed her hair back, and continued, "If you're willing to give me a kiss, I'll go beg my master to lend you the Philosopher's Stone for a few days of study. How about it?"
Hearing this, the corners of Adelaide's mouth curled up into a faint smile. She then lifted the Haskui she was holding in her right hand and pointed at the parrot's claws, which were tightly gripping the Philosopher's Stone, saying to Armandina, "Take a look at what this is."
Armandina's eyes widened instantly, her face filled with an expression of disbelief. She froze as if she had been hit by a Petrificus Totalus.
"The... the Philosopher's Stone! How is it in your hands!"
Armandina's voice trembled slightly. Was the security system at Hogwarts really this poor?
Adelaide let out a deep sigh, as if a heavy burden weighed on her heart, and said slowly, "I think we should head to the Headmaster's Office first."
Armandina naturally understood the gravity of the Philosopher's Stone appearing in Adelaide's hands. She didn't say much, just nodded silently, and then led Adelaide toward the Headmaster's Office.
When they arrived at the entrance to the Headmaster's Office, they were surprised to find the Gargoyle guarding the door knocked over to the side, as if it had suffered a massive impact. Even more shocking was the circular hole that had appeared in the wall behind it; the surrounding masonry was shattered, clearly indicating that someone had forced their way into Dumbledore's office.
Seeing this, Armandina didn't say a word. She immediately reached out, grabbed Adelaide, and quickly retreated.
At the same time, she didn't hesitate to cast four or five advanced Patronuses. These Patronuses, like streaks of bright light, whistled and scattered in all directions to call for backup.
Armandina knew very well that her task was only to protect her young mistress's safety at Hogwarts. Dealing with intruders who break into the Headmaster's Office was better left to the professional Hogwarts Professors.
Adelaide's reaction was also quite swift. She immediately drew her wand from her robes and held it tightly, entering a state of high alert.
She realized now that Haskui hadn't come to find her on a whim, but because it had encountered some kind of danger.
Adelaide glanced at Haskui on her shoulder, who was pecking at her shoulder with an unsatisfied look, demanding nuts—this little thing was far too carefree. Despite such a major event, it had calmly flown to her dormitory with the Philosopher's Stone to ask for snacks!
The first to arrive was Professor McGonagall. She was still wearing her tartan dressing gown, and her hair was somewhat disheveled, as if she had been suddenly woken from a dream.
Despite her somewhat bedraggled appearance, the powerful aura she radiated was not to be underestimated.
Standing to the side, Adelaide couldn't help but feel a sense of awe toward Professor McGonagall, while also secretly wondering if she was a bit grumpy from having her sleep interrupted.
Armandina quickly pulled Adelaide behind Professor McGonagall and asked, "Ms. McGonagall, is Mr. Dumbledore not at Hogwarts?"
Professor McGonagall frowned and said in a low voice, "Dumbledore received an urgent Owl message at the end of the feast. I don't know what the letter said, but he left Hogwarts in a hurry."
At this point, her tone became increasingly grave. "Now it seems this was likely a diversion; the opponent's true target should have been the Philosopher's Stone, and it looks like they've already succeeded."
Hearing the words 'Philosopher's Stone,' Adelaide chimed in weakly, "Professor McGonagall, the Philosopher's Stone is currently with me. It's possible Haskui realized something was wrong, so it brought the Philosopher's Stone to my dormitory to find me."
"What!"
Professor McGonagall looked at the red stone in Haskui's claws with total astonishment, her eyes wide as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
It took a while before she regained her composure. She took a deep breath and said slowly, "Miss Grindelwald, you have done exceptionally well—it was a very wise decision to contact a teacher immediately after discovering the Philosopher's Stone. 30 points to Ravenclaw."
Hearing Professor McGonagall's words, the corner of Adelaide's mouth twitched slightly.
She was secretly groaning inside because she was too embarrassed to confess the truth to Professor McGonagall—the fact was, she hadn't proactively sought out Armandina after finding the stone; rather, the other party had written a note beforehand asking her out for a secret meeting.
Armandina had only asked to meet her at midnight to use the Philosopher's Stone as bait to get Adelaide to kiss her.
Adelaide getting the Philosopher's Stone from Haskui and rushing to the crime scene with Armandina was all just a coincidence.
Armandina, standing nearby, also seemed to sense a hint of awkwardness and rubbed her nose unnaturally.
In that brief lull, Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick both arrived on the scene.
"I've sent Pomona to keep an eye on Quirrell... Miss Rosier, what exactly happened here?"
Seeing this, Armandina immediately seized the opportunity to change the subject. "Mr. Flitwick, the Headmaster's Office was infiltrated by an unknown person a short while ago... Speaking of which, should we go in and take a look? Perhaps the intruder hasn't left yet."
Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Snape exchanged looks and nodded; they all felt they couldn't just wait passively.
Professor McGonagall thought for two seconds before assigning tasks: "Filius and I will go inside to check the situation. Severus and Miss Rosier will stay at the door just in case. As for Miss Grindelwald..."
She turned to look at Adelaide. Originally, she wanted her to leave the Philosopher's Stone and go back, but McGonagall suddenly remembered Dumbledore mentioning he had taught Adelaide the Fiendfyre—from that perspective, Adelaide could be considered a competent combatant. She might as well stay and guard the stone.
"Miss Grindelwald, stand back a bit and protect the Philosopher's Stone. You must not let it out of your sight."
With that, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick cast Protego Totalum on everyone present. Then, along with Professor Flitwick, they slipped through the shattered hole in the wall and up the spiral staircase into the Headmaster's Office.
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