Chapter 81 An unexpected nighttime encounter
Night fell, and the faint moonlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the walls of the Castle.
Students returned to their dorms one by one to sleep, and the common room gradually emptied, clearing a large space.
Three sneaky figures tiptoed down the stairs, one of them holding a black cloak.
Croak! Croak! Croak!
Just as the trio was about to proceed, a toad appeared before them.
"Trevor!" Harry was stunned, a little confused as to why Neville's pet was here.
"Forget about it, we need to move quickly now," Ron said.
"Move for what?" Neville stood up from behind the sofa, looking at the trio with a grim expression.
He had only intended to sit for a while because he couldn't sleep, and to let Trevor get some fresh air.
But he never expected to block three Gryffindors who were about to leave the dorm. His sense of responsibility instantly surged, and he absolutely couldn't turn a blind eye.
"You're sneaking out again, aren't you?"
"Neville, listen, I, we..." Harry stammered, but, guilty as he was, he clearly wasn't prepared to explain.
"No, you're not allowed to go." Neville, with his sturdy build, blocked the doorway. "You've already lost one hundred and fifty points. If you get caught for being out after hours again, Gryffindor will be even more unlucky."
"Neville, we don't have time to explain to you now, quickly move aside," Ron said impatiently. "There are three of us, you can't stop us."
"I'm ready." Neville's attitude was firm. He clenched his fists and took a fighting stance.
However, his pajamas and anxious expression made his pose look awkward and somewhat comical.
"Neville, I'm sorry to do this to you." Hermione pulled out her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"
Neville's face instantly turned green, his body quickly stiffened, and his arms pressed tightly against his sides, before he fell to the floor with a thud.
Gulp!
Harry hadn't reacted yet, but Ron swallowed hard. "You're really a bit scary sometimes, you know?"
Hermione looked at the motionless Neville, her face full of apology. "I'm sorry, but this really is for your own good."
"Let's go!" Harry said.
The trio walked around Neville, who was lying on the ground, and put on the Invisibility Cloak as they exited the portrait hole.
There were more of them, so they had to make sure the Invisibility Cloak covered all three, making their travel speed much slower than normal walking… Meanwhile, Aaron in the Slytherin common room was also almost ready.
A music box, a Christmas gift from one of his relatives, had excellent sound quality and would definitely calm Cerberus.
Two pre-written letters, with almost identical content.
Once Lord Voldemort began his actions, Aaron would not hesitate to have Abey deliver the letters.
A life-saving magic item, a very inconspicuous brooch, was pinned inside his clothes. This item could withstand a full-power attack from a Grand Magister, including the Killing Curse.
Finally, there were two wands. Aaron carefully inspected them, just as meticulously as checking a quill before an exam.
"Phew!
I'm still too nervous. I should have saved half of that calming potion for myself today," Aaron chuckled, then patted Abey's dragon head and tucked the two letters into his pocket. "The green envelope is for Professor Snape, and the red envelope is for Professor McGonagall.
Your mission is very important, it might even concern my own life, do you understand?"
Abey nodded solemnly, his small face uncharacteristically serious.
Seeing this, Aaron felt a little relieved, then took out an Invisibility Potion.
He drank a quarter himself and fed another quarter to the Saint Dragon.
This would keep them invisible for nearly an hour, giving them enough time to reach the fourth-floor corridor and wait for the rabbit.
Even if the effect wore off, the remaining half of the potion would give them enough buffer time.
After becoming invisible, he took out a bottle of Felix Felicis, drank a mouthful himself, and, with a bit of a pang, fed a mouthful to Abey.
"This should be foolproof now.
Let's go!"
...About ten minutes later, Aaron arrived at the fourth-floor corridor a step ahead of Harry and the others.
The man and the dragon tacitly adjusted their breathing, cautiously approaching the wooden door.
At this moment, they had to be vigilant. What if Lord Voldemort was playing music for Fluffy? If they were discovered, it would be all for naught.
Lord Voldemort wouldn't care who was invisible at this point; he might even cast a Killing Curse directly at them both.
The lock on the wooden door was still intact, just as it had been at noon.
But Aaron became even more cautious. If the lock had been broken, it would mean Lord Voldemort had already entered the trapdoor.
However, since the lock was still intact, Aaron didn't know if he had come yet.
He could only lean close to the wooden door and listen carefully for any music inside, to make an initial judgment.
But the soundproofing of this room was quite good. Aaronstruggled for a while and only heard Fluffy's snores.
Just as he was hesitating whether to go in and check, a faint red light suddenly flashed on the door lock, and the door opened just like that.
Aaron's heart skipped a beat. He covered his own mouth with one hand and Abey's mouth with the other, afraid of making the slightest sound.
Only after the door closed did he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Finally, he's here." Aaron put Abey down, then pointed outside the corridor, the meaning clear: I'll guard here first, you go report.
Abey didn't move immediately. After hesitating for a moment, he extended his dragon claw towards the wooden door, then quickly shook his head.
"Something's wrong?"
Aaron frowned and continued to press his ear against the door.
Soon, a few dark lines appeared on his forehead.
Because besides the Cerberus's snores, he also heard the voices of a few familiar people.
Without time to think, he pushed open the door and walked in, as expected, seeing three Gryffindors.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all there, not one missing.
"How did the door open?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"Maybe it wasn't closed properly!" Harry didn't care, he just glanced at the self-playing harp. "Snape has already been here; he cast a spell on the harp."
"It wasn't necessarily Professor Snape who came," Aaroninterjected, speechless. "He should be sleeping in his dorm at this time."
"Who? Who's there?"
The trio instantly panicked, pulling out their wands and pointing them towards the direction of the voice.
"Uh... don't be so nervous." Aaron stepped out of his invisible state. "If we wake Fluffy, we'll be miserable."
"Aaron, why are you here too?" Harry asked excitedly. "Do you also have an Invisibility Cloak?"
"I don't have such an item, but I do have a bottle of Invisibility Potion." Aaron spread his hands, then scanned the still-playing harp, his pupils slightly contracting.
Since this harp wasn't set up by Harry and his friends, it could only be Lord Voldemort.
Realizing this, he immediately gave a look to the Saint Dragon, who was still crouching at the doorway.
Upon receiving the signal, Abey swiftly dashed out into the corridor.
"What are you doing here?"
"Getting the Philosopher's Stone before You-Know-Who." Hermione explained, then became a little dejected. "But it seems we're a step too late."
Aaron couldn't help but slap his forehead. "I think I said I was confident I could stop You-Know-Who, didn't I?
Do you really not trust me?"
"It's not that we don't trust you, it's just that we can't put the burden on you alone," Harry said seriously.
"Heh heh! Don't misunderstand.
Let me state beforehand, I have my own reasons for stopping him, but it's not for you."
"It doesn't matter.
Since you're here too, it means you're on our side.
Although we're a step late, there are still many traps under the trapdoor!
You-Know-Who definitely hasn't succeeded yet, we still have a chance." Harry said, walking up to Fluffy. "We need to move his paw; the trapdoor is underneath."
"Move what?" Aaron said impatiently. "What you need to do now is go back to sleep. Staying here will only get in the way, and... it's very dangerous."
"What about you?" Hermione asked meaningfully. "You're planning to stay, aren't you?"
"That's not important. What's important is that I'm confident I can get out safely."
Harry shook his head. "No matter how much you talk, we won't let you face this alone.
Besides, if you fail, having us help will provide backup."
Aaron:...Why didn't I realize this kid was so stubborn before?
"Ron, come help me!"
"Okay!"
The two laboriously moved aside a giant dog's paw, revealing the trapdoor underneath.
Once opened, it revealed a pitch-black passage.
"Tsk tsk tsk! It looks scary." Driven by curiosity, Aaronwalked closer to take a look.
"I'll go in first. Wait for my signal, then you come down," Harry volunteered. "If anything goes wrong, just escape on your own."