The three of them entered Adrian's office.
However, the office was still empty, with no sign of even the Devil's Snare they had seen last time.
"It seems the professor isn't here," Hermione looked at Harry. "Where do you think Professor Westeros might be?"
Harry shook his head, then began examining the office.
Compared to last time, the layout appeared unchanged, except for some crooked tables and chairs that had been added along the left wall.
Hmm, they looked quite ugly.
His eyes lit up when he noticed a suitcase sitting in the corner.
Harry walked over to the suitcase and carried it to the center of the room—it was heavier than he had expected.
"Let me think about how to use this thing..."
Under Ron and Hermione's puzzled gazes, Harry mustered his strength and tossed the suitcase upward.
The suitcase traced a graceful arc in the air, stretching and reconfiguring like a living creature. By the time it landed, it had transformed into what looked like a door.
"Wow."
Ron's mouth hung open, wide enough to fit a Quaffle.
Hermione's eyes shone with excitement: "What spell was used for this? A Transfiguration Charm? Or something else?"
"Professor Westeros is probably inside," Harry explained, knocking on the door.
"Why don't we just go in?" Ron asked, confused.
Harry shook his head: "Professor Westeros has said that without his permission, no one can enter that door."
Of course, Harry himself had been granted permission.
Hearing Harry say this, Ron and Hermione suddenly became curious about what lay beyond the door.
Ron said with a smile: "Come on, Harry. You know Professor Westeros likes you so much, he won't get angry. Let's just go in and look—"
His words were cut short as the doorknob suddenly began to turn.
A moment later, the door opened, and Adrian appeared before them.
"Oh, it's you all." Adrian showed no surprise at seeing the three of them.
The morning plant nursery had been somewhat damp, and Adrian's robes were now quite wet.
He waved his hand, and his robes automatically flew to the coat rack by the door.
Then, Adrian closed the portal, letting it transform back into a suitcase, which he set aside. Turning to the three who stood awkwardly, he said kindly: "Let's sit down and talk. Hagrid recently made me a set of tables and chairs. His craftsmanship is truly remarkable."
Harry looked at those shockingly ugly tables and chairs along the left wall, and suddenly found them much more appealing.
After sitting down, Adrian looked at the three and smiled: "So, what brings you three to me this time?"
"About the Philosopher's Stone stored on the fourth floor of the castle, Professor," Harry said concisely. "Quirrell and Snape are after it."
Upon hearing Harry's words, Adrian's hand holding the teacup paused briefly. "...How did you find out about that?"
So, Harry roughly recounted to Adrian what he had heard in the Forbidden Forest, including how Snape had called Quirrell "Master," and how Quirrell had instructed Snape to find a way past Fluffy.
Then, Harry shared his theory that the room on the fourth floor was designed as a series of challenges for adventure-seeking students.
After listening, Adrian couldn't help but marvel at the child's rich imagination.
At this point, Hermione interjected: "Also, Professor, we know you want that Philosopher's Stone too. You should hurry, because if Snape and Quirrell find a way past Fluffy, it will be too late."
"?"
Adrian couldn't help but display a puzzled expression as he looked at the three: "When did I ever say I wanted to get the Philosopher's Stone?"
Seeing Adrian's reaction, the three exchanged perplexed glances.
Hermione pointed to the bookshelf in Adrian's office. "We noticed you were looking at those books about the Philosopher's Stone and Nicolas Flamel..."
Adrian laughed, dumbfounded.
"Ah, you must have misunderstood," He said with a smile. "Things aren't as complicated as you imagine. Since you already know about the Philosopher's Stone, I'll tell you: regarding the room on the fourth floor, it's not a series of challenges, but rather protections set up by Headmaster Dumbledore to safeguard the Philosopher's Stone. Snape and I both contributed to that effort."
"Huh?"
Harry glanced at Hermione, who was deep in thought, and then at the dumbfounded Ron, before asking Adrian: "Then... why would Snape and Quirrell want to steal the Philosopher's Stone?"
"That, I don't know," Adrian shrugged and told the three. "However, I will report this matter to Headmaster Dumbledore."
Only then did the three nodded with relief.
"All right," Adrian winked at Harry, then announced: "Regarding this matter, you don't need to worry."
After leaving the office, the three walked briskly back to their common room.
Most of the mystery surrounding the fourth-floor room had been solved. The only unanswered question was—why would Snape and Quirrell want to steal the Philosopher's Stone?
Although they were curious, it was nothing more than curiosity. Whether Snape and Quirrell obtained the Philosopher's Stone had nothing to do with them.
Since Adrian said he would report to Dumbledore, there was no need to worry.
Meanwhile, Adrian sat in his office chair, facing the wall, deep in thought.
Something Harry had just said troubled him.
Snape actually addressed Quirrell as "Master"!
As everyone knew, there was only one person who could make Snape address them that way, and that was Voldemort himself.
Combined with Quirrell's recent behavior, Adrian suspected that Voldemort had now completely taken over Quirrell's body.
That is to say, it was Voldemort, not Quirrell, who had been teaching students recently.
Hmm... How would Dumbledore handle this news if he knew?
Would he take the opportunity to crush Voldemort early?
Or would he follow the original path, doing nothing, letting Harry confront Voldemort to test and temper him?
As for Adrian, he still preferred the first option.
Although the current Voldemort probably posed little threat, it was still Voldemort after all.
Who knew what other tricks he might have up his sleeve?
Of course, letting Harry face Voldemort wouldn't be a problem either.
It was just a tiny soul fragment after all.
Under the deliberate protection of both himself and Dumbledore, Adrian didn't think Harry would be in any mortal danger.
However, Adrian had no intention of reporting this matter to Dumbledore.
For him, it was better to stay away from this situation publicly. He had no desire to attract Dumbledore's attention.
And in all likelihood, Dumbledore certainly already knew about this.
Others might not be aware, but Adrian knew that Snape was now loyal to Dumbledore's faction.
Voldemort choosing to reveal himself to Snape... what a terrible choice.
Adrian couldn't help but feel sorry for the Dark Lord.
His future looked bleak.
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