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  Harry looked unwell after Potions class.

  “Am I imagining things? I have the feeling Snape is targeting me.”

  “It was Snape who kept pointing out your mistakes. Otherwise, your cauldron might have ended up like Neville’s…”

  Amanda tried to comfort him.

  To be honest, she felt a hint of envy. Snape’s eyes were always fixed on Harry and his cauldron; a Potions lesson felt almost like a private tutorial centered entirely on him.

  “But I still feel like something’s wrong,” Harry said, frowning.

  “Actually… your intuition might be right,” Draco said suddenly in a low voice.

  Harry turned to him. “Draco, do you know why?”

  “Hm.” Draco nodded. “I wrote to my father a few days ago, mentioning that my godfather’s attitude toward you was a bit strange. He told me some things about his own school days.”

  “What things?”

  “Do you really want to know?” Draco asked.

  “Seriously?” Harry looked at him expectantly.

  “It has to do with your parents… and it might be shocking,” Draco said.

  Harry stared at him, confused.

  “Your parents and Snape were classmates.”

  Seeing Harry’s puzzled expression, Draco continued. “And they were mortal enemies. To put it bluntly, your father, James Potter, often formed cliques and led groups to bully my godfather, doing all kinds of things to humiliate him.”

  Harry’s eyes widened; he seemed unable to accept it.

  Amanda showed her understanding.

  All these years, Harry had always held his parents in the highest regard. Lily was indeed as pure and gentle as a jasmine flower, but James was certainly not an entirely virtuous person.

  Now that Harry knew his father was not as perfect or absolutely righteous as he had imagined, especially considering the harm he had caused Snape, it was understandable that he could not accept it right away.

  “My dad… he really bullied Snape?” Harry stammered.

  “Yes… maybe because my godfather was withdrawn, or because he didn’t like washing his hair, or because he supported bloodline ideology. In any case, he was bullied. Of course, my godfather fought back, but only a few times. And there’s one more crucial thing.”

  Draco paused deliberately.

  “What is it?” Harry asked anxiously.

  “Your mother, Lily… she was my godfather’s first love. They were childhood sweethearts. But Lily chose James later. So on the first day of class, my godfather looked into your eyes and said you were the spitting image of Lily.”

  Harry was speechless.

  “My mother… and that greasy bat?”

  What Draco had said that day completely surpassed his imagination.

  Dazed, Harry turned back, choosing to return to the dormitory alone, even forgetting to go with Amanda and Draco.

  That afternoon, however, Amanda still asked Draco to go to the dormitory and call Harry out. Harry followed Draco with an empty gaze, clearly still reeling from the morning’s blow.

  “We’re supposed to meet Hagrid,” Amanda reminded him.

  “What… oh, right. Meet Hagrid.”

  Harry repeated it several times before grasping the meaning and, as if in a trance, led them forward.

  “Harry, this isn’t the way.” Draco smacked Harry hard on the head as Amanda reminded him for the sixth time that they were going the wrong way.

  “Wake up.” Harry covered his face with his hands, his eyes filled with tears.

  Still, it was clear that this brought him back to himself. In short, Harry seemed much more like his normal self again.

  They left the castle, crossed the fields, and arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where a small hut stood, the home where Hagrid lived.

  Amanda knocked on the door. A low bark came from inside, followed by Hagrid’s voice.

  “Yeah, yeah, go round the back, we’ve got visitors.”

  A moment later, the door opened. Holding the leash of a huge black dog, Hagrid said, “Fang, go round the back.”

  When Draco saw the enormous dog, his expression changed instantly. He took several steps back, distancing himself from the door. “I’m not going in. I’ll wait outside.”

  “Don’t be shy, Fang isn’t mean,” Hagrid said, releasing the leash.

  Fang immediately leapt at Draco.

  “Ah!”

  Draco’s expression shifted dramatically as he instinctively raised his arm to shield himself. But Fang only knocked him to the ground and began licking his face enthusiastically.

  “Hahahaha, looks like you’ve finally met your match,” Harry laughed.

  Amanda couldn’t help laughing as well.

  After Fang finally finished his enthusiastic welcome, the three of them sat down inside Hagrid’s hut. Hagrid handed them some freshly baked rock cakes.

  Despite being mentally prepared, Amanda nearly broke a tooth on her first bite. She exchanged a glance with Draco, and the two discreetly passed their rock cakes to Harry, who was chewing contentedly.

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  Amanda told Hagrid about Harry’s condition over the past few days. After listening, Hagrid asked what had happened the day before yesterday. Amanda explained everything in detail, also mentioning that Harry had been selected for the Quidditch team because of it.

  Hagrid sighed and shook his head.

  “There’ll always be people who don’t appreciate the chance to study at Hogwarts.”

  “Hagrid,” Harry said suddenly, taking another bite of his rock cake, “you knew my parents, didn’t you? Do you know anything about my parents and Snape?”

  Hagrid flinched and looked away.

  “Ah… just trivial things. Nothing serious.”

  “Hagrid, I know everything. I know my dad used to bully Snape, and I also know about my mum and Snape…”

  Harry asked eagerly, perhaps hoping to hear the truth from someone who had known his parents.

  Hagrid gently patted his head.

  “In my opinion, James and Snape were rivals. But James always had lots of friends, while Snape was usually alone and had an eccentric personality, so he was often at a disadvantage. Your mother broke away from him because he once called her a Mudblood…”

  “Mudblood is an extremely offensive term for a witch born to Muggle parents, something your mother simply couldn’t accept. From that moment on, she distanced herself from him.”

  “I hope you won’t grow to resent your father because of this. He did some wrong things, but he also did many good ones. And I feel the same way about Snape, both the good and the bad.”

  Harry nodded, seeming to understand.

  While Harry and Hagrid continued talking, Amanda had already spotted a small piece of paper tucked beneath the teapot on the table.

  She gestured for Draco to come over and look with her.

  It was a clipping from the Daily Prophet.

  It read: Report on the Gringotts Break-In Incident

  The investigation into this incident is ongoing. At present, it is generally believed to be the work of an unknown Dark wizard.

  Gringotts issued another statement today, emphasizing that its security is extremely strict, that nothing was stolen, and that the vault in question had been emptied on the morning of August 1st.

  A Gringotts spokesperson stated this afternoon: Please do not interfere with the way Gringotts is handling this incident. The items stored in the vault contain private client information, and no further comments will be made.

  “I remember Harry saying that Hagrid went to Gringotts on August 1st to retrieve a small, mysterious package,” Draco murmured.

  He glanced at Harry and Hagrid, who were still chatting animatedly.

  “Yes,” Amanda replied quietly. “I think that package contained the Philosopher’s Stone. Dumbledore asked Hagrid to retrieve it and bring it to Hogwarts.” Amanda whispered.

  “Luckily, they took it away beforehand. Otherwise, the Philosopher’s Stone might have been stolen.”

  “Where do you think the Philosopher’s Stone is?” Draco whispered back.

  “I don’t know, but… it’s definitely not somewhere students can visit often.”

  According to the original storyline, Dumbledore placed the Philosopher’s Stone inside the Mirror of Erised after Christmas, then moved the mirror to the right-hand corridor on the fourth floor.

  So, in truth, she had no idea where Dumbledore had hidden the Stone at this point.

  “I imagine it could be in the Headmaster’s office, or some other office. Or maybe in the Forbidden Forest, or even the Black Lake, or perhaps it’s something Dumbledore always carries with him.”

  Amanda shared her reasoning.

  “Amanda, do you remember Dumbledore saying at the Opening Feast that students were forbidden from entering the right-hand corridor on the fourth floor?” Draco asked.

  “Of course I remember.”

  She knew the Philosopher’s Stone would indeed appear there in the future, but maybe not yet.

  “I suspect that’s the most likely place,” Draco said seriously. “Otherwise, why would they ban all students from going there?”

  “That makes sense. We can go and take a look.”

  Amanda suddenly changed her mind. She thought it over again.

  During the Halloween feast, Snape had rushed to the fourth floor to check on something, suggesting that the Philosopher’s Stone was probably already there. After that incident, security had been reinforced.

  Although she wasn’t completely sure, she knew she would never know whether the Philosopher’s Stone truly existed unless she checked for herself.

  But they couldn’t go in unprepared.

  What about the three-headed dog guarding the entrance? Or Wizard’s Chess, Merlin, she had never played Wizard’s Chess before!

  “Draco, what musical instruments do you play?”

  Draco looked baffled by Amanda’s seemingly random question.

  “Huh? What does that have to do with the fourth-floor corridor?”

  Amanda shook her head. “Nothing, I’m just curious whether Young Master Draco studied music from an early age.”

  Draco turned his face away awkwardly, the tips of his ears turning pale pink.

  “Um… I don’t know why you’re interested, but I have some familiarity with most musical instruments.”

  Amanda nodded thoughtfully.

  The other mechanisms, breaking through the vines and retrieving the key, weren’t difficult, and Snape’s potion logic puzzle was relatively simple. That meant only Wizard’s Chess remained.

  I’ll need to find an opportunity to learn from Draco when we get back.

  …

  That night, they walked along the path back to the castle.

  Amanda told Harry about their discovery and their plan.

  Harry nodded enthusiastically at first, then asked curiously, “But why would we go in there? I mean, I’m curious too, but what I’m really asking is, what if the Philosopher’s Stone really is there, and we find it?”

  Amanda shrugged. “Then, of course, we return it to Dumbledore.”

  “We can’t deal with Quirrell right now, so we’ll have to go after the Philosopher’s Stone instead. If the three of us, first-years, can get the Stone so easily, what does that imply?”

  Amanda raised an eyebrow.

  “If we can overcome all the obstacles, then dealing with the Dark Lord and Quirrell will be even easier.”

  Draco stroked his chin, deep in thought.

  “Definitely,” Harry agreed.

  They walked along the narrow path in front of Hagrid’s hut as the light gradually faded. On the other side of the path lay the Forbidden Forest, pitch-black and occasionally echoing with mysterious sounds.

  Draco straightened his robes and quickened his pace.

  “It’s getting dark. We need to head back quickly.”

  “Mm,” Amanda replied.

  “Amanda, I have a feeling there’s something in the Forbidden Forest,” Harry said, following behind them and casting a curious glance toward the trees.

  “It could be centaurs or something like that… there are probably a lot of dangerous creatures in there.”

  No sooner had Amanda finished speaking than a sharp, mournful cry suddenly echoed from deep within the Forbidden Forest, a tragic, chilling sound. Immediately afterward, a flock of owls burst into flight above the forest with a rush of wings.

  By the time the sound reached them, it was no longer loud, yet it was still unmistakably clear as they walked along the forest’s edge.

  Draco was instantly terrified, his face turning deathly pale.

  “Hurry up!”

  He sprinted several steps ahead, then turned back when he realized Amanda and Harry hadn’t caught up, urging them on anxiously.

  Amanda slowed her pace. The sorrowful cry unsettled her. The tone was soft and velvety, high-pitched yet not shrill, strangely beautiful.

  She had never heard it before, yet it felt oddly familiar, as if she had read about it somewhere.

  Suddenly, she remembered a book she had read the previous month describing magical creatures, specifically, the voice of a unicorn.

  She also remembered that, during this time, Voldemort was surviving by drinking unicorn blood.

  With their current strength, entering the Forbidden Forest would be suicidal, not to mention the difficulty of protecting themselves inside. Facing Quirrell and Voldemort there would be nothing short of a death sentence.

  For now, they could only leave this to Hagrid and the professors.

  “I think we need to tell Hagrid,” Amanda said.

  She turned and ran back toward Hagrid’s hut.

  “Huh? Tell him what?” Draco asked, reluctantly following.

  “That cry was probably from a unicorn. It sounded dangerous.”

  “Unicorns… Even though they’re extremely rare, there’s no guarantee they won’t be hunted or attacked by something.”

  Amanda said solemnly, “Unicorn blood can prolong life…”

  Harry’s expression changed dramatically. “Voldemort?”

  “It’s possible,” Amanda replied carefully.

  “Oh Merlin, go, now! We need to inform the professors as soon as possible!” Harry immediately took off toward the castle.

  As he ran, he shouted back, “Draco, keep an eye on Amanda, make sure nothing happens to her!”

  Draco watched Harry’s figure disappear into the distance, then glanced at the dark Forbidden Forest beside him.

  Damn it.

  Amanda had already run quite far ahead. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and kept running.

  Fortunately, the path was fairly flat, so it wasn’t easy to trip even with her eyes shut.

  Relieved, Draco stepped forward, and suddenly felt something beneath his foot.

  He lost his balance and crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

  Bathed in moonlight, Draco stared in horror as he realized he had stepped on something writhing and crawling across the ground.

  “Wh, mmph…” Before he could speak, an icy hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

  …

  Hearing strange noises behind her, Amanda glanced back while running. The path was silent. No one was there.

  “That was strange, wasn’t Draco right behind her? Had he gone into the castle with Harry?” she thought.

  No. Harry had specifically asked Draco to stay with her. Given Draco’s personality, he wouldn’t have abandoned her and run off alone.

  Then where was Draco?

  ******

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