The following afternoon…
Hermione sat beside Charlotte in the Great Hall, gripping her fork with a serious expression.
“I’m telling you…” “There’s definitely something suspicious about Snape.” “We should expose him to Professor Dumbledore.” Charlotte silently spared the perennial scapegoat Snape a second of sympathy before replying, “I agree with Harry and Ron.” “Everything you’ve said is just speculation.” “You don’t even know what was supposedly stolen.” “You’re imagining the entire thing.” In the original course of events, Hermione, Harry, and Ron had already begun suspecting Snape and were secretly investigating him.
However…
Charlotte’s arrival had already altered the timeline.
Professor Quirrell had disappeared from Hogwarts.
If the three of them investigated now…
They would only end up alerting the real culprit again.
Harry said nothing.
Ron, on the other hand, nodded vigorously.
“Exactly!” “I’ve been saying that all along.” “Sure, Snape has a terrible reputation…” “But Dumbledore personally appointed him.” “You should trust Dumbledore’s judgement.” Unfortunately…
Charlotte had underestimated Hermione’s stubbornness.
Rather than convincing her…
Their opposition only strengthened her resolve.
“I’ll prove all of you wrong.” “And Hagrid definitely knows what Snape is after.” “The thing he collected from Gringotts with Harry.” “It has to be the treasure hidden on the fourth floor.” With that, she stormed away in a huff.
Ron sighed.
“Honestly…” “She’s always so full of herself.” “Forget about her.” He turned towards Charlotte and Harry.
“Since we’ve finished eating…” “Are you two heading off for Quidditch practice?” Charlotte shook his head.
“Captain Roger accidentally mixed the wrong potion in Potions class a couple of days ago.” “He’s still in the Hospital Wing.” “I just hope he’s recovered before the Quidditch match.” Ron immediately brightened.
“Perfect!” “Harry isn’t training today either.” He lowered his voice mysteriously.
“Let’s go to Hogsmeade.” “I’ve heard Honeydukes sells incredible fudge…” “And giant chocolate bars!” Harry looked puzzled.
“Hogsmeade?” “Only third-years and above are allowed to go there.” “And we need signed permission slips.” “Ron…” “We can’t even get through the school gates.” A mysterious smile appeared on Ron’s face.
“I know a secret passage.” Half an hour later…
The four of them stood in the corridor containing the statue of the humpbacked, one-eyed witch on the third floor of Hogwarts Castle.
Hermione had only come because Charlotte insisted.
Rather than allowing her to run around the castle alone chasing imaginary clues…
He preferred keeping her where he could see her.
Just in case something happened.
To be honest…
Charlotte had always suspected that the entire Philosopher’s Stone incident had been orchestrated by Dumbledore to accelerate Harry’s growth.
There were simply too many inconsistencies.
For example…
The Philosopher’s Stone was unimaginably valuable.
Why hadn’t Dumbledore retrieved it from Gringotts himself?
Why send the notoriously talkative Hagrid?
And if Snape had already realised Quirrell was suspicious…
Why was Quirrell still able to approach the chamber on the fourth floor so easily?
Charlotte believed Dumbledore understood that the weakened Voldemort posed little genuine threat to Harry.
He had simply wanted Harry to face adversity…
To mature quickly…
And prepare himself for the responsibility of saving the wizarding world.
Of course…
That was only Charlotte’s theory.
His own arrival had already thrown the original story into chaos.
Meanwhile…
Ron carefully checked both ends of the corridor.
Making sure nobody was watching, he pulled out his wand, tapped the humpbacked witch, and said, “Dissendium!” The witch immediately split apart.
A hidden stone slide appeared inside.
“Come on!” Ron jumped in first.
Hermione hesitated.
Charlotte gave her a gentle push from behind.
The four of them slid rapidly down the tunnel.
After a while, Hermione couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Where exactly are you taking me?” “Hogsmeade.” Ron answered proudly.
“This passage leads directly into Honeydukes.” “Fred and George told me about it.” “Hardly anyone at Hogwarts knows it exists.” Hermione’s eyes widened.
“Have you all gone mad?” “If the professors catch us…” “We’ll lose House points.” “And we’ll all end up in detention!” Charlotte chuckled.
“They won’t catch us.” They continued sliding for another ten minutes before reaching the bottom.
A long stone staircase stretched upwards.
Roughly two hundred steps later…
They arrived beneath a concealed wooden trapdoor.
Beyond it lay Honeydukes’ cellar.
After quietly climbing out, they successfully entered the famous sweetshop.
Although Hermione had been terrified of getting caught only moments earlier…
The instant she saw the dazzling variety of sweets lining every shelf…
She forgot all about her worries.
Exactly as Charlotte had expected.
Soon afterwards…
Each of them emerged carrying armfuls of sweets.
Charlotte smiled.
“I’ve got a suggestion.” “Why don’t we visit the Hog’s Head?” “I heard that during the Goblin Rebellion of 1612…” “It served as the rebels’ headquarters.” Harry and Ron nodded immediately.
“Sounds good.” “Hagrid goes there all the time.” “He says it’s a fascinating place.” Hermione shrugged.
“I don’t mind.” “We’re already here.” “I’ve heard their Butterbeer is excellent.” “Maybe I’ll try some.” The moment they stepped inside…
They realised the Hog’s Head was nothing like they’d imagined.
Only one word could adequately describe it.
Dirty.
The chairs…
The tables…
The mugs…
Even the beer bottles…
Everything was covered in thick layers of dust.
The windows were so filthy that hardly any sunlight could enter.
Ron swallowed nervously and whispered, “No wonder Fred and George told me to bring my own mug.” “I think…” “I’ll wait until next time before trying the Butterbeer.” Charlotte, Harry, and Hermione all nodded in agreement.
None of them had much appetite after seeing the place.
Just as they turned to leave…
A large middle-aged wizard wearing a heavy fur coat suddenly leapt to his feet.
He slammed his palm onto the table and roared, “This isn’t an ordinary stone!” “It’s a gemstone!” “It’s been stained with the blood of an Abyssal Flame Demon!” “It’s worth at least one thousand Galleons!” Apparently…
He had lost all his money gambling and was trying to use the stone to pay off his debt.
The surrounding patrons immediately burst into laughter.
“Sheld’s bragging again.” “Everyone knows that’s just a worthless rock.” “He even tried selling it to a famous alchemist once.” “They nearly Transfigured him into a stone statue.” “Hahaha!” “Maybe Nicolas Flamel would buy your precious treasure.” The mocking laughter made Sheld’s face turn bright red.
Just as he angrily prepared to leave…
A calm voice sounded from the entrance.
“May I have a look at that gemstone?” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Dark_Verse IF YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER PLEAsE WRITE REVIEW