HP: Fantastic Beasts And The Right Way To Use Them

The gates of Hogwarts during class time seemed unusually lively today. The normally sealed doors were opened once again, and three hurried sets of footsteps echoed through the empty hall, though no figures could be seen.

A series of rapid footsteps rushed toward the stone stairs and soon disappeared from the echoing hall.

Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, the three young wizards looked deeply anxious. They no longer had time to discuss Hagrid's loose tongue that couldn't keep secrets. The most critical issue now was absolutely preventing the person who had cunningly tricked the dragon egg out of Hagrid from obtaining the legendary Philosopher's Stone!

"That person is definitely Snape! Wearing a hood and not even daring to show his true face. Who else could it possibly be!"

Under the concealing cloak, Ron complained while enduring the persistent soreness in his arms and continuing to hurry along the corridor.

"No matter who he is, Snape or Voldemort, we absolutely cannot let him get the Philosopher's Stone!" Harry said with grim determination.

"Do we really have to do this? Professor Kahn said we should trust Dumbledore, since he is Hogwarts's headmaster after all." Hermione's voice was filled with hesitation. She felt Harry's plan was far too risky for students.

"We must prepare for the worst possible scenario!" Harry's eyes blazed with unwavering determination. "Besides, if Professor Dumbledore's protective measures are working properly, then we won't be able to get through those protections either, right?"

"But if even we can somehow get through those protections to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, it means there's a serious flaw in Dumbledore's defenses!"

After delivering this reasoning, Harry stopped talking and focused entirely on hurrying along.

Although somewhat worried about potentially being expelled for attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone on their own initiative, Hermione still suppressed her mounting concerns and followed them up to the forbidden fourth floor.

Like Harry and Ron, she couldn't simply allow the person who had deceived Hagrid to claim the Philosopher's Stone.

But if they couldn't even get past the first obstacle guarded by Fluffy, then they probably wouldn't need to worry about the Stone's safety. And the chances of being expelled would be considerably smaller too, right?

The dim corridor appeared much the same as when they had ventured here last time. Since there was no one present anymore, they simply removed the Invisibility Cloak and walked quickly toward that ominous door.

But after Harry placed his hand on the cold door handle, his heart instantly went cold with dread.

"What's wrong?"

Ron beside him asked anxiously, then watched as Harry hadn't even drawn his wand but directly pushed open the door.

"The door... isn't locked," Harry said quietly.

Ron and Hermione's hearts also sank simultaneously. They remembered clearly that when they had left last time, because Fluffy hadn't attempted to attack them, they had carefully relocked the door before leaving the room.

But now the door was unlocked, which meant someone else had definitely entered this forbidden corridor.

"Maybe some other professor checked on the Philosopher's Stone and just happened to forget to lock the door afterward..."

Ron's voice gradually became smaller and more uncertain, because after Harry pushed open the door, he saw a delicately crafted lyre lying quietly on the ground beside the crouching Fluffy, playing a simple, hypnotic tune.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, with a soft popping sound, two figures appeared out of thin air.

"Ugh, let's use the Floo Network next time. I really can't stand the nauseating feeling of Apparition."

Shaking his head and forcibly suppressing the nausea caused by Apparition, Evans glanced around at their surroundings.

This was one of the border areas between Hogsmeade village and Hogwarts, but it was a rather remote location. Apart from a few scattered trees, there was nothing but empty wasteland around them. Not even a single house in sight.

But the scenery visible from here was still quite spectacular. The morning castle gleamed brilliantly in the golden sunlight, and on the other side, the last pure wizarding village in the magical world was within easy reach. Those decorations and buildings overflowing with magical atmosphere could only be experienced here.

Apparition could only transport them this far safely. For the rest of the journey, either Dumbledore would need to disable the school's Anti-Apparition protective wards, or he would have to take Dumbledore directly back using his flash ability.

Compared to the former option, he actually preferred the latter approach.

Once again mentally complaining about Apparition's terrible user experience, Evans raised his hand and examined the back of it.

At this moment, a silver-white mark on the back of his hand was emitting a faint, pulsing glow, but this light was actively triggered. Evans could sense that it was continuously transmitting emotions of pure joy and satisfaction.

This meant his little companions on the other side were having an absolutely wonderful time and wanted to share such positive emotions with him.

Sensing the delighted emotions flowing through the mark, Evans turned his head to look at Dumbledore beside him.

"Your fish seems to have been stopped by those three silly creatures. Do you want to give him some additional slack?"

A knowing glimmer flashed in the brilliant blue eyes. After hesitating for a brief moment, Dumbledore said softly. "Let's go to the headmaster's office first and observe the specific situation."

Evans keenly caught an important piece of information from this casual statement.

"You can actually see what's happening in that corridor from the headmaster's office?" His expression became somewhat disturbed.

There was actually magic similar to surveillance systems in this world? How had he never heard of such capabilities?

Hearing Evans's surprised question, Dumbledore chuckled softly and spoke in a teasing tone.

"Why do you think I specifically chose that particular corridor?"

Looking at that aged face that seemed to have absolutely everything under complete control, a vivid scene floated up in Evans's mind.

An aged, massive hand loomed protectively over Hogwarts, and above the palm, brilliant blue eyes filled with wisdom and cunning made the entire school seem transparent. Without a single secret remaining hidden.

Snape? What kind of Dark Lord supposedly ruling the entire school was he? When it came to true dominance, you still had to look at their Dumbledore!

Speaking of that devastating wizarding war, if Dumbledore hadn't already been quite elderly back then, Voldemort probably wouldn't have been able to stir up any serious trouble at all, right?

These people who played elaborate mind games were really too disgusting. Absolutely nauseating!

Evans shook his head, his eyes filled with melancholy.

Sigh. This school was completely full of scheming and intrigue. A kind, innocent professor like himself had no safe place to stand!

After mourning for the school's corrupted future for a few seconds, Evans pressed his hand on Dumbledore's shoulder, and the two of them transformed into a silver-white arc and disappeared from the spot.

However, having such a masterful Dark Lord as a teammate still felt pretty advantageous.

Scene after scene flashed before Evans's eyes like a high-speed film reel. After more than ten seconds of travel, the two had already arrived at the entrance to the headmaster's office, standing before the stone gargoyle guardian.

"What a genuinely useful ability indeed."

Dumbledore's expression was somewhat wistful. Even he had to admit that whether it was turning off the protective wards or riding a broomstick back to school, neither option was as convenient and lightning-quick as Evans's flash ability.

"I remember you and Filius already reverse-engineered this magic a few days ago?"

"Mm." Evans nodded. "If you want to learn it, I can teach you over these next few days, but the effect might not be quite as powerful as when I use it."

"That's perfectly fine. I'm looking forward to it," Dumbledore said with genuine interest.

Having said this, he stood before the gargoyle, and without being seen reciting any password, the stone beast automatically jumped aside, revealing the spiral staircase leading upward.

Walking up the stairs and greeting Fawkes with a respectful nod, Evans watched as Dumbledore settled into the chair belonging to the headmaster and somehow produced a crystal ball. After manipulating it skillfully for several moments, a crystal-clear image slowly appeared within the crystal ball.

The next second, a complex face showing pain mixed with despair, and within that despair a trace of growing madness, appeared before Evans's fascinated eyes.