Though Hermione’s long explanation left Harry and Ron completely dazed, there was one word they heard loud and clear—immortality.
“Immortality... Is that really possible?”
As someone who hadn’t grown up in the wizarding world, Harry struggled to grasp, let alone accept, the idea that immortality could be real.
“I think it is, Harry.”
Hermione, who also didn’t come from a magical family, understood his hesitation. She flipped through a few more pages and began to explain.
“There have been reports about the Philosopher’s Stone for centuries, but the only known surviving one belongs to the famous alchemist and opera lover, Nicolas Flamel. He celebrated his six hundred sixty-fifth birthday last year and now lives in seclusion in Devon with his wife, Perenelle—she’s six hundred fifty-eight.”
“...”
“...”
Harry and Ron both gulped. That number—over six hundred years—was enough to shock anyone.
No wonder Flamel’s name didn’t show up in A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. He wasn’t modern at all.
Smack!
Hermione slammed the book shut and looked at Harry and Ron with a serious expression.
“Now do you understand how serious this is?”
“Uh... what?”
“Isn’t it obvious? That big dog must be guarding Flamel’s Philosopher’s Stone! I’m willing to bet Nicolas Flamel asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him. They’re friends—and Flamel must’ve known someone was after it.”
Hermione’s deduction left Ron gaping. He probably hadn’t expected the secret they’d stumbled upon to be this huge.
And he didn’t doubt Hermione’s theory for a second.
Then Harry’s eyes lit up, as if he suddenly remembered something.
“If that’s true, then when Hagrid went to Gringotts on Dumbledore’s orders, he must have been moving the Philosopher’s Stone!”
“A stone that can turn metal into gold and make you immortal! No wonder Snape’s after it—who wouldn’t want something like that?”
The more Harry talked, the more excited he got as everything began falling into place.
But in his excitement, he let something slip.
“Professor Snape? What does this have to do with Professor Snape?”
Hermione raised a suspicious eyebrow at the name Harry had blurted out. She clearly didn’t understand why Snape was suddenly part of the conversation.
“Uh...”
“Harry, are you hiding something from us?”
“No—it’s just... I don’t know how to explain it. Let’s find somewhere to talk first. Then I’ll explain everything properly.”
Seeing how serious Harry looked, Ron, who was about to keep pressing him, held his tongue.
Hermione, on the other hand, immediately closed her book and stood up, ready to follow him. This was the most eager Ron had ever seen her.
Maybe it was the thrill of getting closer to the truth—Hermione seemed more than ready to uncover whatever secrets Harry was about to reveal.
Looks like there really was a reason the Sorting Hat placed her in Gryffindor...
...
Speaking of which, ever since the broomstick incident, Harry Potter wasn’t sure if he was just being paranoid or if it was actually happening—but he kept getting the strange feeling that no matter where he went, he’d run into Snape.
Sometimes, he even suspected Snape was following him, trying to catch him alone or something like that.
With this suspicion lingering in his mind, after Ron had been sent to the infirmary for the fight and the Quidditch match had ended, Harry suddenly decided—on a whim—to secretly follow Snape, who had been at the pitch serving as referee.
That impulsive decision ended up revealing a secret about Snape...
“The Forbidden Forest? You’re saying Snape and Quirrell chose a place like that to meet?”
Ron Weasley, never one to hide his disdain for Slytherin, immediately shot up in agitation before Harry could even finish.
“Oh, shut up! Do you want everyone to hear about this?”
Hermione hurriedly opened the door to the empty room they were in and peeked outside. Only after confirming no students were passing by and that Peeves wasn’t around did she close it and return to the others.
“No one’s out there. Now, what did you hear, Harry?”
Harry glanced at Ron, who looked a little sheepish, then at Hermione, who was watching him with laser focus, like she was afraid of missing a single detail. For some reason, Harry suddenly felt nervous—he could almost hear his own heartbeat.
He pushed up his glasses reflexively and began telling them what he’d overheard...
...
As Harry spoke and the minutes passed, Hermione began to understand why he’d been so wary of Professor Snape.
“So that means our guess was right—it really is the Philosopher’s Stone. And Snape... Professor Snape is trying to force Professor Quirrell to help him steal it. The reason he approached Quirrell was to figure out how to get past Fluffy?”
Once Harry finished explaining, Hermione quickly organized the information and laid out the key points.
Right—Fluffy was the name of the three-headed dog Hermione had mentioned to Draco before. She’d learned the name from Hagrid.
“So you’re saying the only reason the Philosopher’s Stone is still safe is because Professor Quirrell is holding out against Snape?”
“If that’s the case, then yeah—I don’t have much faith in Quirrell.”
“...”
Even Hermione, who always respected her teachers, couldn’t find a way to argue with that. After all, anyone could see how nervous and jumpy Quirrell always was.
“I think we should tell Headmaster Dumbledore or another professor about this.”
“Oh, come on, Hermione. You really think the adults are going to believe a bunch of first-years?”
“But they’re professors—they’re way more powerful than us.”
“Still...”
“And you’re accusing another professor, remember.”
For once, Ron was unusually clear-headed. His comment left Hermione at a loss for words.
Thinking about how tense things already were between Snape and Harry, she realized that if they brought this to the staff, the first assumption would be that they were just trying to get back at Snape. Worse, it might tip him off.
And how would they even explain how they knew about the Philosopher’s Stone?
“No matter what, we have to help Professor Quirrell. We’ll do it our way!”
“Exactly! I was thinking the same thing!”
As she looked at Harry and Ron, their faces full of determination, Hermione hesitated. Maybe telling the professors wasn’t the best idea after all.
Besides... deep down, she couldn’t deny the thrill she felt.
There was something exhilarating about getting closer and closer to the truth...