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Chapter 105: Investigation, Rumors
Chapter 105: Investigation, Rumors
As soon as the voice fell, the eerie sound that had filled the room vanished. Michael's fearful expression froze for a moment, then quickly turned to silence.
A moment later, two red-haired heads poked out from behind the mirror, one on the left and the other on the right.
"Hey, how did you know it was us?" Fred asked in surprise.
"You probably didn't hide your feet well," George said as he stepped out.
"We're the same," Fred retorted.
A moment ago, the twins had thought it was a professor coming, and in their haste to hide, they had ended up behind the mirror, with one foot tucked behind the claw-shaped support and the other raised, mimicking an octopus as they clung to the mirror.
Hearing that it was only Ved and Michael who had entered, the twins' playful spirits rose, and they pretended to be ghosts to spook the pair, only to be instantly exposed.
"What are you two doing here?" Ved asked.
"The same reason as you, to see why our little Ron was knocked out," they replied.
Fred joined George in front of the pile of ash, crouching down and curiously poking at it with his finger.
"Then you should go to the infirmary!" Michael exclaimed.
"Percy's there," George said, blinking. "And it's more interesting to investigate in the restricted area!"
"So, this is Quirrell?" Fred asked, puzzled. "What kind of magic could burn someone like this?"
"The Cruciatus Curse?" Michael guessed. He had only heard of this dark magic by name and speculated that it must be far more powerful than a regular fire-casting spell.
"Impossible," George disagreed. "The Cruciatus Curse would burn anything combustible, it wouldn't leave the clothes intact—it looks more like some other kind of dark magic."
"Why don't we just ask Harry when he wakes up?" Ved asked, getting to the heart of his concern. "Have you guys studied the Cruciatus Curse?"
Fred smiled proudly. "We snuck into the library one night... and took a look at some of the books the professors don't let us read, like 'The Spellbook Compendium' and 'Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled'..."
"The Cruciatus Curse is too dangerous and difficult to control," George shared generously. "But there's a great book called 'Fight Poison with Poison' that teaches some useful minor hexes."
The group studied the pile of ash for a while, but to no avail. The twins, however, collected some of the dust to take back with them, saying they wanted to make a memento for their younger brother, Ron.
Michael walked around the stone house but found nothing of interest. As he passed in front of the mirror a couple of times, he suddenly felt like he had seen something strange.
He stepped back and slowly turned to face the mirror.
Michael's eyes widened in astonishment, and his face suddenly flushed.
In the mirror, he could see himself, but not Ved or the Weasley twins... Instead, he saw Padma.
The girl's wheatish complexion looked healthy and vibrant, and her almond-shaped face was adorned with a sweet, enchanting smile. She wore a deep blue saree, her arms as smooth and slender as lotus stems.
In the mirror, the girl lovingly embraced Michael's arm, and the two were pressed tightly together, inseparable.
For a moment, Michael even found himself envying his reflection.
"What did you see?" Fred suddenly leaned over from the side, his expression a mix of surprise and teasing. "Your face is as red as if you're boiling water!"
"N-nothing!" Michael stammered, hastily blocking the mirror.
Ved also came over and looked up at the words on the mirror, reading aloud, "The reflection you see is not your face... but the desires of your heart..."
He gave Michael a meaningful look.
Michael, his face now scarlet, cleared his throat and took a discreet deep breath to calm himself down before stepping aside from the mirror.
After calming down, Michael realized that when viewed from the side, the mirror was empty, with nothing inside.
"This is a magic mirror that shows your inner desires," Fred said, standing in front of the mirror and laughing. "I saw our prank products being a huge success, and the two of us lying on a pile of Galleons."
George also laughed and said, "I also saw the Quidditch Cup!"
Michael found it strange that Ved was standing to the side and didn't seem interested in approaching the mirror. He asked, "Ved, don't you want to take a look?"
"......Yeah."
Ved paused for a moment before smiling and replying, "It's just an illusion in the mirror, right? So there's no need to look—"
Michael nodded in understanding.
He interpreted Ved's response as—Ved knew exactly what he wanted, so he didn't need to seek satisfaction from a mere reflection.
However, Michael couldn't help but want to take one last look at Padma in the mirror.
The group lingered in front of the mirror for a while, finally tearing themselves away from the illusory happiness and preparing to leave.
Before departing, Ved turned back for one last glance—the mirror stood alone in the center of the empty room, as if beckoning silently.
Ved lowered his eyes and hurried to catch up with the other three, as if escaping from a whirlpool.
...
Harry remained unconscious in the school hospital for three days before finally waking up. During this time, rumors spread like wildfire throughout the school, and Dumbledore neither announced the truth nor stopped the students from discussing the incident.
The students who had entered through the trapdoor were constantly surrounded by curious peers, begging them to recount their adventure.
Neville, having been eliminated from the start, quickly escaped this nuisance; while Theo, with his gentle temperament, found himself hoarse from retelling the story. Sometimes, if he accidentally made a mistake, someone would loudly refute, "No, that's not how you told it last time!"
Soon, aside from the part that Harry had experienced alone, the entire school knew the details of the story—how Professor Quirrell had attempted to steal the Philosopher's Stone but ended up being defeated by Harry Potter and his friends.
Ron, who had bravely made a sacrifice, became a hero in Gryffindor. On the day he woke up, several Gryffindor boys carried him on their shoulders from the infirmary all the way to the Great Hall, while his mischievous brothers cheered from the sidelines, causing Ron's face to turn as red as his hair.
Privately, an even more "outrageous" rumor began to spread—Quirrell was not really Quirrell, but a puppet controlled by the mysterious man... So once again, Harry Potter had defeated the man whose name shall not be mentioned...
Of course, this rumor was too far-fetched, and not many people truly believed it. But precisely because they didn't believe it, they found it even more exciting to tell everyone: "Did you know? The truth is actually not what you've heard..."
The rumor spread like wildfire in all directions.
Dumbledore's attitude towards this was ambiguous. When directly asked about it, he would vaguely respond, "Well... the Philosopher's Stone... it does tempt many, especially those who wish to escape death..."
The person asking the question immediately understood the implication—the name "Voldemort" meant "flight from death" in French.
"Yes, some of our students bravely confronted evil and displayed great courage and responsibility. They protected the Philosopher's Stone..."
Dumbledore's tone shifted, and he smiled as he continued, "But Nick and Perenell have destroyed the stone. They decided to take care of some loose ends and then embark on an unknown path... For those who have lived long enough, death has a certain allure, don't you think?"
(End of Chapter)
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