https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-496-The-Prophecy-About-the-Chamber-of-Secrets/12526740/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-498-A-Few-Happenings-Before-the-Holidays/12526794/
Chapter 497: A Terrifying Realization
Chapter 497: A Terrifying Realization
Soon, Harry finally woke up from his coma and learned the truth from Dumbledore. Afterward, he didn't forget to share the thrilling story with his two companions.
Harry also learned about some of the things that had happened from Hermione and Ron.
As the two of them hurried out of the dungeon, intending to owl Dumbledore about the situation at hand, they ran into the headmaster himself, who had just returned from the Ministry of Magic.
In their haste, Hermione and Ron had been too impulsive.
How could their message possibly reach the headmaster in time?
By the time Dumbledore received their letter and rushed back to Hogwarts, it would already be several hours later, and by then, not only would they be unable to stop Quirrell, but Harry's body would likely be cold.
It was a fortunate turn of events that Dumbledore had returned "early," or else it truly would have been too late.
Hermione lowered her voice and said to the duo, "I think Professor Dumbledore may have intended for you to do that."
"You mean he gave the Invisibility Cloak to Harry, deliberately guiding him to do that?" Ron was shocked and couldn't comprehend why the headmaster would do such a thing.
"If he really did—it's too horrible to think about. I mean, you could've been killed," Hermione said, a hint of anxiety in her tone.
After experiencing this incident, Hermione realized that Albert had been right all along. The Philosopher's Stone was indeed safe and had been under the tightest protection of Professor Dumbledore from the very beginning. Otherwise, how could the headmaster have appeared at just the right moment? There weren't that many coincidences in the world.
There was simply no way Quirrell could have stolen the stone.
"I think Dumbledore probably wanted to give me a chance," Harry frowned as he voiced his thoughts. "He more or less knew what was going on, and he might have even been aware of what we were planning, yet he didn't stop us. Instead, he secretly taught us many useful things."
"Why would the headmaster do that?" Hermione pondered for a moment before arriving at an immature conclusion. Perhaps Professor Dumbledore was training Harry, in case Voldemort was still alive...
If it hadn't been for her time spent with Albert, Hermione might not have noticed these issues. But upon closer inspection, many things became clear.
Some of the things Harry had done were most likely guided by Dumbledore.
Back then, it wasn't a coincidence that he had sent them into the Forbidden Forest to help Hagrid search for the injured unicorn while they were serving detention.
Hermione had looked through the school's records, and although there were various forms of detention at Hogwarts, the professors would never jeopardize the students' lives.
"Actually..." Ron hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I think Albert may also know about most of the things that happened."
"Albert?" Harry was puzzled and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Don't forget, he was the one who told us about Nicolas Flamel and his connection to the Philosopher's Stone."
Ron picked up the pile of sweets on the table, offering some to Harry and Hermione before unwrapping his chocolate and taking a bite. "You know, George accidentally let it slip that they had already gone through the obstacles the professors set up. They did it together."
Harry stood there with his mouth agape, unsure of what to say.
"You didn't tell me about this!" Hermione glared at Ron, a bit annoyed.
"To be honest, I only found out today myself," Ron explained, scratching his head. "Rogue bludgers have been spotted, and many students have been trying to pass through the trapdoor to venture downstairs and challenge the obstacles."
"A lot of people?"
"Yes, a lot," Ron affirmed. "But the vast majority of students were stopped by Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard formation. I heard a few students who tried to force their way through ended up getting hurt."
At this point, Ron couldn't help but feel a bit proud.
"And then?"
"I saw Fred and George weren't with the other students who went to challenge the obstacles. I know them better than you do. If it were the old them, they wouldn't have missed this opportunity." Ron's expression was complex as he continued, "You guess what they said."
"What did they say?" Hermione asked.
"They said we had already gone through," Ron reminded him. "That dog only disappeared today, and don't forget, Albert knows how to get past Fluffy. It's not surprising that they were able to get through the obstacles."
Hermione agreed with Ron's statement. She didn't think that any of the magical mechanisms she could get through would be able to stop a genius like Albert.
Hermione even suspected that Albert had already guessed that Quirrell was the thief. His assessment of Snape had always been: "He really doesn't look like a good person."
Harry fell silent. He had once asked Dumbledore about this, and the headmaster had only said that Albert knew Nicolas Flamel and that they maintained correspondence.
"By the way, Harry, you missed the last Quidditch match."
Ron's words made Harry's heart sink. He knew that he was the team's only Seeker, and if something happened to him...
As soon as Harry had that thought, he was left stunned once again by Ron's next words.
"But we still won the Quidditch Cup. Albert replaced you and managed to catch the Golden Snitch."
"That's fantastic!" Harry's stiff face broke into a smile. He knew that Wood had always wanted to lead Gryffindor to victory, and hearing that Albert had accomplished this in his stead, Harry couldn't help but feel relieved. If Gryffindor had missed the chance to win the cup because of him, he would have felt guilty.
"Of course, Slytherin still came in first," Ron said with some regret. "You know, because of that one time, we've completely lost our chance at the House Cup."
"Don't worry," Hermione suddenly said. "I heard from Albert that the House Cup will belong to Gryffindor this year."
"You believe we can get the House Cup?"
"Yes, I believe Albert."
In fact, in the past, Hermione wouldn't have believed such nonsense. But if the person speaking had prophetic abilities, why not give it a chance?
After all, there was nothing to lose.
In the short time she had spent conversing with Albert, Hermione had witnessed too many incredible things from that genius.
In the following days, Harry remained in the hospital wing to recuperate. Hagrid brought him a photo album filled with pictures of his family, sobbing and apologizing profusely.
Harry was very pleased with this photo album as he didn't have any photos of his family.
After getting permission from Madam Pomfrey, Harry finally left the hospital wing to attend the end-of-year feast. He even witnessed a dramatic scene: the temporarily leading Slytherin House was demoted to second place due to Dumbledore's last-minute points, and the once-trailing Gryffindor House miraculously emerged as the winner, claiming the House Cup.
As for Harry, the savior who defeated Quirrell and saved the Philosopher's Stone, he became the hero of Gryffindor House, and the unpleasant memories of the past were quickly forgotten.
At that moment, on the staff table, Snape was shaking hands with Professor McGonagall, and everyone was amazed to see such a brilliant expression on the Potions Master's face that they wished they had a camera to capture the moment.
The end-of-year feast concluded amidst laughter, at least for the students of Gryffindor, it was a perfect ending.
(End of Chapter)
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