Their experience in the Forbidden Forest acted like a catalyst, turning the vague suspicions in the hearts of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger into an unshakable conviction.
"It has to be Snape!"
In the most secluded corner of the Gryffindor common room, Ron lowered his voice, his face full of certainty.
"Think about it! He's from Slytherin! He's always had it out for Harry."
"On Halloween, he must've released the troll on purpose to distract everyone so he could sneak off and steal something!"
"That shadow we saw in the forest—it must've been him! He needed unicorn blood to keep himself alive!"
"But… why would he do that?" Hermione asked, frowning as she raised the key question.
"For Voldemort," Harry said quietly, emphasizing every word. His green eyes burned with a determination stronger than ever before. "Snape wants to bring Voldemort back."
The conclusion sent a chill down all three of their spines.
They were convinced they had uncovered the core conspiracy behind everything happening at Hogwarts this year.
Headmaster Dumbledore must have been fooled by Snape's excellent acting—perhaps he had even already left the castle.
That meant the responsibility of protecting the Philosopher's Stone now rested on their shoulders.
"We have to act," Harry said after taking a deep breath. "We have to get the Stone before Snape does."
That night, just as the clock struck midnight—
Harry pulled the precious Invisibility Cloak from beneath his bed.
Three young hearts pounded violently with nerves and a sense of duty.
Carefully, they squeezed all three of themselves beneath the magical cloak, forming what looked like a clumsy six-legged creature as they quietly slipped out of the Gryffindor common room.
The staircase leading to the fourth-floor corridor lay silent under pale moonlight.
It looked eerie and foreboding—like the mouth of a beast waiting for prey to walk straight in.
Just as they reached the final flight of stairs and prepared to enter the forbidden area—
A calm voice suddenly spoke from the shadows beside them.
"Where are you going?"
"Ah—!"
The sudden voice struck like thunder from a clear sky.
All three nearly jumped out of their skins.
Instinctively, Harry ripped off the Invisibility Cloak.
In the shadow beside the wall stood a tall figure leaning quietly there.
No one knew how long he had been standing there.
He seemed almost fused with the darkness itself.
Lucian Thornwick.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all wore identical expressions of total confusion.
How was he here?
And more importantly—
Could he see them under the cloak?
At that moment, Harry suddenly understood something.
No wonder Lucian had found him so easily the night he visited the Mirror of Erised.
The cloak… had never worked on him at all.
Lucian ignored their stunned looks.
He simply stepped out of the shadows. His calm gaze swept over the three shocked faces before settling on the dark corridor leading deeper into the restricted area.
Then he spoke a simple sentence.
"I'm coming with you."
"I'm also interested in the defenses here."
Those words worked like magic.
In an instant, all the tension, fear, and anxiety in the trio's hearts melted away.
Lucian was going too?
That was perfect!
With Lucian here—
They suddenly recalled all the unbelievable things they had seen him do.
The troll that had been toyed with like a puppet.
The entire Slytherin Quidditch team utterly outclassed.
The green lightning that had torn through the sky.
The sacred light that had brought a dying unicorn back to life.
With someone so impossible to comprehend—someone almost godlike—as their teammate…
Whatever lay ahead suddenly didn't seem so terrifying anymore.
A huge wave of reassurance washed over the trio, who moments ago had been so nervous they could barely breathe.
They nodded vigorously.
Hermione was especially delighted. Being able to act alongside Lucian was something she had long hoped for.
Together, the four of them pushed open the heavy trapdoor leading into the forbidden area.
A blast of hot wind rushed up from the darkness below, carrying the stench of beasts and rot.
Then came three deep, thunderous growls from the depths below.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione immediately went pale and instinctively stepped back.
In the darkness beneath the trapdoor—
Six enormous eyes, glowing like lanterns with savage light, stared straight at the intruders.
It was a true monster.
Massive as a small hill.
With three grotesque heads, each drooling thick saliva from its enormous jaws.
A three-headed dog.
"That's Fluffy," Harry whispered in shock.
He quickly remembered Hagrid's advice and hurriedly pulled out the crude wooden flute Hagrid had given him.
Just as he lifted it to his lips, ready to play the tune that would calm the beast—
A hand gently rested on his shoulder.
It was Lucian.
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