The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 173 Lend it to me for two days

Ada and the twins were not aware that Professor McGonagall went to see Dumbledore after they left, so they naturally had no idea what the two discussed.

The three of them didn't have time to test Quirrell anymore. Although they were kicked out of Professor McGonagall's office, Ada and the twins still couldn't escape the fate of being punished. The punishment came late.

Putting aside Quirrell's identity, Ada and the twins' behavior was more than just disrespect for the professor. The punishment was not unfair at all, and not deducting points was already a light punishment.

On the surface, the three were punished because they disrespected the professor, but behind the scenes it was a warning from Professor McGonagall. She was warning Ada and Shuangbao, warning the three of them to stay away from the Philosopher's Stone and not to get involved in this matter again.

Ada, who didn't like working, was punished to clean the trophy display room, and the active twins were punished to maintain order in the library. Professor McGonagall's punishment was the right medicine for the disease, and all three of them complained bitterly.

In the library, the twins were almost going crazy, while Ada was exhausted in the trophy display room. Ada couldn't help complaining why Hogwarts had so many trophies that needed to be cleaned?

The three men who were "covered in bruises" after being punished and tortured had even deeper resentment towards Quirrell. Every time they saw Quirrell in class, the three of them gnashed their teeth, and they now wished they could skin Quirrell alive.

This result was beyond Professor McGonagall's expectations. She did not expect that her punishment measures would backfire. Not only did it fail to make Ada and the other two forget about the Philosopher's Stone, but it deepened their resentment towards Quirrell.

Fortunately, this unbearable torture is about to end. Their punishment will end before the Christmas holiday, which is coming soon.

Just as Ada and the twins were packing their bags to return to the Burrow, Old Errol broke through the snow and came to Hogwarts, bringing the children a letter from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

After careful consideration, the couple decided to go to Romania to visit Charlie during this holiday, and the children would stay in school for the holiday and would not have to return to the Burrow. Charlie had just gone to Romania this year, so the Weasleys were naturally worried, and it was expected that they would go to see Charlie, but Ada had to unpack the luggage she had just packed.

One day before the Christmas holidays, students left the school one after another, and the entire Hogwarts became empty. Even when going to the hall for dinner, there were few people to be seen.

After learning that Ada would not leave school during the Christmas holidays, Snape decisively chose to give Ada extra lessons so that she would not have extra time to run around in school. Snape's idea was simple, instead of letting her run around, it would be better to brew potions in front of him so that she would not always cause trouble for him.

After dinner, Ada went directly to Snape's office to prepare for the make-up class, but Snape asked her to leave with a sullen face. Snape asked her to go to another classroom where Dumbledore would be waiting for her.

Snape's expression looked very familiar to Ada. It was just like those young teachers in her previous life who had finally managed to snatch a physical education class, but had to give up the class to older teachers with more experience, and she was the unlucky student whose physical education class was snatched away.

Following the route Snape had given her, Ada found the classroom, but Dumbledore hadn't arrived yet. Ada looked around the classroom, with many desks and chairs stacked against the wall and an upside-down wastebasket. It looked like the classroom hadn't been used for a long time.

There is a majestic mirror in the classroom. It doesn’t seem to belong here and must have just been moved in, because all the other items in the classroom are covered with dust, but this mirror is very clean.

The mirror reached the ceiling, with an ornate golden frame and two claw-shaped feet. On the top was a line of words engraved: Eris Stella Erhru Ayit Ubi Kafru Ayiton Vohes.

Ada walked to the mirror, but the face shown in the mirror was not Ada's.

In the mirror was a strange young couple holding their newborn baby. The couple smiled lovingly at the child. This child was a gift from God to them.

Then, the picture in the mirror changed. The strange couple and their child disappeared, replaced by the face of a young man. The young man in the mirror was no longer pale, and his ruddy complexion made him look very healthy.

Ada didn't read on. She took a few steps back and stopped looking at the image in the mirror. Instead, she stared at the line of words at the top of the mirror.

"Eris Stella Erhelu Ait Ubi Kafru Aiton Vohes." Ada whispered, and she turned around the classroom several times, repeating the words over and over again. When she turned around for about the tenth time, Ada finally understood the meaning of the words. The sentence that was spelled out in reverse order was the true meaning of the words: What I show is not your reflection, but your inner desire.

After thinking clearly about the meaning of this line of words, Ada knew why what appeared in the mirror when she looked in it just now was not her face, because it showed Ada's deepest desire.

What Ada longed for was the love from her parents and a healthy body. She wanted things that she did not have.

"I'm glad you're not obsessed with this mirror and wasting your time in front of it." Dumbledore's voice came from the door of the classroom. "It seems you already know its magic."

"Professor?" Ada exclaimed, "When did you..." Ada really didn't know when there was an extra person in the classroom. If it was an enemy, Ada would have been a corpse by now.

"When you are circling the mirror." Dumbledore came over and stood in front of the mirror together. "Don't underestimate yourself. I am Albus Dumbledore."

Dumbledore saw through Ada's mind. Compared with Dumbledore, Ada was like a newborn baby.

"Would you mind telling an old man what young Miss Drizzt sees in this mirror?" asked Dumbledore.

Ada said meaningfully: "I saw in the mirror that I used the magic stone to create a lot of gold, which I can't spend in a lifetime. What about you?"

"I saw someone gave me a pair of wool socks." Dumbledore said with a smile, "People always give me a lot of books, but no one ever knows what I want. You should have the same trouble, right?"

Both of them knew that the other was not telling the truth, and that what they saw was definitely different from what they said. But neither of them was obsessed with this, as many things did not need to be clearly distinguished.

Ida nodded and said, "Of course, books are good, but it's boring to receive books all the time. It's better to get a big box of chocolate frogs."

"Minerva and Severus have both come to see me recently. Why don't you guess who they came to see me for?" Dumbledore looked at the mirror. There was desire in his eyes, but he hid it well and Ada didn't see it.

"It must be because of me, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here with me looking in the mirror." Ada said.

"That's right, so I let you see this mirror, a mirror that reflects what people desire in their hearts." Dumbledore gently supported the mirror with his hand, "I will use this magical mirror to protect the Philosopher's Stone, you don't have to worry about its safety."

In fact, Ada was not too worried about the Philosopher's Stone. Quirrell's actions were all under Dumbledore's control. If Quirrell could still do something tricky, Dumbledore might as well dig a hole for himself.

"I just envy Quirrell a little, because I also have ideas about the Philosopher's Stone, but I can't do the same thing as him." Ada changed the subject, "But Quirrell is really useless. People who see him are anxious and want to help him."

Looking at Ada waving her arms, Dumbledore smiled happily as if he had seen something very interesting.

It is not a sin to want to take the Philosopher's Stone for yourself. The key is whether you just think about it or put it into action. Ada only thought about it and could openly admit that she wanted the Philosopher's Stone, while Quirrell acted in secret. This is the essential difference between the two.

"Professor, let me make a deal. How about you lend me the Philosopher's Stone for two days?"

(End of this chapter)