A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

He urged us to go back more than once, but we ourselves were unwilling to leave.

After we passed through the devil's net, he suggested we wait there a bit, because we were worried the mysterious man might use that time to get the magic stone and rush off to the next level.

Ron's lips twitched; it seemed that was indeed the case.

They insisted on getting involved. Aaron tried to stop them, but he couldn't, and they dragged him in instead.

"So that means we came for nothing?"

“Your trip wasn’t in vain. You’ll cause Gryffindor’s already limited grades to drop another level,” Professor Snape said coldly.

"what?"

Hermione and Ron were immediately disheartened and found it hard to accept.

They've already deducted 150 points from Gryffindor, which is a historical record. If they do it again, they'll be too ashamed to face anyone.

“Don’t listen to his nonsense. At least your intentions were good,” Professor McGonagall comforted her. “If someone really wanted to steal the Philosopher’s Stone, then your actions tonight would not only not be wrong, but would actually be commendable.”

"That's good." Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

“But why Professor Quirrell?” Hermione asked. “He doesn’t seem like a brave person!”

“We don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s never a bad thing to come and see,” Professor McGonagall said.

"Let's not talk about that now," Professor Snape said, looking at the two of them with a stern face. "Where are my students?"

What stage are he at with Harry Potter?

"If nothing unexpected happens, we should be at the final level by now," Hermione said embarrassedly. "The next level is a troll, but it seems we've already defeated it."

As for the penultimate challenge you designed, Professor Snape, Aaron beat it in twenty seconds.

"Twenty seconds? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm really not kidding."

Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall were both taken aback. They had thought this challenge would slow down the two students, but it seemed that plans could not keep up with changes.

Having an excellent student is a good thing, but when a student is too excellent, to the point of exceeding the teacher's expectations, it becomes embarrassing.

Snape took a deep breath and quickened his pace toward the next door.

Professor McGonagall was also very worried. "Granger, take Ron and get out of here right away."

If this is true, then this place could be very dangerous.

The previous level had a magic broom that could fly you out of the trapdoor. As for Cerberus, he's asleep now, so don't worry about him.

"But..."

"No buts. Your presence here would only be a burden. We cannot afford to be distracted from now on."

Hermione nodded and was about to help Ron leave.

Just then, Harry screamed and rushed out of the troll's room, nearly bumping into Snape who had just reached the door.

“You can’t escape, Harry Potter,” Professor Quirrell sneered. “Hand over the Philosopher’s Stone.”

But when he rushed out of the room, he was completely taken aback; several dark lines instantly appeared on his pale face.

Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall were both there; he had truly walked right into the line of fire.

"Professor, help me!" Harry was overjoyed, as if he had grasped a ray of light in the darkness, and ran quickly behind Professor McGonagall.

"Are you alright, Mr. Potter?"

"Everything is alright for now, and thankfully you arrived in time."

"Where is Aaron?" Snape asked.

“He…” Harry hesitated, looking at Hermione and the others who were staring at him, and lowered his head in shame. “I… I don’t know.”

"How could you not know?" Hermione couldn't help but ask. "Weren't you going to the next level together?"

"Yes, we obtained the Philosopher's Stone from the Mirror of Eris."

Dumbledore put the Philosopher's Stone in Aaron's pocket, then gave it to me. To buy me time to escape, he chose to face Professor Quirrell alone.

By the way, Professor Quirrell is now possessed by Voldemort, and he's incredibly terrifying.

Hearing this, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

Quirrell's presence here means Aaron is likely in grave danger.

"This can't be real." Hermione staggered back a few steps, her vision blurred, unable to accept this cruel reality.

“Hermione,” Ron said, pursing his lips, “cheer up.”

How can I pull myself together?

If anything happens to him, we'll be responsible for at least a large part of the reason.

Snape wasn't in a good mood either, but compared to these young wizards, he was used to all sorts of things and quickly calmed down. "What did you do to my student?"

“You shouldn’t be asking me that question, Snape,” Professor Quirrell said calmly. “It was Voldemort who did it himself.”

"I didn't kill him."

A hoarse voice suddenly rang out, and at the same time, a ferocious face moved from the back of Quirrell's head to the front, "That little guy's talent and temperament have exceeded my expectations."

I can't bear to part with such a promising talent.

Besides, I know Dumbledore too well; I know his thoughts perfectly well, so I won't fall for it.

I never expected to be outmaneuvered by a young wizard. Gaius said he had informed Hagrid, that brute, before coming, but he didn't expect it to be the two of you.

However, it takes skill for him to fool me with such a little trick.

"What did you do to him?" Snape asked again.

"Nothing much, just a little curse that made him suffer from insomnia for a month," Voldemort sneered. "Severus, I'll give you a chance."

"Abandon darkness and embrace light! Help me get the magic stone, I..."

“Professor Snape won’t help you,” Aaron suddenly stepped forward and said. “I thought you two were going to fight. This is a bit disappointing!”

"What's wrong with you?"

"How come I'm fine?" Aaron shrugged. "I made thorough preparations before I came. I sent letters to the two professors, a music box to put the three-headed dog to sleep, a Felix Felicis to improve luck, and magical items to save my life and withstand a full-force attack from a Grand Magister, and so on."

As it turns out, most of them were used; your spell had absolutely no effect on me.

The situation is clear now: two against one, you're dead.

"Is that so?" Voldemort sneered, then gave Snape a meaningful look. "That's not necessarily true."

“No, you’re really going to die.” Aaron glanced at the silent Professor Snape, lost in thought. “Even if you have any other tricks up your sleeve, they won’t be of any use.”

Haven't you ever wondered why Hagrid isn't here?

"That giant?" Voldemort paused for a moment, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

Everyone else can choose not to come, but given Hagrid's concern for these three Gryffindors, he should be here, and he must be here.

"Could it be that..."

"That's right.

After I learned that Dumbledore had left the school, I guessed that you were going to make a move.

Aside from his inability to keep secrets, Hagrid was otherwise quite capable, so I persuaded him to help deliver a message to Dumbledore.

With Dumbledore's abilities, as long as he's fast enough, half a day is enough time for him to return to Hogwarts.

I think Voldemort in his current state wouldn't be a match for the White Lord at his peak!

Chapter 89 The Last Straw That Broke the Camel

Voldemort remained silent for a while, then quietly switched his face to Quirrell's front, using his remaining life force and strength to completely control the body.

He loosened his muscles, his joints making a 'crack' sound, and then took out Quirrell's wand.

This is a nine-inch-long alder staff with a core of unicorn feathers.

Although it doesn't quite fit Voldemort's image and isn't very handy to use, it's the only option at this point.

Aaron took advantage of this time to hide behind the two professors and rejoin Harry and the others.

"Aaron, I really admire you more and more."

"I never expected Dumbledore to return ahead of schedule," Voldemort sneered. "But for me, things haven't reached the end of the road yet."

All I need to do is get the magic stone before he returns. At most, this body can only allow me to reach the strength of a Grand Magister.

Facing two professors would be somewhat challenging, but not impossible.

"Then good luck."

"If you can defeat the two Hogwarts professors, we'll gladly hand over the Philosopher's Stone."

"I hope you keep your word." Voldemort grinned and launched the attack.

Although his physical condition was extremely poor and his strength was reduced to less than one-tenth, a starved camel is still a camel, and he could hold his own against two opponents.

The green spell and two crimson spells collided repeatedly, producing deafening sounds, and the broken pieces on the chessboard continued to spread outwards under the influence of the magic.

Aaron watched with great interest this battle, which was at least a battle that only a mage could participate in.

He wasn't going to try to learn from others' strengths or make up for his own weaknesses; he was confident that he could reach that level in a short time. He simply wanted to broaden his horizons.

"Aaron," Harry said anxiously, no longer interested in watching the battle, "what nonsense were you spouting? How could you give the Philosopher's Stone to Voldemort?"

"I'm saying this for our safety. Given Voldemort's arrogance, he probably won't make a move against us before he's dealt with the two professors, but we still need to be on the safe side."

Besides, if even two professors combined can't defeat him, then the few of us alone simply can't protect the Philosopher's Stone.

We either hand them over to save our lives, or he kills us and takes the magic stone from our corpses.

One option is to break even, the other is to lose everything. Which would you choose?

“I’d rather die than give in,” Harry said indignantly.

“Well said.” Aaron gave a thumbs up, then tapped his wand lightly, and the Philosopher’s Stone flew from Harry’s hand to his.

Before Harry could react, he continued, "I admire your courage. It's extraordinary courage to not value your own life."