Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Several days have passed since Harry told him about the Philosopher's Stone.

Harry never contacted him again, as if his guess that day was just a child's wild imagination, something he said casually.

Xavier didn't take it to heart and continued living his regular life.

Not long after, Xavier heard the news that Harry, Harry, and his two friends had been penalized.

-

Hufflepuff's common room is always warm and cozy.

The fire in the fireplace burned from morning till night, and the brass ornaments shimmered softly in the firelight.

The sofa was soft and large; once you sat down, you sank in halfway.

Xavier sometimes reads here, but he often gets sleepy and is then woken up by Ernie's loud noises.

"Have you heard?" Ernie burst in from outside, yelling.

"That Potter from Gryffindor, and Weasley and Granger—they got points deducted again! Fifty points each!"

The Hufflepuff badgers were in an uproar; they seemed to have never done such a "feat" before.

It still has to be Granville~ points.

"Fifty points? For one person?" Justin sat up straight on the sofa. "Does that mean Gryffindor's jewels are almost gone?"

"You bet!" Ernie plopped down next to Xavier, leaned in and whispered, "Although the professors only said they broke school rules, I don't think it's that simple."

Xavier sat to the side, wearing an expression that suggested he was like an old man on the subway looking at his phone.

They were either getting points deducted or on their way to getting points deducted. In less than a year, they had almost completed all the closed-door quests at Hogwarts.

Ernie is right. The truth is that Hagrid secretly kept a dragon—a Norwegian Spinosaurus—and Malfoy discovered it.

The dragon was eventually sent to Romania, where Ron's brother Charlie kept it.

To be honest, he really wanted to see that dragon.

He had read about the Norwegian Spinosaurus in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find It—it was highly aggressive, extremely fierce, but remarkably loyal to its owner.

Dragon.

In any world, dragons are powerful and mysterious creatures.

Although unlike the spiritual beasts in the Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit world, the dragons here are more like extremely dangerous wild beasts, whose most common use is to obtain materials such as dragon skin and dragon blood.

But undeniably, they remain powerful.

Xavier has been busy searching through books in the library these past few days—he has already planned to consult the professor directly after finding enough information about the existence of knights, the source of their power, and matters related to magic.

So it's been a while since I visited Hagrid.

He missed the dragon.

"It's a bit of a pity." Xavier did feel a slight sense of regret.

-

The final result of this incident was that Harry and his friends were punished by the professors by being sent to patrol the Forbidden Forest as a form of discipline for violating school rules.

Then, the Forbidden Forest was placed under martial law the next day—it's said that Harry and his friends saw something inside.

Xavier knew that it was that garlic clove that had gone to kill the unicorn and suck its blood.

Unicorn blood can prolong life, but it also brings a curse to the blood drinker—his soul is twisted and his lifespan is about to end.

The next day, Xavier visited Harry and the others in the medical wing.

The group was not seriously injured; they seemed to have only been a little frightened.

"Hey, Ethan," Harry said with a smile as he saw Xavier come in. "What brings you here?"

"Just came to see you all," Xavier said, walking over and sitting down. "I heard you were punished by being sent to patrol the Forbidden Forest?"

Harry's expression froze for a moment, then he nodded.

"What did you see?" Xavier asked, feigning ignorance.

Harry hesitated for a moment, seemingly wondering whether or not to say it.

Ron, however, was quite nonchalant, saying directly, "I saw a cloaked figure drinking unicorn blood—Merlin's beard! It was terrifying!"

Hermione glared at Ron, who shrank back and continued gnawing on chicken legs, one in each hand.

Seeing this, Xavier chatted briefly and then left.

In the days that followed, Xavier continued his daily life as usual, occasionally sending a letter to his parents through Popo to tell them that he was doing well at school.

Sometimes, he would sit in front of the fireplace in the Hufflepuff common room, a cup of hot tea in his hand, listening to his classmates gossip about these strange things.

He knew these things would eventually end in a thrilling but safe way—at least in the original story's trajectory.

Harry will face Quirrell, touch the cursed man, and watch him turn to ashes before his eyes.

Dumbledore had already arranged everything; it was probably all part of the old man's game.

"The White Demon King is also a Demon King."

-

In the end, Xavier did not participate in the battle to protect the Philosopher's Stone.

Everything happened so fast—Quirok's exposure, Harry heading to the fourth-floor corridor, the final showdown.

Xavier was playing wizard chess with Ernie in the Hufflepuff common room when he heard that Professor Quirrell, who wore a purple hood, had disappeared and that Snape was happily filling in for him.

"Have you heard?" Ernie asked, moving his knight along.

"Professor Quirrell is missing! Professor Snape is going to teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts!"

"Isn't he the Potions Professor?"

"Substitute teaching, substitute teaching!" Ernie said. "This position seems cursed."

Xavier stared at the chessboard without saying a word.

"It's your turn," Ernie urged.

Xavier moved a piece and captured one of Ernie's bishops.

"General," he said.

Ernie let out a wail and began to take back his moves.

Xavier didn't argue with him, gave him a disdainful look, and let him retreat.

-

That night, Xavier lay in bed, staring blankly at the curtains above him.

He was thinking about something.

Dumbledore knew everything. He knew Quirrell was suspicious, he knew Voldemort was hiding behind that hood, and he knew Harry would eventually confront him.

He hid the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts, setting up numerous obstacles, not to protect it—at least not entirely.

It was more like a test, a trial tailor-made for Harry.

Harry passed.

"But it's alright." Xavier rolled over and pulled the blanket up to cover his shoulders.

He was just a first-year student at Hufflepuff.

He no longer intends to participate in the theatrical productions spearheaded by Dumbledore and starring Harry.

Or rather, he didn't want to be a pawn on that old man's chessboard.

He wanted to train his body, learn magic, study alchemy, and explore the possibilities of magic.

He wants to protect himself and his family, and to be able to do what he wants in the future.

As for Voldemort—

"Make yourself stronger first." Xavier closed his eyes. "Strong enough that one day, even if Dumbledore wanted to use me as a pawn, he would have to ask me if I was willing first."

This goal is far away.

"But that's good, I still have time."