Having escaped famine, I was accepted into Hogwarts

Kane scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, after all, if the three of them knew that the Philosopher's Stone was currently on him... tsk tsk tsk.

However, Dumbledore's efficiency is truly remarkable. Not long ago, he mentioned that Harry's investigation into the Philosopher's Stone was progressing slowly, but now the progress has suddenly accelerated.

It's definitely Dumbledore, the director, who got involved.

"So your purpose for going on a night out tonight is... to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Kane asked, forcing his eyes open.

“No, Kane, it’s about protecting the Philosopher’s Stone, and it’s already succeeded once. Although it has nothing to do with us, it’s mainly about that dog.” Ron’s serious face broke down halfway through his sentence.

"...How about you guys tell me who looks more like the enemy, and I'll sneak up in the middle of the night and slit their throats?" Kane said half-jokingly.

He was genuinely curious whether Dumbledore had spoiled the final boss's identity in advance to speed up the story.

“We’ve made a preliminary identification; it’s most likely Snape,” Harry said in a low voice.

"Why can't it be Quirrell? I remember Quirrell cast a spell on you during the Quidditch match." Kane tried to help Harry write down the correct answer.

“At first, we did suspect Quirrell, but given Quirrell’s behavior, if we locked him in a room on the fourth floor in the corridor, the big dog would be full in less than three minutes.”

“But Snape is different. Although we saw Snape get bitten by the dog, he quickly subdued the three-headed dog with magic. Apart from being careless at the beginning, he was still very powerful.”

Kane looked at Harry and Ron's peculiar thought processes and glanced at Hermione with a hint of helplessness: "Hermione, I knew you were smart. You must have other ideas."

Hermione nodded in agreement: "Professor Quirrell probably wouldn't have the guts."

Hermione actually had something left unsaid, such as how she figured Quirrell was a coward...

After all, the proper professor would pay protection money to the young wizard every now and then. Compared to that, Quirrell was utterly pathetic, paying protection money to Kane for a bag of Galleons for a single Mandrake.

Snape was a man of unyielding attitude, deducting points without hesitation and kicking Kane out of the classroom without a second thought. He was an indescribably cold-blooded individual.

Putting aside Snape's character, Quirrell is now seen as the epitome of both bad and cowardly in Quidditch's eyes. After being contradicted by Harry in class, she secretly tripped him up on the Quidditch pitch.

You're telling this cowardly and wicked person that this guy dared to steal the Philosopher's Stone right under Dumbledore's nose?

There's really no reason to believe it.

Kane looked at the three people in front of him, all of whom had expressions of certainty that Snape was definitely not a good person. What could he say?

It's understandable that his reputation has been damaged; it's his own fault for not smiling much.

"So, can we go back to the dorm and sleep now?" Kane rubbed his face; his only wish right now was to get back to the dorm and get a good night's sleep.

Just as the three were about to agree to go back and sleep, a stiff yet magnetic voice came from not far away: "Little wizards over there, come out here obediently!"

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Death Has You Caught in Its Trap

Before Kane and the others could react, Snape's blinding light shone down on them: "Ah, Kane Heath, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, tell me what's going on with you four?"

Snape said slowly.

Harry and Ron both sighed helplessly as Snape approached; they had lost their points and were going to get a scolding.

Hermione was even more so; to her, losing points was no different from the sky falling down. Especially Snape, it was obvious to everyone that Snape disliked Gryffindor, and now that the four of them were in his hands, nothing good could come of it.

Unlike the three who had a lot of inner monologues, Kane was all about honesty. He answered whatever Snape asked: "Just came back from the Forbidden Forest with Professor Quirrell."

Almost instantly, Snape's expression froze for a moment. At that moment, he had only one thought: Dumbledore really deserved to die. He was really shoving all sorts of special people into his talent card pack.

Now Harry is his pawn, and so is he. Ron and Hermione have become Harry's personal assistants, and now even Kane has been brought onto this chessboard by him through some unknown means.

It's really hard to understand what Dumbledore was thinking. After all, this little wizard in front of him wasn't like an ordinary little wizard or someone as easy to control as himself. Even he wanted to stay far away from someone like Kane, and avoid him as much as possible for the rest of his life.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, actively pulled people to his side, only learning his lesson when such a person caused a major incident while he was around.

After a moment of silence, Snape slowly spoke: "Mr. Heath, come with me. You three, why aren't you going to bed?"

For a moment, Harry and Ron felt as if they had narrowly escaped death, while Hermione...

Well, she should have known.

Snape clicked his tongue only after Harry, Ron, and Hermione had disappeared at the end of the corridor.

He forgot to deduct points from them.

"Come with me. Is Dumbledore asleep now?" Snape asked Kane behind him, limping as he walked ahead, intending to decide whether to go up or down based on Kane's answer.

"They're probably asleep."

As soon as Kane finished speaking, Snape suddenly stopped, turned around, looked at Kane, and frowned: "Wasn't your trip to the Forbidden Forest with Quirrell Dumbledore's arrangement?"

"It was his invitation that prompted me to take the initiative, but he knew about this. Wait, Professor Snape, why do I have the feeling that you know everything?"

Kane looked at Snape with a strange expression, an unnatural smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Did this mean that, apart from the young wizards, everyone else in the entire Hogwarts theater was a director?

“Don’t worry about me. Let’s go find Dumbledore first. You should tell Dumbledore about Quirrell’s situation… You can’t possibly think you’re smarter than Dumbledore, can you?” Snape said, starting to walk toward the headmaster’s office.

"Aha."

Soon the two arrived at the principal's office. After passing through the stone statue, the door opened by itself before they could knock.

“You two have come at just the right time. I was just about to eat some mandrake.” Dumbledore, wearing pink pajamas, walked out from the direction of the bedroom. “But I really didn’t expect the two of you to end up together. I thought you were avoiding Kane like you were avoiding a troll, Severus.”

“If it weren’t for what happened today, of course.” Snape sat on the sofa. “Mr. Heath just returned from the Forbidden Forest with Quirrell.”

Dumbledore: "I know, so did Quirrell do something strange?"

Kane shrugged as he sat in his chair. "He seems like a different person ever since we entered the Forbidden Forest. He doesn't stutter anymore, and he's become more confident. First, he told me he was going to die, then he dissed you, saying that the only way to prolong his life was to drink unicorn blood and use Philosopher's Stones... He also asked me to come to his office every Wednesday evening for a private meal. I wonder if it will be Quirrell or... Tom?"

"Ah, Tom is probably in charge of teaching you. He's always been very enthusiastic about being a professor."

Just as Dumbledore uttered a remark, Snape coughed from the sofa.

"Okay, so how exactly did you do it?"

“He needs to drink unicorn blood, so I was just an accomplice. That’s all.” After Kane finished speaking, Snape stood up slowly. He felt it necessary to check whether Kane had been cursed with an Imperius Curse by Voldemort.

Dumbledore raised a hand to stop Snape.

"There's no need for that. Anyway, Kane, just get ready for your special treatment on Wednesday evening. Before that, how about going to Severus's office for a brain fog potion? That will prevent Tom from seeing some of the things you're thinking. Although I think you have a talent for it, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Then I'll leave?"

Dumbledore nodded.

As Kane left the headmaster's office, Snape moved to a seat opposite Dumbledore: "You're letting the Dark Lord teach Kane Heath? Aren't you afraid of creating a third Dark Lord?"

Dumbledore wasn't afraid, of course. Voldemort would at most teach Kane some real magic stuff out of his own teaching addiction, but he wouldn't bother explaining his unhealthy ideas.

After all, in Voldemort's eyes, Kane was just an unopened magic bag. What's the point of trying to make a magic bag understand how "great" his ideas are?

Snape looked at Dumbledore's composed expression and said, "You're not going to say something like, 'That kid has love in his heart,' are you?"

This reminded him, and Dumbledore nodded: "Indeed, this boy has love in his heart, so I believe he won't be led astray by Voldemort."

Snape had no idea how to continue the conversation with Dumbledore, so he stood up, threw down a sentence, and was about to leave: "...I'm going back to brew potions."

"And while you're at it, bring me a potion of tooth-protecting potion; my teeth have been a bit sore lately," Dumbledore instructed.

Snape paused in his tracks. Should he choose to be selectively deaf? Surely he could? Oh well, he might as well just endure it. At worst, it'll taste terrible.

Meanwhile, Kane returned to the Gryffindor common room. Harry and the other two hadn't gone back to their dorms to sleep yet, but were leaning against the fireplace waiting for him. When they saw him return, they perked up and gathered around to ask Snape where he had taken him and what he had done.

"Just went to the principal's office and we talked about some random things," Kane said with a yawn.

Hermione had an "I knew it" look on her face: "Then we're relieved. I need to go back to sleep now, I have class tomorrow."

Kane nodded; he needed to sleep too. As for the story of Nicolas Flamel and the Chamber of Secrets on the fourth floor that Harry and Ron were talking about, they could treat it as a bedtime story—it would be very useful.

the next day...

During breakfast in the Great Hall, almost all four houses and more than half of the professors were looking at a young wizard at the Gryffindor table.

Kane was wearing a horned hat and a top hat on his head, with two garlands wrapped around the two horns of the horned hat. He was wearing so many hats that he was practically wearing a white Santa hat.

With a bang, Maxwell, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, appeared behind him and patted him on the shoulder.

"You don't look too well."

"So what's your brilliant idea?" Kane asked while eating his sandwich.

"He didn't offer any profound insights, but he saw many things that you couldn't see."

"for example?"

"Death has caught up with you."

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Why would someone boast about being able to throw a torch?

"Death? What Death?"

Kane suddenly stopped talking and began to concentrate on his conversation with Maxwell.

"Of course, it's the Grim Reaper of this world, responsible for reaping lives, and in a tangible form. Let me think..."

"Perhaps it's because of... your resurrection amulet? That's the only reason."

Kane, who picked up his sandwich again and started eating, clicked his tongue and said, "The Grim Reaper is so stingy. Can't he learn from the Eternal Realm?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. That's just how it is in a normal world. So Kane, be careful. This Grim Reaper won't give up until he destroys your resurrection charm."

After Maxwell finished speaking, he disappeared with a bang. Kane gradually put those thoughts he couldn't control into his brain's recycling bin and walked towards the Transfiguration classroom.

To avoid obstructing the young wizards' view of the blackboard, Kane and his friends deliberately sat at the back of the classroom. Professor McGonagall, who was in front, picked up the chalk and began writing on the blackboard without saying a word.

No matter what the subject of magic is, mastering it will inevitably become incredibly complex in the later stages; otherwise, young wizards wouldn't always have such dejected faces at the end of each semester.

After Kane spent half a class period understanding everything Professor McGonagall taught, he leaned against the wall and rubbed his head. The top hat and wreath weren't restoring his sanity fast enough, so he'd have to go to Professor Sprout's greenhouse that night.

Soon after class ended, they all rushed to the next classroom. They had been studying non-stop all day, and it wasn't until after dinner that they finally had a little time to rest.

"Oh, right Kane, we'll take you to that secret room on the fourth floor later, so you can familiarize yourself with the layout first," Harry said, eager to share anything interesting.

However, after he finished speaking, he saw Hermione pout, clearly racking her brains for a way to dissuade Harry from this unhealthy idea.

Seeing this, Harry quickly added, "You can ask Professor Dumbledore later. If you tell him that the Philosopher's Stone is coveted, he will definitely believe you."

Once Hermione's expression softened, Kane readily agreed.

After all, although the Philosopher's Stone was with him, Voldemort was unaware of this and still thought it was hidden in that secret room.

So, I can scout out the secret room beforehand and make some preparations, so that I'll be safer when Voldemort attacks me and the Philosopher's Stone.

"But we'll have to wait a bit. I need to go to Professor Sprout's greenhouse later," Kane said in advance. After all, his sanity was too low right now, and if he didn't sleep and went out at night, he might get attacked by shadow monsters.