A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

“You will give it to me,” Voldemort said calmly. “Didn’t you just say that you would pledge allegiance to me and become the third Dark Lord?”

Although this may be a lie you hastily made up to deceive everyone, it could very well become the truth.

You possess the noblest and most ancient bloodline in the magical world, making you fully qualified to be my successor. I will do everything in my power to nurture you.

"I'm starting to waver a bit," Aaron said with an embarrassed smile, seemingly unconcerned about the anxiety on Harry's face. "But trying to gain my loyalty with this condition doesn't seem quite right!"

“I advise you not to be ungrateful,” Professor Quirrell said viciously. “It’s an immense honor that Voldemort has taken a liking to you.”

"Shut up, it's not your place to speak," Voldemort said in a hoarse voice. Quirrell immediately shut his mouth guiltily, his face full of terror.

"Do you understand the consequences of refusing my offer?"

“I know very well.”

After a few seconds of silence, Voldemort's狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face showed a smile again. "Indeed, you are just like me back then. You certainly have the right to refuse my offer."

I have studied all four reclusive families, and the results are quite shocking and unbelievable.

Since the beginning of the magical age, no, perhaps even longer, your family has existed since then.

Even pure-blood families experience periods of glory and decline, but your family seems to have been steadily developing, and even the major wars that have swept across the entire magical world over the centuries have failed to affect you.

Yet these few families, who hardly concern themselves with the affairs of the magical world, possess enormous privileges, and no one questions them, as if enjoying these powers is their due.

“That’s because we never abuse these privileges,” Aaron said seriously. “Never.”

"Hmph! Save that kind of nonsense for fooling others," Voldemort sneered. "I'll find out what I need to know sooner or later, but for now, hand over the Philosopher's Stone."

“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t want to give it to you,” Aaron said meaningfully, then turned to Harry and placed the Philosopher’s Stone in Harry Potter’s hand in front of Voldemort.

"Why...?" Harry held the Philosopher's Stone, utterly bewildered. "Dumbledore chose you; he wants you to protect the Philosopher's Stone."

"But I choose you."

Harry Potter, you are braver than me, and you are also the one who least wants Voldemort to get the Philosopher's Stone.

"I'm good at protecting myself, and I would choose life over the Philosopher's Stone without hesitation," Aaron said seriously, giving Harry no chance to refuse.

Dumbledore placed the Philosopher's Stone on Harry Potter simply to give him an extra layer of protection.

As the heir of a reclusive family, how could he not have some means of protecting his life?

Moreover, once Voldemort injured Aaron, he would inevitably face off against a powerful wizarding family, which would be entirely beneficial to Dumbledore.

However, he never expected that Aaron would turn around and put the most attention-grabbing Philosopher's Stone into Harry Potter's hands.

He didn't want this hot potato. If he didn't get rid of it soon, was he going to keep it for the winter?

“Aaron, you’ve lost a shortcut to instant success,” Voldemort said regretfully, then looked at Harry Potter in the mirror. “If you don’t want to end up like your parents, hand over the Philosopher’s Stone to me.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Harry staggered back a few steps. Only when Voldemort’s gaze was fixed on him did he realize how difficult it was to talk to Voldemort as an equal, like Aaron had.

"Like your parents, they are just as brave as you."

He refused to surrender even unto death, but he still died.

Give me the magic stone, and I promise I won't kill you, and I can even bring your parents back to life.

Harry, don't let your mother die for you in vain.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then suddenly rushed towards the stairs.

"Grab him!" Voldemort shouted.

Professor Quirrell immediately extended his right hand, but just as he was about to cast his spell, a spell struck his arm, ending his magic.

"Run! Run as fast as you can!" Aaron shouted. "I'll buy you a little time, but no more than ten seconds."

Harry was moved to tears, glanced back once, and rushed out of the room without hesitation.

"Do you think he can escape?" Voldemort asked coldly. "You should know how long these checkpoints are."

“Who knows?” Aaron shrugged, then saw Quirrell pull out his wand and immediately became wary. “I don’t think you should waste your time on me right now.”

He can't escape.

I'll deal with you first, then I'll kill Harry Potter, and then I'll hand the Philosopher's Stone over to my master.

There's plenty of time.

"Spare his life and teach him a lesson he won't regret," Voldemort advised. "If he dies, we'll be in big trouble. It won't do us any good to confront that family right now."

"Yes, Master."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Aaron said hastily. "I never fight a battle I'm not sure I can win. You should still have time to catch up with Harry now."

"What do you mean?" Voldemort leaned forward and turned his face to Quirrell's. "You'd better explain yourself, or this won't just be a little lesson."

"Actually, I had Abe inform Hagrid before I came, and judging by the time, he should have arrived by now."

"That giant?" Voldemort sneered dismissively. "Unless Dumbledore returns from London, I fear no one at Hogwarts."

"Of course, with your skills, you can escape unscathed even if you encounter a professor from the academy."

But that's normal. You're probably not in much better shape right now!

"To fully control Quirrell's body would consume your almost depleted life force. How long can you maintain that?"

"Taking down one giant is enough."

"That's true, but Hagrid is shrewd when he needs to be. He's not going to be stupid enough to stay put and wait for the Dark Lord to come out and kill him."

With his help, escaping with Harry Potter doesn't seem too difficult!

Voldemort paused for a moment, then quickly cast a spell on Aaron's forehead.

A flash of emerald green light appeared, and Aaron rolled his eyes, then obediently fell to the ground.

Voldemort quickly switched his face to Quirrell's back of the head. "Quick, after him! We absolutely cannot let Harry Potter escape."

"Yes, my master."

Quirrell immediately rushed toward the stairs.

After he left, Aaron, who was lying on the ground, quickly opened his eyes, a faint smile still on his lips.

They managed to fool them, but the real show is just beginning.

He rubbed his forehead and took out a brooch from his clothes. It was covered with dense cracks.

This disposable magical armor is obviously unusable.

"The Dark Lord, quite the name, but his heart is a bit too petty." Aaron looked at the brooch with some heartache. It was really hard to bear that an item that could resist the Killing Curse had been used up.

Voldemort didn't use the Killing Curse just now, and it wouldn't have caused any harm.

However, the magic would cause him to have nightmares for the next month, with Voldemort's terrifying and hideous face being the main subject of those nightmares.

It's easy to imagine that once the effects of this curse wear off, it will become a psychological trauma for Voldemort to some extent.

The next time you meet, you will subconsciously feel fear, and once you have fear, it is much easier to win someone over.

After putting the brooch away, Aaron walked out of the room at a leisurely pace.

Meanwhile, Hermione returned to the wizard's chessboard and briefly explained the situation to Ron.

Just as the two were hesitating whether to wait for Aaron and Harry to return here or go back the way they came, a white figure suddenly darted in from the entrance.

“Abe,” Hermione said in surprise.

"Not just it, but the two of us too."

Professor McGonagall walked in and spoke, followed by Professor Snape, whose face was ashen.

Both professors looked more disheveled than usual, probably because they had been forcibly woken up from their sleep.

"Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, what brings you here?" Hermione was excited but also a little guilty. After all, they had already been caught staying out all night once, but this time it seemed to be more serious and could probably get them expelled.

“It was Mr. Gaius who sent Abe to deliver a message to us, saying that Professor Quirrell was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone and that we should come to the trapdoor no matter what,” Professor McGonagall explained irritably. “But I really didn’t expect you to be so bold as to force your way through the trapdoor, let alone go this far.”

"It's all because you don't trust us," Ron said defiantly.

In his view, if Professor McGonagall trusted them, they would never have taken such a big risk to do something like this.

How can I trust you?

You all said Professor Snape would steal the Philosopher's Stone, but he's standing right here, perfectly fine!

Hearing this, Snape's face darkened even more. "Professor McGonagall, I have been a bit strict with Gryffindor, but I never expected to be subjected to such suspicion for no reason. It's truly disheartening!"

Chapter 88 Two against one, and they even called in reinforcements.

“I’m sorry, Professor Snape,” Professor McGonagall said awkwardly, “I’ll have them write a thousand-word self-criticism for you later.”

It is clearly irrational to suspect a school professor without any evidence.

Snape snorted, somewhat dissatisfied with this explanation.

But since Professor McGonagall had already said so, and as a fellow professor and headmaster of Hogwarts, she had to be given face.

"Didn't Aaron also suspect Professor Quirrell?" Ron said somewhat unconvinced. "Does he have any evidence?"

And why did you all rush over in such a hurry just because he had his pet deliver a message?

Harry and I went to see you in person, but you ignored us. That's not fair.

“Unfair?” Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, then explained, “It seems you’ve misunderstood something.”

Aaron also had no evidence that Professor Quirrell intended to harm the Philosopher's Stone, but he made a deal with Dumbledore in exchange for the ability to summon both professors once, at their beck and call.

Ron was stunned, and Hermione was also stunned for a while before she showed a look of sudden realization.

They now understood why Aaron didn't want to enter the trapdoor, and why he was so confident that he could stop the mysterious man.

The Headmasters are arguably the strongest force at Hogwarts besides the Headmaster. Since he can mobilize two Headmasters to his side at once, there's nothing to be afraid of.

The only challenge is determining the timing of the mysterious man's actions. Only by seizing this opportunity can we achieve a permanent solution, which explains why he's waiting at the corridor entrance tonight.

"Oh, I see!" Hermione gave an awkward smile, her feelings quite complicated.

Ron also realized what was happening, "But why didn't Aaron tell us sooner?"

That way we won't have to go through the trapdoors or navigate through so many complicated checkpoints.

"Was it useful?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "He said he was confident he could stop the Mystic One from getting the Philosopher's Stone, and we came here on our own."