"Ron, even you took a swing at Professor Quirrell," Harry said helplessly.

Ron was at a loss for words.

Hoare felt a bit disappointed; next time he sold Ron out, he'd have to lower the price, as this brother seemed to have gotten even dumber.

"If you don't believe me, ask the ghosts!" Ron protested loudly, his voice echoing down the corridor for a few seconds, scaring them both into hiding.

"Ron!" Harry quickly covered Ron's mouth. Once the echoes faded, they hurriedly ran forward.

Hoare could only catch a few words from afar.

"The ghosts heard Quirrell shouting in the infirmary, 'He's back! He's back! It must be him!'" Ron said, shivering.

"He's definitely up to something..."

After that, Hoare couldn't hear anymore.

Hoare stepped out from behind a Roman column. The Fat Lady of Gryffindor was snoring in her portrait.

Do portraits need to sleep too? Hoare couldn't help but get closer to study it, but after finding nothing, he left.

He didn't see that after he left, the Fat Lady, who had been asleep, opened one eye.

Seeing Hoare walk away, she dared to wake up and quickly fled to another portrait to share the gossip she had overheard.

Even though the Dark Lord had disappeared for eleven years, his fear still lingered.

Even the ghosts and portraits were shrouded in his shadow.

Hoare took a shortcut through a side path, looping around twice. He distinctly felt himself going uphill at times and downhill at others.

Looking out from a window that resembled a vent, Hoare saw Filch patrolling with his Mrs. Norris in his arms.

After about fifteen minutes, Hoare emerged from the secret passage onto the third floor of Hogwarts.

To the right of the corridor, there was a wooden door in the corner.

Honestly, if Hoare hadn't come specifically to find it, he might have easily overlooked this door.

The wooden door was incredibly worn, secured with an iron lock.

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Hoare recalled the obstacles behind this door from his memory.

Inside were tasks set by each professor, simple yet somewhat tedious.

He wondered if the Summoning Charm would work. Hoare thought about it and figured it wouldn't; otherwise, the man with a snake face could just shout "Philosopher's Stone, come" and get the stone without all the fuss.

Staring at the door, Hoare opened a music box and placed it on the ground to prevent the door from suddenly opening and the three-headed dog from making noise, attracting patrolling professors.

"Exchange for Alohomora, Levitation Charm, Summoning Charm, and Reducto," Hoare exchanged for all the spells he might need.

[Ding]

[Panel Updated]

[B-Level Abilities: Charms (Patronus Charm, Basic Transfiguration {Self-Taught}, Petrificus Totalus, Finite, Tongue-Tying Curse, Body-Bind Curse, Leg-Locker Curse, Jelly-Legs Jinx, Stupefy, Alohomora, Levitation Charm, Summoning Charm, Reducto, Lumos)]

[Available Galleons: 1458 Galleons, 6 Sickles, 23 Knuts]

Hoare pulled out his wand and whispered to the lock, "Alohomora."

The lock clicked open.

Hoare entered the pitch-black room, holding the music box. The gigantic three-headed dog lay on the ground, snoring, with one of its heads bubbling from its nose as it slept.

Hoare placed the music box in a corner against the wall to prevent the three-headed dog from accidentally hitting it if it turned over.

With the three-headed dog settled, "Lumos," Hoare's wand lit up with tiny stars, and he began searching for the door to the next obstacle.

At that moment, one of the three-headed dog's paws moved, revealing a wooden floor structure.

Hoare slowly approached, crouched down, and felt it with his hand. It was indeed wood, likely the door he was looking for.

"Levitation Charm," the weight of the three-headed dog was beyond Hoare's expectations. He had to cast the Levitation Charm twice to successfully lift the three-headed dog.

Sure enough, the door was right beneath the three-headed dog.

What a clever trick.

The three-headed dog's weakness for music was unique to this one; Hoare guessed Hagrid must have used music to lull it to sleep when it was young.

For others trying to enter, this obstacle would have scared them away.

And the only flaw in this obstacle was Hagrid.

Hoare moved the three-headed dog slightly to the side. After all, it was still chained and couldn't go far.

With everything set, Hoare gently opened the wooden door on the floor, then crouched down and slipped through.

As he descended through the wooden door, he landed on a patch of Devil's Snare, which tightly bound Hoare. He lay still, and the Devil's Snare gradually relaxed, lowering him to the ground.

In front of him was a straight room, so straightforward it was almost laughable.

It wasn't that Hoare wanted to complain, but was this obstacle even serious?

Any first-year who paid attention in class could get through this.

Hoare dusted himself off and continued forward.

After passing through two empty rooms, Hoare was stopped by another locked door.

In front of the door, countless keys with wings fluttered about. Hoare, looking bored, cast "Petrificus Totalus."

His Quidditch training had made him want to hit anything that moved.

The keys froze with the spell, dropping to the ground.

Hoare immediately spotted the unique one, picked it up, and easily unlocked the door.

Hoare breezed through each obstacle, feeling as if he were on a leisurely outing.

Until the final obstacle, set by Headmaster Snape, required two people to drink potions simultaneously to pass.

One person would return to the start, and the other would continue forward.

But Hoare was alone.

Hoare looked at the green flames burning before him, pondering whether the Aguamenti Charm could extinguish them.

Probably not, as these didn't seem like ordinary flames.

Fire, burning.

Could he be stuck here, with the Philosopher's Stone just beyond, beckoning to him?

In his dilemma, Hoare suddenly remembered he had something useful in his pouch.

He pulled out a bottle of shimmering gold potion, a Felix Felicis he had brewed just in case. Hoare uncorked it and drank it in one gulp.

After ten seconds or so, the feeling was quite extraordinary.

Hoare's sixth sense told him to drink the potion from the third bottle on the right.

He picked it up, drank it, and walked straight through the green flames.

!!!

Hoare looked at the empty Felix Felicis bottle. This stuff was amazing! He still had a faint sixth sense, which told him...? Not to go in?

Hoare was puzzled. He was already inside, so why was the Felix Felicis telling him not to enter?

He looked up. This place didn't seem like a room; it was more like an empty cavern.

Candles lit the cave all around, illuminating the space with no shadows.

There was nothing inside, utterly barren.

Hoare realized why his sixth sense had told him not to enter...

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