I started to open my Christmas gifts after I got back from breakfast. I got 6 presents, all from my Ravenclaw friends. I don't have many outside-house friends now. Maybe I would expand later. They're not my priorities.
The gifts mostly contain books, stationaries, sweets, and some trinkets. I can see that they struggled to pick the gifts. They know I could basically buy all the shops (with everything inside) in the Diagon Alley and more. Yet, I appreciate the gestures.
The stack contains 97 letters of thank you and celebration cards. I actually read all of them to pass the time. They are from people whom I help with their student loans. They were very grateful for my family's donation. Since there is only one living Vautoure, the owl mails all deliver the letter to the Vautoure family to me.
Because of that, I ask Jelly to make me a letter-ward and direct the letters to my Flat in the Diagon Alley. My Flat's wards will destroy the letters with ill-intent. Gilly could deliver the remaining letters to me at the end of the day through the vanishing cabinet or apparition, whichever works better.
My Christmas holiday passed with me copying the books in the ROR, studying my muggle studies, doing homework, and mingling with other students. The students only see me during meal time at the Great Hall. I never turn off my notice-me-not bracelet charm in Hogwarts. Even more now due to my non-intentional fame.
The students try to seek me out for some reason. Some of them wanted to befriend me out of kindness, as I look lonely without my Ravenclaw friends. To which I responded kindly as well. Some wanted to form connections for immediate or future business ventures. While the others only wanted my money for themselves. I know their types, so I've been careful. I don't feel angry or disappointed or anything at them. I know the risks of being wealthy and being known about it. So, I've been preparing myself.
I use the Marauder's Map to snoop on people during the holiday. Professor Quirrel was away during the weekend. Professor Dumbledore was away most of the time but always came back at dinner in the Great Hall. Harry found the Erised Mirror on 27th December. He had been going there every night since. However, at the end of the holiday, he stopped.
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Soon, the classes start again. The Ravenclaws still dominate most of the lessons except for potion. Malfoy tops this class. He is surprisingly very good at it.
Harry is also progressing very well. In fact, he's in the top 10. He's really been studying a lot. Sometimes, we even read books together in the library. I think he considers me his friend. Ron and Parvati sometimes join us. Ron is not as lazy as the book portrays him to be. He just lacks the motivation to better himself.
Weeks passed. I didn't see the boys going on the stone adventure. They've been playing chess and studying with us Ravenclaws. I saw Professor Quirrell sneaked out more during the weekdays. I assume he's been hunting unicorns.
So, we are in that plot already. I see that I need to secure the stone from Professor Quirrell.
Taking the stone is very anti-climatic, I'm telling you. Jelly knows all of the rooms' locations. In fact, the headmaster ordered the Hogwarts elves to clean the place before he set up the traps.
On Tuesday, the second week of April, I asked Jelly to apparate me to the end of the trap rooms in the 3rd-floor corridor at 1 AM the morning. We are invisible. I use my invisibility cloak and the fake wand I obtained from the ROR. I also bring the Marauder's Map inside my pocket robe.
I haven't stolen Harry's cloak yet. I actually feel bad about it as we are friends now. I don't want to steal his family heirloom just because. I owe it to him. He's been very kind to me.
The room looks exactly like in the movies. With a quick ward and charm detector, I found that Professor Dumbledor put a detection charm on the entrance door. As I did not enter through the door, it is still intact.
I understand that the mirror will reveal the stone only when they have no desire to use it. At this point, I have no use for the stone. I'm rich, and I don't want to live forever.
I stand in front of the mirror. It was very straightforward.
I did not even see my most desired visions. Have I already achieved it? Most probably, yes. My goals are simple anyway.
Then, I see my right pant pocket bulging in the mirror. Putting my right hand inside it, I find the stone. It was red in color. Well, this is too easy.
Wasting no time, I ask Jelly to disapparate me to the corridor near Professor's Quirrel office. He should be here. I've checked in the Marauder's Map.
I wanted to try the ancient-warding technique I read from ROR on Professor Quirrell. The warding is a shield that protects against wraiths and destroys them. The ward also makes a barrier to stop them from escaping.
Apparently, in the olden days, wraiths were common. The magical communities were not as orderly. People were free to experiment with many things, including soul fragments. Although they did not understand the concept of Horcruxes yet.
So, they created a simple method to destroy the soul-fragment (wraith) after experimenting. They made a simple incantation, protege nos et contere iram. There is no hand movement. We only need to incant it perfectly with a strong intent to destroy the wraiths.
And that is, precisely, what I do. I stand near the office entrance under my invisibility cloak. Then I ask Jelly to silence the room from outside. Using my fake wand, I incant the spell and will it to destroy the wraith.
There was a slight tremor from inside the room for a minute, but then it abruptly stopped. I was not sure if it worked. I don't want to enter the room either. So, I just repeat the method 2 more times and go. I would see the result in the morning.
I was wide awake now. It excited me to play Voldemort like that. *hehe*
So I decided to steal Scabbers from Ron.