After Halloween, Hermione began to blend in with her surroundings. She seemed to have taken on the role of helping Gryffindor students with their studies. She had also become friends with Harry and Ron, and the three of them were spending more time together. However, for Hermione, her best friend remained Leonard Taylor, and spending holidays in Leo's study room had become the norm.
November arrived, and the Quidditch season began. The first match was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, marking the start of an intense rivalry. But Leo, who had little interest in such matters, continued his magical research in the study room.
(Well, the improvements to the trap for the Philosopher's Stone are complete. It would be great if I could get research permission from Nicolas Flamel for the Philosopher's Stone... )
As he thought about this, Leo looked at the ten rings placed on the table. These rings were usually worn on all of Leo's fingers. Normally, they were concealed through a combination of recognition inhibiting and invisibility spells, rendering their presence virtually unknown.
Each ring was intended to possess different abilities. Currently, five out of the ten were already completed. The theoretical groundwork for the remaining five was also finished, so they would be created one by one in due course. If all went well, they should be completed by the end of the school year. After that, they could be improved as needed.
(For now, let's start with the Reflex Ring.)
Leo placed one of the rings on a magic circle and began inscribing the spell. The incantation involved layering multiple intricate patterns to form complex designs. He concentrated all his nerves and used his "Eyes" to ensure there were no small mistakes, infusing the new magical item with power.
Suddenly, Leo realized that it was already late in the afternoon. When engrossed in magic, he often lost track of time. He sensed the presence of many people in the hallway, likely due to Quidditch having ended. He decided to make some tea and relax. As he prepared to do so, there was a knock at the door.
"Leo, it's Me Hermione. Can I come in?"
"Of course, it's perfect timing. I was just preparing some tea."
Hermione entered, followed by Harry and Ron.
"Excuse me. Wow, this place looks amazing."
"Yeah, it's incredible. We have no idea what's going on, but it looks impressive."
"Welcome. What brings you here, Hermione? I don't think I've ever seen you to come here with anyone else before. Also Harry and Ron, it's best not to touch things around here."
Leo warned the two, who were looking around and seemed tempted to touch things. In reality, there wasn't anything dangerous here. Truly hazardous items were stored much deeper within the room.
Leo sipped tea and listened as Harry and Ron complained about today's Quidditch events.
In summary, they suspected that Snape had placed a curse on Harry's broom.
(If Snape, who is at the level of Professor Snape, had cursed it, the broom would probably be in pieces by now. Even if Snape had cursed it, we should consider that someone else had cast a protective spell. Considering that Quirrell is possessed by Voldemort, Quirrell probably cursed it while Snape countered. Snape's attitude and actions are misunderstood due to his usual demeanor.)
"Leo, do you think Snape cursed it?"
"Absolutely!! It's Snape, after all! Considering how he treats Harry, he's 100% the culprit!"said Ron
"I also think it's Snape."
"I can't say for certain without seeing the situation. Even if Snape were the culprit, by now, Potter would be either in bed or in a coffin if he didn't have protection. So I think there was someone else protecting him. In any case, it's just speculation."
(Well, it's better not to mention Voldemort, so this is the only answer I can give.)
Ron and Harry were both convinced that Snape was the culprit. Hermione, on the other hand, was trying to remember the exact circumstances of what happened.
"Um, well... do you know who Nicolas Flamel is?"
Ron's sudden question surprised them all.
"Why do you want to know about that person?" Leo asked cautiously.
It seemed like none of them wanted to bring up the topic, but Hermione gathered her courage and began to speak.
"You remember when we lost a lot of points for Gryffindor the other day? That was when we accidentally entered the forbidden fourth-floor corridor, where Cerberus was guarding. Well, today, when we were having tea with Hagrid, Ron accidentally mentioned that incident. Then, he let it slip that Cerberus belongs to Hagrid and that Dumbledore borrowed him to secretly guard something at Hogwarts. And that something is related to a person named Nicolas Flamel. We thought Leo might know something about it."
Leo tried his best to remain calm. Inside, he was filled with a mixture of disbelief towards Hagrid and suspicion towards Dumbledore.
(What is Hagrid thinking? Revealing such important confidential information to students... And why would Dumbledore entrust him with this?)
Leo hesitated. Information about the Philosopher's Stone was top secret. However, wouldn't it be strange if Leo didn't know anything about Nicolas Flamel? At least, Hermione could easily connect the dots to the Philosopher's Stone with just that much information. So, what should he do?
"Of course, I know about him. But just telling you won't make much sense. Everything should start with your own thoughts and investigations. I assume Hagrid didn't give you an answer, right? So, I can't just give you one either. But I won't stop you from investigating on your own."
Leo felt that this response might be a bit harsh, and he was contemplating it when Ron exploded in anger.
"Leonard Taylor! You're such an awful guy! You know it, but you won't tell us. It's obviously better to ask someone who knows than to investigate ourselves. Yet, you know it and are probably laughing at us for not knowing anything! That's it, isn't it? We overheard Snape complaining about something regarding Cerberus and how Snape cursed Harry's broom. Snape must be trying to steal that something! So, if you know, just tell us! Oh, I get it now. You probably don't know about Nicolas Flamel either. But you don't want your reputation as a smart guy to be ruined, so you're pretending to know. Forget it! We'll manage without relying on someone like you."
Ron stormed out in one breath, and Harry followed him, apologizing briefly. Hermione was furious with Ron's attitude.
"Really! What's wrong with Ron? He's so disrespectful to you, Leo!"
Leo, on the other hand, was left dumbfounded.
"Leo... Are you okay? You shouldn't be hurt by his words. I'll give him a piece of my mind later."
"No, it's not a problem, but... I'm just amazed at how strongly someone can believe in something. They just state their own thoughts as fact. It's incredible."
Leo wasn't being sarcastic or anything; he was genuinely impressed. He had never encountered such a person before, and it made him realize that human thought processes were unfathomable even with his "Eyes."
"Anyway, I can't tell you, and I advise against investigating further. It could be dangerous."
"Thanks for the advice. But I'd like to know it as part of my knowledge. However, I'll keep it at knowing for now. We might need a stopper for those two if they go off the deep end."
"Alright then. Let's consider this matter closed. It's getting late, so shall we have dinner?"
Afterwards, they enjoyed their dinner as usual. By that time, Ron's words had faded into the background of their thoughts.
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Yes, I must admit that I may have provoked Ron into saying something rather peculiar.
You see, the equation went something like this: Snape cursing Harry's broom + Hagrid not revealing anything + me not disclosing the information + and Ron's simmering jealousy of my brilliance = all these factors culminated in an explosive outburst of anger.
Snape didn't get bitten by Cerberus on Halloween, but he had endured quite a lot of humiliation, which, of course, he was complaining about. Harry overheard it.
So, stay tuned for the next chapter.
As for Ron's remarks in the previous chapter, I'm relieved to know that many of you empathized with his sentiments.
Rest assured that Ron will continue to do so in the future.