Allen opened his eyes after one of the heaviest live streams of his career; he had to endure millions of people laughing at him. Of course, if it weren't for the fact that they've known him for a long time and because he saved the world on more than one occasion, he would be buried in criticism.
Still, most media outlets spread the news with humor, but there were exceptions.
"Allen Walker, degenerate and potential danger! I want him on the front page for tomorrow," said Johna Jameson while smoking a cigar.
"Sir, don't you think you're exaggerating?" said his assistant with a forced smile.
"What do you see here?" said Jameson, pointing to a screenshot of Allen's stream. The photo showed Allen in shock while Susan Bones kissed him on the cheek.
"Yes... but technically, he's the same age as Susan."
"Technically? Hahaha! Are you serious?" Jameson shook his head. "Front page!"
"Yes, sir!"
...
The following day.
Allen was having breakfast; he was alone except for Rebecca and 2B floating around him and Timcampy devouring a pile of meatballs.
Allen looked around, and the Gryffindor students were giving him strange looks, obviously after the incident where they saw him struggling with a ghost (Rebecca) people started to see him as a weird guy.
Allen viewed this situation with indifference; he didn't want to have a reputation for being calm and cold in the first place.
"I see everyone's avoiding you~" Pansy approached Allen, standing with her hands on her hips while giving him a mocking look. "It's natural, nobody wants to be around such an arrogant guy..."
Allen looked confused at Pansy; he didn't remember doing anything to make people think he was arrogant.
Pansy pursed her lips and pouted. "Don't lie! I've seen you all the time, hiding your true ability and letting others shine, especially your little girlfriend Hermione Granger!"
Allen leaned on the table and gave a bored look to the black-haired girl who was looking for a fight. "Indeed, I'm not very assertive in class, but that's not a sin, right?"
"Tsk, you're really exasperating..." Pansy crossed her arms. "If you were nicer, I'd let you be my follower."
Allen opened his eyes at the girl's words.
"What an arrogant brat!" Rebecca sniffed.
"Master, give me the order, and I'll eliminate her," said 2B coldly, summoning a mini railgun.
'Since when can she do that?' Allen thought, and then his attention focused on Pansy.
Pansy, like half of the female specimens in this world, looked different from her cinematic version. She had violet eyes and hair as black as jet, not as black as Wednesday's, but unlike her, who seemed to absorb light, Pansy's hair reflected it, giving her a shine like nighttime dew.
This girl was cute, but her attitude qualified her as a walking nuisance. Allen knew that Draco's fans hated him because Draco hated him. However, unlike Draco, she only showed him a look of disdain and dislike from afar without trying to bother him.
Perhaps it's because she already saw how Draco and his cronies ended up, if that's the case, Allen will at least give her a thumbs up for not being stupid.
Pansy frowned at Allen's smile. "Are you thinking something rude, aren't you?"
"..." Allen stopped smiling for a moment and then smiled again, but with a wider smile. "No..."
"I hate you!" Pansy stomped her foot and then left.
Allen remained silent watching the girl leave, she's really making an effort in vain. Draco is not a romantic guy, and even in the canon, he never looked at Pansy. Allen shook his head and grabbed Timcampy before leaving.
Timcampy was upset that Allen didn't let him finish eating, but Allen scolded him. The golden ball was bigger than Allen's head, and it was difficult for him to pass through the owl entries in the ceiling. Tim was lucky that Allen didn't receive much mail, or he would have been discarded.
Allen walked down a large hallway with Timcampy in his arms.
"Do you remember when you could sit on my head? well, now you're like a beach ball," Allen teased Tim, and he got angry and showed his sharp teeth. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Allen teased.
...
A few days later, after classes ended.
"Allen!"
Harry came running out of breath, he seemed nervous and angry. Harry took Allen with Ron and Hermione to where Hagrid lives.
Harry concluded that Snape was the one who gave Hagrid the dragon, after all, Hagrid tends to talk too much.
Harry said that Snape used the dragon as a distraction to get information from Hagrid that Fluffy can be put to sleep with music. Well, "Snape" was wrong because he didn't need to spend a dragon; Hagrid would have told him without that.
"Hagrid, what was the guy who gave you the dragon-like?!" Harry asked urgently.
"I don't know; he had his head covered," Hagrid replied calmly.
"It was Snape!"
Allen decided to step forward. "Your deduction seems accurate, Harry, just with the detail that maybe it's not Snape. Hagrid can be distracted... but I don't think he wouldn't recognize Professor Snape."
At Allen's words, Hagrid nodded; he didn't think it was Snape. Allen looked at Hagrid with pity; this giant didn't realize he was manipulated by everyone, but sometimes ignorance is bliss.
"Hey, man, why do you always cover for Snape?" Ron asked confused; all the students feared or hated Snape.
"..." Hermione, who had been looking at Allen, also wondered that.
"..." Harry frowned. If it had been someone else who said it, he would have denied it, but among his friends, Allen seemed the calmest and most reasonable.
Allen remained silent. Why did he cover for Professor Snape so much? Why did he give him points?
No, there's a different reason...
– "Sentimental fools complaining that their lives aren't fair" "In case you haven't noticed, life isn't fair"
– "The mind is not a book one can open at will, or examine whenever one feels like it. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of the skull for any invader to analyze. The mind is a very complex power with many layers."
– "In the past, it was a pleasure of the Dark Lord to invade the minds of his victims, creating visions designed to torture them to madness. Only after extracting the last exquisite drop of agony; only when they were begging to die, did he finally kill them."
– "You kept him alive so he can die at the right moment. You raised him like a pig for slaughter."
I will live in the shadows...
I will give up friends...
I will have no children...
I will betray everyone...
I will die without glory...
I'm okay with ending up as just another traitor...
Dumbledore – "After all this time?"
Snape – "Always"
Allen paused with a weak smile. "That's right... I don't think he's a bad person... but he's quite severe... heh," Allen replied, shrugging.
Harry lowered his head, perhaps his personal thoughts were biasing his judgment. He had always believed Snape was guilty, and Snape's attitude didn't help, but in the end, it was just an assumption, and they never saw Snape do anything wrong.
"Maybe it wasn't Snape, but someone wants the stone for the Dark Lord," said Harry with a newfound resolve.
"That's true," Allen nodded.
They all bid farewell to Hagrid, who continued playing the flute. Allen worried because this man would be a professor in two years.
...
That night, they would all head to the third floor, and this time Allen would also go. They all gathered in the Gryffindor common room.
Before they could leave, Neville interrupted them. He had been waiting in the room as if he knew they would try to sneak out again.
"I won't let you go! They'll deduct more points from us!"
As expected, the majority were not happy about losing so many points. Objectively speaking, they were right. They were practically to blame, and far from repenting, they were going to break curfew again.
Hermione pulled out her wand, but Allen stopped her and stepped forward.
"Sit down, Neville..."
Neville obeyed, seeing Allen's expression. "B-but..."
"Don't worry, I'll personally make up the points if necessary."
"Ugh, fine."
They all left the common room, and as they walked through the corridors, Ron couldn't help but ask.
"What did you do to Neville to make him afraid of you?"
"Nothing," Allen replied, glancing at Ron. "And he doesn't fear me... he respects me."
"..."
...
...
When they reached the third floor, they had to use the invisibility cloak, but there was an issue.
Harry's invisibility cloak couldn't cover four people.
Allen called Timcampy, who was in his pocket, and it opened its mouth, producing a piece of cloth. Everyone wanted to ask how, but Allen couldn't quite answer that question.
"Effingo Effectus," Allen said, pointing at Harry's cloak and then at his piece of cloth, which acquired the same invisibility effect as Harry's cloak.
"What?!" Hermione exclaimed, surprised. She didn't know that magical artifacts' effects could be copied. It was normal that she didn't know because this was a spell unique to Allen.
Allen put on the invisibility cloak and, seeing that it worked well, nodded.
Ron went with Harry, and for some reason, Hermione went with Allen.
Gwen – Hehe I should be mad, but your situation is just too funny.
Diana – Heaven is punishing you for being a womanizer haha.
MJ – I bet the police and the FBI must be enjoying seeing you every day~
Allen regretted starting the stream, but he did it because this would be very important; it was the climax of the first Harry Potter book.
On the way, Allen felt Hermione resting her head on his back.
"Is something wrong?"
She remained silent for a while. "I'm sorry..."
Allen sighed; he already knew what she meant. For almost two weeks, she had been avoiding him, which was understandable considering her emotional state.
"Don't worry, I understand..."
"..."
She fell silent and grabbed his clothes tightly. "Allen..."
"H-Hermione?" Allen felt a chill. He felt that if he didn't do something, something worse than that kiss with Susan would happen. Luckily, they reached the three-headed dog's room. Allen breathed a sigh of relief, but Hermione puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
'I'm sorry, but for the sake of my mental stability, I must avoid at all costs that you say anything else.'
[Host... I don't think you can avoid it...]
'Shut up!!'
...
Harry and Ron entered first, followed by Allen and Hermione. Upon entering Fluffy's room, everything was silent.
"Wait!" Allen realized the problem immediately, but it was too late; Fluffy had been awake from the beginning.
Events unfolded too quickly.
Allen extended his hand, he cast a spell that hit the large dog, which had already pounced on them, paralyzing Fluffy.
"Petrificus Totalus?! On such a large creature?!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Wait, you used a wandless spell?!" Ron shouted in amazement.
"..." Harry was stunned.
Allen cursed Dumbledore; if it weren't for him being here, someone could have died. No, it was because Allen was here that Dumbledore didn't intervene when the dog wasn't asleep.
'That old man... does he want to involve me in the trials?'
Originally, all the "traps" guarding the Philosopher's Stone were designed to challenge Harry and his friends, which is why they were crafted in a way that Hermione, Ron, and Harry could pass them with their knowledge and skills.
However, if Dumbledore added a test for Allen, things get complicated. He is still in Dumbledore's eyes Allen Walker's son and at this point, Dumbledore must know that Allen Jr. is not weak.
What could Albus Dumbledore prepare to test him? Well, whatever it was, he was about to find out.
===
A/N: Did Hermione try to confess? If so, will Allen have any dignity when he returns to his world? XD
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