Hogwarts Archaeologist Toby

"Listen, Neville - you go back to Ron, grab a couple of broomsticks from the room with the flying key, they'll carry you through the trapdoor, past the armor - go straight to the owl shack, send Hedwig is going to send a letter to Dumbledore, we need him to rescue—or any professor in the school, if it doesn't work, you should go to Dean McGonagall—do you remember everything, Neville? Wei?"

Neville was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He was still looking at the two bottles on the table in a daze.

"Sorry, Neville."

Hermione could only whisper: "But I really can't write to Mrs. Longbottom and tell him about you...your bad news, no matter what. The person who should take the risk is not you, you Your parents are still waiting for you. Remember? They are about to recover and are waiting to see you."

"Feel sorry......"

Hermione turned and said, unable to bear to meet Neville's eyes.

"Neville, I'm sorry..."

Just as she was about to pass through the black flames, she suddenly heard Neville's shout from behind.

"then!"

Hermione turned around hastily. She saw something being thrown towards her by Neville, and she subconsciously caught it with both hands.

It was an old wand that seemed to have been used for many years.

"This is my father's wand."

Hermione saw that the shock on Neville's face had disappeared, leaving only concern in his eyes.

"It will protect you." Neville said: "Just like it has been protecting me, even...even if I have a poor memory, I can still live well until now."

"I'm going to find Dean McGonagall now, and I'll be back soon."

After saying these words, Neville ran away in a hurry, running back along the purple flame.

"thanks......"

Hermione said words that no one could hear and whispered her thanks.

Ever since Neville offered to jump into the trapdoor first, Hermione knew he had really made up his mind this time.

But since he could remember, Neville saw his parents as two patients in the hospital bed. This was the first time they finally had a chance to get along normally.

Hermione really couldn't bear to puncture this hope, which would make her regret it for the rest of her life.

She stared at the wooden door behind the black flames and kept whispering: "It'll be okay, it'll be okay..."

Hermione, who never felt as courageous as Harry and Ron, had been terrified from the start—she had been terrified before Hogwarts.

She was afraid because she was a Muggle-born and worried that she would not be able to compare with the new students from a wizarding family, so she memorized all the textbooks before the start of school. But even so, after officially enrolling, she did not dare to There is no relaxation at all, and I take the time to study every day, for fear of not being able to compare with others - and thus being discriminated against.

Hermione was afraid that she would be discriminated against and that she would become out of tune with Hogwarts. This was what she feared the most, and she didn't change until she was imprisoned by Professor Highmore for the first time.

Because after that confinement she finally made two real friends - Harry and Ron, who gave Hermione more courage and made her change her fear from Hogwarts to failing the exam .

Now, what Hermione was afraid of was that her parents might lose sight of her.

"If only I could learn the Oblivion Charm."

Even at this moment, it didn't occur to Hermione to turn and run.

The person who wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone is Voldemort.

Hermione knew that Harry must be on the other side of the door—because he was the Boy Who Lived, his disappearance must have had something to do with Voldemort.

So Hermione did something more courageous than lying in front of the black devil.

That time, the person she really wanted to help was herself, so that she could have an excuse to be expelled from Hogwarts and leave this school that made her feel only cold.

Only this time...only this time!

Hermione pushed the door open and entered the last room.

She is for-

"Ok?"

Hermione's mind suddenly became chaotic, and Harry's figure was erased from her mind like an eraser, turning into an empty room in front of her.

Where is Harry?

Where is the magic stone?

Why is there nothing...

She walked quickly into the center of the room, then turned her head, and finally saw the Mirror of Erised standing by the door, her eyes widened quickly - usually this face can only be seen on Ron.

In the mirror of the Mirror of Erised, Hermione didn't see her own figure reflected in the mirror. Instead, she saw Harry who was tied to a chair, and standing next to him, her eyes constantly darting around. Quirrell!

These two people appeared inexplicably in the mirror - Hermione, whose head was spinning rapidly, understood what was going on in an instant. She immediately pulled out her wand, pointed it at Quirrell in the mirror, and shouted: " Let Harry go now - Quirrell, you - I thought you were a good person!"

However, Quirrell in the mirror didn't seem to hear Hermione's words at all. Harry was the only one looking at Hermione on the other side of the mirror - but it didn't seem like they were looking at each other, but that Harry was being forcibly fixed. His eyes were blocked and he could not move his head or eyes.

Hermione yelled again, she moved quietly, but the two people in the mirror did not respond at all.

What exactly happened here?

Hermione threw herself in front of the mirror, and then quickly retracted her hand to break the mirror - she was not sure what would happen when she broke the mirror. What if Harry couldn't get out?

At this moment, Hermione almost thought she was hallucinating - the whole room flashed from the top of her head to the floor. Just looking at those complex shiny patterns made Hermione feel as if she was about to faint. She felt sick and uncomfortable in her heart - in an inadvertent glance, she saw all the patterns gathered on the surface of the Mirror of Erised, and as the light in the room flickered, she vaguely saw one...two...three. ..Four...?

It's seven.

This is a seven-pointed star magic circle.

But Professor Heimer clearly said in class that this does not exist...

At this moment, Hermione suddenly heard someone say to herself: "If I were you, I wouldn't try to recall the magic circle just now, Miss Granger. Not all ancient magic is harmless, I I believe you should have known this long ago."

While the light of the magic circle was dimming, another figure suddenly appeared beside Hermione, as if conjured out of thin air.

"Professor Haimo?"

Hermione yelled in fear and joy until she noticed the scratches on Professor Highmore's face: "Professor, are you injured?"

"A trivial accident is a 'surprise' left for me by the centaurs."

Toby walked up to the mirror and said: "White fresh food will leave scars, and it would be better to wait until you return to the school hospital for treatment. A neat appearance can lower the enemy's vigilance and make it less likely to make people feel vigilant. Facts have proved that this method Very effective, especially in front of dark wizards."

"Horseman?" Hermione subconsciously blocked the second half of the thrilling words, but even so, all the joy in her eyes disappeared.

She noticed that something seemed wrong with Professor Heimer's state at this time, and he was gloomier and calmer than before.

What's even more frightening is that she just remembered that Professor Haimo threatened the centaur in the Forbidden Forest during the last Forbidden Forest.

Could it be that......

Hermione couldn't help thinking the worst - Professor Highmore killed the centaurs -?

However, Toby seemed to know what Hermione was thinking, and added a little gentleness to his calm tone: "It's not what you think. On the contrary, I have been deliberately avoiding similar things from happening... The influence of ancient magic on me is deep enough, and there is no need to speed up the process... Perhaps, I should have done this earlier... when Lily first persuaded me... ....”

Professor Heimer's voice became softer and softer, and Hermione panicked again when she heard the word "enough" - this news didn't sound good, and it couldn't be comforting at all - or said Heimer Is the professor's usual way of comforting people so direct...

Hermione's panic immediately turned to panic when she saw Quirrell taking out a red gem from Harry's trouser pocket in the mirror.

"Professor Highmore!"

Hermione shouted anxiously to Toby, who was deep in thought: "Isn't that the Philosopher's Stone? Quirrell has already obtained it, stop him quickly!"

But Toby was just staring at the mirror, and Hermione was horrified to see a smile appear on his face.

Hermione thought that Voldemort had taken Professor Highmore under his command at some point, until she heard Professor Highmore asking herself a question, which pulled her back from the terrifying fantasy to the rigorous classroom.

"Remember the wooden swords you used to duel with when you were first imprisoned?"

"Remember, Professor..." Hermione replied with a guilty conscience. She had secretly played a trick during that confinement, but judging from later signs, Professor Heimer discovered it.

As for the wooden swords they used for duels - a special magic circle was engraved on those wooden swords - they would only cause pain to the person being struck, but would not cause any real injuries.

"It's all the same thing."

Toby said calmly, he leaned closer to the mirror so that he could observe what Quirrell was doing more clearly.

"Everything that happens in the mirror is false, it only reveals the deepest desires of those imprisoned, and it is also their deepest secret."

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time..."

To be honest, Hermione has never seen Voldemort with her own eyes, but compared with Quirrell in the mirror, Professor Highmore standing beside her is undoubtedly more terrifying.

Hermione was so glad it wasn't Professor Highmore locked in the mirror, she couldn't even imagine what she was seeing.

She should indeed be grateful for this.

Because Toby has been waiting for this moment -

In order to completely eradicate pure-blood supremacy, but also for revenge.

Revenge that belongs only to him.