"Professor! You're here!" Harry Potter was startled by the familiar voice at first, then he realized who it was and happily ran towards Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Damn it! I was bad - mouthing someone and got busted by the guy!" Light, who had his back to Headmaster Dumbledore, couldn't help but curl his lip.
"Harry Potter, can you tell me what happened?" Headmaster Dumbledore took the Philosopher's Stone that Harry Potter offered and gently asked him.
Seeing the harmonious scene of the old man and the young boy, Light slowly strolled over. It was obvious that he wasn't really keen on facing the most powerful wizard in the wizarding world.
"Voldemort was possessing Quirrell and wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone. I get it! Where is Quirrell now?" After hearing Harry Potter's account, Headmaster Dumbledore's eyes kept scanning the ruins in the room.
"Quirrell he..."
"Quirrell exploded! There are pieces all over the place!" Light, the person involved, directly explained the reason for Quirrell's explosion on Harry Potter's behalf.
"Is it the Fiendfyre curse? Please wait for a moment!" Headmaster Dumbledore instantly disappeared from Light's sight and appeared at the deep pit where Quirrell had exploded and started to observe.
"Old Dumbledore must be able to feel that weird aura that hasn't faded away in the pit yet!" Light squinted his eyes and looked at the place where Headmaster Dumbledore had suddenly disappeared.
"Light..." Harry Potter poked the dazed Light with his finger. Just as he was about to say something, a rush of footsteps sounded.
Professor McGonagall led a large group of people out. Everyone was tightly holding their wands, looking ready to launch an attack at any moment.
"Mr. Ragus, Mr. Potter! Are you all right!" Professor McGonagall saw the two standing beside the door.
She quickly stepped forward, protected Light and Harry Potter behind her, and warily stared at the figure wandering around the deep pit!
"Minerva! You take the students back first! The matter has been resolved. Severus, please stay. I need your help to clean up."
Headmaster Dumbledore's deep voice resounded through the room, dispelling the murderous aura of the professors.
The professors looked at each other. Although they were puzzled about what had happened, they didn't dwell on it too much and all put away their wands.
Professor McGonagall confirmed that the person was Headmaster Dumbledore in some way. Then she led Light, Harry Potter and the professors out of the room, leaving Professor Snape behind.
"Severus! Can you sense it?" Headmaster Dumbledore stood beside the deep pit and said to Professor Snape in a low voice.
Professor Snape silently walked to the edge of the pit but didn't answer Headmaster Dumbledore's question. Instead, he stared intently into the pit, looking as if all his attention was drawn to it.
"It's a very strange feeling! Although it was completely burned by the Fiendfyre curse, I can still feel the profoundness of this power. It seems to be able to transcend life and death!" Professor Snape felt the gradually disappearing power in the pit and seriously expressed his opinion to Headmaster Dumbledore.
"You're right. This power can indeed transcend life and death! I didn't expect him to be able to achieve such a thing." Headmaster Dumbledore's words seemed to be an exclamation and also a kind of regret.
"What exactly is this power? How much do you know about it!" Professor Snape ignored Headmaster Dumbledore's exclamation and asked bluntly and coldly.
"Horcruxes! You probably don't know about it. After all, a large part of the books about it have been destroyed.
Headmaster Dumbledore seriously told Professor Snape the origin of the Horcruxes.
"Using an evil ritual to split one's soul and hide it in an object, thus gaining the power to transcend death and time," Professor Snape summarized Headmaster Dumbledore's information in a murmur, with his left arm across his chest and his right index finger tapping on his lips.
After a long while, Professor Snape turned his head and looked at Headmaster Dumbledore with empty eyes. He said in a cold tone:
"We're in trouble! He's solved the weakness of splitting the soul. And we don't even know how many Horcruxes he's hidden. We're in great danger."
Hearing Professor Snape's words, Headmaster Dumbledore gave a nonchalant smile to Professor Snape.
"Don't be nervous, Severus! We're not completely at a disadvantage. I'm sure he has no more than ten Horcruxes. And we still have an ace up our sleeve!"
"Besides, one of his Horcruxes has been destroyed, hasn't it?" After saying that, Headmaster Dumbledore lifted the tip of his foot and tapped the ground lightly, gesturing at the deep pit in front of them.
"Why are you so sure about the number of his Horcruxes? What else do you know? The ace? Is it Harry Potter?" Professor Snape stared fixedly at Headmaster Dumbledore, and his tone unconsciously became impatient.
"There'll always be a way!" Headmaster Dumbledore didn't answer Professor Snape's question directly. Then he playfully winked at him.
Before Professor Snape could continue to press for an answer, Headmaster Dumbledore raised his right hand. A flash of fire appeared above his head, and the phoenix Fawkes appeared in the air.
"Want a ride?" Headmaster Dumbledore looked at the somewhat agitated Professor Snape.
Professor Snape didn't say a word, just nodded slightly. A flash of fire later, the two of them disappeared on the spot.
The room became empty, with only a pile of ruins left, telling the tale of the fierce battle.
In Professor McGonagall's office!
Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron stood in a row in the middle of the office, waiting to be dealt with.
Thanks to the letter from Headmaster Dumbledore, Light managed to avoid trouble for the time being. He sat expressionlessly on the chair beside, pretending to be a good boy, but his eyes kept darting around.
Professor McGonagall looked at the three problem students with their heads down seriously and didn't say a word.
"Professor, I was wrong! I shouldn't have been so impulsive!" Harry Potter spoke first, taking the blame on himself.
"No, Professor. It's my fault that I didn't stop him. I'm also to blame!" Hermione nervously twisted her fingers, wanting to share the responsibility.
"Me too. I'm also wrong!" Ron was also anxious to take the blame, but didn't know how to put it, and his face was almost red with anxiety.
Professor McGonagall looked at the students huddled like quails in front of her and couldn't help sighing.
"The responsibility doesn't all lie with you. We're also at fault. We didn't expect Quirrell to forge the Ministry of Magic's documents and directly ask Dumbledore to go to the Ministry of Magic for the tracking thread!"
"This led to a loophole in the protection of the Philosopher's Stone!"
"So, kids, look up! You did a great job. You protected the Philosopher's Stone and Hogwarts."
"Really!" Hearing Professor McGonagall's serious but gentle words, the three of them looked up at the same time and happily glanced at each other.
"However, the impact of this incident is quite significant! I can't decide on your punishment alone. It needs to be decided by the headmaster.
After seeing the three young ones (Harry Potter and his two friends) lower their heads dejectedly again, Professor McGonagall quickly said, "I'll intercede for you. I guarantee there won't be any punishment for you!"
Seeing this scene, Light probably guessed why Professor McGonagall was being so lenient!
"Maybe she thinks Old Dumbledore rushed back in time and had a big fight with the enemy, and we were just innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire!"
"That's fine. As long as Harry Potter doesn't let the cat out of the bag, this will be the truth that everyone agrees on!"
Light silently gave an inward thumbs - up to the professors who could come up with their own stories.
Then he followed Harry Potter and the other two, who were acquitted, out of Professor McGonagall's office.