"Sorry! I need to go organize some of my teaching materials."
Regulus Black waved his wand and used Reducio to shrink everything down, stuffed it into his pocket, and left.
That afternoon, the first-years had their flying lesson. Thanks to excellent family genes, Harry Potter was the first to successfully summon his broom.
During Draco Malfoy's usual daily provocation, Harry displayed the qualities of an excellent Seeker—and was caught in the act by Professor McGonagall. She immediately recommended him to Gryffindor's Quidditch captain... Oliver Wood.
The youngest Seeker in history, officially added to the team as a first-year—Harry Potter's journey as the protagonist had begun.
"I never thought I'd become a Seeker."
Although thrilled deep down, Harry felt a bit unsure. Why had Professor McGonagall decided he was the right Seeker for Gryffindor based on just one flight? It all seemed a little hasty!
"You have to believe in yourself—you have it in your blood," Hermione said with a bright smile, gesturing for Harry and Ron to follow her to the Trophy Room.
Sure enough, from a Quidditch House Cup over ten years ago, Gryffindor had emerged victorious, and their Seeker at the time was James Potter.
Harry hadn't expected that his father had also been a Seeker—and had even won the House Cup. Now, Harry himself was a Seeker too. This newfound connection boosted his popularity among classmates, and after seeing this proof, even Harry became more confident and determined to do his best.
Outside the Trophy Room, Regulus Black happened to appear, quietly following the three leads from a distance.
It was nearly nightfall by then, and the trio was about to return to Gryffindor Tower.
As expected—almost like fate—when only the three of them stepped onto a staircase, it began to shift.
In reality, the moving staircases were designed for convenience—to help with the flow of people during specific time periods—not to deliberately confuse anyone. If students really got lost on these staircases, it was either because they were incredibly directionally challenged… or they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. In other words: skipping class.
Regulus Black was certain neither of those applied. So if the three of them had been brought to the third-floor forbidden corridor by the stairs, this could only be the work of one person—Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Where are we? These staircases keep shifting—I'm so confused," Ron grumbled, clearly fed up with the school's quirky infrastructure.
You're a staircase, just let me walk on you! Why the heck do you need to move?!
The trio entered a dark corridor, where a statue of a wizard stood in a bizarre pose off to the side.
As they approached, a nearby brazier automatically lit up—but instead of warmth, it only made the atmosphere more eerie and chilling.
"I don't think we should be here. We should get out—now."
The three little lions only wanted to leave, but the mastermind who'd orchestrated this had more tricks up their sleeve.
"Meow!"
Mrs. Norris, caretaker Filch's cat, suddenly appeared.
Damn it! Was it already nighttime?
The three young lions were now trapped by a single cat. Mentally, it felt like a stampede of alpacas charging through their heads.
They immediately turned and bolted into the depths of the dark corridor, only to be stopped by a wooden door.
"It's locked!"
"Move! Alohomora!"
Thanks to Hermione's advanced spellwork, they finally made it into the forbidden corridor—only to be scared stiff by what lay behind the door: Fluffy, the three-headed dog.
Mrs. Norris and even Filch himself were nothing compared to this. At this point, their only thought was how to avoid being eaten by the now-awake giant beast.
They turned and fled, slamming the door shut behind them. None of them had ever imagined their small bodies could exert so much strength—enough to shove that monstrous dog's heads back through the door and lock it.
On the other side, Mrs. Norris was already gone. Thankfully, cats couldn't talk.
All this time, Regulus Black had remained hidden nearby, unnoticed by the young lions and Mrs. Norris alike.
He had witnessed the entire event—and knew it was no coincidence. Even Filch had likely been drawn there by the shifting stairs. In the end, the pressure from the situation had led the trio to uncover the true significance of the forbidden corridor.
After observing everything that happened in the third-floor corridor, Regulus Black did nothing more—and quietly left the room.
Regulus Black walked all the way to the eighth floor and stopped directly outside the Headmaster's office.
"Chocolate Frog!"
The stone gargoyle guarding the entrance lifted its head to glance at him, and immediately, the platform it stood on triggered a mechanism—a staircase spiraled upward, step by step.
"Dumbledore! You let the Savior get that close to the three-headed dog. Was that really appropriate?"
Dumbledore acted as if he hadn't heard the accusation. "At last, you're calling me Dumbledore instead of that distant 'Headmaster.'"
"Don't change the subject. Harry Potter is special. If we truly want to defeat the Dark Lord, he's the only option."
Regulus Black sounded agitated. Even though he knew the old man was watching everything from behind the scenes, what if something went wrong? Would he really be able to intervene in time? Or was there some kind of headmaster privilege at Hogwarts that allowed him to act instantly?
"Hoho! Looks like you know quite a bit."
Dumbledore wasn't worried that Regulus would take action—he was more concerned he might do nothing. But from the looks of it now, Regulus seemed to be standing on Harry Potter's side.
"Three lifetimes of experience—as an ordinary person, or you could say a Muggle—has taught me many things. One of which is learning to see things from different perspectives."
Regulus Black pushed aside Dumbledore's tray of sweets, locking eyes with him, waiting for the answer he wanted.
"Aren't you the one protecting him?"
Dumbledore wasn't about to reveal his true intentions, so he just tried to brush it off with a chuckle.
"Who told you I was protecting Harry Potter? Out of the three kids, I actually prefer Hermione. If the three-headed dog were to bite all three of them at once, and I could only save one, I'd definitely save that girl."
So Dumbledore just wanted a nanny for Harry Potter? Regulus Black wasn't falling for that trick.
"I should remind you—Hermione is still an underage girl."
Dumbledore was so eager to deflect that he was completely disregarding basic decency. The conversation was definitely starting to go in a very questionable direction.
"You don't need to remind me. I can wait until they're all grown up. My body's already locked in its physical age—I won't grow older."
Regulus Black muttered irritably, though he seemed to have let something slip.
"They"? Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Who else caught your eye?"
His expression was one of utter surprise—but the topic had just taken an even dirtier turn.
"Damn it! You completely derailed this conversation!" Regulus said, clearly flustered and annoyed. "About the situation in the third-floor forbidden corridor—I know the Philosopher's Stone is in your possession. You deliberately sent Hagrid to Vault 713 to retrieve it, and you made sure Harry saw it. You're already using this kid at such an early stage. Don't you think that's a bit much?"
Dumbledore dropped the amused old gossip act, and his expression turned serious.
"When did you figure it out?"
"When The Daily Prophet reported the break-in at Gringotts, Harry mentioned he had gone with Hagrid to the vault before the incident. Then you had Hagrid's dangerous creature placed on the third floor, and today you led that kid to uncover the secret of the forbidden corridor—just to spark his curiosity."
Regulus Black took a moment to calm himself down.
"I don't know who this whole setup is really meant for—but I'm sure those three little lions are involved. And if this is meant for me, then I'll just say it straight: give me the Philosopher's Stone. I need it."
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