Two months had passed in the blink of an eye.
Argus led an extremely fulfilling life. Every day after class, he would go to the library, and when it was almost time, he would go to Snape's office to endure mental attacks.
Every Saturday, he would go to Quirrell's office, learn Dark Arts from Voldemort, and then take a stroll around Diagon Alley.
After this period of study, Argus's strength had improved by leaps and bounds.
His max-level talents, combined with long hours of hard work.
Potions and Transfiguration were progressing rapidly, with a large number of spells having broken through to level four or even level five.
In terms of Dark Arts, especially the three Unforgivable Curses, he was extremely skilled in their application.
As for the shops in Diagon Alley, with the help of bodyguard Dumbledore and protector Fudge, they had already taken up nearly half of the business in Diagon Alley in just two months.
The pure-blood families whose business was being robbed were furious but helpless.
It was Saturday again, and Argus arrived at Quirrell's office as usual.
After studying for a while, Argus could tell that Quirrell's body was becoming increasingly weak.
In the beginning, he could talk for an entire afternoon, while also demonstrating some magic.
Even then, he had to gasp for breath to say a few words.
But Argus didn't care about any of that; after all, he wasn't the one who died.
He asked for advice however he wanted, without showing any consideration or pity.
After an afternoon of classes, Argus, as usual, informed Voldemort of the information and intelligence he had gathered about Harry during this time.
This time, however, Voldemort did not give Argus the notebook as usual.
Instead, he raised his head and stared straight at him.
His pale, emaciated face and sunken eye sockets made him look terrifying.
"Argus, from now on, your task will no longer be to gather intelligence."
"I have some actions that require your cooperation."
Cooperation?
Argus's mind raced, and considering the current time, he immediately understood what the other party wanted to do!
Steal the Philosopher's Stone!
With only a few days left until Halloween, he recalled that, if memory served, in the original story, Voldemort would release a giant troll on Halloween night.
Unfortunately, the films hadn't shown exactly what happened; all they revealed was that Voldemort didn't get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's foot had apparently been bitten.
Harry, by sheer chance, had killed the troll, thus cementing his reputation as the savior.
But without Hermione this time, Harry and Ron probably had no reason to wander around aimlessly.
Wrong!
Did that old bastard mean he wanted Argus to steal the Philosopher's Stone?
Argus suddenly realized this and looked up at Voldemort.
Sure enough, the other party's next words were to tell Argus to go to the third floor.
"I'll cause some chaos on Halloween night."
"All the students and professors will be drawn to this. Then, you'll be responsible for going to the third floor and taking out what's hidden there and handing it over to me."
"Do you understand?"
You expect me, an eleven-year-old wizard, to fight Fluffy? You really think highly of me!
Argus frowned: "Teacher, there's a three-headed dog guarding it. Do you mean I have to deal with it alone?"
"Are you going to reject me?" Voldemort's tone suddenly turned dangerous.
"Teacher, problems should always be solved in advance before a plan is implemented."
"If a riot were to break out at Hogwarts, the professors would be on high alert, and every painting and every mechanism in the castle would be on standby."
"Putting aside the three-headed dog, even if I get the items inside, I can't guarantee that I won't be discovered. If Dumbledore finds out, all your plans will be in vain."
Argus thought his words would make Voldemort give up on getting involved, but to his surprise, a strange smile appeared on his face.
"My dear student, I have already thought of the reasons for you."
"How about searching for a missing friend? Under the guise of finding a friend, search within Hogwarts Castle."
"That Ravenclaw girl who follows you around all the time is quite nice."
"If I remember correctly, it was a Mudblood."
"There's nothing to regret about dying."
"Before you leave, tell your prefect that the professors won't make things difficult for you."
Voldemort, I'll f you!
Can't you do something a decent human being would do?
Do you know how hard it is for me to fool a few people?! And you ruined them all!
Argus's eyes seemed to want to devour him, but he knew all too well that Voldemort was not consulting him at all!
It was an order!
He had to do it!
Even if he chose to refuse, Voldemort would still proceed according to plan, forcing him to save Hermione!
At worst, he himself could steal it while he was fighting the troll and attracting the professors' attention.
Hermione was still in danger!
But these weren't the real reasons that made him hesitate.
He knew that the third floor was very likely bait that Dumbledore had thrown at Voldemort!
There was no Philosopher's Stone inside!
He knew these things, but Voldemort did not.
He couldn't explain it to him.
Moreover, if he went to the third floor now, it would be impossible to convincingly explain his innocence.
It was impossible to explain!
Unless... someone was watching him closely and could prove he never entered that secret room...
Voldemort was getting impatient, and his gaze toward Argus held a hint of danger.
"Any other questions?"
"No, teacher."
Argus knew he couldn't refuse, so he calmly nodded.
"Don't let me down, Argus."
You will get everything you want!
The fake smile on Argus's face vanished completely the moment he turned around.
Halloween was just three days away, and he needed to complete his plan within these three days!
On his way to Snape's office, Argus's mind raced.
Hermione needed protection; otherwise, if she fell into Voldemort's hands, he might cast some spell on her that she couldn't counter.
But protecting Hermione alone was clearly not enough. If Voldemort couldn't catch her, he could go after Draco, Pansy, Daphne, and others.
Same effect!
Ideally, a long-term gathering point should be established to ensure that everyone could come to the lobby in the evening.
The establishment of this gathering point could not be related to him in any way, otherwise Voldemort would still be suspicious...
And the person who was tracking and monitoring him must have had a certain level of strength, at least enough to withstand a few moves from Voldemort.
He also needed to give that person a reason to doubt themselves...
According to the original story, the most suitable candidates would undoubtedly have been Harry and Ron. However, because of his interruption, the two of them, who should have discovered the secret chamber during their duel with Draco, never had the chance to enter!
Given their mediocre skills, let alone holding out for a few moves, it would have been a miracle if they didn't lose track of each other!
One by one, the images of people he could use floated into his mind.
Ultimately, it coalesced into a red-haired image.
"We've found the person who was tracking us, but how do we organize a long gathering for Halloween..."
While he was pondering, Argus had already arrived at Snape's office.
Seeing the other person's deadpan expression, he immediately shook his head, putting his thoughts aside.
After all, if he didn't focus on it...
Snape really did swear!
...
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