In the sky, Harry gripped his broom tightly, his heart pounding.
The Golden Snitch was right in front of him, its wings beating rapidly, fluttering up and down.
The Slytherin Seeker also spotted the Snitch and was rushing over from another direction.
Harry dove sharply, his arm extended forward.
The Golden Snitch was at his fingertips; he could feel its faint vibrations.
"Got it!"
Harry raised his right hand high, the Golden Snitch struggling in his palm.
A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd, and the Gryffindor students jumped wildly.
"Gryffindor wins!" Lee Jordan's voice was hoarse.
Although he was a commentator, as a member of Gryffindor, he felt honored.
"Final score: Gryffindor 210 points, Slytherin 60 points!"
"Slytherin, if you're bad, practice more!"
"Jordan!"
"Sorry, sorry, Professor McGonagall, I got too excited."
Charlie was also applauding excitedly; it felt just like the first time he watched a game.
The intense atmosphere infected everyone.
After the match, Harry found the others; they had agreed to celebrate at Hagrid's Hut.
Charlie hadn't intended to go, but then he remembered Harry had mentioned that the item hidden on the fourth floor was something Hagrid had retrieved from Gringotts.
This was a good chance to pump Hagrid for information.
That damn Cerberus wasn't giving them any opportunities, so he'd have to find another way.
So he happily walked with them towards Hagrid's Hut.
Hagrid's Hut was warm as spring, with a roaring fire in the fireplace.
Hagrid poured hot tea for everyone and brought out his homemade rock cakes.
Charlie looked at the biscuits, hard enough to kill someone, and quietly pulled his hand back.
"Harry, you were brilliant today!" Hagrid said excitedly, his beard trembling.
"That move to catch the Golden Snitch, it was just like your dad!"
Harry scratched his head sheepishly.
"Actually, something went wrong in the middle; my broom suddenly went out of control."
"What?" Hagrid's eyes widened.
He hadn't noticed anything unusual and thought Harry was just showing off.
Ron said indignantly:
"It must have been that bastard Malfoy who put a curse on it."
"He even threatened Harry earlier."
Hagrid's beard bristled with anger.
"What a wicked thing to do! To play foul in a match!"
Hermione frowned in thought.
"I think we should tell the Professor; this kind of thing is too dangerous."
Harry nodded in agreement.
Just as everyone was filled with righteous indignation, Charlie suddenly leaned into Harry's ear and whispered.
"Harry, you said that thing on the fourth floor was retrieved by Hagrid from Gringotts, right?"
Harry paused, then nodded.
A cunning glint flashed in Charlie's eyes.
"Hagrid's here; let's try to get some information out of him."
"Isn't that a bit much?" Harry hesitated.
"Hagrid is so good to us..."
No sooner had he spoken than Harry turned his head and asked directly:
"Hagrid, what is the Cerberus on the fourth floor guarding?"
Hagrid nearly dropped his teacup.
"How do you know about Fluffy?"
His eyes were wide, his face full of shock.
"Fluffy?" Ron repeated curiously.
"That's the name I gave him," Hagrid said, a little nervous.
"I bought him from a Greek man, and I've raised him from a pup, just like his mother."
"Let's talk about what he's guarding."
Hagrid became nervous again.
"You absolutely must not concern yourselves with what he's guarding, forget about it."
"It's Professor Dumbledore's and Nicolas Flamel's..."
Mid-sentence, Hagrid suddenly realized he had let something slip.
He quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes full of regret.
Harry and the other two exchanged glances, neither knowing who Nicolas Flamel was.
But Charlie's eyes lit up.
"Nicolas Flamel?"
Charlie pulled a chocolate frog card from his pocket.
This was a card he had scratched on the Hogwarts Express.
The card had a portrait of Dumbledore printed on it, with text below.
"Achieved remarkable success in Alchemy with partner Nicolas Flamel, together creating the Philosopher's Stone."
Charlie read out the description on the card, his voice growing softer and softer.
Hagrid's face grew paler and paler, and cold sweat broke out.
"What is the Philosopher's Stone?" Harry asked.
"Don't ask, Harry, don't ask," Hagrid said, putting on a pained expression.
Hermione then chimed in.
"I read in a book that the Philosopher's Stone contains infinite magic and can grant eternal life!"
"Eternal life?" Ron gasped.
"It's not the Philosopher's Stone down there, is it?"
After Ron spoke, everyone's gaze focused on Hagrid.
Hagrid's reaction was the best answer.
He waved his hands frantically, stammering.
"No, no, you're overthinking it."
"How could it be the Philosopher's Stone, hahahaha..."
Hagrid's laughter was worse than crying, and his panicked look was obvious even to a primary school student.
"Oh my goodness." Hermione covered her mouth.
"It really is the Philosopher's Stone."
"The Philosopher's Stone that grants eternal life," Harry murmured.
"No wonder there are so many protective measures."
Hagrid completely deflated, slumping into a chair.
"I'm such an idiot!"
...Ever since successfully extracting the information, Charlie hadn't paid much attention to what was on the fourth floor.
The'sage time' after satisfying curiosity was exactly this.
Although the Philosopher's Stone sounded amazing, it wasn't very useful to Charlie at the moment; he had a system, after all. Was eternal life really that hard?
["Your Majesty, brag all you want, but don't drag me into it."]
Charlie rolled his eyes.
"Useless system."
Overall, with the item under Dumbledore's care, a first-year Wizard like himself shouldn't even think about it.
Harry also told Professor McGonagall about the curse.
Professor McGonagall called Malfoy for questioning, and after confirming he hadn't cast a spell or asked anyone to cast one, the matter was dropped.
Time quickly approached Christmas, and school was about to go on holiday.
Most students were preparing to go home for the holidays, and the entire Hogwarts was filled with the relaxed atmosphere of the approaching break.
Charlie was packing his luggage in the dormitory, planning to return to the Orphanage for a leisurely holiday.
He hadn't seen Grandma White in half a year and missed her quite a bit.
Just then, Billy suddenly appeared, startling Ernie, who was packing.
"Mr. White, Professor Flitwick is looking for you," Billy said respectfully.
Charlie put down the clothes in his hand. "Now?"
"Yes, the Professor is waiting for you in his office."
Charlie had some guesses in his mind; could the magic-resistant vest be ready?
He felt a little excited.
"I understand, I'll be right there."
Arriving at Professor Flitwick's office, Charlie gently knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Pushing open the door, Charlie saw Professor Flitwick sitting behind his desk, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Mr. White, please sit."
Professor Flitwick pointed to the chair opposite him.
Once Charlie was seated, Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and the desk drawer automatically opened.
A cake hopped out of it and landed in front of Charlie.
"Try this cake, it's a new item I bought in Hogsmeade," Professor Flitwick said with a smile.
Hogsmeade was the largest Wizard settlement in Britain, and one could only apply to visit in third year, so Charlie had naturally never been there.
Charlie took a bite of the cake; although it was delicious, he was thinking about the magic-resistant vest, so he took the initiative to ask:
"Professor, is it ready from Griph's side?"
Professor Flitwick smiled.
"That's right, what you asked for is finished."
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