Hospital Wing.
After ordering the Basilisk back to sleep, Kael rushed here as fast as he could.
Harry was lying quietly asleep on one of the hospital beds, while Dumbledore was talking to Madam Pomfrey next to him.
Madam Pomfrey seemed somewhat displeased.
"Last year it was a Dark Wizard, this year it's Death Eaters, so next year will our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor be… You-Know-Who?"
Madam Pomfrey gave Dumbledore a sidelong glance, "If that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised at all."
Dumbledore merely smiled, neither refuting nor defending.
Whether it was Oren or Quirrell, he was the one who brought them in, and he indeed bore significant responsibility, one he couldn't escape.
Fortunately, Kael came in at that moment.
"Oh, you're just in time, Kael, we were just talking about you…"
Dumbledore quickly ended his conversation with Madam Pomfrey and walked towards Kael, but a second later, Madam Pomfrey nudged him aside.
"You should have come to the hospital wing immediately!" Madam Pomfrey glared at Kael angrily.
At this moment, she seemed more like a villain than Voldemort.
Kael glanced helplessly at Dumbledore, hoping he would help alleviate the situation.
But their headmaster suddenly took an interest in the nearby Magic Potion Bottle, bowing his head to look at it, not paying attention to this side at all.
Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey didn't say much more.
"Alright, stand still!" She waved her wand in front of Kael.
The wand tip released a gentle white light, eventually forming a cloud-like plume that enveloped Kael.
Madam Pomfrey stared at the "cloud" for quite a while before relaxing slightly.
"Very good, no traces of Dark Magic."
"You're really lucky…" Madam Pomfrey said sternly, "When Harry Potter was brought in, he couldn't even say a complete sentence."
She took out a bottle of Magic Potion and then hurried Kael to a bed.
"Uh… Poppy, can I say a couple of words to him?" Dumbledore asked quietly, "Just two sentences, it won't take too much time."
"Even if you say so, Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey frowned, "But the boy just went through Fiendfyre… he needs rest now."
Dumbledore nodded, not insisting further.
After drinking the potion, Kael felt his mind become completely hazy, and he soon fell asleep.
...
When he woke up again, it was already the next morning.
Kael was awakened by the noise.
He heard Madam Pomfrey angrily roaring, seeming to be driving away Fred and George?
"Good morning, Kael."
Kael opened his eyes and saw Dumbledore smiling by his bedside.
He always felt this scene was somewhat familiar.
Oh yes, it was the same last year… around the same time too.
"Good morning, Professor." Kael sat up and asked, "How's Potter doing?"
"I'm glad you're asking," Dumbledore replied, "He's doing alright, he should wake up around noon… Would you like something to eat, the kitchen has fried pork chops this morning."
"No thanks, I have no appetite." Kael shook his head.
"That's a pity, the fried pork chops today are very delicious."
Kael thought Dumbledore might ask him why he went to the forbidden area, but he didn't. After a brief chat, Dumbledore calmly said, "By the way, remember to return Fluffy to Hagrid later, he was worried sick last night.
It's strange… why did I think yesterday that Quirrell hid it.
It took me an hour to realize, if he just wanted to pass through the trapdoor, there was no need to do that. Besides, hiding such a large Three-Headed Dog isn't easy."
"Unless there's some magical device… like a box, or a bag."
"Uh…" Kael felt a bit awkward.
In fact, the amount of Felix Felici he drank only lasted about an hour.
"Sorry, Professor."
"It's okay, Kael, I don't mean to blame you, actually, even if you hadn't taken Fluffy, Quirrell would have found another way through the trapdoor."
Kael nodded, he already guessed Dumbledore's intentions.
Instinctively, Kael glanced around.
The room had only him, Dumbledore, and a sleeping Harry.
The person he most wanted to see, Madam Pomfrey, wasn't here; he really missed how she drove people away yesterday.
Kael began shifting topics, moving from Quidditch to exams, and then to the final House Cup…
Dumbledore patiently chatted with him, seeming to genuinely enjoy it.
But the inevitable must come, just as Kael finished chatting about the House Cup and prepared to switch to the next topic, Dumbledore spoke first, "Speaking of the House Cup… I suddenly remembered, Kael, did you see a bright red stone yesterday?"
"So what does the House Cup have to do with the Philosopher's Stone… this topic switch is too forced." Kael thought to himself.
But facing Dumbledore's inquire, he nodded and said, "Yes, Potter was holding it the whole time, but then it fell into the Fiendfyre."
"Yes, Harry said the same," Dumbledore mused, "But the interesting thing is, the Philosopher's Stone is a very magical stone, even Fiendfyre would struggle to burn it.
I went back and looked, there wasn't a trace…that's impossible."
"Did you search thoroughly?" Kael asked quietly, "Maybe it rolled into another room…"
"I searched very thoroughly," Dumbledore replied with a smile, "Seems you already knew the Philosopher's Stone was hidden there."
"Uh… I heard it from Potter."
Kael said, "At breakfast once, he and Ron were discussing how to prevent Professor Snape from stealing the Philosopher's Stone from the forbidden area."
Saying this isn't really lying, as Kael did hear the word "Philosopher's Stone" more than once from Harry and Ron's mouths.
Sometimes it was in the Auditorium, sometimes in the corridors; when they were loudly plotting, they didn't pay attention if others were around.
Most people just considered they were talking nonsense and didn't care.
"Seems they got quite a bit of information from Hagrid." Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head.
He looked at Kael again, "So you don't know where the Philosopher's Stone is either?"
Kael didn't reply.
"It seems then…the Philosopher's Stone was taken by that Niffler."
"I checked the images captured by The Mirror of Erised yesterday…" Dumbledore winked, "Perhaps I could ask Newt, he might recognize that Niffler."