"We just went to talk with Hagrid for a bit, and you already figured out who Nicolas Flamel is?"
In the Gryffindor common room, Ron was utterly taken aback. He and Harry had just returned when Hermione gave them such a big surprise.
"Which book did you find it in?" Harry asked.
"On Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card!"
Hermione said irritably, "You two keep bragging about how many cards you've collected, yet neither of you knew!"
Hearing this, Harry was slightly taken aback and gasped slightly. No wonder he felt like he'd seen the name somewhere before. Now he remembers, it was on the train.
Dumbledore was the first card he collected.
"Moreover, I also found this."
Hermione pulled out another large and thick old book and began flipping through pages quickly in front of them.
"Nicolas Flamel is the only known creator of the Philosopher's Stone!"
"The what stone?" Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.
"Oh, come on, don't you two read... just look for yourselves!"
Hermione shoved the book to them and continued, "I bet that big dog's guarding the Philosopher's Stone."
Harry and Ron, like two noobs being carried through a game by a pro, had only just finished reading the guide given by Hermione, and upon looking up, realized they had already cleared the level.
Not only did Hermione find out about Nicolas Flamel, but she also guessed what was hidden under the trapdoor.
The Philosopher's Stone... no wonder Snape's after it.
A stone that can turn things into gold and grant immortality, who wouldn't want it?
"So, what about you two..." Hermione closed the book. "Did Hagrid say anything about what happened yesterday?"
"No." Ron shook his head dejectedly. "Hagrid wouldn't say, and no matter how much we asked, he wouldn't reveal anything."
"But we found out Hagrid seemed to be injured," Harry thought for a moment and said, "He had a bottle of Dittany Essence in his hut. I remember from Herbology Class that it's a potent remedy for wounds."
"Dittany Essence?"
Hermione frowned. So, Hagrid wasn't at the hospital to help Madam Pomfrey but because he was injured.
She had thought right; Hagrid was definitely involved in what happened yesterday.
"Maybe we could ask Kael again," Ron suggested.
"No use." Hermione shook her head. "If he wanted to tell us, he would have already said so. Besides, you don't think he'd slip up like Hagrid, do you?"
"Hermione's right," Harry agreed, nodding. He wasn't keen on seeing Kael either.
The main reason was Quidditch.
Ever since Slytherin unexpectedly lost to Ravenclaw, they lost their shot at the championship.
And Ravenclaw, having been shut out in the first match, didn't have a high score even with the win.
So, the upcoming Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor match became crucial; whoever wins would lock in the victory early.
In such a scenario, relations between the two houses plummeted to an all-time low in just one afternoon, with Harris and Wood nearly coming to blows in the corridor.
At this point, even if they went to find Kael, he probably wouldn't bother acknowledging them.
Harry didn't want to seek out frustration.
Seeing both disagreeing, Ron had to drop the idea.
...
When class began the next day, everyone saw Professor Quirrell again.
Evidently, he hadn't added another brick to the Defense Against Dark Arts' curse as most people had speculated.
This really disappointed a lot of people.
They had been hoping that if there was one less professor, maybe the final exams would be canceled.
However, some noticed that Professor Quirrell's arm was injured again, with a thick bandage even around his wrist, and he seemed paler than before.
He explained that it was because he'd been in a hurry a couple of days ago and accidentally fell down the stairs, getting injured as a result.
Many people sighed in disappointment again...
Kael clearly heard a Slytherin next to him murmuring, "The atmosphere was perfect, why did he only break an arm..."
Perhaps due to the injury, this time Professor Quirrell didn't even bring his "teaching assistant" along. Instead, he gave the class a standard reading lesson, and anyone unaware might have thought they were in Magic History class.
Not quite right... At least Professor Binns would read the long, tedious content himself, but Professor Quirrell had the students read for themselves while he sat at the desk until class ended, seemingly even taking a nap.
The young wizards in attendance didn't seem too happy.
Anyone can read... this is too cushy a job. If Hogwarts had a slacker professor competition, Quirrell would definitely be the undisputed champion.
Even a Crup couldn't handle the job any worse, really makes one wonder why Dumbledore hasn't fired him yet,
If Defense Against the Dark Arts Class just became increasingly dull, then Potion Class was sheer torture for Kael.
Trying to vent his dissatisfaction over losing the match, or perhaps wanting to transfer that misery onto Kael, Snape treated him even worse.
Each deduction started at five points and had no upper limit.
Though these points would later be regained through various reasons, courtesy of Conna, Kael still often felt an intense urge to slam Mikel's cauldron over Snape's head.
As for why not use his own... well, because his brewed potions were of standard quality, and even if he did hit Snape with it, it wouldn't cause much harm as Snape could easily counter it.
But Mikel's was different, his brew was like Schrödinger's potion. Until it left his cauldron, no one knew what it might do, and it was notoriously hard to find a remedy.
Harry had a similar experience, being targeted by Snape as well, but suffered less in point deductions.
And after hearing about Kael's ordeal, Harry's initially poor mood lifted considerably, even finding himself calmer encountering Snape outside the Potion Classroom.
"Fred and George were right." During a game of Wizard Chess, Harry said rather nonchalantly, "Looks like Snape indeed dislikes Kael more."
"So, we might actually win the match?" Ron said, getting a little excited.
If Snape kept picking on Hufflepuff, it would be ideal for Gryffindor.
"Ron, don't say that." Harry maneuvered his knight to capture a pawn, confidently stating, "Even if Snape isn't the referee, we'll definitely win!"