The Temptations of Dumbledore

Tewell indeed possesses the ability to break through the chessboard now.

However, he doesn't intend to go steal the Philosopher's Stone just yet.

Firstly, Quirrell's health is quite poor at the moment; he's not even in a condition to charge into battle.

Secondly, Tewell still needs to understand and absorb the magic left behind by Herja.

So, in the week before the holiday break, he canceled unnecessary activities and focused on reflecting on his experiences in the Forbidden Forest.

After this period of reflection, his understanding of magical power has reached a higher level.

For a wizard of his level, such significant progress is truly remarkable. Moreover, the improvement is in magical power, to the extent that he can now even use spells like the Crushing Curse to crush someone to death!

By estimation, purely in terms of magical power, he's now on par with Dumbledore, who wields the Elder Wand. Of course, even with this progress, he won't miss the weekly Transfiguration studies with Dumbledore.

After all, the gap in magical philosophy cannot be bridged solely by power. Magic isn't like a gun; besides power, its greatest characteristic lies in its myriad of peculiar magical effects.

Here's a shout-out to Voldemort for you!

On the first day of the holiday, Tewell didn't leave the school with the other students but instead went as planned to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was sitting as usual, his face full of anticipation as he toyed with something in his hands, evidently having waited for Tewell for some time.

"Good evening, Headmaster Dumbledore," Tewell greeted as he entered.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting; I didn't expect to have so much luggage to pack after being at the school for less than four months," he said as he sat down, familiar with the routine. However, he also noticed what Dumbledore had been studying just before—a Philosopher's Stone!

A genuine Philosopher's Stone!

He didn't need to investigate; the waves of magical energy emanating from it were exceptionally evident. Just the leaked vitality made him feel physically and mentally refreshed and invigorated!

His eyes narrowed, and his movements stiffened for a moment, but it was just a moment, and he regained his composure. However, Dumbledore still noticed his reaction.

"Good evening," Dumbledore said, raising the Philosopher's Stone in his hand. "I believe you should recognize what this is?"

Although phrased as a question, his tone was firm.

Looking through his half-moon spectacles, Tewell stared into Dumbledore's deep blue eyes. He smiled calmly, "In the magical world, there's only one thing so full of magical energy— the legendary Philosopher's Stone."

Dumbledore's eyes lingered on him for a moment, as if trying to read something from his face, before he chuckled heartily. "You truly live up to your reputation. I was worried a young wizard like you wouldn't recognize this old item."

Though his face remained composed, Tewell's heart was racing. Snape must have told Dumbledore about his suspicions! Of course, Snape wouldn't keep such an important matter to himself and investigate alone.

"Compared to you, I still have a long way to go," he said calmly, meeting Dumbledore's gaze without hesitation.

If need be, he could always use the teacher's name as a shield. He didn't believe Dumbledore would directly harm him.

With that said, did the teacher become Dumbledore's Noble Phantasm?

Sensing Tewell's composure, Dumbledore withdrew his probing gaze. "No, what I meant was, it's rare for young people to know the whereabouts of the Philosopher's Stone yet remain unmoved by it."

"Oh, you mean someone is attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Tewell feigned surprise.

"Yes, during the summer vacation, I deliberately tested it, and indeed, someone was attempting to lay hands on the Stone," Dumbledore blinked.

Tewell understood. The fake Philosopher's Stone during the summer vacation was Dumbledore's test, probably the reason he set up a trap to play a game of cat and mouse.

"But in my opinion, as long as you keep the Philosopher's Stone with you at all times, I can guarantee that no one would dare to covet it."

In Hogwarts, the act of openly stealing something from Dumbledore is something even the boldest, like Voldemort, wouldn't dare to do.

"You're making me blush," Dumbledore said, pouring pumpkin juice for Tewell himself this time. "But as an old man, I can't keep an eye on this stone every day. Do you have any good ideas?"

"Old man? With your vigor, if you haven't encountered any curses or anything, you could easily live for another fifty years!" Tewell thought to himself but responded, "Sure, why not store it somewhere and protect it rigorously?"

"Great idea!" Dumbledore exclaimed excitedly. "I was actually considering that, but I'm undecided on the final method of storing the Philosopher's Stone."

"Could you help me come up with a good plan?"

"..."

Tewell wasn't sure what to say. "How about adding a bit of mind detection to the protection of the Stone?"

"If it's a thief, they must be eager to get their hands on the Stone. You can use this to your advantage; only those who have no desire for it can truly obtain the Philosopher's Stone."

As Dumbledore applauded, he praised, "A clever design indeed! Looks like I've asked the right person tonight. And it's perfect; I'll set it up during Christmas. Do you have time to help me with this favor?"

"I'm sorry, during the Christmas break, I need to meet someone very important," Tewell paused, "uh, an elder, so I won't be able to stay at school to help you."

"And with your capabilities as the headmaster, you don't really need me to micromanage, do you?"

He didn't believe Dumbledore was merely discussing the Philosopher's Stone with him; it was a test to see if he harbored desires for it! Until Quirrell successfully diverted attention, he would remain under the close scrutiny of Snape and Dumbledore.

The discussion about the Philosopher's Stone ended there. Afterward, the two tacitly avoided mentioning it again. Even though it was right there on the table, they didn't glance at it again, as if it were just an ordinary stone.

...

After finishing the Transfiguration studies with Dumbledore, Tewell didn't immediately leave the Headmaster's office but instead wandered around the eighth floor.

He was searching for the Room of Requirement.

If there truly was a Ravenclaw's hidden chamber, it was hard not to think of the Room of Requirement. However, he had never cared about the location of the Room of Requirement in his previous life. Compared to the famous "think of your need and it will appear" method, the location of its entrance wasn't something he stored in his memory. After all, he never imagined he would transmigrate, let alone into the world of Harry Potter.

So, if someone came to the eighth floor, they would likely be astonished by what they saw—a professor known for her elegance, Professor Trelawney, was pacing around like a headless fly.

Finally, the headless fly was astonished to find that the Room of Requirement was gone! He was sure he had walked through every corridor on the eighth floor and felt around every tapestry, even blocking the view of many portraits in the process. But none of them revealed the existence of the Room of Requirement.

As Tewell furrowed his brow in thought, there was suddenly a rumbling noise from across the corridor. He quickly darted behind a corner adorned with a tapestry of a giant club-wielding man. As the opposite wall turned into a door, a tipsy professor stumbled out.

Sybill Trelawney, the Divination professor, and one of the few remaining seers in the magical world. But her current condition was far from good. She was thin, her green robes hanging loosely, her glasses askew, her hair a mess, and she smelled strongly of sour alcohol, swaying as she walked.

He searched here for nearly an hour, and it seemed the professor had also been inside for at least an hour. No wonder they hadn't been able to find the Room of Requirement.

However, Tewell had no intention of going up to greet them because of the curse on his body; he always felt a certain awe regarding prophecy.

Unlike others, he knew this professor truly possessed the power of prophecy, but in ancient legends, all prophets would suffer a curse— their words were hardly believed by people.

It was a frustrating and painful situation; they clearly foresaw the impending truth but often couldn't prevent disasters due to coincidences caused by the curse.

So, this prophet, who should have been respected, could only drown his sorrows in the Divination Tower at Hogwarts due to self-doubt.

After Professor Trelawney left, stumbling against the wall, Tewell walked up to the wall.

It was a very ordinary stone wall; its thickness was its only feature. Even if he placed his hand on it, he couldn't sense any magical feedback.

If he hadn't seen the door crack open just now, he wouldn't have been able to tell that this was the location of the Room of Requirement.

So, what kind of room was he going to enter? Snape's dressing room? Dumbledore's bathroom?

"Boom boom."

A refined, luxurious door appeared in front of Tewell, with a thoughtful "men" sign placed on it...

What were all these for?

He quickly cleared his mind of the jumble of thoughts and began to consider Ravenclaw.

Ravenclaw's chamber?

Ravenclaw's library?

Study?

...

After trying several times, the Room of Requirement still didn't give him any response, and the door to the washroom remained standing before him.

Watching the sky gradually darken, Tewell decided to stop trying and simply pushed open the door.

Inside was an extremely luxurious washroom, adorned with various types of exquisite chamber pots.

However, his attention wasn't on these chamber pots. Well, he was momentarily taken aback by their elegance.

Alright, alright, he had indeed been curious about which one of them Dumbledore had used.

After abandoning those inexplicable curiosities, Tewell began to investigate the magical source of the room.

"I couldn't find the source of the badge's magic, but surely the Room of Requirement's magic can be traced!"

As his magic surged from his body, the magical structure of the room began to materialize before his "eyes."

But Tewell would have preferred not to see it. Too much!

Countless thin threads intertwined in the room, with five or six strands of volition extending from every inch of the floor, guiding toward different parts of the walls or ceiling.

It seemed as if the entire room was constructed of magic, but the question was, where did the threads of volition lead to?

The Room of Requirement couldn't possibly be powered by the combined magic of thousands of wizards, could it?!

Wait, he seemed to realize something.

The Room of Requirement existed as a storage room for miscellaneous items!

So, were these threads of volition extending from those magical items?

Tewell didn't delve further into it. Just exploring a dozen items earlier had made him dizzy, and now there were at least tens of thousands of threads here. After just a while, his magic had been depleted by half.

However, he was also certain that exploring the Ravenclaw chamber couldn't rely on volition threads like Hagrid's.

As for the Horcruxes in the storage room, he would come back later to search for them. For now, a ring and Quirrell were enough for him to deal with.