After Ryze finished drinking the oat milk that boosted his maximum life, the three of them quickly stuffed a few bites of their sandwiches into their mouths. Without wasting any more time, they pulled Ryze along to a secluded spot outside the castle. It was clear they had something important to share—something they had learned from Hagrid the previous afternoon.
"Hagrid said he trusts Dumbledore's judgment completely," Ron began, his expression slightly conflicted as he repeated the conversation. "Even though Snape isn't exactly popular among the students, the professors all believe he's trustworthy. Hagrid also said that Snape would never dare to steal anything that belongs to Dumbledore."
Ryze wasn't surprised by this at all.
Hagrid might complain about Snape from time to time, but accusing him of intentionally harming a student or betraying Dumbledore was a completely different matter. In Hagrid's eyes, Dumbledore's authority was absolute. As far as he was concerned, Hogwarts was the safest place in the world. The idea that someone would sneak in to steal from Dumbledore seemed almost absurd.
"Actually, I feel the same way," Hermione added thoughtfully. "At the very least, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. We need to observe Snape more carefully before making any judgments."
She paused for a moment, then continued, her tone shifting slightly.
"But more importantly, while Hagrid was talking to us, he accidentally let something slip. He mentioned that whatever is hidden in that room on the fourth floor is connected to a secret shared between Dumbledore and someone named Nicolas Flamel."
At this, Harry spread his hands helplessly and looked at Ryze.
"I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before," he said, frowning in frustration. "But we spent all night searching, and we still couldn't figure out who Nicolas Flamel is."
Hermione immediately corrected him, her voice carrying a hint of indignation.
"I was the one who spent all night searching. You two barely helped—you flipped through a couple of books and then fell asleep."
She then turned back to Ryze, her expression earnest.
"In any case, we want to figure out who Nicolas Flamel is. Once we know that, we might be able to understand what's being hidden in that room. So… do you want to join us in investigating this?"
Ryze looked at Hermione for a moment, his expression thoughtful.
Two months ago, she would have been anxious about wasting time on something like this, especially if it meant neglecting her studies. Now, however, she seemed genuinely engaged—almost excited.
Noticing his gaze, Hermione seemed to recall her earlier behavior. A faint blush appeared on her face as she hurried to explain herself.
"I wasn't used to life at Hogwarts back then," she said quickly. "I won't act like that anymore. I realize now that I was being overly rigid and a bit self-righteous. I didn't see my own flaws at the time."
She took a breath and continued, speaking more confidently.
"And I'm not neglecting my studies now. I'm not just flipping through books randomly—I'm reading them carefully. They're helping me understand the wizarding world much better, especially its history over the past century or two. That knowledge could definitely come up in the History of Magic exam."
Ryze raised a hand, gently cutting off her stream of explanations.
When they first met, Hermione had been somewhat aloof and strict. But as she relaxed into her true personality, she had become increasingly talkative—almost unstoppable once she started.
"There's something you might already know," Ryze said calmly. "Yesterday afternoon, I passed the test Snape gave me. I've been granted permission to sign up for the Potions Tournament. This morning, Snape sent me a reading list by owl."
As he spoke, he took out the list and handed it to Hermione.
Her attention was immediately captured by the long series of complex, tongue-twisting titles written on the parchment.
"This… this is the study material he assigned you for the entire semester?" she asked, her eyes widening slightly.
Ryze shook his head.
"No. This is for this month."
He smiled faintly as he continued.
"According to Snape, what we learn in regular Potion classes is only the tip of the iceberg. If I want to compete in the Potions Tournament, I need to master far more advanced potions—things that aren't even covered in the standard textbooks."
Even Hermione, who was known for her diligence, looked slightly overwhelmed.
Judging by the volume and difficulty of the material, she estimated it would take at least until the Christmas break to finish everything. The intensity of Snape's expectations was clearly far beyond what most students could handle.
Beside her, Harry and Ron leaned in to glance at the list. The unfamiliar terminology alone was enough to make their expressions twist into visible discomfort.
"Snape definitely isn't making this easy for you," Ron muttered. "I feel like this is enough material to last me until fourth year. How is anyone supposed to finish all this in a single month?"
"On top of that," Ryze added, "starting this week, I'll have to report to Snape's office every Saturday morning for additional potion practice. That includes today, actually."
He gave a small shrug.
"So realistically, the most I can do is keep an eye on Snape during those times. I probably won't be able to help much with anything else."
As he spoke, Ryze turned toward Harry and gestured for him to step closer.
Harry approached, curiosity written across his face.
When they had first arrived at Hogwarts two months ago, both of them had been thin and somewhat frail. But now, things had changed.
Harry had joined the Quidditch team and had been training regularly. His physique had become noticeably stronger, and he had even grown a bit taller.
Ryze, meanwhile, had undergone an even more dramatic transformation. For most of his life, he had never experienced full health. Now, not only had he recovered completely, but his physical growth had also increased his maximum life significantly.
Including the boost from the oat milk he had just consumed, his life points were approaching an impressive threshold.
Standing side by side now, neither of them looked weak anymore.
Ryze placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"You said you feel like you've heard the name Nicolas Flamel before, right?" he said. "I can try a simple divination for you. At the very least, we can confirm whether that feeling is accurate."
Ron raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Divination can do that? Don't you usually need tools for it?" he asked. "I've seen diviners using things like crystal balls and tarot cards."
Ryze shook his head slightly.
"Some diviners rely on tools because it makes things easier for them. But I don't need those. All I require is a suitable medium."
Of course, the effectiveness of divination depended heavily on the magical nature of the subject.
When dealing with individuals who possessed strong magical power, predictions became far more difficult. The interaction between different magical forces could create unpredictable interference.
Just as a simple mending charm couldn't repair a broken wand infused with complex magic, divination struggled when faced with powerful magical resistance.
However, Harry's current magical strength was still relatively moderate.
Ryze closed his eyes briefly, maintaining the appearance of focusing. In reality, he used a trace of his divination ability to glimpse a fragment of memory—an image tied to Peter Pettigrew.
After a moment, he lowered his hand.
"It's confirmed," he said.
Harry looked at him expectantly.
"You've definitely heard the name Nicolas Flamel before," Ryze continued. "And it happened on the day we took the Hogwarts Express."
Harry frowned, trying to recall the details.
"That day…?" he murmured.
Ryze nodded.
"Think carefully about everything that happened during that journey. The clue you're looking for is probably much closer than you realize."
A thoughtful silence settled over the group as Harry began to retrace his memories, searching for the missing piece of the puzzle
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