Lin Mei had no real objections to the duel. His main reason for going along with it was simple—he wanted to see the legendary Philosopher's Stone, the alchemical masterpiece created by Nicolas Flamel.
Besides, this so-called duel was just one of Malfoy's petty schemes.
And knowing Malfoy? He wasn't going to show up.
As the night deepened, the clock neared 11:30 PM.
Harry and Ron finally lost patience with Lin Mei, who was still engrossed in a book. They practically dragged him out of the dormitory.
Just as they were sneaking through the common room, a light flickered on.
"HARRY! I can't believe you're really doing this! And Lin Mei—I thought you would have the sense to stop them!"
Hermione stood before them, hands on her hips, dressed in soft pink pajamas.
Lin Mei simply raised his hands in surrender. "You think I haven't tried? These two idiots are beyond convincing."
"Hey!" Ron protested. "Lin, we're supposed to be on the same side! Why are you backing Hermione?!"
Even Harry frowned.
"Forget it, Ron," he muttered, pulling his friend toward the exit. "Let's just go. Don't waste time arguing."
Lin Mei shrugged. After spending time with Harry, he had figured out the boy's personality—once he set his mind on something, there was no talking him out of it.
"Harry, you can't do this!" Hermione whispered furiously. "Do you even care about Gryffindor? If we get caught, Slytherin will win the House Cup!"
"Then go away!" Harry said, not looking back as he pulled Ron through the portrait hole.
Hermione stomped her foot in frustration. She stood there for a moment, debating what to do, before realizing something horrible.
The Fat Lady was gone.
"Oh no," she whispered. "I'm locked out!"
"Not our problem," Ron said bluntly. "We're almost late."
Before they could escape down the corridor, Hermione caught up to them.
"Fine! I'm coming with you," she huffed, falling into step beside Lin Mei. Then, she shot Harry and Ron a glare. "Because thanks to you two, I'm already breaking the rules!"
As they approached the third floor, Lin Mei suddenly glanced over his shoulder.
Something… felt off.
The hallway behind them was shrouded in darkness. Even with his sharp vision, Lin Mei couldn't quite make out what was hiding there.
Who's watching us? he wondered. Dumbledore? Voldemort?
The trophy room, where they were supposed to duel, was actually very close to the room where the Philosopher's Stone was kept. That meant only a few people would have a reason to be here at this hour.Snape? Unlikely. If he had been watching, he would have already jumped out and deducted points.Dumbledore? Possible, but Lin Mei doubted he would have sensed the headmaster's presence. If it was him, they would never see him coming.That left… Quirrell.Or rather, Voldemort.
Lin Mei smirked. An unstable soul like his must be struggling to stay hidden.
A cold voice suddenly echoed down the corridor.
"Filch, I smell them… they're hiding somewhere nearby."
Harry went pale. "It's Filch! He's talking to Mrs. Norris!"
The group sped up, reaching the door of the trophy room just as Filch's shadow appeared in the hallway.
Then—CLANK!
Harry's robe snagged on a suit of armor, sending it crashing to the floor.
Everyone froze.
Lin Mei's mouth twitched. Wait… that armor was fixed to the wall.
There was no way Harry's flimsy robe could've knocked it over.
That meant…
Magic.
Somebody—something—had deliberately set them up.
"RUN!" Ron hissed.
The group bolted, their footsteps echoing loudly as they fled.
Lin Mei, however, stopped.
He turned back toward the shadows, waiting.
Will you reveal yourself, or will you keep hiding?
From a distance, Filch's voice rang out.
"You brats! If I catch you, you'll regret it!"
Lin Mei sighed. As much as he wanted answers, he couldn't risk losing Gryffindor too many points.
Reluctantly, he turned and ran.
Just as he left, Filch came stomping down the hall—and ran straight into Quirrell.
"Professor Quirrell?" Filch squinted at the trembling man. "What are you doing here? Were you the one making all that noise?"
Quirrell looked startled. "Oh! M-Mr. Filch! I—er—yes! It was m-me! I… I accidentally knocked over the armor."
Filch's suspicious gaze hardened. "And what, exactly, are you doing sneaking around this late? The staff dormitories aren't here."
Quirrell swallowed. "I… I received a report! A student told me some troublemakers would be here tonight."
Filch's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Students? In the trophy room? Excellent. Let's go!"
Eager for a capture, Filch immediately turned and rushed toward the trophy room.
Behind him, Quirrell exhaled shakily. His nervous expression remained, but beneath it, a darker voice whispered:
"Master… should I follow them? They might be headed for that door."
"Idiot! Didn't you notice? That little Asian wizard has already spotted us!"
A sinister voice hissed in the darkness.
Quirrell flinched. "B-But, Master… I thought the plan was to scare those little brats into the room so the dog would chase them. That way, we could slip inside unnoticed."
Voldemort's voice turned cold.
"If it were just the three of them, that would have worked perfectly. But that boy—Lin Mei—knows. If he alerts Dumbledore, we'll be trapped before we even get close!"
Quirrell hesitated. "Then… what should we do, Master?"
A slow, cruel chuckle echoed through his mind.
"It's Halloween, isn't it? The professors are already busy with their little feast. Let's make things… even more chaotic."
Quirrell stiffened. "M-Master?"
Voldemort didn't answer. But Quirrell felt a chill crawl down his spine, a warning of what was to come.
Lin Mei arrived just in time to see the door to the Philosopher's Stone chamber slam shut.
Wait… what?
They forgot about him?!
Before he could react, the door burst open again—this time, with Harry, Hermione, and Ron stumbling out, their faces pale with terror.
And behind them…
A massive, three-headed beast shoved its way toward the narrow opening, its enormous paws scraping against the stone floor.
"BACK!"
Lin Mei's voice rang with power, and in that instant, his magic surged.
Hermione's breath hitched—she swore she saw Lin Mei's pupils shift, turning into sharp, vertical slits.
A dragon's gaze.
The three-headed dog, Fluffy, froze. It had spent its life guarding a secret… but instinct screamed at it now.
The presence before it was not prey. It was a predator.
Whimpering, the massive beast recoiled, tucking its heads back into the chamber.
With a final push, Harry and the others slammed the door shut.
Their hearts pounded in their chests.
Ron gasped, still gripping the handle. "What… the bloody hell… was that?!"
Lin Mei exhaled, his eyes returning to normal. He turned to them with a dry expression.
"You tell me. You're the ones who ran in there."
... patreon Seasay