The Room Within The Forbidden Corridor Of The Third Floor

A figure climbed up the open trapdoor and stabilized himself. Soon after with a wave of his wand another figure flew up from the trapdoor and floated in the room. These figures were naturally Sol and Harry who had just come out of the dungeons. Rather it was an unconscious Harry being carried by Sol.

Sol dusted himself off and looked behind him. Fluffy, the large three-headed dog in charge of guarding the trapdoor was still snoozing away. Sol sighed and made his way out of the room with Harry floating closely behind. He left the room and closed the door behind him, the corridor behind him was still lit with torches. He started walking.

After walking a few steps, he saw the entrance to the corridor open. In came four figures, hurriedly. Hermione and Ron had brought Professor McGonagall with them and the caretaker, Filch was following closely. Their eyes darted towards the door at the end of the room but stopped abruptly when they landed on Sol and the unconscious Harry. The light was a bit dim, so the Professor couldn’t get a good look at their faces. She hurried over to them to see if they were alright. Seeing Sol up close, she stopped. The Professor was a bit stunned. Sol was a second year, so she had spent 2 years as his Transfiguration teacher as well as his House Head. Yet, she felt as though there was something different about the boy in front of her. He looked the same yet at the same didn’t. He felt as though he could illuminate the room. Hermione and Ron were dumbfounded when looking at Sol yet they couldn’t understand what they were feeling. Filch behind them was mildly surprised but soon returned to normal. He didn’t care about the students that much.

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, “M-Mr. Balor, is that you?”

Sol paused, “...Yes. Didn’t those two tell you I had gone in after them?”

Professor McGonagall blankly looked at Hermione and Ron beside her. She couldn’t believe her ears when she heard that these two and Harry followed by Sol had gone inside the dungeons to find the Philosopher's Stone. She had spent a lot of time asking them if they were sure followed by going to ask the Headmaster for his help. Yet, he just waved his hands at her and told her it was unneeded. He somehow had the unparalleled confidence that Harry, a first-year would be successful in thwarting the theft of the Philosopher's Stone. This was followed by more bickering and after a while, she had enough and hurried to the room herself to make sure everything was alright. Which brought her face to face to Sol and Harry who were already outside the dungeons.

Seeing the blank look on her face, Sol said, “Professor, please take Harry to the infirmary. He fainted.”

“Mr. Potter!” the Professor gasped.

The Professor, Hermione, and Ron rushed to Harry who was currently floating in the air behind Sol. Having checked him, the Professor turned her attention towards Sol.

“And you, Mr. Balor?” she asked.

“I'm fine, however, it would be much appreciated if you could take Harry,” Sol nodded.

“Ah, yes!” With that, the Professor took out her wand and took control of the floating Harry. Being satisfied, Sol started leaving.

“Where are you going, Mr. Balor?!” the Professor asked, flabbergasted.

Sol turned around, “Professor, I'm going back to sleep. It has been a long night and frankly, I’m quite tired. Can the questions wait till tomorrow?”

Professor McGonagall became silent and thought about it for a while. After a while, she nodded, “Very well. Take Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger with you as well. But keep in mind that we’ll have a long chat tomorrow.”

Sol sighed, “Thank you,” he looked at the other two, “Come on, you two. No use sticking around him right now. Let him get some rest in the infirmary for now and you can meet him tomorrow morning.”

The two looked at each other before giving one last look at Harry, reluctance filling their eyes. They then dragged themselves over to Sol and left with him. Seeing this, the Professor sighed and began leaving with Harry towards the infirmary. As she left, she told Filch, “Argus, turn of the torches, will you?”

“Will do, Ma'am.” With that, he headed over to the torches to extinguish them. Professor McGonagall left with Harry, leaving Filch behind.

Sol, Hermione, and Ron silently traversed the shifting staircase. After a bit, Ron couldn’t hold it in and asked, “Sol, what happened after we left?”

“Nothing. We found Quirrell trying to steal the Stone and stopped him.”

Ron and Hermione were speechless at Sol's nonchalant attitude. You're right but could you not say it like you were just doing a chore?

“Quirrell? Why would he steal the Stone?” Hermione asked.

“Because he was...” Sol paused, as if unable to find the right term, “...Voldemort.”

Hermione and Ron gasped. They wanted to ask Sol if he was sure but seeing Sol's steady expression, they swallowed their words.

“Then? What about Snape?” Ron asked.

“He was the protecting the Stone from Quirrell. He was also trying to save Harry when Quirrell was muttering the broom jinx.”

“That means-”

Sol nodded, affirming Ron's unspoken words. They gave the Fat Lady the password and entered the common room.

“What about Quirrell?” Hermione asked curiously.

Sol averted his eyes, “Dead.”

The other two sucked in a cool breath of air, not expecting this outcome. They stayed silent for a while as they climbed the stairs to the sleeping quarters.

“One last thing,” Hermione chimed, “What happened to you? Why do you feel...different?”

“Well, we’re here now. Go back to your rooms and rest. It has been a long night. Any questions you might have, I’ll answer them tomorrow.” Sol smiled, “Goodnight.”

With that, he went inside the boys' sleeping quarters, leaving the two behind.

Inside the sleeping quarters, Sol walked up to his bed and flopped down on it. As soon his head had hit his pillow, he fell asleep. This marked the end of the longest night of his second year.

The Next Day

Sol woke up early in the morning as usual. Yet he still felt drowsy. Hungry as well. So he decided to satiate his hunger first. He washed up and made his way out of the common room and to the great hall for breakfast. Exams had just ended and even though students needed to stay in the castle for a few more days, classes wouldn’t be held anymore. So, almost no students could be seen awake at this time of the hour. Students still needed to wear their school robes when inside the castle. That still hasn’t changed.

He opened the door to the great hall and went in. The great hall was quite empty with no students in sight. He didn’t bother with it and took a seat on one of the benches. He still felt a bit sleepy. As soon as he sat down, a plate of bacon and eggs appeared in front of him with forks, spoons, and knives to accompany them. He took a look at what he was eating and dug in without hesitation. He wolfed down his breakfast but still felt hungry. The empty plate in front of him disappeared and a new plate with bacon and eggs reappeared as if it had read his mind. He smiled and started eating again. Only after finishing the second plate did he feel satisfied.

Now that he wasn’t hungry anymore, his full stomach made him feel heavy and even more sleepy. He made his way out of the castle and went to his usual spot on the little hill in front of Hagrid's hut. He laid down on the soft grass and fell asleep under the cloudless blue sky.

After a while, he felt as though someone had come behind him. It ticked him off when he saw who it was using Mana Search.

Fuck! The Headmaster won’t even let me sleep...no, wait! That sentence feels wrong.

He opened his eyes and looked at the Headmaster who was looking down at him.

He opened his mouth, “Good morning, Headmaster!”

“Yes, good morning, Mr. Balor. Spare me some of your time, will you?” the Headmaster asked.

“Sure thing, Headmaster! But are you going to talk to me here?”

“Why, yes! Do you mind, Mr. Balor?”

“Headmaster, you must be joking. The entirety of Hogwarts' castle belongs to you. How could I mind?”

“Haha! You're quite right!” with that the Headmaster sat down on the grass beside Sol.

“Have you visited Harry yet, Headmaster?” Sol asked.

“I plan to do that after I’ve heard what happened down there. Especially how Quirrell died,” the Headmaster's voice became lower and lower as he said the last part.

Sol sighed, “It happened like this...”

Sol relayed the events of last night to Headmaster Dumbledore. However, he had tweaked the story to make it more convenient for himself. For instance, he told the Headmaster that Quirrell died due to having a lack of spatial awareness. Sol did have a duel with Quirrell. Yet Quirrell's Bombarda caused the pillar to fall and he got crushed underneath while accidentally slipping on Sol's Glisseo. The Headmaster simply nodded and didn’t ask anymore.

“Oh yes, Headmaster?” Sol asked again.

“Will you award house points for this?”

“...Yes,” the Headmaster confirmed his suspicion, not knowing why Sol asked him this.

“Then could you give my house points to someone else?”

“That’s not particularly hard to do. Yet on what basis should I give your points to others?” inwardly Dumbledore was shocked. In his many years as the Headmaster of Hogwarts had he encountered this kind of request. Neither had his predecessors. So he wasn’t quite sure if a rule existed to cope with this situation.

“Since I'm acquiring points due to my contributions to the school and my house, I should be allowed to do what I want with them, no? Except transferring them to other houses. Besides, my contribution this time is a bit controversial. I'd like to avoid any unnecessary attention.”

“...Yes,” the Headmaster agreed.

“Then I want to give my points to Harry, Ron, and Hermione,” Sol said after thinking for a while.

“And on what basis? Based on what happened that night, it doesn’t seem as though they’ve done something notable other than showing exemplary courage and friendship.”

Sol fell into deep thought upon hearing the Headmaster's question. After a while, he opened his mouth, “Award Harry for showing exemplary courage and bravery, Ron for having played chess, and Hermione for showing great wit.”

Dumbledore raised his eyebrow, “And how did you come to this conclusion?”

“Even if I wasn’t there, these three would’ve done just fine,” Sol admitted.

“How would you know that?”

“Trust in my juniors,” Sol said as he confidently looked at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore stared at Sol for quite a while, trying to see through him. The boy seemed to have gone through quite a lot. I can’t seem to put a finger on what has changed though.

After a while, he sighed in resignation. The Headmaster said, “Fine, Mr. Balor. We'll go with your arrangement.”

“Thank you, Headmaster.”

Dumbledore looked at Sol once more, “Why do you do this, Mr. Balor? Why hide your capabilities? The Wizarding World would be quite happy to have birthed a wizard such as yourself.”

Sol looked at the Headmaster with a contemplating and a slightly melancholic look, “Headmaster, you are currently renowned as the world's strongest white wizard, right?”

“Yes,” Dumbledore affirmed though he didn’t know where the boy was going with this.

“Then after earning that title, could you sleep without worries?”

“Wha-?” Dumbledore paused as the calm expression he had, finally faltered. He lightly laughed, “I understand, Mr. Balor!”

He continued, “Then, I'll accept your request. After all, your contributions to the school allow me to do so,” Dumbledore stood up, “I will see you tonight, Mr. Balor.” With that, he began leaving.

After walking a few steps, the Headmaster called out, “Ah, yes! Mr. Balor, what happened to the Philosopher's stone?”

“Oh, right!” Sol opened his satchel and retrieved three vials full of glittering black powder, “Destroyed.”

He handed the vials to the Headmaster who had a curious look on his face, “...You destroyed it?”

“Yes. With a Reducto.”

“Why?”

“Because after last night, the stone was going to be destroyed anyway.”

“...Continue.”

“After seeing that Voldemort himself had come to steal the Stone and the dangers that come from it, the creator would’ve undoubtedly destroyed it.”

Dumbledore nodded, “I see. You're right. I already had a chat with Nicholas Flamel where we both came to a consensus to destroy the Stone. But why did you give it back, Mr. Balor? With this stone, you could’ve easily been immortal and the owner to unending riches.”

Sol looked at the Headmaster with a strange gaze, “Wealth without power is useless. Wealth can be used to buy power, but that power is not your own. As for immortality...” Sol paused, a flicker of an unknown emotion flashed in his eyes but he quickly covered it up.

“...yes?”

“Anyone who has tasted immortality knows it is more of a curse than a gift.”

Dumbledore was slightly shocked, “Care to elaborate?”

“No, Headmaster,” Sol laid down on the grass again, closing his eyes. Seedlings started growing around him at an abnormally fast rate. These seedlings sprout out from the ground, bore leaves, and grew buds at a speed visible to the naked eye. The buds bloomed into vibrant Purple Hyacinths around him, transforming the small hill he slept on into a beautiful purple flower bed. He opened his mouth again, “I want to- no, I'd rather stay human.”

Dumbledore didn’t say anything more. He left with a slight smile on his face, thinking this was a show of Sol's joy.

However, this was a misunderstanding.

A Few Days Later, Night

The students sat at their tables inside the great hall. Tonight was the last feast of the year as students would be sent back home tomorrow for summer vacation. Everyone was in a happy mood, especially Sol. He had conducted experiments these past few days after obtaining his new magic core.

His understanding of Magical cores was a bit lacking, so these experiments made him experience the joy of learning something new. Based on his understanding, his new magical core was a liquid or semi-liquid core. His previous magical core looked like a crystal ball full of mana whereas his new one looked like a spherical ball of opaque liquid mana. The flow of magic within his body increased and his spells became stronger as well. Sol felt happy at the unexpected harvest. On another note, the students were also buzzing about Harry, Ron, and Hermione's deeds inside the dungeon. They tried to do the same about Sol as well but he had passed the credits to the three on the very first day. Though, Katie would shoot him a suspicious glance from time to time.

Sol had a smile on his face as he chatted with the others inside the great hall. There were many green banners hung on the ceiling of the great hall, each with the crest of Slytherin.

At this moment, Professor McGonagall tapped her goblet with her spoon.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

The students looked over at the professors. The hall gradually became silent. The Headmaster stood up, “Another year...” he waved his hand, “...gone. And as I understand, the house cup needs awarding. And the points are thus.”

The Gryffindor students all had dejected expressions on their faces as they knew they were going to last.

Dumbledore continued as looked at the Gryffindor table, “In fourth place, Gryffindor, with 312 points.”

The Gryffindor became even more dejected, some sighing ruefully. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students clapped lightly before stopping. The Slytherin students just smirked at them, enjoying the Gryffindor students' misfortune. Sol watched all this with an expressionless look. He didn’t particularly care who won the house cup.

Dumbledore looked over the room again, “In third place, Hufflepuff with 352 points.”

The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students lightly clapped again though the Gryffindor students only did so because they were unhappy at their standing.

“In second place, Ravenclaw with 426 points.” Light claps resounded within the great hall again followed by the cheers from the Ravenclaw students. Sol's eyes met with Cho over at the Ravenclaw table. She had a triumphant smile on her face as she looked at him. Sol just winked at her in response.

“And in first place, with 472 points... Slytherin house!” The entire hall was silent except for the enthusiastic and passionate cheering of the Slytherin students. The Gryffindor students reached levels of dejected that shouldn’t be possible.

“Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin. Well done, Slytherin. However-” Dumbledore raised his finger, “Recent events must be taken into account. And I have a few last-minute points to award.”

He then looked at Hermione, “To Ms. Hermione Granger, for the cool use of intellect when others were in grave peril- 50 points.”

The sounds of light cheers and applause rang throughout the entire great hall. The Gryffindor students rejoiced that they went up in the rankings and thanked and patted Hermione's back. The person herself however was a bit confused. Since she doesn’t remember doing anything like that. Harry and Ron were similarly puzzled. They looked at each other before their eyes widened and they came to a conclusion. They looked at Sol who was sitting amidst the cheering Gryffindor students without any expression. When he met their gaze, he just smiled and winked without saying anything. The three stared at each other again before nodding. They said nothing and rejoiced with the others.

“Second,” Dumbledore's voice rang out, “To Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years- 50 points.”

Cheers and applause resounded within the great hall again. The three were happy but not as much as the others as they were getting credit even though they did nothing. Sol sighed and pointed his finger at them.

Cheering Charm!

Soon the smiles on their faces grew wider as they cheered and applauded with the other Gryffindor students.

“And third, to Mr. Harry Potter for sheer nerve and outstanding courage. I award Gryffindor house with 60 points.”

This time elicited a bigger response than the last two times because now Gryffindor was tied with the Slytherin in terms of points.

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies but a great deal more to stand up to your friends. I award 10 points to Neville Longbottom.”

The Gryffindor students once again burst into applause as Neville himself took in the situation with a slightly surprised expression. He earned many ‘well done’s and claps on his back from his peers.

“And lastly,” Dumbledore spoke again. Sol knit his brows as he looked at Dumbledore. All the point allocation should be finished. What the hell is- no, don’t tell me...

As Sol's expression gradually paled, Dumbledore continued, “To Mr. Balor, for showing cunning, wisdom, and maturity well beyond his peers- 20 points.”

The Gryffindor students' gaze shifted to Sol as they cheered and applauded once more. The man himself looked at Dumbledore with a stupefied expression who in response merely winked at him.

“For fucks sake...” Sol muttered quietly as he buried his head in his hands amidst all the cheers and applause.

The Next Day, Inside the Hogwarts Express

“This year was a bit more eventful, no?” Katie asked Sol and Cormac. They were sitting inside a compartment as the train headed back to King's Cross Station. The black and red engine constantly spewed grey smoke from its top.

“Yeah, I don’t think I would’ve been able to do what Harry did,” Cormac agreed.

“I don’t think you would’ve been able to do what the other two did either,” Sol teased.

“I’m not that dumb...probably,” Cormac retorted in a quiet voice.

“I hope something like this eventful happens next year as well,” Katie chimed in.

“No, no! I don’t want that. I just want to pass my years in peace.”

“Why? Don’t be like that. Sometimes you need a bit of spice in your life. Otherwise, your life will be like water, tasteless.”

“Oh, is that so?” Sol sneered, “Since you don’t like tasteless water, why don’t you stop drinking it? Or better yet, every time you drink water, I'll just add a bit of spice in it.”

“No! You can’t be serious, right?” Katie warily looked at Sol. Seeing his determined expression, she started pleading, “No! Please! I’m sorry. Water is good, tasteless water is fine!”

Sol's expression softened, “Relax, I won’t do anything like that. It’s too much work. Now enough! Let me sleep!”

“Fine, fine!”

Sol leaned his head on the window. Amidst the rhythmic shaking of the train, the ever-changing yet constant green scenery outside, and the sound of his friends talking, Sol fell asleep. Bracing himself for the numerous events that ought to come.