Harry Potter and the Candy Factory

"Oh, right," Charlie suddenly remembered something, interrupting the somewhat serious atmosphere. He turned to Russell and asked,

"I almost forgot to ask you, who did you send to America to negotiate with those people?"

"It's Dub, Master!" Russell also recomposed himself, quickly replying.

"Dub… Dub," Charlie murmured the name twice before finally recalling something.

"I remember Anke and Chaffee's child is named Dub, right?"

"Yes, that's the kid." Mentioning Dub, a gratified smile appeared on Russell's face.

"This kid is very clever, like his father. But he's even more decisive than his father, a good prospect. I'm thinking of giving him more training in the future."

"Didn't he complete this mission very well?" Charlie chuckled, thought for a moment, and said,

"When he comes back, tell him to take a good rest, and then have him assist you. Help you handle some simple documents, so you can relax a bit."

"Yes, I think Dub will like this job…" Russell happily agreed, sincerely nodding.

"When is he coming back?"

"He said he wanted to take this opportunity to see the world outside the factory… After all, as you know, that child has never left the factory since he was little."

After saying this, the two of them fell silent at the same time.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Due to the sudden change, Hagrid didn't spend too much time beside Harry. After getting everything ready for Harry, he hurriedly returned to Hogwarts alone.

At this moment, he was standing in the Headmaster's office, still faintly carrying a frosty chill on his body. His goggles were not taken off, but casually perched on his forehead.

It could be seen that he came to Dumbledore immediately after returning.

"Headmaster Dumbledore…"

Hagrid first put his hands on his hips and took a steady breath, then took out something wrapped tightly in parchment and carefully handed it to Dumbledore in front of him while speaking.

"The thing you wanted."

Dumbledore's expression was still as kind as usual. Looking at Hagrid's weathered face, he smiled and nodded to express his gratitude, then took the thing from Hagrid's hand.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I thought you would want to spend more time with Harry… I didn't expect you to bring it back so quickly."

As he spoke, he gently lifted the thing with one hand, while the other hand peeled off the layers of parchment.

"Yes… Headmaster."

Hagrid readily took off his goggles from his forehead, helplessly spreading his hands, and said.

"You don't know, that child is so lovely. If possible, I really hope to have a good chat with him…"

"Unfortunately…" Hagrid said, hesitating for a moment before continuing,

"Unfortunately, some changes occurred… It could even be said that the entire trip was full of changes."

Hagrid scratched the tangled beard on his face, and his voice gradually lowered.

"I must tell you all about it later. You definitely can't guess how outrageous it was."

"Alright, I'd be happy to hear the story." Dumbledore continued to respond to Hagrid, but the movements of his hands did not stop at all.

Soon, the layers of parchment fell off.

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed unconsciously, his hand paused, and after a moment, he slowly opened the last layer of parchment.

Hagrid couldn't help but curiously widen his eyes, subconsciously leaning forward, as if wanting to see what exactly was the thing that Headmaster Dumbledore entrusted him with.

Dumbledore didn't avoid Hagrid. As the parchment completely disappeared, from the very center, a dull red stone was presented to the two of them without reservation.

"This is…"

"The Philosopher's Stone," Dumbledore replied.

"It is something belonging to my good friend Nicolas Flamel. He has temporarily entrusted it to me for safekeeping," Dumbledore said softly.

"Nicolas Flamel!?" Hagrid raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That famous alchemist!? Legend has it that he relied on the Philosopher's Stone to create the elixir of life… thus living for five centuries!"

His huge finger pointed incredulously at the unremarkable red stone in Dumbledore's hand.

"So he used this thing to make the elixir of life!?"

"That's not a legend…" Dumbledore lowered his eyes, carefully observing the vast and intricate magical formulas hidden beneath the Philosopher's Stone's dim exterior, and continued,

"Accurately speaking, Nicolas Flamel has lived for six centuries."

After saying that, Dumbledore raised his eyes again and looked at Hagrid after checking to make sure everything was correct.

"I have a premonition that something bad is coming for it… That's why I asked you to help me take it out. We need to prepare as much as possible and hide it in an absolutely safe place."

Hearing Dumbledore's words, Hagrid's expression suddenly became stern. He nodded earnestly and replied,

"I think I can lend you Fluffy. You know, three-headed dogs are always the most dutiful guards. Their territorial awareness is second only to the Norwegian Ridgeback guarding the treasure cave!"

"Well… I'll find the other professors later tonight and discuss the specific details together."

Dumbledore also nodded, re-bundled the parchment that originally wrapped the Philosopher's Stone, and then returned to his seat.

He opened the drawer where he usually kept candy and stuffed it in.

Looking at Dumbledore's actions, Hagrid suddenly grinned.

He suddenly thought that perhaps there was no need for too much deliberate protection at all. Headmaster Dumbledore's desk drawer was an excellent location! It was definitely safer than Gringotts!

Hagrid didn't believe that anyone in this world could steal the Philosopher's Stone under the nose of Albus Dumbledore—the greatest white wizard.

"Alright…"

As the drawer was slowly pushed in by Dumbledore, his expression also relaxed.

Looking at Hagrid, he asked with a smile,

"Now perhaps you can tell me the story of what happened along the way…"

Hearing Dumbledore's words, Hagrid suddenly slapped his head and remembered the purpose of his early return.

So, he quickly began to describe in detail, from the beginning of arriving at the Dursleys' doorstep, the Dursleys' attitude, meeting Harry, and the most important part—Charlie Black's intrusion.