The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

After the Christmas holidays, Hogwarts became bustling again. Students returned to the castle with bags full of luggage and unfinished homework. The corridors were once again filled with Filch's roars and Peeves's exaggerated laughter.

[System environment monitoring: The illusion of peace has been shattered.]

[Large number of units detected returning. Alert level: Medium.]

Lowe sat at the corner of the Gryffindor table, a slice of toast in his hand, scanning his surroundings.

"You look like you're on guard against someone stealing your bread." Hermione slammed her bag on the bench. "How was your holiday, Loewy? Did you keep up with your Transfiguration practice?"

"Review?" Luo Wei raised an eyebrow, swallowed the food in his mouth, "If you mean swinging your sword five hundred times a day and practicing weighted running, then I have indeed been reviewing very diligently."

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to Harry and Ron: "And you two! Don't think I don't know you did nothing but play wizard chess during the holidays."

"We got down to business!" Ron protested, his mouth full of mashed potatoes. "We've been looking for Nicolas Flamel! But damn it, there are thousands of books in the library, and we can't find that name anywhere."

Harry was about to pop a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean into his mouth when he suddenly froze. His gaze fell on a Chocolate Frog picture card beside him—one he had just casually opened, depicting an old man wearing half-moon spectacles, Albus Dumbledore.

But this time, Harry's attention was drawn to the text on the back of the picture.

"I found it!" Harry exclaimed in a low voice. "Listen to this: 'Dumbledore's well-known contributions include: defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his remarkable achievements in alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel!'"

"Nico Flamel!" Hermione jumped to her feet, the movement so sudden she nearly spilled her pumpkin juice. "I know where I've seen that name before! Wait a minute!"

She rushed towards the dormitory stairs like a whirlwind.

Rowe continued to eat his bread slowly, but his gaze was already fixed on the picture in Harry's hand.

[Key plot item detected.]

[Item identification: Chocolate Frog picture (disguise) → Fragment of Isildur's scroll.]

[Information parsing in progress...]

[Warning! Historical clues about the "Dark Lord" have been discovered.]

A few minutes later, Hermione came running back carrying an old book the size of a brick. She slammed it on the table, the pages rustling as she turned them.

"Here it is! I knew it!" Hermione pointed to a passage on the page and read in a low voice, "Nicolas Flamel is the only known creator of the Philosopher's Stone!"

The words "Philosopher's Stone" were like a spell, instantly activating the system interface on Rowe's retina.

[Alarm! Alarm! Alarm!]

[Keywords related to a world-destroying artifact detected!]

[Glossary: ​​Philosopher's Stone]

[System Mapping: The One Ring/Ring of Power Prototype.]

【Attribute Analysis:】

1. Turning lead into gold → Unlimited wealth (leading to greed and depravity).

2. Immortality → False eternal life (life is stretched out, eventually turning into a ghost).

Danger Level: SSS.

[Related Characters: Nicolas Flamel → Celebrimbor (Lord Irejan, the One Ring Maker).]

Rowe dropped his fork onto the plate with a clatter. His face turned deathly pale, as if he had just witnessed an entire orc army scaling the wall.

"Now it all makes sense!" Ron, oblivious to Rowe's odd behavior, excitedly pumped his fist. "That's exactly what Snape wanted! It's worth stealing no matter who's guarding it! Think about it, unlimited gold, and immortality!"

"I want one too," Harry said honestly. "With it, I can buy Firebolts and fill my vault."

"Shut up! You bunch of idiots!"

Rowe suddenly growled and grabbed Harry's shoulder.

"Ouch! Rowe, what are you doing?" Harry was startled and tried to break free.

But Rowe stared intently at him, a fear burning in his dark eyes that Harry found unfamiliar.

"Listen, Harry. Don't even think about it." Rowe's voice trembled. "That thing isn't a gift, it's a curse! It won't bring you happiness, it will only warp your mind, make you greedy like a monster, and eventually turn you into a ghost without a physical form!"

"What are you talking about?" Ron was intimidated by Rowe's imposing manner. "That's just a Philosopher's Stone. The book says it can make people live longer..."

"Longevity?" Rowe sneered, releasing Harry and nervously scratching his hair. "That's not real life! It's just an endless stretching of torture! Like butter spread on too much bread! You feel thin, you feel empty, until you completely disappear into the shadows!"

Hermione frowned, finding Rowe's reaction illogical: "Rowe, the book doesn't mention these side effects. It's simply the pinnacle of alchemy!"

"A book? That's what 'they' want you to see!" Rowe pointed at Hermione's thick book. "The creator, Celebrimbor... I mean Nicolas Flamel, he was deceived! He thought he was creating miracles, but he was actually forging chains! Once that thing falls into the hands of the Dark Lord... I mean Voldemort, the world is doomed!"

The trio exchanged bewildered glances. Although they were used to Rowe's nonsensical ramblings, his reaction this time was truly extreme.

"Okay, okay," Harry said, rubbing his aching shoulder, trying to reassure Rowe. "Anyway, we just want to protect it from Snape stealing it. We don't intend to use it ourselves."

"Protect it?" Rowe took a deep breath, his eyes hardening with determination. "No, Harry. We have to do more than just protect it. If we have the chance, we must...destroy it."

"Destroy the Philosopher's Stone?" Ron exclaimed. "Are you insane?"

"For the sake of Middle-earth, for the safety of Hogwarts, this is the only way," Rowe murmured to himself, his gaze passing through the ceiling of the Great Hall as if he could see the distant Mount Doom.

...

That evening, in the Hufflepuff common room.

Beside the warm fireplace, Susan Burns was watering her cactus. She noticed Rowe was hunched over a table, intently drawing something on a piece of parchment.

Out of curiosity, Susan went over to them.

"What is this? A treasure map?"

Lowe suddenly looked up, covered the drawing with his hand, and only relaxed slightly after seeing that it was Susan.

"No, this is a tactical map," Rowe said seriously. "I'm planning a route."

Susan peeked inside. It appeared to be a map of the third-floor corridor and the area under the trapdoors at Hogwarts. But the markings on it were strangely incomprehensible.

The third-floor corridor was marked "Black Door".

Louie (the three-headed dog) was labeled "Kahalos the wolf".

The location of the devil's web is depicted with many twisted tentacles, and the word "Watcher" is written next to it.

The room on the lowest level was painted as an erupting volcano, with the words "[Doomsday Volcano - Throwing Point]" written next to it in bright red ink.

"Love," Susan said, pointing to the crater, "are you going on a picnic here? Why did you draw a fireplace?"

“This is not a picnic, Susan.” Rowe carefully rolled up the parchment and tucked it into the inside pocket of his robe. “This is a one-way trip. If we fail, the whole world will be plunged into darkness.”

Susan blinked, then smiled and shook her head.

"You're always exaggerating like this. But if you're going on an adventure, remember to bring the dragon skin gloves I gave you. I heard it's cold on the third floor."

Looking at this kind girl, Luo Wei felt a surge of poignant protectiveness.

"I will." He nodded solemnly. "As long as I live, the shadows will not touch the Ciel... I mean every blade of grass in Hufflepuff."

[System Settlement:]

[Main storyline discovered: Clues to The Lord of the Rings.]

[Current Mission Update: Stop Sauron (Snape/Quirk) from obtaining the One Ring (Sorcerer's Stone).]

[Optional Quest: Throw the One Ring into Mount Doom (???)]

[Reward: Willpower +10.]

Looking at the available tasks on the system interface, Luo Wei gave a wry smile.

"Throw it into Volcano Doom?" he thought to himself. "What volcano is there at Hogwarts? Am I supposed to throw the Philosopher's Stone into Hagrid's oven?"