Days at Hogwarts

Loren could never have imagined that he was at Hogwarts five minutes ago, but now he was walking on the streets of Devonshire. It had just rained, and there was a damp smell in the air.

In the morning, Professor McGonagall found Loren in the library and took him to see Dumbledore. Loren thought that the matter of Peter Pettigrew had come to a conclusion, but in the blink of an eye, Dumbledore brought him here.

"Nico wants to see you." Dumbledore took a deep breath with pleasure, enjoying this kind of weather.

Loren certainly knew who Nico was in Dumbledore's mouth: "Nicolas Flamel? Why does he want to see me?"

"He doesn't want his inheritance to be sealed for too long."

"When he saw you in Hampshire, he knew you would go to Hogwarts, so he asked me to take a good look at what kind of child you are."

"He said that if I think it's okay, I will take you there. But if you are not suitable, you can only explore the mysteries of the two books by yourself." Dumbledore led Loren forward while explaining the reason.

"So he really sold me those two books?"

Loren knew that Dumbledore already knew that The Hieroglyphics and The Book of Abraham were in his hands. He was not sure whether the person he met in the town was Nicolas Flamel.

If so, why did Nicolas Flamel go to that remote town and set up a bookstall to sell the books to Loren at a price he could afford?

"Why not ask him in person later?" Dumbledore seemed to sense that Loren had more than one question in his mind and was hinting at something.

"Then why now?" Without any summons, Nico suddenly wanted to see him. Loren did not believe that Dumbledore was not involved in this.

"Of course not just now, Loren."

"You have proved yourself since you told me about Scabbers, but you brought me more surprises later."

"Willing to entrust trust, yearning for knowledge, cherishing friendship, and most importantly, having love in your heart."

"These are all precious qualities."

After experiencing Tom's incident, Dumbledore became more cautious and paid more attention to examining the students' hearts. Dispelling darkness and leading to light—this is what a qualified principal should do.

Loren curled his lips. It was obviously a surveillance investigation, but it sounded noble when said like that.

The person behind the mirror last night must have been Dumbledore, full of magic power, almost blinding Loren's eyes. It was likely he made up his mind after hearing Loren saw relatives in the Mirror of Erised.

"Although sometimes, it is a little naughty." Dumbledore added. The two stopped in front of a small courtyard. He walked forward and rang the doorbell.

There was no magic here, just like other Muggle houses on the street. There was a green lawn in the courtyard and the windows were spotlessly clean.

The person who opened the door was an elderly woman. Dumbledore walked up and kissed her cheek gently: "Long time no see! Perenelle."

The woman nodded and smiled gently at Loren behind Dumbledore: "Come in quickly." She stepped aside to welcome the two in.

Walking through the courtyard and entering the house, the living room had a normal sofa, color TV, and refrigerator like any Muggle household.

The white-haired bookseller whom Loren had met before was sitting on the sofa watching an opera on TV.

The old man looked up at Loren with a gentle smile on his face: "I told you we would meet again!"

Perenelle asked them to sit down, made some tea, and went to the inner room.

Dumbledore sat quietly beside him, as if all this had nothing to do with him, watching the opera on TV with great interest.

"Hello, sir." Looking at those eyes, Loren had a lot to ask, but he didn't know where to start.

Nico saw Loren's doubts but didn't mention them. He started talking to himself: "I want to tell a long story, some of which you may have heard..."

In the 14th century, Europe was ravaged by the Black Death. Nicolas Flamel graduated from Beauxbatons and obtained The Book of Abraham under the guidance of a mysterious man in his dream. He spent decades studying but gained almost nothing. Later, with the help of a Hebrew scholar, he understood the contents of the book.

"The Book of Abraham is attached with a severe curse. Except for the high priest and the scribe, anyone who peeks will die. I thought that I could avoid this curse by retelling it. Such an idea is really arrogant!"

"I hope you will remember this lesson and don't leak the contents of the book. Be careful not to bring disaster to others..."

After the death of the Hebrew scholar, Nico Flamel made the Philosopher's Stone by chance. Although it was incomplete, it could turn stones into gold and prepare elixirs of immortality.

"It's just immortality. My body is still aging normally. My bones will break if I don't pay attention." At this point, the old man laughed, as if it were something amusing.

Seven hundred years is long enough, and he has lived enough. Nico had planned to return to France with his wife to sleep after arranging his funeral.

Before that, Nico wanted to pass on his knowledge. After hundreds of years of exploration, he had made great achievements in many aspects, not just the Philosopher's Stone.

"You know, with enough time, anyone can become a scholar."

Nico had compiled his studies in alchemy, other knowledge, travel notes, and autobiography into The General Solution of Hieroglyphics.

He originally planned to place this book in the library of Beauxbatons, hoping someone would eventually discover it and continue exploring along the same path. As for The Book of Abraham, cursed as it was—fate would make its own arrangements.

This plan lasted until a year ago, when Nico dreamed of the mysterious man from six hundred years ago again, asking him to go to Hampshire and pass the book to a ten-year-old child.

Nico felt that this was fate. He randomly chose a small town. Selling books like a peddler, he planned to hand over the two books to whoever was lucky enough to find them.

After all, he had no shortage of time. Not long after he sat down and hadn't even finished a cup of coffee, he met Loren.

"Just like six hundred years ago, Loren also did some copying work—just like fate." Nico's tone suddenly rose, and he looked very excited.

After selling the books, Nico did not rest easy. Loren was too young, and Nico didn't know whether he could walk the same road to its end.

Nico didn't want the next generation to go around in circles and end up refining a semi-finished product, as he had. That would be a pity. Or worse—after all, his process of refining the Philosopher's Stone was full of luck and impossible to reproduce.

"You know, old men always think too much and hesitate." Nico laughed joyfully. "The last time I did something out of the ordinary was decades ago."

Finally, he asked Dumbledore to bring Loren over if he turned out to be a suitable candidate, and he would offer the lucky boy a little help.

As he spoke, Nicolas Flamel took out a picture card from his pocket, which looked like a chocolate frog card: "Take it back and stick it on the cover of The Hieroglyphics. It can help you avoid some detours."

Loren reached out to take it. On it was a portrait of Nicolas in his youth, with his eyes closed and unmoving.

"We are not master and apprentice, and we have no obligations to each other. It's just a small help from a pioneer to a follower."

"If you appreciate this little help, please help me take care of Beauxbatons."

"Finally, you must remember that the key to refining the Philosopher's Stone is to redeem a desperate soul!"