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Chapter 544: Meeting Nicolas Flamel
Chapter 544: Meeting Nicolas Flamel (Combined)
Ivan took out the Locket he had been carrying and handed it to Dumbledore. Although it was already damaged, he had kept it on him in case it could be repaired.
"Is this a relic of Slytherin?" Dumbledore asked, taking it and examining it. Upon noticing the large snake-shaped mark on the Locket, he raised an eyebrow and confirmed.
"I believe so. I once entered Slytherin's Chamber and saw this symbol, so I remember it clearly!" Ivan replied, half-truthfully.
"So, you tried to open it using Parseltongue?" Dumbledore asked. The Letter from Sirius had detailed everything, including Ivan's use of Parseltongue to open the Locket.
"Yes! Tom taught me Parseltongue. He told me it could open Slytherin's Chamber, so I thought if the Locket was indeed Slytherin's, Parseltongue might work!" Ivan explained. Before Dumbledore could ask more, he continued, "Also, Tom told me that you can speak Parseltongue!"
Dumbledore's expression faltered, and his face became somewhat strange. He remembered never displaying this ability publicly in recent years, and very few people in the Wizarding World knew about it, making it unlikely that anyone would betray him.
How did Tom find out about this?
Dumbledore furrowed his brow, but he did not suspect Ivan of lying. Compared to Tom, Ivan had no reason to know about his Parseltongue ability.
"Professors?"
As Dumbledore was lost in thought, a voice interrupted him. He turned to see Ivan staring at the Locket in his hand, seemingly worried that he would take it away.
Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head, returning Slytherin's Locket to Ivan.
Although he could see that Ivan was still hiding things from him, he did not intend to press further.
What mattered was that one less Horcrux of Voldemort's had been destroyed.
As he had suspected, Tom was a nostalgic person. He preferred using items with sentimental value as Horcrux containers and chose hiding places with great care.
For example, Ravenclaw's Diadem was hidden in the Room of Requirement's storage area, a place both secret and filled with abandoned Magic Items. Placing a Horcrux there was like burying a special grain of sand in a desert. If not for the Horcrux Diary retrieving the Crown, he might still be clueless.
Another example was the cave. He had confirmed its location, and it was the same place where Tom had tormented and frightened his peers as a child.
Thinking of this, Dumbledore looked at Ivan with a touch of sentiment.
If not for the fact that he was certain Harry was the final Horcrux's vessel, he might have suspected Ivan was the child of the Prophecy!
Exceptional talent, immense power, and the destruction of three of Voldemort's Horcruxes—only the birth date and some details did not match.
Under Dumbledore's gaze, Ivan appeared very compliant but quickly tucked Slytherin's Locket back into his pocket, lest Dumbledore take it again.
The old professor had taken the Crown and had not returned it yet!
Ivan had always been bothered by this. These items were relics of the four founders, and if they could be repaired, they might prove very useful.
As they chatted, they approached the Cottage. Just as Ivan was considering whether to knock, the door opened automatically, revealing a square passage with sawtooth Spikes on either side, resembling the mouth of a giant beast. They were stepping into its belly.
Dumbledore walked in, and Ivan hurried to follow. The entrance closed behind them automatically.
Inside, Ivan found the Cottage much larger, clearly expanded by an Extension Charm. Even in the heat of summer, a chill occasionally wafted through.
Ivan looked around and soon noticed Cobalt Blue Flames burning in the fireplace, the source of the cold air.
Is this a Magic version of an air conditioner?
Ivan was quite surprised. He also noticed that the Cottage was filled with many Muggle appliances, especially the large TV on the cabinet, which was impossible to ignore.
If it weren't for the rustic decor, he might have thought he was in some Muggle's house.
Just as Ivan was looking around with the curiosity of a child, an elderly voice sounded.
"Albus, you've arrived?"
Ivan turned to see an old man emerging from behind a curtain.
He had white hair, wore a loose robe, and his face was etched with the marks of time, pale and devoid of color.
However, compared to his frail body, Nicolas Flamel's mental state was quite good. It seemed that over six hundred years of life had not become a burden, but rather made him even more lucid.
"Is this young Ivan?" Nicolas Flamel, after greeting Dumbledore, turned his attention to Ivan.
"Mr. Flamel, hello", Ivan bowed respectfully.
"Ah!" Nicolas Flamel nodded with a smile, clearly pleased with Ivan's respectful demeanor.
He had learned a lot about Ivan from Dumbledore several months ago.
He had originally thought that such a talented and ambitious young witches and wizards would be full of pride and difficult to manage, but upon meeting Ivan, Nicolas Flamel realized he was different.
At least on the surface, Ivan seemed very kind and humble, and his handsome appearance instantly made a good impression.
"Come in and sit down. You arrived a bit later than I expected!" Nick Flamel gestured, leading them into the living room.
After Ivan and the others sat down, a group of noisy, tiny Alchemical Creatures, only a few centimeters tall, climbed up the table and hopped to the center, struggling to push the teacups in front of everyone.
Then, these little creatures noisily brought over a large teapot.
Ivan watched them with great interest, curious to see how these small Alchemical Creatures would pour the tea.
Next, Ivan saw them stack themselves like building blocks.
Some formed the feet, others the head, and they eventually formed a creature several times their original size, which then grabbed the teapot's handle and poured steaming tea into Ivan's cup.
For some reason, the Alchemical Creature that formed the head, shaped like a radish, suddenly detached from the body and fell into the cup of hot tea, flailing its tiny hands and making "ula ula" sounds as the tea splashed everywhere.
Ivan was completely taken aback and didn't know whether to try to rescue the Alchemical Creature from the cup.
"Looks like these little guys still need some improvement!" Nicolas Flamel noticed the commotion and chuckled, picking up Ivan's cup and pouring the tea onto a peculiar green plant nearby.
The small Alchemical Creature clung to the edge of the cup to avoid falling, making a fuss. Nick tapped the bottom of the cup, finally dislodging it.
At this moment, Ivan's gaze was fixed on the green plant.
He had seen Nick quickly move to avoid the tea, ensuring that all of it fell into the loose soil below.
A moving little tree? Like a Mandrake, a Magical Plant?
Ivan thought, but he didn't know much about Herbology. He stared at the plant, but it remained still, like any ordinary plant.
Just as Ivan began to wonder if he had imagined it, the peculiar green plant suddenly shook, thrashing its branches and pulling its roots out of the soil, screaming, "Too hot, too hot!"
Ivan couldn't help but laugh at this comical scene. It seemed the scalding tea had seeped into the soft soil, burning the roots, and the plant couldn't pretend to be still any longer.
Ivan found it very amusing. He had only been there for a short while, but it felt as magical as his first time entering the Wizarding World.
By the time this little incident was over, Nicolas Flamel had already replaced the cup and poured fresh tea for Ivan.
"Thank you, Mr. Flamel! Actually, I can manage on my own", Ivan said, a bit embarrassed.
Having a wizard over six hundred years old, who seemed as if a breeze could knock him over, serve him tea and water made Ivan feel quite uncomfortable.
"Being old, a bit of movement isn’t bad at all!" Nicolas Flamel said with a chuckle, then turned to look at the Alchemical Creatures on the table, sighing. "And these Alchemical Constructs are ultimately not as flexible as true life."
Perhaps hearing Nick’s words, the little creatures all hung their heads, looking as if they had been struck by something.
Finding them unexpectedly cute, Ivan couldn’t help but ask about the origin of these Alchemical Creatures.
"As you know, when you get old, doing certain things becomes less convenient, so I created these little things to help me with some chores!" Nicolas Flamel explained.
Ivan finally understood, but then he remembered that Nicolas Flamel should have a wife who was also immortal. He had read in his first year that they had celebrated their six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday together!
Ivan looked around, but for some reason, he didn’t see the figure of Nick’s wife.
On the other side, Nick and Dumbledore were already discussing other matters. Ivan composed himself and openly eavesdropped.
Dumbledore didn’t seem to mind Ivan’s presence. His expression, which had been relaxed since he entered, now turned somewhat serious. He looked at Nicolas Flamel and asked, "Have you made any progress with the thing I asked you to repair last time?"
"Somewhat!" Nick nodded, then complained, "Why do you always bring me trouble when you come to see me?"
"Trouble? That’s what you think? I thought you’d be very interested in it", Dumbledore replied, lifting his cup with his good left hand and sipping the tea, his expression unchanged.
"From a certain perspective, it is indeed a trouble. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time! I’m sure you can understand how important sleep is for an old man", Nick said with a teasing tone.
"However, I didn’t expect a story from a Britain fairy tale collection to be true. When I was young, I also pursued some legendary stories, of course, in France, but they were all false!" Nick added.
"That’s quite normal, isn’t it? Legends are like that. You can never know their truth until you verify them", Dumbledore said nonchalantly, putting the cup back on the table. "For many Wizards, your existence is also a legend!"
"How long do you think it will take to fix it?" Dumbledore’s eyes, behind his half-moon glasses, fixed on Nick.
"About two to three years!" Nick hesitated before replying.
"Two to three years?" Dumbledore frowned deeply. "To me, its damage should be minimal. I can even use it normally, seeing people I want to see!"
"That’s because the thing itself isn’t damaged, just affected! You know", Nick was about to say more but noticed Ivan sitting nearby, eavesdropping.
After a moment’s thought, Nick changed his tone and continued vaguely, "Anyway, when you damaged it, you affected it in a certain way. To completely eliminate that effect is not easy, and the materials needed for repair are hard to find."
"Even so, two to three years is too long! I can wait at most half a year", Dumbledore shook his head. He couldn’t hold out that long, he feared he wouldn’t make it.
However, some things clearly couldn’t be solved by rushing. Seeing Nick with a dark face, not wanting to deal with him, Dumbledore had to compromise, speaking uncertainly, "Alright, this time might be extended a bit, maybe a year or a year and a half?"
"Two years! That’s my limit. Otherwise, you can take it back and find a way yourself!" Nick replied angrily.
The two quickly argued over the time, and Ivan, standing nearby, was completely confused. He could only guess from their conversation that Dumbledore wanted Nicolas Flamel to repair something important.
At first, Ivan thought it might be a Time-Turner, but he soon dismissed this idea. Hadn’t it already been repaired?
So it could only be
Ivan thought back to their previous conversation, vaguely guessing what it might be, but he couldn’t be entirely sure.
(End of Chapter)
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