Nicholas Flamel rubbed his chin. "At the moment, I would lean towards the 'more radiant magic means more ambient magic' hypothesis due to a couple recent studies on magical populations of plants and animals myself and others have made where there is more ambient magic when there are more things capable of producing radiant magic. Take Hogwarts for instance. If not for the presence of that school and the radiant magic of its students and faculty, I highly doubt the lesser and mundane flora and fauna of the Forbidden Forest would be able to sustain things like centaurs, merfolk, and a damn kraken! And there is much evidence to show that when the population ratio between Muggles and Magicals was less severe, and the overall human population of Earth was lower, ambient magic was far less abundant than it is now. More study would be needed one way or the other, in the end, to prove it, but that is what is known at the moment."
"Fascinating!" I breathed out in awe, and Harry, Sam, and Delilah were nodding their heads along with me in agreement.
We did not just spend our time in France cooped up indoors. Perenelle would take us on tours of the magical wildlands that were preserved and scattered throughout the countryside, teaching us about plants and animals, both magical and mundane.
We were also allowed to go out and do our own exploring, and thanks to the Flamel's connections, we could have gone practically anywhere we wanted.
Yet our two weeks were sadly going to an end. The memories and knowledge crammed into our heads would last forever. The day after tomorrow we'd be flying back to London.
So, at the moment, we were taking the afternoon off at Rue Magique to search for gifts and souvenirs to bring back home. We'd already grabbed a few mundane items like t-shirts, snow globes, and other knick-knacks from normal Paris, and were now looking at the shops the magical side.
"What do you think, Ed? Would the grease repellent soap work better as a souvenir for my mom, or would an impervious frying pan be nicer?"
"I'm buying some of that grease repellent to make my own version of it. Dish washing will be so much easier with magical soap," I told him. "And those are both gifts that you would like, buddy."
"Well, yes, but mom would appreciate them too!" Sam protested. "Can't get anything too blatantly magical, either, even if she would love an apron that has recipes appear on it as you cook and points out when you make a mistake."
"Hmm. Why not grab it all? And what about your dad and sister? What are you getting for them?" I asked.
"Dad's easy. He's getting one of those always cool pillows. And for sis, it's a toss-up between a journal with tear resistant pages or a locket that always appears in your pocket if you lose it."
"I have one of those magical pillows. He'll definitely like it," I said. "And Kate will like either of those. Get 'em both. Future Birthday or Christmas gifts."
"Eh, why not?" Sam agreed. "What about you, what are you getting?"
"I'm getting a bronze self-stirring cauldron," I declared. "Mother will love it! It's the latest version, and her old one is getting a bit stir-crazy."
"Boo, terrible pun," Sam said. I just laughed.
"Anyways, I've got a couple things of other ideas. The Weasley Twins will like some of the joke items I'm getting, and Ron and Ginny will enjoy the candy," I continued. "And Harry will be getting a new broom care kit. But don't tell him! It's gonna be a surprise for his birthday!"
"Gotcha. And speaking of Harry," Sam said slowly, looking over my shoulder towards where the boy in question was browsing one of the stalls with Delilah. "He'll be safe at your home, won't he?"
"For now," I nodded. "The Dursleys don't know where I live, and they don't care enough to find out. I am worried about Dumbledore showing up, but I'll deal with it if it happens."
"Well, keep me appraised on anything that happens, alright?" Sam requested. "And if either of you need help, I'm a phone call away."
"I know," I said, smiling at Sam. "You know, I don't say it often enough, but you're a good friend."
"Ah, stop, you're making me blush!" Sam chuckled sheepishly.
"You know, next year is going to be a real change," I commented after a bit. "You with your cooking school, me with my business and college… but no matter what, we'll stick together."
"Damn straight! You can't get rid of me that easily!" he declared. Something caught his eye nearby, and he smirked. "And speaking of getting staying in contact, look over there!"
I blinked, confused by his words, and turned to look in the direction he was pointing. I then snorted in amusement as I spotted a familiar pair of Veela walking down the street, one of which had broken into a run at the sight of Harry and was aiming straight for him.
"Harry!" Gabrielle Delacour exclaimed happily as she lunged at him, clinging onto his arm.
"Gabi! What are you doing?!" Fleur shrieked, scandalized at her younger sister's actions.
"Sis! Look! It's Harry!" Gabi said.
Harry's eyes went wide, while Delilah was trying to keep from laughing in disbelief at the scene.
"I'm so sorry!" Fleur apologized as Sam and I walked over.
"Good afternoon, Fleur. Are you out shopping with your sister?" I asked politely. "Oh, and let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Delilah."
"A pleasure," the older Veela said, giving a polite bob of her head towards the Delilah, who offered her hand to shake.
"Indeed. It seems you already know the boys," Delilah replied, and Fleur nodded.
"We met at the Louvre," she explained. "It seems that my little sister has still not learned how to act in public, though."
"Ah, it's fine, she's young and I'm sure Harry doesn't mind," Delilah laughed. The Boy-Who-Lived shot her a betrayed look, which went ignored.
...
....
Join my P*atreon for 100 premium chapters ahead of the public release.
Link: pa*treon.com/MysticVerse (Remove the *)
Free members also get 2 advanced chapters for free.