Chapter 103: Nicolas Flamel
When Dumbledore heard this, his eyes began to flicker. After a moment, he sighed, sat back again, looked at Phineas and said with emotion,
"You are very much like an old friend of mine. You are just as cautious and have many backup options."
Phineas roughly guessed who Dumbledore's so-called old friend was, so he shrugged and said,
"But I don't have as much ambition as him, do I?"
Dumbledore nodded,
"Phineas, you have to understand that after you told me these things today, I can't possibly let you leave here, even if you have those back-ups."
Phineas nodded,
"I know it, so let's make a deal."
Dumbledore's eyes showed a hint of interest.
"Tell me something."
Phineas took a sip of juice, looked at Dumbledore and said word by word,
"I can tell you everything I know, but I also hope to get some help from you. However, I can't trust you, and I don't think you can trust me, so let's sign an unbreakable agreement."
Dumbledore frowned, thought for a moment, nodded, and said,
"But who do you have for this witness?"
Phineas smiled and said,
"Mr. Headmaster, your magic power level limits the witness to how much weaker they can be, and there are many such characters in the entire wizarding world."
Dumbledore said,
"So, you want to find that old friend of mine?"
Phineas shook his head and said,
"Of course it won't be the Dark Lord. I hope it will be Nicolas Flamel. As a junior, I have many questions to ask him."
He showed the ring on the little finger of his left hand.
Although Dumbledore was over a hundred years old, he did not have presbyopia. Naturally, he saw the ring and immediately understood what Phineas meant, so he nodded and said,
"Very well, shall we go there now?"
Phineas nodded,
"Let's go now."
Dumbledore put his hand on Phineas's shoulder, and with a cry from Fawkes, the two disappeared in a burst of flames.
It was the same feeling as when he had returned from the Soviet Union last time. A red light flashed before his eyes, and he found himself in a new location.
This was a very ordinary-looking village. The language used by the residents on both sides of the path made Phineas understand that this was a place in France.
Dumbledore smiled and explained,
"This is Nicolas's village, a very famous wizarding village in France."
Phineas nodded and began to carefully observe the surrounding scene. The place in front of him was said to be a village, but in fact it could easily be called a small town. Not far ahead, in the square, stood a statue of a young couple.
"That's the statue of Mr. and Mrs. Flamel, though neither of them likes it very much," Dumbledore explained as he took out a silver card from his pocket. The card bore a golden pointer-like pattern that functioned as an actual pointer, indicating direction.
"I think since you know Nicolas, you're also aware of his greatest achievement."
Phineas nodded and said,
"The Philosopher's Stone."
Dumbledore nodded,
"Nicolas has had to take precautions because of the Philosopher's Stone over the years, which is why he hides himself."
Phineas nodded,
"The Fidelius Charm—I guessed as much."
Dumbledore nodded,
"Even I don't know his specific location. I can only find it through this card."
As he spoke, he led Phineas to a house.
What confused Phineas was that this house wasn't hidden by the Fidelius Charm. Even someone like him, who had no idea of the location, could see it plainly.
Dumbledore knocked on the door, and a house-elf opened it. He handed the silver card to the house-elf.
"You two, please come inside!"
The house-elf glanced at the card and handed it back to Dumbledore, then opened a hidden door beside it.
Only then did Phineas realize it wasn't a wall, but a concealed entrance.
"Amazing," Phineas murmured. He had some theories about the setup but wasn't entirely sure.
Dumbledore, perhaps noticing Phineas's puzzlement—or remembering his own initial confusion—explained,
"Nicolas didn't hide the entire house, just this door. The true residence lies beyond it."
Looking at the security measures Nicolas had arranged, Phineas couldn't help but compare it to his own safehouse at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. There was no comparison. If possible, he would love to learn this method of concealment.
"Albus? I didn't expect you to visit at this time. Isn't the plan still set for next year?"
A frail old man approached, his white hair thinning, his body gaunt with age. His ancient appearance left no doubt as to his identity.
Sure enough, Dumbledore smiled warmly at the sight of him and said,
"Ah, there are some matters requiring your assistance. The plan remains unchanged—it's still set for next year."
Nicolas peered at Phineas and asked Dumbledore with clear skepticism,
"Who is this?"
Dumbledore smiled,
"This is Phineas Black, a remarkably talented young wizard and one of the heirs."
Phineas cooperatively displayed his Ravenclaw ring upon hearing this.
The moment Nicolas saw the ring, he seemed to relax slightly, though his aged features grew even more weary. He smiled faintly and said,
"Forgive the precautions of an old man too frail to fight."
Phineas sensed the fading magical tension in the surrounding room. He understood that despite being brought here by Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel remained wary.
This contradicted Phineas's memories from his past life—in those films, Newt Scamander had visited a much more confident Flamel. But that made sense; back then, Nicolas had been stronger, not yet reduced to relying on alchemical defenses for protection.
Times had changed.
The wizarding world's hunger for the Philosopher's Stone had never waned, but Nicolas was now too old to defend himself as he once had.
Understanding this, Phineas smiled and shook his head,
"It's quite alright, sir."