A/N: I have changed the cover picture of the fic and Aaric's image as well.
The next day, Aaric woke up with the comforting weight of Luna and Daphne in his arms, only to be roused by a persistent, rhythmic banging against his windowpane.
He shifted slightly, looking over to see Dune perched on the sill outside, a letter clutched firmly in her beak.
He gestured for her to enter, and the owl didn't bother with the window latch. With a soft flap of her wings, space warped around her, and she appeared instantly inside the room, landing gracefully on his study table.
Aaric carefully extracted himself from the girls' grasp, trying not to disturb their sleep, and walked over to his owl.
"A letter from Elder Huo, hmm? Thank you, girl," Aaric said softly, caressing Dune's cheek with his finger.
He had sent Dune to Elder Huo with a latter a day ago, and it seemed she had returned with a reply. Aaric sat at his desk, offering Dune some treats and a few affectionate scratches before he broke the seal and began to read.
Dear Disciple,
My journey to the residence of the Flamels has proven to be incredibly insightful and informative. They are a veritable reservoir of ancient alchemical knowledge, refined over centuries of life, and they are sharing their wisdom with me freely.
I seem to have even revitalized their sense of adventure when I presented them with the divine crystal your parents extracted from the Grootslang.
We have been researching the nature of the energy inside the crystal and have gained valuable insight into the nature of existence itself.
I am certain you know more about divinity than I could hope to learn even in a thousand years. However, since I know you do not mean to display your divinity openly to the magical world, the crystal can be a potent catalyst to bring about real change.
It completely bypasses the need for Equivalent Exchange, which is the first law of alchemy, and creates a possibility for mastery over every known element and principle of the world.
The Flamels have proposed that it could be utilized to construct a form of dimensional isolation for the wizarding world as a layer of reality separated from the Muggle realm.
This would allow for a safe, controlled, and gradual reintegration of our societies over time.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
With Love,
Huo Yan
Aaric smiled as he folded the letter and placed it securely in a drawer. Big changes were coming to the wizarding world, and for the first time in a while, he was genuinely excited about the political landscape.
He wanted to ensure that the eventual merger of the wizarding and Muggle worlds would be a safe, gradual acceptance rather than a collision, and the seeds of that future were being sown right now.
He was confident that the Flamels would approach the right people about the discovery, with Elder Huo's permission. That alone would set the foundation for the wizarding world taking its first step in the right direction.
Dune chirped happily before flapping her wings. In a blink, she teleported away, having gained quite an exploratory spirit ever since she had gained her power over space. Aaric turned back to the bed just in time to see Luna and Daphne stirring awake.
After enjoying their morning fun, they were joined by Fleur on the way to the Great Hall for breakfast. However, as they navigated the corridors, Aaric spotted Harry beckoning him over, his expression suggesting he wanted to talk in private.
"I will be back in a bit," Aaric told the girls. They waved him off with smiles and continued to the Great Hall by themselves while Aaric moved toward the Boy.
"How is it going?" Aaric asked Harry with a wave and an easy grin.
"Good..." Harry muttered, glancing around the corridor to ensure they were alone. "Well, actually, there is something..."
He reached into his robes and revealed a wooden box. Aaric recognized it immediately as the container for Voldemort's Horcrux, Slytherin's Locket.
"I thought you would have destroyed it by now," Aaric said, raising an eyebrow as he sensed a faint trace of dark magic still leaking through the wood.
"Well, I have been destroying the dark magic inside it little by little. But... I want to preserve the locket itself," Harry admitted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"Kreacher researched it for a long time. It turns out it's a very old relic connected to ancient wizardry, not just Voldemort. It feels wrong to destroy history like that if I don't have to."
Aaric looked at him with interest. It showed a maturity in Harry to separate the object's history from the dark soul inhabiting it.
"I just wanted to ask you if it can be done. And if it is impossible, I will just destroy it," Harry added with a shrug.
Aaric nodded to Harry after a moment of consideration. "Come with me after breakfast. We can handle it then."
Harry nodded gratefully, and they moved together into the Great Hall.
The girls had saved a seat for Aaric beside them. He noticed that even Draco was sitting with their group at the Ravenclaw table for the day.
Draco had become incredibly popular in Slytherin house, largely because his skill level was now visibly far above even the seventh years.
With the increasing reputation of the Malfoy family and his own prowess, he had gained significant influence in the snake pit, which he was actively using to temper the more radical elements of his house.
"Harry, can you help me with flame control when you are free?" Draco asked across the table. He conjured a brief, controlled spark of his flame between his fingers, catching the attention of Pyra, who trotted over to inspect the magical fire.
"How about in the evenings when Hermione helps Alice? We can help her with Potions and work on our flames at the same time," Harry suggested, glancing at Hermione for confirmation.
"That would be helpful," Hermione agreed with a bright smile, nodding toward Draco.
Draco thanked them and went back to chatting with Astoria Greengrass, while Pyra started nudging his elbow, clearly wanting to see the flames again.
Ron, sitting nearby, just shrugged. He didn't harbor much animosity toward Draco anymore; his current emotional bandwidth was entirely occupied by his jealousy whenever Viktor Krum hovered near Hermione.
Harry nodded to Aaric as breakfast wound down, and the two of them slipped away, heading toward the seventh floor.
"Walk through this area three times while thinking about the locket," Aaric instructed Harry when they reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.
Harry did as he was told without question. On his third pass, a polished door materialized on the stone wall. Aaric opened it and beckoned a gaping Harry inside, with Pyra trotting happily at their heels.
"Welcome to the Room of Requirement. Its name tells you all it does," Aaric said with a grin.
The room had formed as a simple, stone-walled chamber containing only a sturdy table and several stacks of old books.
"Can you take out the locket and put it on that table?" Aaric asked.
Harry nodded, opening the wooden box and using his wand to levitate the heavy object onto the table. The locket was a magnificent piece of craftsmanship, made of heavy, pure gold with a serpentine 'S' symbol inlaid with glittering emeralds on the front.
"What do you think the 'S' stands for?" Harry asked, staring at the heirloom.
Aaric just hummed, circling the table as he sensed the malignant magic trapped inside. After a moment, he stood directly in front of the locket. A hissing whisper escaped his mouth, the unmistakable sound of Parseltongue.
With a sharp metallic click, the locket sprang open. A cloud of dark, violent mist escaped from the compartments, swirling rapidly until it took the form of a hissing snake, ready to strike.
Aaric signaled to Harry. Harry nodded, his face set in concentration. He raised his left hand, and a jet of pure white flame erupted from his palm, engulfing the dark entity.
"Well, I have been steadily using my fire on this thing for the last two months or so..." Harry muttered through the roar of the flames.
Because the Horcrux had already been weakened significantly by Harry's persistent efforts, it only took a few moments for the white fire to burn through the last of the corruption.
The dark snake let out a final, silent scream before dissolving into nothingness, leaving the gold pristine and unharmed.
"These books must be about the history of the locket," Aaric said, gesturing to the stacks the room had provided. "Read them when you have time. The purified locket is yours."
"Thanks, Aaric," Harry said, pocketing the heavy gold chain and giving Aaric a solid high-five.