Chapter 691: Chapter 691: The Philosopher's Stone is Ripe (Edited)
The discussion finally ended without reaching an agreement. Harry was utterly tired of Occlumency, to the point that every time it was mentioned, it put him in a bad mood.
Seeing Harry with such a disgruntled expression, Tom decided not to say much more and left with Hermione, who also had something to say but didn't dare to.
At that moment, in the Riddle mansion in the remote village of Little Hangleton, Bellatrix was kneeling in front of Lord Voldemort, pleading for forgiveness.
"My lord, the Imperius Curse on Draco was undone, it was my incompetence."
"No, that doesn't matter." Voldemort was sitting by the window, looking out at the sky. The Riddle mansion had been completely renovated at this point, with old furniture replaced, the lawn manicured, and missing tiles repaired. Even the window panes were clean and shiny.
In the village, people were commenting that a generous tycoon had bought the Riddle mansion on the hill and renovated it. The bet on when the wealthy person would be scared off by the Riddle ghosts had become an eternal topic in the taverns.
Voldemort had a calm expression; Draco's failure didn't affect his mood. In fact, this mistake was within his plans.
How could Voldemort be angry about a planned failure? If he had to find something that bothered him, this mansion would be more suitable. Voldemort hated this place; it reminded him of his humble origins, but at the same time, he had to admit it was a good hiding place.
Did anyone here know about his connection to this place? Probably everyone who knew had already died, even if Dumbledore could find some clues, would he personally come to investigate?
Voldemort felt he wouldn't. But if he did, it would be even better, as he could clear his name here.
After gazing at the sky for a while, Voldemort noticed that Bellatrix was still kneeling on the floor. So he let her rise and joined her to meet the guests.
"People on both sides can't wait any longer." Voldemort got up from his chair and headed to the hall. There, he would meet with his allies to discuss the next steps.
He hated this process, but it seemed he had to endure it, as he needed those valuable high-quality pawns. He didn't fear facing Dumbledore one-on-one; that was Voldemort's mindset. What he needed was to keep the members of the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic busy.
Japan and the Trackers were perfect for playing that role.
Once everything was in place, Voldemort would carry out his own plan regarding his allies, as he had no intention of allowing the peculiar organization of the Trackers to continue existing in the world.
With malice in his heart, Voldemort began his negotiations...
...
Since the collar plan's failure, Voldemort seemed to have gone silent. Members of the Order of the Phoenix found no trace of Death Eater activity, and Draco didn't receive new missions either. It appeared that after his failure was discovered, the Death Eaters had set him aside, which was good news for Malfoy. Though abandoned, at least he didn't have to suffer between the sword and the wall between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters.
Astute observers knew that Voldemort was amassing power in the shadows, but there wasn't a very effective strategy to deal with him. Voldemort was like a cunning venomous snake, expert at hiding and lurking in the darkness.
He didn't initiate the attack, so the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic had difficulty finding his weaknesses. But fortunately, all signs indicated that he could no longer wait; his Japanese allies were very active, sending messengers to London often for requests, although Dumbledore always turned them down.
Dumbledore didn't want so many people entering Hogwarts, especially when this group of people had hidden intentions.
The days passed peacefully and calmly. Harry's newspaper thrived, and Fred and George's small business was also flourishing; everything was in place.
Tom received good news: his Philosopher's Stone had matured.
It was a bit mystical, but Tom truly felt that the Philosopher's Stone, which was hidden in the Texas slaughterhouse, had completed its "charge."
It was a kind of intuition.
Tom decided to trust his instincts and brought back from Texas a blood-red Philosopher's Stone the size of a thumb.
This small stone contained the essence of millions of cattle souls, and this essence would be enough to restore the lost vitality of Hermione due to the curse.
Seeing the Philosopher's Stone in his hand, Tom and Hermione found themselves in a dilemma: how to use it?
Everyone knew that the Philosopher's Stone could turn stones into gold and grant immortality, but no book about the Philosopher's Stone mentioned how to use it.
"Let's ask Professor Dumbledore," Hermione suggested while playing with the Philosopher's Stone but ultimately decided not to do anything rash.
She felt a strange sense of unreality: this small ruby stone was the famous Philosopher's Stone! And now it was casually in her hands?
When Tom had tossed her the stone that morning as if it were a peppermint candy, she hadn't initially realized it was a precious object that could extend her life.
The Philosopher's Stone was heavy in her hand, and Hermione could feel her boyfriend's love for her concentrated in the stone. She squeezed the stone tightly and thanked Tom.
It was a gift she could never repay.
Tom looked at her with his head tilted. At this moment, the girl held the Philosopher's Stone in one hand and clutched the hem of her robe with the other, with a shy expression on her face.
"Why are you thanking me? Just take good care of yourself in the future," Tom murmured as he brushed Hermione's cheek. "That's what I should do."
"Should you...?" Hermione was surprised and then turned and kissed him on the earlobe.
"Well, take this kiss as a reward for the Philosopher's Stone," she said.
Tom smiled. "Then I've truly gained a lot."
Both of them entered Dumbledore's office, but when they discovered how to use the Philosopher's Stone, they were both surprised.
"Grind... and take with water?" Tom repeated the words he had heard, looking at Dumbledore in disbelief.
Dumbledore nodded, confirming that what Tom had heard was true.
Tom was at a loss for words. So, this is how you use it? He might have believed it if it were a vitamin pill!
"If you don't mind, you don't even need water," Dumbledore added, making this alchemical achievement seem much more realistic, as if a Nobel laureate were using Uber to receive their award.
Hermione looked at the Philosopher's Stone on the desk and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Alright then, you two carry on with your business," Dumbledore said with a wave of his hand, dismissing them.
Looking at the empty table, Dumbledore sighed. He never imagined that in this life, he would see the Philosopher's Stone again.
Chapter 692: Chapter 692: The Most Extravagant Cosmetics (Edited)
"He really did it..." Dumbledore shook his head with a bitter smile. He didn't expect Tom to actually achieve the ultimate alchemical feat, the Philosopher's Stone, and in less than half a year, no less.
Dumbledore was sure that Tom didn't discover it on his own; he must have received external help.
And he was right. If it weren't for the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, Tom would never have had a chance to achieve alchemy. But with the help of the Emerald Tablet, Tom turned the impossible into possible.
Tom and Hermione found a secluded corner to prepare to take the Philosopher's Stone.
Tom took out the mortar from their potions class and placed the Philosopher's Stone inside it. Then, with a strong pound of the mortar, the seemingly hard Philosopher's Stone shattered into several pieces.
After repeatedly striking the stone several times, the brilliant blood-red stone turned into a pile of crimson powder. Tom showed no intention of stopping and continued to pound and grind the powder, seeking to make it even finer.
"Do you regret it?" Hermione silently watched as Tom turned the Philosopher's Stone into powder and suddenly asked, "The Philosopher's Stone can turn things into gold."
"And so?" Tom looked puzzled.
"You can take a piece of the Philosopher's Stone and turn it into a pile of gold, and then, and then you could do many things..."
A question mark appeared in Tom's mind.
"Does it make any sense?"
"It's gold, after all!" When she mentioned it, Hermione's eyes seemed to gleam, "Aren't you interested in gold?"
Tom pondered seriously for a moment before replying, "I am interested. Love for gold seems to be imprinted in human genes; anyone who sees a large amount of gold stacked up will involuntarily get excited."
Without waiting for Hermione to say anything else, Tom continued, "But if I want gold, I don't need to use your Philosopher's Stone. I can ask Dumbledore for it, I can earn it with my alchemy skills, or I can even order Dementors to steal it. The only thing I don't need from the Philosopher's Stone is turning things into gold; from my perspective, selling it would be much more useful than using it for alchemy."
Tom was telling the truth. If he set aside his pride, he could amass astonishing wealth in no time. Not to mention anything else, just allowing the Dementors to plunder could bring him tons of gold.
"Alright, alright!" Hermione interrupted Tom's endless speech as if she had heard a satisfactory answer.
She pointed to the powder in the mortar and said, "Is it ready? I think we can add water and drink it."
The powder in the mortar had turned into fine dust.
Tom carefully poured the powder into a glass and then added a bit of water. The Philosopher's Stone powder instantly dissolved in the water, turning it a blood-red color.
Hermione took the glass from Tom's hand and drank the liquid in one gulp.
Tom anxiously watched her, and once she finished drinking, he couldn't wait and asked, "How do you feel? Do you feel better?"
Hermione made a face, indicating that it had no taste. That was good news, as Snape's potion had clearly not considered taste; it was terribly bitter, whereas the Philosopher's Stone potion was a better choice in that regard.
After taking the Philosopher's Stone, Hermione's complexion seemed to have improved quite a bit; she looked radiant, and her face appeared more filled with vitality.
But aside from that, there were no other changes.
Tom used his index finger to lift Hermione's face and observed her for a moment, finally laughing gently and saying, "In my eyes, you're worth more than all the gold in the world combined."
"Is that so? Then I think I should put on a little more weight," Hermione winked playfully.
They hugged each other and exchanged sweet words. When they were about to leave, Tom noticed that there was still Philosopher's Stone dust in the mortar.
Tom: ...
"Will there be any problem if I haven't eaten the entire Philosopher's Stone?" He was a bit unsure, but considering that the Philosopher's Stone was used to restore life energy, missing a few corners shouldn't have a significant impact.
"Wait a moment." Hermione suddenly remembered something and pulled out a pomade box from her pocket.
With a wave of her wand, the pomade in the box clustered together and floated out.
Tom: ???
He watched as Hermione spread the pomade on her mortar and pestle, absorbing the remaining Philosopher's Stone dust.
After sticking the dust into the pomade, Hermione placed it back in the box without any changes. At this point, the light yellow pomade had turned pink.
"Is this...?" Tom was a bit confused.
"I don't want to waste anything. Would you like to try some?" Hermione took some pomade from the box and generously offered it to Tom.
"So, this must be the most luxurious cosmetic in the world, right?" Tom couldn't help but tease. Common cosmetics were already considered luxurious when they added pearl powder, and here you are, Hermione, adding fragments of the Philosopher's Stone directly!
In the magical world, there was no one more extravagant than her!
He didn't know if it was suggestion or if it actually worked, but the pomade with Philosopher's Stone dust made Hermione's skin softer and more delicate. However, everything came at a price, and the price Tom paid was explaining to Professor Snape in potions class why the powder he had ground had a pleasant aroma.
Days passed, and the third task of the Triwizard Tournament and the final exams drew near.
To carry out the third task, Hogwarts transformed the Quidditch pitch into a maze. It was said that the champions had to navigate the maze and reach the Triwizard Cup located at the center of the labyrinth.
The champion who first touched the Cup would be the tournament winner and receive the highest honor and 800 Galleons as a prize.
Of course, this maze was no ordinary maze, and following Tom's suggestion, Dumbledore turned it into a three-dimensional labyrinth. The maze had 27 sections arranged like a Rubik's cube and changed position periodically. Its difficulty was enough to be a nightmare for the champions.
Of course, the champions didn't know these details; they only knew they had to navigate the maze.
On the day of the competition, high-ranking Ministry of Magic officials, led by Minister of Magic Bones, would come to visit. There would also be distinguished guests from the Far East; however, to ensure their safety, Hogwarts would implement strict security measures and confiscate their wands.
Originally, this was Dumbledore's excuse to prevent them from entering Hogwarts, but he never imagined that these Japanese wizards would readily accept and fully understand the college's measures. Their cooperative attitude made Dumbledore unable to reject their request to attend the tournament.
Furthermore, what could wizards do without their wands? Could they cause any trouble?
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
0 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment