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?
Chapter 693: Chapter 693: Harry's Nightmare (Edited)
With the arrival of June, the weather gradually became warmer, and the sun shone more intensely. Under the sunlight, the grass outside the castle seemed to glisten like silk, and a gust of wind made it ripple like ripples on a lake.
Fifth and seventh-year students were about to face the pressure of the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T. exams, while other students were also preparing for their final exams.
The atmosphere in Hogwarts Castle suddenly became tense. This tension manifested in various details, such as the fact that even classmates who used to be playful were now actively seeking to borrow notes from older or more outstanding students. It was also evident in the crowded library and the common areas that remained filled with people late into the night. There were even street vendors in the hallways selling all sorts of study remedies and tips.
Everyone demonstrated with their actions that the final exams were just around the corner.
In class, teachers stopped teaching new subjects and allowed students to review on their own. This was the most terrifying time because there was always a top student who would get a stack of notes, making you realize the gap between you and the best students. Additionally, every question they asked the teacher would make you nervous.
This was the end of the term, and even Tom felt a bit nervous.
Tom was convinced that he should distance himself a bit from Hermione. With the arrival of final exams, she transformed into a pressure creature, going from the Steam Lady to the High-Pressure Steam Lady.
Miss Granger's studious behavior motivated Tom, who had adopted a more relaxed attitude, but Hermione dragged him back into studying.
After all, how could you dare to relax when your girlfriend was in the library? How could you go to sleep when your girlfriend was working late into the night?
Fourth-year students were given a week to review by their professors. It seemed like they had plenty of time, but considering the amount of material, the time felt insufficient.
At first, they reviewed all the content, then focused on key points, and finally came to the conclusion that they should review the subjects they would take first; the rest could be reviewed after the exams.
So, the week of final exams arrived: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions... Students would showcase the results of their semester in the classroom.
Although Tom had neglected some subjects, with Hermione's tutoring, he managed to make up for what he had missed and face the exams confidently.
When Tom handed in his History of Magic exam, he sighed in relief – he was finally done!
Students who had finished their exams left the castle to relax and have fun. They now needed entertainment: the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament was an excellent choice for that.
Young wizards gathered to discuss the champions' status and the legends of Japanese wizards, while Tom went with Hermione to the shore of the Black Lake. He rested his head in Hermione's lap, gazing at the blue sky and feeling the spring breeze caress his face, until Tom drifted off to sleep.
It was normal, after a long week of exams, for students to want to rest.
Harry did the same, he fell asleep. But this time, the dreams returned to haunt him...
This time, he arrived in an unknown corridor where an expressionless female voice spoke.
[...Level nine – Department of Mysteries.]
At the end of the corridor was a large black door, and as he approached, the door opened automatically. Behind the door was a circular room with many doors. Harry didn't have time to check them, his feet acted on their own and he walked on the black stone floor, passing through the second door, and strange dripping sounds echoed around him.
He quickened his pace and reached the third door, which opened like the others. At that moment, he was inside a room the size of a church, filled with shelves of objects. His steps slowed, and Harry now had time to carefully examine the objects on the shelves. He saw that the shelves were filled with crystal balls used for divination.
Harry could feel the excitement inside him; his heart began to beat faster. When he reached row 97, he turned left and entered a narrow aisle between two rows of shelves.
There, there was a human figure.
"Master, I'm looking for it; I just need a bit more time..." Bellatrix's fearful and anxious voice echoed from beneath the figure's hood.
"Hurry up! I don't have much time!" Harry heard his own mouth emit a sharp, cold voice, devoid of any trace of human kindness.
This voice was familiar to Harry; it was Voldemort's voice.
"Bring it to me, place it in front of me! It is the key to our victory. If I can obtain it, the entire magical world will bow at my feet."
"Yes, Master, you will be the sole ruler of the magical world."
Voldemort laughed, "Yes, in a few hours, I will rule it all!"
Amidst his maniacal laughter, Harry abruptly woke up, feeling a sharp burning pain in his scar. Beside him, Ron was quietly playing cards but was also alarmed.
"Are you okay? I thought you were just tired and wanted to rest for a while. Was it a nightmare or... that kind of dream?" Ron lowered his voice, looking at Harry, whose face was covered in sweat, feeling a sense of unease in his heart.
"It was that kind of dream," Harry replied with an answer Ron didn't want to hear.
"I need to see Professor Dumbledore... and maybe Tom, do you know where he is?" Harry wiped the sweat from his face and looked at Ron.
"Professor Dumbledore should be in his office, as for Tom... look, there he is." Ron pointed outside the window. "I just saw him resting by the Black Lake."
He grabbed Harry, and they headed for the window where they could see Tom resting by the lake with Hermione.
"I'm heading over there," said Harry, and without wasting time, Ron followed.
"You haven't told me what's going on yet," Ron said.
As Harry rushed downstairs, he told Ron, "Voldemort is at the Ministry of Magic!"
Ron: ???!!!
"What?!" Ron's mouth could have accommodated an egg.
Harry didn't have time for explanations; he just hurried to the Black Lake. A few minutes later, Harry woke Tom from his exhausted sleep.
"Are you saying Voldemort is looking for something in the Department of Mysteries, something that will allow him to rule the magical world?" Tom raised his eyebrows, mirroring the same expression Hermione had behind him.
"It's true," Harry nodded.
"There is no such thing in the world, and if there's something to fill the gaps, that would be in Dumbledore's hands," Tom said, referring to the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows. However, even possessing the Elder Wand wouldn't enable someone to rule the entire magical world. Even if Voldemort pulled a remote control for a nuclear missile out of the Department of Mysteries, it wouldn't make him rule the entire magical world.
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