Riding the bus for nearly half an hour they finally reached the nearby town. After dropping by at the bus station, Archer followed Bill towards a muggle bank. Unlike the muggles, both of them walked towards the other entrance, which according to Bill was enchanted so only a wizard could see it.
They walked towards one of the free Goblins as Bill took out a passport like item and handed it to the Goblin. The Goblin read through the identification Bill gave, which contained all the information on Bill regarding his job as a curse-breaker, who worked for Gringotts. Nodding the Goblin gave back the book as he looked at Archer with a questioning look.
"He's with me." Bill said.
The Goblin nodded and passed a key to Bill. "Room no.269, fifth floor."
"What was that all about?" Archer asked.
"We are foreign to them." Bill replied, "So they still treat us like strangers even after we have shown them our identifications. Honestly, I feel like they are the bitterest Goblins around due to all the MACUSA laws, they don't really have much freedom here compared to any other country."
Archer nodded as they finally reached their room. The room only had two separate beds and nothing else. So it was much worse than a hotel room but Archer couldn't complain as he had stayed in worse places before.
"So how long do you think this is going to take?" Bill asked Archer.
"I don't know." Archer shrugged, "The first time it happened it took nearly a month for mom to come back and the second time it took only a day so I can't really be sure."
Bill sighed as he crashed on his bed, "I should have just stayed back in Egypt." he mumbled to himself.
Archer too settled his bag and laid on his bed as he was a bit too tired from all the excitement and running around he did. Laying back he felt something in his pocket poking him, so he took it out. It was the Chocolate Frog card that he had gotten today of Albus Dumbledore, a bit bent here and there due to it being in his pocket the whole time.
"Hey, Bill!" Archer called out, "Do you know anyone by the name of Nicolas Flamel?"
"Flamel, you mean the Alchemist?" Bill said as he looked back at him, "Haven't you met him before?"
"Met him?" Archer tried to remember but he couldn't really point it out as he had met a lot of people ever since he was reborn, "Have you?"
"Of course not." Bill shook his head, "But I do think you should've, considering your mother takes you everywhere with her. I heard he attended one of the auctions years ago that we hold every year and he bought a lot of treasure from your mother, the one which she discovered when you and she traveled to Nepal."
"You mean that skeletony-Old man?" Archer asked finally remembering a little, though he didn't really know the man was Nicolas-Flame at the time.
"Skeletony might just be the right word." Bill chuckled, "But the man has been around for ages, One can't expect him to look young forever."
"Isn't he like a hundred?"
"More like six-hundred," Bill said, "The philosopher stone is truly an amazing thing. I mean the guy is basically immortal."
'Philosopher stone..." Archer mumbled as his eyes suddenly grew brighter, "No wonder..."
"What is it?"
"Do you think they will let us access their library?"
"They should as long as I have this key." Bill replied, "What is going on?"
"I will tell you when I get back." Archer snatched the key from Bill's hand and rushed out searching for a library, running here and there he finally met a house-elf on the way to which he asked for direction and within a couple of minutes he finally found it.
―==(oIo)==―
"I knew it," Archer mumbled to himself, he knew he heard the name Nicolas Flamel before, though it wasn't exactly in this world but back in his real world where he certainly had heard about him and the Philosopher stone and furthermore things finally started making sense.
Without looking around he took out a normal pen from one of his pockets, as he wrote three words on side of the book he was reading,
Ouroboros
Aurum
Grail
Both Ouroboros and Grail represented a common thing that was immortality and Aurum represented Gold. The only thing that matched all these three things was the Philosopher's stone. The philosopher stone, an item that was a huge leap in alchemy. An Item of intense magical power, the stone could do two things, turn any metal to gold and create Elixir of life, which granted one immortality. Two of which correlated with all the clues he had found over the years.
Though it was just a mere gut-feeling, Archer was sure that this particular stone was the answer he had been looking for. The answer to solving the mystery of the stone tablet.
Archer looked around and seeing no one was looking tore the page of the book he was currently reading and put it in his pocket as he got out of the library and headed back to his room.
To his surprise, there were some people in the room who were discussing something. Archer treaded carefully until he heard a very familiar voice.
"Mom!" He called out as he rushed in towards Patricia hugging her.
Patricia returned the hug as she got on her knees, smiling at him. "That went better than you thought, didn't it?"
"I thought you'll be gone for some time." Archer said nodding, "What made you come back so quick?"
"I would've been gone for long but luckily our headquarter just so happens to be this place." Patricia replied, "So I can luckily be here with you."
Archer nodded as he looked around at all the people in the room looking at him with a smile. Archer felt quite embarrassed as he had finally snapped out of his state of happiness, as he couldn't look back at the people again.
"The meeting will continue at 8." Patricia said returning back to her strict tone as she looked at her men, "Be there on time."
"Yes, Madam Rakepick." The curse-breakers nodded and left the room leaving them be.
"I didn't know Madam could show such emotions." One of the wizards in the group said as they left
"Only for her child that is." A witch replied, "But better not bring it up in front of her if you value your life and job."
The wizard gulped not looking back anymore as he walked stiffly causing the other wizards and witches nearby to giggle.
"So where were you?" Patricia asked Archer as they were the only ones left in the room.
"Mom, you wouldn't believe me," Archer said handing the page he just ripped out to Patricia, "I finally found the clue to my treasure."
"The Philosopher's stone?" Patricia asked as she looked at the page carefully.
"Yes, that's the thing." Archer said with excitement, "I know you know the Nicolas Flamel guy, so can you call in a favor or something to borrow the stone from him. I know what the stone is worth, so I don't even need to take it away from him. I just want to try whether it works with my theory or not."
"Okay! Calm down first." Patricia said rubbing her eyebrows, "I'll have people look into it, so just calm down now will you."
Archer nodded happily as he casually asked, "So what really happened with the Alliance?"
"Did that Weasly brat tell you?" Patricia frowned.
"I am old enough to know these things." Archer said getting a bit upset at her reaction, "You can at least share some of your burdens with me."
"There will be a time where you will but that time isn't here yet." Patricia said messing his hair again, "First you'll need to at least complete your school. Then I'll leave all my burdens for you to handle."
"What do you mean?" Archer asked confused as he wiped his sweat from all the practice he had been doing with his new wand, trying out several spells.
"As I said, the philosopher's stone is gone." Patricia said coming closer towards him, "I had one of my informants here in Gringotts check things out and this is all he came with."
Patricia said passing a note to Archer which read:
Nicolas Flamel isn't in the possession of the Philosopher stone anymore. We believe that due the recent attempt at robbing the stone has made Flamel cautious and has caused him to hide the Stone to someplace safe. Though the stone's currents whereabouts are unknown, we can guarantee that the stone is still within Europe.
"I am more surprised how there hasn't been an attempt at robbery every day for the damn thing." Archer said, "After all these years, why now?"
Patricia shrugged her shoulders, "But I have some good news as well."
"What is it?"
"Since the informant talked about safety, I realized that it had to be in Gringotts. I mean, where else would you keep the thing if you want it to be safe other than Gringotts." Patricia said with a smirk, "So to affirm my suspicions, I had a Goblin repay me a favor by having him check over it and as I thought it indeed was in Gringotts."
"Was?" Archer asked getting more and more intrigued about it.
"Yes." Patricia said, "Unlucky for you, the vault it was kept was just emptied out yesterday."
Archer almost cried wondering how bad his luck could be.
"That's not the end of it." Patricia continued, "What do you know, the same day the vault was cleared out was the same day someone tried to steal from it?"
"Are you thinking it's the same robber?"
"I am sure it is." Patricia said, "And it's more than just a simple attempted robbery, as it appears to be the work of a dark wizard or a witch."
Archer frowned cursing his luck again. Just when he needed the Philosopher's stone just so happened to be the same time a gutsy dark wizard took interest in it, "Do you know who the vault belonged to?"
"Albus Dumbledore."
"Wait, who?" Archer couldn't believe his ears as he asked again.
"Dumbledore. The Headmaster of Hogwarts."
"It seems plausible." Archer nodded coming back to his senses, "Since both of them seem to be friends. So when a dark wizard wants the stone who better to give the stone for safe-keeping other than the strongest white wizard of all time."
"Exactly my thoughts." Patricia said, "So what are you thinking of doing?"
"I need some time to think."
―==(oIo)==―
A week passed by normally. Since there wasn't any reason to get out, Archer stayed in Gringotts enjoying his life in the residential section. For someone who loves traveling, this place felt like a prison but since he was busy getting used to his wand and reading some books so he didn't mind it much this time around.
"Not that bad." Bill Weasley said deflecting a curse that was thrown at him, "You have to remember that defense is the first thing you need to learn in a duel. Some wizards, even the weakest ones have a trick or two up their sleeve so you have to be ready to block their attack any moment."
"I get what you mean but the shield charm is really hard." Archer complained, "I can do offense much more easily but the defense seems too hard to master."
"Because it requires patience." Bill commented, "You have a very active mind causing you to be good at the offense as you said but you lack the calmness for defense like the shield charm. But don't fret yourself over it. I mean usually, for someone your age its mostly due to immaturity and in fact you are already better than when I was your age so somethings can't be forced like time. And if it makes you feel any better my own brother who's the same age as you can't chant even a single spell till now."
Archer nodded noting his weakness down ignoring the talk about his brother. Just as they were about to continue their fifth round of the day, Patricia walked in the room as Bill bowed slightly to her.
"You wanted to speak to me?" She asked.
"Yes." Archer nodded, "I have made up my mind, I want to study in Hogwarts."'
The moment Archer said so, Bill felt the temperature drop in the room and now more than ever he wished he could just turn invisible or just run away from this place without attracting any attention.
"What do you mean?"
"As I said mom, I want to go to Hogwarts." Archer said not backing off from her gaze, "I thought a lot about it and I feel like that's the right choice for me."
"Just for that damn stone?" Patricia asked in her interrogating harsh tone.
"Not just that." Archer said, "As you said before mom, you raised me to be someone who is very like you. And the more I stay here in this place the crazier I feel like I am becoming. With MACUSA's Aurors around every corner and their list of rules and law bigger than the list of spells found all over the world. It's all too complicated for me."
Patricia didn't say much so Archer continued, "And that's not even the end of it all. I have traveled to different parts of the world with you and by far this is the only place in the world where I feel ashamed to even be a wizard. I mean, this a place that can make Goblins sick of treasures, so I don't think I will fit in this part of the world no matter how hard I try."
Patricia snorted and turned away not listening to Archer any further but before she reached the door Archer called her again, "Mom, I know your concerns but please trust me on this."
Patricia closed the door and walked out not saying anything leaving Bill and Archer alone.
"I think that's the end of today's training." Bills said awkwardly, "But I do standby your decision, Hogwarts, of course, is the best wizarding school in the world."
―==(oIo)==―
Two weeks passed after that, but Patricia hadn't really chatted with Archer all this time. Though he knew she was busy, he was also quite sure that she was upset as this was the first time ever that he had refused her decision. Almost all the time, Archer knew that Patricia was thinking of his well being so he didn't really have to interfere with those decisions and even the decision to attend Ilvemorny was for the sake of himself. Just so he could be near her and she could protect him but Archer felt it was time to let those things go and make a decision for himself.
As he had said, not only did he make this decision for the sake of the philosopher's stone but also for his freedom. Though with the wand he could do whatever he wanted but getting caught using magic outside of Wizarding area would bear unsufferable consequences. As he said before to Patricia, he felt ashamed to be a wizard for the first time in his life.
Though hiding from muggles or no-maj as they call it was a common thing in every part of the world but this was his first time facing so many restrictions being a wizard. Archer wasn't sure what MACUSA stand by, but he was at least sure that their driving force was just cowardice and fear. Fear of what happened centuries ago back at Salem's Trial and not wanting the same thing to happen again.
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