Chương 41: 41
Chapter 41: Honesty
Wade had grown fond of the Weasley twins. They were the kind of people who could bring laughter even in the darkest times. Initially, he had merely wanted to divert them from their reckless antics, but seeing their cheerful faces, he couldn't help but ponder—
Why should I shield Voldemort's secret?
Voldemort went to great lengths to conceal his true identity out of fear of Dumbledore. How would aiding Voldemort's secrecy benefit Wade?
On the contrary, being the sole possessor of such a secret put him in peril. If discovered, it could jeopardize his safety. Yet, if Voldemort's secret were exposed, it would spell trouble for him.
In this moment of clarity, Wade resolved not to divulge the secret entirely, leaving Voldemort no escape. After all, Dumbledore couldn't eliminate him completely at the moment. Voldemort had concealed his identity within Hogwarts only to seize the Philosopher's Stone. Should he discover that his quest was futile, he might resort to a rampage. The school's students stood no chance against him. How many lives would be lost before Dumbledore intervened?
Carefully, Wade began, "Actually..."
The Weasley twins' eyes lit up.
"...Let's find a quiet place to talk."
Besides his dormitory, the safest spot for Wade was the Umbrella House.
He recalled hearing about a hidden Room of Requirement somewhere in the school. However, during his viewing of the movie, he had been too engrossed in the plot and visual effects to take note of its exact location. Thus, for three months now, he had been on a fruitless search.
To avoid the movie trope where divulging crucial secrets results in a villain overhearing, they chose the Umbrella House.
With the holidays approaching, enthusiasm for studies had waned. Consequently, only two individuals occupied the Umbrella House—Hermione, buried under a mountain of books, looking exhausted from her reading; and Ryan, crafting new targets from a pile of wood.
"Wow, is this your secret lair?" Fred was the first to peek inside, his head swiveling to take in the surroundings.
Soon after, a mop of red hair appeared beside him. The person glanced around and greeted, "Hello, Miss Know-it-all."
"Oh, not at all," Hermione sighed wearily. "Does anyone know who Nicolas Flamel is? He's not in 'The Great Wizards of the 20th Century' or 'The Directory of Contemporary Famous Wizards'. I've combed through nearly a hundred books! Is there no mention of him anywhere?"
Everyone inside and outside the room froze momentarily, then exclaimed in unison, "What are you saying, Hermione? Nicolas Flamel is certainly in the books!"
Hermione slowly lifted her head, blinking with rare confusion and distress.
"You all... know Nicolas Flamel?"
"Of course!" Ryan put down a newly crafted target. "He celebrated his 665th birthday last year, as reported in the Daily Prophet! My father said he might be the oldest person alive."
"665 years old?" Hermione repeated incredulously.
"Nicolas Flamel is the greatest alchemist," Fred explained. "He created the only Philosopher's Stone in existence."
"The Philosopher's Stone?" Hermione searched her memory, convinced she'd seen the term in one of her books.
George added, "It turns any metal into gold and produces the Elixir of Life. As a child, my biggest dream was to possess one."
"Turning metal into gold? Immortality?" Hermione echoed.
As Wade closed the door and turned around, he couldn't help but interject, "Hermione, have you turned into a broken record?"
Though Fred and the others didn't understand the concept of a broken record, Wade's implication was clear, and they burst into laughter.
Hermione glared at Wade. "So, Wade... do you know Nicolas Flamel?"
Wade explained simply, "I've been studying alchemy recently, and my first read was his works."
"Alchemy?" Ryan looked surprised. "That's a subject for sixth-years!"
"Yes, but I'm laying the groundwork early," Wade replied. "Isn't Theo with you today?"
"He's helping Professor Sprout tidy up the greenhouse. I remembered the target we broke last time couldn't be repaired, so I made a few new ones." Ryan gestured, brushing wood chips off his clothes, then rolled down his sleeves and walked over to grab a water cup.
Wade cast a quick Cleaning Charm to remove the tiny wood splinters.
Fred leaned over a chair, teasing Hermione, "Hey! Are you alright? Still alive? Do you know what day it is?"
Hermione, who had been resting her head on the table, swiped Fred's hand away. She sat up, visibly annoyed. "If I'd known, I would've just asked—I've been searching for over a month!"
Wade perused the books on Hermione's table, all focused on modern and contemporary magical history. It was no surprise that Nicolas Flamel remained elusive—born in 14th-century France, he was documented in older texts.
"Hermione, why the obsession with Nicolas Flamel?" Ryan asked, concerned. In Wade's absence, Hermione was always generous with her answers, and everyone had come to see her as a trusted friend.
"I... I just..." Hermione initially hesitated, but upon meeting their concerned gazes, she felt ashamed of her secrecy.
"Well," she began slowly, recounting their adventure—the visit to Hagrid after the Quidditch match, discovering that the three-headed dog guarded an object linked to Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel.
"It seems the massive dog is guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone," Hermione concluded. "I suspect Flamel entrusted it to Dumbledore for safekeeping, knowing it was attracting attention. Being Dumbledore's friend, he placed the Stone here at Hogwarts."
Hermione glanced at Wade, refraining from sharing Wade's earlier suspicion—though increasingly convinced it was true. Revealing that Dumbledore might be testing Harry could cast unwanted attention on Wade. The last thing Harry needed was more scrutiny, as evidenced by how his classmates had hounded him recently.
Understanding the implications, one need only recall how quickly the first-year had been pursued and cornered by his peers. Hermione knew her friend was deeply troubled by this.
"So, who's after the Philosopher's Stone?" Ryan inquired.
Hermione replied, "Harry and Ron suspect Snape, given his injured leg from the three-headed dog. But I think—"
Before she could finish, George interjected, "—Quirrell?"
Hermione paused, processing this. "What does Professor Quirrell have to do with this? Though I don't find him very competent—"
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