After Severus Snape accepted his defeat in front of Alaric, the Gryffindors reveled in their joy, but their celebration was short-lived.
In the next match against Hufflepuff, Snape was assigned as the referee.
The young wizards were dumbfounded; they questioned Snape's fairness, and even their captain, Wood, was helpless.
The only solution was to promise to strictly adhere to the rules during the match to prevent Snape from finding fault.
However, Harry, the Seeker, had his concerns. He believed Professor Snape became the referee intentionally to get close to him.
Ron shared the same view and suggested, "Don't play in the match. Pretend you're sick, maybe break a leg or something."
"I can't do that," Harry said. "There's no substitute Seeker in the team. If I quit, Gryffindor won't be able to play."
Just then, Neville stumbled into the common room. Nobody could figure out how he managed to crawl out of the portrait hole because his legs were tightly stuck together.
It was evident he fell victim to the Leg-Locking Curse. Surely, he had hopped like a rabbit all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.
They burst into laughter, but solving the Leg-Locking Curse proved to be challenging.
Eventually, Harry suggested seeking help from Alaric, as among the wizards he knew, he possessed the most advanced magical skills.
"I know where he is. While searching for clues about Nicolas Flamel in the library, he and Hermione were reading books together.
I wonder how they managed to keep reading for so long," Ron reminded them.
In a corner of the library, they found Alaric. With a snap of his fingers, Neville's legs separated, and he stood up, trembling.
"Oh, that's cool," Hermione admired, "You can perform wandless magic. I heard only powerful and skilled wizards can do that. How did you learn it?"
"It's simple. Remember those magic we used unconsciously before getting our wands?
To perform wandless magic, recall that feeling and consciously control it.
Once you can control it consciously, you've mastered wandless magic. If you want to learn, I can teach you later," Alaric patiently explained.
Excited, Hermione nodded, but Harry, Ron, and Neville were still puzzled. In the end, Neville spoke to Alaric, "Thanks for lifting the curse."
Alaric shook his head, indicating it was nothing.
Curious, Hermione asked, "What happened? Who cast the Leg-Locking Curse on you?"
"Malfoy," Neville said with a trembling voice. "I met him outside the library, and he said he was looking for someone to practice that curse."
"Malfoy again," Alaric sighed and rolled his eyes. "This guy always causes trouble."
"You should report him to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "File a complaint!"
Neville shook his head.
"I don't want to cause more trouble," he mumbled.
"You have to stand up to him, Neville!" Ron said. "He's always arrogant, and we shouldn't give in to him easily, just like what Alaric did last time."
"You don't have to tell me that I'm too cowardly and not worthy of being in Gryffindor. Malfoy has already told me that," Neville choked.
Harry reached into his robe pocket, pulled out a piece of chocolate, and handed it to Neville, who looked on the verge of tears.
"You're better than dozens of Malfoys combined," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, right? Malfoy is in Slytherin, the house that's notorious for being unpleasant."
Neville unwrapped the chocolate, lips trembling, revealing a weak smile.
"Thank you. Harry... I want to go to sleep... Do you want the card? You collect cards, right?"
After Neville left, Harry looked at the famous wizard card.
He gasped, stared at the back of the card, then looked up at Ron.
"I found him!" he whispered.
"I found Flamel! I told you, I saw that name somewhere before, and it was on the train coming here.
Listen to this: 'Dumbledore is widely known for his achievements, including defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering twelve uses of dragon's blood, and achieving great success in alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel!'"
"Nicolas Flamel is skilled in alchemy," Ron exclaimed happily. "Now we can narrow down our search."
After this revelation, he glanced at Hermione and Alaric, both wearing helpless expressions.
"Hey, remember what Hagrid slipped up about last time?" Ron reminded them loudly. "He mentioned Nicolas Flamel. Aren't you curious at all?"
"Of course not," Hermione's expression was odd. It took her a while before she uttered, "Actually, I am curious, but we already know who Nicolas Flamel is."
"You already know who Nicolas Flamel is?" Ron gaped, looking shocked. They had spent a long time in the library searching for any mention of Nicolas Flamel.
"Since you already know," Harry looked at Hermione with a pleading expression, "can you please tell us who Nicolas Flamel is? We've been searching for so long, and it's crucial."
"Is that okay?" Hermione looked at Alaric with a questioning expression.
Alaric sighed and nodded, "Since they have a lead, finding information about Nicolas Flamel is just a matter of time."
So, Hermione cleared her throat and, like acting on a stage, lowered her voice, saying, "Nicolas Flamel is the only known creator of the Philosopher's Stone!"
Her words didn't have the desired effect.
"What stone?" Harry and Ron asked.
"Oh, come on, do you two ever read books? You don't even know about the Philosopher's Stone."
She shook her head, explaining in a lively manner, "The Philosopher's Stone is a magical substance with incredible properties.
It can turn any metal into pure gold and produce the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.
Over the centuries, there have been many reports about the Philosopher's Stone, but the only existing one belongs to the renowned alchemist and opera lover Nicolas Flamel.
He celebrated his 665th birthday last year and now lives in Devon with his wife Perenelle, who is 658 years old."
"Got it?" After the explanation, Hermione analyzed with her head held high, "That big dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone!
I bet Flamel asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him because they're friends, and he knew someone was planning to steal the Stone. So, he moved the Stone from Gringotts."
"A stone that turns any metal into gold and makes you immortal!" Harry exclaimed. "No wonder Snape is interested in it! Anyone would want it!"
"No wonder we couldn't find Flamel in 'Recent Developments in Wizardry,'" Ron realized. "Since he's 665, he can't be considered recent, right?"
However, Alaric's stern words shattered their excitement, "I must warn you; treasures as precious as the Philosopher's Stone often involve great danger.
Ordinary thieves wouldn't dare to target the Stone. It's well-known that Dumbledore is Nicolas Flamel's friend
Therefore, the only person who would still want to take the Stone, considering Dumbledore's involvement, is likely a powerful dark wizard. This is a danger beyond your capabilities."
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