In fact, as old humans who had lived for over six hundred years, the Flamel couple were very willing to mentor new generations and had quite a wide circle of friends in the wizarding world.
Unfortunately, they were now approaching death.
Alaric himself was very interested in this invitation.
At Hogwarts, his study and research of ancient magical texts had reached a bottleneck—not that he couldn't progress, but the library at Hogwarts no longer satisfied his appetite.
In this situation, it was indeed a good choice to exchange ideas with masters like Nicolas Flamel.
Who knew if they might have some novel theories or works ahead of their time?
Moreover, Alaric was very eager for Nicolas Flamel's centuries-old experimental records and manuscript notes on alchemy. He hoped to acquire them through this meeting.
The meeting with Nicolas Flamel was scheduled for the first weekend after the holidays.
Alaric and Dumbledore agreed to meet at the Leaky Cauldron, from where Dumbledore would take him to the place where Nicolas Flamel resided.
"His hiding place is in Devon," Dumbledore said to Alaric at the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron.
"We're going there through Apparition. Oh, I suppose, Alaric, you must have secretly learned Apparition, haven't you?"
"Yes, I have," Alaric said indifferently.
In fact, performing Apparition in England required passing a test administered by the Ministry of Magic.
Only after passing the test and obtaining a license could one legally Apparate.
Apparition could be learned through specialized Apparition classes, but the Ministry only taught Apparition to wizards aged seventeen and above.
Alaric had neither taken the classes nor passed the test, but Dumbledore seemed unconcerned about this.
He just nodded and then grabbed Alaric.
After a familiar whirlwind, the two appeared in a forest.
Alaric followed Dumbledore along a winding gravel path until they reached a small hill.
He keenly noticed that there were obvious traces of magic in the vicinity, used to repel Muggles and prevent discovery.
When Alaric followed Dumbledore to the front, according to Dumbledore, Nicolas' house was ahead.
But to his surprise, no matter how he looked or what method he used, he couldn't find Nicolas' house.
"Is this... the Fidelius Charm?" he asked.
"Yes, it seems you've already noticed," Dumbledore nodded.
"This is an extremely complex spell that permanently conceals someone's secret within the soul of a living person.
The secret resides in the chosen person—the Secret Keeper—so it will never be discovered—unless the Secret Keeper voluntarily reveals it."
Alaric drew his sword and tried hacking around, but it had no effect.
"Oh, this sword is indeed splendid, but what are you doing?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"This sword has anti-Dark magic properties," Alaric explained simply.
"I wanted to see if I could use this method to break the Fidelius Charm's effect, but now it seems that this spell doesn't affect physical objects."
"Yes, the Fidelius Charm targets the 'secret' itself, not specific objects," Dumbledore nodded.
"But what surprises me most is that you can actually create a weapon with anti-Dark magic properties. It seems Voldemort's diary was indeed destroyed by this sword."
"That's correct."
"Oh, you've achieved remarkable feats again," Dumbledore said with a pleased smile.
"Nicolas will surely appreciate you. Come, let me take you inside."
He put his hand on Alaric's shoulder, and a vacant space in front of them immediately transformed into an estate.
Dumbledore approached, and the estate's door opened automatically.
They walked forward until they reached the center of the estate, where Dumbledore gently knocked on the door.
The door opened, revealing a house-elf.
"Oh, it's Mr. Dumbledore. This must be Alaric. Please come in; Mr. and Mrs. Flamel have been waiting for quite some time," the house-elf led them into the hall.
The decorations in the hall were very antique, exuding a strong Renaissance architectural style.
Alaric saw two very old individuals—Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle.
"It's been a long time, Nicolas," Dumbledore stepped forward and hugged him. "And you, Perenelle."
"It has indeed been a while, Dumbledore. How have you been lately?" Perenelle smiled.
"You must be Alaric. Even I, a recluse, have heard much about your exploits," Nicolas approached and shook hands with Alaric.
"But you look younger than I imagined."
"Hello, Mr. Flamel and Mrs. Flamel." Alaric nodded to Nicolas and Perenelle, assessing them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both. You also appear younger than I expected. The Philosopher's Stone truly is a marvelous creation."
Alaric's witty remark amused them all.
"He's quite the handsome young man, and quite eloquent too," Perenelle kindly observed Alaric, nodding in approval.
"I dare say, you must have many girls at Hogwarts fawning over you, don't you?"
"Hahaha,, but you're in fact right, Alaric is something of a heartthrob at Hogwarts already, a public enemy of all young wizards," Dumbledore teased with a twinkle in his eye.
"If I were his age, I might find him rather insufferable."
Dumbledore's words made Alaric feel a bit awkward.
However, he quickly engaged in an intense conversation with Nicolas, leaving Dumbledore and Perenelle sidelined.
"Oh my! They just won't stop talking about those things," after what seemed like ages, Perenelle complained, looking at the now cold food spread on the table.
However, there was no trace of annoyance on her face, just a deep sense of resignation, as if she had grown accustomed to it.
That's normal, after all, Nicolas Flamel was also a great alchemist; perhaps he was just like this back in the day.
"He reminds me a bit of how you used to be," Perenelle remarked to Dumbledore.
"But he possesses a stronger thirst for knowledge than you."
"I feel the same way. And he's a bit too mature sometimes; I worry about his social circle," Dumbledore ate a cockroach cluster - specially prepared by the Flamel couple - and added.
"Other kids his age seem... a bit mismatched for him. He spends a lot of time with books and research.
Thankfully, he has made a few friends... oh, and there are those girls at Hogwarts. I also remember there was another one at Beauxbatons."
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