The Darkening of Your Soul

Chapter 47

Theo released an audible gasp the second he realized who had just entered the hall, and Harry quickly but discreetly parked his elbow in Theo’s side to warn him not to draw any unwanted attention to them. Harry Potter and Theodore Nott were not supposed to know who these people were and why they’d come to Hogwarts, after all.

Harry purposefully picked up his cup of tea and took a long sip, so he’d have something to do with his hands instead of fumbling nervously with whatever was at hand. Theo, smart little kid that he was, quickly followed Harry’s example.

“Our stone does not like to be enchanted,” Nicholas Flamel said as he and his wife halted in front of the staff table. “But we had managed to place a small ward on it that would alert us the moment our stone was removed from Hogwarts.”

Perenelle took a step forward and glared at Dumbledore. She looked old, with white hair kept in a loose bun and plenty of wrinkles in her face, but she had a undeniably spry air about her and very sharp blue eyes. “We were waiting for you to contact us to explain why you’d removed our stone from this school, Albus.”

“We had made an agreement,” Nicholas added with a flinty look. “You would get to study the stone as long as you kept it at Hogwarts.”

Harry almost choked on his sip of tea when he heard that bit of information. The Flamels hadn’t given the stone to Dumbledore to protect it? Of course, this made perfect sense. As they’d discussed over the Yule holidays, it never did make sense for the Flamels to give their stone to Dumbledore to keep at Hogwarts to protect it. The Flamels were over 600 years old. They’d have come up with some impenetrable protections by now, or else they would have lost their stone centuries ago. Voldemort was not the first powerful enemy intent on stealing it, after all.

“Let’s discuss this in my office,” Dumbledore said in an obviously placating tone, which caused Perenelle to huff with visible irritation.

“No, let’s discuss this now,” Nicholas insisted. Both he and his wife were rather short people, yet both of them had a powerful aura that made them seem much taller than they were. “I ask again, Dumbledore. Where is our stone?”

Harry got an idea. A very impulsive idea. Then again, when did Harry ever have ideas that weren’t impulsive? Because the Flamels had no idea what Dumbledore had been doing with their stone. And if they only talked to Dumbledore now, they would never find out what Dumbledore had been up to. So perhaps it was time for a child to be a little bit too honest.

“The Philosopher’s Stone is being hidden behind the trapdoor on the third floor,” Harry called out during a quiet moment so his voice rang around the entire Great Hall. “Dumbledore put it there to keep it safe from Voldemort, who he claims wants to steal it. He’s been giving me lots and lots of hints about this the whole year, though I have no idea why.”

Beside Harry, Theo dropped his cup of tea, spilling hot liquid all over his plate and the table. Daphne, who was seated across from them, quickly got her wand out and cleaned up the mess with a simple spell while Theo stared at Harry in quiet horror.

“Who said that?” Nicholas Flamel asked, turning around to stare in Harry’s direction. Around them students started talking louder and louder amongst each other as more and more of them realized what Dumbledore had meant with his dire warnings about the third floor corridor.

Harry slowly stood up and waved at the Flamels. “I did. My name is Harry Potter, Mr Flamel. It’s an honour to meet you and Mrs Flamel.”