Chapter 257 - 257: Nicolas Flamel

Words : 2091 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

Early the next morning, Dumbledore went off to deal with the mess left behind at the Ministry of Magic and Gringotts—the latter being the bigger issue. Thanks to the prior arrangements made by Edward and Dumbledore, the goblins at Gringotts had no chance to rebel before being swiftly suppressed. But the fact that they had ill intentions was undeniable, and there was no way they could be allowed to continue holding the wizarding world's economic lifeline. This marked an enormous shift in power. Still, considering that the average wizard was utterly clueless when it came to economics, Dumbledore didn't go so far as to completely root out the goblins. Taking various suggestions into account, he decided to let a small number of the more obedient goblins stay on and co-manage the bank alongside wizards—for now. The condition was that these goblins must recognise their position: they were working for wizards, to atone for their part in the attempted rebellion. From this point forward, goblins would only retain limited managerial authority at Gringotts, with no power to make decisions. Those who failed to acknowledge this reality would be expelled immediately, and their crimes of treason pursued indefinitely. As for the three ringleaders—there was no chance of escape for them. They were thrown into Azkaban right away to await punishment. Most of the Dementors at Azkaban had been killed in the recent assault, and those who survived had been so thoroughly terrified that they now did whatever they were told, pitiful and broken. Edward didn't rush to question Grindelwald about Ariana—he doubted he'd get any useful answers. Think about it: Grindelwald still believed Edward had Dumbledore blood in his veins. It was unlikely he knew more than Edward did. Around noon, Sirius came by with the trio who had returned from a fruitful shopping trip in Hogsmeade. He brought Edward and Audrey a pile of gifts to thank them and invited them to spend Christmas Eve at the Black family home. Sirius then left with the three to return to the ancestral Black manor and prepare for the Christmas Eve feast. That afternoon, Edward and Audrey travelled to France. First, they acquired a large stockpile of food, then "borrowed" some high-tech documents from a few relevant institutions. After that, they arrived at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, located in the Pyrenees. Throughout the journey, Edward remained in character as the Scribe. By the time they returned to Hogwarts that evening, the potion for the Scribe pathway was almost fully digested—just one final push remained. A trip to two more different locations should complete the process. And with one week left before his departure to the world of the Lord of the Mysteries, time was ticking. Edward planned to begin preparations for the special coordinates required for the Sequence 5 advancement ritual as soon as the potion was fully digested. ——— When Edward arrived at the Headmaster's Office, Grindelwald was still lounging in his rocking chair. The horn that had been in his hands was tossed aside, replaced now by a newspaper, filled with articles about Dumbledore in varying degrees. But Dumbledore wasn't there. Grindelwald glanced up at him. "You got the Time-Turner?" "Yeah, I got it last night. But it was too late, so I didn't come by to bother you," Edward shrugged. "Then I came by this morning, and he was gone." Grindelwald chuckled and held up the newspaper. "Of course. He's been very busy lately. He's not even officially the Minister for Magic yet, but he's already working harder than any Minister ever has." "Have you read today's paper? They're practically calling Albus the greatest wizard of all time. I bet he paid them handsomely for that praise." Edward made a strange face. "Er...which paper was that?" "Let me see...The Daily Prophet." Well, that explained it. If Rita Skeeter's previous praises of Dumbledore and digs at Fudge and the pure-blood families were motivated by Edward's threats, then now—with Dumbledore's rise to power a done deal—she had every reason to sing his praises even louder. Grindelwald folded the paper and gave Edward a curious look. "Hmm? That face of yours…so, did you come to me for something?" Edward thought for a moment. "Want to go for a walk?" Grindelwald's smirk deepened. "Now this is interesting. Planning to talk about something you don't want Albus to hear?" Edward said solemnly, "Ariana." "…" The smile vanished from Grindelwald's face. He stood up and said simply, "Let's go." ——— By the Black Lake, the three of them walked through thick snow in silence—one old man, two younger figures. Audrey had originally been in the common room, treating Emily's psychological trauma left by the Cruciatus Curse, when Edward came to fetch her. After learning why Emily had repeatedly tried to get close to Edward, Audrey was genuinely impressed. Despite the Death Eaters' control and threats, Emily had endured the pain inflicted by multiple binding vows to discreetly signal to Edward—who possessed powerful transfiguration abilities—that something was wrong. According to Dumbledore, she had been cursed with over twenty different contract spells, each cast by a different Death Eater, effectively sealing off any possibility of her revealing the truth. Even just thinking about betraying them triggered the same soul-piercing agony as the Cruciatus Curse. Yet she still hadn't given up seeking a way out. Audrey thought to herself that if she had been in Emily's position, she definitely wouldn't have been able to endure that. At that moment, Grindelwald stopped walking and asked, "So the Time-Turner came from Ariana." "That's right," Edward replied, rubbing his frozen hands together. "You knew sixteen years ago that Ariana was still alive, and you chose to keep it secret from Professor Dumbledore all this time. You've got some serious restraint." Grindelwald let out a cold snort and exhaled a plume of mist. "That's because you didn't see her back then." He paused, then continued, "When she brought you to me, the feeling she gave off…she wasn't human. More like a thing. Yes, a thing—or even a monster." "She was Ariana, and yet…she wasn't the Ariana I once knew. Toward Albus and Aberforth, all she had was pure, unfiltered hatred. I'm certain that if she ever saw either of them again, she wouldn't hesitate to kill." Grindelwald gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I even thought about capturing her and bringing her to Albus. But in the end…" "You lost to her?" "That's right." He nodded. "She came to see me a few more times afterwards, always asking about events from the past. It seemed like she was trying to recover her memories. I could tell her emotions were slowly returning, but her hatred for Albus and his brother never faded. So, I had no choice but to keep her existence a secret until now." "So she really did lose her memories?" "I believe so," Edward replied. At that moment, Audrey spoke up. "Mr. Grindelwald, do you know anything about the powerful force Ariana possesses?" He shook his head. "For the longest time, I thought she was like Credence, harbouring the power of an Obscurial. But not long ago, Albus shared with me another kind of…'magic.' Only then did I begin to suspect something else." Edward's expression darkened—so Grindelwald, too, believed Ariana might be a Beyonder? Which pathway could she be? Amnesia? If we ruled out external manipulation, the only Pathway among the 22 known to cause memory loss was the Death (Corpse Collector) Pathway—specifically, Sequence 4: Undying. So…Ariana was a demigod-level Beyonder? Grindelwald read the thoughts in his eyes. "You're worried, aren't you?" "You're worried that someone else in this world has mastered the kind of 'magic' that only you were supposed to know?" Edward nodded frankly. "Exactly." The problem here wasn't just the potential leak of potion Pathways—it was something even more serious: Where did Ariana, and possibly other Beyonders, even get their potions? Could there really be someone else in the Harry Potter world capable of crossing between worlds? (Author's Note: No, there isn't. This novel won't be written in that sort of irritating twist.) Grindelwald chuckled. "Then besides Ariana, have you found any other traces of that sort of 'magic'?" "…No." "Exactly. Think about it—this world has already seen both myself and Voldemort plunge it into chaos on two separate occasions, yet there's been not even a whisper of that kind of 'magic.' Either the person who possesses it is incredibly good at hiding, staying buried and unseen for decades without ever revealing themselves—or they simply don't exist at all. Ariana is just…an exception." Edward was silent for a moment before speaking. "When I found out it was her who stole all the Time Turners, I did wonder—what if it was me in the future who traveled far into the past with a Time Turner, saved Ariana from the chaos she should've died in, and taught her about Beyonder potions…but so far, Time Turners definitely don't have the power to go that far back." Grindelwald let out a laugh. "But that's magic, isn't it? The marvel of magic has never truly been in its strength—it's in how it can turn the impossible…into possible." Then, his expression turned serious. "That's why, I've always felt…the idea that magic is weaker than Beyonder abilities—it just doesn't sit right." "…" Edward froze for a moment. He suddenly remembered that Will Auceptin, the Snake of Mercury, had once said something similar: the reason magic seemed inferior to Beyonder abilities wasn't because of magic itself, but because of those using it. But what exactly was the problem with the people? Was it that I myself am too weak to bring out the true power of magic? Then again, the difference in world levels was a real factor. It was only natural for mid-tier magic to lose against high-tier Beyonder power. "Alright, we're straying off topic," Grindelwald said, drawing things back. "As for Ariana—are you planning to tell Albus?" "Of course not." This time, it was Audrey who answered, "This sort of thing should really come from you. If you're still choosing to keep it from Professor Dumbledore, then Edward and I can only go along with it." "After all, this concerns the professor's very life." "…Heh. Crafty little girl," Grindelwald chuckled. "Still, I doubt we can keep it from him much longer. Last week, when he came to me for help, he was already subtly asking about your origins again." Edward suddenly understood. "It must've been because we ran into Ariana in Godric's Hollow. Then later, he saw that painting in the Hog's Head…and it made him suspicious." "No wonder." Grindelwald suddenly reached out and clapped Edward on the shoulder. "Listen—I hope that, if Albus does end up going to find Ariana…you'll help him. You don't want to see him get killed by her, do you?" Edward twitched his mouth, then nodded. "I understand." ——— When the three returned to the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore was already back. But there was someone else with him—an elderly man, frail and thin, white hair cascading down like snow, his very presence radiating the scent of decay. "Oh, not this flavour again!" The old man made a face as he chewed on a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean. "You always give me these when I visit. Not once have I gotten a good one." Dumbledore burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Then how about a toffee instead?" "Wonderful." Turning around, Dumbledore spotted the three entering and greeted them warmly. "Oh, you're back. This is my old friend, Nicolas Flamel—the original owner of the Philosopher's Stone. I imagine you've heard of him." "Good evening, Mr. Flamel," Edward and Audrey said at once, quickly offering their greetings to the six-hundred-year-old legendary alchemist. Grindelwald, on the other hand, simply nodded. "Ah, hello there~" Flamel replied with a gentle smile, looking every bit the kindly elder. Edward asked curiously, "Professor, is Mr. Flamel here because of the Philosopher's Stone inside Harry?" "That's part of it, but not the whole reason." Dumbledore smiled, then turned to Flamel. "Nicolas, go ahead." "I'm here for the Mirror of Erised." ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.

Chapter 257 - 257: Nicolas Flamel

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