From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 147 Phantom of the Opera
After nearly two hours of dining, which was interspersed with a variety of wines (to go with different dishes and soups) and discussions about magic, Ivy suspected that the guests who could understand English took them for magicians. When it was time to pay the bill, Nicolas Flamel childishly produced a large piece of gold, and when the cashier opened his mouth at a loss, he turned the gold into several large-denomination francs.

As the lights on the streets of Paris come on, people endure the midsummer heat and head to the giant building that can be seen from a distance - the Paris Opera House.

"Opera Garnier! Ah! Opera Garnier!" Nico lamented twice, "The most glorious moment of this building has long passed, and now the little glory left will be taken away by its successors."

For an old man who has lived for more than 600 years, Ivy didn't know whether Nico's behavior was normal or crazy. After all, he had never met a human who had lived for so long before, so he had no reference at all.

"Is he usually like this?" Ivy asked Dumbledore quietly.

"It seems that death does put pressure on him. After escaping death for so long, I don't think anyone can remain unmoved by this." Dumbledore also replied in a low voice.

The conversation between the two did not escape the Great Alchemist, who turned back in dissatisfaction and asked, "What are you two Englishmen whispering about?"

"We didn't quite understand what you said." Ivy explained, "After all, we are all wizards, and our understanding of the Muggle world is really limited."

"There are smart guys and stupid guys among Muggles. The smartest ones among them may be even more powerful than Dumbledore!" Nicolas Flamel stopped looking at the golden goddess statue on top of the Paris Opera House and walked forward with not so agile steps.

"The Muggle who designed this opera house is called Garnier, so its full name is Garnier Opera House. I have watched operas here for hundreds of years, and its quality has been getting worse and worse recently - especially since it began to allow English operas to be performed on stage twenty years ago." Nicolas Flamel squinted at the two British people, "The opera to be performed tonight was choreographed by the British. Humph! Watching an English opera in the birthplace of opera is as ridiculous as eating the best French food in the world in the UK."

Ivy didn't know how to answer because he knew neither French opera nor French cuisine.

Fortunately, Nico didn't plan to stand in front of the opera house door all the time. He just sighed twice and walked inside.

The Paris Opera House has many doors, but that doesn't mean guests can enter from multiple entrances, after all, they still have to check tickets. Fortunately, wizards who take the VIP channel don't have to squeeze in the crowd, which makes Ivy feel a little relieved.

To be honest, he hadn't seen so many people for a while. Because wizards accounted for a pitiful proportion of the world's population, even in Diagon Alley, the largest gathering place for wizards in the UK, Ivy had never seen a scene with more than a thousand people.

Looking at the crowds of people, he felt a little nostalgic for a moment.

This nostalgia disappeared the moment I entered the hall.

The interior decoration of the Paris Opera House was very gorgeous, with gold everywhere. Those places that were not gold were covered with oil paintings. Huge metal chandeliers with hundreds of candles were hung on both sides of the corridor. The flames and the gold paint on the pillars reflected each other, dazzling Ivy's eyes for a moment.

"By the way," Nico tilted his head, "No one wants to go to the bathroom, right?"

Dumbledore and Ivy both shook their heads.

"Very good. When Garnier designed this opera house, he didn't leave any space for toilets and washrooms," Nico walked forward briskly. Ivy frowned, "Didn't the Paris City Government make some repairs and renovations to it?"

"You mean those Muggles? I don't know." Nico didn't even turn his head. "At least when I last came here twenty years ago, there was still no toilet here. It is said that the Muggles have built a new opera house. They plan to move all the performances there after the new opera house is completed. This place has become a tourist attraction. Even the show we watched was staged under the guise of 'The Last Dance'."

Thinking about the French people's casual nature and relaxed pace of life, Ivy doubted when the new theater would be completed. He was afraid that the Paris Opera House would take at least another one or two years.
As a wealthy man who once held the Philosopher's Stone, Nicolas Flamel booked a very good box for them. It was said that it was a box exclusively for the king and queen when France was still in the imperial era.

Now that France is a republic, positions once reserved for emperors can be sold for money.

When the noisy audience quieted down, all the lights in the venue went out.

Unlike what Ivy had imagined, where they would start singing, the actors in black costumes seemed to be holding an auction. All the items sold were props found in the Paris Opera House.

“…Perhaps we can use this weak light to drive away the ghosts that once lived in this theater!”

As the auctioneer in a black suit and black hat generously read out the last sentence, the sound of the organ echoed in the hall.

Ivy suddenly realized what the play was: "The Phantom of the Opera".

This is a story written by a French writer and takes place in this Paris Opera House.

The protagonist of the story, the Phantom of the Opera, is an ugly man with a good voice. He teaches the heroine Christina from a small supporting role that no one cares about to become a popular female lead singer. In the process, he falls in love with the innocent and lovely Christina.

What follows is the familiar triangle relationship. The so-called childhood sweethearts are no match for the man who falls from the sky, not to mention that the Viscount who sponsors the theater was once Christina's childhood sweetheart.

Seeing that his love interest fell in love with another person, the Phantom became even more furious and created several suspense cases in the theater to express his anger and threats. However, this further promoted the love between the Viscount and Christina.

The Phantom with a strange face is very extreme. At the end of the story, he hangs the Viscount and threatens his life, forcing Christina to make a choice.

Unexpectedly, for the safety of her lover, Christina kissed the Phantom. It was the love in this kiss that saved the Phantom's soul, making him give up his original plan and let the couple leave the dangerous place safely.

Although the plot of The Phantom of the Opera is cliché, it also celebrates a story about "love and redemption". Ivy, who comes from the post-Hollywood era, certainly doesn't like it very much, but Dumbledore, who believes in the "magic of love", is different. I'm sure he will be a loyal audience of this story, right?

Moreover, the ugly but genius Phantom of the Opera just happens to correspond to Voldemort himself. I just don’t know whether the "magic of love" that Dumbledore firmly believes in can save a Dark Lord who has fallen beyond redemption.

(End of this chapter)