From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

"Regarding the Philosopher's Stone... the situation is a bit complicated..." Ivy didn't want to deny taking the Philosopher's Stone, but it wasn't easy to explain its whereabouts clearly, so she could only stall for time by giving herself some time to think of a solution. "It's a long story. Ever since I took the Philosopher's Stone from the Mirror of Eris, some unexpected things have happened..."

“No rush, take your time. Nicolas Flamel has lived for over 600 years, he still has a long way to go,” Dumbledore said with a smile.

“Principal, if you insist that I be clear, then I can only say…” Ivy paused and continued, “I ate it.”

"..." For the first time, Ivy saw a look of confusion on Dumbledore's deeply lined face. "Are we talking about some kind of candy? What did you eat?"

"The magic stone. I ate the magic stone." Ivy had no choice but to make things clear.

"You ate the Philosopher's Stone?" Dumbledore's blue eyes, usually hidden behind his half-moon spectacles, widened as he repeated Ivy's words, "How could you?... I don't deny it looks pretty, but... it's a stone!"

“I couldn’t resist,” Ivy admitted.

"What...does it taste like?" Dumbledore asked again. "Like candy?"

“Hmm… it’s like some kind of fruit hard candy… but each bite tastes a little different.” Ivy recalled carefully, “I think I tasted strawberry, chocolate and hazelnut… if I had to describe it, every bite was a happy taste.”

Dumbledore smacked his lips behind his white beard, seemingly imagining what the "taste of happiness" described by Ivy would be like: "The Philosopher's Stone... did it have any bad magical effects on your body? I think it's very dangerous to swallow a highly concentrated mass of magic directly."

“It really did change my body.” Ivy waved his sleeve, removing his disguise and transforming from the middle-aged wizard Victor with a full beard back into the handsome young wizard Ivy Doom.

“You seem to have grown up overnight, Ivy!” Dumbledore looked the handsome young man up and down. His tall and straight figure was almost the same as the old wizard’s. No one would have thought he was a second-year student.

“Don’t say that, Dumbledore.” Ivy rolled his eyes; he didn’t like people bringing up his age. “I’m a few years older than you.”

“If I had known the Philosopher’s Stone tasted like happiness, I probably would have eaten it long ago,” Dumbledore sighed. “But… you must understand, Ivy… the Philosopher’s Stone doesn’t belong to me… or even to Hogwarts. It’s just being held here temporarily…”

“Well… I can offer some compensation.” Ivy thought for a moment. “Ten thousand Galleons or an equivalent magical item, or a chance to exorcise a curse, even a werewolf curse would do. Or I could make someone thirty years younger, but that wouldn’t change their lifespan, just make their body thirty years younger. Or I could help Nick Lemaître resurrect a dead person.”

When Dumbledore heard Ivy's proposed compensation options, he was initially quite calm. He raised an eyebrow slightly when he heard about removing the werewolf curse, but the ideas of rejuvenation and resurrection made him grin from ear to ear.

"You can... resurrect a person? You're not kidding, are you, Ivy?" Dumbledore was somewhat flustered, but still tried to remain calm, asking in a slightly trembling voice.

“Of course I’m not joking. This is a secret I learned from the Philosopher’s Stone.” Ivy nodded. He knew that Dumbledore had an obsession with resurrecting someone; otherwise, when he saw the Resurrection Stone on the Gaunt family ring, which was Voldemort’s Horcrux, he wouldn’t have been so distraught as to wear it on his hand, thus incurring Voldemort’s curse.

“That’s really…” Dumbledore took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “I can write to Nick about your compensation option, but I don’t know how he will respond.”

It seems Dumbledore was skeptical of Ivy's ability to resurrect the dead.

This was perfectly reasonable. Having lived in the wizarding world for over a hundred years, he had never heard of anything like it, except for the legendary Deathly Hallows. Including the Elder Wand and the Potter family's Invisibility Cloak, he had once possessed two Deathly Hallows simultaneously, but he had not discovered anything special about them. Therefore, Dumbledore simply regarded the so-called Deathly Hallows, which were said to be able to fight against Death, as extremely powerful magical artifacts from legend.

Therefore, he was skeptical of the legend of the Resurrection Stone, let alone Ivy, who suddenly claimed to be able to resurrect the dead, even if he had swallowed the only Philosopher's Stone in the world.

"Alright." Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. This matter was temporarily over. As for what to do with Nicolas Flamel, they would just have to wait and see. In any case, Ivy was not going to give back the Philosopher's Stone. As for compensation, it would only be enough to let him use the Philosopher's Stone once.

That's an artifact capable of resurrecting the dead; countless people dream of it. However, if Nicolas Lemaître wanted to use it a few more times, Ivy wouldn't refuse. After all, it essentially ended someone's immortality, and Ivy still felt somewhat guilty.

However, he vaguely remembered that in the original work, Nicolas Flamel and his wife voluntarily gave up immortality, which means that the immortality obtained by using the Philosopher's Stone must have some flaws, and is not the eternal youth and infinite lifespan that people imagine.

Anyway, Ivy wouldn't believe that a young man who was energetic, had a good appetite, and was in great health would think about dying, let alone that he had money that he could never spend.

“For an old man, everything today is too unexpected.” Dumbledore shook his head, looking at the calm surface of the Black Lake. The giant squid on the shore had somehow returned to the Black Lake. “Whether it’s the dragon kept in the castle or the Philosopher’s Stone that you swallowed.”

Ivy didn't say anything, but used magic to transform herself back into Professor Victor's appearance, and the two of them quietly basked in the sun for a while.

“You can look forward to dinner tonight, Ivy,” Dumbledore said suddenly. “The house-elves have prepared a very lavish spread, and there’s also my favorite lemon ice cream.”

“Their craftsmanship is always superb.” Ivy nodded. He already had a goal for the summer: to go to the Department of Magical Creatures Control and Management, specifically the Office of Outcasts under the Ministry of Magic, and find a house-elf resettlement office to serve him.

Although stray house-elves love to go to Hogwarts looking for work, what if they can snag a bargain?

Chapter 126 A Little Interlude Before the Dinner

"That question must be C!" Hermione said so confidently that Harry thought she had seen the answer.

"Forget about C or C!" Ron couldn't stand Hermione's nagging any longer. "The term is over, and we don't have any classes for the next week. We can play as much as we want!"

"Ah... I still have a Quidditch match to play." Harry suddenly remembered that when he first saw the schedule, he thought he would be able to skip his exams because of the Quidditch match, but now it seemed that was just wishful thinking on the part of a poor student.

“You’re up against Ravenclaw, right? We’ll win!” Ron reassured him. “Now that all the exams are over, don’t you want to go to the Great Hall for some ice cream to clear your heads?”

The three of them then walked through the corridor toward the auditorium.

"How did you do that, Percy!" Ron heard his brother's voice, and the name of his other brother.

“I didn’t do anything! Don’t talk nonsense!” Percy whispered, threatening his two younger brothers.

“We’ve all heard! You reimbursed the Wizarding Exams Authority for a box that was protected by a protective charm!” It was Fred, Ron recognized him.

"Did I miss something interesting?" Ron asked, leaning closer. Hermione and Harry, standing behind him, shared the same curiosity.

“It’s Ronnie. Come on, Percy, tell our little brother about your heroic deeds!” George glanced at the trio but didn’t greet them, which meant that in his eyes, Percy was the more important one, which was quite rare.

“I didn’t do anything!” Percy’s face flushed red. Ron couldn’t tell if it was from shame or anger, because neither was common on Percy’s face.

“Our dear prefect! You have to teach me that spell!” Fred pleaded. “I know how to say it—Pyroblast! Right?”

“We thought there would be some sparks or something, but nothing happened. What happened?” George added. “You’re the only fifth grader who knows this spell, you can definitely tell us!”

"Don't even think about it!" Percy refused quickly, but his steps were even faster. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to! Blowing up a bathroom, or using it for a prank? I can't let you lose any more Gryffindor points!"

“What is Pyroblast?” Hermione asked, unable to resist the allure of knowledge. “It sounds like some kind of spell.”

“Professor Victor taught a spell to the seventh graders that can easily destroy dark magic creatures,” Fred explained. “It’s said to be a very special spell, and it was invented by Professor Victor himself. Besides the seventh graders and himself, only Percy in the school has learned this spell.”

“We can trade something!” George suggested. “How about a bag of vixen eggs? Or a wolf-tooth frisbee? A dozen dung bombs?”

“I don’t need those prank props!” Percy roared, but George’s suggestion gave him an idea. “If you can guarantee that you won’t lose any points in Gryffindor next school year and that you pass all your subjects, I’ll promise to teach you that spell.”

“Oh! Percy!” Fred cried out in terror. “You’re not Percy! Who are you? Our respected prefect brother would never coerce us for a spell.”

“In fact, I will do it.” Percy’s face was no longer embarrassed as he laughed. “You’ve had a whole summer to think about this! And now, I’m going to have dinner.”

The group had arrived at the entrance of the auditorium. Percy, who had finally gotten his revenge on his brothers, triumphantly pushed open the door and swaggered inside.

"Can't we choose between not losing points or passing all subjects?" George tried to ease the burden on the two of them.

"Don't even think about it!" Percy said without turning his head.

“Then let’s remove Potions and History of Magic!” Fred suggested, adding, “Snape won’t let us pass!”

"It's Professor Snape, Mr. Weasley."

The young wizards blocking the entrance to the Great Hall were startled. When they turned around, they saw Dumbledore and Ivy, who had come back from the Black Lake for dinner.

“I’m sorry, Professor Dumbledore,” Fred apologized smoothly. “I hope we haven’t lost points? Or points for next semester?”

“Of course not, Mr. Weasley.” Dumbledore nodded with a smile.

“Professor Victor!” the Weasley twins exclaimed in surprise, as if they had just noticed Ivy.

If you're a student, the Weasley twins are certainly fun classmates, but if you're a professor, they mean chaotic classes and endless messes. Therefore, when Ivy is in professor mode, she is always wary of the two of them.

He squinted and asked, “It’s me, Mr. Weasleys. I’m going to have my meal now, if you don’t mind.”

“We just want to ask…” Fred’s voice suddenly rose, then slowly fell back down, before he frantically gestured to his brother for help with his eyes.

"...Will you be teaching us again next semester?" George quickly followed up.

“No more.” Ivy stepped aside from the young wizards and walked toward the faculty table. “I said from the beginning that I would only teach you for most of the semester.”

"What a pity." This was absolutely genuine. Fred added, "You are undoubtedly the most outstanding Defense Against the Dark Arts professor we have ever met!"

"Thank you." Ivy's tone didn't change because of the praise. "You are also the 'best' class I've ever taught."

“Really?” George’s voice was filled with surprise. “Then could you teach us, that great…”

“Powerful…” Fred said.

“Excellent…” George continued.

“It’s absolutely fantastic…” Fred said, once again expressing his genuine feelings.

“You invented your own spell!” George has already used up all the “maps”.

“It’s that Fireball spell!” Fred added.

“No.” Ivy rejected them without hesitation.

"Why?" The Weasley twins' voices were filled with confusion.

“That’s not something you should be thinking about at your age,” Ivy explained briefly.

"But we'll also take the OWLs and NEWT exams! We both plan to continue working hard on Defense Against the Dark Arts, and becoming an Auror has always been our dream!" The two weren't ready to give up and tried to paint a rosy picture of a dream for Ivy.

But Ivy wasn't a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts professor: "Unfortunately, as far as I know, the Wizarding Exams Authority is planning to ban Pyroblast, especially after all that teaching aids they've reimbursed."

"No!" Fred and George's wailing drew Professor McGonagall's attention, because in the blink of an eye, Ivy had already sat down at the faculty table. However, the Weasley twins, who were still shaken, seemed completely unaware that their Dean was right next to them.

"Does this mean we have to be good students next school year?" "We can't lose points in Gryffindor?" "And we have to pass all subjects?"

The two of them, speaking in unison, seemed to have already foreseen the bleak prospects of the next school year.

"No points deducted from Gryffindor, and all subjects passed? Hmm, fine ambition, Mr. Weasleys." Professor McGonagall smiled and nodded with satisfaction, as if Fred and George were her prized students. "I will write to your parents and give them a good compliment on your ambition! My requirements are not high; I can accept any score less than twenty points, or any number of failed subjects."

Fred and George stared at their dean in disbelief, seemingly unable to understand what had gone wrong.

"Have a pleasant summer vacation, Mr. Weasleys." Professor McGonagall smiled and ended the conversation, then turned to Ivy beside her, "Professor Victor, I've already sent the History of Magic exam papers to Professor Binns, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam papers are also in your office. Just make sure to write everyone's grades down by house before the end of next week and send them to the Headmaster."

“That’s so thoughtful. Thank you, Professor McGonagall.” Ivy nodded, waiting quietly for Dumbledore to announce the start of the banquet.

Chapter 127 Legal Night Tour

Aside from the sighing Weasley twins, everyone in the Great Hall was happy, not just because the exams were over, but also because summer vacation was just around the corner. Fred and George's summer vacation, however, was clearly over, for no other reason than the letter Professor McGonagall was about to write to the Weasleys.