From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

That's why they were able to find Ivy and Fleur so quickly, and just in time to witness Ivy's Golden Dragon Guardian.

“I never expected that the Phantom of the Opera would actually exist…” Nicolas Flamel stroked his goatee, a puzzled look on his face. “This is really strange. I’ve come here many times to adventure, and I’ve even fished in the underground lake. How come I’ve never encountered the Phantom of the Opera?”

No one answered Nico's question, because Dumbledore, like Ivy, was entering the building for the first time.

Fortunately, Nico didn't expect Dumbledore to be able to answer. He took a step forward, ready to ask Ivy about the Phantom of the Opera.

A large hand pulled him back, and Dumbledore smiled and said, "It's not our turn yet, old friend. What do the male and female protagonists in an opera do after overcoming difficulties?"

"Oh!" Nicolas Flamel nodded in sudden realization, giving a thumbs-up in admiration. "You know a lot, Albus!"

Then they all saw Hibiscus suddenly pounce on Ivy.

"Oh! What a passionate kiss! Although I didn't see the ending of the musical, seeing the ending of The Phantom of the Opera wasn't bad either," Nicolas Flamel exclaimed. "I feel so much younger. Maybe Perenaar will give me a kiss when I get home?"

"Who goes there!" Ivy's voice came from inside the secret room. He had heard conversations coming from the doorway.

"It was us!" Nicolas Lemaître clapped his hands. "Thank you for the wonderful performance, Ivy!"

“Oh! That’s! Nicolas Flamel!” Fleur exclaimed as the two groups drew closer, but then realized it was rather impolite. “Excuse me… I mean, Mr. Flamel…”

“It’s summer vacation, Miss Delacour, relax!” Nicole said with a smile.

"You know me?" Fleur blushed slightly, looking very excited. Ivy was very familiar with this expression; when he taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, if he praised a little witch, they would have this shy yet proud look on their faces.

“Little Maxim mentioned you to me. She’s the headmistress now… I should call her Madam,” Nico explained. Ivy knew that the ‘Little Maxim’ he was referring to was the headmistress of Beauxbatons School of Magic, a half-giant woman.

Nicolas Flamel was a graduate of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After successfully creating the Philosopher's Stone, he donated a large amount of gold to his alma mater. Luckily, he was French; if he had been in England, it would have been illegal. England had a law prohibiting alchemists from turning any metal into gold.

But the outlaw Ivy wasn't so lucky. He had already used the Philosopher's Stone to create gold several times in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts. However, compared to the other laws he broke, turning metal into gold was probably the least serious. After all, it could only be considered... a financial crime at most? And in a capitalist society, the maximum penalty for a financial crime is imprisonment, and parole is even possible.

"I...I never expected to see you here in person!" Hibiscus still had that excited expression. "You look great!"

“Yes, I’ve always looked alright.” Nicole pursed her lips. “Let me introduce you, Miss Delacour. This tall wizard beside me is Dumbledore. Yes, the famous Dumbledore. Dumbledore, and this is Miss Delacour.”

“Nice to meet you,” Dumbledore said softly, extending his hand to shake Fleur’s. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Delacour.”

“I am Professor Dumbledore.” Fleur pulled her sister out from behind her. “Gabrielle, come and greet the two professors.”

"Hello, you two white-bearded old men!" the little girl called out in a clear voice.

"Hahaha..." The two old rascals burst out laughing at Furong's embarrassed expression.

“This isn’t the place to talk,” Ivy interrupted the two old men’s laughter. “Let’s go back to the surface. Is the musical over?”

“I agree. The air here is definitely not good for my health.” Nico waved his hand in front of his nose, then called out, “Come on, everyone, gather around. I’ve never manifested with so many people as my entourage before.”

The wizards, young and old, held hands together. After a dizzying spin, Ivy felt immense pressure on her body, as if she were being squeezed out of a tin tube like toothpaste.

"You really kept this from me for a long time, Ivy," Dumbledore said with a smile before he could even catch his breath.

“Wait a minute…” Ivy raised a hand to signal him to stop.

A hundred years ago, during the great battle with the goblins at Hogwarts, he had experienced Apparition many times, but he still couldn't get used to it. Perhaps it's the same principle as someone who gets carsick not getting dizzy while driving; maybe things will improve once he learns the spell.

Ivy thought he was asking about the Patronus Charm, a spell traditionally believed in wizarding society to be cast only by wizards of pure heart. Perhaps Dumbledore had developed some strange bias towards him because of this.

“Dumbledore is right,” Nicole chimed in, “We never expected you to speak French so well!”

“French?” Dumbledore looked at Nico in surprise. “You’re really getting senile. Ivy was clearly speaking English!”

“It’s the power of magic,” Fleur interjected. Seeing that both old wizards were looking over, she shrugged, mimicking Ivy’s expression. “Anyway, that’s what he told me.”

"I am fluent in languages ​​and can make everyone who tries to communicate with me understand each other's language within an hour." Ivy had calmed down a bit, and he straightened up and began to look around at his surroundings.

They were clearly in a bustling square, with the Palais Garnier opera house standing behind them. The musical had probably just ended, and many audience members were humming melodies from the opera as they walked home. The moon was high in the sky; it was time for the French to begin their nightlife.

“That’s really practical magic. You do often use spells that I don’t understand.” Dumbledore shook his head thoughtfully. “Including that Patronus Charm just now.”

“This is amazing! I’ve never seen a golden guardian deity before! Let alone a fire dragon! The only two wizards in Europe who possess magical guardian deities are standing next to me!” Nicolas Lemaître exclaimed. “You are undoubtedly a genius, Ivy. I’m even a little jealous of your talent.”

Ivy was secretly pleased, but on the surface, she maintained her nonchalant expression. If she was going to pretend, she might as well pretend to the end.

"Mom! Dad!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Gabrielle running towards two figures in the crowd, one of whom had long silver hair just like the two Furong sisters.

"Sorry, professors, I have to go." Fleur glanced in the direction Gabrielle had run off in for a moment, then bit her lip and said.

“Go ahead, go ahead,” Nico waved his hand. “Your parents must be very worried.”

"I wish you good health, Professor Flamel, and you, Professor Dumbledore." Fleur bowed and left in haste.

The silver-haired elf turned back after a few steps, leaned close to Ivy's ear and whispered, "Remember to write to me when you get back, Mr. Doom. The owl will find me. By the way, I'll try my best to learn English."

Furong left with a refreshing laugh.

This girl actually wants to learn a foreign language; look at the world these days.

"Hibiscus! Where did you take Gabrielle? You have no idea how worried your father and I were!" The conversation of the Delacour family could be heard from the crowd on the night breeze.

"Mom! We've run into Nicole Flamel!" Fleur tried to distract her mother.

"Really? Where is it?" Her father was successfully attracted.

“The one standing next to that tall guy is him; he and Professor Dumbledore are here to see the musical.” Fleur pointed slightly in the direction, then stopped her father, who was trying to tiptoe to find them. “Don’t make a scene, Dad. Think about how many people have tried to steal the Philosopher’s Stone. Mr. Flamel certainly doesn’t want us to disturb them…”

“Oh! You’re right… What a pity… The chance to see two legendary wizards at the same time is not often…” Mr. Delacour muttered regretfully, and then the family’s voices gradually faded into the distance.

Ivy looked away, glared at the two old wizards with mocking smiles, and said, "Where do we go now?"

“You’ll have to Apparate again. Are you prepared?” Nico put his hand on Ivy’s arm and grabbed Dumbledore’s sleeve with his other hand. “Even with the Philosopher’s Stone in Gringotts, England, people still tried to break into my house, so I moved again, Dumbledore.”

Dumbledore smiled and nodded in understanding, while explaining to Ivy, "Thieves and dark wizards visited Nico's house almost every two weeks, and it was even more outrageous before they entrusted the Philosopher's Stone to me for safekeeping."

First, he felt dizzy, then he felt like he was squeezing toothpaste. Ivy took a deep breath, trying hard not to spit it out. Now he could only pray that things would get better after he learned this spell.

After calming his churning stomach, Ivy opened his eyes and looked around. It seemed to be a secluded park, with many lights shining from the surrounding Muggle buildings. They were not in the French wizarding community.

"This way!" Nico was already leading the way. The feeling of coming home made his body feel much lighter, and his fragile bones no longer seemed to hinder his movement.

The three walked across a lawn and some waist-high bushes, finally stopping under two London plane trees. These London plane trees are actually called English plane trees in France, a new species cultivated by the British after they brought European plane trees to America in the 17th century. For three hundred years, they became the main street trees in European cities. Later, the French brought them to Shanghai, hence the name "French plane tree."

"A tent?" Ivy raised an eyebrow. He never imagined that the richest man in the world would live in a tent, looking like a homeless person in a park.

“Yes, Perenaar and I are preparing for a round-the-world trip! This is our home now,” Nico said cheerfully, before being the first to crawl into the tent.

It was definitely a drill, because the tent wasn't even half the height of Ivy; it was practically like two tattered pieces of cloth propped up by a stick.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up!" Nico's voice came out of the tent along with his aged hand.

Dumbledore crouched down and crawled inside in a very unseemly manner; he was the tallest and also the most cramped.

Ivy sighed and followed the principal.

The tent was indeed a hidden world, something Ivy had anticipated. After all, during the Quidditch World Cup, even a regular tent belonging to the Weasley family could accommodate more than a dozen people, let alone the world's only alchemist capable of creating Philosopher's Stones.

The rags and sticks at the entrance were just a smokescreen. Inside the tent, Ivy saw the sunlight and blue sky again, followed by a pastoral landscape of lush green grass.

At the end of the flagstone path was Nicolas Flamel's house, a small farmhouse surrounded by a white wooden fence. Ivy even saw a rooster on the roof.

“Welcome to the Alchemist’s House! Everyone who enters this place is an alchemist!” Nicole introduced to Dumbledore and Ivy.

Nicolas Flamel goes without saying, and Dumbledore also collaborated with him on alchemical research—all of this is clearly written on the Chocolate Frog picture cards. But Ivy doesn't remember being an alchemist.

But before he could voice his question, Nico answered it for him: "I heard from Dumbledore that you created a crystal that can unleash giant fireballs and even spin around itself. Without a doubt, you are an alchemist."

The wooden door of the country house opened, and a woman who looked equally old stepped out. As soon as she saw Dumbledore, she exclaimed, "How long has it been since we last met, Albus? Oh! And who is this handsome young man?"

“Hey!” Nicolas Flamel exclaimed, dissatisfied. “Shouldn’t you welcome your husband with a kiss?”

Perenaar glanced at Nico in horror, but in the end did as she was told. After the kiss, her face was flushed, and she left in a hurry, saying only, "I'll go cook for you," without even having time to hear Nico introduce Ivy.

Chapter 157 The Curse of Unwavering Loyalty

"Are you planning a spontaneous trip, Nico?" Dumbledore asked, sitting on the soft sofa in the living room, sipping his apple pie.

“That’s right, just like you said, I’ll leave as soon as I’m done!” Nicholas used magic to stir the flame as he was boiling water to make tea. “If Voldemort really did create Horcruxes as you predicted, then I’ll at least be reporting to Death before he’s fully resurrected. I can’t stand being bothered by dark wizards every day anymore.”

Dumbledore sighed: "Nicole...you are a respected wizard..."

But before he could finish speaking, Nicolas Lemaître interrupted him: "I would rather not have their respect, but as long as you live, you can't have everything you want. And I really should rest."

“When I first heard that you destroyed the Philosopher's Stone, I can't say I wasn't angry, and even a little panicked. After all, as you all know, I've lived for so many years, and the inertia of living is just too heavy for me... Many times I thought life would continue like this forever.” Nico looked at Ivy, a peaceful smile on his face. “After the fear of death subsided, I started planning how to spend the last part of my life. I made a list, take a look?”

Nico took a small roll of parchment from his suit jacket pocket, gently unfurled it, and the roll rolled over his knees and fell to the ground.

“Ahem…” Nico cleared his throat and read aloud, “Nico Lemaître’s bucket list, first item, kiss his wife… that was the 98th time I made the list.”

He took out a pen and made a small mark, then glanced towards the kitchen and said in a low voice, "I think putting this at the top will help us have a smooth journey—at least she won't deliberately burn the food."

The clattering of pots and pans in the kitchen grew a little louder. Nico shrank back and continued reading, "The next one is moving. You see, we've already done it."

"I also managed to go to the Garnier Opera House to see a musical."

"I climbed the Eiffel Tower. It's been a hundred years since it was built. I pass by its base almost every day, but I've never thought about going up. People always tell me that I shouldn't linger in Muggle territory."

Besides touring various famous landmarks in the Muggle world, Nico also hopes to visit other magic schools around the world, including his alma mater Beauxbatons, Hogwarts and other famous magic schools, Ilvermorny in the Americas, Vagado in Africa, and even the Magic Institute in Japan.

"Go to XZ, China to find the Yeti... Visit the vampires in Romania..."

Of course, as a wizard, Nicolas Flamel's bucket list also includes many things related to magical creatures. Besides those that Lockhart has already written into his novels, there are also things that sound particularly dangerous, such as riding a fire dragon or witnessing a thunderbird create a storm.

“Wait, wait, Nico.” Dumbledore had to interrupt Nico Lemaire’s narration, as he continued to add new content to the parchment.

Ivy then heard about "discussing the stars with the centaurs" and "building a ship that can go to the moon."