From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

“Even though you’ve moved your home from the original address, there doesn’t seem to be any magic protecting the entrance to this house,” Dumbledore said seriously. He didn’t think Nicolas Flamel and his wife’s final journey was a bad thing; on the contrary, he was seriously planning their itinerary.

“Traveling in the Muggle world is certainly a clever idea; I think you’ll stay away from wizards who want to disturb your journey. But in the magical world, we all know there are far too many ways to find someone. Not to mention…” Dumbledore looked towards the kitchen and held up two fingers.

“Two old and frail people traveling together may not be a foolproof plan. I don’t want to see my old friend suffer any more,” Dumbledore said sincerely, pressing down on Nico’s hand.

“Thank you for your concern, Dumbledore.” Nico thanked him, somewhat touched, but then laughed. “I’ve thought about all of that. Believe me, I’ve come up with a foolproof plan.”

"A foolproof plan?" Dumbledore asked with interest.

“That’s right. First, publish an obituary in the newspaper. Tell the entire magical world that the great alchemist Nicolas Flamel is dead!” Nico stood up, as if he were planning a wedding or a grand prank. “Then comes the funeral, held in secret, with only you and Ivy knowing the details. I will also give you a will, and you can distribute what I leave behind according to its contents. My apprentices will accept it.”

“Then we’ll leave France with the house and go to finish everything on our bucket list,” Nicole said, gazing at Ivy again. “And then there’s the last thing: the protective magic for our moving house. I want you to be my confidant, Ivy.”

“Me?” Ivy frowned; he understood what being a secret agent meant.

That is the core part of the Crimson Loyalty Mantra, the very core part.

The principle behind this spell is to hide a secret within the wizard's soul, thus making the wizard, as the container of the secret, the keeper of the secret.

As long as the person keeping the secret doesn't actively disclose it, no one in the world will know about it.

Harry Potter's parents hid using the Faithful Charm, but they replaced the Secretkeeper with Peter Pettigrew, who immediately informed Voldemort, which led to Harry becoming an orphan.

To use an analogy, the "Spell of Unwavering Loyalty" is like a safe, and the person keeping the secret is the key. The secret stored in the safe can be anything—the address of a house, the location of someone, or forbidden knowledge. As long as the person keeping the secret doesn't reveal it, no one who knows the secret can tell it.

However, for the person keeping the secret, there is more than one way to leak a secret than to tell it. As long as the person keeping the secret leaks the secret in any form, the spell of unwavering loyalty will immediately break down.

If the secret the keeper is protecting is a living person, then the spell of unwavering loyalty will be broken if a third person sees that person. If the secret is a house, then the spell of unwavering loyalty will also fail if someone sees the keeper entering or leaving that location.

Therefore, as the person responsible for keeping the secret of the Loyal Heart Mantra, one must always be cautious about any possible leaks and, ideally, never meet the secret one is protecting.

To use a safe analogy again, when the person holding the key is within the protection range of the "Loyalty Mantra," the safe is practically impossible to close. Therefore, there's no way to exploit a bug by simply throwing the key into the safe.

Now, Nicolas Lemaître is asking Ivy to be his confidant, which is practically handing over his entire life and fortune to a stranger he has only met once, and this stranger has also destroyed his reliance on immortality.

“Don’t be so surprised, Ivy,” Nicole reassured him. “I originally wanted Dumbledore to help, but after seeing your Patronus, I changed my mind.”

"You've already seen the target protected by the Crimson Loyalty Spell; it's the entrance outside. We take it with us when we travel the world and keep it hidden in secret, only setting it up when needed. Once we hide inside, no one can see the entrance."

Nicolas Flamel's theory is simple: it's like putting himself and Perenais into a box (a mobile house), then placing the box in a safe (the Faithful Charm). No one who hasn't learned the truth about the box from Ivy can see the box itself. And since Ivy himself is a student at Hogwarts, the chances of him seeing anyone outside the school are extremely slim until he graduates.

Moreover, the Lemaîtres were constantly moving, which further reduced the probability of the safe and keys bumping into each other.

Alternatively, it could be interpreted as the safe growing legs and running away, leaving only the key inside the magical castle of Hogwarts.

“You need to understand, we were complete strangers before this, so this is a very risky thing. For both of us.” Ivy’s mind raced, but her voice was cautious and slow.

“Of course! Of course! But that’s the interesting thing about ‘risk’ – it’s dangerous, but the rewards are also considerable. And I’m an old man who’s about to die, so what’s a little risk?” Nicolas Flamel said optimistically. “I’ve seen many people in six hundred years, and I’ve never been wrong about anyone. I trust my eyes, and I’m willing to trust you, Ivy.”

Ivy frowned and thought for a while, but didn't reply.

“After Perenaar and I die, I hope you can help with our funeral arrangements. In return, this house will be yours. It contains many alchemical manuscripts, all written by myself, as well as some small gadgets for daily life. I have already bequeathed more alchemical tools to others in my will,” Nico said slowly, then took out a pocket watch from his pocket and handed it to Ivy.

The case is made of silver and covered with engraved patterns. When you open the dial, there are no time markers, no minute hands, no second hands, and no hour hands. There are only two identical hands. When one moves forward, the other immediately follows, moving step by step, one in front and one behind.

“That’s me and Perenaar.” Ivy guessed that Nico was referring to the two hands on the watch face. “They’re connected to our life force. Once the hands stop turning, it means we’re going to meet Death. Then you can come and take care of our affairs.”

This was an immense temptation: two alchemists who had lived for over six hundred years and possessed the Philosopher's Stone, capable of creating gold. The gold accumulated over six centuries alone would drive many mad, not to mention their preserved knowledge of alchemy—that was the greatest allure for Ivy.

But the word "trust" was too heavy a burden for Ivy. He might never be able to tell anyone that he was a time traveler. Compared to the fragile and ambiguous concept of "trust," Ivy preferred things that were relatively "controllable," whether it was risks and opportunities or interpersonal relationships.

“I hope neither of us will regret this,” Ivy said softly, staring at the hands of her pocket watch.

"Great!" Nico clapped his hands and cheered, then called out towards the kitchen, "Perenaar, get a bottle of wine! Our trip is about to begin!"

“Didn’t our trip already start?” Perenad’s voice came from the kitchen, then she asked, “Would Bordeaux Sauternes be alright? That’s all we have left…”

“That’s your favorite!” Nico retorted, then explained to Ivy and Dumbledore, “Bordeaux Sauternes is a sweet white wine. Mold is involved in the production process, so no extra sugar is added. It has a very smooth taste, which may be a bit too sweet for me, but Perenat loves it and buys a lot of it every year.”

Soon, Perenais brought out a wooden tray from the kitchen, on which were placed several wine glasses and a beautifully packaged bottle of wine.

The bottle label and seal are ivory white with gold trim, while the wine inside is a luxurious gold.

Perenaar directed the cork to pop out of the bottle, and a rich aroma quickly filled the room, like a mixture of many wonderful fruits. Although it had been aged, it smelled neither dry nor astringent, but as fresh as an orchard after the rain.

"To whom shall we raise a toast?" Dumbledore stared at the golden liquid in the goblet, seemingly impatient, probably because Nico had just said it was sweet.

“For death!” Nico’s eyes gleamed, as if he had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Although Ivy found it a bit strange, she still chimed in, "For death."

The first moment the Sauternes touched my tongue, Ivy felt as if I had taken a big gulp of honey, but without the sticky, astringent texture of honey. Then came an aroma that shot straight to my head. It was hard to say exactly how many kinds of fruit Ivy smelled: lemon, orange, pineapple, honeydew melon. It seemed that every kind of fruit that releases fragrance when ripe was present, yet each was distinct. Although the aroma was complex, it maintained a high degree of unity with its taste. No wonder Pereñar loved this sweet white wine so much.

"Only when you've seen death clearly will you realize how meaningful life is!" After downing a glass of wine, two rosy blushes rose on Nico's pale face. He chuckled and exclaimed, "It's like I'm seeing spring for the first time!"

……

The process of casting the Fiery Loyalty Spell is rather uninteresting, and even if it were explained clearly, no Muggle could learn it.

When they came to their senses, Ivy was already standing under the Eiffel Tower with Dumbledore and the Lemaîtres. Yes, they were going to complete the latest item on their bucket list.

Chapter 158 Elective Courses and Civil Servants

Climbing to a high place after drinking is not a wise move, but fortunately, the few who climbed the Eiffel Tower were all top-notch wizards.

The night breeze reduced the dryness in the air and also cleared Ivy's mind considerably.

Looking at the brightly lit Parisian nightscape, he took out the pocket watch that could indicate the vitality of the Lemaîtres and his wife and tossed it to Dumbledore.

“I’m still a student. Just let me know when it’s time to deal with their affairs. Anyway, the entrance to the ‘House of Alchemists’ has been completely hidden by the Charm of Loyalty.” Unlike traditional wizards, Ivy doesn’t consider the ability to summon a physical guardian spirit as proof of a person’s purity of heart.

He was very clear about his own nature.

Entrusting the Flamels' 'death countdown' to Dumbledore is, in effect, an exchange of trust. Ivy had heard somewhere that trust is not a one-sided act, but requires mutual maintenance.

Now that Dumbledore and Nicolas Lemaître have shown their trust, Ivy should reciprocate.

Entrusting the legacy of the world's greatest alchemist to Dumbledore for the time being was Ivy's way of maintaining this relationship of trust.

“Thank you for your trust, Ivy.” Dumbledore’s smile was genuine.

No matter how you look at it, the legacy of the legendary alchemist and the man who preserved the Philosopher's Stone for over six hundred years, Nicolas Flamel, would absolutely be an astronomical figure. Ivy handing the pocket watch to Dumbledore signifies both his willingness to trust Dumbledore and his intention to keep the Faithful Charm until the Flamels die.

Only now could Dumbledore be certain that Ivy was indeed an aid in his fight against Voldemort, and not another Dark Lord who would take his place in the future.

“I’m going to participate in OWLs next school year.” Now that the alchemist’s legacy is confirmed to be his, Ivy doesn’t need to continue studying at Hogwarts for another seven years. “If I don’t finish reading all the books in the Hogwarts library before graduation, I’ll buy a property in Hogsmeade and stay there until I’ve finished reading them all.”

Following the Hogwarts library was the alchemist's collection, and Ivy seemed to see these two treasure troves of knowledge beckoning to him.

“No need for that, Ivy.” Dumbledore put the pocket watch back into his pocket. “You can join the faculty after graduation. If you want, Hogwarts won’t have to worry about a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for at least the next fifty years.”

“You know that’s impossible, Dumbledore.” Ivy rolled her eyes. “Even if I were to return to Hogwarts to teach, I would only teach an elective course. Defense Against the Dark Arts has already taken up too much of my time.”

"Ivy isn't even in fifth grade yet?" Perena asked in surprise. "I thought you'd already graduated!"

"In fact, he should be in second year this year," Dumbledore said casually, leaning against the iron railing. "If it weren't for Nico's Philosopher's Stone, he wouldn't have grown up so fast."

"I had no idea the Philosopher's Stone could have this effect!" Nico looked Ivy up and down, then exclaimed, "Magic always surprises, doesn't it?"

“Otherwise, it wouldn’t be magic.” Ivy didn’t want to talk about this topic anymore; it was really too strange to discuss physical growth with three wizards whose average age was over four hundred.

“I think Minerva will help you qualify for the exams,” Dumbledore said. “But which courses do you plan to take?”

“Ancient times like Nirvana protected magical creatures and were also used for Muggle research.” Ivy had already thought it through.

Hogwarts offers a limited number of elective courses. Besides the three mentioned above, there are also Arithmetic and Divination, and Divination. These five courses are available for selection in the third year, and each student must choose at least two. Of course, choosing all five is also acceptable; the Ministry of Magic will provide a Time-Turner to help young wizards complete their studies.

The Time-Turner is a magical device that allows a person's past and future to coexist on a single timeline. But Ivy doesn't intend to touch it because even the Ministry of Magic doesn't understand how it works; everyone who tries to manipulate time ends up being manipulated by it.

In Ivy's view, the magic related to time in this world is too primitive and crude. A slight misstep could lead to unpredictable consequences. Most importantly, the Time-Turner cannot guarantee the user's survival, which is unacceptable to Ivy. The timeline in the Harry Potter world seems linear; altering the past can easily change the future, easily creating time paradoxes, and thus easily affecting the user.

The Ministry of Magic has established very complex rules to restrict adult wizards' use of the Time-Turner, but underage wizards still in school can use it for their studies with permission. According to the Ministry's estimates, the maximum duration of time travel is approximately five hours, provided it does not cause any potentially serious damage to the traveler or time itself.

However, considering Ivy's Grimoire of Destruction and the D&D spells he learned, time may not be linear outside of our current world; otherwise, the multiverse hypothesis would not hold true. Time travelers do not return to their past, nor do they change their future, but they could still unintentionally create terrible disasters.

Within the D&D magic system, there is also research into time magic. Perhaps it would be more efficient, and of course, safer, for him to come to the Ministry of Magic and acquire some time-tamperes after he has managed to thoroughly research and understand the time magic in D&D.

Returning to the elective courses at Hogwarts, in addition to the five regular ones, there is one less conventional one—alchemy.

Alchemy is only offered to upperclassmen who need it, mainly sixth and seventh year students. If the deans of the four houses provide career guidance and the jobs they choose require it, the deans will recommend these students to take the alchemy course.

This was of no use to Ivy. Though impolite, Ivy felt that Nicolas Flamel's legacy was far more reliable than that of Hogwarts's never-seen alchemy professor. After all, only Nicolas Flamel had created the Philosopher's Stone over the years.

Of the three courses Ivy chose, Muggle Studies was a standard easy course; he could easily get credits by just coasting through, and the exams wouldn't be too difficult. After all, many years ago, he was a Muggle who ate hotpot and sang songs, only to be transported to this magical world because of a computer explosion or some other reason.

The other two courses won't be too difficult either. Protecting magical creatures is a practical course, and Hogwarts now has a "Fantastic Beasts Base" with suitable teaching materials, making teaching much more efficient. Besides, Ivy has been running a small-scale breeding farm in the Room of Requirement for over a hundred years; dealing with teaching aids brought by the Ministry of Magic will be a piece of cake for him.

Therefore, the course on protecting magical creatures was not difficult for him at all.

As for ancient runes, this language is now dead, having long lost the opportunity to develop again. The ancient Germanic peoples used them for sacrificial rites, and they were spread to the British Isles by Viking adventurers. In ancient legend, the god Odin hanged himself from a tree for nine days and nine nights before he understood the secrets of runes.

They may have once possessed extraordinary magic, but in today's world where modern magic prevails, their primary use is deciphering ancient runes. How to use runes to create runestones, or even further, to unleash lost ancient magic, is not something young wizards in school should concern themselves with.

Wizards dedicated to studying ancient runes have been striving to recreate the legendary magical glory, but Ivy has yet to hear of anyone succeeding.

Therefore, when the Ministry of Magic examines this course, it usually only asks students to try translating some passages or to test their ability to recognize ancient runes. It's just rote memorization, which is certainly not difficult for Ivy, who can read a book in six seconds.

Ivy only joined OWLs to obtain a degree; he didn't need to consider making a living in the wizarding world. For a wizard who could reliably earn 10,000 gold by working 8 hours a day, the word "make a living" was simply an insult.

So when Ivy chose her courses, she did it all according to her own preferences—she picked whichever was easiest, skipped the required courses, and skipped the elective ones. It was that simple.

However, Ivy's choice still caused Dumbledore to misunderstand.

“Muggle studies is indeed a necessary course; figuring out their currency is troublesome enough.” Dumbledore’s words reminded Ivy of the time he gave him a 10-pound note from a hundred years ago, which led to a comical situation.

The Muggle world has a wide variety of paper money, and it is updated every ten or twenty years. Not to mention that there are more than two hundred countries and regions in the world, and the currencies they issue are countless.