The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 288 Visiting Nicolas Flamel

The Daily Prophet's layout sparked widespread discussion throughout the British Isles.

While many people laughed it off, a number of people chose to take it seriously, mostly mindless, low-level wizards who believed in Rita.

Unlike newspapers, which are widely disseminated media, another article in a magical academic journal truly caused a stir, though it was confined to the academic community.

An article written by Newt Scamander himself—"The Phoenix Should Not Be Classified as a Magical Creature"

Once published, the article was reprinted by numerous academic journals, including *Today's Metamorphosis*, *Studies on the Development of Modern Wizardry*, and *Potion Guide*.

This is actually normal. As the most magical creature, the existence of the phoenix has always been a mystery.

No one knows how they reproduce, no one knows where they come from, and even if someone is lucky enough to see a phoenix in the wild, it is only a fleeting glimpse.

Even so, the wizards did not give up their research on the phoenix, whether it was the magic of rebirth, the tears that heal wounds, or the alchemical uses of the phoenix's tail feathers... all of it was too valuable.

This is why Newt's articles are widely reprinted around the world.

Although academic journals have a smaller readership, their quality far surpasses that of The Daily Prophet.

Newt and Rita successfully put Ino in the spotlight.

……

As the person involved, Ino did not pay much attention to the outside disturbances.

At this moment, he is carrying a suitcase and strolling along the famous Champs-Élysées.

With the rise of French capitalism in the 19th century, the Champs-Élysées became a famous shopping destination.

But his purpose in coming here was not to shop or stroll around, but to visit a true legend.

Who would have thought that the legendary alchemist Nicolas Flamel, who lived for nearly seven hundred years, would live in seclusion on the bustling Champs-Élysées?

When Fox delivered the note with the address on it, Ino's first reaction was that it was unreal, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

After all, this street was built in 1771 and renamed the Champs-Élysées in 1789. Perhaps when Nicolas settled here, it was still a desolate place.

After finding a Chanel flagship store, Ino took out the note from her pocket.

Upon seeing the address recorded above, the bustling commercial street ahead seemed to be erased by a mysterious force, and a vast courtyard appeared out of thin air in front of him.

On the main gate of the courtyard, there are strangely carved pairs of eyes, which seem to be alive and are staring intently ahead.

This scene was truly terrifying, but Ino nonchalantly raised the note in her hand.

Like a Muggle access control system, the eyes closed in unison upon seeing the note, and then the courtyard gate opened automatically.

Seeing this, Ino did not rush in, but stopped at the lintel and carefully looked at the closed eyes.

For a fleeting moment, he sensed a spark of vitality in those sculpted eyes.

This is amazing, because no matter how realistic the transformation or how superb the alchemy, the resulting objects are essentially lifeless.

Magic cannot bring the dead back to life, nor can it create life.

But the fleeting energy he had just experienced made him doubt the so-called rules of magic.

Ino knew very well that her intuition was correct, and there were only two possibilities: either the so-called rules of magic were not rules at all, or Nicole possessed a more sophisticated method of alchemy.

"This is interesting..."

Ino sighed inwardly, then stepped into the courtyard.

……

As you step over the lintel, another magical scene unfolds.

What used to look like a courtyard has now been transformed into a modern room, complete with air conditioning, fans, a television, and chandeliers.

But before he could look closely, an old voice came from the room.

"Welcome! Junior alchemist."

Hearing the sound, Ino turned his head and saw the legendary alchemist in the corner of the room.

To his surprise, it wasn't the extremely frail old man he had imagined, but whose eyes shone like stars.

The impression Nicolas Flamel gave him could be summed up in one word—ordinary.

His gray hair, paired with a loose-fitting robe, and although his face was so pale that it was almost bloodless, everything still looked relatively normal.

He looks exactly like an elderly person who hasn't been exposed to the sun for a long time and has been idle at home since retirement.

Although she felt it was ordinary, Ino showed no disdain whatsoever, bowing slightly as she politely greeted them:

Good day, Mr. Lemaître!

"Don't be shy, please have a seat!" Nicolas Flamel smiled and nodded, then pointed to the unused sofa next to him.

Several months ago, he received a letter from Dumbledore and learned a lot about the boy in front of him.

I had assumed that such a talented young wizard would be extremely arrogant.

But after actually meeting him, Nicolas Flamel discovered that everything was different from what he had imagined.

His previous behavior outside the door, as well as his current composure, had earned him a slight liking.

At the same time.

After Ino sat down, a lot of noisy noise came from afar.

Looking to the side, I discovered they were all tiny figures, each about three inches tall, and there seemed to be more than a dozen of them. They were chanting in unison, carrying teacups much larger than themselves as they laboriously made their way towards me.

This scene immediately piqued Ino's interest, as it reminded him of Tom and Jerry in the valley.

The transformation of the ice sculpture and the alchemical figurines in front of us are both products of transformation magic. The difference is that these little guys look very lively and seem to be quite intelligent.

The reason for this assessment is that after a brief delay, they had successfully climbed onto the coffee table.

Then, like building ladders together, they formed a two-foot-tall "giant," and the previously enormous teacup and teapot were now easily lifted by the giant.

However, the good times did not last long.

The small doll, which seemed to be acting as an "arm," apparently slipped and lost its grip on the teapot, causing the scalding hot water to flow down the coffee table and onto the "giant's" feet.

"Ouch! Pull me up quickly, it's burning me!" the little doll cried out for help.

Seeing this, even though she knew it was fake, Ino still pointed her finger at the coffee table, and the boiling water visibly froze into frost.

"Phew! I'm saved!" exclaimed the little doll, still shaken by the scalding hot water.

……

A few minutes later.

"They're very interesting!" Ino looked up at Nicolas Flamel.

During his brief observation, he discovered the special features of these little puppets; unlike Wizard's Chess, they did not have pre-programmed actions and dialogues.

This is a true form of "living," similar to artificial intelligence in Muggle theory; they can think and even possess the concept of "I."

This discovery reminded Ino of the fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen.

Unlike the Brothers Grimm's fantastical and adventurous stories, Andersen's tales are more gentle and dreamlike.

If we really had to give an example, the Brothers Grimm would be like adventurers, while Hans Christian Andersen would be more like a bard.

Because Andersen's stories include tales such as "The Old Streetlight," "Thumbelina," "The Teapot," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Princess and the Pea"...

It seems that the story of personifying objects has been a long-standing favorite in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales.

Sorry everyone, I only wrote two chapters today, mainly the Nicole part, which I thought about for a long time... Sorry, sorry, sorry

(End of this chapter)