Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 144 Flamel's Upgrade

In order not to disturb Grandpa Bates' sweet dream, Loren finished dinner and returned to his room to think about how to obtain the unicorn horn.

Unicorn horns are available for long-term sale at the herbal medicine shop in Diagon Alley. They cost 21 Galleons each and are in ample supply.

However, if Loren buys it, Snape will definitely punish him by making him copy the Potions textbook, because it's about unicorn horns, not unicorn horns.

In his first-year Potions class, they used a "unicorn horn" to make a very ordinary antidote. It was then that he learned that the unicorn horns sold on the market were not real unicorn horns.

As a unique and magical creature, the unicorn possesses extraordinary magic—pure power, vibrant life force, and a vexing curse. Its blood, hair, and horn all have remarkable properties.

Blood contains a powerful life force, capable of sustaining the life of a dying person. Voldemort hunted unicorns specifically for their blood.

Hair was primarily used for wand cores. Ollivander believed that wands made from unicorn hair were more faithful, better reflected the nature of magic, and had the strongest resistance to dark magic.

One theory suggests that unicorn hair also possesses a certain life force, and when it loses its activity as a wand core, the wand is prone to backfire and other unexpected situations.

Unicorn horns possess extremely pure magic, capable of suppressing various forms of dark magic and having a restraining effect on many creatures such as groundbats and Dementors. Detoxification is merely its most inconspicuous function.

The new Fantastic Beasts Protection Act prohibits any act that harms unicorns. Out of respect for the unicorn curse and the Ministry of Magic, virtually no one dares to provoke this creature, which is even more dangerous than a werewolf.

Unicorns value their horns immensely, and they would never trade the corpses of their own kind with wizards. Theoretically, aside from some unicorn hair that might end up on the market, both blood and horns should be considered prohibited items.

Interestingly, of the three materials, only unicorn blood is a prohibited item. The Ministry of Magic banned its sale to prevent the spread of the curse and to protect unicorns.

In the pharmacy, a bag of unicorn hair is priced at 7 Gallons, and a single unicorn horn is priced at 21 Gallons.

Hair is insignificant and can be supplied continuously. But horns are different; each unicorn has only one horn. If a unicorn horn selling for 21 gallons on the market is real, then unicorns are extinct.

In fact, the unicorn horn of 21 Galleons is the horn of a bison, but under certain unspoken rules, it is called the horn of a unicorn beast and is only used as a basic antidote, similar to dung stones.

"If we can't get through Hagrid, what about the black market..." Loren raised his right hand, spreading his five pale fingers to let the light from the roof shine through between them.

After much deliberation, he ultimately abandoned the idea due to the excessive risks. Furthermore, the Ministry of Magic was conducting a major crackdown on contraband; no one would want to do this business under the threat of gunfire.

Loren squinted, the white light stretching into blurry beams, and whispered, repeating Dumbledore's parting words: "Live long enough, and you'll naturally learn some secrets..."

Who can outlive Nico?

He turned off the light and entered the world of the fantasy book.

The neat and bright library was deserted. Loren looked around and called out, "Flamemer!"

The sound of footsteps "clack-clack" came from behind him. Loren turned around and saw Flamel wearing hard-soled leather shoes, making crisp footsteps on the floor.

"You... leveled up?" Loren looked puzzled.

Flamel previously exhibited clear characteristics of a magical creation. Although his upper body was solid and realistically colored, his lower body gradually became distorted, becoming increasingly blurry towards the bottom, and almost transparent near his shoes.

Flamel has always moved by floating, like a ghost.

Now, Flamel, dressed in a neat suit, moves like an elegant gentleman. If this were in the Middle Ages, people would immediately recognize him as a nobleman.

Loren was used to his whirlwind, flying around everywhere, so seeing him walking so seriously now felt a little strange.

Flamel smiled. "The ultimate pursuit of potions is the elixir of immortality, the elixir of resurrection. Do you know what the ultimate pursuit of alchemy is?"

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Loren shook his head, indicating that he didn't know the answer.

Flamel looked down at his solid legs and said softly, "Before Nikolai, alchemy was chaotic, a remnant of ancient magic, with scattered knowledge lying in piles of waste paper all over the world. Those who had a glimpse of the knowledge could simply follow the instructions in the books to create rigid items."

Magical artifacts permeate every corner of the wizarding world, but no one can create the immortal Deathly Hallows or the mysterious Mirror of Erised anymore... Alchemy continues to decline, and even magic schools like Hogwarts can no longer produce things like the Sorting Hat or Ravenclaw's tiara.

It doesn't even qualify as a discipline, not even as advanced as divination.

Flamel looked up and quietly gazed at Loren: "Until Nicolas Flamel appeared, he traveled the world, consulted the Emerald Book, and integrated ancient languages ​​and runes, stopping the continuous decline of alchemy."

There wasn't much sadness in his voice, but there was a hint of wistfulness: "People only remember him for crafting Philosopher's Stones, for achieving immortality, and for turning stones into gold, but what he was most proud of was alchemy."

He sighed, "Six hundred years..."

Upon learning of Nico's death, Loren felt a strange unease.

He had only met Nicole twice, once at a small bookstall and once in Devon. Both meetings were brief, and there was no deep affection between them, but he still felt a pang of regret.

He comforted her, saying, "Don't dwell too much on your grief."

To his surprise, Flamel stared at him and said, "Sadness? I don't feel sad."

"what?"

Flamel countered, "He lived for over six hundred years, traveled the world, and enjoyed all the good things in life. He had lived enough. Death was a decision he had already made, so why be sad?"

Loren: ...

He paused for a moment, deciding not to bring up Nico again: "What was the ultimate pursuit of alchemy that you just mentioned?"

"When Nico was three hundred years old, his pursuit was to create truly intelligent life through alchemy, and I am a product of that time." Flamel spread his hands, showing himself to Loren.

"Because biotransformation is taboo, Nico started with the soul. Unlike those magical images, Nico wanted to create a magical life form that was intelligent, capable of independent thought, and even possessed creativity."

"But it never worked. Something was missing, something—" Flamel frowned, thinking about how to describe what was missing in more precise terms.

"A mysterious substance, you can think of it as the life force of the soul. Nico observed it in ghosts, but not in magical paintings."

"Unable to refine this mysterious substance, the experiment could not continue. Even I was only a semi-finished product before. After Nico died, he transferred a portion of the mysterious substance to me through our unique connection, which caused a certain change in me."

After listening quietly, Loren looked at Flamel's body. Apart from the change in appearance, he didn't think there was any difference from before.

After all, Flamel in the past was also very vibrant, loved opera, was thoughtful, and was willing to change his views.

Loren suddenly had a strange thought: "If I were to forge a Philosopher's Stone in the future, and use it to create a soulless body, and then put you inside, wouldn't you become a complete person?"

Flamel stood there stunned, and after thinking for a while, he said, "Nico has no relevant experience in his memory, so I can't deduce the answer."

"We'll give it a try!" Loren waved his arms excitedly. "The ultimate pursuit of alchemy may be realized in my hands!"

Flamel glanced at Loren, who hesitated, unsure whether he should speak.

Finally, he spoke up: "That was just something Nico pursued when he was three hundred years old; he gave up on it in less than sixty years."

Loren's eyebrows furrowed slowly. After all, this was the ultimate pursuit of alchemy; wasn't Nico being too hasty?

"So what is his next pursuit?" Loren finally asked.

"To refine the sun and to create the world," Flamel replied.

It sounded like a dream. Loren remained expressionless, pretending not to hear the words: "I came to you for a unicorn horn. Do you have any connections to buy a real unicorn horn?"

As he spoke, he strolled over to the table and sat down.

"no."

Flamel, sitting opposite Loren, readily replied, "A legitimate unicorn horn doesn't exist, and you can't get an illegitimate one. That's why I'm telling you to find a unicorn horn first; that's the hardest step in repairing the magic mirror."

Loren was somewhat prepared and not disappointed by the question: "Dumbledore said there might be clues in Windsor Castle, a Muggle castle. Do you know what connection Windsor Castle has with unicorns?"

"Windsor Castle is a royal residence. The Queen once received a unicorn horn from a merchant, but it was later discovered to be a spiral horn from a narwhal. She was deceived."

Flammel speculated, "I think the unicorn horn they got might be real, and they're using fake news to cover up the truth."

Loren asked, puzzled, "How could a Muggle possibly hunt a unicorn?"

"Never underestimate the power of Muggles," Flamel said, echoing Dumbledore's sentiments.

He began to recount the history: "The law of secrecy was meant to protect wizards, not Muggles. Hundreds of years ago, there were professional unicorn hunters in Northern Europe."

The hunter would have the innocent maiden wait under the tree. When the unicorn, drawn by the maiden, would rest its head on her lap and fall asleep, the hunter would seize the opportunity to cut off its head, or kill it with a crossbow bolt, a trap, or poison. Even if such an opportunity only came once every ten years, it was always possible.

Loren couldn't understand it. Unicorns were even stronger than werewolves, so if Muggle hunters hunted unicorns, more Muggles would surely die.

What use is a unicorn horn to an ordinary person?

Flamel chuckled softly, "Don't forget, the royal coat of arms features a unicorn, representing Scotland, so its symbolic meaning is equally important."

Loren then began discussing with Flamel how to steal the unicorn horn from the heavily guarded Windsor Castle.

Flamel, with his centuries-old memories of Nico, was experienced and suggested that the Freezing Charm could stop the Muggle alarms, while the Disillusionment Charm swept past their sight.

"It would be safer to make your move after you've mastered Apparition," Flamel advised.

……

"Loren, get up!"

"Breakfast is ready!" Grandpa Bates' cheerful voice came from downstairs.

"Hmm~"

Loren's reply was drawn out with a nasal tone. He turned over and moved around, his breathing became even again, and he fell asleep again.

"Loren! Breakfast is ready!" Grandpa Bates's deep and powerful voice echoed through the stairs and still lingered in Loren's ears.

Loren gripped the blanket with both hands and pulled it over his head, burying himself completely under it.

Boom!

dong dong!

The knocking was followed by Grandpa Bates' cheerful voice: "Get up quickly, no sleeping in! Hermione will be here to wait for you soon."

A hand reached out from under the covers on the bed, picked up the alarm clock from the bedside table, and held it to the gap in the covers.

Loren struggled to make out the clock; the hour and minute hands were aligned, around 6:35.

"I can't take this anymore." A muffled, painful groan escaped from under the covers.

He was so excited planning the theft last night that he didn't know how late he slept, but he definitely hasn't had enough sleep yet.

A few minutes later, Loren, his expression numb, dragged his stiff body downstairs to wash up. Only when the warm milk entered his mouth did his mind slowly start working again.

Place fried luncheon meat and bacon on a slice of bread, fold it in half, and take a bite. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins bring a blissful sense of satisfaction, injecting energy and vitality into a stiff body.

"He's alive!" Loren exclaimed.

Bates had a smile on his face. He had finished eating, but watching Loren eat made him feel happy and content as well.

"Is the headmaster of the magic school very busy? He left in such a hurry that I didn't even have a chance to thank him." Bates woke up on the sofa in the morning and it took him a while to figure out what happened last night.

"I've probably been quite busy lately," Loren replied. "I'll thank Headmaster Dumbledore on your behalf."

He finished one slice of bread and started rolling up the second, asking as he did so, "How do you feel after the ritual?"

"Relaxed, enjoyable, I feel ten years younger," Bates replied with a strong voice.

Loren laughed and said, "Magic isn't that amazing. It's just your imagination."

"The burden I've carried for decades has finally been cast aside."

Bates's words were more of a sigh of joy than anything else. He didn't want to dwell on the heavy past. He glanced at the watch on the table and said, "You take good care of Hermione at home. I need to go to the bank to take care of some business."

"Is the paperwork for this house really that complicated? I have to go through all this paperwork every day," Loren complained.

"It's not just this house."

Bates thought for a moment and decided he could tell Loren, "The company that leased the farm had a long-term agreement with me. I sold the proceeds to the bank and got a large sum of money directly. I still have a lot left after buying this house. I went to the bank to handle the fund procedures."

Can an elderly person who has lived alone in a remote area for decades and been isolated from the world be able to work in finance as soon as they enter society?

Loren froze, forgetting to chew the luncheon meat in his mouth.

(End of this chapter)