Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 40 Returning the Property to its Rightful Owner

On July 31st, a small red bird knocked on Ike's window.

He opened the window, and the bird landed directly on Ike's head, as if it had made his hair its nest.

Ike, sporting a small bird on his head, arrived next door. Julianne was calculating Santa Maria's expenses for the entire month, and she didn't stop when she saw Ike; she was still working on the numbers.

"Little Ike, what's wrong? Not now, at least wait until I finish calculating these."

"Mrs. Julian, I just wanted to let you know that my headmaster might be coming over later."

Ike obediently pointed to Fox, who was preening the feathers on the top of his head: "This is the principal's pet."

"Principal? Little Ike, what trouble have you gotten into?" Julianne hurriedly put down her pen upon hearing this, looked up at the innocent-looking Ike, and said, "If you've gotten into trouble, you must tell me."

"No, Julianne, Mom." Ike shook his head, which annoyed Fox, who retaliated by pecking Ike's head. "There's something I need to return to the headmaster today."

"That's good. When will your principal arrive, and is there anything I can do for you?" Julianne asked.

"Perhaps we can move the things in front of the fireplace?" Ike thought for a moment. He wasn't sure how Dumbledore would get there, but if he used Floo Powder, it would be necessary to clean up the things in front of the fireplace a little.

Old Deng is quite old; it would be troublesome if he tripped over the many obstacles on the ground after coming out of the fireplace.

"It's simple, little Ike, you can just use magic to do it," Julianne said, picking up her pen again.

"I can't use magic outside of school, Julianne," Ike said helplessly. "I can do it myself, and I promise I won't bother you."

"Alright, little Ike, you do it yourself first, I'll finish this part and we'll do it together." Julianne smiled, gave Ike a "be good" look, and then started calculating the accounts again.

Seeing this, Ike began to carefully move the things in front of the fireplace. These things were a mixed bag and there were many of them: clothes sent by kind people, toys and books for the children, and some things that belonged to Julianne herself, such as St. Mary's account book and some photos and paintings.

Carefully moving them aside, it took Ike and Julianne, who had finished calculating the accounts, quite a while to move them all.

The two sat down, sipping tea and taking a short break. It was also Ike's own fault; according to the International Wizarding Secrecy Act, Ike couldn't reveal the existence of magic to Muggles other than his guardian. Otherwise, a few candies would have been enough to summon several little kids to help, and the two wouldn't have been so exhausted.

After resting for a while, the fireplace finally caught a green flame, and an old man with white hair and a white beard emerged from the flames.

Dumbledore glanced around the room, then nodded slightly and said, "Hello, Mrs. Julianne, I am Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello, Headmaster." Julianne quickly stood up, returned Dumbledore's greeting, and then tugged at Ike beside her.

Ike nodded slightly: "Good morning, Professor Dumbledore."

Good morning, Mr. Streid.

After exchanging greetings, Julianne gestured for Dumbledore to sit down and try her best lemon tea. Dumbledore picked up his cup, took a small sip, and exclaimed, "This is the best lemon tea I've ever had! Absolutely wonderful!"

Julianne was very happy. She loved being praised for two things: how great her children were and how delicious her lemon tea was.

Moreover, she is not stingy in sharing her secrets.

"Add another sugar cube; sweet things always make people happy." Julianne squinted, her smile growing even more benevolent.

"I see. Perhaps Hogwarts will have a new drink in the new school year." Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, revealing the same smile as Julianne, and even winked at Ike.

Ike rolled his eyes, only to be caught red-handed by Julianne. Julianne playfully smacked him, and Ike immediately feigned pain and fear.

This is an interaction that almost all the children of St. Mary's would have with Julianne, and Ike was one of the most frequent among them. It was Julianne's way of expressing love.

"You have raised Mr. Strand very well, Ms. Julianne," Dumbledore exclaimed. "In my more than half a century at Hogwarts, Mr. Strand is one of the young wizards who has impressed me the most."

"I also want to thank the professors at the school for their guidance," Julianne said politely.

Dumbledore took a sip of lemon tea, paused, and then smiled before saying, "I think Mr. Strand has mentioned to you that I've come today to retrieve something. I promised Mr. Strand that I could keep it until today."

"Then, Mr. Strayed, may I have the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Of course." Ike took the Philosopher's Stone out of his pocket and handed it to Dumbledore. "Thank you for letting me keep the Philosopher's Stone until today."

"I hope this has been helpful." Dumbledore put away the Philosopher's Stone, stood up, and gestured slightly to Julianne. "I think I must take my leave now. Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Julianne."

"Won't you stay for lunch, Headmaster?" Julianne asked.

"No, Ms. Julianne, the owner of the Philosopher's Stone is waiting for me, and I don't want to keep him waiting too long."

Ike watched Dumbledore slowly walk towards the fireplace, finally stopping in front of it. Turning to Ike, Dumbledore said, "By the way, Mr. Strayder, could you please look after Fawkes for me for a while? It's not a good idea to take him with me to where I'm going next."

"And it seems to like you."

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore." Ike nodded, reaching up to touch Fawkes' head, only to be bitten, a scene that made Julianne and Dumbledore burst out laughing.

"Professor Dumbledore," Ike called out to Dumbledore again, "has Nicolas Flamel really decided to destroy the Philosopher's Stone and give up immortality?"

"That's the case as far as I know," Dumbledore nodded. "However, since the fourteenth century, Nicolas has frequently announced the destruction of the Philosopher's Stone; who knows if this time it's for real?"

A flash of light, and Dumbledore disappeared from the room.

"Little Ike, you just mentioned Nicolas Flamel? The famous alchemist?" Julianne asked, sounding quite surprised.

Yes, it's him.

"So what you just handed to the headmaster was the legendary Philosopher's Stone?"

"That's right." Ike nodded.

"My God! Unbelievable! The Philosopher's Stone is actually real!"

"It's true, but it's not as magical as we imagine," Ike replied. "Magic comes at a price, and the price of immortality is probably beyond our imagination."

Seeing Julian's regretful expression, Ike hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mother Julian, if you'd like, I'll try to find a way..."

"Little Ike..." Julianne interrupted Ike, revealing her familiar, kind smile, "I've lived through a brutal world war, had a happy family, and experienced a lot, both good and bad..."

"Now that you've shown me the existence of another world, I'm already very satisfied..."

"So, there's no need for you to take risks for me, little Ike."

Julianne's face no longer held regret or longing, only serenity and kindness. Ike remained silent for a long time before nodding slightly.

"I understand, Julianne's mother..."

Second update, more to come.

Continuing to shamelessly beg for all kinds of votes

(End of this chapter)