Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 737: Phoenix Potion

Devon.

When the Thestral carriage finally came to a stop, Kanna was so stunned that she stared at the manor before her, momentarily wondering if she had arrived at another Hogwarts.

After all, who else would have two towering dragons—each dozens of feet tall—standing at the gate? Even Hogwarts only had a winged boar.

Kyle understood Kanna’s reaction perfectly. He had felt the same way when he first arrived. But by now, he had gotten used to it.

“Please stick close to Tata… Mr. Buzz has been a bit grumpy lately,” said Tata, the House-elf responsible for guiding them.

“Mr. Buzz?” Kanna echoed, puzzled.

Wasn’t this Nicolas Flamel’s manor? Who was this “Mr. Buzz” that suddenly seemed to be another guest here? The name itself sounded rather odd.

“Oh, that’s him. You must be very careful…” Tata pointed toward the garden.

Kanna looked over curiously, but she saw no one there. In fact, aside from the three of them, the enormous estate seemed empty.

“He’s Mr. Buzz,” Tata said again, this time pointing at the lawn.

Kanna followed his finger carefully, and only then did she notice what he was pointing at—a lawn mower in the middle of the grass, acting like a playful Crup, making a loud buzzing sound every time it moved on its own.

In addition to that, watering cans floated about, dutifully hydrating the flower beds. A pair of gloves picked up fallen leaves as if guided by invisible hands. A long-handled brush twisted itself into an astonishing arc and trotted over to the carriage, eager to help clean the interior.

“This is incredible,” Kanna whispered in awe.

Although Kyle had described this place on the way here, witnessing it firsthand was something else entirely.

Her curiosity about Nicolas Flamel only grew.

The group stepped inside the manor.

“Oh, you’ve finally arrived,” Nicolas called lazily.

He was reclining on a folding chair, wearing his usual eye-catching, oversized floral shirt. He waved at them with a smile.

“Hurry up and take off those heavy cloaks of yours. Don’t you feel hot?”

At his words, Kyle realized he did feel a bit warm.

He glanced up at the ceiling, surprised to find it clear and blue, in stark contrast to the gloomy sky outside. A gentle, salty breeze drifted through the space.

“Where are we?” Kyle asked, frowning slightly.

“Hawaii,” Nicolas replied easily. “As you can see, English weather isn’t exactly kind to someone my age.”

He knocked lightly on the table beside him, and in an instant, a coconut tree sprouted from the floor. Its wide leaves unfurled just above his head, providing the perfect amount of shade.

Kanna blinked, looking back and forth between the ceiling and Nicolas, thoroughly confused.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“The ceiling,” Kyle explained, pointing upward. “You know how the Great Hall at Hogwarts reflects the actual weather outside? This one’s even better—it can display any place.”

He pulled out his wand and tapped Kanna’s thick winter robes. Instantly, they transformed into a light, summery outfit.

Kanna was still slightly dazed, trying to process everything, when they stepped closer to Nicolas. Suddenly, her gaze landed on him properly for the first time, and she froze in place.

“You’re… the old wizard from Beauxbatons!”

“That’s right, it’s me,” Nicolas said with a chuckle. “What a coincidence, we meet again.”

“Thank you, sir,” Kanna said quickly, a note of excitement in her voice. “I’ve been meaning to thank you, but you disappeared so fast back then.”

She turned to Kyle and shook his arm. “He’s the one who brought me back to Hogwarts before!”

“That wasn’t hard to guess,” Kyle said, smirking. “There are plenty of older wizards, but it’s not common to find one who breaks a bone with the slightest touch.”

“Kyle, that’s a bit hurtful,” Nicolas said disapprovingly. “It’s obvious you lot just don’t know your own strength.”

Kyle shrugged. “If you say so, then fine.”

Kanna, however, suddenly realized something.

“Wait…” She turned sharply toward Kyle. “You knew the person who helped me was Nicolas Flamel this whole time, and you never told me?”

Kyle’s gaze shifted slightly, avoiding hers.

Just as he was thinking of a way to explain himself, Nicolas stepped in at just the right moment.

“Just call me Nicolas,” he said lightly. “No need to be so formal. I remember when we met, you mentioned that you had just taken the exam for the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers, right?”

“Yes, sir… I mean, Nicolas,” Kanna corrected herself, though she still seemed a little uncomfortable addressing him so casually.

“In that case…” Nicolas turned his head slightly. “Tata.”

The House-elf immediately scurried over.

“Take Kanna to my library,” Nicolas said, glancing at her. “I remember that Zygmunt Budge once gave me a copy of his own book on potions. You should be very interested.”

“Zygmunt Budge?” Kanna’s voice rose in excitement. “You mean the master potion-maker who invented Felix Felicis?”

“He invented many different potions, but people only seem to remember Liquid Luck,” Nicolas said with a chuckle. “I believe he left a manuscript with me as well, though it’s been so long I’ve forgotten exactly where I put it. You can ask Tata to help you find it.”

The mention of a manuscript related to Felix Felicis made Kanna forget all about Kyle’s earlier deception. Without hesitation, she followed Tata toward the manor’s private library, eager to see it for herself.

“Thanks,” Kyle muttered with a relieved sigh.

“It was nothing,” Nicolas replied, smiling knowingly.

Kyle walked over and took a seat beside him. “Nicolas, do you really have Zygmunt Budge’s manuscript?” he asked curiously.

“Of course. I even helped him with the research for Liquid Luck,” Nicolas said. “I suggested adding the blood of a three-month-old unicorn, which happened to solve the problem of the potion not cooling properly.”

Kyle clicked his tongue. It had just occurred to him that Nicolas was the one who had brewed the ancient potion used to soak the Horcrux. Of course, that meant he had to be an expert in potions as well.

Thinking about it, for a wizard who had lived over six hundred years, there was hardly anything he wouldn’t know.

It was just that Nicolas’s achievements in alchemy were so monumental that people tended to overlook his other skills.

Kyle leaned back in his chair, following Nicolas’s example. To be fair, the old man did know how to enjoy life. The warmth surrounding them was undeniably comfortable.

“Oh, yes, there’s one more thing,” Nicolas said, stretching leisurely in his chair. “The Horcruxes you sent me have all been dealt with. You can take them back whenever you like.”

“You’ve finished your research?” Kyle asked, unsurprised.

He had already suspected as much when he last spoke with Dumbledore. In fact, Nicolas had probably invited him over precisely because of the Horcruxes.

“Why do you say that?” Nicolas raised an eyebrow.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Kyle turned his head to look at him. “If it were just about destroying a few Horcruxes, would it really take this long?”

Kyle had sent Nicolas a total of three Horcruxes. Aside from the Diadem, which had been handled first, the remaining two—the golden cup and the locket—had been here for nearly two years.

With Nicolas Flamel’s abilities, did it really take that long to remove the soul fragments from them? Definitely not.

“I was curious about them,” Nicolas admitted, sighing. “Or rather, any true alchemist wouldn’t be able to resist studying them.”

Kyle wasn’t surprised by that either.

“The wisdom of The Founders is truly beyond compare…” Nicolas murmured before standing up. “Come with me.”

He took small, unhurried steps toward a nearby door and pushed it open.

Inside was a massive laboratory, almost as large as the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Strange, alchemical instruments of every shape and size filled the space. At the center of the room stood a massive crystal ball, nearly five feet high, resting on a table.

Kyle immediately spotted the golden cup and the locket resting on a shelf against the wall.

“Wait a moment,” Nicolas said, placing his hand on what appeared to be an ornamental pillar by the door.

With a gentle turn of the pillar, the entire room began to shift.

The shelves that had been facing away from them rotated smoothly until they were positioned right beside them.

Kyle’s gaze landed on the two items. Like the Diadem, they had finally returned to their original state now that they were no longer Horcruxes.

The golden cup, which had once looked dull and lifeless, as if covered in dust that could never be wiped away, now gleamed brilliantly, even in the dim lighting of the room. It sparkled in a way that demanded attention—no longer something that could be overlooked, even in a cluttered thrift shop.

The locket had undergone a similar transformation. The tiny serpent embedded in its surface, made of gleaming gemstones, no longer appeared monotonous in color. Instead, it shimmered in varying shades of light and shadow, almost as if it were alive.

“I tried to replicate these two objects, but I failed,” Nicolas admitted. “I have to concede—The Founders are truly beyond reach.”

“Even the golden cup?” Kyle was momentarily stunned. “Didn’t you say it just had a charm to magically produce wine? That doesn’t sound that complicated.”

He had made a quill before that could automatically refill itself with ink. It was certainly much simpler than the golden goblet, but the basic principle was the same, right?

If he could do it, then Nicolas Flamel should be able to as well.

“No,” Nicolas shook his head. “I can make a wine glass with similar properties, but I can’t guarantee that its enchantments would remain intact after being tainted by a Horcrux.”

Kyle understood immediately. A Horcrux altered the fundamental nature of an object.

In other words, Voldemort had high standards when choosing his Horcruxes. If he had selected something like a Self-Writing Quill, its magic would have been completely erased along with the destruction of the soul fragment, leaving behind nothing more than an ordinary quill.

Then again, if the Horcrux had been a Self-Writing Quill, the entire process of destroying it would have been a lot easier. No need for extensive research—just a simple spell or fire would have done the trick.

“Of course,” Nicolas continued. “It’s not impossible if you spend a little more time on it, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I just did it, and even if I had copied it, it wouldn’t mean anything.”

He waved his hand, and the gold cup and locket immediately floated into Kyle’s hands.

“Now, back to their owner.”

“Thank you.” Kyle looked at the items in his hands, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Nicolas, do you think they will also carry the memories of Slytherin and Hufflepuff, just like the Diadem?”

“I’ve thought about that too, but I don’t think so.” Nicolas shook his head. “The Diadem can carry part of Rowena Ravenclaw’s memories, and apart from its own special properties, it must also be assisted by special magic. That magic is extremely complex, and it’s likely only Rowena herself knew how to cast it.”

“As for their functions…” Nicolas continued, “I should have told you before that the locket can store extra magical energy… and the gold cup can continuously conjure wine. The facts are just as I said.”

“Of course, those are only their primary functions. As for any other abilities, you’ll have to discover them yourself.”

“I must say, this has been a very interesting process, and if I were to tell you everything, you’d miss out on a lot of the fun.”

Kyle shrugged noncommittally.

While that might be true, it depended on having enough time. And then there was the issue of a certain headmaster.

As Nicolas had just mentioned, no alchemist could resist their temptation. And Dumbledore happened to be an alchemist—one who was also the headmaster of Hogwarts. He had every reason to take possession of these artifacts.

Previously, he might have been too reserved to do so, or perhaps it wouldn’t have been appropriate to blatantly take them. But now… To be honest, Kyle wasn’t sure if Dumbledore would even attempt to maintain the dignity of a headmaster in front of him.

Afterward, Nicolas showed Kyle around his laboratory, and Kyle took the opportunity to ask about some of the difficulties he had encountered in alchemy.

By the time the two left the room, night had already fallen.

Tata had prepared a lavish dinner for their rare guest, and Kanna was sitting at the table, engrossed in a thick book, with a stack of yellowed parchments beside her.

Next to Kanna sat Nicolas’s wife, Perenelle, a witch in her late sixties.

“My dear, you can put it aside,” Perenelle said gently. “They’re yours now—a Christmas present from us. You can read them whenever you like.”

“Sorry,” Kanna murmured, a little embarrassed. “I got carried away.”

“That’s understandable,” Perenelle replied with a warm smile. “I’ve heard Nicolas say that Kyle was just like that when he was little—sitting in the library for days on end. You two really do suit each other.”

Kanna was completely taken aback by her words, and her face flushed.

Just then, Kyle and Nicolas walked over.

“Perenelle…” Nicolas glanced at the two at the table and asked, “I thought you were going to stay in Paris for Christmas?”

“I just went to get some hydrangea seeds and came back when I found them,” Perenelle said.

“There are already nearly two thousand hydrangeas at home. She’s been obsessed with them lately,” Nicolas whispered to Kyle.

Then he walked over to the table and sat down. “What were you two talking about just now?”

Perenelle looked at Kanna, then at Kyle, her smile widening.

“Christmas presents,” Kanna blurted out.

“Well, that’s right,” Perenelle said smoothly. “Nicolas, I was thinking of giving Kanna this book and the parchments as a Christmas present. What do you think?”

“Of course, that’s fine with me. I was thinking the same thing. They’re not really of much use to me anymore,” Nicolas said.

“Thank you, thank you…” Kanna quickly took out a small bottle and placed it on the table when she noticed the two of them looking at her again. “This is a present I brought.”

“Oh?” Nicolas raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. It had been a long time since he had received a gift—mainly because owls couldn’t find this place.

He hadn’t thought much of it at first, but when he saw the bottle, he suddenly froze.

“Are you sure you want to give this to me?” Nicolas asked meaningfully.

“Yes,” Kanna nodded.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Phoenix Potion,” Kanna said.

“Yes, that’s what some people call it,” Nicolas nodded. “But what if I told you that this little bottle of potion could save a wizard’s life once?”

Save a life?

Kyle and Kanna both looked up at the same time.

“‘Resurrection’ may not be entirely accurate,” Nicolas clarified. “Strictly speaking, it cancels out a Killing Curse once. This kind of potion was originally intended to counteract Killing Curses, but the process is extraordinarily complex. It must be brewed using the ashes left behind after a phoenix undergoes a natural nirvana, which makes it nearly impossible to obtain. The last time I saw one was probably three hundred years ago.”

“And this potion is also extremely useful in alchemy. Runes written with it are nearly immune to external interference.”

Kyle couldn’t help but glance at the small bottle again.

He had previously assumed it contained something similar to Felix Felicis, but now he realized just how wrong he had been.

It could counteract a Killing Curse—that was as good as resurrection. In other words, as long as someone drank it, they could survive the otherwise unavoidable.

So, no one would have to die.

“So…” Nicolas looked at Kanna again. “Are you really going to give me this precious potion?”

To be honest, Kyle felt a little torn, but Kanna didn’t hesitate.

“Yes!”

“Good, I’ll accept it.” Nicolas picked up the bottle and asked, “Oh? Can you tell me who made this potion?”

“Snape… Severus Snape,” Kanna said.