Disclaimer: HP belongs to JKR/OCs belong to me
Chapter 14: The Philisopher's Stone
12th June 1992
Jamie had just sat down to eat dinner when Professor McGonagall stood up and lightly banged on the table to get everyone's attention. "Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."
"Thank you, Professor. I'm going to be out of the school over the weekend on Ministry business. Professor McGonagall will be taking over my position while I'm gone. If you have any problems, please speak to her." Albus then sat down and started to tuck into his dinner.
Ron looked at Jamie and Seamus in horror. Seamus looked nervous and Jamie excited after hearing the Headmaster's speech.
"Ron, this is it, the chance Quirrell's been waiting for. Tomorrow night we're going to hide on the third floor and watch for Quirrell," Jamie whispered excitedly.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Seamus asked. "Perhaps we should tell Professor McGonagall what we think is going on."
"No way," scoffed Ron. "She'd probably dock points and then give us a detention for spying on a teacher."
"Ron's right. It's up to us," Jamie stated.
Seamus smiled weakly and fell silent.
Early Sunday morning
Neville had woken up at three a.m. and had been unable to fall back to sleep. Two hours later he had given up trying and headed downstairs to sit in the common room in front of the fire. Even though it was summer, the common room tended to be a little chilly and there was usually a fire burning. He had just curled up in his preferred spot, a high backed wing chair, when he heard the portrait opening and the Golden Trio walked in.
"Well, that was a waste of time." Ron yawned loudly.
"Perhaps Quirrell will show up tomorrow. We can't just give in," Jamie insisted.
"I dunno. I'm not sure I want to spend another night on the third floor," Seamus moaned. "I'm tired and we have classes on Monday.
"It's the last week of school. We've already done our exams. Look, we can't let Quirrell get the stone for You-Know-Who." Jamie was adamant. "Let's get some sleep. We're going back tonight."
Seamus grumbled a little as the three boys headed for bed.
Now wide awake, Neville sat up in the chair. He decided to wait for the three boys to fall asleep before going back upstairs to get dressed, waking up Dean to meet him in the library, and then heading out of Gryffindor, intending to wait for Harry to get up.
In the Library
"…and so what do you think they're up to?" Neville finished. He was currently huddled in a corner of the Library, telling his closest friends about the early morning discussion he had overheard.
"Do you think we should follow them?" Dudley asked, having no idea what the Golden Trio were up to.
Harry thought about it. "I think we should. I'd be interested to know what they're doing, and if necessary we can go for a teacher."
Neville butted in then. "We can't tell Hermione. It might be dangerous."
"What might be dangerous and why can't you tell me?" Hermione suddenly appeared in front of the boys. Engrossed in their conversation, the boys had failed to notice her making her way towards them.
"Hermione, before we tell you, you've got to promise not to tell your father," Harry insisted.
"But, Harry…" Hermione started to say.
Harry was resolute. "Hermione, if you want to know what's going on, you'll make the promise."
"Okay, I swear not to tell my father. Now tell me," Hermione demanded.
Neville was unhappy about Hermione knowing. He knew she would insist on accompanying them, and he sat quietly as Harry filled Hermione in on what was going on.
Hermione listened for a few moments and then gave a small yelp. She jumped up from the table and disappeared into the stacks. The boys looked at each other. What was she doing?
She reappeared a short time later carrying a rather large book, which she slammed on to the table. Opening it, she flicked through it until she found what she was looking for.
"Harry, do you remember when the Gryffindors were looking for Nicolas Flamel?" she asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Look." Hermione pointed to the page she had turned to in the book.
Dudley read out the passage to which she was pointing. "'Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone.' Why is that so important?"
"Because I think that's what's hidden on the third floor," Hermione explained.
"Why are the Gryffindor gits so sure that Quirrell's after the stone for You-Know-Who though?" Harry wanted to know.
Hermione was now the most enthusiastic of the group. "They obviously know, or think they know, something we don't. Let's follow them tonight."
The Outcasts agreed that they would meet just before midnight on the second floor by Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom.
Midnight
"Harry, are you here?" Hermione whispered, only for a hand to cover her mouth and pull her into the shadows. Hermione struggled for a moment until she realized it was Harry.
"Shh. Filch was here not more than five minutes ago," Harry whispered. "Come on, now we're all here, we can go."
Harry led the way up to the third floor, and the five children secreted themselves behind the statues of the ancient knights that guarded the entrance to the third floor corridor. They had not been a second too soon as the Golden Trio turned up mere moments behind them.
"Ron, you're stepping on my foot," Seamus complained loudly.
"Be quiet!" Jamie hissed.
Harry could hear the Gryffindors but he couldn't see them. Obviously Jamie and his cronies were either disillusioned or hiding under something. The Gryffindors moved to stand behind one of the large columns, which lined the corridor leading to Fluffy's door.
Hermione had been standing next to Harry when he suddenly gasped, grabbed his shoulder, and collapsed in pain. "Harry, what's wrong?"
She knelt down next to her fallen friend just as Quirrell passed the hidden children on his way to Fluffy's lair.
After a few seconds, Harry started to feel better and he smiled at Hermione in the darkness. "I don't know what happened. One moment I was fine and the next it felt as if someone had stuck something hot and sharp into my shoulder."
Up ahead, the door to Fluffy's den opened and the sounds of a harp being played reached the ears of the two hidden groups. The Gryffindors removed the cloak that had been hiding them and headed into the room after Quirrell.
Harry turned to the four Outcasts. "Come on, we've got to follow them."
The five children ran to the room only to find a large three-headed dog sleeping in the room, its snores accompanied by a harp that was magically playing. Over the course of the next minute, several things happened at once: sounds of screaming reached their ears from the darkened depths beneath the trapdoor, the harp stopped playing, and Dudley noticed that the large dog was waking up.
Dudley called out a warning. "Harry, the dog!"
Harry looked at the dog to see its eyes were now open. "Hermione, distract the dog. I'm going to follow the Gryffindors."
Hermione grabbed Harry by the arm. "Don't be so stupid. You don't know what's down there."
Dudley, after listening to Harry's instructions to distract the dog, fired off a stinging hex striking the dog straight on the nose. In that moment, Dean and Neville both ran for the trapdoor, leaving the other three children to face a now very irate dog.
"Get out!" Harry yelled.
The three children ran from the room and slammed the door shut behind them.
Taking control of the situation, Harry barked out instructions to Dudley and Hermione. "Dudley, go fetch Professor Flitwick. Hermione, get your father. I'm going to find Professor McGonagall."
The two children looked at Harry for a moment before running off.
Neville and Dean landed on what felt like soft cushioning. Muffled screams could be heard coming from deep within it. It was only when tendrils suddenly snaked out to wrap themselves around the two boys that Neville realized what it was... Devil's Snare.
He yelled at Dean, "Relax and don't fight it."
Aware that Neville was the best in their group at Herbology, Dean listened and within a few seconds the plant relaxed its grip on him, leaving him to fall through it and drop on to the hard floor below. Moments later, Neville joined him. Up above them screams could still be heard.
Dean laughed a little maliciously. "Obviously they didn't relax!"
Neville grinned and pointed his wand at the plant and murmured, "Incendio". He knew that the plant hated bright light and heat. A short time later three slightly charred Gryffindors dropped through to the floor below.
"What do you think you're doing here?" Jamie demanded.
"Rescuing you." Dean looked at Neville and grinned.
"We would have gotten out just fine without you," Ron boasted.
"Yeah, right," Dean said sarcastically.
"Well, you can go now. We've got things to do," Jamie told the two boys.
"We're not going anywhere. Do you see any stairs?" Neville asked.
Jamie looked around and realized that Neville was right. "Fine, but don't expect us to help you when you get into trouble."
He stalked off, leaving the remaining boys to follow behind him. A large ornate wooden door barred his way, and Jamie tried the handle, which opened easily. On stepping through the doorway, he walked into a room that looked as if it was filled with hundreds of tiny flying birds. At the far end of the room a door stood between the boys and whatever lay on the other side.
Ron's voice came from behind him. "What do you think these are for?"
Jamie just shrugged as Dean cried out, "They're winged keys."
Upon closer inspection, the others were able to make out what Dean had spotted. The 'birds' were actually different shaped keys, all with gossamer light wings. After walking across the room and trying the door, only to find it locked and resistant to an unlocking spell, Jamie looked around the room. In the far corner, a broomstick was leaning against the wall. Walking over to it, Jamie picked it up and walked back to where the other boys were still standing watching the keys.
"I think I'm going to have to go after the key. Try and work out which key I'm going after." Since Jamie was easily the best flyer of the group, no-one bothered to argue with his domineering statement.
Dean's eagle eyes came to the rescue once more, and he pointed up to a key that was flying slightly slower than the others. "Look, that key up there, it's got a broken wing."
Jamie jumped on to the broomstick. It was then that the boys understood the purpose of the other keys. As Jamie took off into the air, the other keys became like a swarm of bees, attacking him again and again in a desperate effort to stop him from reaching his goal. They were, however, unsuccessful as the boy grabbed his target from the air and flew down towards the locked door.
Not stopping to dismount fully, Jamie threw the key to Seamus, who grabbed it, inserted into the lock of the door and threw the door open. All the boys rushed into the next room and slammed the door shut behind them. On the other side of the door, several keys hurtled into the door, unable to stop in time.
Lights flared into life as the boys entered the room.
"What is this?" Neville asked.
"I don't know." Jamie looked around.
"I do. It's a chess set." Seamus had played enough games of chess with Ron to be sure of his supposition.
"What do you think happens now?" Ron turned to the boys.
"Let's find out." Jamie scurried on to the checkerboard floor, only to find his way barred by some vicious looking pawns with drawn swords. He quickly backed off.
"I think we're going to have to play our way across," Ron surmised. "I'm the best at chess here, so I'd better do it."
Ron ordered the four boys to take up positions on the board. He took the knight since he could sit atop of it and be able to command the board from his elevated position. All five boys were horrified to find that the chessboard pieces were not only sentient but violent as well. As each piece was taken it was smashed into pieces by its usurper.
It was during the final few moments of the game that, after looking at the pieces that remained on the board, Ron realized he had a tough choice to make: if they wanted to go on, then the only way to win was for him to sacrifice Neville.
Dean had also identified Ron's dilemma. "No, Ron, don't do it. He could die."
"Don't do what?" Jamie asked.
"It's the only way to win the game," Ron protested, and he then made the move before the other boys could say anything more.
The other four watched in fascinated silence as the knight Ron was sitting on moved into position. The opposing queen slid forward until she was facing Neville, raised her scepter and smashed it into him, sending him flying.
"Nobody move!" Seamus yelled. He then moved into position and faced the king. "Checkmate."
The king released his sword, which crashed to the floor in a gesture of defeat. The four boys then rushed to Neville's side.
"One of you needs to stay with him. I'm going to go on," Jamie declared.
"You should stay," Dean barked at Ron. "It's your fault he's like this."
"He's your friend," Ron argued.
Dean knelt down. "Nev?"
Neville groaned and opened his eyes. "Go, Dean. Prewett can stay with me."
"But…"
"Just do it, Ron," Jamie snapped. "We'll come back and get you if we need you."
Dean turned to Neville. "Take care. I'll be back as soon as I can."
The two boys shook hands and Dean hurried after the two boys who had already left the room. A grumpy Ron then sat down by Neville to wait.
The next room the remaining three boys entered contained a large, dead troll, which all of them were thankful they wouldn't have to face. The room after the troll was nothing more than a small antechamber. In its middle stood a table, on top of which seven bottles of various shapes and sizes were arranged in a line. As the boys crossed the threshold, black flames leapt up behind them. Seamus headed to the door at the far side of the room, only to be repelled by the same flames that now blocked their retreat. Dean and Jamie had moved over to the table where the bottles stood.
A piece of paper lay on the table. Jamie read it and swore. "Bloody hell, we'll never be able to figure this out."
He threw the paper on the floor and stomped across the room to where Seamus was trying to extinguish the flames. Dean picked up the paper and read its contents out loud.
So which bottle are you going to pick?
Some of us kill, some make you sick.
Will you choose the short or the tall?
Which of us will make you fall?
Pick the nettle wine you may
But if you do you're here to stay.
Pick the poison, your life is gone
But how to choose the correct one?
Is to the right danger or to the left demise?
Which bottle to pick, what's the right size?
Tall will save you, as will small.
To the left of wine death does call.
To move forward avoid each end.
But to go back one is a friend.
We're all the same, one, four and five.
But will we leave you alive?
Now make your choice, O Stranger
Death, drunkenness or danger!'
"It's a logic puzzle!" Dean exclaimed.
"What's that?" Jamie asked.
"You have to figure the answer out from the clues. Now let me think." Dean looked at the seven bottles.
"One and seven stop us going forward, so we can rule them out. One of them will take us back through the flames." Dean slowly figured out what was contained in each bottle.
"I'm not going back," Jamie said stubbornly.
"Will you shut up, Potter? I'm trying to think." Dean returned to his task. "I think one, four and five are poison; therefore two and six are nettle wine; seven takes you back and three forward."
Jamie picked up the third bottle; there was just enough liquid in it for one sip. Drawing his wand, Jamie stunned Dean.
"What did you do that for?" Seamus cried.
"Look at the bottle. There's only enough for one person. I couldn't take the chance he'd try and take it from me. I need to go on." Jamie just knew it was his destiny to continue. "I trust you not to try and get it from me. Anyway, you can easily get back. Just drink out of the seventh bottle. I'm going on."
With that, Jamie upended the bottle and tipped the liquid into his mouth, a feeling like ice trickling down his spine chilling him to his very toes. He took a deep breath and, before Seamus could say anything, he ran through the flames and into the next room.
Seamus turned to Dean who lay on the floor. "Enervate."
Dean came to. "Where's Potter?"
Seamus laughed cynically. "He swallowed the only mouthful of the liquid that lets you move forward and now he's gone on alone. I can't believe I've been such a ninny."
Seamus sat heavily on the floor and put his hands into head.
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"I've been an idiot. I've been friends with someone who didn't think twice about leaving his friend behind; someone who thought nothing of my leaving you here alone; someone who's not the person I thought he was. I've treated people so badly this year. My parents will be so angry with me."
Seamus' voice broke as he tried hard to control his tears as he thought about how he had strutted around the school as one of Jamie's lackeys, not really worrying about anyone else's feelings.
Seamus then took a deep breath and stood up. "Dean, I'm so sorry. I've treated you really badly this year. I'm going to say sorry to the Lupins, Neville, and Hermione Snape as well. Can you ever forgive me?"
Dean stood up and held out his hand. "I forgive you, Seamus Finnigan."
Seamus could not help but shed a few tears as he shook Dean's hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."
There was plenty of liquid in the seventh bottle so both boys took a swig from it and underwent the same feeling as Jamie had. Looking at each, they grasped each other by the hand and exited the room through the flames.
"So Potter, you finally decided to join me." Quirinus turned around from the mirror he had been staring into as Jamie entered the room. Jamie recognized the mirror as the one he had found in the abandoned classroom.
Jamie was surprised. "You were expecting me?"
"Of course. I knew you were hiding on the third floor. I assumed you would all follow me but I only needed one of you so I made sure only to leave enough elixir for one person to get through the flames. After last night I discovered I needed a willing assistant," Quirinus told Jamie.
Quirrell had been there last night? Jamie protested, "But we waited for you last night."
"I know, I heard you. You didn't hear me though, did you?" Quirinus asked.
"But why come back?" Jamie realized that Quirinus must have been disillusioned and used some sort of silencing spell to slip past the three boys on the previous night.
"As I've already told you, I needed a volunteer," Quirinus explained. "Now come here."
"No," Jamie refused.
"I said to come here." Quirinus waved his hand, and bright blue flames leapt up, forcing Jamie to move away from them.
Aware he had little choice, Jamie stepped forward.
"Look into the mirror and tell me what you see."
Jamie stared into the mirror. He saw the same room as he had seen before. Only this time, instead of being chained and kneeling before him, Harry Lupin was standing before Jamie holding out a red stone.
"Tell me what you see," Quirinus repeated.
"I'm in a large room. People are bowing to me. There are two prisoners chained and beaten, and they're kneeling in front of me."
A voice came from the back of Quirinus' head. "Let me speak to the boy."
"But Master…" Quirinus started to speak.
"Do it now," the voice ordered.
Unwrapping the turban he always wore around his head, Quirinus turned so that his back was facing Jamie, who recoiled in horror at the face that was embedded in the back of Quirinus' head.
"Yes, Potter, not a very pleasant sight is it? This is what you reduced me to when the spell I cast on you rebounded." Voldemort's voice sounded harsh. "I need to rely on others to survive."
"At least you're alive." Jamie thought about his birth father who had been killed by this monster.
"I'd hardly call this living, boy. Enough talk. You will get me the stone." Voldemort sounded angry.
"Why should I do anything for you? You killed my father," Jamie blurted out.
Quirinus' head shook from side to side, as Voldemort denied Jamie's accusation. "I didn't kill your father. I was going to but my most loyal servant wanted that honor and I was happy to grant it to him. You should be grateful I let your Mudblood mother live."
Despite the danger he was in, Jamie was intrigued. "Why did you let her live and let him kill my father?"
"Get me the stone and I'll tell you." Voldemort's voice had become almost hypnotic.
Jamie desperately wanted to know why his mother had been spared but he knew he couldn't let Voldemort have the stone. "No."
"I'll even tell you why I killed your brother."
Jamie was stunned. It was true then, he had had a brother. His mum had always avoided the subject of that Halloween night and his dad had forbidden him to ask her again. Now he knew why. Not only had he lost his birth father that night, but also his brother. His heart hardened against the fiend in front of him. "No."
Voldemort tried to tempt Jamie. "I can give you what you saw in the mirror. Fame, glory, power: it can all be yours if you just get me the stone."
Jamie thought about it for a second, and then he realized that Voldemort would probably just kill him after he got the stone. "Go to hell!"
"So be it. Say hello to your father and brother for me."
As Jamie walked into the final room to face off against Quirrell and Voldemort, the three Professors Harry and his friends had alerted stood outside the door to Fluffy's den. "Are we ready?" Severus asked.
The other two just nodded and Severus pushed open the door. Fluffy was waiting for them. Filius' spell sailed under Severus' arm and hit the harp. Within a few moments, the large dog had settled down to sleep.
Severus turned back to the three children who had been told to keep a safe distance. "We'll deal with you three on our return. Do not move from this spot. Do you understand?"
All three children nodded. Luckily when they had gone to fetch help all three teachers had still been up. They watched as their Professors disappeared into the depths beneath the trapdoor. A bright light and puff of smoke suddenly shot up from the hole.
"I wonder what was down there," Harry said to the other two.
Neither Hermione nor Dudley responded; they were both too nervous about what was going on to speak.
Minerva twisted her ankle as she landed on the floor of the dungeon after being dropped by the Devil's Snare. The two men immediately rushed to her assistance. She immediately brushed off their concerns and picked up a piece of fallen Devil's Snare. She then transformed it into a walking stick and hobbled into the key room.
The key was still nestled in the lock, the boys having not bothered to remove it in their hurry to get through the door. On entering the chess room, the teachers found Neville, Seamus, Dean and Ron huddled together in the middle of the chess set. Neville was once again unconscious and bleeding from his forehead.
"Professor, Jamie still hasn't come back," Seamus told the Professor.
Sighing, Minerva undid her Transfiguration and the chess pieces shrank down into their original unarmed configuration.
Severus turned to Filius. "I'll help Minerva get these boys out so that they can all go to the hospital wing. I'll be back as quickly as I can." He then took a small bottle out of his pocket. "This will get you through the flames and into the final chamber. If you manage to get out before I get there, it's the last bottle on the right to get you back through the flames again."
Minerva turned to face Filius. "Be careful."
Filius headed through the room with the dead troll in it and towards the room containing Severus' own contribution, the Potions test with the cryptic clues. Flames sprang up behind him as he entered the room, and he took a mouthful of the potion Severus had given him and kept walking through the flames, which had now sprung up in front of him, and headed into the final room.
Filius entered the room just in time to hear Voldemort's final words to Jamie Potter. He immediately sent a stunning spell hurtling towards Quirinus, who pushed Jamie into the path of the spell. Rendered unconscious by the spell, the boy fell into the mirror which toppled to the floor, trapping him beneath it.
Filius fired off a second stunner, which Quirinus easily dodged, returning a spell of his own at the same time. Filius dove out of the way but he had not been quick enough, his leg badly damaged by the Reductor Curse. Unable to get up, he became an easy target for his former colleague.
"Crucio!" Filius' screams echoed around the room as he thrashed about in agony. His screams suddenly stopped as he hit his head on a pillar, rendering him unconscious.
After escorting the injured group back to the safety of the third floor, Severus hurried back to aid Filius. When he came through the entrance to the final chamber, he discovered Filius lying unconscious on the floor, and Quirinus leaning over an unmoving Jamie Potter, who was trapped beneath a huge mirror. "If you won't help me, then you're going to die, Potter."
Severus raised his wand to attack Quirinus and then stopped. A tiny voice in his head urged him to let Jamie die. He hated the boy almost as much as he had hated his father. In the moment of Severus' hesitation, Quirinus became aware of the fact that he had company.
"Ah, Severus Snape, it comes down to you and me. We could have been allies, you and I. You should've joined me when you had the chance instead of fleeing to Dumbledore like a coward. No matter, for I'm going to kill you now and take the stone." Voldemort sounded supremely confident.
At that moment, Filius, who had regained consciousness, shot off a stunning spell, which distracted Quirinus and his parasite.
Severus, who decided he was not going to take the chance of Voldemort getting the stone, shot off his own spell. The spell impacted squarely upon his intended target and he watched in satisfaction as Quirinus' head exploded into a myriad of tiny pieces.
Filius sat on the floor, stunned. He had intended to subdue Quirinus, not kill him but that choice had now been taken out of his hands.
Both men were horrified to see Quirinus' body crumble to dust before their eyes: Voldemort's spirit had departed and left the man to die.
Albus entered the room at that moment. The wards he had set up to let him know when someone had entered the trapdoor had been triggered more than an hour earlier. He had returned from the Ministry in the hope that he would find Jamie Potter battling Voldemort. Instead, he was horrified to see Jamie lying on the floor covered with the mirror, Filius propped up against a pillar bleeding from his leg, and Severus standing over the desiccated body of what he presumed was Quirinus.
Quickly Albus levitated the mirror off Jamie's body, the boy's moan paying testament to the fact that he was still alive. Unfortunately the mirror was cracked, which meant that Albus would be unable to retrieve the stone from it. He had no idea how he was going to explain this to Nicolas.
A few days later
Albus was not surprised when a tall, dark-haired man entered the infirmary. The castle's wards had alerted him to the man's presence as soon as he had stepped inside the front door. "What can I do for you, Healer Delaney?"
"I've come to take Jamie home. Lily isn't too happy about what's happened, especially with it coming so soon after the Forbidden Forest incident."
Albus smiled in a conciliatory fashion. "I thought that might be the case. His things are being packed as we speak. His friends will be sorry that he'll miss the train journey back with them."
"Lily was insistent. She wants her son home with her where she can keep an eye on him. Can you provide me with a portkey home or do I need to floo out?" Craig asked.
Albus picked up a magazine, spoke the incantation to change it into a portkey and passed it to Craig. "Just say 'home' when you're ready to go."
Craig walked over to Jamie's bed where he took a hold of the sleeping boy's hand. He turned to face Albus. "Thank you. Home." The man and boy then disappeared.
Albus sighed and headed back to his office. He had something to do that he had been putting off since discovering the mirror had been damaged.
Back in his office, Albus threw some floo powder into the fireplace and called out "Nicolas Flamel". Nicolas' face soon appeared in the flames. "Do you mind if I step through?" Albus asked.
"Not at all, old friend," Nicolas responded, before pulling out of the fire to allow Albus passage.
Albus stepped out of the fireplace and into Nicolas' study. It was overstuffed with the many things that Nicolas had amassed over time. Instead of trying to distract himself, Albus decided that he had better just come right out with it.
"I've lost the stone. I placed it inside the Mirror of Erised, which was damaged when Voldemort tried to recover the stone." Albus looked at the floor, unable to meet his friend's eyes.
Nicolas laughed, his own eyes twinkling. "Sorry, Albus, but did you really think I'd hand over the real stone?"
Albus was stunned. His friend hadn't trusted him? "But I thought…"
Nicolas interrupted. "I know you only had good intentions but I couldn't risk the stone falling into Riddle's hands."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Albus asked.
"And spoil my fun! After being alive this long, I have to look for new ways to amuse myself." Nicolas smirked. He knew this would annoy Albus, but heck, he was 665 and needed a little diversion every now and then.
Albus was staggered. The false stone had been given to him for a joke! Hiding his anger, he smiled at Nicolas. "No harm done. At least the stone's safe. Where is it, by the way?"
Nicolas just tapped the side of his nose with his finger. "Need to know basis only, Albus, need to know."
"Well, now that I know everything is okay, I'd better be on my way." Albus took his leave and departed via the fireplace.
Nicolas watched as Albus vanished from the flames, and his wife, Peri, came into the room. "So he's gone then?" she asked.
"Yes. I don't think he was very happy though."
"That's just too bad. You know as well as I do that that man isn't to be trusted."
"Peri, I know. Let's go pass our findings down to the team."
The fireplace was once more put into operation as Peri and Nicolas flooed out to report in.