I do not own HP, SINF,

Chapter 25

Aiden Ayers struggled to keep up with Olivia as they raced through the halls. Olivia had looked back down at her book after their conversation was clearly over. She had been tuned out and dead to the world for about three minutes before gasping loud enough to attract the attention of Madam Pince and sprinting from the room carrying the book. Madam Pince had attempted to chase them and force them to check the book out, but they'd outrun her. Aiden doubted they'd heard the end of that.

"Hey wait!" Aiden shouted as his sister rounded a corner on the fourth floor. She slowed long enough for him to round the corner and then picked up the pace again. Aiden followed her down a small staircase and out into the third floor. That's when he realized where she was going. "Hey, when you said to confront him, I didn't think you meant today!" She just disappeared into the Defense Against the Dark Arts room; Aiden close behind.

Nicholas Flamel physically jumped when Olivia and Aiden burst through the door to his office. The girl was holding a old book under her arm and the boy was leaning over clearly with a stitch in his side. Alarm bells were going off in Nicholas' head, but he shoved them down. The children couldn't do anything to him. Yet.

"The Ayers," he said, gently pushing aside a stack of papers to grade. "Typically, students knock before entering."

Olivia shut the door. "Who are you?" she asked, turning back around.

Nicholas leaned back. "I'm going to take it that answering Luke Cummings would be a waste of my time?"

"Yes," Olivia said quickly. Aiden looked at her in surprise.

"Though, not with you apparently," Nicholas said to Aiden. Aiden didn't answer. He really did have common sense in abundance.

Olivia took back control. "You told us you graduated from Beauxbatons," she said.

"With honors," Nicholas said.

"You lied," Olivia said.

"Live as long as I have and you no longer believe in truth. Or lies," Nicholas said.

"How long is that exactly?" Olivia asked.

"I wasn't expecting to have to answer that," Nicholas said.

Olivia sat down across from him and set down the book she was carrying. She opened it to a page she'd earmarked and pointed to a picture which took up half the page. Aiden looked in very interested and Olivia slapped him away.

"The only place I could find anyone who looked like you was this picture from 1407," she said. "A man named Nicholas Flamel." Nicholas remained silent until she continued. "You look too similar to be coincidental. You're a descendant of Nicholas Flamel."

Flamel smiled. "That doesn't mean I didn't graduate myself from Beauxbatons," he said. "What else you got?"

"No one who looks anything like you has been at Beauxbatons in the last 150 years," she pressed on. "Explain that." She threw down her hands and leaned back triumphantly.

Nicholas smiled again. "Alright, I confess, I didn't graduate from Beauxbatons," he said.

"Thank you," Olivia said.

"So what's the truth?" Aiden asked. "Who are you?"

"You accepted the Luke Cummings cover so readily," Nicholas said. "You able to accept the truth?"

"Yes," Olivia said flatly.

Nicholas nodded. "I didn't graduate from Beauxbatons; I founded it. I am Nicholas Flamel."

"Imposible!" Aiden said immediately.

Nicholas turned toward him. "What do you know of Flamel?" Nicholas asked.

"Aiden, Nicholas Flamel is...was an alchemist. He's the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone," Olivia said.

"What's that?" Aiden asked.

"The Philosopher's Stone is said to turn any metal into solid gold and allow someone to produce the Elixir of Life which makes the drinker immortal," Nicholas said. "It is said I used it to live since my birth in 1330."

"It is said?" Olivia asked.

"The Elixir doesn't do that, it's just alcohol," Nicholas said. "Though, the stone can produce fool's gold from any metal. Real gold requires a long magical process that the stone cannot mimic."

"So, how did you become immortal?" Aiden asked.

"A potion I brew monthly," Nicholas said. He didn't dare say more. He leaned in. "You remember the magic I showed you both?"

"Yeah," Aiden said. Olivia shot him a glance.

"I can teach you to use that magic to create real gold, to do amazing things, things that you can't even dream about. I can change dirt to candy. I can teach you to call up a storm or calm one. I can teach you to - "

"Become immortal?" Aiden asked eagerly.

Nicholas leaned back. "I've heard of people who have slowed the aging process. I can't teach immortality, but I can teach you to do that," he said. "But you'd have to be strong enough."

"Can you tell if we're strong enough?" Aiden asked.

"Aiden - " Olivia began.

"I'd have to have you Awakened," Nicholas said. "I'd like to have you Awakened, today if you want."

"It's the middle of the term!" Olivia said before Aiden could accept the offer. "You're talking about kidnap."

"Kidnapping would be against your will," Nicholas said.

"I want to go," Aiden said.

"I won't," Olivia said. "I don't know anything about this Awakening. I need information."

"Don't be such a Ravenclaw," Aiden said. Olivia sounded offended.

This wasn't going as planned, but Nicholas was getting annoyed. Perenelle wouldn't like it, but he wasn't sure he had another choice. Olivia would find nothing about the Awakening process in the library. Either she'd keep looking and they'd never get her Awakened or she'd refuse to do it at all; with the same result. "It's okay, Aiden," he said, ending the argument before it started. "There's someone you can ask about the process."

"Who?" Olivia asked.

"Professor Dumbledore," Nicholas said. "He went through it."

A/N: Nicholas Flamel was born in 1330 - Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Nicolas Flamel was born in 1326 - Harry Potter. This is figured out because he turned 665 in 1991 ("who last year celebrated his 665th birthday." Hermione reads this in 1992 according to canon)

Perenelle Flamel was born in 1320 (10 years older than Nicholas) in SINF and 1333 (7 years younger than Nicolas) in HP. At least her name is spelled the same in both series, unlike Nicholas/Nicolas.

I also liked the idea that students would use the house names as insults, like Aiden did in this chapter. I think every house could be used as such, except perhaps Gryffindor. Only a Slytherin would believe that calling someone overly brave would be an insult.